Product Description

The Shell House is a beautifully written and sensitive portrayal of love, sexuality and spirituality over two generations. Greg's casual interest in the history of a ruined mansion becomes more personal as he slowly discovers the tragic events that overwhelmed its last inhabitants. Set against a background of the modern day and the First World War, Greg's contemporary beliefs become intertwined with those of Edmund, a foot soldier whose confusion about his sexuality and identity mirrors Greg's own feelings of insecurity. This is a complex and thought-provoking book, written with elegance and subtlety. It will change the way you think.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86421 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 259 pages

Michael Tucker, The Independent
This is a novel to read, think about, and then read again.

Jonathan Douglas, The Financial Times
Newbery writes wonderfully ...

Geraldine Brennan, The Times Educational Supplement
... unique exploration of spirituality and sexuality ... the final chapters of this extremely satisfying novel deliver a series of clever twists.

Customer Reviews

Amazing!!!!!!
This book is a really good read, and deals with some adult issues in a very clever and sensitive way. It deals with issues about identity, religion and sexuality.
Its main character is a teenage boy called Greg, who comes across a burnt out ruin of an old house. There he meets a girl, who is a devout christian, and with her trys to discover the story behind the house. At the same time he is dealing with the issues of his own sexuality.
The book is well written, but is a little slow to start and slightly confusing with the switches between time at first. However, once you get in to it, you will not be able to put it down. One thing, I think this should really be classified as an adult book, with its themes and some of it's scenes.
Please read this, it's not possible to read this and dislke it!!!!!!

Absolutely incredible
As with many books that I later find to be absolutely amazing, I debated over whether to buy Shell House for quite a while. In the end I bought it, only because one of my friends had recommended it, and I needed something to read on holiday. But as soon as I got into it, I couldn't believe I hadn't bought it sooner.

The book is written following two different characters - Greg and Edmund, during two different times - modern day and during the First World War. The central characters in both time zones face similar problems, but in different situations. The description of being involved in the war was very detailed and extremely realistic. It was really interesting to see how the two different characters battled with their problems in different circumstances.

You immediately feel empathy towards all the main characters, and after a very short amount of time you begin to feel so deeply for them that it's almost impossible to tear yourself away from the story and back to reality.

This novel deals with many normal teenage issues - problems with sexuality, religion and even death amongst others. However, even though Linda Newbery tackles some potentially very difficult and emotional topics, it holds itself together incredibly well, and somehow still uplifts you at the end, even after the emotional roller-coaster it takes you on first!

I'm 14 but would recommend this book for anyone above the age of about 13, since it has some explicit content and wouldn't be suitable for a younger reader. However, it's a great read for anyone and it really makes you think. I love it. A definite 10 out of 10, and I'll be recommending it to everyone I know!

The Shell House
Whilst being somewhat slow to start, the Shell House by Linda Newbery, also errs on the side of incorporating too much scene setting, before it eventually gets down to what is ultimately the tender and challenging story about a young man's awakening to his own personal sexuality.
One of the novels central characters, Greg, is a teenager who stumbles across the restoration of a stately home and is drawn to the intrigue of its history. This particular history he hopes to piece together with his newfound friend and companion, a devout young teenage Christian girl whose parents are part of the restoration society. What is slowly revealed to the reader thereby is the story of another young man a few decades back, who was himself battling to deal with coming out of the closet about his own personal sexual preferences.
The various conflicts between love and faith, sexuality and familial duty are all explored in Newbery's book, which has been hailed in some circles as groundbreaking because of its honest portrayal of a young boy's need to be true to that which he feels and thinks.
The juxtaposition of constant questioning about faith, the Christian faith in particular, will no doubt rile some of the more conservative readers, but this is all necessary to underpin the core truth held within this book. That core truth being that young people will and should question the life lessons and values they learn from different sources and individuals, and should be trusted to make the right choices if they have a supportive, nurturing and caring environment.