Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298071
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
'From the rail I looked down at Sashie's upturned face and the brilliant, early tropical sunlight made me think of the lights upon the stage of a theatre long ago . . .' With these thoughts Janet Sandison says goodbye to the West Indian island that has been her home for many years, for her husband Twice has died, the great house where old Madame Dulac held court for so long is to be sold, changes are coming to the island, and Janet herself is setting out on a new and adventurous life. That she is doing so is due in no small measure to her friend Sashie, the ex-RAF pilot who walks on 'tin legs' and whose tender, sensitive friendship has drawn Janet from the dark limbo of desolation into which her husband's death had plunged her. The flamboyant Sashie is a brilliant and subtle character, as readers of Jane Duncan's previous 'Friends' books know; and in this story of Janet's move to a new life he is revealed with all the perception and clear-sightedness that make Jane Duncan so compelling a story-teller.
My Friend Sashie
Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298071
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
'From the rail I looked down at Sashie's upturned face and the brilliant, early tropical sunlight made me think of the lights upon the stage of a theatre long ago . . .' With these thoughts Janet Sandison says goodbye to the West Indian island that has been her home for many years, for her husband Twice has died, the great house where old Madame Dulac held court for so long is to be sold, changes are coming to the island, and Janet herself is setting out on a new and adventurous life. That she is doing so is due in no small measure to her friend Sashie, the ex-RAF pilot who walks on 'tin legs' and whose tender, sensitive friendship has drawn Janet from the dark limbo of desolation into which her husband's death had plunged her. The flamboyant Sashie is a brilliant and subtle character, as readers of Jane Duncan's previous 'Friends' books know; and in this story of Janet's move to a new life he is revealed with all the perception and clear-sightedness that make Jane Duncan so compelling a story-teller.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298071
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
'From the rail I looked down at Sashie's upturned face and the brilliant, early tropical sunlight made me think of the lights upon the stage of a theatre long ago . . .' With these thoughts Janet Sandison says goodbye to the West Indian island that has been her home for many years, for her husband Twice has died, the great house where old Madame Dulac held court for so long is to be sold, changes are coming to the island, and Janet herself is setting out on a new and adventurous life. That she is doing so is due in no small measure to her friend Sashie, the ex-RAF pilot who walks on 'tin legs' and whose tender, sensitive friendship has drawn Janet from the dark limbo of desolation into which her husband's death had plunged her. The flamboyant Sashie is a brilliant and subtle character, as readers of Jane Duncan's previous 'Friends' books know; and in this story of Janet's move to a new life he is revealed with all the perception and clear-sightedness that make Jane Duncan so compelling a story-teller.
My Friend the Swallow
Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298047
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
'She was very small with fragile birdlike bones, and although she had slept in the white shirt and shorts she still looked fresh and airy, as if she had just flown in from the open sky . . . ' When Janet Sandison returns to her Caribbean home from a holiday in Scotland she finds her husband Twice Alexander wonderfully restored to his old self, full of hope for the future and no longer haunted by the illness which had shadowed their lives for several years. Sir Ian has made him Manager of the Paradise sugar mills, with gawky young Mackie as his assistant; but Janet senses that almost the main contribution to his recovery is the arrival on the island of a girl who is keeping house for a team of young social workers, whom the island has nicknamed the 'Teeth and Feet people'. For Twice this is the daughter he has never had, but for Janet the relationship is more complicated. The girl has flown into Janet's house and Twice's heart but seems somehow always ready to take wing again, like the swallows of Janet's beloved childhood home, Reachfar. This is a wise story of ends and beginnings, for the lives of not only Janet and her husband but of all their friends in St Jago and in Scotland are moving on, changing and developing in a way which holds sadness and fortitude, gaiety and love, all woven together with that mixture of humour, hard sense and understanding which make Jane Duncan's novels such engrossing reading.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298047
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
'She was very small with fragile birdlike bones, and although she had slept in the white shirt and shorts she still looked fresh and airy, as if she had just flown in from the open sky . . . ' When Janet Sandison returns to her Caribbean home from a holiday in Scotland she finds her husband Twice Alexander wonderfully restored to his old self, full of hope for the future and no longer haunted by the illness which had shadowed their lives for several years. Sir Ian has made him Manager of the Paradise sugar mills, with gawky young Mackie as his assistant; but Janet senses that almost the main contribution to his recovery is the arrival on the island of a girl who is keeping house for a team of young social workers, whom the island has nicknamed the 'Teeth and Feet people'. For Twice this is the daughter he has never had, but for Janet the relationship is more complicated. The girl has flown into Janet's house and Twice's heart but seems somehow always ready to take wing again, like the swallows of Janet's beloved childhood home, Reachfar. This is a wise story of ends and beginnings, for the lives of not only Janet and her husband but of all their friends in St Jago and in Scotland are moving on, changing and developing in a way which holds sadness and fortitude, gaiety and love, all woven together with that mixture of humour, hard sense and understanding which make Jane Duncan's novels such engrossing reading.
