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Preston Falls
 
 

Preston Falls (Paperback)

by David Gates (Author) "Late Friday afternoon they start for Preston Falls: Jean and the kids in the Cherokee, Willis in his truck with Rathbone the dog riding shotgun..." (more)
3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Phoenix; New edition edition (4 Jan 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0575403179
  • ISBN-13: 978-0575403178
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 416,209 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #6 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > G > Gates, David

Product Description

Product Description
The answer to Doug Willis' mid-life crisis is a sabbatical at his rural retreat in Preston Falls, two months spent restoring the faded splendour of the farmhouse, reading Dickens in the evening and watching summer gently fade to autumn. But following a marathon whiskey drinking session, a disastrous attempt to tear out the living room ceiling and an incident with a sheriff at a local campsite, Willis ends his first weekend away in jail, and it's clear the wired, burned-out New York copy-writer within is still very much to the fore. And while Willis' wife Jean struggles to pay the bills and raise their sullen, sceptical kids, Willis' 'break' crumbles into Dewars- and Cocaine-fuelled disarray, and he embarks on another kind of journey altogether.

About the Author
SALES POINTS Preston Falls confirms David Gates as a master of sharp observation, dark truths and private longings - a writer in the tradition of Russell Banks and Richard Ford 'Beautifully written . . . Gates [has a] pitch-perfect ear for contemporary speech . . . and a keen, journalistic eye' New York Times 'What gives Preston Falls its jittery buzz, and its intelligence and charm, is Gates' ever-sharp ear for dialogue, for the wisecracks and half-veiled hostilities that pass for communication' People 'A fierce and gleefully perverse account of mid-life crisis . . . An apocalyptic satire that reminds us why his previous novel, Jernigan, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize' Arena 'David Gates makes me sick with envy' Nick Hornby

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Late Friday afternoon they start for Preston Falls: Jean and the kids in the Cherokee, Willis in his truck with Rathbone the dog riding shotgun. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (8)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping tale of family man struggling to see the point., 8 Jan 2001
"Preston Falls" is a story about Doug Willis and his wife Jean.

Doug ("Willis") is a cynical and self-aware middle class copywriter whilst Jean is more insecure and self-critical: always selfless in the love of their two children, Mel and Roger. As two people who are semi- dysfunctional in terms of "normal" relationships and ordinary everyday happiness, their family life was originally based upon a 'deal' whereby Willis would one day be able to leave his job to pursue something (though he doesn't know what) more rewarding.

The break Willis had banked upon takes the form of a two month sabbatical from work to renovate their country home. Through relating this period in their lives, the novel showcases two complex characters both able to articulate, in first person narrative, funny and startlingly insightful obsevations upon themselves and their respective worlds.

The central theme of the book is overtly that of the point/pointlesness of ordinary life and what alternatives are possible. Willis' rutheless nihlism forces both main characters to re-assess where they are and how they've gotten there as bleak and often poignant tale of family life unfolds.

Whilst eventful in terms of plot the real strength of this book is that it is a gripping character tale. Jean Willis in particular is memorable and moving character.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Make no mistake: this is the work of a wonderful talent., 23 April 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Preston Falls (Hardcover)
Preston Falls is full of plain brilliant writing, is funny, suspenseful, suprising, shrewd, and marvellously observed. Gates deserves all the praise he's gathered -- do bother with it. Yes it's sardonic as all hell, but amusingly so. His devilish minor characters are larger than life, his scenes of things coming undone for the central character Willis are hilarious, and real. True, the last third is a little flatter and imperfectly resolved, and Jernigan is maybe a better book. But the solution is to read them both, back to back as I did. Then read Kingsley Amis, ye who have ears to hear the glee behind such fine, sardonic points of view.
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5.0 out of 5 stars The only sure thing about Doug is that he is unsure..., 10 Oct 2003
By B. Grime "bjg5000" (Lancashire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Doug Willis has reached that age. He sees his achievements only as wrong choices and, in his mind, he stands at the midlife crossroads. Doug is tired. Life tires him. His motivation is change from all he knows yet all he knows is his security. His wife Jean couldn't be more opposite. She is controlled in herself, her work and her devotion to their two children Mel and Roger are her anchor. Or so she thinks...

As Gates weaves this extremely simply styled novel we learn that neither Doug or Jean really have a clue about their present and even less of one about the future. Their marriage is falling apart. Doug bumbles aimlessly towards a place he thinks he wants to be when with every page we, as readers, are so aware that where he is going is not where he will want to be. Taking a 2 month time out from his job as a copywriter, he decides to use that time to renovate his farmhouse in the country and, at the same time, rebuild the structure of his life. He is a cynic so only others can do wrong. There is much pleasure to be derived from the sharp and witty viewpoints of each character including the children...

What begins as a fairly routine 'family breaking up' tale becomes a story of an ordinary guy in the wrong place in the wrong company at the wrong time and a family left confused and scared by the result. The consequences become more bizarre and more alarming as what was once sneered at for being routine and mundane is what each wish they could reclaim. I loved the way Gates built each character in this book. There is something scarily familiar with the uncertainties that each face and the fact that all they need is what they already have. The children are so complex yet vulnerable as they too are thrown into the maelstrom Doug's behaviour creates. Gates narrative is superb and he has ultimately created a tale of how slim a margin it is to know who you are and accept it or try to change and risk losing all. A search for identity and purpose with a lot of humour yet no shortage of suspense. Simply told. Beautifully written.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Best
My favourite novel ever , i've read it about 6 times and it gets better every time (there's not many you can say that about). Read more
Published 18 months ago by William Stephen Dalrymple

3.0 out of 5 stars The decay of family nucleus
I would have to agree with my predecessor's review in rating this book: Three stars (and a half) for allowing reader to fly through this text due to dialogue and perfect clarity... Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars A story about growing up and giving up.
The story revolves around a family trying to survive the rigours of middle class society. Doug Willis is tired of the life he has lived over the last decade or so, working 9 - 5... Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2000 by stuclachan@hotmail.com

3.0 out of 5 stars Watch as men and women fall into their special hells.
Reading Preston Falls is like having one of those nightmares that you can't explain to your friends why it upset you so much -- where the look of things in the dream is ordinary,... Read more
Published on 26 Aug 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars Narcissist male gender identity complex at it's worst.
The main character,Willis,is a repulsive narcissist who revels in the smell of his cheesy, dirty feet. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful writing style, but unsympathetic main character
The book kept my attention because it is very well-written. The observations are great. There is enough humor to keep it from being depressing. Read more
Published on 21 Jul 1999

2.0 out of 5 stars Who is this guy?
Preston Falls was an easy read that probably deserves at least one more star. However, the main character and his motives are so underdeveloped that I didn't only not know who he... Read more
Published on 13 Jul 1999

2.0 out of 5 stars This book is about a white guy.
I ain't read the book, but I'm sure there's words in it. There was words in the last book I read--too many to count. And that's what books need more of: numbers. Read more
Published on 8 Jul 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars A middle class burn-out who throws it all away.
I had the pleasure of meeting David Gates at the 1991 JFK assassination conference in Dallas (the first ever held there). Read more
Published on 25 Jun 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written character study of a deteriorating marriage
I thought this book was extremely well-written and Gates does have an ear for language. The characters were a bit sketchy and don't read this if you're looking for lots of plot... Read more
Published on 10 Jun 1999

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