Distant Music by Charlotte Bingham
In the 1950s, when Britain was still recovering from the effects of the war, the only people in society who could be said to have a glamorous lifestyle were the very wealthy, the aristocracy, and people who worked in the theatre. Elsie Lancaster is the granddaughter of a hardened old professional actress who runs a seaside boarding house. Oliver is the third son of an Catholic aristocratic Yorkshire family whose mother has run off, so the theatre-mad butler has brought him up like a son to be a Great Actor. Coco Hampton, Oliver's best friend, has been raised in Sloane Street by Gladys, her profligate guardian, who is always borrowing money from Coco to buy more clothes. Gladys and Oliver have been fans of the theatre since they were knee-high, but Coco has only ever wanted to be a designer. When Coco joins Oliver at his drama school in London, to his chagrin she promptly gets cast in films because of her photogenic looks. Meanwhile, Elsie is 'discovered' in the provinces by Portly Cosgrove, but is sacked by Portly's partner, who runs off with their assets. She is forced to retire from the stage while suicidal Portly walks the streets. Oliver meets and falls in love with Elsie. Meanwhile, on location, Coco has her first affair with a handsome actor and falls pregnant by mistake...
"As comforting as a hot milky drink on a stormy nightHer legions of fans will not be disappointed." -- DAILY EXPRESS
Charlotte Bingham comes from a literary family - her father sold a story to H. G. Wells when he was only seventeen - and Charlotte wrote her autobiography, CORONET AMONG THE WEEDS, at the age of nineteen. Since then, she has written comedy and drama series, films and plays for both England and America with her husband, the actor and playwright Terence Brady. Her published novels include the highly acclaimed bestsellers SUMMERTIME, THE SEASON, THE BLUE NOTE, THE LOVE KNOT, THE KISSING GARDEN, LOVE SONG, TO HEAR A NIGHTINGALE, THE BUSINESS, IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW, STARDUST, NANNY, CHANGE OF HEART, DEBUTANTES, THE NIGHTINGALE SINGS, GRAND AFFAIR, THE CHESTNUT TREE, THE WIND OFF THE SEA, THE MOON AT MIDNIGHT, DAUGHTERS OF EDEN, THE HOUSE OF FLOWERS, THE MAGIC HOUR, FRIDAY'S GIRL, IN DISTANT FIELDS and THE WHITE MARRIAGE.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780553813876 |
| ISBN 10 | 0553813870 |
| Title | Distant Music |
| Author | Charlotte Bingham |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Transworld Publishers Ltd |
| Year published | 2002-02-04 |
| Number of pages | 576 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |