To our USA customers. We ship to the USA via "Deliver Duty Paid" shipping options. This means that there will be no duty or tariffs that you need to pay on your purchase! We're happy to combine shipping to save you some money. We're also always buying collectible book collections. Contact us for details. We're happy to provide pictures of any and all books for you, please just ask! Canadian SOFT COVERED first edition, first printing. Virtually no wear to covers. The book itself is in Near Fine condition. The binding is straight and tight. NO remainder mark.

Seller Inventory # sku520011243

Contact seller

Report this item

Bibliographic Details

Title

Gaff Topsails

Publisher

Cormorant Books

Publication Date

1996

Language

English

ISBN 10

0920953956

ISBN 13

9780920953952

Binding

Softcover

Edition

First Edition.

Condition

Fine

Weight

18 ounces

Seller catalogs

Literature

About this title

Synopsis

Cover slightly scuffed/rubbed. Contents clean, sound, and bright throughout.

Review

In this ambitious first novel, author Patrick Kavanagh chronicles a single day--June 24, the Feast of Saint John the Baptist--in a remote village in remote Newfoundland. June 24 is also Sweethearts Day, a day on which young women perform rituals as old as the hills to determine whom they will marry. These two celebrations, one Catholic, the other pagan, serve as the twin lodestones around which Gaff Topsails weaves its complex tale. On the one hand, there is Father MacMurrough, a restless priest who sees his new parish as a punishment and Kevin, an altar boy troubled by notions of God and sin; on the other there is Mary, a young woman in love with love and Michael Barron, a young mute who is starved for it. These characters live out their single day between the twin shadows of two mountains (Gaff Topsails) and an iceberg offshore, their physical isolation a symbol of the spiritual solitude in which they all exist.

Comparisons to James Joyce's Ulysses are, perhaps, inevitable, with the archetypes Kavanagh presents (the fisherman's wife waiting, like Penelope, for her husband to return from the sea), the fragmented narrative, and the occasional stream of consciousness. Like Ulysses, Gaff Topsails is not an easy book to read, but in the end, this novel rewards the patient reader with a crystalline portrait of a day in the life of a small community

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

The Book Scouts carry high quality, hardcover, first edition, first printing books. First edition always means first printing unless otherwise specified.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

The Book Scouts
MI, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the Abebooks
web
sites. If you're dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as
Described/Damaged) or if the order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a
refund
within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. If you've changed your mind
about a
book that you've ordered, please use the Ask Bookseller a Question link to
contact
us and we'll respond within 2 business days.
The Book Scouts - sole proprietorship
Chris Dupee
21 Behan...

More Information

Shipping Terms

Orders usually ship within 4 business days. Shipping costs are based on books
weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may
contact
you to let you know extra shipping is required.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 21 business days	4 to 12 business days
First item	US$ 7.99	US$ 17.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.