Earth and Heaven
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Review
'Beautiful... Clever, compelling' (The Times )
'A compassionate account of the life of an artist, particularly strong in its evocation of post-war London and the countryside of Kent' (Woman and Home )
'Memorable, poetic... Wonderfully evocative writing - you can almost smell the hop vines as you read' (Ms London )
'Descriptive brilliance... Its emotional tenor remains buoyant and unfaltering from the first page to the last' (TLS )
'A terrific writer' Adele Geras (Adele Geras )
'A compassionate account of the life of an artist, particularly strong in its evocation of post-war London and the countryside of Kent' (Woman and Home )
'Memorable, poetic... Wonderfully evocative writing - you can almost smell the hop vines as you read' (Ms London )
'Descriptive brilliance... Its emotional tenor remains buoyant and unfaltering from the first page to the last' (TLS )
'A terrific writer' Adele Geras (Adele Geras )
TLS
'Descriptive brilliance... Its emotional tenor remains buoyant and unfaltering from the first page to the last'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In this generous, leisurely novel, Sue Gee shows her ability to create character and place - London after the First World War, the hop-fields of Kent. As with "The Hours of the Night", she deals with loss - for Walter, who has lost his brother in the First World War; for his friend Euan, who is grieving for his comrades killed at Passchendaele... Sue Gee excels at the tensions of relationships, and at evoking the textures and pleasures of daily life. Also, this carefully-researched novel gives insights into various art movements of the period between the wars and up to the rise of Nazism - showing how some artists responded to the conflicts while others ignored them. A long and absorbing read, confirming Sue Gee's status as one of the best novelists writing today.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Very enjoyable book, but I found the language at times a bit 'cute' eg Euan asks the young 4 year old 'What are you making?' the boy replies'A mess' and there was a lot of 'Of course' - it sounded like one voice coming out of the same head and the children don't sound like children at all. However for all that it was very absorbing and illuminating about art and WW1 - though the eventual relationship between Euan and Meredith lay a bit uncomfortably - what sort of love was it between an old man and very young girl? Hmmmm....well worth the read
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sue Gee's `Earth and Heaven' is a marvellous and deeply affecting novel spanning the years from the First World War to the end of the Second. Our main protagonist is Walter Cox, whom we meet when he is a very young man, just too young to be sent to the Front, living with his parents and sisters among the hop fields and cornfields of Kent. Walter's father is a farm worker and his older brother, John William, is in the trenches. In 1916, when news arrives that John William has been killed in action, Walter is devastated and feels as if he has lost half of his body - and this is a feeling that sadly never entirely leaves him.
Throughout his childhood and teenage years, Walter has enjoyed drawing as a hobby, but like many young men of his background, it is expected that he will follow his father and work on the land. However, when his headmaster suggests that Walter has a real talent and he should study art seriously, Walter jumps at the chance to become a `real' artist. After studying at a nearby art college, Walter is accepted by the Slade, whose past pupils include: Augustus John, William Orpen, Dora Carrington, Paul Nash and Stanley Spencer. Walter is taught by the renowned Henry Tonks and Philip Wilson Steer and he makes a good impression on his teachers, but his studies are waylaid by his infatuation with the attractive, but feckless Nina. After his relationship with Nina flounders, William renews his acquaintance with another student, Sarah Lewis, a wood engraver, and they fall in love, marry and leave London to live in rural Kent where Walter grew up. This novel is the story of their life together, of their family, their art, their happy times, and of their deep sorrow and despair when tragedy enters their lives and alters it forever.
A thoughtful, delicate and unhurried story following the slow turn of the seasons, yet one that is also totally absorbing and compelling. Sue Gee's prose is lyrical, beguiling and deeply emotive; her descriptions of the landscape are truly evocative and are carefully painted for the reader with an almost post-impressionist touch. If you are interested in art and nature, there is much to entertain here; but this book is not just about art and of its power to rejuvenate and renew us, it is about life with all its attendant joys and sorrows. This is a wonderfully affecting novel and not one to be hurried; you must travel along with it at its own pace, and in doing so you will derive much from the journey. Highly recommended.
5 Stars.
Also recommended by the same author: The Hours of the Night.
Throughout his childhood and teenage years, Walter has enjoyed drawing as a hobby, but like many young men of his background, it is expected that he will follow his father and work on the land. However, when his headmaster suggests that Walter has a real talent and he should study art seriously, Walter jumps at the chance to become a `real' artist. After studying at a nearby art college, Walter is accepted by the Slade, whose past pupils include: Augustus John, William Orpen, Dora Carrington, Paul Nash and Stanley Spencer. Walter is taught by the renowned Henry Tonks and Philip Wilson Steer and he makes a good impression on his teachers, but his studies are waylaid by his infatuation with the attractive, but feckless Nina. After his relationship with Nina flounders, William renews his acquaintance with another student, Sarah Lewis, a wood engraver, and they fall in love, marry and leave London to live in rural Kent where Walter grew up. This novel is the story of their life together, of their family, their art, their happy times, and of their deep sorrow and despair when tragedy enters their lives and alters it forever.
A thoughtful, delicate and unhurried story following the slow turn of the seasons, yet one that is also totally absorbing and compelling. Sue Gee's prose is lyrical, beguiling and deeply emotive; her descriptions of the landscape are truly evocative and are carefully painted for the reader with an almost post-impressionist touch. If you are interested in art and nature, there is much to entertain here; but this book is not just about art and of its power to rejuvenate and renew us, it is about life with all its attendant joys and sorrows. This is a wonderfully affecting novel and not one to be hurried; you must travel along with it at its own pace, and in doing so you will derive much from the journey. Highly recommended.
5 Stars.
Also recommended by the same author: The Hours of the Night.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
An Exquisite, Painterly Novel
A wonderful account of the British art world between World Wars I and II, seen through the eyes of three talented but (for a long time) little-known artists. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Kate Hopkins
Earth & Heaven
Really enjoyed this and it arrived very
quickly. This author isn't easy to find so was delighted to get this book!
quickly. This author isn't easy to find so was delighted to get this book!
Published on 10 Jan 2010 by S. Grogan
A novel full of sadness and loss.
This story spans the era between the 1st and 2nd world wars.
We join the characters reeling from losses sustained during WWI, trying to pull their lives together and start... Read more
We join the characters reeling from losses sustained during WWI, trying to pull their lives together and start... Read more
Published on 8 July 2005 by DubaiReader
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