Ulverton

by Adam Thorpe

Book Overview

Three hundred years of English history come alive through the lives and fortunes of the inhabitants of Ulverton, a fictional village on England's Wessex Downs. A first novel. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374280312
• ISBN13: 9780374280314
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 390 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

I love this book

and refuse to share my old, tattered, paperback copy with anyone - it's just too hard to replace. I do not understand why this book isn't better known, and more revered. It's far superior to the likes of Edward Rutherfurd's Sarum, or Ken Follet's Pillars of Heaven, though the thematic structure is similar - a detailed history of a single place, as told through the experiences of a diverse cast of characters. As you read Ulverton, you get the sensation of actually hearing the voices and sharing the experiences of real people - by turns hilarious, heartbreaking, breathtaking, and just head-shakingly real. I think it's time for me to re-read this book - for probably the fourth or fifth time. It's that good.

A challenging and mesmerizing read!

[...] Thorpe's recreation of life in a small English village over three hundred years is startling in its ability to grab the reader by the "emotional lapels" and shake hard. By revealing bits of history from widely varying perspectives, Thorpe communicates that, though times and social classes may differ, the essence of "being human" does not. The ending is also uncommonly satisfying. Treat yourself--read Ulverton!