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A Kestrel for a Knave

By Barry Hines
Series: Penguin Essentials
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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
Set in a Yorkshire mining town, A Kestrel for a Knave follows young Billy Casper as he struggles with a bleak home life and school environment. Finding solace in training a kestrel, Billy discovers a sense of purpose and connection with the natural world. This poignant narrative explores themes of poverty, hope, and resilience amidst adversity.
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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?

You might enjoy this book if you're drawn to poignant stories about growing up and overcoming adversity. Following a young boy in a bleak mining town who finds hope and purpose through the care of a kestrel, it offers a moving exploration of resilience, friendship, and the yearning for a better life.

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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 powerful novel which inspired one of the most famous British films of the 60s, published as a Penguin Essential for the first time.

Barry Hines's A Kestrel for a Knave was published in 1968, and was made into one of the key British films of the sixties. Billy Casper is beaten by his drunken brother, ignored by his mother, and failing at school. He seems destined for a hard, miserable life down the pits, but for a brief time, he finds one pleasure in life: a wild kestrel that he has raised and tamed himself.

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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?

A Kestrel for a Knave is often praised for its poignant portrayal of a young boy's struggles with harsh social realities in a working-class environment. Reviewers commend Barry Hines for his vivid characterisation and the authenticity of the setting, alongside the touching relationship between the protagonist and the kestrel. The narrative resonates with readers for its exploration of themes such as hope, escape, and the impact of socio-economic challenges.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241978962

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 August 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 111.0mm

Height: 181.0mm

Weight: 117g

Pages: 208

Collections

Barry Hines Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Penguin Books Series: Penguin Essentials

About the Author

Barry Hines was born near Barnsley, Yorkshire, in 1939 and was a promising footballer before taking a teaching qualification at Loughborough. He taught PE in London and in Yorkshire before writing full time. He has written nine novels, and co-wrote the screenplay of Kes with Ken Loach. He lives in Yorkshire.

Also by Barry Hines

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  • A Kestrel for a Knave
    With prose that is every bit as raw, intense and bitingly honest as the world it depicts, Barry Hines's A Kestrel for a Knave contains a new afterword by the author in Penguin Modern Classics. Life is tough and cheerless for Billy Casper, a disillusioned teenager growing up in a small Yorkshire mining town. Violence is commonplace and he is...
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