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The Shadowy Third

Love, Letters, and Elizabeth Bowen – Winner of the RSL Christopher Bland Prize
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( 66 ratings, 22 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
The Shadowy Third by Julia Parry is a compelling memoir that unravels a hidden family history involving a complex love triangle. The author explores letters between her grandparents and the acclaimed novelist Evelyn Waugh to unveil intimate secrets, discovering long-buried emotions and personal revelations. Parry’s narrative examines the intricacies of love, friendship, and betrayal across different generations.
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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 are captivated by untold family histories and intrigued by the complex relationships between personal and literary lives. This memoir weaves personal discovery with the examination of a unique bond between a grandfather and a renowned novelist, offering insights into love, influence, and hidden narratives.

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Critically acclaimed, this unique and compelling personal biography uncovers the hidden love triangle between novelist Elizabeth Bowen and the author's grandparents.

Critically acclaimed, this compelling personal biography uncovers the hidden love triangle between novelist Elizabeth Bowen and the author’s grandparents

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

Uncovering the hidden love triangle between novelist Elizabeth Bowen and the author's grandparents, the critically acclaimed biography with never-before-seen letters details the affair.

For readers who were swept up in Laura Cumming's On Chapel Sands, Daniel Mendelsohn's An Odyssey and Francesca Wade's Square Haunting.

A death in the family delivers Julia Parry a box of letters. Dusty with age, they reveal a secret love affair between the celebrated novelist Elizabeth Bowen and the academic Humphry Houseβ€”Julia's grandfather.

So begins a life-changing quest to understand the affair, which had profound repercussions for Julia's family, not least her grandmother, Madeline. Julia traces these three very different characters through 1930s Oxford and Ireland, Texas, Calcutta in the last days of Empire, and on into World War II.

With a supporting cast that includes Isaiah Berlin and Virginia Woolf, The Shadowy Third opens up a world with complex attitudes to love and sex, duty and ambition, and to writing itself.

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?

The Shadowy Third by Julia Parry is praised for its literary elegance, with reviewers highlighting its epistolary beauty and the complexity of Elizabeth Bowen's letters. Critics have described it as a fascinating exploration of love, loyalty, and infidelity, while also commending its marvellous, sensitive, and intelligent reflection on complicated characters. Readers familiar with Bowen's work will particularly appreciate its insights and discoveries.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780715654491

Publisher: Duckworth Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 February 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Duckworth

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Julia Parry was brought up in West Africa and educated at St Andrews and Oxford. She teaches English literature and has worked as a writer and photographer for a variety of publications and charitable organisations. She splits her time between London and Madrid. The Shadowy Third is her first book. For more information, visit: www.juliaparry.co.uk

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