The Whale at the End of the World
The major international bestseller
Published on 4. February 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-1-4746-2341-4 (ISBN)
Description
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
'A gentle and uplifting tale of warding off apocalypse in a remote corner of Cornwall . . . charming' Financial Times
'A tremendously enjoyable book' Independent on Sunday
'Bloody brilliant' Liz Fenwick, author of The Cornish House
It all began with the whale.
When a young man washes up on the sands of St Piran in Cornwall, it is clear to the villagers that this is not a regular day. What has brought him here? And what is the crisis only he understands, that threatens not only their community but all of civilisation?
With a global pandemic on the horizon, and a whale lurking in the bay, the villagers of St Piran must band together to survive. Intimate, funny and heart-warming, John Ironmonger tells a compelling story about the important things that hold us together, and how hope can be found, even at the end of the world.
'A warm-hearted book crammed with ideas . . . very, very good' Emerald Street
'A compelling and unusual modern fable' Natasha Solomons, author of Mr Rosenblum's List
'Beautiful, dark, uplifting' Kate Long, author of The Bad Mother's Handbook
'A gentle and uplifting tale of warding off apocalypse in a remote corner of Cornwall . . . charming' Financial Times
'A tremendously enjoyable book' Independent on Sunday
'Bloody brilliant' Liz Fenwick, author of The Cornish House
It all began with the whale.
When a young man washes up on the sands of St Piran in Cornwall, it is clear to the villagers that this is not a regular day. What has brought him here? And what is the crisis only he understands, that threatens not only their community but all of civilisation?
With a global pandemic on the horizon, and a whale lurking in the bay, the villagers of St Piran must band together to survive. Intimate, funny and heart-warming, John Ironmonger tells a compelling story about the important things that hold us together, and how hope can be found, even at the end of the world.
'A warm-hearted book crammed with ideas . . . very, very good' Emerald Street
'A compelling and unusual modern fable' Natasha Solomons, author of Mr Rosenblum's List
'Beautiful, dark, uplifting' Kate Long, author of The Bad Mother's Handbook
Reviews / Votes
a warm-hearted book crammed with interesting ideas. It's a book full of doomsday predictions with a Cityboy in a starring role that makes the world seem like a more hopeful place. It's also very, very good. * EMERALD STREET * This is a tremendously enjoyable book. And as the front pages crowd with headlines that grow ever more grim, Not Forgetting the Whale offers a very welcome alternative. -- Marianne Levy * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY * An intriguing and thought-provoking story * CANDIS * An exciting and moving read * ESSENTIALS * The lives of the residents in sleepy St Piran is changed when a man washes up, half drowned, on the shore of the Cornish seaside village. * THE TIMES * It's easy to see this simply as a modern interpretation of the story of Jonah and the whale, but this charming tale by John Ironmonger.. is considerably more complex.. it's a love story of sorts and, above all, it's about hte innate goodness of people and our connections with the wider world * PRESS ASSOCIATION * A gentle and uplifting tale of warding off apocalypse in a remote corner of Cornwall . . . charming * FINANCIAL TIMES * This book achieves what should be impossible: a heart-warming dystopia. Forget everything you know about apocalypses. This novel, set in Cornwall, will restore your faith in humanity. * ELLE UK *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
273 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4746-2341-4 (9781474623414)
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 Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
02/2015
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
€1.99
Available for download
Previous edition
John Ironmonger
Not Forgetting The Whale
Book
09/2015
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
€32.39
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
John Ironmonger was born and grew up in East Africa. He has a doctorate in zoology, and was once an expert on freshwater leeches. He is the author of The Good Zoo Guide and the novels The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder (shortlisted for the 2012 Costa First Novel Prize and the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize), The Coincidence Authority and The Whale at the End of the World (an international bestseller). He has also been part of a world record team for speed reading Shakespeare, has driven across the Sahara in a GBP100 banger, and once met Jared Diamond in a forest in the middle of Sumatra.