 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in The Wake for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Page writes with feeling and intimacy, his touch is poetic and sure. [The novel's] sense of the natural world is fine and compelling. A powerful vision' -- Helen Dunmore, Guardian -- Helen Dunmore, Guardian
Product Description
A field, a perfect morning, a family destroyed in a single moment.
Every night, before he cuts the engine and lets the boat drift, Guy writes the diary of the man he should have been - of a husband with his wife and their young daughter; of a new family that may not have been perfect but who were, at least, together. And every morning, as he's rocked in his berth by the waves all around, he wakes to the memory of that fateful day and the knowledge that things can never be the same.
Embarking on a moving and eventful journey from the calm estuaries of East Anglia to the southern states of America and the storm-filled waters of the North Sea, Guy meets Marta and her daughter Rhona, who are on a life-affirming journey of their own . . .
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
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
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The first chapter in this novel is a dramatic, primeval scene; I was on the edge of my chair. I may even have screamed, "No" as the opening story line charged towards a catastrophic climax! On a perfect country morning in East Anglia, a family is destroyed in a single moment. What a beginning to a book.
Although he is not to blame for the tragedy, the only way the protagonist, Guy, can deal with the cruel hand fate has dealt him, is to create an alternative reality in the form of a diary; and in this he finds solace at sea.
Jeremy Page gives us a powerful vision of a man alone on his boat, stipped of pretensions, battling the elements. He also writes with feeling and intimacy; his poetic touch is mesmeric as he evokes Norfolk's beauty and bleakness. If possible, his prose excels that of his first novel, 'Salt'. However, I'm not certain the author captures his characters as vividly as the landscape, but the mother & daughter who enter his 'real' life, although sketchily drawn, do seem to represent loss and bereavement.
Although I didn't enjoy Guy's 'alternative reality' quite as much, a purpose built Country & Western trek across America, the concluding chapters of this novel were as stunning as the opening; truly compelling reading. If you enjoyed 'Salt', you'll love 'The Wake'. If you're looking for a light, happy read, this book is not for you.
Although he is not to blame for the tragedy, the only way the protagonist, Guy, can deal with the cruel hand fate has dealt him, is to create an alternative reality in the form of a diary; and in this he finds solace at sea.
Jeremy Page gives us a powerful vision of a man alone on his boat, stipped of pretensions, battling the elements. He also writes with feeling and intimacy; his poetic touch is mesmeric as he evokes Norfolk's beauty and bleakness. If possible, his prose excels that of his first novel, 'Salt'. However, I'm not certain the author captures his characters as vividly as the landscape, but the mother & daughter who enter his 'real' life, although sketchily drawn, do seem to represent loss and bereavement.
Although I didn't enjoy Guy's 'alternative reality' quite as much, a purpose built Country & Western trek across America, the concluding chapters of this novel were as stunning as the opening; truly compelling reading. If you enjoyed 'Salt', you'll love 'The Wake'. If you're looking for a light, happy read, this book is not for you.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This one had me desparate to read more. From the start, the central character draws you into his thoughts, and even though you're not always sure whether the narrative is his life unfolding or his version of what might have been, both stories unravel themselves with candid perception and wonderful imagery. From the muddy esturine life of East Anglia to the angry swell of the North Sea and further still to Nashville Tenessee, the author leads you on a journey of emotional turmoil - you can see just where he's coming from but will be in for some surprises along the way. If you don't read this book you'll be missing out!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read Jeremy Page's first book 'Salt' I was keen to read his second. It didn't disappoint. Infact, it was - if possible - even more beautifully crafted than 'Salt'.
Page is one of the most talented writers to emerge on the scene in recent years and his work has a microscopic clarity like that of John Fowles. He captures atmosphere like no-one else I've read since Daphne Du Maurier. Only rarely do I get excited about authors, but Page is a genuine talent. It's a cliche, I know, but his work is life affirming and ultimately enriching.
Page is one of the most talented writers to emerge on the scene in recent years and his work has a microscopic clarity like that of John Fowles. He captures atmosphere like no-one else I've read since Daphne Du Maurier. Only rarely do I get excited about authors, but Page is a genuine talent. It's a cliche, I know, but his work is life affirming and ultimately enriching.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Exhausting but Wonderful
I started this book at 2130hrs and finished it at 0130hrs, emotionally exhausted and stunned. The first few pages were serenely atmospheric yet became instantly chilling; I was... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Annamieka
Best fictional work of 2009
I bought this book after I'd read an interview with the author in the Guardian and it is superb. Loss is something we all have to come to terms with at some stage in our lives, but... Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2009 by Mr. K. Das
Life after...
This book has haunted me since I finished it, always a good sign. It deals with the longer term impact of loss in an interesting and challenging way. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2009 by Lynda Gilbert
The Wake
I found this intricate and moving novel absolutely stunning and humbling to read. In its story, it weaves together so many threads of what it means to be human - our relationship... Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2009 by Y. Crowther
Should have made the Booker shortlist
I found this totally gripping from the start. The narrative plays on a variety of levels, so you are never sure whether what is going on is real or imagined, but this tale of a... Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2009 by Alex Gardiner
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.
|
