The World Was All Before Them
Published on 14. February 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-4088-1796-4 (ISBN)
Description
I am dividing. It is as though I am holding myself cupped in my own hands and I am falling to pieces there, slipping through my fingers. And that is true. That is how we are in the world. We are pieced together out of lots of different bits. It's magical ...
There are more than seven billion people on the planet.
They have, on average, over 10 billion nerve cells in their brains and 5 litres of blood pumping through their bodies. Their skeletons are made up of 206 bones and their hearts beat approximately 72 times per minute.
They are connected to each other in more ways than they can possibly imagine.
Philip is one of them.
Sue is another.
This is their story.
It is the story of one year and two lives and what it means to live in them.
It is a story about love and courage, risk and betrayal; about the choices we make and the consequences that shape us. It is a story that will make you look at the world with new eyes.
There are more than seven billion people on the planet.
They have, on average, over 10 billion nerve cells in their brains and 5 litres of blood pumping through their bodies. Their skeletons are made up of 206 bones and their hearts beat approximately 72 times per minute.
They are connected to each other in more ways than they can possibly imagine.
Philip is one of them.
Sue is another.
This is their story.
It is the story of one year and two lives and what it means to live in them.
It is a story about love and courage, risk and betrayal; about the choices we make and the consequences that shape us. It is a story that will make you look at the world with new eyes.
Reviews / Votes
This extraordinary novel is about the layer of consciousness below the surface ... Disturbingly, stunningly real * <B>Kate Saunders, <I>Saga</I></B> * A fascinating, strange and formally delightful novel * <B><I>Independent on Sunday</B></I> * Stylistically ambitious ... This contemplative novel occasionally reaches a more engaging, vibrant pitch * <B><I>Literary Review</I></B> * The author's medical research is exhaustive and judiciously employed ... Reynold's prose is always lucid and elegant ... He negotiates the ethical and practical dilemmas of medicine, and the grey area between creativity and charlatanism in art, with great aplomb * <i><b>Times Literary Supplement</i></b> * 'A strikingly original and funny novel, which hits its targets with deadly accuracy. I loved the writing and Alizia's voice ... A winner' * Helen Dunmore on Designs for a Happy Home * 'I read this very engaging book in two sittings. The character of Alizia is really original, funny and touching ... A genuinely original piece of writing and one which I thoroughly enjoyed' * Paul Torday, author of <I>Salmon Fishing in the Yemen</I> on Designs for a Happy Home * 'A smart, sparkling read, peeling back the layers of Alizia Tame's seemingly perfect existence to reveal the human truth beneath the surface' * <I>Elle</I> on Designs for a Happy Home * 'An engrossing, clever and funny novel' * <I>Literary Review</I> on Designs for a Happy Home *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 153 mm
Weight
480 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4088-1796-4 (9781408817964)
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
Matthew Reynolds
The World Was All Before Them
E-Book
02/2013
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
€8.49
Available for download
Person
Matthew Reynolds is the author of Designs for a Happy Home: A Novel in Ten Interiors. He has also written books of literary criticism and many essays in the LRB and elsewhere. He lived in London, Cambridge, Pisa and Paris before settling in Oxford where he teaches in the university and is a fellow of St Anne's College.