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parsed(2015-07-28) - pubdate: 2015-07-28
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pub date: 1438059600
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Crooked Heart

July 28, 2015 | Trade paperback
ISBN: 9781443440349
$22.99
Reader Reward Price: $20.69 info
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Description

The acidly heartwarming tale of the relationship between a WW2 orphan evacuee and his foster mother, set against the backdrop of the Blitz

When ten-year-old orphan Noel Bostock is evacuated from London to escape the Blitz, he ends up living in St. Albans with Vera Sedge, who at thirty-six is drowning in debts and dependents. Always desperate for money, she's unscrupulous about how she gets it.

Noel's mourning his godmother, Mattie, a former suffragette. Brought up to share her disdain for authority and eclectic approach to education, he has little in common with other children and even less with Vee, who hurtles impulsively from one self-made crisis to the next. The war's thrown up new opportunities for making money, but what Vee needs (and what she's never had) is a cool head and the ability to make a plan.

On her own, she's a disaster. With Noel, she's a part of a team.

Together they cook up an idea. Criss-crossing the bombed suburbs of London, Vee starts to make a profit and Noel begins to regain his interest in life.

But there are plenty of other people making money out of the war, and some of them are dangerous. Noel may have been moved to safety, but he isn't actually safe at all.

About this Author

ISBN: 9781443440349
Format: Trade paperback
Pages: 288
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-07-28

Reviews

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR CROOKED HEART:

"At the crooked heart of this lovely novel is an odd-couple relationship reminiscent in tone if not in substance of Moses and Addie in the film Paper Moon, between an odd, clever, and lonely boy and a dodgy, desperate woman. Their reliance on each other is credible, touching and funny." --NICK HORNBY, AUTHOR OF HIGH FIDELITY AND ABOUT A BOY

"In conjuring a vivid portrait of two lost souls--Vera Sedge, a petty criminal, and Noel Bostock, orphan and boy genius--who find an unlikely kinship amid the privation of wartime London, Evans has written a sensitive, intelligent novel that revises Sartre's old axiom: Home is other people." --BORIS FISHMAN, AUTHOR OF A REPLACEMENT LIFE

"With not a single combatant and only a few bombs, Lissa Evans has written a wonderful novel about the Second World War. Her two main characters are utterly irresistible, as is their unlikely alliance; I was cheering them on with every page." --MARGOT LIVESEY, AUTHOR OF THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY

"I'm pretty sure that Crooked Heart, the story of a hardworking, short-tempered young woman and a sad, clever little evacuee boy in north London, shows the real, practical, opportunistic Blitz spirit. The chaotic, semi-feral teaming up of Vera and Noel is as sparky and funny as Cold Comfort Farm and as charming and touching as The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but then every now and again comes the vertiginous feeling of peering into something unutterably, dangerously sad. Everybody, and I mean everybody, is getting this for Christmas." --LOUISA YOUNG, AUTHOR OF MY DEAR I WANTED TO TELL YOU

"I don't usually like novels about the Second World War--I think 'what's the point? The true stories are so good'--but this one, and Evelyn Waugh, are way up in a class of their own. Superb." --JULIET GARDINER, AUTHOR OF WARTIME AND THE BLITZ

PRAISE FOR THEIR FINEST HOUR AND A HALF:

LONGLISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE

"[Lissa Evans] displays a fine eye for detail and for the absurdities involved in filming. She also brilliantly evokes the disruption and dangers of wartime London. This funny, heart-warming and beautifully crafted novel is a must-read." --DAILY MAIL

"[A] beautifully written, minutely observed and researched, evocative and very funny tale." --THE GUARDIAN (UK)

"Comic, poignant and altogether delightful. Raised spirits are guaranteed." --EASY LIVING

"This is a comic novel, but far warmer in tone and broader in scope than that label would suggest. . . . Gloriously observed. . . . Hilliard is a wonderful creation--and Evans's recreated propaganda scripts are a total joy. Delicious." --THE TIMES (UK)

"Pitch-perfect in tone and populated by some unforgettable characters, Lissa Evans's blackly comic new novel is a delight." --THE GLOSS MAGAZINE

"Her Orange-longlisted novel comes close to Michael Moorcock's Mother London, or even Sara Waters's The Night Watch, in illuminating not just the deprivations, but also the liberations of the war years." --THE GUARDIAN (UK)

"Her tale of artistes attempting a morale-boosting low-budget British film in 1941 is a joy. . . . Evans knows exactly when to play scenes for their wry comedy and when to play things straight. . . . The austerity of domestic life is beautifully caught. . . . This is the truest and most enjoyable novel about home-front life I've read; it's touching and hilarious." --INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

"The characters and their dialogue and the author's quiet humour are what make this really sing. It deserves to do really well." --DAILY TELEGRAPH

"A triumph. . . . A compulsively readable tragi-comedy to savour. *****." --SUNDAY EXPRESS

"This novel has clever narrative, lively dialogue and lyrical imagery. I loved the author's highly polished prose, whether sparkling with wit or achingly poignant. She creates a magical blend of humour and pathos. I enjoyed every page." --NEW BOOKS MAGAZINE

"This affectionate and brilliantly observed novel has the charm of a black and white movie filtered through the knowing eye of a modern writer, whose sparkling prose is as highly crafted as an ivory carving. Its wry humour is complemented by the genuine drama faced by each of the characters." --YOU MAGAZINE (MAIL ON SUNDAY) BOOK OF THE MONTH

"Evans's evocation of Britain at war is richly observed, poignant and very witty. It's a terrific read, packed with memorable characters." --MAIL ON SUNDAY

"I defy anyone not to fall for Lissa Evans' smart, funny, ingenious, revealing tale of London life during the Second World War." --INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

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