Jamrach's Menagerie

Shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize

By: Carol Birch

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Paperback | 21 September 2011 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
348 Pages

Edition Type
New edition

Dimensions(cm)
2.3 x 13.1 x 20

Paperback

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'I was born twice. First in wooden room that jutted out over the black water of the Thames, and then again eight years later in the Highway, when the tiger took me in his mouth and everything truly began.' 1857. Jaffy Brown is running along a street in London's East End when he comes face to face with an escaped circus animal.

Plucked from the jaws of death by Mr Jamrach - explorer, entrepreneur and collector of the world's strangest creatures - the two strike up a friendship. Before he knows it, Jaffy finds himself on board a ship bound for the Dutch East Indies, on an unusual commission for Mr Jamrach. His journey - if he survives it - will push faith, love and friendship to their utmost limits.

Brilliantly written and utterly spellbinding, Carol Birch's epic novel brings alive the smells, sights and flavours of the nineteenth century, from the docks of London to the storms of the Indian Ocean. This great salty historical adventure is a gripping exploration of our relationship to the natural world and the wildness it contains.

About the Author

Carol Birch is the author of nine previous novels including Scapegallows and Turn Again Home, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize. She has won the Geoffrey Faber Award and the David Higham Award. She lives in Lancashire.

Industry Reviews

`One of the best stories I've ever read. [Birch] tells the most extraordinarily good story. A completely original book.' -- A. S. Byatt
`In Jamrach's Menagerie, Carol Birch quickly sucks you into a world of the senses, from the filthy streets of Victorian London to the rolling hills of the South Seas. Jaffy Brown, the gifted narrator at the center of this mythic tale, rivals David Copperfield and Ishmael of Moby-Dick with his gift for storytelling. His `rare old time' becomes, in due course, a fable of friendship, and a tribute to human survival. What a beautifully written and engaging novel!' -- Jay Parini
`Never mind not being able to put it down-there is a 100-page section in Jamrach's Menagerie in which you will not be able to breathe. Rarely have I read a book that so deftly marries high literary value with unbearable suspense.' -- Robert Hough
`This beautifully written exploration of friendship and human survival goes well beyond the two historical events upon which it is based to give us an engrossing tale that plums the depths of faith, trust and survival.' * Good Reading *

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