Items related to Anthem

Binding, Tim Anthem ISBN 13: 9780330487450

Anthem - Hardcover

 
9780330487450: Anthem
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
In 1952, in London's last great fog, a small boy, Henry Armstrong, is separated from his mother. Thirty years later, as a bandsman in the Royal Marines and bound for the Falklands, he still has not found her. Meanwhile, the life of Henry's childhood friend, shoe salesman Richard Roach, is in crisis. He is missing all of his targets; his feckless and impotent teenage son despises him; and his wife, Ellen, no longer bothers to mask her indifference when he returns each night to their home at the end of Anglefield Road. Richard wants to make things better somehow, but he has little idea where to begin. Richard's neighbour, Suzanne Plimsoll, on the other hand, just wants out: out of her marriage, out of the accusing stares of her stepdaughter, out most of all of Anglefield Road. For her, real life only exists onboard the ocean liner on which she works, her beloved Canberra. When the ship is requisitioned to transport troops to the Falklands and she volunteers to go along, she finally glimpses a means of escape.Freddie Millen's difficulties run, perhaps, less deep. Still, his obsession with lawns, has caused no small measure of strain to his marriage . . . ANTHEM is a heartrending and at times surprisingly amusing story of the horrors of war - at home and abroad - and, finally, of a long delayed reunion that takes place in the most surprising of circumstances.

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

Review:
Tim Binding is a novelist ever open to the dramatic possibilities of how grand historical events can cause ripples that devastate ordinary communities. With Anthem things are little more diffuse, partly because, although this is primarily about the Falklands War, Binding weaves a further four instances from history into his tale. Only the inclusion of the very last event feels like an audacious plot twist too far.

The book's epicentre is Anglefield Road, a seemingly unremarkable suburban street in the UK. When it's first described Binding employs tellingly a series of nautical metaphors. Anglefield is "a liner, vast and twinkling, carrying the sleep dreams of pyjamaed husbands and night-dressed wives, their unforgiving sons and daughters." And continuing in a similar vein, "beyond where the Armstrongs, the Plimsolls, the Millens and the Roaches dwell, washing up against the bow of their long and narrow gardens, lies the uncharted sea of the railway embankment." The fate of the good ship Anglefield and all who sail on her quickly proves to be inextricably bound to that of the Canberra, the requisitioned liner journeying to the Falklands.

Anglefield resident Suzy Plimsoll and her husband Matty are members of its crew. For their neighbour Richard Roach, a shoe salesman with a Machiavellian boss to outwit, the Canberra inspires a marketing stunt that he hopes will prop up his flagging reputation. By a quirk of chance, of which this novel has more than its fair share, Binding's love of kismet is positively Dickensian on occasions--also aboard the Canberra as a bandsman is Richard's childhood friend Henry. (A twin life shaped by circumstance was a feature of Binding's earlier novel A Perfect Execution and the son of Jeremiah, the protagonist, has a cameo role here.) Richard and Henry were both Dr Barnardo's ball boys in the 1961 Wimbledon semi-final but Henry has connections of his own to Anglefield Road. At the age of six on a day trip to London, he became separated from his mother in the great fog of 1952. His only possession was a copy of A House at Pooh Corner inscribed with the words "This book belongs to Henry Armstrong and I live in Anglefield Road." This volume, as you might suspect, plays no small part in the novel's gripping dénouement in those "most surprising of circumstances".

Anthem is a bold work, gracefully written, full of tragedy, humour and pathos; Binding has a marvellous eye for detail, especially when it comes to character. Not all of it entirely convinces--for a novel set largely in 1982, the year when unemployment topped three million, no-one appears that perturbed by the idea of losing, or abandoning their jobs--but in its scope and ambition it's a British novel that can make a serious claim to beat those Great American classics at their own game. --Travis Elborough

Review:
...makes a whole other view of England possible, turning tabloid rhetoric on its head, reading history from below decks... -- Independent on Sunday, October 2003

...writes movingly and with wry humour... -- Zembla, September 2003

Beyond the arc-lights of the central historical tableau a great many of our national obsessions are given vivid human shape. -- Waterstones Book Quarterly, September 2003

Binding's powerful authorial voice sweeps about Anglefield Road, the fog-bound Piccadilly Circus and the bleak Falklands like a juddering steadicam... -- Guardian, October 2003

Engrossing... a complicated but satisfying plot... this novel is rich, moving and real. -- Observer, September 2003

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

  • PublisherPicador
  • Publication date2003
  • ISBN 10 0330487450
  • ISBN 13 9780330487450
  • BindingHardcover
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages416
  • Rating
Buy Used
Condition: Very Good
Light rubbing wear to cover, spine... Learn more about this copy

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Add to Basket

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780330487467: Anthem

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780330487467
Publisher: Picador, 2006
Softcover

9780330427586: Anthem

Picador, 2003
Softcover

9780330427357: Anthem

Picador, 2004
Softcover

9781843954903: Anthem

Imprin..., 2004
Hardcover

9781447248194: Anthem

Picador, 2014
Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Tim Binding
Published by Picador (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Discover Books
(Toledo, OH, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: VERY GOOD. Light rubbing wear to cover, spine and page edges. Very minimal writing or notations in margins not affecting the text. Possible clean ex-library copy, with their stickers and or stamp(s). Seller Inventory # 0330487450_Very_Good

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 3.61
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Binding, Tim
Published by Pan Macmillan (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Better World Books
(Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 39905179-6

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 4.05
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Binding, Tim
Published by Picador (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover Quantity: 3
Seller:
WorldofBooks
(Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom)

Book Description Hardback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR007815936

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 0.79
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 4.80
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Tim Binding
Published by Picador 19/09/2003 (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover Quantity: 3
Seller:
AwesomeBooks
(Wallingford, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. . Seller Inventory # 7719-9780330487450

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 3.20
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 4.49
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Binding, Tim
Published by Picador (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
WeBuyBooks
(Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: VeryGood. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. Seller Inventory # wbb0022485461

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 0.79
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 8
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Binding, Tim
Published by Picador (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Reuseabook
(Gloucester, GLOS, United Kingdom)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Ripped/damaged jacket. The dust jacket of this book is slightly damaged/ripped, however, this does not affect the internal condition. Seller Inventory # CHL5090061

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 2.12
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 7.37
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Binding, Tim
Published by Picador (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover Quantity: 3
Seller:
Reuseabook
(Gloucester, GLOS, United Kingdom)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Seller Inventory # CHL1258212

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 2.12
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 7.37
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Tim Binding
Published by Picador 19/09/2003 (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover Quantity: 3
Seller:
Bahamut Media
(Reading, United Kingdom)

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 # 6545-9780330487450

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 3.20
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 6.98
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Binding, Tim
Published by Picador (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover First Edition Quantity: 1
Seller:
OUT-OF-THE-WAY BOOKS
(North Adams, MI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: Like New. First Edition. Like new hard cover edition with like new dust jacket. 1st Edition. 1st Printing. Clean. Tight binding. No markings. 406 pages. Seller Inventory # SKU0010584

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 8.09
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 2.55
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Binding, Tim
Published by Pan Macmillan (2003)
ISBN 10: 0330487450 ISBN 13: 9780330487450
Used Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Better World Books Ltd
(Dunfermline, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP13818586

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 3.71
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 8
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book