The Servants' Quarters - Softcover

Freed, Lynn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0547336039 ISBN 13: 9780547336039

Publisher: Mariner Books, 2010

Synopsis

Haunted by phantoms of World War II and the Holocaust, young Cressida lives in terror of George Harding, who, severely disfigured, has returned from the front to recover on his family's African estate. When Harding plucks young Cressida's beautiful mother and family from financial ruin, establishing them in the old servants' quarters, Cressida is swept into a life inexorably bound to his.

About this title

Review:

"The Servant's Quarters is Lynn Freed's best novel yet. Cressida, a young girl who watches those around her patch up their wounds from the war and carry on with the weight of pretense, is as observant and as wickedly truthful as any Jane Austen character." --Amy Tan

"Freed is a beautiful writer, dead-on brilliant, rich in humor, possessing a dark and comforting wisdom." -- Anne Lamott

From the Back Cover:

"Freed blends Dickensian musings on class with a Bronte-like love story, set against the backdrop of South Africa after the Holocaust." --San Francisco Chronicle

Haunted by phantoms of World War II and the Holocaust, young Cressida lives in terror of George Harding, who, severely disfigured, has returned from the front to recover on his family s African estate. When Harding plucks young Cressida s beautiful mother and family from financial ruin, establishing them in the old servants quarters, Cressida is conscripted to enliven Harding s nephew, the hopelessly timid Edgar. She takes on this task with resentful fury, learning to manipulate the disparities of power, class, and ambition. All the while, Harding himself is watching her. And waiting.

"A story of civilization and savagery, brisk as a strong cup of tea." --O Magazine

"The Servant s Quarters is Lynn Freed s best novel yet. Cressida, a young girl who watches those around her patch up their wounds from the war and carry on with the weight of pretense, is as observant and as wickedly truthful as any Jane Austen character." Amy Tan

LYNN FREED was awarded the inaugural Katherine Anne Porter Award for fiction by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is the author of six novels, a short story collection, and a collection of essays. She lives in California."

About this edition

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0547336039
• ISBN 13: 9780547336039
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224