Author: Mark Haddon Publisher: Anchor Canada ISBN: 0307371565 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 182
Book Description
A bestselling modern classic—both poignant and funny—narrated by a fifteen year old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions. Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. At fifteen, Christopher’s carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbour’s dog Wellington impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer, and turns to his favourite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. As Christopher tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, the narrative draws readers into the workings of Christopher’s mind. And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon’s choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotions. The effect is dazzling, making for one of the freshest debut in years: a comedy, a tearjerker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.
Author: Mark Haddon Publisher: Anchor Canada ISBN: 0307373703 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 370
Book Description
George Hall is an unobtrusive man. A little distant, perhaps, a little cautious, not quite at ease with the emotional demands of fatherhood or of manly bonhomie. “The secret of contentment, George felt, lay in ignoring many things completely.” Some things in life can’t be ignored, however: his tempestuous daughter Katie’s deeply inappropriate boyfriend Ray, for instance, or the sudden appearance of a red circular rash on his hip. At 57, George is settling down to a comfortable retirement, building a shed in his garden and enjoying the freedom to be alone when he wants. But then he runs into a spot of bother. That red circular rash on his hip: George convinces himself it’s skin cancer. And the deeply inappropriate Ray? Katie announces he will become her second husband. The planning for these frowned-upon nuptials proves a great inconvenience to George’s wife, Jean, who is carrying on a late-life affair with her husband’s ex-colleague. The Halls do not approve of Ray, for vague reasons summed up by their son Jamie’s observation that Ray has “strangler’s hands.” Jamie himself has his own problems — his tidy and pleasant life comes apart when he fails to invite his lover, Tony, to Katie’s wedding. And Katie, a woman whose ferocious temper once led to the maiming of a carjacker, can’t decide if she loves Ray, or loves the wonderful way he has with her son Jacob. Unnoticed in the uproar, George quietly begins to go mad. The way these damaged people fall apart — and come together — as a family is the true subject of Haddon’s hilarious and disturbing portrait of a dignified man trying to go insane politely. A Spot of Bother is Mark Haddon’s unforgettable follow-up to the internationally beloved bestseller The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Once again, Haddon proves a master of a story at once hilarious, poignant, dark, and profoundly human. Here the madness — literally — of family life proves rich comic fodder for Haddon’s crackling prose and bittersweet insights into misdirected love.
Author: Mark Haddon Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 0385544324 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 270
Book Description
In a bravura feat of storytelling, Mark Haddon calls upon narratives ancient and modern to tell the story of Angelica, a young woman trapped in an abusive relationship with her father. When a young man named Darius discovers their secret, he is forced to escape on a boat bound for the Mediterranean. To his surprise he finds himself travelling backwards over two thousand years to a world of pirates and shipwrecks, of plagues and miracles and angry gods. Moving seamlessly between the past and the present, Haddon conjures the worlds of Angelica and her would-be savior in thrilling fashion. As profound as it is entertaining, The Porpoise is a stirring and endlessly inventive novel from one of our finest storytellers.
Author: Hugo Hamilton Publisher: Knopf ISBN: 0593320662 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 273
Book Description
An entirely original novel in which a book—Joseph Roth's masterpiece Rebellion—narrates its own astonishing life story, from 1930s Germany to the present day, at the heart of a gripping mystery. “A powerful, powerful piece of work.” —Colum McCann, best-selling author of Apeirogon One old copy of the novel Rebellion sits in Lena Knecht’s tote bag, about to accompany her on a journey from New York to Berlin in search of a clue to the hand-drawn map on its last page. It is the brilliantly captivating voice of this novel—a first edition nearly burned by Nazis in May 1933—that is our narrator. Fast-paced and tightly plotted, The Pages brings together a multitude of dazzling characters, real and invented, in a sweeping story of survival, chance, and the joys and struggles of love. At its center are Roth, an Austrian Jewish author on the run, and his wife, Friederike, who falls victim to mental illness as Europe descends into war. With vivid evocations of Germany under Nazism and today, The Pages dramatically illuminates the connections between past and present as it looks at censorship, oppression, and violence. Here is a propulsive, inspiring tale of literature over a hundred years: a novel for book lovers everywhere that will bring a fresh audience to this acclaimed writer.
Author: Bright Summaries Publisher: BrightSummaries.com ISBN: 2808016077 Category : Literary Criticism Languages : en Pages : 20
Book Description
Unlock the more straightforward side of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time with this concise and insightful summary and analysis! This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, which follows 15-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone as he investigates the murder of his neighbour’s poodle Wellington, who has been gruesomely killed with a pitchfork. Christopher is a talented mathematician and possesses a rigorously logical mind, but he struggles to interpret social cues, which gives him a unique perspective on the emerging mystery. The discoveries he makes along the way will have lasting effects not only on Christopher, but also on those around him. Mark Haddon is a contemporary English writer, playwright, screenwriter, poet and cartoonist who has produced award-winning works for both adults and children. Find out everything you need to know about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in a fraction of the time! This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you: • A complete plot summary • Character studies • Key themes and symbols • Questions for further reflection Why choose BrightSummaries.com? Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time. See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!
