Songs Without Words by Ann Packer
Liz and Sarabeth have been friends forever, childhood neighbours bound together in adolescence by a devastating event, the suicide of Sarabeth's mother when the girls were just sixteen. In the decades that followed - through Liz's marriage and the birth of her children, through Sarabeth's depressions and her volatile love affairs - their relationship has remained a source of continuity and strength, a fixed point amid the tumult of their adult lives. But when an unforeseen calamity strikes at the heart of Liz's family, all the assumptions - the deepest habits of their friendship - are revealed in a strange new light, and Liz and Sarabeth must question everything they thought they knew about each other and themselves. Ann Packer's new novel expertly explores the inequities between close friends, the unspoken roles, hidden expectations and deep resentments that can be violently exposed by a true crisis, and the endurance and limits of bonds forged in childhood.
"'there's so much to admire about Packer's debut that one can only look forward to Ms Packer's next offering' THE ECONOMIST 'Packer knows just how to make a story build: the novel reveals a sure sense of pace and pitch, a brilliant ear for character.. A searching emotional generosity.' THE NEW YORK TIMES 'Gracefully written and provocative... An elegant book.' THE WASHINGTON POST '[Packer's] characters seem observed rather than invented, and capable of mistakes that the author may never have intended. The result is genuine suspense' THE NEW YORKER 'One of those small miracles that reinforce our faith in fiction. It does what the best novels so often do, making the largest things visible by its perfect rendering of life on the smaller scale. It is witty, tragic, and touching, and beguiling from its first page.' SCOTT TURROW 'A winning debut novel.' VOGUE 'Ambitious... Both a colourful chronicle of life in Wisconsin and New York City... And a serious, moving meditation on the nature of love and of loyalty.' GLAMOUR 'Impressive... Packer skillfully distills broad themes into small, personal moments... A thoughtful and satisfying examination of duty and personal integrity.' TIME OUT"
Ann Packer received the Great Lakes Book Award and the Kate Chopin Writing Award for THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S, a national bestseller that has been translated into ten languages. Also the author of Mendocino and Other Stories, she lives in northern California with her family.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780749938338 |
| ISBN 10 | 0749938331 |
| Title | Songs Without Words |
| Author | Ann Packer |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Book Group |
| Year published | 2007-09-06 |
| Number of pages | 354 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |