Sometimes we must look to the past to survive the future. A novel about what really matters in life from the bestselling author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Q wants a simpler and safer life. His work as a quantum cryptographer for the government has led him to believe a crisis is imminent for civilisation and he's looking for somewhere to ride out what's ahead.
He buys a ruined farmhouse in Cornwall and begins to build his own self-sufficient haven. Over the course of this quest he meets the eccentric characters who already live on the moors nearby - including the park ranger in charge of the reintroduced lynxes and aurochs that roam the area; a holy man waiting for the second coming on top of a nearby hill; an Arthurian knight on horseback and the amorous ghost of an Edwardian woman who haunts the farmhouse.
As life in the cities gets more complicated, and our systems of electronic control begin to fall apart, Q flourishes in the wild Cornish countryside. His new way of life brings him back in tune with his teenage children, his ex-wife, and his own sense of who he is. He also grows close to Eva, energetic and enchanting, who is committed to her own quest for love and meaning.
In this entertaining and heart-warming novel Louis de Bernieres pokes fun at modern mores, and makes us reconsider what is really precious in our short and precarious lives.
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE*
'Beguiling' Observer
'A feelgood story about friendship and love - vintage de Bernieres' Daily Mirror
'A wonder... wry, wise' Daily Mail
'Heaps of old-fashioned adventure' The Times
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Beguiling...Set in a jollier dystopia than the norm, it tells the tale of "Q", a cryptographer who takes refuge from the madding crowd in Cornwall * Observer * Marked by de Bernieres' customary light touch and wry humour...This quirky novel is timely... a feelgood story about friendship and love - vintage de Bernieres. * Daily Mirror * A knockabout satire with twists aplenty * Mail on Sunday * A wonder worthy of Wyndham...wry, wise * Daily Mail * Heaps of old-fashioned adventure * The Times * De Bernieres is a singular, cherishable voice * Mail on Sunday * The future might look bleak, but Berniere's dystopia is replete with obscure charm, endearing personalities and flights of fantasy * SAGA, Book of the Month * de Bernieres has an undeniable talent for creating an achingly romantic affair from what may appear to be a mundane midlife crisis * Independent * In a career that began with a magic realism-inspired Latin American trilogy, took off with the historical romance Captain Corelli's Mandolin, and has gone down such byways as Red Dog, a rather heartwarming tale of an Australian sheepdog, and Notwithstanding, a collection of determinedly eccentric stories of English village life, De Bernieres has shown himself to be full of surprises, conjuring narratives of considerable charm and impressive sweep. * Guardian * Funny, clever, and optimistic, Light Over Liskeard asks us to consider what really matters in life * Church Times *
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Produkt-Hinweis
Maße
Höhe: 195 mm
Breite: 127 mm
Dicke: 26 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-2061-1 (9781529920611)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Louis de Bernieres is the bestselling author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best Book in 1995. His most recent books are So Much Life Left Over, The Dust That Falls From Dreams and The Autumn of the Ace, the short story collection Labels, the children's book Station Jim and the poetry collection The Cat in the Treble Clef.
