By George (Signed)

Stace, Wesley, Aka Harding, John Wesley

ISBN 10: 0316830321 / ISBN 13: 9780316830324

Published by Little Brown, New York, 2007

About this Item

".There are two boys named George: one is an eleven-year-old school boy; the other is a ventriloquist's dummy. With no voice of his own but plenty to say, the dummy tells his life story: his humble beginnings in 1930 as a block of wood and some papier-mache, his fateful rise to vaudeville fame, and the horrible secret he has been made to keep.".

Seller Inventory # DDR2860

Bibliographic Details

• Title: By George (Signed)
• Publisher: Little Brown, New York
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316830321
• ISBN 13: 9780316830324
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition, First Printing
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Historical Fiction
  • Mystery/Suspense/Crime
  • Modern First Editions

About this title

Synopsis

In the illustrious history of the theatrical Fishers, there are two Georges. One is a peculiar but endearing 11-year-old, raised in the seedy world of `70s boarding houses and backstages, now packed off to school for the first time; the other, a garrulous ventriloquist's dummy who belonged to George's grandfather, a favorite traveling act of the British troops in World War II. The two Georges know nothing of each other--until events conspire to unite them in a search to uncover the family's deepest secrets.

Weaving the boy's tale and the puppet's "memoirs," BY GEORGE unveils the fascinating Fisher family--its weak men, its dominant women, its disgruntled boys, and its shocking and dramatic secrets. At once bitingly funny and exquisitely tender, Stace's novel is the unforgettable journey of two young boys separated by years but driven by the same desires: to find a voice, and to be loved.

"By George is one of those rare works of fiction with an essential triple helix -- it's funny, it's clever and it's perfectly woven together with story. If writing is how we imagine not being lonely, as Wesley Stace suggests, then his conjuring trick as a writer is that he brings a large crowd along with him. This is a wonderful follow-up to his debut novel, Misfortune." -- Colum McCann, author of Zoli and Dancer

About the Author

Educated at Cambridge, Wesley Stace (also known as John Wesley Harding) cut short his Ph.D. studies to pursue a music career. He has released 8 solo albums and toured as the opening act for The Mighty Lemon Drops, Michelle Shocked, and Bruce Springsteen. His novel, Misfortune, was published by Little, Brown in 2004. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.