
Paradise
A.L. Kennedy(Author)
Vintage (Publisher)
Published on 4. August 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-09-943349-1 (ISBN)
Description
Almost forty and with nothing to show for it, Hannah Luckraft is starting to notice that her lifestyle is not entirely sustainable: her subconscious is turning against her, her soul is a little unwell. Her family is wounded, her friends are odd, her body is not as reliable as it once was and her drinking is frankly out of hand. Robert, a dissolute dentist, appears to offer a love she can understand, but he may only be one more symptom of the problem she must cure. From the north-east of Scotland to Dublin, from London to Montreal, to Budapest and onwards, Hannah travels in search of the ultimate altered state: the one where she can be happy - her paradise. Paradise is a compelling examination of failure that is also a comic triumph, a novel of dark extremes that is full of the most ravishing lyrical beauty.
Reviews / Votes
"A brave and uncompromising book that lingers in the mind, Paradise is A.L. Kennedy on top form" Independent "This is a narrative that will not let the reader go - One of the most linguistically inventive and captivating British writers of the age" Observer "The book sings its encapsulated pain with the effervescent energy of laughter" The Times "Beautifully written...Her sharpest vision yet" Guardian "One of Britain's most iconoclastic and fiercely independent talents, a writer who repeatedly tests our expectations... Compelling, even consuming" Daily TelegraphMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 201 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
246 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-09-943349-1 (9780099433491)
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

Person
A. L. Kennedy is the author of five previous novels - including 2007 Costa Book of the Year, Day, and her latest work, The Blue Book - two books of non-fiction, and five collections of short stories. She has twice been selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists and has won a host of other awards. She lives in Glasgow and is a part-time lecturer in creative writing at Warwick University.