The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of...
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 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 Thoughts & Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals 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
|
Product Description
Review
Wilfred s sentimental education is wrought so delightfully and affectionately --Sunday Times
Light, compassionate drama about a small, very tightly bound, ancient corner of the world. --The Guardian
Gently glorious.--Kate Long
I love this novel. Who would have thought so quiet, calm and delicate a novel could keep you completely absorbed from first page to last? Reading this I missed my station.--Fay Weldon
Using lean prose full of subtle humour and irony, Wendy Jones creates a world which feels at once distant and familiar to the modern reader.--Panos Karnezis
Gently glorious.--Kate Long
Wilfred s sentimental education is wrought so delightfully and affectionately.--Sunday Times
Light, compassionate drama about a small, very tightly bound, ancient corner of the world.--Guardian
This is a spryly told tale whose heart is an ample match for its more knowing qualities.--Daily Mail
This is a delightful debut, whose droll exterior masks something wiser and sadder: the importance of truth, parental favouritism and lives ruined or redeemed by a single event.--Scotsman
A novel of serious moral and existential emphasis.--Times Literary Supplement
This is an exceptional debut from a highly talented writer; with such an enchanting novel Wendy Jones is a name to watch.--Newbooks magazine
This charming tale - with a dark secret at its heart - will take you back in time.--Star Magazine
Sensitively written, Wendy Jones debut is set in the 1920s, and captures the judgmental claustrophobia of a society obsessed with respectability.--We Love This Book
The characters in Wilfred s life are very realistically drawn, especially his father, and we ve probably all met people like the members of the Mothers Union Thursday Club. Wendy Jones s story may not be new, but it is engagingly told and thoroughly enjoyable.--Scotsman
Set in the 20's Welsh valleys this is a delightful read, as quirky as its title.--Choice magazine
I had to start reading the book as soon as it arrived and could barely put it down as I did. This, Wendy Jones first novel, is a great read and one I d definitely recommend. I only wish I could read more about the young Wilfred Price!--Notes of Life
A charming and beautifully told debut novel.--Lovereading.co.cuk
This is a writer new to publishing fiction, writing about a young man and his tangled web and doing it exceedingly well. I loved it, book groups worldwide will love it, and chances are you will too. There, I've committed myself.--TheBookbag.co.uk
There's a delicacy about the book that suits its themes of reticence and what is hidden and unspoken, and there's a lightness to the telling, as unforced as its period setting, so all told, a lovely debut from Wendy Jones.--Cornflowerbooks.co.uk
Wendy Jones has written a surprisingly restrained and moving book. There are secrets which aren't pretty, there are shocks without sensationalism. This is a novel about duty, love, loss and responsibility and it deserves a very wide audience ... Wilfred is just about perfect. --Booktopia.com.au
Light, compassionate drama about a small, very tightly bound, ancient corner of the world. --The Guardian
Gently glorious. --Kate Long
Light, compassionate drama about a small, very tightly bound, ancient corner of the world. --The Guardian
Gently glorious.--Kate Long
I love this novel. Who would have thought so quiet, calm and delicate a novel could keep you completely absorbed from first page to last? Reading this I missed my station.--Fay Weldon
Using lean prose full of subtle humour and irony, Wendy Jones creates a world which feels at once distant and familiar to the modern reader.--Panos Karnezis
Gently glorious.--Kate Long
Wilfred s sentimental education is wrought so delightfully and affectionately.--Sunday Times
Light, compassionate drama about a small, very tightly bound, ancient corner of the world.--Guardian
This is a spryly told tale whose heart is an ample match for its more knowing qualities.--Daily Mail
This is a delightful debut, whose droll exterior masks something wiser and sadder: the importance of truth, parental favouritism and lives ruined or redeemed by a single event.--Scotsman
A novel of serious moral and existential emphasis.--Times Literary Supplement
This is an exceptional debut from a highly talented writer; with such an enchanting novel Wendy Jones is a name to watch.--Newbooks magazine
This charming tale - with a dark secret at its heart - will take you back in time.--Star Magazine
Sensitively written, Wendy Jones debut is set in the 1920s, and captures the judgmental claustrophobia of a society obsessed with respectability.--We Love This Book
The characters in Wilfred s life are very realistically drawn, especially his father, and we ve probably all met people like the members of the Mothers Union Thursday Club. Wendy Jones s story may not be new, but it is engagingly told and thoroughly enjoyable.--Scotsman
Set in the 20's Welsh valleys this is a delightful read, as quirky as its title.--Choice magazine
I had to start reading the book as soon as it arrived and could barely put it down as I did. This, Wendy Jones first novel, is a great read and one I d definitely recommend. I only wish I could read more about the young Wilfred Price!--Notes of Life
A charming and beautifully told debut novel.--Lovereading.co.cuk
This is a writer new to publishing fiction, writing about a young man and his tangled web and doing it exceedingly well. I loved it, book groups worldwide will love it, and chances are you will too. There, I've committed myself.--TheBookbag.co.uk
There's a delicacy about the book that suits its themes of reticence and what is hidden and unspoken, and there's a lightness to the telling, as unforced as its period setting, so all told, a lovely debut from Wendy Jones.--Cornflowerbooks.co.uk
Wendy Jones has written a surprisingly restrained and moving book. There are secrets which aren't pretty, there are shocks without sensationalism. This is a novel about duty, love, loss and responsibility and it deserves a very wide audience ... Wilfred is just about perfect. --Booktopia.com.au
Light, compassionate drama about a small, very tightly bound, ancient corner of the world. --The Guardian
Gently glorious. --Kate Long
Book Description
A charming and moving depiction of love and secrecy, set against the rural backdrop of a 1920s Welsh village.
