Mother's Boy

A beautifully crafted novel of war, Cornwall, and the relationship between a mother and son

By: Patrick Gale

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Paperback | 31 January 2023 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
418 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.7 x 13.2 x 20

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'Tender, evocative' TLS
'Richly engaging' Spectator

A Radio 4 Serial Fiction Book of the Week

'A characteristically tender novel about a young man growing up in the shadow of one war and the whispers of the next' Observer

'A wonderful novel about relationships, particularly between a mother and son. A compelling read, beautifully crafted and sensitively written' Irish Examiner

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Laura, a laundress, meets her young husband when they are both placed in service in Teignmouth in 1914. They have a baby, Charles, but his father returns home from the trenches a damaged man, already ill with the tuberculosis that will soon leave Laura a widow.

As a new war looms, Charles signs up for the navy as a coder. His escape from the tight, gossipy confines of Launceston to a more colourful life in action sees him blossom, as he experiences the possibility of death, and the excitement - even terror - of a love that is as clandestine as his work.

_______

'Stands with the best queer literary fiction of a historical bent, illuminated as it is by Gale's devilish wit and talent for both social observation and intricacies of character' Sydney Morning Herald

'A wonderful novel - a touching, utterly convincing portrait of the nascent artist' Mail on Sunday

'A deeply moving novel. The portrait of a complex relationship that constricted as much as it sustained is brilliantly done' The Tablet

Industry Reviews

Mother's Boy is further proof that Patrick Gale is that rare kind of storyteller - utterly engaging, compelling and unputdownable - Sarah Winman

I loved it. It's an incredibly evocative, enjoyable read...I didn't want it to stop - Cathy Rentzenbrink

A lovely, generous, absorbing novel. Charles is made both 'of' and belonging to his place and world, while also not fitting into it. The war sections are so very good, so terrible and ugly and gritty. I absolutely believed all of it

- Tessa Hadley

You know sometimes, from the very first page of a book, you feel so at home and so involved with the story, it's as if you've walked alongside the characters all your life? Mother's Boy is one of those books. A sign of an incredible storyteller - Joanna Cannon

A wonderfully tender account of a poet's coming of age against the brutal backdrop of World War 11. Scene after scene is delivered with filmic intensity. Patrick Gale is a master of atmosphere, detail and the deep currents of latent passion - Philip Marsden

Patrick Gale's writing has an unmatched ability to take you by the hand and just casually, quietly, lead you in, and in, and in. It all seems so simple, and then you're in tears - Louisa Young

Patrick Gale's MOTHER'S BOY is a tour-de-force; a meticulously researched re-imagining of the early life of a man who you may never have heard of, but who for many years was the voice of Radio Four's Poetry Please; the Cornish poet Charles Causely. It takes us from kitchens to battleships, and through two world wars. But more than than just an evocation of history - much more - the book is really a love-letter, to motherhood, and to the landscapes and townscapes of Gale's adopted home county of Cornwall. Most of all, it is a heartfelt tribute from one fine writer to another; a patient and subtle reflection on the tricky art of noticing - and enduring - what really matters in life - Neil Bartlett

Patrick Gale always writes so well of his men and of the women near them. In Mother's Boy his women shine as brightly as the men, his characters age and grow by themselves, alive in their actions, hopes and losses. - Stella Duffy

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Mother's Boy

A beautifully crafted novel of war, Cornwall, and the relationship between a mother and son

At a Glance

Paperback

'Tender, evocative' TLS'Richly engaging' SpectatorA Radio 4 Serial Fiction Book of the Week

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

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This product is categorised by

'Tender, evocative' TLS
'Richly engaging' Spectator

A Radio 4 Serial Fiction Book of the Week