Matchstick Man by Julia Kelly
Julia Kelly met a charismatic and successful artist, Charlie Whisker, while she was working on her first novel. He was twenty years older than her. Their relationship was passionate and extraordinary; each of them inspired the other. Their friends were writers, artists and rock stars; they lived a glamorous life of exhibitions, parties and concerts. They became parents to a daughter they adored. But Charlie suddenly changed, becoming hopelessly forgetful, angry and confused. This is an unbearably honest, unsentimental and heartbreaking description of a brilliant man's mental disintegration and its effects on his family. Charlie's disturbing behaviour is described in a series of terrible, understated revelations. An unforgettable telling of a story that will be familiar to many thousands of people in the UK and Ireland.
[A] candid, affecting and beautifully written account of living with Alzheimer's * The Bookseller *
Julia Kelly finds beauty in words.. A sad book about the loss of a mind and the conflicting layers of a relationship. We can only sigh in relief that such a talented writer was created in the process' -- Ruth Fitzmaurice, Irish Times
Heartbreaking... Yet somehow, at the same time, it is uplifting and life-affirming, and at times even funny... [Kelly] writes beautifully and with great humanity' * Irish Independent *
Kelly's talent is such that she is able to wring so much beauty, pathos and even humour from all this trauma... Matchstick Man challenges us to consider what a life is and, perhaps, to appreciate it all the more' * Dublin Sunday Independent *
Traces the bitter reality of Alzheimer's disease as few other pieces of writing have ever done * Nenagh Guardian *
This moving book traces the reality of Alzheimer's disease as few other pieces of writing have done * The Clare Champion *
Julia Kelly writes with confidence and with meticulous attention to the grind of daily life... She is impressively honest about her failings and his' * Sunday Times *
I admired Matchstick Man, Julia Kelly's unsparing account of coping with her husband's alzheimer's -- Madeleine Keane in the Literary Diary, Sunday Independent
Ragged and terrifying, but it also achieves a rare grace, as Kelly writes her way from resentment to compassion. It is a tribute to her craft that as the book ends we can only wonder at Charlie's fortitude, and hers * TLS. *
An unforgettable telling of a story that will be familiar to many thousands of people in the UK and Ireland * Spalding Guardian *
A tragic story, but [Kelly's] honest telling gives it an uplifting quality that leaves you cheerful rather than depressed at its end * Irish Examiner *
A searingly honest and moving tribute * County Down Spectator *
Julia Kelly finds beauty in words.. A sad book about the loss of a mind and the conflicting layers of a relationship. We can only sigh in relief that such a talented writer was created in the process' -- Ruth Fitzmaurice, Irish Times
Heartbreaking... Yet somehow, at the same time, it is uplifting and life-affirming, and at times even funny... [Kelly] writes beautifully and with great humanity' * Irish Independent *
Kelly's talent is such that she is able to wring so much beauty, pathos and even humour from all this trauma... Matchstick Man challenges us to consider what a life is and, perhaps, to appreciate it all the more' * Dublin Sunday Independent *
Traces the bitter reality of Alzheimer's disease as few other pieces of writing have ever done * Nenagh Guardian *
This moving book traces the reality of Alzheimer's disease as few other pieces of writing have done * The Clare Champion *
Julia Kelly writes with confidence and with meticulous attention to the grind of daily life... She is impressively honest about her failings and his' * Sunday Times *
I admired Matchstick Man, Julia Kelly's unsparing account of coping with her husband's alzheimer's -- Madeleine Keane in the Literary Diary, Sunday Independent
Ragged and terrifying, but it also achieves a rare grace, as Kelly writes her way from resentment to compassion. It is a tribute to her craft that as the book ends we can only wonder at Charlie's fortitude, and hers * TLS. *
An unforgettable telling of a story that will be familiar to many thousands of people in the UK and Ireland * Spalding Guardian *
A tragic story, but [Kelly's] honest telling gives it an uplifting quality that leaves you cheerful rather than depressed at its end * Irish Examiner *
A searingly honest and moving tribute * County Down Spectator *
Julia Kelly was born in 1969 and studied English, Sociology and Journalism in Dublin. Her novels include With my Lazy Eye and The Playground. She lives in Dalkey, County Dublin.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781788540155 |
| ISBN 10 | 1788540158 |
| Title | Matchstick Man |
| Author | Julia Kelly |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2019-05-16 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |