Product Description

`won our Best Fiction award with its masterly insight into the life of a migrant worker'.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Psychologies
'Tremain writes...prose that makes me want to give up writing as she's matchless. It's a beautiful and timeless work'

Sunday Telegraphy, Sally Cousins
`Rose Tremain touches a raw contemporary nerve in this well-judged tale'

Guardian, Catherine Taylor
`A novel at one rich and strange'

Customer Reviews

Heartwarming
I have not read any of Tremain's work before and found this book very moving. Living in London I could picture many of the places talked about, but even without this, Tremain creates a clear picture in your head with her words, even if it is not something you wish to imagine e.g. a person sleeping on the streets. I found myself at times not wanting to keep reading because the subject matter was so poignant, but had to, to get to a happier place in the novel before I fell asleep at night. This book was gripping in that respect. I have reccomended this book to other people who have also enjoyed it and I certainly reccomend it to others as it may change your mindset.

how did he ?
Hey guys , I read the book but from my own experience in learning a foreign language i found it a bit too strange for Lev to learn english
so quickly as he learned . I mean , at first he couldnt even speak but after a short time he was fluent in the language already ?

A gripping story but sometimes inauthentic
This is a gripping story with lots of great characters and motivations bubbling under the surface. I thought the beginning, when Lev first arrives in the UK, was cleverly balanced - I was constantly surprised by him, and wondering what characters to trust and what on earth was going to happen next, and the same could be said of the ending: it's exactly what you want to happen, but still comes as a surprise.

In criticism, I'm not sure the male narration always comes across as authentic - for the most part its done well, but there are a few sections when some facets of Lev's thinking just screamed female to me.

All in all an excellent read, highly recommended as good escapism.