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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Arthur Craythorne has barely married Queenie May when he is called away to fight in the First World War. When he returns from the trenches, he is a changed man and his wife and two young daughters, Alice and Florrie, strive hard to steer clear of his aggression and make him proud - Although Florrie follows Arthur into the Catholic Church, it is Alice he seems to favour, and Florrie seethes with envy of her sister as she watches them grow closer. But Arthur's attentions towards Alice prove darker than either of them can yet acknowledge - And when Arthur dies, the three women he leaves behind must each find ways to cope with all that remains unspoken between them.
About the Author
Jacqueline Yallop read English at Oxford and did her PhD in nineteenth-century literature at Sheffield University. She has worked as the Curator for the John Ruskin Museum in Sheffield and writes on the Victorians. Kissing Alice is her first novel.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Really nicely written - a treat - on every page there's a phrase or piece of description that stays with you. I thought from the title that the book might be a bit soppy, but absolutely not - this is serious stuff, dark and quirky...especially the first half. Not quite so good towards the end, but still one of the best things I've read in ages.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Kissing Alice Recommended to me by a friend who knows the author I was more than pleasantly surprised. I absolutely loved it. Beautiful prose and really easy to read. Compelling and very cleverly created, yet drawn around such a simple idea, that a book could touch so many lives in so many different ways, and be a thread of continuity for good and bad, between 3 generations of a family. The other thing that resonated deeply with me was the evocative portrait of ordinary working class family life from early 20th century onwards, delivered as much by what the characters don't say or communicate to each other as by what they do. I can't wait to read another Jacqueline Yallop book - let's hope she is working on it right now!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a family story of love, betrayal, jealousy, rivalry, envy, and all the other emotions which might occur in any family, but this story has a dark side to it. The illicit possession of the beautiful "Songs of Innocence and Experience" by William Blake sets events in motion which nobody could have forseen. The intensity of feelings as the story moves forward makes you stop and think on numerous occasions, and I found myself re-reading passages several times.
Jacqueline Yallop's obvious talent for using the English language to it's illustrative best shines throughout. Her ability to set the scene for us is truly impressive - you could almost smell the dust and grime settling around you as you read, making you feel you were really in that post-war world of the Craythornes. Her style of writing is a delight to read, holding your attention throughout, from the horrors of the trenches, to the hardship of the following years, and then the respite of the balmy summer days by the sea, it's all there, vividly potrayed.
This book has been the best one I have read in a long time, and I know I will read it again. Let's hope it's just the first of many more to come!
Jacqueline Yallop's obvious talent for using the English language to it's illustrative best shines throughout. Her ability to set the scene for us is truly impressive - you could almost smell the dust and grime settling around you as you read, making you feel you were really in that post-war world of the Craythornes. Her style of writing is a delight to read, holding your attention throughout, from the horrors of the trenches, to the hardship of the following years, and then the respite of the balmy summer days by the sea, it's all there, vividly potrayed.
This book has been the best one I have read in a long time, and I know I will read it again. Let's hope it's just the first of many more to come!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A gentle but exciting read
I really enjoyed this novel, which, as other reviewers have pointed out, should be entitled "The Book", since it is a tale which involves the adventures of a mysteriously beautiful... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Glilla Bear
Very strange book
This is quite a strange book. It starts with Arthur, a decorator just before the war, stealing a book from a house he is decorating. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Nicola
"...you know very well what men can be once you set them going..."
Arthur is working as a painter and decorator in a cathedral close, moving books from a library, prior to setting starting the paintwork. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Eileen Shaw
brilliant!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I wasn't sure that it would be my type of thing, as I struggle sometimes with books set in this era. However, what a treat. Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2010 by Morpethbookclub
demands careful reading
This book deserves a longer review than the ones above - though their five star ratings seem justified, to me. It's a great read, which is the first thing to say. Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2009 by Amy J.
kissing alice
A beautifully woven story of family and secrets. Decided to read it because of the authors links with my home city. Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2009 by Mrs. S. Ellis
Kissing Alice
I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written book.It is refreshingly different and I cant wait for this authors next book.
Published on 10 Nov 2009 by Anne
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