Palace Pier by Keith Waterhouse
In the early 1960s, a golden age for newly-discovered writers, Chris Duffy was something of a nearly man. His debut novel was reasonably successful; his second was turned down as being too like the first. Thanks to procrastination and heavy drinking, he has published nothing since. Settled now in Brighton, where he ekes out a living running a market bric-a-brac stall, Duffy dreams of the blurred decades that seem to have slipped through his fingers: where did it all go wrong? But during one confusing weekend, on the opening days of the Brighton Literary Festival, everything looks set to change. Lurching through the razzmatazz of stilt-walkers, mime artists and unicyclists, Duffy learns of the existence of a long-lost manuscript by a famous novelist, now dead, and resolves to get hold of it, pass it off as his own and thus give his wilted career a kick-start. Unfortunately, little in Duffy's disordered life ever runs smoothly, particularly on this crowded weekend!
'A wonderful comedy about indolence and underachievement by a very "unDuffyesque" writer who proves with his 15th novel that he is as gifted as ever' -- Harry Ritchie, Mail on Sunday 'Funny and light-hearted [and] written with what appears to be an airy ease ... With the lightest of touches, Waterhouse brings Duffy, and us, to a hard place; where things are as they really are.' -- Allan Massie, Scotsman 'Duffy's self-delusion and his heroic amount of displacement activity keep our sympathy ... [the] sense of small-scale tragedy comes through more strongly for being so comically told.' -- David Horspool, Sunday Times 'Waterhouse writes so well about those staples of comic literature: the shabby boarding house, the faded splendours of the louche seaside town. The seediness of Brighton is wonderfully evoked ... engrossing and frequently very funny' -- David McLaurin, Tablet
In a long and highly successful career, Keith Waterhouse has published fourteen novels, including BILLY LIAR (which has been filmed and staged), OUR SONG (also staged) and, most recently, the critically acclaimed SOHO. He is also the author of seven non-fiction books and seven collections of journalism. He has written widely for television, cinema and the theatre, including the highly successful play JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL, and writes an award-winning column for the Daily Mail. He has also published two acclaimed memoirs, CITY LIGHTS and STREETS AHEAD.
| SKU | GOR003679694 |
| ISBN 13 | 9780340823019 |
| ISBN 10 | 0340823011 |
| Title | Palace Pier |
| Author | Keith Waterhouse |
| Condition | Very Good |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Year published | 2003-11-03 |
| Number of pages | 208 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us |