My Friend Cousin Emmie
Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447297865
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
'Since I lost the baby, you and I have been so close together that we have been almost a single person' Janet Alexander returning by sea to the Caribbean with her husband 'Twice' finds their domestic harmony threatened by the emotional problems of the two young people aboard. Ashore at St Jago the shipboard characters find themselves at the centre of a fast-thickening plot, with Friends old and new joining in against the colourful background of Carnival and sugar-harvest, regattas and plantation life. And on land or sea is Cousin Emmie herself, dominating the scene in her shapeless dresses with her voracious appetite and her uncanny ability to get at the heart of a problem.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447297865
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
'Since I lost the baby, you and I have been so close together that we have been almost a single person' Janet Alexander returning by sea to the Caribbean with her husband 'Twice' finds their domestic harmony threatened by the emotional problems of the two young people aboard. Ashore at St Jago the shipboard characters find themselves at the centre of a fast-thickening plot, with Friends old and new joining in against the colourful background of Carnival and sugar-harvest, regattas and plantation life. And on land or sea is Cousin Emmie herself, dominating the scene in her shapeless dresses with her voracious appetite and her uncanny ability to get at the heart of a problem.
My Friends the Misses Kindness
Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298101
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 261
Book Description
After her husband's death and her own breakdown, from which she has been rescued by her good friend Sashie, Janet Sandison sets sail from her West Indian home to return to Scotland and make a new life for herself as an author. She is beset by doubts, but as the days pass aboard R.M.S. Mnemosyne the personalities and dramas of her fellow passengers claim her attention more and more, not least of all the puckish child Helga, and the three elephantine sisters, the Misses Kindness, whose mission in life is to make everyone as much like themselves as possible. Behind their backs they are soon nicknamed 'The Friendly Ones' for, like the Furies of Greek mythology, they must be placated as well as, if possible, avoided. There are other Furies aboard too, for each passenger has his or her private interior demon; but in the young Second Engineer Janet finds an unexpected and rewarding friend, and as the ship draws near to England the threads of all their lives dramatically come together for a while. The deep vein of truth that underlies all Jane Duncan's books is here at its most impressive and, together with her sharp observation of human nature and her story-telling skill, make this one of her most compelling novels.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298101
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 261
Book Description
After her husband's death and her own breakdown, from which she has been rescued by her good friend Sashie, Janet Sandison sets sail from her West Indian home to return to Scotland and make a new life for herself as an author. She is beset by doubts, but as the days pass aboard R.M.S. Mnemosyne the personalities and dramas of her fellow passengers claim her attention more and more, not least of all the puckish child Helga, and the three elephantine sisters, the Misses Kindness, whose mission in life is to make everyone as much like themselves as possible. Behind their backs they are soon nicknamed 'The Friendly Ones' for, like the Furies of Greek mythology, they must be placated as well as, if possible, avoided. There are other Furies aboard too, for each passenger has his or her private interior demon; but in the young Second Engineer Janet finds an unexpected and rewarding friend, and as the ship draws near to England the threads of all their lives dramatically come together for a while. The deep vein of truth that underlies all Jane Duncan's books is here at its most impressive and, together with her sharp observation of human nature and her story-telling skill, make this one of her most compelling novels.
My Friend Sandy
Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447297717
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 279
Book Description
Janet and 'Twice' Alexander break new ground in the island of St. Jago, British West Indies-a setting as far removed from the Highlands of Scotland as a calypso from a lament. But it takes more than a planter's punch compounded of island feuds, jealousies and intrigues to put out the exuberant Alexanders-as this further sparkling episode in the now-famous saga shows, through an unexpected drama provides a startling climax.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447297717
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 279
Book Description
Janet and 'Twice' Alexander break new ground in the island of St. Jago, British West Indies-a setting as far removed from the Highlands of Scotland as a calypso from a lament. But it takes more than a planter's punch compounded of island feuds, jealousies and intrigues to put out the exuberant Alexanders-as this further sparkling episode in the now-famous saga shows, through an unexpected drama provides a startling climax.
