A Far Cry From Kensington (VMC Designer Collection) - Hardcover

Spark, Muriel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844085279 ISBN 13: 9781844085279

Publisher: Virago, 2008

Synopsis

The fraying fringes of 1950s literary London

Rich and slim, the celebrated author Nancy Hawkins takes us in hand and leads us back to her threadbare years in postwar London, where she spends her days working for a mad, near-bankrupt publisher (“of very good books”) and her nights dispensing advice at her small South Kensington rooming house. Everywhere Mrs. Hawkins finds evil: with aplomb, however, she confidently sets about putting things to order, to terrible effect.

About this title

About the Author:

Muriel Spark (1918–2006) was the author of dozens of novels, including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Memento Mori, A Far Cry from Kensington, The Girls of Slender Means, The Ballad of Peckham Rye, The Driver’s Seat, and many more. She became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993.

From AudioFile:

A rooming house in South Kensington and the publishing business in London following World War II are seen through the eyes of Mrs. Hawkins and told superbly by Eleanor Bron. Each character has his own idiosyncracy, and the smooth transition from one to another is never compromised. Of course, this is due mostly to Muriel Spark's ability to flesh out her characters. But Bron deserves credit as well, going from one accent to another, one voice to another, with subtle but effective changes. Her accents are authentic, and her male voices are spoken by suggestion, not by dropping to her lowest register. Hearing this story is an enjoyable experience. J.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Virago
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1844085279
• ISBN 13: 9781844085279
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 194