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.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This novel is set in Narbeth, a small town in South Wales, during 1924. Wilfred Price, the "Purveyor of Superior Funerals" lives with his father, a grave digger, in the place where he has grown up and hopes to make his business a success and become a citizen of some status and standing. When we meet Wilfred, he is having a picnic in the garen with Grace Reece, the daughter of Dr Reece. Overcome with the emotions of the sunny afternoon, and Grace's new yellow dress, he proposes. This is something which, on reflection, he is horrified by. Finally, he tells her that the engagement is off and gets on with his life. Getting on with his life involves the beautiful Flora, whose fiance died in the Great War, and whose father he is to bury. However, situations change suddenly and Wilfred finds himself forced into a situation he is not ready to accept.
There are few novels which you cannot put down, but this is one of them. Wilfred is a lovely character, full of charm and intelligence. I adored his sweet father and you have sympathy for both Grace and Flora as the novel unfolds. The characters are wonderfully written, the book itself flawless. Although Wilfred is an undertaker, there is much humour in this book, particularly in the sayings from Mr Ogmore Auden, who trained Wilfred and whose pronouncements litter the book. These range from, "refrain from dwelling on thoughts of a lewd nature while in the presence of the deceased. Especially when using a sharp tool..." and "as long as you're reading, you're learning," which leads Wilfred to buy a dictionary to improve his vocabulary. I have a feeling we will all be hearing a lot more from this author, judging by a debut which is so masterfully written, offering a thought provoking and intelligent read with humour, pathos and incredible charm.
There are few novels which you cannot put down, but this is one of them. Wilfred is a lovely character, full of charm and intelligence. I adored his sweet father and you have sympathy for both Grace and Flora as the novel unfolds. The characters are wonderfully written, the book itself flawless. Although Wilfred is an undertaker, there is much humour in this book, particularly in the sayings from Mr Ogmore Auden, who trained Wilfred and whose pronouncements litter the book. These range from, "refrain from dwelling on thoughts of a lewd nature while in the presence of the deceased. Especially when using a sharp tool..." and "as long as you're reading, you're learning," which leads Wilfred to buy a dictionary to improve his vocabulary. I have a feeling we will all be hearing a lot more from this author, judging by a debut which is so masterfully written, offering a thought provoking and intelligent read with humour, pathos and incredible charm.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Don't be misled by the charming cover because you will find a much darker tale at the heart of this seemingly unassuming book set in rural Wales in the 1920`s. Our hero Wilfred finds himself embroiled in a complicated love triangle (despite the advice of his funereal mentor Mr Auden forbidding `fancy business with the ladies') with a quite shocking secret at its heart that hits you square on and makes you reassess the predicament that he and Grace (his intended) find themselves in, further complicated by Wilfred's illicit love for the emotionally battered Flora. Alongside this, the relationship between Wilfred and his `Da' is beautifully drawn adding a sense of stability to Wilfred's complicated life and the writing throughout regarding human relationships seems so understated but leads the reader along effortlessly. The story is punctuated by moments of mordant wit (mainly in the good advice dispensed by the aforementioned Mr Auden) and then by turn injections of extreme pathos which really makes you care about the characters and ponder on their fate after the last page is turned. An accomplished debut that I can wholeheartedly recommend for those who like books that make you think...
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book gets off to a gentle yet intriguing start. It continues to intrigue and charm as the main characters are introduced.
As the characters developed I found myself deeply caring about their fate and rooting for them, a feeling that doesnt always happen for me in every novel. The book contains a dark tone as well which has the effect that a piece of grit in an oyster shell produces - a pearl of a book.
Hard to put down, i really recommend it and have already given it as a present. I look forward to hearing more about the characters in this book from Wendy Jones.
As the characters developed I found myself deeply caring about their fate and rooting for them, a feeling that doesnt always happen for me in every novel. The book contains a dark tone as well which has the effect that a piece of grit in an oyster shell produces - a pearl of a book.
Hard to put down, i really recommend it and have already given it as a present. I look forward to hearing more about the characters in this book from Wendy Jones.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
yellow dresses and long-held secrets
This book is written with a light touch but plunges the depths of difficult subjects, bringing domestic realities to life in an energetic and intelligent way. Read more
Published 29 days ago by peggylou
Highly recommended!
I found this to be a beautifully written novel that had me aching with empathy for its characters. It begins as a lovely portrait of seemingly naïve innocents in a rural Welsh... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Libertine
Loved it!
I've got four children and don't have much time to read, but a friend gave me a copy of this book, and I loved it! I couldn't put it down. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sally Jane
Wonderful
This book was selected by my book club so I didn't "choose" to read it, but how glad I am that I did! From the start I fell in love with it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sue Donim
heartwarming
Can't wait to read more in this series and by Wendy Jones. Such a fresh take and vocabulary and something authentically 20s in setting and style of language and content. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jinny
Beautifully written
This is a well-crafted story about love and how there can be so many near misses of the heart and head to find it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Shash
Beautifully presented
This book has a lovely physical presence, it is pleasant to look at and to hold and at first I found the story equally well presented and full of promise. Read more
Published 1 month ago by KAW
Loved it!
I read it cover to cover in a weekend and thought it was beautifully described and a brilliant story! I really believed in the the characters and the place actually exists too!
Published 2 months ago by Gabi
Warming and affirming
This is a captivating and life-affirming book set in a very atmospheric south-west Wales of the 1920s. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Devlin Mitchell
A 'must read'!
A beautfully written and beautifully presented novel. I just couldn't put it down. A great story - you really feel as if you get to know and understand the characters. Read more
Published 2 months ago by L. Edwards
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.
|
