The Devil's Music
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
`A powerful and deeply affecting story of the bond between a mother and her children ... Jane Rusbridge is a brilliant new voice' --Alison Macleod
`Jane Rusbridge has a gift for evoking both characters and place ... Sensuously written and beautifully woven together, the various strands of the story converge in a heartrending - and heartwarming - climax' --Kathy Page
'Beautifully written and a real page turner'
--Essentials
`Jane Rusbridge has a gift for evoking both characters and place ... Sensuously written and beautifully woven together, the various strands of the story converge in a heartrending - and heartwarming - climax' --Kathy Page
'Beautifully written and a real page turner'
--Essentials
Product Description
It is 1958 and the Sputnik satellite has taken a dog up into space; back on earth, five-year-old Andy has a new sister, Elaine - a baby who, his father insists, is 'not quite all there'. While his parents argue over whether or not to send Elaine away, Andy sleeps beside her cot each night, keeping guard and watching as his mother - once an ambitious, energetic nurse - twists away into her private, suffocating sadness. Knots keep treasures safe, Andy's rope-maker grandfather tells him, and, as he listens to stories of the great Harry Houdini, Andy learns the Carrick Bend, the Midshipman's Hitch and the Monkey's Fist. Then a young painter, hired to decorate the family's house, seems to call Andy's mother back from the grief in which she is lost. But one day, at The Siding - the old railway carriage that serves as the family's seaside retreat - Andy is left in charge of his baby sister on a wind-chopped beach, where he discovers that not all treasures can be kept safe for ever. Three decades later Andrew returns from self-imposed exile to The Siding, the place where his life first unravelled. Looking back on the broken strands of his childhood, he tries, at last, to weave them together, aided by his grandfather's copy of The Ashley Book of Knots and the arrival of a wild-haired, tango-dancing sculptor - a woman with her own ideas about making peace with the past. LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2011
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and thought provoking first novel.,
By
This review is from: The Devil's Music (Hardcover)
This first novel by author Jane Rusbridge caught my eye because it starts with a Glossary of Knots! I put it on the To Read pile. Then I picked it up and read the first chapter; a bad habit. Then I had to read it.The book is stylishly written with an attention to detail which put me right back in the late 50s/early 60s of my childhood. The construction of the novel is cleverly designed to draw you in; well, it drew me in. The opening chapter details a moment of everyday ordinariness which turns, in a split second, into a moment of nightmarish, life-changing horror. That tiny fraction of time when a life changes for ever. The book is composed in five parts. In the first part, apparently unconnected stories of different people in differing times and places are laid down. The second and third parts find these stories touching, crossing, connecting and becoming clearer. In the fourth part of the book, the beauty of the pattern of this story has emerged and in the final part all strands are joined in a satisfying and interesting way. Rather like the tying of a complex knot I guess. I particularly enjoyed the chapters written from the perspective of a nine year old boy, reminding me of Dirk Bogardes wonderful 'Great Meadow'. How might you feel when faced with a plate of Spam, lumpy mashed potato and beetroot? Yuk! Very British, pleasingly understated and written in an entertaining style, the book touches on issues of interpersonal relationships, obsession, social taboos even the borderline-autism of the male mind. I was left with a slight regret when I finished the book and feel a little jealous of those who haven't yet read it. That's how I usually feel when I finish a great book. Thus, five stars.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant read which leaves you wanting more from this author,
By
This review is from: The Devil's Music (Hardcover)
A beautifully written story that will take you back to the 50s; you'll be captured by lino, candlewick bedspreads and apple snow as much as the memories of days on the beach!With vivid portrayal of relationships and a brilliant ability to bring to painful life the contrasting realities of their experience; this writer still leaves you with a sense of hope. This is an amazing first novel and one that is hard to put down. It's depth is enthralling - don't miss it.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous summer read,
By
This review is from: The Devil's Music (Hardcover)
An enthralling tale- I really cared about the characters and their intense relationships.The threads of the story were woven together so cleverly building to a thrilling climax.Jane Rusbridge has written a novel which has a central theme of knots, quite unique in my reading experience. Beautifully worded descriptions evoked strong nostalgia for the seaside holidays of my childhood. This is story telling at its best.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent 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.
|
