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Stanley and Elsie
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Stanley and Elsie
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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?
When Elsie Munday arrives to take up position as housemaid to the Spencer family, her life quickly becomes entwined with the charming and irascible Stanley, his artist wife Hilda and their tiny daughter Shirin. Elsie does her best to keep the family together even when love, obsession and temptation seem set to tear them apart...
A vivid picture of the life of painter Stanley Spencer, told from the perspective of his housemaid who was witness to the highs and lows of his illustrious career and home life
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Description
The First World War is over, and in a quiet Hampshire village, artist Stanley Spencer is working on the commission of a lifetime, painting an entire chapel in memory of a life lost in the war to end all wars. Combining his own traumatic experiences with moments of everyday redemption, the chapel will become his masterpiece.
When Elsie Munday arrives to take up position as housemaid to the Spencer family, her life quickly becomes entwined with the charming and irascible Stanley, his artist wife Hilda, and their tiny daughter Shirin.
As the years pass, Elsie does her best to keep the family together even when love, obsession, and temptation seem set to tear them apart...
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?
Stanley and Elsie by Nicola Upson is described as an exquisite and lyrical novel, capturing the creative and emotional life of the artist Stanley Spencer through the perspective of his housemaid, Elsie. The book is praised for its painterly beauty, deep integrity, and the insightful depiction of the dynamics of Spencer’s life, including artistic temperament and domestic challenges. Upson's storytelling is appreciated for weaving a compelling narrative of art's consolations and costs.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780715653685
Publisher: Duckworth Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 02 May 2019
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Duckworth
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 368
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About the Author
Nicola Upson was born in Suffolk and read English at Downing College, Cambridge. She has worked in theatre and as a freelance journalist, and is the author of two non-fiction works and the recipient of an Escalator Award from the Arts Council England. Her debut novel, An Expert in Murder, was the first in a series of crime novels to feature Josephine Tey - one of the leading authors of Britain's age of crime-writing. The book was dramatised by BBC Scotland for Woman's Hour, and praised by P.D. James as marking 'the arrival of a new and assured talent'.
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