Valentine Grey by Sandi Toksvig
From the author of BETWEEN THE STOPS and TOKSVIG'S ALMANAC 'Teasing out untold stories of the battlefield . . . follows the footsteps of the likes of Sarah Waters and Pat Barker' Independent London, 1897. A young girl, Valentine Grey, arrives in England. She's been brought up in the remote and sunny climes of India and finds being forced into corsets and skirts in damp and cold country insufferable. The only bright spot: her exciting cousin, Reggie. Reggie, and his lover Frank seek out the adventure the clandestine bars and streets of London offer and are happy to include Valentine in their secret, showing her theatre, gardens - even teaching her how to ride a bicycle. And then comes the Boer War and Reggie's father volunteers him; the empire must be defended. But it won't be Reggie who dons the Volunteer Regiment's garb. Valentine takes her chance, puts on her cousin's uniform, leaving Reggie behind and heads off to war. And for a long while it's glorious and liberating for both of the cousins, but war is not glorious and in Victorian London homosexuality is not liberating . . .
Toksvig's warm characterisation drives the narrative, especially when set against her droll yet richly detailed evocation of an unedifying period of modern history. . Toksvig's shining creation, Valentine Grey, [is] a courageous and captivating character . . . begging for a sequel -- Lucy Beresford * Sunday Telegraph *
Teasing out untold stories of the battlefield and of gay history . . . follows in the footsteps of the likes of Sarah Waters and Pat Barker . . . Toksvig's seemingly effortless ability to entertain shines through -- Lucy Scholes * Independent *
Teasing out untold stories of the battlefield and of gay history . . . follows in the footsteps of the likes of Sarah Waters and Pat Barker . . . Toksvig's seemingly effortless ability to entertain shines through -- Lucy Scholes * Independent *
Sandi Toksvig was born in Denmark, brought up in Africa, then America and moved to the UK when she was fourteen. She has been on British stage, screen and radio for over forty years and was awarded an OBE for Services to Broadcasting. She is the mother of three children, married and lives deep in the woods.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781844088331 |
| ISBN 10 | 1844088332 |
| Title | Valentine Grey |
| Author | Sandi Toksvig |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Book Group |
| Year published | 2013-07-04 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Prizes | Long-listed for Green Carnation Prize 2012 (UK) |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |