In a Land of Plenty - Couverture rigide

Pears, Tim

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0385408463 ISBN 13 : 9780385408462

Editeur : Doubleday, 1997

Synopsis

Set in a small town in the middle of England in the aftermath of World War II, this tells the story of ambitious industrialist Charles Freeman, his wife Mary, and their three children. Each individual plays their part as Britain claws its way from the grey austerity of the war years.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

In a small town somewhere in the middle of England, the aftermath of the Second World War brings change. For ambitious industrialist Charles Freeman, it brings new opportunities and marriage to Mary. He buys the big house on the hill to cement their union and nail his aspirations to the future.

In quick succession, three sons and a daughter bring life to the big house and, with it, the seeds of joy and tragedy: Simon, large and ebullient like his father, follows in his footsteps into the business; James becomes a photographer and proceeds to document the town; Robert, wilful and self-assured, submerges himself in the darker side of life; and Alice, a dippy individualist who is almost transformed into a picture of convention when she succumbs to the efficient attentions of Harry Singh, grocer's boy turned property entrepreneur. Charles' business grows in direct proportion to his girth and becomes synonymous with the town's fortunes as Britain claws its way from the grey austerity of the war years.

As times change, so do their fortunes for better and worse, ebbing and flowing as the years go by. Their stories create a generous epic, an extraordinarily rich and plangent hymn to the death and perhaps rebirth of middle England over the past fiFty years. At its heart are a diverse and persuasive cast of loveable and odious characters whose various attempts to break free are chronicled in an addictive and compelling narrative of extraordinary power and resonance. Quite simply, In a Land of Plenty is the story of our lives.

Quatrième de couverture

'Early nineteenth-century France had Balzac, we have Pears to trace our fortunes and follies'

Elizabeth Buchan, The Times

In a small town in the middle of England, the aftermath of the Second World War brings change. For ambitious industrialist Charles Freeman, it offers new opportunities and marriage toMary. He buys the big house on the hill and nails his aspirations to the future.

In quick succession, three sons and a daughter bring life to the big house and, with it, the seeds of family joy and tragedy. As the children grow and struggle with the hazards of adulthood, Charles' business expands in direct proportion to his girth and becomes a symbol of the town's fortunes as Britain claws its way back from the grey austerity of wartime Britain.

As times change, so do the family's fortunes. Their stories create a generous epic, an extraordinarily rich and plangent hymn to the transformation of middle England over the past fifty years. At its heart is a diverse and persuasive cast of loveable and odious characters attempting to contend with the restrictions of their generation. This is the story of our lives.

'Subtle in its deconstruction of a mythic England, In a Land of Plenty is a careful epic pf death and rebirth, as mysterious and as inevitable as the seasons. Brave and warm and wise, it is nostalgic in tone, but never backward-looking'

Michael Pollard, Financial Times

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Doubleday
• Date d'édition: 1997
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0385408463
• ISBN 13: 9780385408462
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 544
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible