Produktdetaljer
Om bidragsyterne
Paul Torday burst on to the literary scene in 2007 with his first novel, SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, an immediate international bestseller that has been translated into 28 languages and has been made into a film starring Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas and Emily Blunt. His subsequent novels, THE IRRESISTIBLE INHERITANCE OF WILBERFORCE, THE GIRL ON THE LANDING, THE HOPELESS LIFE OF CHARLIE SUMMERS, MORE THAN YOU CAN SAY, THE LEGACY OF HARTLEPOOL HALL and LIGHT SHINING IN THE FOREST, were all published to great critical acclaim. He was married with two sons by a previous marriage, had two stepsons, and lived close to the River North Tyne. He died at home in December 2013.Exceptionally accomplished.. second novels are notoriously difficult to pull off but Torday has managed a near masterpiece
DAILY EXPRESS
The whole book is delightfully written...Paul Torday is a remarkably original novelist
EVENING STANDARD
Grows more and more poignant as the novel progresses.. satisfyingly full-bodied and slips down a treat
SUNDAY TIMES
Remarkably, given the bleakness of both subject and hero, it is an incredibly good read
DAILY TELEGRAPH
What makes us want to find out about Wilberforce is Torday's wonderful prose - the same simple, clear writing that made Salmon Fishing so readable
FINANCIAL TIMES
He has a good feeling for character and a sly sense of humour
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
A well-told tale...Torday wryly observes Wilberforce's descent
THE TIMES
Telling the story back-to-front allows Torday to highlight Wilberforce's self-delusion; he's that familiar figure, the alcoholic who pretends that he's merely a connoisseur
GUARDIAN
Torday's confidence in his story's power to command attention is not misplaced...Wilberforce is well worth sampling
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
A heart-wrenching tale of alcoholism and a lonely man's search for identity...a mesmerising page-turner
MAIL ON SUNDAY
[The plot] provides Torday with copious opportunities for comedy, which he readily exploits. But there is a serious undertone
TIME OUT
Slips down a treat
THE WEEK
From the bestselling author of the Richard & Judy selected SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN.
'Exceptionally accomplished ... a near masterpiece' DAILY EXPRESS
'Heart-wrenching ... a mesmerising page-turner' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Delightfully written...Paul Torday is a remarkably original novelist' EVENING STANDARD
Late one summer evening, Wilberforce - rich, young, and work-obsessed - makes a detour on his way home to the vast undercroft of Caerlyon Hall, and the domain of Francis Black, a place where wine, hospitality and affection flow freely.
Through Francis, Wilberforce is initiated into a life rich in the promise of friendship and adventure, where, through his new set of friends, the possibility of finding acceptance, and even falling in love, seems finally to be within his reach.
Wilberforce becomes a willing pupil to Francis, and in the cellars of Caerlyon he nurtures a new-found passion for wine. But even the finest wine can leave a bitter aftertaste, and Wilberforce will learn the undercroft's unpalatable secrets, and that passion comes at a price ...
Meet Wilberforce. He's a man so devited to his work that he can barely remember a time when he cared for anything else. But one summer evening he finds himself exploring a strange road . . . a road which leads him to a world he could never have imagined: rich in the promise of friendship and adventure, where the possibility of falling in love seems finally to be within reach.
Wilberforce's life now centres around the ramshackle Caerlyon Hall and a bewitching group of friends. As his horizons broaden and his heart expands, Wilberforce nurtures a new-found passion for fine wine. But he will discover that Caerlyon holds some unpalatable secrets and that passion comes at a price. Even the finest wine can leave a bitter aftertaste . . .
'Grows more and more pognant as the novel progresses . . . satisfyingly full-bodied and slips down a treat' SUNDAY TIMES
'The whole books is delightfully written . . . Pau lTorday is a remarkable original novelist' EVENING STANDARD