Items related to The Standing Pool
Two Cambridge academics, the historians Nick and Sarah Mallinson, take a sabbatical with their three small and lively girls in a remote Languedoc farmhouse. But the farmhouse has its own histories, rather more fraught than those the Mallinsons are used to dealing with on the page. Nick once wrote that 'History is more about amnesia than memory.' But what if that amnesia is a saving grace - disturbed at one's peril, like the murk of a standing pool?
As the illusion of Eden retreats, the couple feel the vulnerability of being among strangers, and being strangers themselves - even in their own place, and even to their own children. Sarah frets about the danger of the swimming pool andthe nightly visits of the wild boar, while Nick is more concerned by the guns of the local hunters. Meanwhile, however, there is Jean-Luc, the gardener, living alone with his invalid mother in the village, whose private world involves hammering nails into a doll, collecting arcane rubbish, and spying on Sarah's naked dips in the pool. What should the Mallinsons make of him?
Writing, as always, with linguistic élan, an alert ear for dialogue, and huge imaginative flair, Adam Thorpe deftly interweaves social comedy with narrative suspense, returning us - brilliantly and inexorably - to the dark and terrifying mysteries that feed at the heart of this thrilling novel.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
'As always with Thorpe, this is beautifully written and intellectually stimulating'
-- Mail on Sunday, Simon Humphreys
'Because this is Adam Thorpe... the writing will be gorgeous, silky-smooth... the plot will be entirely original, defying categorisation' -- Sunday Telegraph
'Thorpe is a sharp observer of relationships...a contemporary gothic thriller, keeping his readers always on the edge of their seats'
-- Sunday Times, John Spurling
'a very fine writer who imagines situations with an acute eye for detail and impressive thoroughness' -- Literary Review
'delightful snapshots...vivid and luminous'
-- Independent on Sunday
`What resonates for me is...the complex depth, and the texture and poetry of his storytelling language'
-- FT
`absorbing and wry'
-- The Observer
`an electric and darkly gleeful read' -- Daily Mail
Book Description:
-- Mail on Sunday, Simon Humphreys
'Because this is Adam Thorpe... the writing will be gorgeous, silky-smooth... the plot will be entirely original, defying categorisation' -- Sunday Telegraph
'Thorpe is a sharp observer of relationships...a contemporary gothic thriller, keeping his readers always on the edge of their seats'
-- Sunday Times, John Spurling
'a very fine writer who imagines situations with an acute eye for detail and impressive thoroughness' -- Literary Review
'delightful snapshots...vivid and luminous'
-- Independent on Sunday
`What resonates for me is...the complex depth, and the texture and poetry of his storytelling language'
-- FT
`absorbing and wry'
-- The Observer
`an electric and darkly gleeful read' -- Daily Mail
A thrilling novel - from the author of Ulverton and Between Each Breath - about an English family out of their depth in the wilds of rural France.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherJonathan Cape
- Publication date2008
- ISBN 10 0224079417
- ISBN 13 9780224079419
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages432
- Rating
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The Standing Pool
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.01. Seller Inventory # G0224079417I3N10
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Book Description Condition: Very Good. Shipped within 24 hours from our UK warehouse. Clean, undamaged book with no damage to pages and minimal wear to the cover. Spine still tight, in very good condition. Remember if you are not happy, you are covered by our 100% money back guarantee. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780224079419
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The Standing Pool
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Hardcover - first edition, first printing, in unclipped, mylar-protected jacket. A very good copy. TS. Used. Seller Inventory # 606365
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Hardcover in very good condition. Signed by author on title page. Jacket and hardcover spine feet are bumped. Pages are clean and text is clear throughout. Binding is sound. HCW. Signed by Author. Used. Seller Inventory # 439876
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Standing Pool, The *****SIGNED & DATED****
Published by
Jonathan Cape, London
(2008)
ISBN 10: 0224079417
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. First Edition. 1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINT. Book in as new, unread, FINE/FINE condition this despite small push top spine. SIGNED & DATED (19/6/08) . Synopsis: Two Cambridge academics, the historians Nick and Sarah Mallinson, take a sabbatical with their three small and lively girls in a remote Languedoc farmhouse. But the farmhouse has its own histories, rather more fraught than those the Mallinsons are used to dealing with on the page. Nick once wrote that 'History is more about amnesia than memory.' But what if that amnesia is a saving grace - disturbed at one's peril, like the murk of a standing pool? As the illusion of Eden retreats, the couple feel the vulnerability of being among strangers, and being strangers themselves - even in their own place, and even to their own children.Sarah frets about the danger of the swimming pool and the nightly visits of the wild boar, while Nick is more concerned by the guns of the local hunters. Meanwhile, however, there is Jean-Luc, the gardener, living alone with his invalid mother in the village, whose private world involves hammering nails into a doll, collecting arcane rubbish, and spying on Sarah's naked dips in the pool. What should the Mallinsons make of him? Writing, as always, with linguistic elan, an alert ear for dialogue, and huge imaginative flair, Adam Thorpe deftly interweaves social comedy with narrative suspense, returning us - brilliantly and inexorably - to the dark and terrifying mysteries that feed at the heart of this thrilling novel. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 002121
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The Standing Pool
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(2008)
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ISBN 13: 9780224079419
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Book Description Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. Seller Inventory # 0224079417-2-3
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The Standing Pool
Published by
Jonathan Cape
(2008)
ISBN 10: 0224079417
ISBN 13: 9780224079419
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Book Description Condition: Good. Good condition. This is the average used book, that has all pages or leaves present, but may include writing. Book may be ex-library with stamps and stickers. Seller Inventory # 353-0224079417-gdd
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