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Review
The divine Spark is shining at her brightest . . . Pure delight (Claire Tomalin, INDEPENDENT )
An outstanding novel . . . A FAR CRY FROM KENSINGTON has an effortless, translucent grasp of the spirit of the period (OBSERVER )
'Wonderfully entertaining - full of absurd, comical, engaging characters and written with typical wit, elegance and aplomb (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
One of Muriel Spark's most liberating, liberated and meditative novels. Spark is a writer who can take the meditative and make it mercurially funny, playful and mischievous (Ali Smith )
An outstanding novel . . . A FAR CRY FROM KENSINGTON has an effortless, translucent grasp of the spirit of the period (OBSERVER )
'Wonderfully entertaining - full of absurd, comical, engaging characters and written with typical wit, elegance and aplomb (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
One of Muriel Spark's most liberating, liberated and meditative novels. Spark is a writer who can take the meditative and make it mercurially funny, playful and mischievous (Ali Smith )
Book Description
The divine Spark is shining at her brightest . . . Pure delight' Claire Tomalin, INDEPENDENT
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First Sentence
So great was the noise during the day that I used to lie awake at night listening to the silence. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
So great was the noise during the day that I used to lie awake at night listening to the silence. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is one of those books that cannot described in a nutshell. If you had to hazard a guess at a description, you'd have to place it firmly in the comedy/ tragedy/ drama/ mystery/ romance section, or simply file it under Spark: Muriel in the Classics section.
Narrated by the once round and central character, Agnes Hawkins (a.k.a. Mrs. Hawkins or Nancy), the story revolves around her experiences as a young widow living in furnished rooms in a semi-detached building in South Kensington. She colorfully describes her neighbors and acquaintances, and gives us tantalizing glimpses into their little secret worlds, in which she is a trustee and confidante.
Despite the mysterious black boxes and the lurking threat of enemies, known and unknown, our heroine manages to keep her head above water, remains a pillar of strength and finds true love among the rubble. Thanks to her diet plan (freely given to the reader as a bonus for purchasing the book), she gains new self-respect, and reinvents herself in a new country, a far cry from her humble beginnings.
A simple classic by an inspired writer.
^AR
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Muriel Spark's prose is colourful and precise, and in 'A Far Cry From Kensington', she marries an engaging plot with a razor-sharp observational style. The utterly credible character of Mrs. Hawkins guides us through Milly's boarding house with a refreshingly high degree of common sense, enabling the reader to become utterly embroiled in the mystery of Wanda's persecutor. The dialogue is so highly charged that you may find yourself re-reading chapters again and again, just in case you have missed a vital clue to the identity of the blackmailer.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This slim novel contains a simple yet mesmerising story. I picked it back off my shelf after reading Muriel Sparks obituary - what an amazing life and writer. I remember loving this book the first time round - how you get to explore 1950's london with the 'looks can be deceiving' Mrs Hawkins, you find your self in the parks and old pre-renovated buildings surrounded by well spun characters. Mrs Hawkins is a wise and wry voice within, she can see right through the pretense and ever so nicely puts bad behaviour in its place - she is your classic reason for never judging a book by its cover. On finishing this beloved book for the second time (8 years after the first) I posted it to my friend in Australia, a writer who will once again walk the streets of London in Sparks evocative little piece of perfection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
~A real gem of a novel- review of VMC Designer Edition~
I am utterly in love with the VMC Designer Collection- gorgeous covers and delightful stories with great introductions by other well-known authors, so for me this was another... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nicola F (Nic)
A Far Cry from Kensington
This is a book which went up in flames in a fire at my daughter's flat - she had loved it and I had left it with her. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sueinbattersea
great service
Had to read this as part of my university course in Malaga Spain to become an English teacher. Must say one of the better books I have had to read.
Published 13 months ago by melura
Life in the early 1950s
Warning: this review contains spoilers.
Muriel Spark's novel, first published in 1988, is a slight, inconsequential affair, centering on the occupants of a rooming-house... Read more
Muriel Spark's novel, first published in 1988, is a slight, inconsequential affair, centering on the occupants of a rooming-house... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mr. T. Harvey
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