Glide reflection translation combination2/16/2024 ![]() Her first, The Manningtree Witches (2021) which fictionalised the 17th-Century Essex witch trials, was shortlisted for the Costa Prize. The true story of the French Revolution-era peasant-turned-performer, Tarare, who swallowed just about anything – including rats, cats and corks – for money is the thrilling premise of The Glutton, the second novel from British poet AK Blakemore. "Daniel Mason's latest novel is one of those rare books that truly deserves the description 'spellbinding'", writes The Observer, while The New York Times calls it "eccentric and exhilarating". His sixth novel – which explores four centuries of history through a house and its inhabitants on a small patch of New England land – has received rapturous reviews for its virtuosity and form-bending experimentation. US author and doctor Mason, who published his first book, The Piano Tuner (2002) while still at medical school, is now an acclaimed writer of historical fiction. The short chapters glide tellingly between decades and scenes." The Conversation describes The Fraud as "a stunning, well-studied examination of Victorian colonial England," adding that "Smith is expertly able to interweave moments of levity and humour into a book that deals with some heaviness… Historical fiction suits her". There is also a lightness of touch: "Every few pages I was struck by how light the novel feels, despite its length and epic themes. It is an "exuberant" novel, says The Observer, and bears the author's usual trademarks: "the boisterous narrative intelligence the ear for dialogue the chronic absence of boring sentences". The trial is seen through the eyes of Eliza Touchet, with interludes depicting the life of Andrew Bogle, an older formerly enslaved man who is acting as a witness in the trial. At the centre of the story is a real-life trial of a man claiming to be Sir Roger Tichborne, thought to have died at sea, and heir to a huge fortune. In her first historical novel, Zadie Smith examines 19th-Century colonialism, with several interwoven plots that take place over half a century.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |