A philandering art dealer tries to give up casual love affairs - seeking only passionate kisses as a substitute. A man recounts his personal history through the things he has stolen from others throughout his life.A couple chart the journey of their five year relationship backwards,from awkward reunion to lovelorn first encounter. And,at the heart of the book,a 24-year old young woman,Bethany Mellmoth,embarks on a year-long journey of wishful and tentative self-discovery.The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth depicts the random encounters that bring the past bubbling to the surface; the impulsive decisions that irrevocably shape a life; and the endless hesitations and loss-of-nerve that wickedly complicate it.These funny,surprising and moving stories are a resounding confirmation of Boyd's powers as one of our most original and compelling storytellers.
Publisher: Penguin Books LtdISBN: 9780241979761Number of pages: 272Weight: 191 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 17 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Boyd shows why he's so often compared to Graham Greene.... brilliant and bewitching collection of storiesLike stealing badges,like shucking oysters,once you have one of these stories you can't stop. Lights out was after midnightClever and,yes,cinematicThe stories,as is often the case with Boyd,are packed with characters whose lives are upended by random upheavalsUnfailingly amusing and cleverIn a 2008 essay,Boyd explained that writing short stories gives him a welcome chance "to change habits,to experiment,to take risks,to try out different voices". And in the best stories here,it's a chance he takes full advantage of,serving up an impressive variety of settings and protagonistsHighly entertainingBoyd is dependably a master of what's most true: an always elegant realist whose characters will get under your skinNo one charts the highs and lows of the human condition like BoydA riveting short story collection from one of the bestVaried,entertainingSpiky,sparking and simply brilliantEnjoyably spot-onWhat Boyd does so mesmerisingly...is make the insignificant utterly significant...you are confronted by the full force of Boyd's undeniable talent for storytelling,as he inventively plays with time and form,and infuses his prose with themes of lust,love and emotional incompetenceWilliam Boyd is arguably one of Britain's finest living writers...compelling and highly entertainingHe is a skilled and humorous storyteller,and his pleasure in exploring life's uncertainties is apparentBoyd delights in themes of deceit and getting one over on the competition...such finely-honed proseQuite brilliant. There has been no decline in the wit,the style,the precise observationThese stories,by one of Britain's most compelling authors about how the post is inescapable - from random encounters to impulsive acts - is funny and surprisingBoyd has always been eloquent,his narratives memorably stylishSmart,funny and compelling
William Boyd
Throughout a glittering career,William Boyd has covered everything from colonial farce to primate research in a series of beautifully-rendered novels. His 1991 debut A Good Man in Africa immediately bagged the Whitbread First Novel Award,a win that has heralded contemporary classics such as the Costa-winning Restless and the literary tour de force that is Any Human Heart.
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