Author: Lemony Snicket Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 9780060566197 Category : Juvenile Fiction Languages : en Pages : 221
Book Description
WARNING: LISTENING TO THIS TAPE WILL ONLY MAKE YOU WEEP... Dear Listener, If you are looking for a story about cheerful youngsters spending a jolly time at boarding school, look elsewhere. Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent and resourceful children, and you might expect that they would do very well at school. Don't. For the Baudelaires, school turns out to be another miserable episode in their unlucky lives. Truth be told, within the chapters that make up this dreadful story, the children will face snapping crabs, strict punishments, dripping fungus, comprehensive exams, violin recitals. S.O.R.E., and the metric system. It is my solemn duty to stay up all night reading my history of these three hapless youngsters into a microphone, but you may be more comfortable getting a good night's sleep. In that case, you should probably listen to something else. With all due respect, LEMONY SNICKET
Author: Nicole Avery Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 0730375668 Category : Family & Relationships Languages : en Pages : 274
Book Description
The ultimate guide for parents who dream of having a little less chaos and a lot more time for the good things in life Written by mother of five, Nicole Avery, this book shows harried parents how, with just a bit of planning, family life can become easier to manage, less stressful, and decidedly more fun. "Dream on," you say? "I might as well try to herd cats as to get my kids to follow a lot of arbitrary rules!" And Nicole would agree, which is why Planning with Kids isn't like any other parenting guide out there. It was inspired by Nicole's blog of the same name, which, over the past three years, has garnered a huge audience of likeminded parents who have achieved nothing short of miraculous results following her advice. While other prescriptive guides offer mums and dads cook-cutter solutions to the challenges of raising kids, this handbook focuses on one simple, straightforward idea: by implementing a few simple strategies for how you do things, you'll make more time for you to be you and your kids to be kids. You'll find strategies for streamlining and enhancing everything from the routines of daily life, to family relationships, to budgeting and finances, playtime and much more! Contains a full section on menus and cooking, including recipes, supported online by a planning-with-family meal planner Divided into sections so that readers can dip-in and dip-out for information as they need it as their family expands and grows up!
Author: Jane Elson Publisher: Hodder Children's Books ISBN: 1444916785 Category : Juvenile Fiction Languages : en Pages : 221
Book Description
'If Finn Maison shouts jump you jump or you are dead.' Twelve-year-old Willem has two main aims in life: to fly and to make at least two friends of his own age. But all the other boys from the Beckham Estate do is make him jump off things. First his desk - and now the wall. As his toes teeter on the edge, Sasha Bradley gives him a tiny little wink. Might she become his friend? Bullied by Finn and his gang the Beckham Estate Boyz, Willem has no choice but to jump. As he flies through the air he flaps his arms, wishing he could fly and escape into the clouds. Instead he comes crashing down and breaks his ankle. Sasha, angry with herself for not stopping Finn and his Boyz, is determined to put things right. And soon, while the gangs riot on their estate, Willem and Sasha form an unlikely friendship. Because they share a secret. Sasha longs to fly too. And when Magic Man Archie arrives with stories of war-flying spitfires, he will change the lives of the kids on the Beckham Estate for ever. And perhaps find a way for Willem and Sasha to fly ... Touching on themes such as friendship and bullying, this is a charming tale about overcoming obstacles and finding friendship in unlikely places. 'heart-rending, heartbreaking and heartening' The Best New Children's Books Guardian Supplement
Author: Ron Koertge Publisher: Candlewick Press ISBN: 0763654442 Category : Young Adult Fiction Languages : en Pages : 187
Book Description
A funny, in-your-face novel starring an unlikely teenage pair - a sheltered cinemaphile with cerebral palsy and the tattooed, straight-talking stoner who steals his heart. For sixteen-year-old Ben Bancroft - a kid with cerebral palsy, no parents, and an overprotective grandmother - the closest thing to happiness is hunkering alone in the back of the Rialto Theatre watching Bride of Frankenstein for the umpteenth time. Of course he waits for the lights to dim before making an entrance, so that his own lurching down the aisle doesn’t look like an ad for Monster Week. The last person he wants to run into is drugged-up Colleen Minou, resplendent in ripped tights, neon miniskirt, and an impressive array of tattoos. But when Colleen climbs into the seat beside him and rests a woozy head on his shoulder, Ben has that unmistakable feeling that his life is about to change. With unsparing humor and a keen flair for dialogue, Ron Koertge captures the rare repartee between two lonely teenagers on opposite sides of the social divide. It’s the tale of a self-deprecating protagonist who learns that kindred spirits can be found for the looking - and that the incentive to follow your passion can be set into motion by something as simple as a human touch.
Author: Mark Haddon Publisher: Dial ISBN: 9780803705067 Category : Candy Languages : en Pages : 28
Book Description
Follows the adventures of Gilbert's amazing gobstopper as it travels from his mouth to the bottom of the sea to the wilds of outer space.
Author: Mark Haddon
Author: Mark Haddon
Author: Mark Haddon
Author: Hugo Hamilton
Author: Bright Summaries
Author: Lemony Snicket
Author: Nicole Avery
Author: Jane Elson
Author: Ron Koertge
Author: Mark Haddon