The Maker of Swans - Softcover

O’Donnell, Paraic

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1474600379 ISBN 13: 9781474600378

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2016

Synopsis

'It is no small matter, after all, to create something - to make it so only by setting down the words. We forget the magnitude, sometimes, of that miracle' Mr Crowe was once the toast of the finest salons. A man of learning and means, he travelled the world, enthralling all who met him. Now, Mr Crowe devotes himself to earthly pleasures. He has retreated to his sprawling country estate, where he lives with Clara, his mysterious young ward, and Eustace, his faithful manservant. His great library gathers dust and his once magnificent gardens grow wild. But Mr Crowe and his extraordinary gifts have not been entirely forgotten. When he acts impetuously over a woman, he attracts the attention of Dr Chastern, the figurehead of a secret society to which Crowe still belongs. Chastern comes to Crowe's estate to call him to account, and what follows will threaten everyone he cares for. But Clara possesses gifts of her own, gifts whose power she has not yet fully grasped. She must learn to use them quickly, if she is to save them all.

About this title

About the Author

Paraic O'Donnell read English & French literature at University College Dublin and holds an M.Phil. in Linguistics from Trinity College, Dublin. He lives in Wicklow, Ireland with his wife and two children. The Maker of Swans is his first novel. http://paraicodonnell.com @paraicodonnell

Review

This debut comes highly praised by Costa prize-winner Helen Macdonald ... it is O'Donnell's arresting descriptions of the natural world that are likely to live longest in the mind DAILY MAIL it would not be surprising if the public clamours for a second instalment of this vividly imagined and deeply pleasurable gothic fantasy - not to mention a film. FINANCIAL TIMES at its best, the prose in O'Donnell's first novel is glorious, combining an ear for deep cadences of language with a phenomenal acuity of vision. THE GUARDIAN Poetic and strange, this Gothic novel is a dark, elegant celebration of the power and beauty of words and the spells they weave. SUNDAY EXPRESS this book is like the swans Clara makes in her dreams, though it may assume a familiar shape, it remains very much its own thing, strange and new and captivating. THE INDEPENDENT O'Donnell's eloquent descriptions and old-world characters make it a charming, lyrical read even when tension is high. I admired the depth of O'Donnell's imagination, which allowed him to conjure uo this enthralling tale ... A literary feast STYLIST A powerful thriller VOGUE Wonderfully dark, magical ELLE Strange and beautiful - one of Stylist's Essential Reads for 2016 STYLIST A fabulously assured, elegant Gothic-flavoured tale WOMAN AND HOME A peculiar and beautiful tale of art and magic STYLIST.CO.UK An oddly beautiful tale of magic and art, this reminded me of Alain-Fournier's Le Grand Meaulnes -- Cathy Rentzenbrink Editor's Choice, The Bookseller Compulsive reading ... rich, strange, beautiful Helen Macdonald, author of H IS FOR HAWK I devoured this book and it kept me guessing right to the very end ... Line by line, Paraic's writing contains some of the most beautifully turned phrasing I've read in a long while Laura Barnett, author of THE VERSIONS OF US Dazzlingly inventive, compelling Jane Casey Exquisite Liz Nugent, author of UNRAVELLING OLIVER The Maker of Swans combines through-the-looking-glass enchantment with Nabokovian dexterity, and is also a sly and insightful commentary on the powers and weakness of artists. O'Donnell has written a mesmerizing book whose prose absolutely soars Sandra Newman, author of THE COUNTRY OF ICE CREAM STAR Sonorous, beautifully made ... disquieting and unfathomable THE SPECTATOR

About this edition

• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1474600379
• ISBN 13: 9781474600378
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 327