A memoir by the acclaimed novelist The Wall Street Journal called "blessed with a sense of history, a feeling for place, an observant eye for detail, and an elegant no-frills style."
In their particulars, the Lanchesters were not Every Family. The father was an international banker, the mother a former nun. Yet in the dynamic of family life, their patterns are instantly recognizable. The heart of that dynamic is a built-in tug-of-war: to a young child, a sense of loving protection becomes, as he matures, a set of barriers to be overcome. In his richly told story, John Lanchester brings this dynamic to life, and in the process makes us think about our own family story and about the legacy-emotional, social, intellectual-our parents pass on to us, generation to generation, the bitter with the best.
It was only when his mother died that Lanchester realized how little he really knew his parents. That, too, is in the nature of families: parents keep secrets from their children, and children are happy to acquiesce, not wanting to disturb their universe. But with Julie Lanchester's death-and the cache of papers and letters she left behind-Lanchester set out to reconstruct just who his parents had been. In doing so, he gained extraordinary insight into his own nature, and a deeper understanding of theirs. And because he has the wisdom to see the universal aspects of his story, Family Romance resonates for anyone who has ever felt the push-pull of family love.
Part detective work, part remarkable evocation of character, Family Romance is, above all, compelling storytelling.
In their particulars, the Lanchesters were not Every Family. The father was an international banker, the mother a former nun. Yet in the dynamic of family life, their patterns are instantly recognizable. The heart of that dynamic is a built-in tug-of-war: to a young child, a sense of loving protection becomes, as he matures, a set of barriers to be overcome. In his richly told story, John Lanchester brings this dynamic to life, and in the process makes us think about our own family story and about the legacy-emotional, social, intellectual-our parents pass on to us, generation to generation, the bitter with the best.
It was only when his mother died that Lanchester realized how little he really knew his parents. That, too, is in the nature of families: parents keep secrets from their children, and children are happy to acquiesce, not wanting to disturb their universe. But with Julie Lanchester's death-and the cache of papers and letters she left behind-Lanchester set out to reconstruct just who his parents had been. In doing so, he gained extraordinary insight into his own nature, and a deeper understanding of theirs. And because he has the wisdom to see the universal aspects of his story, Family Romance resonates for anyone who has ever felt the push-pull of family love.
Part detective work, part remarkable evocation of character, Family Romance is, above all, compelling storytelling.
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Used availability for John Lanchester's Family Romance
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Hardback Editions
February 2008 : Hardback
| Title: Family Romance Author(s): John Lanchester ISBN: 0-7531-9464-3 / 978-0-7531-9464-5 (UK edition) Publisher: ISIS Large Print Books Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
April 2007 : Hardback
| Title: Family Romance: A Memoir Author(s): John Lanchester ISBN: 0-571-23440-2 / 978-0-571-23440-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Faber and Faber Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
February 2007 : Hardback
| Title: Family Romance: A Love Story Author(s): John Lanchester ISBN: 0-399-15300-4 / 978-0-399-15300-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Putnam Adult Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
February 2007 : Hardback
| Title: Family Romance: A Love Story Author(s): John Lanchester ISBN: 0-7710-4608-1 / 978-0-7710-4608-7 (Canada (English speaking) edition) Publisher: McClelland & Stewart Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Paperback Editions
July 2008 : Paperback
| Title: Family Romance: A Love Story Author(s): John Lanchester ISBN: 0-7710-4609-X / 978-0-7710-4609-4 (Canada (English speaking) edition) Publisher: Emblem Editions Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
April 2008 : Paperback
| Title: Family Romance: A Memoir Author(s): John Lanchester ISBN: 0-571-23443-7 / 978-0-571-23443-1 (UK edition) Publisher: Faber and Faber Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
January 2008 : Paperback
| Title: Family Romance: A Love Story Author(s): John Lanchester ISBN: 0-14-311295-3 / 978-0-14-311295-2 (UK edition) Publisher: Penguin Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
December 2007 : Paperback
| Title: Family Romance: A Memoir Author(s): John Lanchester ISBN: 0-571-23442-9 / 978-0-571-23442-4 (UK edition) Publisher: Faber and Faber Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
April 2007 : Paperback
| Title: Family Romance: A Memoir Author(s): John Lanchester ISBN: 0-571-23441-0 / 978-0-571-23441-7 (UK edition) Publisher: Faber Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
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