Items related to The Laments
When Howard and Julia Lament secretly adopt Will, a baby switched at birth in a bizarre hospital debacle, it marks the beginning of a journey that takes them from Rhodesia to the Middle East, Britain to the New Jersey suburbs - for no matter where the Laments set up home, the grass always seems greener on the other side of the ocean. As the Laments discover that living somewhere doesn't necessarily mean belonging there, Will grows up struggling with his sense of identity in the shadows of his anarchic twin brothers, Julius and Marcus. Yet when disillusion and mishap threaten to tear his family apart, it is Will who fights to hold them together.
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Review:
A novel which is, like George Hagen’s The Laments, about a continent-hopping family might seem like yesterday’s news when an international upbringing now seems almost de rigueur amongst writers. Yet this is no self-aggrandising romp round the world. Howard Lament’s grand plans for a better life and career lead his family from colonial Rhodesia to a bigoted, hypocritical 1970s New Jersey, via Bahrain’s blinkered ex-pat community and a violent small town in England.
Review:
The novel spans the eighteen years from Will’s birth and the secret of his adoption by the Laments to his graduation from high school. The first years in Africa provide a solid foundation to the story. It is when Will is a little older, and the family have left the obviously unjust colony that Hagen’s skill at peppering the story with culture shocks and mischievous details really enlivens the Laments’ travels and Will’s friendships and loves.
Luckily the reader is kept chuckling, because Hagen takes us unflinchingly into the depression of Howard’s spectacularly failed career, his wife Julia’s loneliness and the reality of family poverty. Tragedy never turns to bitterness though, and the characters’ final, tempered hopefulness is a well-earned haven for this long-adrift family.--Stefan Tobler
"A funny, touching novel about the meaning of family."
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- PublisherISIS Large Print Books
- Publication date2005
- ISBN 10 075317507X
- ISBN 13 9780753175071
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages488
- Rating
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The Laments
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Isis Large Print Books
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ISBN 10: 075317507X
ISBN 13: 9780753175071
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The Laments
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. The Laments 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 # 7719-9780753175071
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Book Description Hardcover. 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 # 6545-9780753175071
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ISBN 13: 9780753175071
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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. Damaged book. Slightly damaged in some way typically, a grazed corner or torn cover. Ex-library book with stamps on the first page, it is also likely to have a small shelf number sticker on the spine. Seller Inventory # CHL9737112
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The Laments
Published by
ISIS Large Print Books
(2006)
ISBN 10: 075317507X
ISBN 13: 9780753175071
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