Miles McGinty by Tom Gilling
Critically acclaimed, Tom Gilling's MILES MCGINTY is an inspirational and evocative tale of one man's determination to take to the sky. New South Wales, 1856: Miles McGinty and Isabel Dowling are born on the same night into different worlds. Miles is the illegitimate son of an actress in a troupe of travelling players, Isabel the rebellious daughter of a merchant banker, her home a red-brick mansion in one of Sydney's better suburbs. Both are destined to defy convention - and gravity. She rides in a balloon at the age of seven, defying the tweed-coated official who'd asked for a boy. He learns to float in mid-air with the aid of a mysterious showman and storyteller. But Miles becomes possessed by a secret ambition, the desire to build and ride in a flying machine. When his path finally crosses Isabel's, he knows he's met the only person who can share his adventurous vision.
Gilling's wonderful novel blends Dickensian characters.. with a love story pssessed of the simple moral force of a fairytale * The Times *
Strongly drawn characters... and an engaging, well-paced story... an enjoyable and imaginative novel that captures the excitement and uncertainty of pioneer efforts in the pre-airplane age * Historical Novels Review *
For anyone defeated by Peter Carey's hefty antipodean tomes, Tom Gilling's pared-down version of 19th-century Down Under may be the answer * Independent *
Tom Gilling pitches well as an entertainer. His novel [is] a jolly fable, with a beguiling lightness and enjoyable, wry humour * Daily Telegraph *
Gilling [takes] innovators, entrepreneurs and chance-takers and turns them into imaginative, charming heroes... A heart-warming adventure for all the family, and nothing wrong in that either * Scotsman *
More than worth reading for Gilling's use of language, some of it so good you feel like whooping * Glasgow Herald *
Strongly drawn characters... and an engaging, well-paced story... an enjoyable and imaginative novel that captures the excitement and uncertainty of pioneer efforts in the pre-airplane age * Historical Novels Review *
For anyone defeated by Peter Carey's hefty antipodean tomes, Tom Gilling's pared-down version of 19th-century Down Under may be the answer * Independent *
Tom Gilling pitches well as an entertainer. His novel [is] a jolly fable, with a beguiling lightness and enjoyable, wry humour * Daily Telegraph *
Gilling [takes] innovators, entrepreneurs and chance-takers and turns them into imaginative, charming heroes... A heart-warming adventure for all the family, and nothing wrong in that either * Scotsman *
More than worth reading for Gilling's use of language, some of it so good you feel like whooping * Glasgow Herald *
Tom Gilling studied English and German literature at the University of York. After emigrating to Australia in his early twenties, he became a journalist.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780755302123 |
| ISBN 10 | 0755302125 |
| Title | Miles McGinty |
| Author | Tom Gilling |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Headline Publishing Group |
| Year published | 2003-03-03 |
| Number of pages | 208 |
| Prizes | Short-listed for NSW Premier's Literary Award Christina Stead Prize for Fiction 2002 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |