The Streets - Hardcover

Quinn, Anthony

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0224096915 ISBN 13: 9780224096911

Publisher: Jonathan Cape, 2012

Synopsis

In 1882, David Wildeblood, a 21-year-old from rural Norfolk, arrives in London to start work at the offices of a famous man. As an 'inspector' for Henry Marchmont's hugely successful weekly The Labouring Classes of London, his job is to investigate the notorious slum of Somers Town, near the new St Pancras Station, recording house by house the number of inhabitants, their occupations and standard of living. By mapping the streets in this way, Marchmont intends to show the world the stark realities of poverty in its greatest city.

Befriended by Jo, a young coster, and his sister Roma, David comes to learn the slang of the hawkers and traders, sharpers and scavengers, magsmen and mobsmen, who throng the teeming byways of Somers Town. It is the place of a Darwinian struggle for survival. And the deeper he penetrates the everyday squalor and destitution the more appalled he is by mounting evidence that someone is making a profit from people's suffering.

A dinner at the Kensington home of his godfather Sir Martin Elder introduces him to Kitty, Elder's only daughter, and to a cabal of prominent citizens who have been plotting a radical solution to the problem of London's poor. David belatedly realises that a conspiracy is afoot. Passionate but reckless in his urge to uncover it he finds his life in danger, sustained only by the faithfulness of a friend and, ultimately, the love of a woman.

In The Streets Anthony Quinn reconstructs an unforgettable picture of Victorian London, encompassing the extremes of privilege and privation, from the baronial mansions of the rich to the 'whited tombs' of the slums. With shocking poignancy and pin-sharp detail he brings to life a world of terrible degradation, yet one redeemed by dark comedy, profound fellow-feeling and the enduring possibility of love.

Shortlisted for the 2013 Walter Scott Prize.

About this title

Review:

"Ambitious, gripping and disturbingly well done." (Kate Saunders The Times)

"Quinn’s most mature novel yet... His picture of poverty’s shaming, dehumanizing effect is powerful, and the recurrent call for pity heartfelt. Ms Eliot and Mr Dickens would surely approve." (Holly Kyte Sunday Telegraph)

"Cements his reputation as an accomplished and challenging novelist... Though it takes place 130 years ago, the questions that The Streets poses about how, as a society and individuals, we tackle deprivation arguably remain just as pertinent." (Peter Stanford Independent)

"Quinn blends his history, his political concerns, his ideals, his plot and his characters elegantly, with a light hand and the pace of a thriller." (Louisa Young Daily Telegraph)

"Displays the unsentimental yet powerful flair for romance that characterized his previous novel, Half of the Human Race. Perhaps most exciting of all, there is a sense that he is still writing within himself." (Tom Cox Sunday Times)

Book Description:

Poverty, corruption, loyalty and love in the teeming slums of Dickensian London - another compelling, deeply moving novel by the author of the highly praised Half of the Human Race (Channel 4 TV Book Club). Shortlisted for the 2013 Walter Scott Prize.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jonathan Cape
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0224096915
• ISBN 13: 9780224096911
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272