- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Profile Books; New edition edition (10 Jun 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1861977131
- ISBN-13: 978-1861977137
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 381,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Tennyson's Gift
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Farce is one of the hardest literary forms to bring off: in Tennyson's Gift Lynne Truss manages the correct combination of inventiveness, planning and energy. All of her historical figures have fixed ideas that make them act against their own best interests--Tennyson is paranoid about reviews and photographs and Lewis Carroll is a snob fascinated by photography and small girls; the painter Watts agonises about past betrayals while ignoring his young actress wife Ellen Terry.
This is all the more a tour-de-force because Truss knows her material well enough to make much of the comic exaggeration come from things that were actually the case--the Tennysons spent their time on the Isle of Wight desperately hoping for a royal visit. She adds to the mix a phrenologist with an obnoxious child and a writer of anonymous letters, so that the sections of this novel continually build up comic intensity.
Most of the comedy here comes from excellent structure and timing and only in part from our preparedness to view eminent Victorians with the condescension of hindsight; this is an extravaganza with its roots in good sense and a fascination with the famous dead as they actually were. --Roz Kaveney
Review
'A comic novel of subtle distinction... A richly entertaining book, and at times a very moving one' - The Times 'An enormously entertaining novel, with some terrific writing throughout... a fast-moving farce which allows her sideswipes at the foibles of the famous. It is a delicious confection with some marvellous one-liners' - Sunday Telegraph '[A] wonderfully inventive jeu d'esprit... This epic of the Isle of Wight's literary apogee is virtually the perfect summer book. No deck-chair will be complete without it' - Independent 'A rollicking read. It is mischievous, light-hearted and fun, and it certainly made me want to find out more about the Freshwater circle' - Elisa Segrave, The Literary Review
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Firstly I have to admit that I have no particularly detailed knowledge of Tennyson nor Lewis Carol, so I approached this book with an open mind as to its content. However, having just finished it I can say that is is a thoroughly entertaining read whether or not you have any particular knowledge of the main characters true lives', or indeed whether you intend to learn anything about their characters. The book is a thoroughly entertaining humourous, light-hearted read. If you like a dry, sarcastic British sense of humour, then I thoroughly recommend this book to you.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If ever you go to Freshwater Bay in the Isle of Wight, do not miss out on Dimbola Lodge and the nearby Farringford Hotel. They were the homes in the 19th century of Julia Cameron (photographer) and Alfred Lord Tennyson (poet), respectively. Lynne Truss has written a most amusing novel about their life and times, about the visitors, like Lewis Carroll, who made their way there, and about the campaign Julia waged to get Lord Tennyson to sit for her. Sales of the book at Dimbola Lodge had denuded the shop of copies when we called this summer, but fortunately Amazon was able to fill the gap. Dimbola Lodge is both a museum and a cafe now, well worth spending lunch at, as well as the remainder of the afternoon.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read and loved Eats, Shoots and Leaves, I then bought Making the Cat Laugh, which is a collection of Lynne Truss's (hope I got the apostrophe in the right place!) articles on single life. It was so funny and so much like my own life that I was desperate to read something else by Lynne and delighted to come across Tennyson's Gift. She brings together in the same place Tennyson, Lewis Carroll and several other eminent Victorians and makes a wonderfully warm and funny novel out of it. It's now my favourite of her books - and there are still two novels I haven't read yet! Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Dark and delicious
This is by far the best book Lynne Truss has written. The characters are strong and the imagery she conjours up is brilliant. Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2006 by propertyofsir
It just didn't do it for me!
I was introduced to Lynne Truss via her excellent, informative and witty "Eats Shoots and Leaves", and I took out "Tennyson's Gift" from the library full of expectation. Read more
Published on 22 July 2004 by Andy Hillier
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