My Friends George and Tom
Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298136
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
Janet Sandison comes home to the small fishing village of Achcraggan in Scotland. Behind her are ten years of happiness with her husband Twice, whose death has brought to an end their life on the island of St Jago in the West Indies. Before her lies a new career as a novelist and a return to the countryside of her childhood-and above all to George and Tom who were her closest friends, mentors and allies, in those early days. But now, Reachfar, the family croft on the hill overlooking Poyntdale Bay, has been sold and George and Tom in their old age are living cheerfully if haphazardly in Jemima Cottage in the village. Janet, George and Tom quickly take up their lives together after nearly forty years apart; Janet buys and converts an old barn on the shore and the three of them set up house. Janet, who has not found it easy to face the loss of her beloved Twice nor to adjust to the strange new world of the professional writer, rediscovers with delight that the old Reachfar values still hold a firm grip on her family and neighbours, but the one thing she cannot face is the ruin of the Reachfar croft itself. Not even the urging of her young nephews and niece- the Hungry Generation-will persuade her to climb the hill. This psychological problem is only a small part of the dramas and happenings, some sad, some joyous, which fill the pages of this enchanting and wonderfully enjoyable book. Readers of any or all of Jane Duncan's 'Friends' novels will rejoice particularly in My Friends George and Tom, for the wise and funny characters of the title have played important supporting parts in many of the earlier books and finally have a book which is triumphantly their own.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298136
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
Janet Sandison comes home to the small fishing village of Achcraggan in Scotland. Behind her are ten years of happiness with her husband Twice, whose death has brought to an end their life on the island of St Jago in the West Indies. Before her lies a new career as a novelist and a return to the countryside of her childhood-and above all to George and Tom who were her closest friends, mentors and allies, in those early days. But now, Reachfar, the family croft on the hill overlooking Poyntdale Bay, has been sold and George and Tom in their old age are living cheerfully if haphazardly in Jemima Cottage in the village. Janet, George and Tom quickly take up their lives together after nearly forty years apart; Janet buys and converts an old barn on the shore and the three of them set up house. Janet, who has not found it easy to face the loss of her beloved Twice nor to adjust to the strange new world of the professional writer, rediscovers with delight that the old Reachfar values still hold a firm grip on her family and neighbours, but the one thing she cannot face is the ruin of the Reachfar croft itself. Not even the urging of her young nephews and niece- the Hungry Generation-will persuade her to climb the hill. This psychological problem is only a small part of the dramas and happenings, some sad, some joyous, which fill the pages of this enchanting and wonderfully enjoyable book. Readers of any or all of Jane Duncan's 'Friends' novels will rejoice particularly in My Friends George and Tom, for the wise and funny characters of the title have played important supporting parts in many of the earlier books and finally have a book which is triumphantly their own.
My Friends the Hungry Generation
Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298012
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 283
Book Description
It was a long journey from the West Indies to Scotland - but Janet's holiday turned out to be unforgettable . . . It was a wrench for Janet to leave her husband behind-but Twice's heart condition did not permit him to leave the West Indies. So she set off to Scotland without him, to spend a holiday with her family-her brother Jock, his wife and their three lively children, Liz, Duncan and George. Having to take their mother's place while she is in hospital, Janet finds the Hungry Generation almost too much for her . . . but stories of her childhood at Reachfar prove the first step towards a surprising alliance . . .
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447298012
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 283
Book Description
It was a long journey from the West Indies to Scotland - but Janet's holiday turned out to be unforgettable . . . It was a wrench for Janet to leave her husband behind-but Twice's heart condition did not permit him to leave the West Indies. So she set off to Scotland without him, to spend a holiday with her family-her brother Jock, his wife and their three lively children, Liz, Duncan and George. Having to take their mother's place while she is in hospital, Janet finds the Hungry Generation almost too much for her . . . but stories of her childhood at Reachfar prove the first step towards a surprising alliance . . .
