Items related to Shell House, The
The Shell House is a beautifully-written and sensitive portrayal of love, sexuality and spirituality over two generations. Greg’s casual interest in the history of a ruined mansion becomes more personal as he slowly discovers the tragic events that overwhelmed its last inhabitants. Set against a background of the modern day and the first World War, Greg’s contemporary beliefs become intertwined with those of Edmund, a foot soldier whose confusion about his sexuality and identity mirrors Greg’s own feelings of insecurity. This is a complex and thought-provoking book, written with elegance and subtlety. It will change the way you think.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
... passionate and provoking ... -- Amazon.com
... poised, mature, adventurous, lucidly written, challenging and thoroughly compelling ... vintage Linda Newbery. -- Chris Stephenson, Carousel
... the final chapters of this extremely satisfying novel deliver a series of clever twists. -- Geraldine Brennan, The TImes Educational Supplement
... unique exploration of spirituality and sexuality ... the final chapters of this extremely satisfying novel deliver a series of clever twists. -- Geraldine Brennan, The Times Educational Supplement
... wonderfully assured. Highly recommended. -- Robert Dunbar, The School Librarian, Autumn 2002
Newbery writes wonderfully ... -- Jonathan Douglas, The Financial Times
Newbery writes wonderfully. -- Jonathan Douglas, Weekend Financial Times
This is a novel to read, think about and then read again. -- Nicholas Tucker, The Independent
This is a novel to read, think about, and then read again. -- Michael Tucker, The Independent
From the Author:
... poised, mature, adventurous, lucidly written, challenging and thoroughly compelling ... vintage Linda Newbery. -- Chris Stephenson, Carousel
... the final chapters of this extremely satisfying novel deliver a series of clever twists. -- Geraldine Brennan, The TImes Educational Supplement
... unique exploration of spirituality and sexuality ... the final chapters of this extremely satisfying novel deliver a series of clever twists. -- Geraldine Brennan, The Times Educational Supplement
... wonderfully assured. Highly recommended. -- Robert Dunbar, The School Librarian, Autumn 2002
Newbery writes wonderfully ... -- Jonathan Douglas, The Financial Times
Newbery writes wonderfully. -- Jonathan Douglas, Weekend Financial Times
This is a novel to read, think about and then read again. -- Nicholas Tucker, The Independent
This is a novel to read, think about, and then read again. -- Michael Tucker, The Independent
Several of my novels are set in real places - "The Shell House" more obviously than most. I first saw the ruined 18th-Century mansion on which the "Graveney Hall" of the novel is based when I was eight years old and my family moved to Epping. On our walks, we became familiar with the austere frontage of the mansion on the edge of Epping Forest. It is only the shell of its former splendid self, as it was gutted by fire in 1917. The lower floor of the house was boarded up, the gardens fenced off, and at that time pigs were kept in its outbuildings.
Years later my mother joined a group of volunteers aiming to preserve and partially restore the once-elaborate gardens. One of my mother's photographs - of a caryatid on one of the summerhouses - made me start thinking of a possible novel. Although I was interested in a fictional version of the events leading to the 1917 fire, involving Edmund Pearson, a young army officer, I wanted a present-day story to dominate, with main character 17-year-old Greg, who strays in to take photographs. The double plot gave me the opportunity of showing Graveney Hall both as an aristocratic family home during the First World War years, and in ruins in the contemporary setting. It soon took on a symbolic significance, as both house and shell.
I've revisited the real "Graveney Hall" several times recently, and it's with the rather odd sense that my fictional version is more real to me than the physical place.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherDavid Fickling
- Publication date2002
- ISBN 10 0552211621
- ISBN 13 9780552211628
- BindingPaperback
- Rating
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