- Sorry, this product is unavailable.
-
Lawrence is the youngest of the Carruthers family of five boys. Their parents are dead and they are cared for by the careless and rough-spoken Eliza, the old family maid. The eldest son, Roger, is a barrister intent on marrying Linley, a refined and artistic young lady; Martin has almost completed his medical degree at University; Clem will soon be finished high school; Phil still has some years of schooling left and Lawrence - or Lol, as he is known - is the Little Larrikin who spends his days roaming the alleys Sydney and getting up to mischief with the louts in the local 'push'. Lol finds an unexpected friend in Marcia, Linley's sister, even though she is often amazed at his cheeky remarks. Here is an excellent portrait of family life in Sydney in the late 19th century, with all the challenges of poverty, young love, romance, heartbreak, near tragedy - but also plenty of humour. -
An original, entertaining and restorative book that can confirm the reader's faith in the essential humanity of man, having the power of tradition, folklore and the conflict between Good and Evil. Don Camillo enters on a bicycle and rides straight into the reader's heart. These tragicomical stories are mostly situated in a fictional village on the Po called Boscaccio, immediately post-World War II and paint a clear picture of the Italy of that time. Boscaccio has a communist mayor named Peppone. He wants to realise the communist ideals but the Roman Catholic priest Don Camillo is desperately trying to prevent this. Yet despite their different views, this pair can count on each other in the fight against social injustice. -
A classic collection of nine stories highlighting the grimness of post-war Britain, portraying the isolation, criminality, morality, and rebellion of the working class. The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner: Seventeen year old Smith, inmate of a juvenile detention centre, is given light duties by the warders as he shows promise of winning the national long-distance running contest - but to win will vindicate the society and the system that locked him up. Uncle Ernest: A middle-aged, lonely furniture upholsterer is practically a ghost: his wife has left him and his brothers have moved away. But when he finds light-hearted companionship with two young girls, his morals are viewed with suspicion by the local authorities. Mr Raynor The Schoolteacher: A voyeuristic teacher fantasises constantly about the women who work in a draper’s shop across the street. And he doesn't want his lustful daydreams interrupted...The Fishing Boat Picture: Harry the postman has weathered the Great Depression and World War II. All he wants is a quiet life and marriage. But his wife Kate wants more - much more. Noah's Ark: Ten-year-old Colin and his cousin Bert visit the Goose Fair with only four pence between them. The resourceful Bert uses dishonest tricks to get more spending money. Their evening ends on the 'Noah's Ark', a carousel of different animals where they attempt to evade the attendant for a free ride. On Saturday Afternoon: A young lad watches as a neighbour tries to hang himself and fails - and who then asks for help in his suicide attempt. The Match: A football match proves to be the catalyst for the destruction of a marriage. The Disgrace Of Jim Scarfedale: In order to prove he is no 'mama's boy', Jim marries and divorces in haste, returns to Mama - and lives a double life. The Decline And Fall of Frankie Buller: Frankie, a warrior, leads the street gang and is worshipped by the younger lads - and a chance encounter after war has separated the gang shows how very differently their lives turned out. -
The Lonely: Paul Gallico
$15.00A tale of two lonely souls trying to reach out to one of their kind in order to feel completeness. Jerry, a much-loved only child, grows up in Long Island and is happy to marry his childhood sweetheart. But the Second World War intervenes and he is stationed in England, far from home. About to go on furlough to Scotland, he invites Patches, a WAAF - no strings attached, they have a wonderful time, and part with a handshake as agreed. He finds that what he feels for Patches is real - but will they ever see each other again? On his journey from boy to man, he realizes that there's more to it than growing a dashing moustache or going with girls. Once he returns home, he struggles, realising that he loves Patches, that his parents and his fiancee have invested so much in the plans they had made for a future - and they have no way of understanding that his experiences in both love and war have changed him for life. The emotional turmoil which each character undergoes has been written brilliantly and makes the book worth reading. In spite of its slow pace, there is never a dull moment. For each action that is taken, a justification is given, which makes it even more difficult for the reader to decide what can be the end of the story. A most vivid description of the characters and their thoughts makes the reader literally go under the skin of each and relive their moments time and again. -
Under tow, you were expected to sheer off from danger, not stick your nose smack into it, Bentley reflected bitterly. And yet he had sent an unarmed cutter against his enemy base – because his men needed the fillip of success...could this foolhardy gamble pay off? -
Set in the tenth story during the Viking raids of England and the defeat of Ethelred the Unready's army at Maldon. Orm, son of a famous pirate, is shanghaied by the Vikings near his home in Sweden. He sailed with them until captured by the Moors and spent several years as a galley slave. He escaped to Ireland, fought in the Battle of Maldon and then journeyed down the unknown Russian rivers in search of gold. Epic battles and bloody feuds with authentic historical details and plenty of zest and humour. -
Set in the tenth story during the Viking raids of England and the defeat of Ethelred the Unready's army at Maldon. Orm, son of a famous pirate, is shanghaied by the Vikings near his home in Sweden. He sailed with them until captured by the Moors and spent several years as a galley slave. He escaped to Ireland, fought in the Battle of Maldon and then journeyed down the unknown Russian rivers in search of gold. Epic battles and bloody feuds with authentic historical details and plenty of zest and humour. -
The magnificent castle at the throat of Brittanny is the inheritance of the orphaned Everard de Vaumartin. In medieval France, the age of chivalry is drawing to a close, but matters of love honour and blood still reign supreme. Everard, a scholar, is despised by his rutheless uncle, Josseran, who schemes to deprive him of his birthright. Sent unprepared into battle against the English, Everard is believed dead but after the massacre at Crecy in 1346 he travels alone to Paris to pursue a scholarly life until he can reclaim Vaumartin for his own. Here is a time when alchemy and magic are as common as bread and ale; where lust for pageantry competes with a thirst for logic; and where the Black Death can fell noble and peasant alike. Cover art by Stephen Bradbury. -
Raphael Taylor was the golden boy - blond, handsome, a gifted athlete and student. Damon Flood was a scoundrel - a smooth, smiling cynical devil. The day Raphael met Damon was the day he began his mysterious fall from grace and the golden boy fell very fast and very low. Damon introduces Raphael to drink, wealth and a seductive woman then sends him out to his doom. After losing his leg in a drunken car accident, Raphael goes to recuperate in a seedy backstreet in Spokane, Washington. There he is surrounded by 'the losers', a nightmarish sub-culture of violence and despair that is kept going - and kept out of sight - by a band of incompetent social workers. Raphael struggles to come to terms with his new surroundings - until Damon turns up on his doorstep and the world of the losers explodes.