Reappraising Jane Duncan
Author: Rita Elizabeth Rippetoe
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786498870
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 195
Book Description
Scottish novelist Jane Duncan's semiautobiographical My Friends series was dismissed by postwar critics as lightweight, at a time when a coterie of "angry young men" monopolized the attention of the British publishing establishment. Yet deeper themes are at play in the 19 novels. Modern readers will recognize feminist motifs, a wide-ranging examination of women's education and work in the 20th century, a woman's view of the rising societal tensions of the 1920s and 1930s, and an outsider's perspective on the racial divide in the soon-to-be-independent West Indies. This book explores Duncan's body of work, out of print for decades, though sought by loyal fans. Her characters run the gamut--drunken tinkers, Lowland housewives, Irish miners, members of the London fast set and English marchionesses, all portrayed with telling detail. Her novels--two of them recently reprinted for a new generation--reveal a charming and perceptive recorder of the changes Great Britain underwent in the past century.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786498870
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 195
Book Description
Scottish novelist Jane Duncan's semiautobiographical My Friends series was dismissed by postwar critics as lightweight, at a time when a coterie of "angry young men" monopolized the attention of the British publishing establishment. Yet deeper themes are at play in the 19 novels. Modern readers will recognize feminist motifs, a wide-ranging examination of women's education and work in the 20th century, a woman's view of the rising societal tensions of the 1920s and 1930s, and an outsider's perspective on the racial divide in the soon-to-be-independent West Indies. This book explores Duncan's body of work, out of print for decades, though sought by loyal fans. Her characters run the gamut--drunken tinkers, Lowland housewives, Irish miners, members of the London fast set and English marchionesses, all portrayed with telling detail. Her novels--two of them recently reprinted for a new generation--reveal a charming and perceptive recorder of the changes Great Britain underwent in the past century.
My Friends from Cairnton
Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 144729792X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
'I think you are forgetting one thing, Twice,' I said. 'You seem to forget that my home is where you are.' Janet is unhappy in St Jago. Although Twice Alexander is now convalescing from his serious illness, the strain of the past year has caused an emotional rift between them-and Reachfar, her beloved childhood home, is sold. Friends from Cairnton, past and present, unknowingly provide the help she needs. The rich, pathetic Lady Hallinzeil arrives with Mrs Drew, her malignant companion; and later come those beloved friends of Janet's schooldays, Violetta Cervi and Kathleen Malone-now a famous singer. When these memorable characters leave, Janet and Twice are able to face their new life together with hope and understanding.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 144729792X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
'I think you are forgetting one thing, Twice,' I said. 'You seem to forget that my home is where you are.' Janet is unhappy in St Jago. Although Twice Alexander is now convalescing from his serious illness, the strain of the past year has caused an emotional rift between them-and Reachfar, her beloved childhood home, is sold. Friends from Cairnton, past and present, unknowingly provide the help she needs. The rich, pathetic Lady Hallinzeil arrives with Mrs Drew, her malignant companion; and later come those beloved friends of Janet's schooldays, Violetta Cervi and Kathleen Malone-now a famous singer. When these memorable characters leave, Janet and Twice are able to face their new life together with hope and understanding.
My Friends the MacLeans
Author: Jane Duncan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447297989
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 261
Book Description
'Janet, what do you mean? What has been going on between you and that bloody boy?' When Janet Alexander learns that young Roddy Maclean intends to defy his parents and become a writer, not an engineer, she readily helps him run away from St Jago. Her impulsive action infuriates Rob and Marion Maclean, and harsh words end a long friendship. Interwoven with Janet's discovery of deeper currents under the placid surface of the Paradise estate, are unrest among the plantation workers, the convalescence of Twice Alexander, and the advent of Madame Dulac's grandson Edward, who falls more than a little in love with Janet. Not until Roddy unexpectedly returns to the island does Janet come to know the truth about her friends the Macleans . . .
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447297989
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 261
Book Description
'Janet, what do you mean? What has been going on between you and that bloody boy?' When Janet Alexander learns that young Roddy Maclean intends to defy his parents and become a writer, not an engineer, she readily helps him run away from St Jago. Her impulsive action infuriates Rob and Marion Maclean, and harsh words end a long friendship. Interwoven with Janet's discovery of deeper currents under the placid surface of the Paradise estate, are unrest among the plantation workers, the convalescence of Twice Alexander, and the advent of Madame Dulac's grandson Edward, who falls more than a little in love with Janet. Not until Roddy unexpectedly returns to the island does Janet come to know the truth about her friends the Macleans . . .