- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Faber and Faber (17 July 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 057123805X
- ISBN-13: 978-0571238057
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 13.2 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,331,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amanda Craig, Daily Telegraph
'Beautifully written and absorbing ... Wilson has a gifted, original voice [and his] characters are convincing period creations.'
Andrew Taylor, Independent
'Beautifully written ... Wilson's previous novels have shown his skill at creating characters who occupy a plausible past. He is equally good here, with his lovingly detailed Edwardian world.'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It's 1910, and children's author Corley Roper is becoming estranged from his wife after the death of their daughter. He meets an enigmatic woman in a churchyard, and discovers that she too is mourning a child. She seems a lost soul, and the fact that she never knew her parents sends Roper on a convoluted journey in search of them. Very little is made of Roper's motivation in taking on this selfless and demanding challenge, and initially my bewilderment in this respect niggled at my enjoyment of the story. But then the astuteness of an American admirer of Roper's provides a lucid and convincing explanation, elevating this well-written and absorbing novel into one of great emotional depth and power.
If I had to find fault, it would be that the author sometimes overdoes his characters' physical reactions to emotion: nervous exhaustion, hairs standing up on neck or forearms, and lots of blushing (even a new blush starting before the last one could have faded). But this aside, James Wilson is technically a superb writer, with a gift for bringing to life the era he is describing. An excellent ear for dialogue, too, and all of his characters - even the minor ones - are engaging. Clever title, too.
There is a supernatural element to the story, which could have ruined it for me, but the way it manifests itself is original and oddly persuasive: it came to make complete sense, once my understanding of the rationale grew. What this book has to say about loss, and feeling lost, can hardly fail to move you, and the conclusion of the story is magnificent, not least because just two little words, right at the very end, tell you (indirectly) something that will warm your heart. A lovely novel, highly readable, and very, very touching.
If I had to find fault, it would be that the author sometimes overdoes his characters' physical reactions to emotion: nervous exhaustion, hairs standing up on neck or forearms, and lots of blushing (even a new blush starting before the last one could have faded). But this aside, James Wilson is technically a superb writer, with a gift for bringing to life the era he is describing. An excellent ear for dialogue, too, and all of his characters - even the minor ones - are engaging. Clever title, too.
There is a supernatural element to the story, which could have ruined it for me, but the way it manifests itself is original and oddly persuasive: it came to make complete sense, once my understanding of the rationale grew. What this book has to say about loss, and feeling lost, can hardly fail to move you, and the conclusion of the story is magnificent, not least because just two little words, right at the very end, tell you (indirectly) something that will warm your heart. A lovely novel, highly readable, and very, very touching.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I won't go through the plot, as other reviewers have done that already. Just to say, this book is unique and amazing. If you like Victorian novels, as I do, you will find a similarity that is quite extraordinary. The author is true to the period in every detail. The storyline moves along at a good pace and the cameo characters are distinctive.
I would have liked more information in a postscript about his family history connection; Mary Wilson was his grandmother I understand, but that is not stated anywhere in the copy I have.
Can't wait to read more James Wilson if they are all as good as this!
I would have liked more information in a postscript about his family history connection; Mary Wilson was his grandmother I understand, but that is not stated anywhere in the copy I have.
Can't wait to read more James Wilson if they are all as good as this!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One evening, celebrated children's author Corley Roper meets a woman named Mary Wilson in a graveyard. Both have suffered the recent loss of a child, and both are more or less adrift in the world--Roper is estranged from his mad wife and finds that he cannot write anymore. Later, he embarks on a search to find out the secret of Mary's birth.
Set nearly a hundred years ago, this novel is sort of sepia-toned, in a way. The tone of the novel is dark in parts, and it promised to be a kind of a Gothic mystery. The story as it moves you along is compelling enough, but the ending left me wanting more--and not in a good way, because it was extremely anticlimactic (I don't want to spoil anything, but it made me think, "that's it? Why the heck did Roper even bother?"). From the blurb on the back of the book, Wilson wrote this novel about his grandmother, but I'm afraid that he made quite a mountain out of a molehill with this one--Mary's secret isn't particularly new or interesting. And it's not much of a secret, either, as you will find out if you read this book.
I loved the atmosphere of the novel, but it was marred by characters who behave in unlikely ways. Why is a young American woman running around Europe unescorted? Why are pretty much all the characters so laissez-faire about the possibility of divorce in an era when divorce still wasn't taken lightly? There are also a number of really wild coincidences--Roper goes in search of Alice, and the first hotel he enquires in happens to be the hotel at which she's staying! The novel also touches on a number of different ideas and movements that were starting to take shape in the early 19th century (early psychology, cubism), but he never really delves into them. In short, this was a short novel with a lot of promise; it just didn't hang together well for me, I'm afraid.
Set nearly a hundred years ago, this novel is sort of sepia-toned, in a way. The tone of the novel is dark in parts, and it promised to be a kind of a Gothic mystery. The story as it moves you along is compelling enough, but the ending left me wanting more--and not in a good way, because it was extremely anticlimactic (I don't want to spoil anything, but it made me think, "that's it? Why the heck did Roper even bother?"). From the blurb on the back of the book, Wilson wrote this novel about his grandmother, but I'm afraid that he made quite a mountain out of a molehill with this one--Mary's secret isn't particularly new or interesting. And it's not much of a secret, either, as you will find out if you read this book.
I loved the atmosphere of the novel, but it was marred by characters who behave in unlikely ways. Why is a young American woman running around Europe unescorted? Why are pretty much all the characters so laissez-faire about the possibility of divorce in an era when divorce still wasn't taken lightly? There are also a number of really wild coincidences--Roper goes in search of Alice, and the first hotel he enquires in happens to be the hotel at which she's staying! The novel also touches on a number of different ideas and movements that were starting to take shape in the early 19th century (early psychology, cubism), but he never really delves into them. In short, this was a short novel with a lot of promise; it just didn't hang together well for me, I'm afraid.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Engaging and Intriguing Mystery
James Wilson is good at mystery stories and his fourth novel certainly presents us with an engrossing one. It's set just before World War I. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kate Hopkins
Wonderful
Was given this last week and finished it almost in one sitting, having stayed up most of the night. A wonderful, thought-provoking novel, which I highly recommend. Read more
Published on 30 July 2009 by Nelson Weller
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