Think of England: A Novel - Softcover

Dark, Alice Elliott

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743234979 ISBN 13: 9780743234979

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2003

Synopsis

Two cataclysmic events occur on February 9, 1964. The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show and later that night, nine-year-old Jane MacLeod's life changes forever. It has been said that children are good observers but poor interpreters. Jane's interpretation of the events of that evening shapes her life in ways she doesn't recognize. Think of England follows Jane from an intense love affair in the ex-pat scene in punk-era London to working motherhood in New York to a family reunion in the country -- and a reckoning with the ghost that has stood between her and her dream of a happy family.

About this title

Review:

The New Yorker Everything in this book is a pleasure to read.

Los Angeles Times Alice Elliott Dark is the author of two acclaimed story collections, and her debut novel has the same finely observed, hushed ambience that makes her stories so seductive....The story of Jane MacLeod unfolds beautifully across Think of England's three panels, each one a perfect evocation of its time and place.

Orlando Sentinel Dark's prose is controlled yet resonant, and the novel...draws its substance from her compassionate insight into character, its grace from her observance of small yet defining moments....Now when we think of England, we'll think of this fine book.

Synopsis:

The writer who dazzled with her story collections IN THE GLOAMING and NAKED TO THE WAIST makes her triumphant debut as a novelist. It has been said that children are great observers but poor interpreters. Nine year old Jane MacLeod thinks she's responsible for the tensions between her parents, which conflicts with her strong desire to be part of a happy family. She wishes everyone would follow her grandmother's advice in times of crisis - think of England - a phrase that makes her feel safe. When the MacLeods gather for a long-awaited event, the Beatle's first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Jane sees in the band the same profound pining she feels in herself. But later that night a traged dashes her hope for the future and burdens her with guilt for decades to come. Years later, Jane travels to London where happiness surely awaits. Yet it isn't until she is in her forties with a child of her own that Jane interprets the past with wisdom and discovers the secret of family happiness. Joyce Carol Oates has said that each of Alice Elliott Dark's short stories 'exudes the gravitas of a radically distilled novel.'

With THINK OF ENGLAND, Dark rises to Oates's prescient praise, revealing herself to be a master of the longer form.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0743234979
• ISBN 13: 9780743234979
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272