See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (Paperback)

by Maggie O'Farrell (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


15 used from £3.72
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 33 used & new from £0.53
Paperback (Reprint) £7.99 £4.99 70 used & new from £0.01
Hardcover (Large Print) 12 used & new from £17.78
Audio CD (Audiobook) Order it used
CD-ROM (MP3 Una) 5 used & new from £28.42

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

One Good Turn: A Jolly Murder Mystery

One Good Turn: A Jolly Murder Mystery

by Kate Atkinson
3.4 out of 5 stars (79)  £5.59
The Road Home

The Road Home

by Rose Tremain
3.9 out of 5 stars (74)  £3.20
The House at Riverton

The House at Riverton

by Kate Morton
3.7 out of 5 stars (276)  £3.49
After You'd Gone

After You'd Gone

by Maggie O'Farrell
4.6 out of 5 stars (122)  £4.62
When Will There be Good News?

When Will There be Good News?

by Kate Atkinson
3.7 out of 5 stars (99)  £3.86
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Harvest Books (2 Jun 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0156033674
  • ISBN-13: 978-0156033671
  • Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.5 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 751,678 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #18 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > O > O'Farrell, Maggie

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amanda Craig, The Times
'O'Farrell's imaginative territory is one you return to with delight' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Barbara Trapido, Independent
'One of our most interesting and popular young novelists... richly imaginative... superb' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
no
maggie ofarrell
literature
dont like it
contemporary fiction

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
95% buy the item featured on this page:
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox 4.2 out of 5 stars (79)
After You'd Gone
2% buy
After You'd Gone 4.6 out of 5 stars (122)
£4.62
The 19th Wife
1% buy
The 19th Wife 3.7 out of 5 stars (57)
£3.20
When Will There be Good News?
1% buy
When Will There be Good News? 3.7 out of 5 stars (99)
£3.86
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

79 Reviews
5 star:
 (34)
4 star:
 (31)
3 star:
 (11)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (79 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written page turner, 11 Jun 2007
By K. French (Oxfordshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (Paperback)
I have previously read another Maggie O'Farrell, and loved her gentle narrative, so thought "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox" would be the perfect holiday read. The book contains a bit of everything, intrigue, love, sadness and even some humour, and tells of the huge betrayal of Esme Lennox by her sister, and the susbsequent consequences. I loved the portrayal of Esme as a quirky, rebellious character fighting against the typical expectations of her family, and enjoyed hearing the story from several different angels, that of Esme herself, her sister, and her newly found relative. The whole tale builds up to a climatic finale, which left a slightly disturbing flavour, but is befitting and not out of line with the rest of the book. Overall, a highly recommended read.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, 8 Jun 2007
By gerty guinea (Yorkshire) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (Paperback)
Maggie O'Farrell is a fantastic writer, with the ability to weave various strands of stories together in such a seamless manner. The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox was a moving, at times shocking book. I found Kitty's jumbled recollections particularly effective, and I felt angry and frustrated by Esme's plight - her only crime was to be a spirited child who was reluctant to follow the conventional path expected of her. The words just flowed off the pages. I loved this book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My New Favourite Novel, 7 Feb 2007
By Lucy Sampson (Keswick, Cumbria) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (Hardcover)
I have to start this review with a warning: if you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down until you've finished. Nothing else will get done - you won't be able to answer the phone, cook a meal, pick up your emails, anything. You'll just have to sit there, stuck to your chair, and keep on reading.

This is the story of a woman put into an asylum for doing nothing more than trying on some of her mother's clothes and refusing to cut her hair. Not the behaviour of an insane person but the normal things a teenager does. But Esme has been born into a repressive, pre-Second-Worl-War society and so any slight rebellion is seen as a sign of an unsound mind.

It is a brilliant, evocative, moving book. I cried about four times, especially towards the end. It moves back and forth from the 1930s to the present-day Edinburgh. Esme's niece, Iris, is called to the asylum to meet the great-aunt she never knew she had. At first she's reluctant to have anything to do with her but then she gets caught up in the mystery that is Esme Lennox...

I can't find the words to recommend this book enough. BUY IT. IT'S GREAT!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A tale of betrayal and deceit.....
Iris is a single woman with her own business living in Edinburgh. She has a lover and also a married step-brother who continually makes a play for her. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Wynne Kelly

4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read but a slightly disappointing ending
This was the first book I've read by O' Farrell but I will read more for definite. I was so addicted to this book that when I realised I'd left it out in the garden I found myself... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sophie A. Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!
Really enjoyed, and was moved by, Esme's story! Highly recommended, great book club choice, lots of discussion about this story. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Evans

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost, but not quite
This is Maggie O'Farrell's most enjoyable book since 'After You'd Gone' (but I don't think anything she'll ever write will live up to her debut). Read more
Published 1 month ago by Adrienne Storme

5.0 out of 5 stars FAB!
GREAT BOOK - TRUE WHAT THEY SAY - NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER!!
Published 2 months ago by C. PAYNE

3.0 out of 5 stars Compelling...
I found this very readable and finished it within 24 hours. The horror story of Esme's incarceration is shocking because it is something that really happened to thousands of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by M. C. Holliman

5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking, evocative and un-put-downable
Not my usual cup of tea - too 'modern' and pseudo-feminist a topic for my taste. BUT - what a revelation! Read more
Published 5 months ago by DaisyBelle

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting subject, themes could have been better developed..
I was really looking forward to reading this for my book group. Maggie O'Farrel writes in a very readable style and I have to say that you cannot help being moved by the story of... Read more
Published 7 months ago by H. Rose

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous, chilling read
I heard of this book some time ago, when a lot of people were raving about it, but I'd tried Maggie O'Farrell's After You'd Gone and not got on very well with it, so had held off... Read more
Published 7 months ago by hat

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Read it!
I purchased this book a few weeks ago, after reading someone's 'top'ten' reads. This is the first book I have read by Maggie O'Farrell, I will be looking to read more of her... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jante

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

More From Maggie O'Farrell

The Distance Between Us

The Distance Between Us

‘Maggie O'Farrell has written three novels, each of them a critical... Read more
£7.99 £5.99

 

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

›Shop Converse

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (76)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (464)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (166)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (87)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates