100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Enjoy overnight NZ-wide delivery from our NZ-owned independent bookstore! 🎉

Take Nothing With You

A richly absorbing novel of boyhood, coming of age, confusion and desire
By Patrick Gale
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.07 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 3,238 ratings, 379 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
Take Nothing With You by Patrick Gale is an evocative novel about Eustace, a man confronting his past during a pivotal moment in his life. While receiving treatment in hospital, the narrative explores his journey of self-discovery, reflecting on his childhood, his complex relationship with music and its profound impact on his identity. Set against a beautifully crafted emotional backdrop, the story delves into memory, love, and the trials of personal growth.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$9000

International Supplier

This title is in-stock with overseas suppliers. While it is not available locally, we fly books in weekly from the US and UK to our Auckland warehouse for immediate dispatch.

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 2-3 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

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?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy beautifully written narratives that explore themes of music, personal discovery, and emotional complexity. Fans of character-driven stories that capture the intricacies of life and love in both humourous and poignant ways will likely find this novel captivating. If you appreciate stories that delve into the past to illuminate the present, this could be a delightful read for you.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A stunning, compassionate and funny novel from the author of the Costa Shortlisted A PLACE CALLED WINTER

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
'Absolutely one of his best - a wonderful, wonderful read' Stephen Fry 'Funny and heartfelt' Spectator From the bestselling author of A Place Called Winter comes a compassionate, compelling new novel of boyhood, coming of age, and the confusions of desire and reality. 'An incredibly beautiful story told with compassion. Nothing is wasted. Each sentence is beautifully crafted' Joanna Cannon 1970s Weston-Super-Mare and ten-year-old oddball Eustace, an only child, has life transformed by his mother's quixotic decision to sign him up for cello lessons. Music-making brings release for a boy who is discovering he is an emotional volcano. He laps up lessons from his young teacher, not noticing how her brand of glamour is casting a damaging spell over his frustrated and controlling mother. When he is enrolled in holiday courses in the Scottish borders, lessons in love, rejection, and humility are added to daily practice. Drawing in part on his own boyhood, Patrick Gale's new novel explores a collision between childish hero worship and extremely messy adult love lives. 'It's delicious, it's dear, it's heart-breaking and very funny' Rachel Joyce 'Suffused with the joy and wisdom of Gale's mid-life reconnection with music' Guardian 'Gale is excellent on the hot, messy nature of self-discovery and sexual awakening' Daily Mail 'Generously optimistic. It shows how our past shapes us, but suggests that we can make something from the emotional burdens that we bear' Telegraph What readers love about Take Nothing With You: 'This is a beautifully written novel, simple to read but so humane and warm' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'As with all his books you feel you are reading about someone you know intimately such is his amazing characterisation. Read this book and feel totally fulfilled' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'This is a warming tale of a younger and later an old man overcoming adversity through his innate goodness, humour and optimism' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Gale is a wonderful writer. His description of the Schubert string quintet rehearsals perfectly described the slow movement. I'd been searching for that music for a few years. This story is brilliant on so many fronts' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'A very beautiful novel of love, friendship and the cello' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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?

Take Nothing With You by Patrick Gale is praised for its seamless blending of social comedy with deeper, more serious themes. Reviewers describe it as a joyous, tender, and beautifully written novel that balances humour with heartfelt moments. The book is lauded for its exquisite storytelling and is considered an insightful and empathetic exploration of human experiences.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472205353

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 April 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Tinder Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 259g

Pages: 368

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Patrick Gale

About the Author

Patrick Gale was born on the Isle of Wight. He spent his infancy at Wandsworth Prison, which his father governed, then grew up in Winchester before going to Oxford University. He now lives on a farm near Land's End. One of this country's best-loved novelists, his most recent works are A Perfectly Good Man, the Richard and Judy bestseller Notes From An Exhibition, the Costa-shortlisted A Place Called Winter and Mother's Boy. His original BBC television drama, Man In An Orange Shirt, was shown to great acclaim in 2017 as part of the BBC's Queer Britannia series, leading viewers around the world to discover his novels.

