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Synopsis
Told partially in correspondence, this literary novel is a tragic tale of love, loss, and the lies we choose to believe
Set in 1936 in Belgium and Ceylon, this story traces the development of an unlikely friendship between a young Belgian teenager, Marten Kuypers, and Glen Phayre, a young English woman in her 20s. Glen has left England to live with her aunt, who runs a tea plantation in Ceylon and fills her days with good works, among them the task of writing letters to a Belgian prisoner. But the letters go astray, and are received instead by Marten, eager to discover the wide world outside his small village, and desperately missing his older brother Krelis, who has vanished and is presumed dead. Marten decides to reply to Glen in the guise of the grown-up prisoner she is expecting to hear from, and as their correspondence evolves, they both assume identities that, while false in many respects, remain true to their own selves in other ways. Gradually they come to depend on each other, and their pen friendship proves to be crucial when events in their real lives take on a darker, more threatening significance in the shadow of the impending world war.
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About the Author
Trilby Kent is the author of the young adult novels Medina Hill and Stones for My Father.
From Booklist
Is who we pretend to be really who we are, who we wish to be, or a combination of both? Kent’s first novel, set in mid-1930s England, Belgium, and Ceylon, wraps those philosophical questions in an intriguing story of deception, revelation, and redemption. Bored with her staid British existence, 23-year-old Glynis (Glen) Phayre begins corresponding with whom she believes to be a political prisoner. In a quirky turn of the plot, her pen pal turns out to be a 13-year-old Belgian boy flirting with membership in a right-wing fascist youth group. The letters continue after Glen moves to her aunt’s Ceylonese tea plantation, and the world marches toward war as inevitably as the two correspondents move toward self-realization. The intertwined narratives provide global and personal perspectives on notions of love, independence, and justice. --Margaret Flanagan
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- PublisherAlma Books
- Publication date2012
- ISBN 10 1846881293
- ISBN 13 9781846881299
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages310
- Rating
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Softcover. Condition: Good. Told partially in correspondence, this literary novel is a tragic tale of love, loss, and the lies we choose to believeSet in 1936 in Belgium and Ceylon, this story traces the development of an unlikely friendship between a young Belgian teenager, Marten Kuypers, and Glen Phayre, a young English woman in her 20s. Glen has left England to live with her aunt, who runs a tea plantation in Ceylon and fills her days with good works, among them the task of writing letters to a Belgian prisoner. But the letters go astray, and are received instead by Marten, eager to discover the wide world outside his small village, and desperately missing his older brother Krelis, who has vanished and is presumed dead. Marten decides to reply to Glen in the guise of the grown-up prisoner she is expecting to hear from, and as their correspondence evolves, they both assume identities that, while false in many respects, remain true to their own selves in other ways. Gradually they come to depend on each other, and their pen friendship proves to be crucial when events in their real lives take on a darker, more threatening significance in the shadow of the impending world war. Seller Inventory # SONG1846881293
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Condition: Muy bueno. Glen Phayre, a young English woman in her twenties, has left England to live with her aunt, who runs a tea plantation in Ceylon and fills her days with good works, among them the task of writing letters to a Belgian prisoner. But the letters go astray, and are received instead by Marten, eager to discover the wide world outside his small village, and desperately missing his older brother Krelis, who has vanished and is presumed dead. Marten decides to reply to Glen in the guise of the grown-up prisoner she is expecting to hear from, and as their correspondence evolves, they both assume identities that, while false in many respects, remain true to their own selves in other ways. EAN: 9781846881299 Tipo: Libros Categoría: Título: Smoke PortraitAutor: Trilby Kent Editorial: Alma Books Ltd Formato: Libro de bolsillo. Seller Inventory # Happ-2024-01-16-43c0739d
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