or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
129 used & new from £0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Whole Day Through
 
See larger image
 

The Whole Day Through (Paperback)

by Patrick Gale (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £4.77 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.22 (40%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, February 11? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
34 new from £1.88 92 used from £0.01 3 collectible from £0.01

Watch a Related Video

01:08


Special Offers and Product Promotions


Frequently Bought Together

The Whole Day Through + The Cat Sanctuary + Tree Surgery for Beginners
Total RRP: £23.97
Price For All Three: £15.37

Show availability and delivery details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Cat Sanctuary

The Cat Sanctuary

by Patrick Gale
3.6 out of 5 stars (9)  £5.96
Gentleman's Relish

Gentleman's Relish

by Patrick Gale
4.4 out of 5 stars (7)  £9.89
The Facts of Life

The Facts of Life

by Patrick Gale
3.5 out of 5 stars (13)  £6.59
Testimony

Testimony

by Anita Shreve
3.9 out of 5 stars (24)  £4.86
Ease

Ease

by Patrick Gale
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £4.50
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd; Reprint edition (28 May 2009)
  • ISBN-10: 0007306016
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007306015
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13.6 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 6,220 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #2 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > G > Gale, Patrick

Product Description

Review

Praise for 'Notes from an Exhibition': 'Poised and pitch-perfect throughout, this is an engrossing portrait of a troubled and remarkable character. A fine writer at the top of his game.' Mail on Sunday 'This is an uplifting, immensely empathetic novel, and Gale's prose, as ever is as clear and bright as the Cornish light.' Guardian 'It has the kind of quietly radiant intelligence, craft and integrity that bypasses superficial questions of originality. A novel with a variety and freshness that is all the more powerful and surprising for being discovering in such a circumscribed and very English milieu.' Adam Lively, Sunday Times 'Skilfully constructed as a mosaic of different viewpoints that shift back and forwards in time. A warm, well-written novel about creativity and the perils of living with the creative spirit.' Times Literary Supplement 'By the end I had laughed and cried and put all his other books on my wish list. This is dense, thought-provoking, sensitive, satisfying, humorous, humane -- a real treat.' Toby Clements, Telegraph 'Beautifully written, slowly unravelling tale!Patrick Gale's serene and carefully crafted prose conveys a profound understanding of the workings of human relationships and the torment that mental illness causes its sufferers and also those around them.' Ross Gilfillan, Daily Mail

Product Description

The new novel from Patrick Gale, author of Richard & Judy-bestseller Notes from an Exhibition. When forty-something Laura Lewis is obliged to abandon a life of stylish independence in Paris to care for her elderly mother in Winchester, it seems all romantic opportunities have gone up in smoke. Then she runs into Ben, the great love of her student days - and, as she only now dares admit, the emotional touchstone against which she has judged every man since. She's cautious - and he's married - but they can't deny that feelings still exist between them. Are they brave enough to take the second chance at the lasting happiness that fate has offered them? Or will they be defeated by the need to do what seems to be the right thing? Taking its structure from the events of a single summer's day, The Whole Day Through is a bittersweet love story, shot through with an understanding of mortality, memory and the difficulty of being good. In it, Patrick Gale writes with scrupulous candour about the tests of love: the regrets and the triumphs, and the melancholy of failing. The Whole Day Through is vintage Gale, displaying the same combination of wit, tenderness and acute psychological observation as his Richard & Judy bestseller Notes From an Exhibition.

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Whole Day Through
80% buy the item featured on this page:
The Whole Day Through 3.2 out of 5 stars (74)
£4.77
Rough Music
7% buy
Rough Music 4.2 out of 5 stars (46)
£4.76
Notes from an Exhibition
5% buy
Notes from an Exhibition 3.8 out of 5 stars (119)
£5.00
Testimony
4% buy
Testimony 3.9 out of 5 stars (24)
£4.86

 

Customer Reviews

74 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (18)
3 star:
 (18)
2 star:
 (18)
1 star:
 (7)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (74 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant summer read, 26 April 2009
By DeeJay (CHELTENHAM, Glos United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
  
