A Perfectly Good Man (Paperback)
Patrick Gale (author)Published: 24/05/2012
The new novel from Patrick Gale, author of Richard & Judy-bestseller `Notes from an Exhibition', returning readers to his beloved Cornish coastline.
`Do you need me to pray for you now for a specific reason?'
`I'm going to die.'
`We're all going to die. Does dying frighten you?'
`I mean I'm going to kill myself.'
When 20-year-old Lenny Barnes, paralysed in a rugby accident, commits suicide in the presence of Barnaby Johnson, the much-loved priest of a West Cornwall parish, the tragedy's reverberations open up the fault-lines between Barnaby and his nearest and dearest - the gulfs of unspoken sadness that separate them all. Across this web of relations scuttles Barnaby's repellent nemesis - a man as wicked as his prey is virtuous.
Returning us to the rugged Cornish landscape of `Notes from an Exhibition', Patrick Gale lays bare the lives and the thoughts of a whole community and asks us: what does it mean to be good?
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780007465088
Number of pages: 416
Weight: 300 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 26 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
`Guaranteed to give the reader a warm glow' Independent
`Warm and humane, this novel is beautifully written' The Times
`This being Gale there's a compelling tale to be told ... a convincing, moving account of man's struggle with faith, marriage and morality' Sunday Times
`The unfolding nightmare for all the family of the consequences of adopting are exquisitely and painfully documented... The final chapter left me with a lump in my throat' Salley Vickers, Guardian
`At his best, Gale is an effortlessly elastic storyteller, a writer with heart, soul, and a dark and naughty wit, one whose company you relish and trust' Julie Myerson, Observer
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“A Perfectly Good Man”
This was my first taste of a Patrick Gale novel and while I didn’t find it a spectacular read, I did enjoy it enough that I will go on and read some of his other work.
What I particularly like about this offering was...
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“A Perfectly Good Novel”
This was my first Patrick Gale novel and I was very impressed with both its form and content. Gale clearly has a knack for good characterisation and observation, and the method in which he has constructed the telling... More
“Pacey and riveting”
Patrick Gale is a consistently entertaining author and A Perfectly Good Man does not disappoint. The plot moves intriguingly back and forth through time, an unusual but effective device, visiting the characters at... More
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