This is an elegant and resonant story of change and the loss of innocence set in post-war Melbourne. This is the story of one evening in the lives of the residents of a new outer suburb. As a mighty steam train leaves Spencer Street Station, a group of neighbours gather to celebrate a young girl's engagement...
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Steven Carroll was born in Melbourne. His first novel, Remember Me, Jimmy James, was published in 1992. The Art of the Engine Driver and The Gift of Speed were short-listed for the Miles Franklin Award, which the final book in the trilogy, The Time We Have Taken, won in 2008. Steven Carroll lives in Melbourne with his partner and son.
"Steven Carroll's subtly crafted novel is a poignant exploration of dashed hopes and suburban desperations...A rich and evocative novel with a strong sense of period." * Mail on Sunday * "An exquisitely crafted journey of Australian suburban life . . . fresh and irresistible" * Miles Franklin Literary Award Judges, 2002 * "Deceptively simple, this novel has a quiet force" * Sydney Morning Herald * "A veritable little gem . . . a beautiful discovery" * Elle France * "Subtle, true and profoundly touching . . . from the first lines of this very beautiful novel by Steven Carroll, an indefinable charm is at work" * Le Monde *
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Destination, rates & speedsSeller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G073227057XI4N00
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Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. A tan to the page edges/pages. Seller Inventory # rev2364352624
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Seller: Book Merchant Bookstore, Bunbury, WA, Australia
Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges.The Art of the Engine Driveris the story of one evening in the lives of the residents of a new outer Melbourne suburb.As a mighty steam train leaves Spencer Street Station on its haul to Sydney, a family of three - Vic, Rita and their son Michael are walking down their street to an engagement party. George Bedser, a shipbuilder from Liverpool, is celebrating the engagement of his daughter, Patsy. He has no family here and has invited the whole street to the party.Vic is an engine driver, looking to be like his hero Paddy Ryan and become the master of the smooth ride.As the neighbours walk to the party using a mixture of description and internal monologue, we hear their stories and are drawn into the lives of a bully, a drunk, a restless young girl and a happy family man.On this hot summer's night, the old and the new, diesel and steam, town and country all collide, and nobody is left unaffected. This is a distinctly Australian novel in the spirit of Tim Winton and Robert Drewe, a luminous and evocative tale of ordinary suburban lives with extraordinary power and depth. (back cover). Seller Inventory # 005169
Quantity: 1 available