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Graham, Laurie The Unfortunates ISBN 13: 9781841153155

The Unfortunates - Softcover

 
9781841153155: The Unfortunates
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'An irrepressible adventurer, Poppy is a comic combination of innocence and pluck, but although this is a brisk, breezy read, it's also a novel with serious bite.' Daily Mail

The new novel from the bestselling author of THE FUTURE HOMEMAKERS OF AMERICA.

What hope is there for Poppy Minkel? She has kinky hair, out-sticking ears, too yellow a neck and an appetite for fun, and her mother Dora despairs of ever finding her a husband, despite the Minkel's Mustard fortune that seasons these dubious attractions. When Daddy disappears, Poppy's tendency to the unusual is quietly allowed to flourish. World War I opens new horizons. With never a moment of self-doubt, she invents her own extraordinary life in step with the unfolding century.

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Review:
Poppy Minkel is the daisy fresh, naively witty star of Laurie Graham's The Unfortunates. Poppy is a mustard heiress with crinkle-cut hair, sticky-out ears and a nutty Jewish family. When Pa goes down with the Titanic, Ma decides Poppy was destined to be the companion of her old age. Instead Thoroughly Modern Poppy, blessed with 'savoir faire and unusual beauty' sashays into 1920s New York in search of generation-defining moments.

In a series of flashbulb-bright adventures Ms. Minkel acquires two husbands, two children, and a variety of breathless accomplishments--designer, aviatrix, gallerista. Poppy Minkel is determined to live up to her mantra: 'I'm modern and fun-loving and rich.' It's not all ditzy fun though, Poppy may glide along the surface of things admirably, but Laurie Graham's deft prose gets to the heart of things. The loss, grief, ignorance, and emotional vulnerbality that surround the events of the Second World War play in devasating counterpoint to Poppy's self-centred aplomb. Her breezy resilence allows her to deal with a drunken, violent first husband, with his haikus and his "glancing blows" and pretty much ignore anything else of consequence. It's only towards the end of the novel when faced with family tragedy that her regret slips in and "placed the heaviest weight around my heart". The Unfortunates is deliciously Nancy Mitford,--glinting with irony, sadness and humour.

Review:

Praise for THE UNFORTUNATES:
'It is a marvel. Graham's style is riveting, hilarious one-liners falling in quick succession.' Anthea Lawson, The Times

'My unputdownable book of the year. I laughed and cried.' Shereen Nanjiani, Sunday Herald

'An irrepressible adventurer, Poppy is a comic combination of innocence and pluck, but although this is a brisk, breezy read, it's also a novel with serious bite.' Hephzibah Anderson, Daily Mail

'Laurie Graham is a writer with a remarkably malleable comic voice.' Alex Clark, The Guardian

'Fresh, funny and smart, a novel that reels from the Titanic to jazz age New York.’ Observer

‘This wildly funny novel...is often on the brink of being a wildly tragic one.’ The Sunday Times

‘A compelling read’ Hello!

‘Poppy Minkel is a wonderfully original, naive character, and Graham injects her with the same eccentric humour all her protagonists share, making it impossible not to love her. A fantastic, engrosssing read.’ Glamour

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  • PublisherFourth Estate
  • Publication date2003
  • ISBN 10 184115315X
  • ISBN 13 9781841153155
  • BindingPaperback
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages370
  • Rating

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9780007234066: The Unfortunates

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ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780007234066
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Graham, Laurie
Published by Harpercollins Pub Ltd (2003)
ISBN 10: 184115315X ISBN 13: 9781841153155
New Softcover Quantity: 1
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BennettBooksLtd
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