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Capital

The bestselling novel, now on Netflix
3.71 goodreads logo

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( 14,596 ratings, 1,563 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
Capital by John Lanchester paints a vivid, interconnected portrait of modern London through the lives of various residents on Pepys Road. As the value of their homes skyrockets, the characters, ranging from an artist to a banker, confront their personal and collective challenges. This novel beautifully interweaves their stories, reflecting on the social and economic dynamics of contemporary urban life.
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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?

Experience a vivid portrayal of contemporary London life as diverse characters confront profound social and economic changes. You might enjoy this story if you're intrigued by modern urban tales that explore the intersections of wealth, ambition, and human connection.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The bestselling, moving and hugely topical story of one street caught on the brink of the crash.

The award-winning adaptation of Capital is now available on Netflix: a moving, funny, and keenly insightful story of London on the brink of the financial crisis.

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

Pepys Road: an ordinary street in the Capital. Each house has seen its fair share of first steps and last breaths, and plenty of laughter in between. Today, through each letterbox along this ordinary street drops a card with a simple message: We Want What You Have.

At forty, Roger Yount is blessed with an expensively groomed wife, two small sons, and a powerful job in the City. An annual bonus of a million might seem excessive, but with second homes and nannies to maintain, he's not sure he can get by without it.

Elsewhere in the Capital, Zbigniew has come from Warsaw to indulge the super-rich in their interior decoration whims. Freddy Kano, teenage football sensation, has left a two-room shack in Senegal to follow his dream. Traffic warden Quentina has exchanged the violence of the police in Zimbabwe for the violence of the enraged middle classes. For them all, this city offers the chance of a different kind of life.

Capital is a post-crash state-of-the-nation novel told with compassion and humour, featuring a cast of characters that you will be sad to leave behind.

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?

Capital by John Lanchester is often praised for its sharp wit and insightful portrayal of London life amidst the financial crisis. Reviewers typically admire how the novel weaves together the stories of diverse characters connected by a single street, capturing the social dynamics with both humour and poignancy. The book's exploration of wealth, privilege, and the human condition resonates with readers, making it a compelling narrative on modern urban life.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571234622

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 January 2013

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 40.0mm

Width: 125.0mm

Height: 200.0mm

Weight: 460g

Pages: 592

About the Author

John Lanchester is a contributing editor to the London Review of Books and a regular contributor to the New Yorker. He has written four novels, The Debt to Pleasure, Mr Phillips, Fragrant Harbour and Capital, and three works of non-fiction: Family Romance, a memoir; and Whoops!: Why everyone owes everyone and no one can pay, about the global financial crisis and How to Speak Money, a primer in popular economics. His books have won the Hawthornden Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Prize, E.M Forster Award, and the Premi Llibreter, been longlisted for the Booker Prize, and been translated into twenty-five languages.

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