Faulks on Fiction (Includes 4 FREE Vintage Classics): Great British Characters and the Secret Life of the Novel

Nov 30, 2024 1:39 AM

Author:Sebastian Faulks

The publication of Robinson Crusoe in London in 1719 marked the arrival of a revolutionary art form: the novel. British writers were prominent in shaping the new type of storytelling - one which reflected the experiences of ordinary people, with characters in whom readers could find not only an escape, but a deeper understanding of their own lives.

But the novel was more than just a reflection of British life. As Sebastian Faulks explains in this engaging literary and social history, it also helped invent the British. By focusing not on writers but on the people they gave us, Faulks not only celebrates the recently neglected act of novelistic creation but shows how the most enduring fictional characters over the centuries have helped map the British psyche - through heroes from Tom Jones to Sherlock Holmes, lovers from Mr Darcy to Lady Chatterley, villains from Fagin to Barbara Covett and snobs from Emma Woodhouse to James Bond.

Also included in this fantastic ebook package are four free classic novels:

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: The legendary story of a marine adventurer shipwrecked on a desert island.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Accomplished Elizabeth Bennett must navigate a web of familial obligations and social expectations in this witty drama of friendship, rivalry, enmity and love.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: Pip's life as an ordinary country boy is destined to be unexceptional until a chain of mysterious events lead him away from his humble origins and up the social ladder.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: Marian and her sister Laura live a quiet life under their uncle's guardianship until Laura marries Sir Percival Glyde, a man of many secrets. Can she be protected from a mysterious and potentially fatal plot?

Reviews

This sparkling book concentrates the mind in salutary ways, as well as being the most marvellous company

—— Bernard O'Donoghue , Literary Review

Full of suggestive points derived from a delving into Yeats's family background... well-informed... wide-ranging... very useful and detailed

—— Irish University Review

Erudite and well-informed... A troubling, important assessment of Yeats's life and work

—— Kirkus Reviews

Wonderful... Jack is a superb and diverse writer, with a mind and eyes and a nose for virtually everything... He's smart, proportionate, discerning and (rarest of rarities) decent. To me, this book is indispensable

—— Richard Ford , Guardian, Books of the Year

Ian Jack's superbly evocative essays are the ideal advertisement for the virtues of print journalism... superbly evocative

—— Rachel Cooke , The Observer

Ian Jack does for Great Britain what Arthur Miller did for the US and portrays a land through journalistic vignettes and essays

—— Emmanuelle Smith , Financial Times

One of our most prized journalists...we are lucky to have him. Where in many places else there is cant abounding, here is that rare thing, cant deficiency

—— Giles Foden , Guardian

For a perceptive perspective on the Britain that we're leaving ever further behind, Jack's journalism is hard to beat

—— David Robinson , Scotsman

An intriguing selection of the writing of Ian Jack...Jack masterfully reflects on the past while bringing modern life into sharp focus...despite taking an unflinching approach, his work is often humorous

—— Tom Hicks , Metro

This is a beady, sometimes moving book which proves that the finest journalism is worth paying for

—— Rachel Cooke , New Statesman, Books of 2009

Ian Jack's journeys in Britain and India are illuminating and memorable

—— Sean O'Brien , Times Literary Supplement

Nostalgia drives this collection of Jack's journalism... Jack's backward-looking stance works best when he is exposing the vandalism of the past

—— Guardian

[Has] a meditative, often melancholy, quality that tells us a lot about what it's like to simply be in the Arctic...the author deftly weaves in some nicely crafted vignettes that illuminate various aspects of the Arctic experience

—— Jonathan Dore , Times Literary Supplement

It is the warmth and the honesty of the portraits that is Wheeler's forte

—— The Tablet

Wheeler is excellent company for the journey, with her observations on the consequences of our actions always well balanced and open-minded

—— Big Issue

Is an entertaining mix of popular science, history and reportage, wrapped up in some seriously fine writing

—— Katherine Hughes , The Mail on Sunday

Wonderful account of her journeys through the region

—— Simon Kuper , Financial Times

One of the greatest travel books of our times - poignant, funny, a delight to read

—— Christopher Hirst , The Independent

Her writing, while brilliantly evocative, is never overblown... If you are lucky you might get to travel in the Arctic yourself; if you don't, this book is the next best thing

—— Erica Wagner , The Times

A chilling and fascinating work

—— Guardian

Quite wonderful

—— Stephanie Cross , Daily Mail

Carries lightly a depth of research that gives alarming edge to Wheeler's engrossing

—— James Urquhart , Financial Times

It is a testament to the author's ability that the text never lurches into despondency- above all, this is a book that celebrates the inspiring endurance and colourful past of those who populate the area

—— Sebastian Clare , Irish Times

In its many-layered discoveries, the book is truly magnetic

—— Jane Knight , The Times

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