Also by Patrick Gale

View all
  • Mother's Boy
    'Tender, evocative' TLS 'Richly engaging' Spectator A Radio 4 Serial Fiction Book of the Week 'A characteristically tender novel about a young man growing up in the shadow of one war and the whispers of the next' Observer 'A wonderful novel about relationships, particularly between a mother and son. A compelling read, beautifully crafted and sensitively written' Irish Examiner Laura,...
    By Patrick Gale
    Paperback
    $9200
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Notes from an Exhibition
    A bestselling 'Cornish' novel, Notes from an Exhibition is a moving, intuitive novel of artistic compulsion, marriage, and the secrets left behind. It was a Richard & Judy bestseller. 'Poised and pitch-perfect throughout' Mail on Sunday Celebrated artist Rachel Kelly dies alone in her Penzance studio, after decades of struggling with the creative highs and devastating lows that have coloured...
    By Patrick Gale
    Paperback
    $6600
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Love Lane
    With Love Lane, Gale gets right to the secret joys and hidden heartbreaks of ordinary, flawed family life. A tender, delicately devastating novel. Sarah Waters Love Lane moved me greatly. The novel has a great sweep, in its story, and in the richness and vividness of each of its characters. This is a book about secrets and lies, yet Gale...
    By Patrick Gale
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Perfectly Good Man
    Devastatingly moving and full of psychological insight, A Perfectly Good Man is a warm, humane Cornish novel from the bestselling author of A Place Called Winter. 'A convincing, moving account of man's struggle with faith, marriage and morality' Sunday Times On a clear, crisp summer's day in Cornwall, a young man carefully prepares to take his own life and asks...
    By Patrick Gale
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Rough Music
    Truly compelling and rich with emotional insight, Patrick Gale's Cornish novel, Rough Music, is a beautiful story of a marriage and the secrets a family holds. 'Sparkling with emotional intelligence. A gripping portrait of a marriage and the quiet, devastating fall-out of family life' Independent Julian is a contented if naive only child, and a holiday on the coast of...
    By Patrick Gale
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • A Place Called Winter: Costa Shortlisted 2015
    A Place Called Winter: Costa Shortlisted 2015
    In the golden 1900s, Harry Cane, a shy, eligible gentleman of leisure, is drawn from a life of quiet routine into courting and marrying Winnie, the eldest daughter of the fatherless Wells clan, who are not quite as respectable as they would appear. They settle by the sea and have a daughter, and conventional marriage does not seem such a...
    By Patrick Gale
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from General Fiction

View all
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    By Alison Espach
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Throne of Glass Box Set (Paperback)
    Enter the realm. Unleash the darkness. Live the legend. Discover the worldwide phenomenon of the #1 New York Times-bestselling Throne of Glass series in this gorgeous 8-book box set! In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Set
    $12400
    Elsewhere:
    $15500
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Goal
    Welcome to Briar U!Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy!Read The Goal now for the perfect forced proximity romance! She's good at achieving her goals . . . College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick...
    By Elle Kennedy
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Red Rising
    The first book in the incredible New York Times bestselling series Darrow is a Helldiver, toiling beneath the surface of Mars. As a member of the Red caste, he performs grueling labor in the belief that his sacrifice will enable future generations to one day inhabit the surface of the Red Planet. The Reds are humankind's lowest caste, living in...
    By Pierce Brown
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Ballad of Falling Dragons [Special Deluxe edition]
    The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling sensation When the Moon Hatched continues with the second book in The Moonfall Series, The Ballad of Falling Dragons… Raeve’s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor – a staunch beacon from a past she’s yet to face. With Rekk’s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the...
    By Sarah A. Parker
    Hardback
    $5999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...
    By Andy Weir
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (4)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series -now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever...
    By Matt Dinniman
    Hardback
    $4699
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Score
    Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession... Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Score now for the perfect friends with benefits romance! He knows how to score, on and off the ice... Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn't have...
    By Elle Kennedy
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Golden Son
    ENDER'S GAME meets THE HUNGER GAMES in this, the second in an extraordinary trilogy from an incredible new voice.'I'm still playing games. This is just the deadliest yet.' Darrow is a rebel forged by tragedy. For years he and his fellow Reds worked the mines, toiling to make the surface of Mars inhabitable. They were, they believed, mankind's last hope....
    By Pierce Brown
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Dylan's Pick Dylan's Pick
    Theo of Golden
    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...
    By Allen Levi
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (5)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    On Mystic Lake
    One of the greatest storytellers of our time - Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school in England. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Left alone in the beautiful California house which was once a home, Annie...
    By Kristin Hannah
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • East of Eden
    Set against the backdrop of the fertile Salinas Valley in California, East of Eden is a profound and compelling novel by John Steinbeck, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. This masterful narrative charts the intertwining destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—across multiple generations. Steinbeck's intricate portrayal of human nature and enduring exploration of moral themes...
    By John Steinbeck
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

General Fiction lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all