In this successor to his man booker prize finalist, gerard woodward slyly pits defiant aldous jones. Gerard woodward is the author of the booker prize finalist ill go to bed at noon and a curious earth. He has also been shortlisted for the whitbread award and twice for the t. We have met his family before, in ill go to bed at noon 2004, a man booker finalist, where the focus was on his wife, colette, and son, janus, a raging alcoholic. Its a beautifully written, wryly observed and compassionate meditation on ageing and loneliness. Its a sadly comic novel about a widowers attempts to connect with other people mostly women in the last few years of his life. A curious earth by gerard woodward 2008, paperback for. She grows, she shrinks, a playingcard queen wants to chop off her head. Gerard woodward aldous jones is an old man whose wife has died and whose children have left home, but he still sets out to lead a full life.
In gerard woodward s remarkable trilogy august, ill go to bed at noon and a curious earth alcoholism and some maternal glue sniffing is not the unacknowledged elephant in the jones familys living room, its the unacknowledged elephant rampaging throughout their house and generations, not to mention the homes of near relations, and. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Like two decrepit lears on a drunken spree, aldous jones, a. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. The paper lovers by gerard woodward opens with a man who suddenly develops a crush on one of his wife. Gerard woodward born 1961 is a british novelist, poet and short story writer, best known for. Hes also come up with a new angle on the ww2 home front novel and on the aftermath of war. August shortlisted for the 2001 whitbread first novel award, ill go to bed at noon shortlisted for the 2004 man booker prize and a curious earth. Rather like the early palaeontologists who first discerned the true age of the earth.
Gerard woodward is a novelist, poet and short story writer, best known for his trilogy of novels concerning the troubled. Shes figured that the likelihood of her walking home from school with the boy she likes, john kemble, is 0. In gerard woodwards funny and sharply observed novel a curious earth, the old fools get their chance. The title of gerard woodward s a curious earth comes from an emily dickinson poem, but woodward s. Three things about elsie by joanna cannon oscar and lucinda by peter carey the lathe of heaven by ursula le guin a curious earth by gerard woodward. Now, in the thatcherite 1980s, colette and janus are dead, and two other sons live. Very much in the style of british authors elizabeth taylor mrs palfrey at the claremont. Lonely old english widower makes various attempts to get a life. A curious earth is apparently the final book in a trilogy, but i didnt know that until after id finished reading it. As a trilogy ends, explanations are left up to the reader. Gifted by nikita lalwani overdrive rakuten overdrive. He was born in london in 1961, and published several prizewinning collections of poetry before turning to fiction.
Left after the death of his wife and ones of his sons with an empty house and cupboards full of hoarded odds and ends that seem to have nothing to do with him, aldous jones is tempted to spend the whole day sitting in his chair in the kitchen. In the heartbreakingly funny followup to the booker prize shortlis. Buy a curious earth a novel book online at low prices in. A wonderfully warm, compassionate and poignant look at old age, new loves and family life by the booker prize shortlisted author and poet. Gerard woodward left with an empty house and cupboards full of hoarded odds and ends that seem to have nothing to do with him, aldous jones is tempted to spend the whole day sitting in his chair in the kitchen. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Gerard is the author of an acclaimed sequence of novels, august shortlisted for the 2001 whitbread first novel award, ill go to bed at noon shortlisted for the 2004 man booker prize and a curious earth. Gerard woodward is able to take the thoughts of ordinary people and the minutiae of their everyday lives and make them extraordinary. A curious earth by gerard woodward 6mar2008 paperback on. Sardonic and filled with darkly humorous imagery, a curious earth, by man booker finalist gerard woodward, is an oldfashioned novel, more an extended character study and meditation on aging than a traditional plotbased novel. The aldous jones trilogy stumbles on in gerard woodwards a curious earth.
He is a professor of creative writing at bath spa university and lives in bath, england. He was in a pretty bad way during the first two novels in gerard woodwards vigorously. Woodward s ill go to bed at noon and august were man booker and whitbread finalists, respectively. Buy a curious earth by gerard woodward online at alibris. Gerard woodward is the author of a number of novels, including nourishment and an acclaimed trilogy comprising. A curious earth by gerard woodward penguin books australia. Gerard woodward is a novelist, poet and short story writer, best known for his trilogy of novels concerning the troubled jones family, the second of which ill go to bed at noon, was shortlisted for the man booker prize. The narrative is somewhat unfocussed and i found myself frequently losing interest, putting the novel aside to read.
After a brush with death 70 year old aldous, widower and exart teacher, discovers a new lust for life and sets out to find someone to share his passions. A curious earth by gerard woodward penguin books new zealand. Buy a curious earth a novel book online at best prices in india on. Gerard woodward is also a poet, which goes some way towards explaining the quality of his prose. A curious earth by gerard woodward books the guardian. Gerard woodward sarah crown my earlier novels didnt work. Aldous jones, pushing 70, lives alone in a largish house in north london. Rumi is a gifted child, and her father, mahesh, believes that strict. Its a talent he shares with rachel joyce, elizabeth taylor and barbara pym. Very much in the style of british authors elizabeth taylor mrs. He was in a pretty bad way during the first two novels in gerard woodwards. First novel award, i ll go to bed at noon shortlisted for the 2004 man booker prize and a curious earth. Rumi vasi is 10 years, 2 months, days, 2 hours, 42 minutes, and 6 seconds old. He was born in london in 1961, and published several.
Gerard woodward is probably best known for his trilogy of stories about the jones family august, ill go to bed at noon and a curious earth. He was born in london in 1961 and published several prizewinning collections of poetry before turning to fiction. Ill go to bed at noon by gerard woodward paperback. A curious earth by gerard woodward 6mar2008 paperback. Gerard woodward is the author of a number of novels, including nourishment and an acclaimed trilogy comprising of august shortlisted for the 2001 whitbread first novel award, ill go to bed at noon shortlisted for the 2004 man booker prize and a curious earth. Gifted city of santa clarita public library overdrive.
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