- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Limited (7 Aug 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1904027717
- ISBN-13: 978-1904027713
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 500,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
One Apple Tasted
and over one million 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? 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
'One Apple Tasted is by far the best-written new romantic comedy I've read this year' --Amanda Craig
'Compelling, original, cleverly plotted and funny, One Apple Tasted reads like a Virago Modern Classic' --Isabel Wolff
'Delicious froth combines with wit and insight in this romantic comedy of manners...There is a warmth and pathos in the writing and some wonderful insights and mixed with all the fun this makes for a lovely novel.' --Marika Cobbold
'Compelling, original, cleverly plotted and funny, One Apple Tasted reads like a Virago Modern Classic' --Isabel Wolff
'Delicious froth combines with wit and insight in this romantic comedy of manners...There is a warmth and pathos in the writing and some wonderful insights and mixed with all the fun this makes for a lovely novel.' --Marika Cobbold
Product Description
For Dora Jerusalem, fresh out of Cambridge with a head full of Victorian novels and romantic dreams, landing a job at Modern Woman magazine seems like amazing luck. But her sheltered background hadn't prepared her to resist the charms of rich, spoilt kids with nasty habits and nothing to lose. Inevitably she falls in love with art dealer Guy Boleyn, but it isn't the right time, place or circumstances for either of them. And all the while a long-buried secret lies in wait to booby-trap any attempt at happiness. Kicking off in 1980s London, One Apple Tasted is warm, engaging and brilliantly characterised.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
One Apple Tasted is by far the best-written new romantic comedy I've read this year, and I'm amazed it didn't find a more mainstream publisher.
Beginning with the adventures of Dora in the early 1980s (a period so well rendered you can almost smaell the Opium - or, in this social circle, the Floris Rose Geranium)it moves back in time to the 1950s and the 1930s, linking three generations of women in love. Dora, the second last virgin in Britain besides Lady Diana, a bright, [pretty Cambridge graduate, works on a magazine called Modern Woman (a thinly disguised version of Vogue)and is mad for the handsome, enigmatic, and it turns out depressive son of a rich man. Their mutual attraction involves much fumbling and tumbling but no actual sex, and it's something of a surprise when he proposes to her. You have to remember just how weirdly fashionable weddings were (even before Richard Curtis)to make sense of it, but they do, secretly, get married.
The story then cuts back to the start of the War, when two women meet each other in a Harley St obstetrician's. One is barely out of childhood herself, a French Jewish refugee, the other a middle aged Home Counties wife and mother. A rapport is struck, and the younger woman comes to stay with the elder. They give birth almost at the same time; opne dies and the other feeds the other's daughter. When they grow up, the refugee's child finds out how hard marrying love and lust can be.
It would be unfair to give away too much of the plot - and, unusually for this kind of novel, there's a lot of it, making it reminiscent of Nancy Mitford as well as Mary Wesley. The posh but poor Dora and her mother Hilly are so alike that they could be the same person - sweet, innocent, sensible and idealistic. They are absolutely charming creations, and needless to say, the men they adore come across as horribly selfish, immature and snobbish (by far the nicest is Dora's father Stephen, and I'd have liked to see more of him). I can't imagine that Dora's future is going to be a bed of roses but then she's too sensible (despite the one absolutely bonkers thing she does) to expect this.
This is very much a novel set in a particular segment of upper middle class life, where men work as art dealers and women dabble in journalism. There's a LOT about clothes, which will no doubt win Young an ardent teen audience. The scenes set in India come close to parody, and weaken the rest even if, again, this is a typical rite of passage. But what it is absolutely marvellous at is capturing the beauty and intensity of being very young and passionate, and not really knowing what to do with yourself.
Beginning with the adventures of Dora in the early 1980s (a period so well rendered you can almost smaell the Opium - or, in this social circle, the Floris Rose Geranium)it moves back in time to the 1950s and the 1930s, linking three generations of women in love. Dora, the second last virgin in Britain besides Lady Diana, a bright, [pretty Cambridge graduate, works on a magazine called Modern Woman (a thinly disguised version of Vogue)and is mad for the handsome, enigmatic, and it turns out depressive son of a rich man. Their mutual attraction involves much fumbling and tumbling but no actual sex, and it's something of a surprise when he proposes to her. You have to remember just how weirdly fashionable weddings were (even before Richard Curtis)to make sense of it, but they do, secretly, get married.
The story then cuts back to the start of the War, when two women meet each other in a Harley St obstetrician's. One is barely out of childhood herself, a French Jewish refugee, the other a middle aged Home Counties wife and mother. A rapport is struck, and the younger woman comes to stay with the elder. They give birth almost at the same time; opne dies and the other feeds the other's daughter. When they grow up, the refugee's child finds out how hard marrying love and lust can be.
It would be unfair to give away too much of the plot - and, unusually for this kind of novel, there's a lot of it, making it reminiscent of Nancy Mitford as well as Mary Wesley. The posh but poor Dora and her mother Hilly are so alike that they could be the same person - sweet, innocent, sensible and idealistic. They are absolutely charming creations, and needless to say, the men they adore come across as horribly selfish, immature and snobbish (by far the nicest is Dora's father Stephen, and I'd have liked to see more of him). I can't imagine that Dora's future is going to be a bed of roses but then she's too sensible (despite the one absolutely bonkers thing she does) to expect this.
This is very much a novel set in a particular segment of upper middle class life, where men work as art dealers and women dabble in journalism. There's a LOT about clothes, which will no doubt win Young an ardent teen audience. The scenes set in India come close to parody, and weaken the rest even if, again, this is a typical rite of passage. But what it is absolutely marvellous at is capturing the beauty and intensity of being very young and passionate, and not really knowing what to do with yourself.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One Apple Tasted is a wonderfully engaging book. Opening in the 1980s with the compelling character of Dora, the story moves forward, encompassing the lives of Dora's mother and grandmother, in three skilfully interwoven narratives. Gracefully intertwining the agonies of Dora's complicated love life with the dark and mysterious Guy Boleyn, the dark days of World War Two, and the pastoral world of English country houses in the 1950s, Josa Young spans a generation of women with intelligence, wit, and perception. One Apple Tasted is stylish and funny. Its landscape is vivid, imaginative, and thought-provoking. The characters bristle and spark with life, and as this book moves towards its eventual conclusion, it will leave you longing for more.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I think Amanda Craig summed the book up perfectly in her review, I can't better that, and it certainly kept me entertained on two long train journeys! I look forward to reading her next one and hope it finds a mainstream publisher.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The course of true love
One Apple Tasted is a story about lifelong love - and why it's worth waiting for. Two main stories intertwine. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Quiet and thoughtful
I didn't want to put this book down
Josa Young is a fantastic storyteller, weaving interlocking tales across decades. One Apple Tasted gripped me from the start and many a late night was spent happily engrossed in... Read more
Published 11 months ago by M. Gorman
Charming, moving and utterly readable!
I know Josa's writing well, so it didn't surprise me that her prose flowed beautifully. However, the characters are so believable and touching - even Guy (a definite Basil Seal... Read more
Published on 19 May 2010 by Joanna Rahim
one apple tasted
Good book. I quite liked it, Didn't quite believe in main character Dora though. Guy was so totally believable if not likeable. I'm sure many of us have known a Guy in our past. Read more
Published on 2 May 2010 by gemini
A relaxing and enjoyable read
I bought this book after hearing the author speak at a recent Firestation Bookswap event in Windsor. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2010 by BucksWriter
Treat Yourself To This Book
One Apple Tasted begins in the heady 1980s with Dora Jerusalem, a virginal journalist whose meeting at a party with the beautiful, hedonistic Guy Boleyn changes her life forever. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2010 by D. Carr
One Apple Tasted
It's 1982 and Dora Jerusalem has just come to London and has managed to land a job at glossy magazine Modern Woman. Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2009 by Leah Graham
Couldn't put it down!
I had a great time reading this book over the course of three days. The story was fun, the characters were believable and likeable, and I actually found myself emotionally invested... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2009 by Sarah WB
Delicious froth combines with sharp wit
Delicious froth combines with wit and insight in this romantic comedy of manners. Other reviewers have already described the plot so I won't go into details other than to say that... Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by Anne
An unusual romantic comedy, as crisp, sharp and sweet as an apple!
It's the vividness of the characters that marks this novel out from the crowd. The central players - Dora, Guy, Hilly and co. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2009 by R. Taylor
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.
|
