Patrick Gale

From the author of A PLACE CALLED WINTER and NOTES FROM AN EXHIBITION comes a heartfelt, humane novel about what happens when 'doing good' is no longer enough...'A convincing, moving account of man's struggle with faith, marriage and morality' Sunday TimesOn a clear, crisp summer's day in Cornwall, a young man carefully prepares to take his own life, and asks family friend, Barnaby Johnson, to pray with him. Barnaby is a priest, a husband and father, and has always tried to do good, though life hasn't always been either straightforward or rosy. Lenny's request poses problems, not just for Barnaby, but for his wife and family, and the wider community, as the secrets of the past push themselves forcefully into the present for all to see.'Beautifully written' Times' A writer with heart and soul' ObserverWhat readers love about A PERFECTLY GOOD MAN:'A most engaging novel, keenly observed, often witty, and beautifully written' ? ? ? ? ?'A wonderful poetic, perceptive and very realistic insight into a very varied group of characters' ? ? ? ? ?'I loved this book - one of the best novels I have read for a long time. Brilliant characterisation, an interesting setting in a small Cornish community, and a very good plot' ? ? ? ? ?'Patrick Gale knows, not just the accurate externals of parish life, but the inner realities of human thinking' ? ? ? ? ?

Patrick Gale has written a book which manages to be both tender and epic, and carries the unmistakable tang of a true story. I loved it. -- Jojo Moyes A privileged elder son, and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence - until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest cost him everything. Forced to abandon his wife and child, Harry signs up for emigration to the newly colonised Canadian prairies. Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war, madness and an evil man of undeniable magnetism that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before. In this exquisite journey of self-discovery, loosely based on a real life family mystery, Patrick Gale has created an epic, intimate human drama, both brutal and breathtaking. This is a novel of secrets, sexuality and, ultimately, of great love.

** Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2015 ** A stunning novel of love, life and pioneering love, set in Canada. A Sunday Times Top Ten hardback and paperback bestseller -selected for the BBC Radio 2 Simon Mayo Book Club and the Waterstones Book Club.'A mesmerising storyteller; this novel is written with intelligence and warmth' The TimesA shy but privileged elder son, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Then the beginnings of an affair, and the threat of arrest force him to abandon his wife and child and sign up for emigration to Canada.Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war and madness that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before.'Rich in atmosphere and period detail, from the wardrobe requirements of pioneers to the construction of catalogue-bought houses, this enjoyable tale is both witty and poignant' Daily Mail'Neatly constructed and written in a prose of beautiful lucidity, Gale's novel offers up an absorbing and often moving story' Sunday TimesWhat readers love about A PLACE CALLED WINTER:'Beautifully written. This story is full of emotion, love, hard work and heartache. It is also full of hope' ? ? ? ? ?'Patrick Gale never ceases to surprise and amaze. Frontier Canada is as beautifully rendered as respectable Herne Bay' ? ? ? ? ?'A passionate and powerful novel written by a gifted storyteller' ? ? ? ? ?'The gift of Patrick Gale is to tell a story with such poise and grace of prose that you are wound deeply around every step of the unfolding tale' ? ? ? ? ?'This novel is a delightful read - atmospheric with an easy style which effortlessly carries the reader from the stiff English afternoon tea to the chill of a Canadian winter. Gale is one of those skilled writers that makes you forget you're reading a book' ? ? ? ? ?

Når 20 år gamle Lenny Barnes, som ble lam etter en rugbyulykke, begår selvmord i påsyn av den godt likte presten Barnaby Johnsen, får den personlige tragedien ringvirkninger også for Barnaby og hans nærmeste. Selv med de beste intensjoner, blir familiens gjemte hemmeligheter avgjørende for deres skjebne. Når en utenforstående med onde hensikter nøster opp i dulgte sannheter, er det ingen vei tilbake. I En tvers igjennom god mann vender vi tilbake til Patrick Gales cornwalske univers, som vi kjenner fra den bestselgende romanen Notater fra en utstilling.

Da den plagede maleren Rachel Kelly dør i sitt atelier i Cornwall, får hennes ektemann og voksne barn mer enn det som er vanlig å rydde opp i. Hun etterlater seg et ekstra.ordinært og bejublet livsverk, men også et arsenal av følelsesmessige skader og hem.meligheter. Rachels barn har arvet sin mors anlegg for å elske og hennes sans for kunst ? men også alle hennes demoner. Bare farens kvekergave av stillhet og evne til hele tiden å hente seg inn, har gitt dem kraft til å leve med morens skiftende luner og det å alltid komme i annen rekke. Notater fra en utstilling lyser av intelligens, humor og ømhet. Det er en historie om utholdende kjærlighet, om mental sykdom og det umenneskelige slitet det kan være å leve med et geni, men også om en familie som makter å ri av seg tragedien.

Da den plagede maleren Rachel Kelly dør i sitt atelier i Cornwall, får hennes ektemann og voksne barn mer enn det som er vanlig å rydde opp i. Hun etterlater seg et ekstra.ordinært og bejublet livsverk, men også et arsenal av følelsesmessige skader og hem.meligheter. Rachels barn har arvet sin mors anlegg for å elske og hennes sans for kunst ? men også alle hennes demoner. Bare farens kvekergave av stillhet og evne til hele tiden å hente seg inn, har gitt dem kraft til å leve med morens skiftende luner og det å alltid komme i annen rekke. Notater fra en utstilling lyser av intelligens, humor og ømhet. Det er en historie om utholdende kjærlighet, om mental sykdom og det umenneskelige slitet det kan være å leve med et geni, men også om en familie som makter å ri av seg tragedien.

Beautifully written and deeply compassionate, Rough Music is a novel of one family at two defining points in time. Seamlessly alternating between the present day and a summer thirty years past, its twin stories unfold at a cottage along the eastern coast of England. Will Pagett receives an unexpected gift on his fortieth birthday, two weeks at a perfect beach house in Cornwall. Seeking some distance from the married man with whom he's having an affair, he invites his aging mother and father to share his holiday, knowing the sun and sea will be a welcome change for. But the cottage and the stretch of sand before it seem somehow familiar and memories of a summer long ago begin to surface. Thirty-two years earlier. A young married couple and their eight year-old son begin two idyllic weeks at a beach house in Cornwall. But the sudden arrival of unknown American relatives has devastating consequences, turning what was to be a moment of reconciliation into an act of betrayal that will cast a lengthy shadow. As Patrick Gale masterfully unspools these parallel stories, we see their subtle and surprising reflections in each other and discover how the forgotten dramas of childhood are reenacted throughout our lives. Deftly navigating the terrain between humor and tragedy, Patrick Gale has written an unforgettable novel about the lies that adults tell and the small acts of treason that children can commit. Rough Music gracefully illuminates the merciful tricks of memory and the courage with which we continue to assert our belief in love and happiness.