Items related to When the World Was Steady
Synopsis
A PEN/Faulkner Award finalist about two sisters’ divergent paths, from the author of The Burning Girl and The Emperor’s Children.
In this highly acclaimed novel, life isn’t all Emmy and Virginia Simpson anticipated. When Emmy’s marriage to an Australian man ends, she flees her home in Sydney to “find herself” on the island of Bali―only to become embroiled with a crew of international misfits and smugglers. Her prim and pious sister, Virginia, meanwhile, has never wandered far outside of London. Struggling to find meaning, she follows her aging mother’s advice to vacation on the Isle of Skye. On these two islands halfway around the world, the middle-aged sisters confront the costs of self-knowledge and their destinies with unexpected consequences.
“A novelist of unnerving talent.”―New York Times Book Review
“[Messud] has the daring and assurance to take on Iris Murdoch–like questions about goodness and truth.”―The New Yorker
“Beautiful. . . . [Messud] has the imagination, the craft and the understanding of human nature to write about anything she chooses.”―Chicago Tribune
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Review
In a debut novel of remarkable breadth and intimate insight, Claire Messud tells the story of two middle-aged sisters and the divergent life paths chosen by each. On Bali and Skye, two islands as far apart as geography allows, the sisters reassess their place in the world and gingerly find the new bearings that will allow them to renegotiate the circumstances of their lives with newfound acceptance and flexibility. Nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award.
From the Back Cover
In the words of Melody Simpson, their mother, Emmy was born with thick skin and Virginia with no skin at all. It is on Bali and Skye, two islands as far apart as geography allows, that the sisters independently reassess their place in the world and gingerly find the new bearings that will allow each to renegotiate the circumstances of their lives with newfound acceptance and flexibility.
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- PublisherPENGUIN BOOKS / GRANTA
- Publication date1995
- ISBN 10 0140141006
- ISBN 13 9780140141009
- BindingPaperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Number of pages272
- Rating
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When the World Was Steady
Seller: Goldstone Books, Llandybie, United Kingdom
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paperback. Condition: Good. All orders are dispatched within one working day from our UK warehouse. We've been selling books online since 2004! We have over 750,000 books in stock. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0007157902
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When the World was Steady
Seller: Infinity Books Japan, Tokyo, TKY, Japan
Seller rating 3 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. This is an exploration of divergent lives, those of two sisters, Virginia a nd Emmy. Virginia has lived all her life with her domineering mother; Emmy emigrated to Australia and set up house there with a rich husband. In middl e age, both sisters find themselves facing crises. Seller Inventory # RWARE0000058153
Quantity: 1 available