- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Picador (23 April 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0330369784
- ISBN-13: 978-0330369787
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.4 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,478,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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
A first novel from New Zealand playwright McCarten describes the trouble that ensues when aliens impregnate an entire town. "It was some time on Saturday night after work but before closing time down at the pub that Delia Chapman saw a spaceman." And that is where all her troubles began. Delia is a 16year-old factory hand in little Opunake, New Zealand, a star center on the local basketball team, and - she swears - a virgin. But she is definitely pregnant, so her virginity comes under some scrutiny. There is no question, of course, that something is amiss: on the evening that she claims to have been abducted by the aliens, Delia was found wandering about in a highly disoriented state by Phillip Sullivan, the mayor's nephew. Now Phillip, in town for a visit, has become by Delia and begins his own investigation of her claims. Meanwhile, Father O'Brien, the local priest, is asked to help verify the claims of a virgin birth, but Delia explains that she was raped by the aliens ("They don't do it like we do. It's completely different. They do it with heat waves"). This is unsettling enough. But soon another local gift claims to be carrying an alien baby, and then another, and eventually every girl in town has an alien on the way. Not only that, but strange crop circles appear, along with inexplicably dead livestock. What's going on here? A mammoth hoax? Mass hysteria? Or an actual alien invasion? Anyone who's ever lived in the country can tell you that rural life is not as sedate as it appears, but McCarten's story is like something straight out of a fantasy - and a thoroughly engrossing one at that. Bright, witty, and hilarious: McCarten knows exactly how far he can push the envelope, and he doesn't let up until the very last minute. More, please. (Kirkus Reviews)
The Mirror
`An impressive novel full of alien abductions and small town neuroses...Weird, witty and wonderful.'
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
It was some time on Saturday night after work but before closing time down at the pub that Delia Chapman saw a spaceman. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
It was some time on Saturday night after work but before closing time down at the pub that Delia Chapman saw a spaceman. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
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
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Delia Chapman is a teenager living in the small village of Opunake in New Zealand. One night she is found by the road claiming that she was abducted by aliens. The townsfolk seem reluctant to believe Delia at first, but then a crushed cow and Delia's pregnancy make them think twice.
This is an interesting book, which is much more character based than plot driven. There are some really funny passages which reflect life in a small town and the way in which stories can spiral out of control (especially when the media gets involved!) I did particularly enjoy the chapter in which a meeting gets called because a speed camera is going to be erected.
Whilst it is humorous, there is also a darker side which is revealed towards the end. Enjoyable.
This is an interesting book, which is much more character based than plot driven. There are some really funny passages which reflect life in a small town and the way in which stories can spiral out of control (especially when the media gets involved!) I did particularly enjoy the chapter in which a meeting gets called because a speed camera is going to be erected.
Whilst it is humorous, there is also a darker side which is revealed towards the end. Enjoyable.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very funny fresh and astonishing re-working of the Nativity story, platyed out, not in Judea but in the green hills of New Zealand, and it not the Holy Spirit who pays a visit, this time, no...you guessed it, its something much more saucy.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A terrific book - enormously entertaining, very funny, sharply written, and with a big heart as well. Mccarten writes very well indeed. Because the book is so entertaining, it would be easy to underestimate his skill, but the first three pages are a tour de force and any page will reveal deft multi-layered writing that is a delight to read. Bull's-eye; five stars; Anthony Mccarten walks on water.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
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.
