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Here Be Dragons

By Stella Gibbons
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
When nineteen-year-old Nell Sely leaves the dull confines of Dorset for the bustling, bohemian life of Hampstead, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Entangled with the charismatic John Gaunt and immersed in London's jazz clubs and espresso bars, Nell confronts the city's shifting morals and learns to navigate her newfound independence.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers who enjoy witty, character-driven general fiction with a strong female protagonist and a vivid portrayal of London's bohemian scene in the early 20th century.

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When Nell Sely moves from sleepy Dorset to Hampstead she leaves behind a childhood of dull teas and oppressive rules for the freedom of the big city. In this city of seductive, shifting morals, smoke-filled jazz-clubs and glamorous espresso bars, Nell must master her new found independence and learn to strike her own course.

'The atmosphere of the cheap cafes...is subtly caught. Packed tight with wit and understanding, it lights the London Scene' - Scotsman

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The atmosphere of the cheap cafes...is subtly caught. Packed tight with wit and understanding, it lights the London Scene - Scotsman

When Nell Sely moves from sleepy Dorset to Hampstead she leaves behind a childhood of dull teas and oppressive rules for the freedom of the big city. Naive and only nineteen, she becomes embroiled with the wayward John Gaunt and falls in with London's bohemian crowd.

In this city of seductive, shifting morals, smoke-filled jazz-clubs and glamorous espresso bars, Nell must master her new found independence and learn to strike her own course.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Scotsman praises the book for its subtle capture of cheap cafe atmospheres, describing it as 'packed tight with wit and understanding'. The Guardian highlights Gibbons's heroines as 'plucky, determined and quietly hedonistic', also noting her skill with melancholy and melodrama. The Independent notes Stella Gibbons as a rare writer who can make readers laugh. Lynne Truss calls Gibbons 'The Jane Austen of the 20th century', and the Sunday Herald simply states, 'Stella is stellar.'

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099529361

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 August 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 270g

Pages: 384

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About the Author

Stella Gibbons was born in London in 1902. She went to the North London Collegiate School and studied journalism at University College, London. She then worked for ten years on various papers, including the Evening Standard. Stella Gibbons is the author of twenty-five novels, three volumes of short stories, and four volumes of poetry. Her first publication was a book of poems, The Mountain Beast (1930) and her first novel Cold Comfort Farm (1932) won the Femina Vie Heuruse Prize for 1933. Among her works are Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm (1940) Westwood (1946), Conference at Cold Comfort Farm (1959) and Starlight (1967). She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1950. In 1933 she married the actor and singer Allan Webb. They had one daughter. Stella Gibbons died in 1989.

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