A Week in December - Softcover

Faulks, Sebastian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099551691 ISBN 13: 9780099551690

Publisher: Vintage, 2010

Synopsis

POWERFUL CONTEMPORARY NOVEL SET IN LONDON FROM A MASTER OF LITERARY FICTION LONDON, THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS, 2007. OVER SEVEN DAYS WE FOLLOW THE LIVES OF SEVEN MAJOR CHARACTERS: A HEDGE FUND MANAGER TRYING TO BRING OFF THE BIGGEST TRADE OF HIS CAREER; A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER RECENTLY ARRIVED FROM POLAND; A YOUNG LAWYER WITH LITTLE WORK AND TOO MUCH TIME TO SPECULATE; A STUDENT WHO HAS BEEN LED ASTRAY BY ISLAMIST THEORY; A HACK BOOK-REVIEWER; A SCHOOLBOY HOOKED ON SKUNK AND REALITY TV; AND A TUBE TRAIN DRIVER WHOSE CIRCLE LINE TRAIN JOINS THESE AND COUNTLESS OTHER LIVES TOGETHER IN A DAILY LOOP.NNWITH DARING SKILL, THE NOVEL PIECES TOGETHER THE COMPLEX PATTERNS AND CROSSINGS OF MODERN URBAN LIFE. GREED, THE DEHUMANISING EFFECTS OF THE ELECTRONIC AGE AND THE FRAGMENTATION OF SOCIETY ARE SOME OF THE THEMES DEALT WITH IN THIS SAVAGELY HUMOROUS BOOK. THE WRITING ON THE WALL APPEARS IN LETTERS TEN FEET HIGH, BUT THE CHARACTERS REFUSE TO SEE IT AND PARTY ON AS THOUGH TOMORROW IS A DREAM.NNSEBASTIAN FAULKS PROBES NOT ONLY THE SELF-DECEPTIONS OF THIS INTENSELY REALISED GROUP OF PEOPLE, BUT THEIR HOPES AND LOVES AS WELL. AS THE NOVEL MOVES TO ITS GRIPPING CLIMAX, THEY ARE FORCED, ONE BY ONE, TO CONFRONT THE TRUE NATURE OF THE WORLD THEY INHABIT.

About this title

Product Description

London, the week before Christmas, 2007. Over seven days we follow the lives of seven major characters: a hedge fund manager trying to bring off the biggest trade of his career; a professional footballer recently arrived from Poland; a young lawyer with little work and too much time to speculate; a student who has been led astray by Islamist theory; a hack book-reviewer; a schoolboy hooked on skunk and reality TV; and a Tube train driver whose Circle Line train joins these and countless other lives together in a daily loop. With daring skill, the novel pieces together the complex patterns and crossings of modern urban life. Greed, the dehumanising effects of the electronic age and the fragmentation of society are some of the themes dealt with in this savagely humorous book. The writing on the wall appears in letters ten feet high, but the characters refuse to see it and party on as though tomorrow is a dream. Sebastian Faulks probes not only the self-deceptions of this intensely realised group of people, but their hopes and loves as well. As the novel moves to its gripping climax, they are forced, one by one, to confront the true nature of the world they inhabit.

Review

"A remarkable creation. . . . Truly moving. . . . richly human novel [and a] grand portrait of a city." --"The Washington Post "
"Ambitious, entertaining, and often scathingly angry." --"The New York Times Book Review "
""A Week in December "is a formally ambitious, intelligently entertaining, rather provocative novel of contemporary manners." --"Los Angeles Times "
"Reflects the tumultuous present with both humor and a scathing sensibility. . . . This, at its heart, is fiction about folks, and it's darned compelling." --"The Denver Post "
"Vigorous, authentic and often hilarious. . . . Clever and convincing." --"Chicago Tribune "
"The ultimate urban novel. . . . A blistering social document." --"Seattle Times "
" "
"Delightful and witty. . . . A state-of-the-nation book, a satirical comedy of metropolitan literary life, a sweeping, Dickensian look at contemporary London, a serious examination of Islam and the reasons for radicalism among young Muslims, a thriller, a satire . . . and a detailed look at the sharp financial practices that led to the collapse." --"The Guardian "(London)
"Precisely what we need to help us navigate these complex times. Chatrooms, blogs, reality TV: this is the landscape contemporary fiction must inhabit to stay relevant. Faulks' does so with mastery." --"GQ "
"[Faulks] handles his topics with witty verve." --"The New Yorker "
" "
"Guessing the real-life characters who might have inspired those in the novel adds an extra scoop of fun to this bewitching, well-observed snapshot of London life." --"Elle "
" "
"If you're a fan of Charles Dickens, "A Week in December" reads like a vastly entertaining new version of "Our Mutual Friend, " with a side order of "Bleak House." --"NPR, "What We're Reading"
"Eminently readable [and] cleverly plotted." --"The Times "(London)
"Faulks . . . writes in a style that is always sophisticated and sometimes satirical, but he never fails to draw in readers looking for a good story. . . . Deeply creative." --"BookPage "
"A riposte to those who say the novel doesn't deal with big issues any more." --"The Telegraph "(London)
"Well-plotted and gripping throughout." --"The Spectator "

A remarkable creation. . . . Truly moving. . . . richly human novel [and a] grand portrait of a city. "The Washington Post "
Ambitious, entertaining, and often scathingly angry. "The New York Times Book Review "
"A Week in December "is a formally ambitious, intelligently entertaining, rather provocative novel of contemporary manners. "Los Angeles Times "
Reflects the tumultuous present with both humor and a scathing sensibility. . . . This, at its heart, is fiction about folks, and it s darned compelling. "The Denver Post "
Vigorous, authentic and often hilarious. . . . Clever and convincing. "Chicago Tribune "
The ultimate urban novel. . . . A blistering social document. "Seattle Times "
""
Delightful and witty. . . . A state-of-the-nation book, a satirical comedy of metropolitan literary life, a sweeping, Dickensian look at contemporary London, a serious examination of Islam and the reasons for radicalism among young Muslims, a thriller, a satire . . . and a detailed look at the sharp financial practices that led to the collapse. "The Guardian "(London)
Precisely what we need to help us navigate these complex times. Chatrooms, blogs, reality TV: this is the landscape contemporary fiction must inhabit to stay relevant. Faulks does so with mastery. "GQ "
[Faulks] handles his topics with witty verve. "The New Yorker "
""
Guessing the real-life characters who might have inspired those in the novel adds an extra scoop of fun to this bewitching, well-observed snapshot of London life. "Elle "
""
If you re a fan of Charles Dickens, "A Week in December" reads like a vastly entertaining new version of "Our Mutual Friend, " with a side order of "Bleak House. "NPR, What We re Reading
Eminently readable [and] cleverly plotted. "The Times "(London)
Faulks . . . writes in a style that is always sophisticated and sometimes satirical, but he never fails to draw in readers looking for a good story. . . . Deeply creative. "BookPage "
A riposte to those who say the novel doesn t deal with big issues any more. "The Telegraph "(London)
Well-plotted and gripping throughout. "The Spectator""

A remarkable creation. . . . Truly moving. . . . richly human novel [and a] grand portrait of a city. The Washington Post
Ambitious, entertaining, and often scathingly angry. The New York Times Book Review
A Week in December is a formally ambitious, intelligently entertaining, rather provocative novel of contemporary manners. Los Angeles Times
Reflects the tumultuous present with both humor and a scathing sensibility. . . . This, at its heart, is fiction about folks, and it s darned compelling. The Denver Post
Vigorous, authentic and often hilarious. . . . Clever and convincing. Chicago Tribune
The ultimate urban novel. . . . A blistering social document. Seattle Times

Delightful and witty. . . . A state-of-the-nation book, a satirical comedy of metropolitan literary life, a sweeping, Dickensian look at contemporary London, a serious examination of Islam and the reasons for radicalism among young Muslims, a thriller, a satire . . . and a detailed look at the sharp financial practices that led to the collapse. The Guardian (London)
Precisely what we need to help us navigate these complex times. Chatrooms, blogs, reality TV: this is the landscape contemporary fiction must inhabit to stay relevant. Faulks does so with mastery. GQ
[Faulks] handles his topics with witty verve. The New Yorker

Guessing the real-life characters who might have inspired those in the novel adds an extra scoop of fun to this bewitching, well-observed snapshot of London life. Elle

If you re a fan of Charles Dickens, A Week in December reads like a vastly entertaining new version of Our Mutual Friend, with a side order of Bleak House. NPR, What We re Reading
Eminently readable [and] cleverly plotted. The Times (London)
Faulks . . . writes in a style that is always sophisticated and sometimes satirical, but he never fails to draw in readers looking for a good story. . . . Deeply creative. BookPage
A riposte to those who say the novel doesn t deal with big issues any more. The Telegraph (London)
Well-plotted and gripping throughout. The Spectator

"

"A remarkable creation. . . . Truly moving. . . . richly human novel [and a] grand portrait of a city." --The Washington Post

"Ambitious, entertaining, and often scathingly angry." --The New York Times Book Review

"A Week in December is a formally ambitious, intelligently entertaining, rather provocative novel of contemporary manners." --Los Angeles Times

"Reflects the tumultuous present with both humor and a scathing sensibility. . . . This, at its heart, is fiction about folks, and it's darned compelling." --The Denver Post

"Vigorous, authentic and often hilarious. . . . Clever and convincing." --Chicago Tribune

"The ultimate urban novel. . . . A blistering social document." --Seattle Times

"Delightful and witty. . . . A state-of-the-nation book, a satirical comedy of metropolitan literary life, a sweeping, Dickensian look at contemporary London, a serious examination of Islam and the reasons for radicalism among young Muslims, a thriller, a satire . . . and a detailed look at the sharp financial practices that led to the collapse." --The Guardian (London)

"Precisely what we need to help us navigate these complex times. Chatrooms, blogs, reality TV: this is the landscape contemporary fiction must inhabit to stay relevant. Faulks' does so with mastery." --GQ

"[Faulks] handles his topics with witty verve." --The New Yorker

"Guessing the real-life characters who might have inspired those in the novel adds an extra scoop of fun to this bewitching, well-observed snapshot of London life." --Elle

"If you're a fan of Charles Dickens, A Week in December reads like a vastly entertaining new version of Our Mutual Friend, with a side order of Bleak House." --NPR, "What We're Reading"

"Eminently readable [and] cleverly plotted." --The Times (London)

"Faulks . . . writes in a style that is always sophisticated and sometimes satirical, but he never fails to draw in readers looking for a good story. . . . Deeply creative." --BookPage

"A riposte to those who say the novel doesn't deal with big issues any more." --The Telegraph (London)

"Well-plotted and gripping throughout." --The Spectator

Edition details

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0099551691
• ISBN 13: 9780099551690
• Binding: Paperback