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
I had enjoyed Patrick Gale's "Notes from an Exhibition" so when I saw a new Patrick Gale on the reading list I immediately ordered it. The concept of structuring events around a single day is not a new one, Michael Cunningham brilliant "The Hours" springs to mind, but here the handling is more pedestrian.
Laura has returned from Paris to care for her elderly mother who now lives in the home town of her college boyfriend of twenty years ago. Ben, the ex-boyfriend, has returned to his childhood home to look after his brother following the death of their mother. Laura and Ben meet and their mutual attraction is rekindled, but is it really their destiny to be together?
The chapters oscillate between Laura's story and Ben's. Laura's evolves around the care of her mother, whilst Ben's centres on his avoidance of dealing with the problems in his marriage to Chloe. Whilst these two are the focus it is the other characters who will influence the relationship's outcome without even meaning to. Patrick's strength is in his understanding of why people struggle with their problems when to an outsider (like the reader) the solution may seem obvious. The colour in Patrick's books comes from the grey areas of life.
For me this book did not meet the standard set by "Notes" but I did enjoy it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars All rather disappointing, 18 July 2009
By Nick Kirby (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews
I'm a huge fan of Patrick Gale and look forward to each new book that comes out, but this one turned out to be something of a let down.

I think my main problem is that I didn't really care what happened to the main characters, Laura and Ben. I found Laura's mother and Ben's brother far more engaging. The fact that so much of the book was rambling on about previous events was dull and I didn't, for one minute, believe the ending.

It is very rare for me to quit a book halfway through, but I was sorely tempted with this one, but did struggle on to the end. I can't help but think that owing to the success of 'Notes on an Exhibition', Mr Gale was told by his agent to get another book out as quickly as possible. It certainly feels that this was the case.

That said, to have one duff book out of all that he has written is no big crime, but I hope the next one marks a return to form.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Hard to do, 17 July 2009
By EmmaH (Dorset, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
I don't take much pleasure in writing bad reviews, as I know full well that a lot of authors read them. But I received this book as part of the Vine programme, so keeping schtum isn't an option. And as I do base many of my book purchases on amazon reviews, I think it's important to be honest.

So I am going to have to say that I thought this a very badly written book. It sat by my bedside table for months. I'd pick it up and start reading it then give up after a chapter. At first I couldn't work out why. Interesting characters, decent plot premise.

Eventually I realised it was the prose. At best it was pedestrian and uninspired, at worst it was almost unintelligible. Many sentences seemed unnecessarily convoluted, one clause tacked on to another, often without adequate punctuation. I can't give examples, as I received an uncorrected proof which says it's not for quotation, but the style was dull and lifeless and was truly an obstacle to engaging with the characters and the story.

Gale also seems to have largely ignored that wise old writing adage of 'show don't tell'. There was an awful lot of backstory, and a great deal of telling rather than dramatising events through the characters.

It seems to me that baking a truly satisfying novel involves three basic ingredients - character, plot and style. If one of those is missing - as in this book - the whole thing just won't rise. And even if it does, it just isn't very enjoyable.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

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

4.0 out of 5 stars A very unpredictable read!
This is the first Patrick Gale book I have read and I have to say I enjoyed it enormously. When I started reading it I couldn't put it down and finished it in a couple of... Read more
Published 6 days ago by E. J. Ross

5.0 out of 5 stars The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale
Amazing book, could not put it down. The way that sensitive issues have been written about was brilliant and so believeable. Just want to get more of his books now.
Published 21 days ago by Mrs. MJC Haire

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sensitive Novel.
It was only recently that I discovered the author Patrick Gale when I read 'Notes From An Exhibition'. Read more
Published 1 month ago by LindyLouMac

3.0 out of 5 stars More than just a day in fact a lifetime
This book has so many levels and themes. Fundamentally it is the story between Laura and Ben, past lovers, who upon returning to Winchester take on the role of carers. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Joanne D'Arcy

2.0 out of 5 stars Oh dear
I came to Patrick Gale through 'Notes from an exhibition' which is brilliant. Sadly, this latest offering is not. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Helena

3.0 out of 5 stars Lightweight but rather heavy going...
This was my first Patrick Gale novel, and I won't say it'll be my last, but I did make that vow more than a few times during the opening chapters as I kept waiting for it to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by captive8122@hotmail.com

5.0 out of 5 stars An unusual but outstanding Gale!
Is it ever a good idea to attempt to go back to an earlier, happier time? Will you be able to recapture the same feelings? Read more
Published 4 months ago by The story fiend

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Am I alone in being disappointed when I read Patrick Gale? Notes from an Exhibition did not stand up to expectations and neither did this book.
Published 4 months ago by Pamela

2.0 out of 5 stars dull and contrived
I kept thinking the main characters couldn't possibly be as dithering and irritating as they seemed. Read more
Published 4 months ago by cowpatch

3.0 out of 5 stars some good things here
loved the book especially the chapter where he described the bath !
wanted the end to be different - it was too abrupt and left too many questions for the reader.
Published 4 months ago by D. O'Connor

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

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


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject






i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

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