The Pure Gold Baby

Description

You have seen them in parks, in supermarkets, at airports. They are the happy ones, and you notice them because they are happy. They smile at strangers, when you look at them their response is to smile. They were born that way, you say, as you go thoughtfully on your way. The Pure Gold Baby will raise your spirits and break your heart. Anna is the smiling child with special, unknowable qualities, who also presents profound challenges. And Jess is her charismatic single mother. Over the course of decades, we observe how much Jess loves her surprising daughter, who touches the lives of those around her. With characteristic intelligence, sympathy and wit, Drabble writes about parenthood, about friendship and ultimately about the way we care for one another in today's society. A captivating novel from one of the world's most respected and admired literary figures.

Margaret Drabble was born in Sheffield in 1939 and educated at Newnham College, Cambridge. She was awarded a CBE in 1980 . Her many novels include the trilogy The Radiant WayMargaret Drabble was born in Sheffield in 1939 and educated(1987), A Natural Curiosity (1989) and The Gates of Ivory (1991), along with The Peppered Moth (2000) and The Seven Sisters (2002), all of which are published by Viking and Penguin. Among her non-fiction works are Arnold Bennett- A biography (1974), The Oxford Companion to English Literature (1985, 2000, editor) and Angus Wilson- A biography (1995).at Newnham College, Margaret Drabble is married to the biographer Michael Holroyd and lives in London. Cambridge. She was awarded a CBE iInterview with the Author n 1980. Her many novels i The Red Queen is comprised of two gripping storylines set centuries apart. What are the benefits of dividing the book into two separate time-frame divisions like this (rather than having continuous flashbacks interlacing the past and present)nclude the trilogy The Radiant Way (1987I had at first thought of a more conventional interweaving of past and present, but the first section of the book seemed to write itself, with great impetus, in the invented voice of the Red Queen, who seemed to override interruptions . So I decided to go along with her, and then to take a deep), A Natural Curiosity (1989) The novel is full of won derfully rich detail. How did you research the book? My research involved two visits to Seoul and two to New York, as much reading of English language texts as I could find, and visits to museums and galleries in England - as well as talking to some Korean scholars. The most strikin

'Vintage Drabble.' * Good Weekend * 'As meticulous as Jane Austen and as deadly as Evelyn Waugh.' * Los Angeles Times * 'Reading Margaret Drabble's novels has become something of a rite of passage...Sharply observed, exquisitely companionable tales.' * Washington Post * 'Writers of a certain vintage often fall into one of two camps: those whose creative powers are irrevocably on the wane and those who are at the height of their game. Margaret Drabble's 18th novel, The Pure Gold Baby, is evidence, if we needed it, that the 74-year-old British novelist, biographer and critic fits firmly in the latter category.' * Australian * 'Everything and nothing happens in a moving testament to love, loyalty, and friendships between women. Perhaps the real pure gold baby will know she, or he, has inspired this great writer to return to fiction with a poignant but ultimately uplifting tale.' * Independent * 'A magnificent novel that confirms Drabble's status as a national treasure.' * Daily Mail *