The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (New York Review Books Classics) - Softcover

Moore, Brian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159017349X ISBN 13: 9781590173497

Publisher: NYRB Classics, 2010

Synopsis

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne is an unflinching and deeply sympathetic portrait of a woman destroyed by self and circumstance. First published in 1955, it marked Brian Moore as a major figure in English literature (he would go on to be short-listed three times for the Booker Prize) and established him as an astute chronicler of the human soul.

Judith Hearne is an unmarried woman of a certain age who has come down in society. She has few skills and is full of the prejudices and pieties of her genteel Belfast upbringing. But Judith has a secret life. And she is just one heartbreak away from revealing it to the world.

About this title

From the Publisher:

'Moore is surely one of the most versatile and compelling novelists writing today.' Daily Telegraph

Brian Moore's extraordinary talent was immediately recognised when The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, his debut novel, won the Authors' Club First Novel Award. A highly-acclaimed film based on the novel was recently made, starring Maggie Smith.

'I can't think of another living male novelist who writes about women with such sympathy and understanding.' Times Literary Supplement

'Remarkable... seldom in modern fiction has any character been revealed so completely or been made to seem so poignantly real.' New York Times

'An almost classic example of the power given by unity of theme... Mr Moore reveals all the qualities of a born novelist.' Sunday Times

From the Inside Flap:

Brian Moore burst upon the literary scene in 1955 with this moving and brilliantly observed study of a woman imprisoned by the passage of time. He went on to be hailed as one of the best fiction writers of his generation.

Alone in her room in a Belfast boarding house, Judith Hearne is almost overwhelmed by loneliness. Yet she still believes there is a chance for happiness, and she waits patiently for the moment when her life will turn from sorrowful longing to joy. By chance she meets a man ? the man ? and her dreams take on a brighter hue, only to be dashed once more.

With skill and gentle insight, Moore depicts the disintegration of Judith Hearne?s last illusions. Clinging to the bottle for comfort, she becomes a tragic figure who speaks frankly about the human condition. Though we laugh at her foibles, we weep at her plight, and share her primal longing for love and connection.

This touching story was made into a critically acclaimed motion picture in 1987.

About this edition

• Publisher: NYRB Classics
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 159017349X
• ISBN 13: 9781590173497
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240