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Human Croquet

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( 11,805 ratings, 997 reviews)
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
In Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson, readers journey through a magical and intricate narrative centred around Isobel Fairfax, a young woman living in 1960s England. The story explores themes of time, memory, and identity as Isobel navigates her family's mysterious past and her own evolving world filled with unexpected twists. As the fabric of reality seems to bend, Isobel discovers deep connections between history and the present.
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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 relish intricately woven narratives filled with mystery, charm, and offbeat humour. It beautifully blends elements of magical realism with a richly layered family saga, offering a compelling exploration of life, time, and the extraordinary hidden within the seemingly ordinary. If you appreciate stories where the past and present intertwine with enchanting twists, this may be a delightful read for you.

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The brilliant and profound second novel from the three-times Costa prizewinner and number one bestseller Kate Atkinson.

'Vivid, richly imaginative, hilarious and frightening by turns' Observer

Once it had been the great forest of Lythe.

The brilliant and profound second novel from the three-times Costa prizewinner and number one bestseller Kate Atkinson.

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 brilliant and profound second novel from the three-times Costa prizewinner and number one bestseller Kate Atkinson.

The brilliant and profound second novel from the three-times Costa prizewinner and number one bestseller Kate Atkinson.

Vivid, richly imaginative, hilarious and frightening by turns - Observer

Once it had been the great forest of Lythe. And here, in the beginning, lived the Fairfaxes, grandly, at Fairfax Manor.

But over the centuries the forest had been destroyed, replaced by Streets of Trees. The Fairfaxes have dwindled too; now they live in 'Arden' at the end of Hawthorne Close and are hardly a family at all.

But Isobel Fairfax, who drops into pockets of time and out again, knows about the past. She is sixteen and waiting for the return of her mother - the thin, dangerous Eliza with her scent of nicotine, Arpรจge and sex, whose disappearance is part of the mystery that still remains at the heart of the forest.

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?

Kate Atkinsonโ€™s Human Croquet has received high praise, being described as vivid, imaginative, and at times both hilarious and frightening. Critics lauded it as an exhilarating and detailed novel, full of both literary depth and accessible storytelling. The bookโ€™s eloquence and forceful narrative have been highlighted, with its blend of ghost story and murder mystery offering a compelling read. The imaginative, humorous, and chaotic elements from Atkinsonโ€™s earlier work are also celebrated.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780552996198

Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 March 1998

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Black Swan

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 27.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 308g

Pages: 448

About the Author

Kate Atkinson won the Whitbread (now Costa) Book of the Year prize with her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum. Her four bestselling novels featuring former detective Jackson Brodie became the BBC television series Case Histories, starring Jason Isaacs. Her 2013 novel Life After Life won the South Bank Sky Arts Literature Prize, was shortlisted for the Women's Prize, voted Book of the Year for the independent booksellers associations on both sides of the Atlantic. It also won the Costa Novel Award, as did her new novel A God in Ruins (2015). She was appointed MBE in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours List, and was voted Waterstones UK Author of the Year at the 2013 Specsavers National Book Awards.

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