The Swansong of Wilbur McCrum - Softcover

Kita, Bronia

3.68

31 ratings by Goodreads

9780330465090: The Swansong of Wilbur McCrum

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330465090 ISBN 13: 9780330465090

Publisher: Pan Macmillan, 2011

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Wilbur McCrum is not a lucky man. Actually, he's not lucky, period - a fact that becomes obvious from the moment he first emerges, screaming, into the world - for Wilbur's birth coincides with his sister's death. And as Wilbur (prone to fits and with a pathological fear of cows) grows, he subsequently loses his father, and is then in turn lost - abandoned - by his mother. Dispossessed and passed from pillar to post, he's eventually left with no choice but to take to the road, the wind at his back and 'lucky' potato in his pocket.
As he searches for a place he can call home - somewhere far away from cows (easier said than done in the Wild West) - he encounters madmen, conmen, wenches and whores; embarks on a career robbing stagecoaches (initially unwittingly); falls in love, and into a well; escapes bounty hunters and body snatchers; and, in turn, becomes a librarian.

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About the Author:

Bronia Kita has won various prizes for her writing -- including the Mail on Sunday Novel Competition in 2000, which is what initially persuaded her to switch from writing short stories to longer fiction -- and recently completed an MA in Creative Writing. The Swansong of Wilbur McCrum is her first novel. She lives in London.

Review:

"Kita’s folksy, warmhearted protagonist, pitch-perfect dialogue, and impeccable historical research make for an outstanding and unforgettable debut...an instant classic." Booklist

"Readers are assured a rollicking ride to the novel's emotional finish." Publishers Weekly

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