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

Ready to Buy?
woodys-uk
Price: £4.95
In stock
81 used & new from £0.01
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
My Best Friend
 
 

See 1 customer image
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

My Best Friend (Paperback)

by Laura Wilson (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


11 new from £0.01 67 used from £0.01 3 collectible from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 2 used & new from £14.95
Paperback (New Ed) 7 used & new from £0.01
Mass Market Paperback 6 used & new from £3.83
Audio CD (Audiobook) £45.50 £45.50 6 used & new from £45.50
Audio Cassette (Audiobook) £34.95 £34.95 3 used & new from £34.95

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Hello Bunny Alice

Hello Bunny Alice

by Laura Wilson
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £4.99
A Little Death

A Little Death

by Laura Wilson
4.0 out of 5 stars (5)  £5.39
Dying Voices

Dying Voices

by Laura Wilson
4.5 out of 5 stars (2) 
The Lover

The Lover

by Laura Wilson
3.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £5.49
A Thousand Lies

A Thousand Lies

by Laura Wilson
4.5 out of 5 stars (2) 
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Orion (1 Jul 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 075284802X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0752848020
  • Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 11 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 246,081 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

Product Description

Review
REVIEWSWoman & Home - August issueVerdict - summer issue FEATURESCrimeTime - author article INTERNET EVENTS:Ottakar's Norwich - Nicked in Norwich 6thJuneEast Grinstead Lit Festival - 7th JuneCrimeScene at NFT - JulyHeffer's Ca

Product Description
A quiet Suffolk village, 1944. Fourteen-year-old Gerald Haxton is a lonely boy who regards his still-born twin brother Jack as his only real friend. His mother, a famous children's writer, guards Jack's memory jealously, and Gerald, disturbed and unpopular, has no hope of ever measuring up to him. Playing in the woods near his home, Gerald discovers the body of his elder sister buried in a shallow grave. She has been beaten to death with a wooden stake and her boyfriend, a young GI, is hanged for the crime. London, 1995. As the country prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of VE Day, Gerald, who remains a loner, is nearing retirement. Obsessed by routine, he still talks to his dead brother, Jack. Surrounded by nostalgic artefacts at the TV prop-hire company where he works, he is constantly reminded of the past, and with it, his sister Vera's death. Hoping to escape his lonely existence, he takes to following Mel, the twelve-year-old daughter of a colleague. A few days later Mel, who bears a striking resemblance to Vera, disappears...

See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)
See all 6 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

My Best Friend
62% buy the item featured on this page:
My Best Friend 3.8 out of 5 stars (4)
A Little Death
38% buy
A Little Death 4.0 out of 5 stars (5)
£5.39
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

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

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A very comfortable weekend read., 4 Aug 2001
By lizc@btinternet.com (Woodley, Reading, Berkshire. UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: My Best Friend (Hardcover)
This was my first Laura Wilson novel but I intend to read her previous work as soon as I can. This is quite a slim book and therefore does not take long to read. However, I read it in two sittings because I really wanted to read on. The technique of writing each chapter from a different character's point of view, and some of these were flash backs too, kept my interest. Each character was well drawn and easy to imagine, and the style of them 'talking' to the reader made for a very comfortable read. The story or plot is quite simple once you have read it but the limited information about Vera's murder back in the 1940's keeps one intrigued. The atmosphere of war time is evoked well and the Enid Blyton type literature written by Gerald's mother is a wonderful contrast to the lonely, loveless life of Gerald as a boy. The adult Gerald is easy to imagine too. Sadly we probably have all known a Gerald at some time and have 'pigeon-holed' their character because they are misfits. The reaction of the police and ordinary people to him as a pervert is uncomfortably understandable and this is a timely message perhaps of how easy it is to judge people wrongly. But then, as a mother of a 16 year old daughter, I totally identified with Jo when Mel went missing. The way I am writing about this shows me that it was definitely an interesting weekend/holiday read.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A strikingly authentic voice, 28 Jul 2002
By A Customer
Of all the various crime novels concerning paedophilia, or its potential, or the social repercussions on strange and lonely men of the anti-paedophile witch-hunts, this is by far the best. Laura Wilson writes multiple first-person thrillers of the best sort - the language is subtle and elegant and the author's ability to get under the skin of each character to create an entirely authentic voice in each case, is astonishing. As with all of her novels, the plot has a simple basis (boy finds body of dead sister) and personal ramifications for the characters which are not simple at all. The overall result is enormously satisfying - one of this year's 'must reads'.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars Straight up. I kid you not, this book is a little gem, 14 Jun 2009
By John Gentle (Birmingham, UK) - See all my reviews
I'd never heard of Laura Wilson before reading the blurb and the opening page of this book a month ago. The story is described in the book summary. Each chapter chooses one of the main characters as narrator - most frequently Gerald, also his aunt, Tilly, and Jo, the single-mother, who works alongside (opposite) Gerald and regards him as a weirdo, which he is! Due to his stalking of Jo's daughter, much hangs on the issue of whether Gerald is harmless or not. The writer is brilliant at the colloquial English of 1995 (Straight up. I kid you not.) and 1944, and at getting inside the heads of the main characters. The book brings home an example - which must have applied to millions in the UK - of the heavy human cost of the Second World War on civilians as well as soldiers. A moving, convincing story. I rate this book above many Booker short-list books, and Laura Wilson should, in my opinion, be regarded as a major talent.
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

1.0 out of 5 stars Dreadful
This is an utter disappointment. I've read several other of Laura Wilson's novels and thoroughly enjoyed each, particulary the originality of the plotlines and the... Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2006 by SuzieB

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 Laura Wilson

Stratton's War

Stratton's War by Laura Wilson

"Stratton's War should certainly swell the ranks of Laura Wilson... Read more
£7.99 £4.79

 

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Braun Oral-B Professional Care 6000 Rechargeable Toothbrush - Pack of 2
Put a sparkle in your smile with up to 50% off selected Oral-B and Philips rechargeable toothbrushes.

›Up to 50% off power toothbrushes

  

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

  

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

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