Items related to The Pianoplayers
Synopsis
Following the death of her father, an irregularly employed pianist, Ellen Henshaw becomes a high-class prostitute in Paris during the 1930s and then founds a chain of schools to instruct men in the arts of love and music
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Will Carr is Deputy Director of the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, and has previously held senior roles at the Poetry School, Arts Council England, the Wordsworth Trust and the National Association for Literature Development
From Publishers Weekly
Burgess's entertaining pen does not flag in this larky exercise in nostalgia. The slim novel is narrated by elderly but still beautiful Ellen Henshaw, born lower-class British but now retired in Provence after a career as an entrepreneurial prostitute. In a lusty, cynical voice, droll with casual obscenities and unwittingly vulgar vernacular, Ellen relates the story of her beloved "poor old dad." A piano player (not a Pianist, she insists) for the old silent movies, Billy Henshaw was a genius before his time, according to Ellen, but drink, womanizing and false pride brought him down; all were responsible for his disastrous decision to take part in a brutal piano marathon. Ellen's rendition of their life in and out of seedy boarding houses, cinemas and music halls in Blackpool and Manchester is littered with malapropisms, the indiscriminate use of capital letters ("It's very hard to get away from Sex and I've never really tried") and mangled French. There are some inspired set pieces here: an on-stage brawl during a vaudeville performance is broad farce; an account of a trip to Italy is Grand Guignol dark comedy. Burgess's little jokes (he includes a page of sheet music; Ellen reads le Carre for her insomnia, since he's "a very dull writer who is good for sending you to sleep") and his fondness for the "good old days," give this novel a palpable charm.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherPocket Books (Mm)
- Publication date1987
- ISBN 10 0671637924
- ISBN 13 9780671637927
- BindingMass Market Paperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Rating
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for The Pianoplayers
Stock Image
The Pianoplayers
Seller: Once Upon A Time Books, Siloam Springs, AR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear . This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear . Seller Inventory # mon0000319305
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Pianoplayers: Anthony Burgess
Published by
Washington Square Press, 1987
ISBN 10: 0671637924
ISBN 13: 9780671637927
Used
Mass Market Paperback
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.34. Seller Inventory # G0671637924I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Pianoplayers: Anthony Burgess
Published by
Washington Square Press, 1987
ISBN 10: 0671637924
ISBN 13: 9780671637927
Used
Mass Market Paperback
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.34. Seller Inventory # G0671637924I5N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Piano Players
Published by
Washington Square Press, 1987
ISBN 10: 0671637924
ISBN 13: 9780671637927
Used
Softcover
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 718439-6
Quantity: 3 available
Stock Image
The Pianoplayers
Seller: HPB-Ruby, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
mass_market. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_424670934
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Pianoplayers
Seller: Hawking Books, Edgewood, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Very Good Condition. Five star seller - Buy with confidence!. Seller Inventory # X0671637924X2
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Pianoplayers
Published by
Pocket Books (Mm), 1987
ISBN 10: 0671637924
ISBN 13: 9780671637927
Used
Paperback
First Edition
Seller: Stock & Trade LLC, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. A nice mass market paperback, with tight binding and an unmarked text. First edition.From a private smoke free collection.Shipping within 24 hours with a tracking number and delivery confirmation. Seller Inventory # BBOX97-1102k
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Pianoplayers.
Published by
Pocket Books: Washington Square Press October 1987, New York, NY, 1987
ISBN 10: 0671637924
ISBN 13: 9780671637927
Used
Paperback
First Edition
Seller: Black Cat Hill Books, Oregon City, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. First Ed thus; First Printing indicated. Very Near Fine in Wraps: shows only the most minute indications of use: just a hint of wear to extremities; the pages have tanned rather heavily, due to aging. Binding square and secure; text clean. Very close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 12mo. 253pp. Mass Market Paperback. For Burgess, one of late 20th century's certifiable master fiction writers, a piece like The Pianoplayers is a bit of a diversion. It is light, it is funny, it comes with the most basic kind of message (people need love, sex, and affection if they are to remain happy and sane). A lesser writer would be thrilled to have produced this charming comic work, a summation of Burgess's life, times, and preoccupations. Ellen Henshaw is the daughter of a pianoplayer (not a "pianist," she would insist, which is something entirely different), an accompaniest to movies in the old days of the silent screen. The first portion of the book details her father's attempts to stay financially afloat through various plots and schemes, leading to his demise at the keyboard. The second half shows Ellen blooming into a world famous expert on the power of love (prostitute is too prosaic a term for what she is). Burgess relates the story in female first person, and the voice is pretty much free of any obvious false notes. Much has been made of Burgess's comparisions to Joyce, and here he does employ a slight variation of the stream of consciousness technique, but it never impedes the flow of the story. This is a dandy concoction. First Ed thus; First Printing indicated. Seller Inventory # 41107
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Pianoplayers
Seller: Robinson Street Books, IOBA, Binghamton, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Prompt Shipment, in Boxes, Tracking First Editions are First Printings. . Used book. Very good, some creasing. Seller Inventory # bing7280461
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Pianoplayers, The
Published by
Pocket Books, 1987
ISBN 10: 0671637924
ISBN 13: 9780671637927
Used
Mass Market Paperback
Seller: BYTOWN BOOKERY, Vars, ON, Canada
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Mass Marker Paperback in Very Good condition with a solid binding and a clean, unmarked text. Covers do have scuffing and edgewear. A comic romp through the life of Ellen Henshaw, retired in the south of France after a career of "entertaining gentlemen. " Ellen recalls her travels and travails with her piano-playing father, an unsung genius brought down by women and drink. "; 6.60 X 3.90 X 0.80 inches; 253 pages. Seller Inventory # 18994
Quantity: 1 available