- Paperback: 264 pages
- Publisher: Authors Online Ltd; New edition edition (1 Feb 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0755200381
- ISBN-13: 978-0755200382
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.6 x 1.4 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,613,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Book Reviews. Belfast Telegraph, Saturday 9 Jan 99. PALL OF SMOKE HANGS OVER THE MEMORY. By Grainia McFadden. No one in Northern Ireland needs reminding of many of the events in the province during the bloodiest years of the troubles. In 1971, the then Home Secretary for Northern Ireland, Reginald Maudling said he could foresee a time when IRA violence could be reduced to an "acceptable level." People weren't quite sure what he meant. We know now of course and have lived with an acceptable level of violence for more than twenty years. Alex Ashe has chosen to tell the story of this "acceptable level of violence" through the events of that fateful afternoon when a bomb ripped apart the Abercorn Inn in March 1972. Ashe has created a series of well rounded characters, who inhabit the distinctive world of the 70s, with it's new-fangled decimalisation, chic suede fringed waistcoats, bus tokens, platformed heels and blue eyeshadow. Other hallmarks of that era -tarring and feathering, for example, crop up again and again, bringing a first hand feel to this compelling novel. It is these small details which help make the larger events ring true -and Ashe trawls right through the horror of the 70s, sparing us nothing; a thumbnail description of a night out at the La Mon hotel; Lennie Murphy's psychopathic leasure pursuits; the Loyalist strike that closed down the Province entirely. Ashe's debut novel hangs over the memory like a pall of smoke. It's no surprise to learn that the author is writing under a pen name and wants to keep her real identity hidden.
From the Author
Press comments and reviews.
"Impressive debut novel". Belfast Telegraph, Jan 99. "An excellent book and a compelling read". Buzz magazine, Nov 98. The response my novel has recieved since publication in August 98 has both surprised and delighted me. Feedback from friends and family has told me that the book appeals to a broad readership, particularly in my native Northern Ireland, but also much further afield. A friend in France has passed it around his friends in France and Germany and a copy is circulating in South Africa, courtesy of another friend's recommendation. "An Acceptable Level of Violence does not take sides and doesn't espouse any sectarian points of view": Buzz Magazine again. This was my intention. I wanted to write a novel which told the story of the Northern Ireland "troubles" through the lives of ordinary people who just happened to live through the worst years. Innocent people who, through no fault of their own were caught up in a war situation which should have been contained at the start but was not. "There is no fiction in any of this. There is nothing but the grim and cruel reality when politicians can"t bother themselves to deal with political lunatics as they should have been delt with many years ago". Irish News, Nov 98. It seems I have achieved my aim. It also seems that I have written a human interest story that most people can relate to: "Will prove compulsive reading to anyone who lives in or has an interest in the little battleground we call home". Belfast Telegraph again. Buy it, read it, judge for yourself. It's a story about ordinary people struggling to live their lives against the backdrop of an extraordinary situation. And they do. Life goes on. But as the ending reveals, it is probably too much to hope for that anyone, anywhere will ever learn anything from the mistakes of history... Alex Ashe. Jan 00. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Impressive debut novel". Belfast Telegraph, Jan 99. "An excellent book and a compelling read". Buzz magazine, Nov 98. The response my novel has recieved since publication in August 98 has both surprised and delighted me. Feedback from friends and family has told me that the book appeals to a broad readership, particularly in my native Northern Ireland, but also much further afield. A friend in France has passed it around his friends in France and Germany and a copy is circulating in South Africa, courtesy of another friend's recommendation. "An Acceptable Level of Violence does not take sides and doesn't espouse any sectarian points of view": Buzz Magazine again. This was my intention. I wanted to write a novel which told the story of the Northern Ireland "troubles" through the lives of ordinary people who just happened to live through the worst years. Innocent people who, through no fault of their own were caught up in a war situation which should have been contained at the start but was not. "There is no fiction in any of this. There is nothing but the grim and cruel reality when politicians can"t bother themselves to deal with political lunatics as they should have been delt with many years ago". Irish News, Nov 98. It seems I have achieved my aim. It also seems that I have written a human interest story that most people can relate to: "Will prove compulsive reading to anyone who lives in or has an interest in the little battleground we call home". Belfast Telegraph again. Buy it, read it, judge for yourself. It's a story about ordinary people struggling to live their lives against the backdrop of an extraordinary situation. And they do. Life goes on. But as the ending reveals, it is probably too much to hope for that anyone, anywhere will ever learn anything from the mistakes of history... Alex Ashe. Jan 00. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
