Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #666829 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

BBC Radio WM
'Beautifully written' Janice Long

The Birmingham Post
'a contemporary romp through the second city'

What's On Magazine
'strong on character and dialogue, and peppered with familiar
sites and sounds'

Customer Reviews

A realistic amusing and thought provoking debut
Bernardi seems to have a way of capturing the concerns and pre-occupations of contemporary urban life. Both the characters and the dialogue are consistently realistic. It's good to read a novel set in the regions and the descriptions of Birmingham and its current dramatic urban renewal provide an interesting backdrop and dimension to the action. This is a deceptively well plotted story which keeps you hooked until the end and is extremely thought provoking. Not all the characters come of it well but there is certainly a message there about the resilience of the human spirit.

Under the Rotunda
What have Alun Bleasdale (Boys from the Blackstuff), Mike Bullen (Cold Feet) and Danny Bernardi (Under the Rotunda) have in common?

They are all truly gifted writers. With consummate ease, they start their stories with thumbnail sketches of characters who, in no time at all, jump down off the drawing board and into our lives. A masterly flick of the keyboard leaves us laughing one minute and crying the next. Each of these writers respects their readers' intelligence. The two-way dialogue that ensues, creates an act of mutual respect.

Do you remember Yosser Hughes: "Gis us a job" or the carefree Adam whose new found happiness came to a stomach churning end in Cold Feet? Oh! How we felt their pain and anguish! These characters became part of the social fabric of our lives. Their pain became our pain. Their joy became our joy.

In years to come you will be talking about Tony the slip-slider chartered accountant whose grandiose ideas of "doing the world" when made redundant, ground to a cowardly halt in his home town of Grantham. His indecisive, greediness over choosing between Andrea and Stella but in the end, the decision was made for him. Or the innocent Lisa whose young life was cut horrifically short on the back of a bout of jealousy. Or the crippled Larry who flourishes when a guilt-ridden Bobby unwittingly releases Larry's hidden talents.

Danny Bernardi? Oh! Didn't I tell you? He's the author of Under the Rotunda. No, I know it isn't a television series, like Cold Feet and Boys from the Blackstuff - but it will be! Danny's skill at creating worthy characters and his adeptness at changing pace and scenes has all the hallmarks of a first-class director. Once started, it's a book that you won't be able to put down. If you buy just one book this Christmas or wonder which book to pack in your suitcase for that holiday - make it Under the Rotunda - you won't
be disappointed.

The Editor
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