The Little Snake - by A L Kennedy (Hardcover)

About the Book

A magical, charming and deeply moving fable about the journey we all take through life, about love and family, about war and resilience, about how we live in this world, and how we leave it

Book Synopsis

"Some time ago, perhaps before you were even born, a young girl was walking in her garden. She may have been called Mary - that's what most of the stories say. Mary was a little bit taller than the other girls her age and had brownish crinkly hair. She was quite thin, because she didn't always have exactly enough to eat. She liked honey and whistling and the colour blue and finding out." This is the story of Mary, a young girl born in a beautiful city full of rose gardens and fluttering kites. When she is still very small, Mary meets Lanmo, a shining golden snake, who becomes her very best friend. The snake visits Mary many times, he sees her city change, become sadder as bombs drop and war creeps in. He sees Mary and her family leave their home, he sees her grow up and he sees her fall in love. But Lanmo knows that the day will come when he can no longer visit Mary, when his destiny will break them apart, and he wonders whether having a friend can possibly be worth the pain of knowing you will lose them.

Review Quotes

"Deeply moving.... Kennedy knows how to write pain in all its stark detail, while managing to gently highlight the humor in the tragic reality of life."-- "--Globe and Mail (Toronto)"

"A world class fiction writer."-- "--New York Times Book Review"

"Like a mirror reflecting our cracked souls. . . . A. L. Kennedy is painfully detailed about our human flaws and describes them so realistically, the reader dives into each sentence."-- "--Associated Press"

"One of the bright young stars among contemporary British writers."-- "--San Jose Mercury News"

"Randy, crabby and dangerous to read... Kennedy is a master of the whomping good phrase."-- "--Los Angeles Times"

"There's a perpetual sense of danger in [Kennedy's] fiction, which is partly why it's so thrilling to read."-- "--San Francisco Chronicle"

Marvelous. . . . Kennedy is a force of nature. . . . Everything she touches turns to art, and here, she continues to impress with her psychological fearlessness and breathtaking affection for language."-- "--New York Times Book Review"

"A profound writer."---- Richard Ford

About the Author

A.L. Kennedy has twice been selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists and has won a host of other awards, including the Costa Book of the Year for her novel Day. She lives in London and is a part-time lecturer in creative writing at the University of Warwick.
@Writerer a-l-kennedy.co.uk