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The Promise Of Happiness : (Paperback)

by Justin Cartwright (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £4.79 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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The Promise Of Happiness : + The Song Before it is Sung + The Road Home
Price For All Three: £12.78

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  • This item: The Promise Of Happiness : by Justin Cartwright

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The Song Before it is Sung by Justin Cartwright

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  • The Road Home by Rose Tremain

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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; Reprinted Edition edition (3 Jan 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747577064
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747577065
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 25,520 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #3 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > C > Cartwright, Justin

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Product Description

Review
'Justin Cartwright is one of our best novelists' Allison Pearson, Daily Telegraph 'Brilliant, dazzling, unsettling; subtle and haunting; complex and multi-layered; deeply moving Cartwright manages to combine the thrilling readability of genre fiction with the unpredictability and strangeness of a literary master' Independent on Sunday 'Justin Cartwright looks to be one of the finest novelists currently at work' Guardian 'Cartwright has been gaining a formidable literary reputation, and each new book has only added to it. This one is a special treat: as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. It confirms his status as one of our foremost novelists' Daily Mail

Mail on Sunday
'A compelling and candid portrait of a family in crisis'

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Promise Of Happiness :
54% buy the item featured on this page:
The Promise Of Happiness : 3.3 out of 5 stars (43)
£4.79
The Song Before it is Sung
16% buy
The Song Before it is Sung 4.7 out of 5 stars (9)
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Customer Reviews

43 Reviews
5 star:
 (15)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (11)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (43 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
71 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read even if the happiness is rather elusive, 7 Mar 2005
By A Common Reader "See all mybook reviews at ww... (Sussex, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
This is a very rewarding book, a story of a family going through a challenging time, with the eldest daughter being released from prison, bringing all sorts of undercurrents to the surface of this typically middle class family. JoJo was convicted of fraudulently handling some antique windows, while working in New York. Her family in England coped with this in various ways, but the greatest impact was on her parents. Her father went into denial and during her two year incarceration was unable to bring himself to visit her in jail, leaving her mother to go by herself. When the time comes for her release, JoJo's brother goes across to meet her at the prison and to take her through a few days of acclimatisation during which he keeps in touch with the other family members by telephone as they anticipate the reunion a the family home in Cornwall.

The book is tense at times, largely centring on the relationship between the mother and father who find various way of not coping very well. There is also an element of the detective novel about this book as clearly, JoJo's conviction was not the best example of US justice and requires investigation by her brother, who delves into the truth behind it. I would rate this as an extremely well-written book which deserves the reputation is has gained since its release.

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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars For once the hype is justified. Electrifying, 25 Jun 2005
By A Customer
It's very rare to read a novel so full of ideas and observations, and to find at the same time that it is very enjoyable and easy to read. I couldn't put it down. It's about a family in crisis, but still agonisingly funny. The favourite daughter has been involved in an art theft in New York, and the novel opens on the day she is let out of prison. Her parents, Daphne and Charles, her sister Sophie and her brother Charlie are all wonderfully well described. Charles is having something of a crisis, unable to come to terms with his daughter's imprisonment. The book is crammed full of moving and - as I said - funny moments, and lays bare the soul of this family. There are also interesting observations on art, on families, on life as we live it now. Don't miss this book. They hype is definitely justified.
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53 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Not much substance.....and certainly no style., 28 Jan 2006
I am suprised this book was so well received as it is ABSOLUTE trite. How can anyone truly believe that the author's observations and characterisation are anything other than glib and superficial? His grasp of language is puerile and you get the impression he has a list of long, 'impressive' words which he keeps on his desk, and sticks one in every now and again to beef up his lexicon. I stuck it out to the end, gnashing my teeth, writhing around in frustration, hoping that a twist in the story would prove to be its saving grace. But that too wheezed its way to the end, as if the author was himself bored out of his skull and eager to get it over with.

As was I.

Skip this pap and head straight for Alan Hollinghurst's "The Line of Beauty". Similar themes explored, but one is masterly, the other miserly.

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