Amazon.co.uk Review
Fiction readers with a sweet tooth and a high tolerance of Anglican whimsy are offered much beguilement in Sally Vickers' new novel
Mr Golightly's Holiday. Set in the Devon village of Great Calne, it records the events observed, and in part precipitated, by Mr Golightly, the author of a work once famous but now tending to be overlooked, who has elected to settle himself in this community for a while. Mr Golightly himself, a rumpled, elderly figure arriving in a half-timbered Traveller van, is a familiar enough version of "the male author"; Great Calne, an apparently idyllic village with a wide range of carefully differentiated characters, but underneath seething with unseen discontents and rivalries, is itself another easily summoned trope--the kind of community now perhaps most commonly encountered in fictional terms in TV shows. This is handy, for Mr Golightly decides that the best way of dragging his great work into the limelight of popularity and relevance is to recast it as a soap opera. In the event, he makes little headway with this project because, of course, the affairs of the village become all-absorbing and gradually draw him in. And so things unfold, as the characters carefully established by Sally Vickers work out their destinies in a mixture of social comedy (some of it very sharp), melodrama, nature mysticism and visionary redemption that delivers far more than the opening paragraphs can suggest. Moreover, the precise identity of Mr Golightly, while not exactly part of the plot, is disclosed gradually and may come as a surprise to some.
It should be said that this is not really a novel, although it does offer many of the satisfactions of a novel. It is a fable with distinctly eschatological overtones, and as such runs the general risks of the genre, most of which are successfully negotiated. --Robin Davidson
Review
PRAISE FOR INSTANCES OF THE NUMBER THREE: 'The reader glides through it effortlessly. The plot is simple, yet has an amazing amount of narrative power. Vickers' second novel confirms that she will have a long and outstanding career.' Martyn Goff, The Times 'Gentleness of perception and sharpness of intellect ... sustains you long after the last page.' Bel Mooney, The Times 'Admirable. Salley Vickers has a way with persuasive characters and crisp narrative.' Penelope Lively, Independent 'Studded with observations and asides that stop you in your tracks.' Julie Wheelwright, Scotland on Sunday 'Lovely. Distinctive grace.' Murrough O'Brien, Daily Telegraph PRAISE FOR MISS GARNET'S ANGEL: 'Writes like a haunted angel' The Times 'Rich, complex and haunting... she makes the ancient story as riveting as Miss Garnet's own adventures' Sunday Times 'Very kind, very funny' John Bayley 'A subtle, witty tale' John de Falbe, Spectator Books of the Year 'Delightfully affecting' Julia Neuberger, Independent Books of the Year 'All lovers of Venice should read this book' The Spectator
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by Salley Vickers
by Salley Vickers
by Salley Vickers
by Salley Vickers
by Salley Vickers
