Dancing Backwards

salley-vickers

Fourth Estate

If you spend most of your life alone you do not know that you are lonely.... A shimmering first novel of self-discovery, of redemption from numb solitude, and of the matchless consolations to be found in human connection and spiritual nourishment, Miss Garnet's Angel limns-with uncommon subtlety and an engaging, often subversive wit-the thematic parallels and intersections that bind an ancient tale from the Apocrypha to a modern-day narrative about a retired British spinster on sojourn in Venice. A word-of-mouth bestseller and a critics' favorite on both sides of the Atlantic, Salley Vickers' resonant debut achieves something that has become all too rare in recent years: a wholesale blurring of the line distinguishing the "popular" from the "literary" on today's fiction shelves.\nMiss Julia Garnet is a retired history teacher who, as we learn in the opening pages of the novel, has been practicing economies of the spirit for a lifetime. A virgin in her sixties, she is still haunted by the spectre of her tyrannical, abusive father. It has been her belief that there are two kinds of people in the world: those willing to tangle with their fate, who endeavor to shape the course of life, and those who bear their circumstances with little or no struggle. Now, unmoored by the sudden death of Harriet Josephs-for more than thirty years Julia's companion in a small West London flat-Miss Garnet decides to spend six months in Venice. It is a decision that sparks an exhilarating adventure of the soul. With this opening, author Salley Vickers sweeps us away into a mesmerizing narrative about the dissolution of prudence, the discarding of worn categories, and the challenging of dogmasthat leave no room for wonder or transcendence.\nThe greatest wisdoms are not those which are written down but those which are passed between human beings who understand each other.... This is a book of stories-stories within stories, stories complementing stories, stories refracting and reshaping the elements of older stories. The strange beauty of Venice, with its spectacular architecture and abundance of art pregnant with history and ancient mysticism, storms Miss Garnet's staunch English reserve and challenges her socialist ideology. For the first time in her life she falls in love-with Carlo, a charming art dealer with twinkling eyes and a white moustache-and her spirit, once awakened, is liberated further by her friendships with a beautiful Italian boy called Nicco and an enigmatic pair of twins engaged in restoring the fourteenth-century Chapel-of-the-Plague. It is her discovery of a series of paintings in the nearby Church of the Angel Raphael, however, that leads finally to Julia's transformation and reassessment of her past. Intrigued by the paintings, Julia begins unraveling the story they tell of Tobias and the Archangel Raphael, an ancient tale depicting a quest of faith and redemption. At the same time, she embarks on a quest of her own to recover losses-not only personal losses but also a priceless angel panel that goes missing from the Chapel, along with one of the twins restoring it.\nIn Salley Vickers' prose, the legendary city of sublimity and light comes to life with an unprecedented sensual clarity. Through Miss Garnet's eyes, we encounter a city swarming with the ghosts of history and enduring even in the face of its own perpetual erosion into the sea. A ravishing novel possessed of an insistent emotional honesty and an infectious curiosity about life's oldest mysteries, Miss Garnet's Angel is that rarest of contemporary novels: kindhearted and complex, subtle and genuinely suspenseful. ABOUTBIO: Salley Vickers, author of Miss Garnet's Angel and Instances of the Number 3, has worked as a university teacher of literature, specializing in Shakespeare and texts of the ancient world. Trained as a Jungian analytical psychologist, she lectures widely on the connections between literature, psychology, and religion. She lives and works in London and

Miss Garnet's Angel

Harpercollins Pub, Ltd.

Beautifully rejacked edition of this wonderful novel from the best-selling author of 'Miss Garnet's Angel' and 'Instances of the Number 3'. Many years ago Mr Golightly wrote a work of dramatic fiction which grew to be an international best-seller. But his reputation is on the decline and he finds himself out of touch with the modern world. He decides to take a holiday and comes to the ancient village of Great Calne, hoping to use the opportunity to bring his great work up to date. But he soon finds that events take over his plans and that the themes he has written on are being strangely replicated in the lives of the villagers he is staying among. He meets Ellen Thomas, a reclusive artist, young Johnny Spence, an absconding school boy, and the tough-minded Paula who works at the local pub. As he comes to know his neighbours better, Mr Golightly begins to examine his attitude to love, and to ponder the terrible catastrophe of his son's death. And as the drama unfolds we begin to learn the true and extraordinary identity of Mr Golightly and the nature of the secret sorrow which haunts him links him to his new friends. Mysterious, light of touch, witty and profound, 'Mr Golightly's Holiday' confirms Salley Vickers's reputation as one of our most original and engaging novelists.

Mr.Golightly's Holiday

Literature & Fiction

Contemporary

HarperPerennial UK

"Collins Keys" are illustrated guides to core subjects, providing authoritative, up-to-date information in an easy-to-access form. This is an illustrated guide to the monarchs of the British Isles and Ireland from pre-Saxon times to the present, now in an easy-reference format. It contains biographies and historical background to rulers from the ancient British chiefs through all the subsequent dynasties up to Elizabeth II. Included are: details of birth, parents, accession to the throne, coronation, authority, personal status, death date and burial place. This is an overview of his or her reign, outlining the major events and personal tragedies, the wars, celebrations and conspiracies. There is a survey of each dynasty and its impact on British history.

Kings and Queens

History

Europe

The latest novel from the best-selling author of Miss Garnet's Angel.Reissue with PB edition.Many years ago Mr Golightly wrote a work of dramatic fiction which grew to be an international best-seller. But his reputation is on the decline and he finds himself out of touch with the modern world.He decides to take a holiday and comes to the ancient village of Great Calne, hoping to use the opportunity to bring his great work up to date. But he soon finds that events take over his plans and that the themes he has written on are being strangely replicated in the lives of the villagers he is staying among.He meets Ellen Thomas, a reclusive artist, young Johnny Spence, an absconding school boy, and the tough-minded Paula who works at the local pub. As he comes to know his neighbours better, Mr Golightly begins to examine his attitude to love, and to ponder the terrible catastrophe of his son's death. And as the drama unfolds we begin to learn the true and extraordinary identity of Mr Golightly and the nature of the secret sorrow which haunts him links him to his new friends.Mysterious, light of touch, witty and profound, Mr Golightly's Holiday confirms Salley Vickers's reputation as one of our most original and engaging novelists.

HarperCollins Audiobooks

Mr Golightly's Holiday

The Other Side of You

Julia Garnet goes to live in Venice. Its beauty overwhelms a lifetime of reserve and caution. Above all, she's touched by the spirit of the angel, Raphael. Twinned with her journey is that of Tobias, who is determined that his son should recover the family debt and allow his father to die in peace.

Harperperennial

Literary

4th Estate

Aphrodite's Hat

A wonderful collection of stories from the much-loved Salley Vickers. The stories in this long-awaited collection by Salley Vickers all deal with psychological aspects of love: love given and withheld, love craved and lost, love met and disappointed; the differing shades of loves between friends, between parents and children, between children and other adults; love even, in one case, for a pet. Psychologically acute, sharply written in lucid and often witty prose, these stories, set in Venice, Greece and Rome as well as London and the English countryside, take us into the complex geography of the human heart. Sometimes joyous and humorous, sometimes melancholy and poignant, this collection confirms Salley Vickers' reputation as one of our most subtle and engaging writers.

Fourth Estate (GB)

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Books by salley-vickers

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Dancing Backwards

Miss Garnet's Angel

Mr.Golightly's Holiday

Kings and Queens

Mr.Golightly's Holiday

Mr Golightly's Holiday

The Other Side of You

Miss Garnet's Angel

Dancing Backwards

Aphrodite's Hat