- Paperback: 560 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial; (Reissue) edition (26 Mar 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007159110
- ISBN-13: 978-0007159116
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
194,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #48 in Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > Occultism > Cults & Demonism
| |||||||||||||||
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
Review
'This is a terrific idiosyncratic piece of popular history.’ Sunday Times
‘Philip Hoare has written of Mary Ann Girling with awe and respect' Craig Brown.’ Mail on Sunday
'A rich and rewarding account of Victorian religious cults.' Independent on Sunday
‘The book reveals an unglimpsed Victorian England – one pre-figured, perhaps, in late Dickens – a queasily halluncinatory, twilight place' Guardian
‘A compelling history.’ Scotland on Sunday
‘Philip Hoare’s writing is quite untrammelled by convention and opens up astonishing views at every turn.’ W.G. Sebald
The Times
'It’s fantastic and fascinating stuff, challenging our view of the Victorians as rational and orthodox'
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
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
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The synopsis is fascinating, romantic and magnetic. The story of Mary Ann Girling and her bizarre sect begs to be captured in a well-crafted history. The author steps forward - in the shape of Philip Hoare - and spends five years researching these Victorian goings-on in dusty libraries and local collections. He sets to work on his PC and writes the book that is needed. But what a bizarre result! The text is padded-out with multitudinous cul-de-sacs - veritable brain-dumps of boring tripe - that make this book twice as long as it should have been. His self-indulgent style almost forgets the reader is present and we are subjected to a whos-who of Victorian names and connections that befuddles the brain and made me give up, dis-spirited, at Part III. But in the absence of any other Girlingite history, the book is grudgingly recommended - be prepared for a very long haul!
7 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This extraordinary, evanescent account of utopian sects during the nineteeth-century is a tour de force. It is highly evocative of the work of W.G. Sebald - who has praised Hoare's work - and achieves something beyond history, travelogue, or memory. The story of Mary Ann Girling and the New Forest Shakers is almost unbelievable, but Hoare's impeccable research anchors his narrative in text which veers between fact and incredible fiction.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
6 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I doubt if I'll read anything better this year. The first thing to say is how beautifully Philip Hoare writes; what a pleasure to read such clear and lovely English. But besides this, what really makes this book so special is the seamless way that the author weaves together his several narratives and I was very moved by his linking of a personal history to this extraordinary period. Strongly recommended.
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.
