
The Levels
Peter Benson(Author)
Alma Books Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 12. April 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-84688-191-6 (ISBN)
Description
Drove House has always loomed large over village life. Boarded-up for years, it is reputed to be brimming with ghosts, and is shunned by the locals - all except Billy, for whom it has been the site of childhood dens and secret adolescent adventures. When the captivating Muriel moves in with her bohemian mother, they sweep out the ghosts and breathe new life into both the house and Billy's quiet rural existence. After an idyllic summer, though, Muriel returns to her life in London, and the newly empty Drove House becomes the backdrop for Billy's struggle to reconcile the vanishing agricultural lifestyle he has inherited with the glimpses of a baffling new way of life Muriel seemed to offer.
Charting the conflict between these two competing worlds, Peter Benson's award-winning first novel is at once a lyrical portrait of the landscape of the Somerset Levels and a touching evocation of first love.
Charting the conflict between these two competing worlds, Peter Benson's award-winning first novel is at once a lyrical portrait of the landscape of the Somerset Levels and a touching evocation of first love.
Reviews / Votes
Funny and painful and beautifully done so that we recognise life with a gasp. * The Times * A very apt and unillusioned sort of modern pastoral, blessed with the kind of narrative gift that's like perfect pitch. * The Guardian *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Surrey
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Weight
184 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84688-191-6 (9781846881916)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Person
Peter Benson's first novel, The Levels, won the Guardian Fiction Prize. This was followed by A Lesser Dependency, winner of the Encore Award, and The Other Occupant, which was awarded the Somerset Maugham Award. Peter Benson has also published short stories, volumes of poetry and screenplays, some adapted for TV and radio. His works have been translated into many languages.