About this item
Highlights
- A New York Times Editors' Choice A Washington Post "Notable Fiction Book of 2015" "[A] lavishly detailed historical novel that doesn't just recreate the past but alters your perception of it.
- About the Author: CLARE CLARK is the author of four novels, including The Great Stink, which was long-listed for the Orange Prize and was named a Washington Post Best Book of the Year, and Savage Lands, which was long-listed for the Orange Prize.
- 464 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Historical
Description
About the Book
The captivating story of two sisters born into privilege, forced to make their way in a world turned upside down by war, and the man who, against all expectation, transforms them bothBook Synopsis
A New York Times Editors' Choice
A Washington Post "Notable Fiction Book of 2015" "[A] lavishly detailed historical novel that doesn't just recreate the past but alters your perception of it."--New York Times Book Review "As always, [Clark's] environments are deliciously luxe. . . With splendid breadth and depth, We That Are Left accommodates an era's worth of historical reverberations within the confines of its highly polished rooms."--Washington Post Growing up at Ellinghurst, their crumbling family estate, all three Melville children dream of escape. Headstrong Jessica yearns for the glitter and glamor of London while Phyllis longs to attend university. The adored Theo, meanwhile, eclipses everyone around him. None of the children take much notice of Oskar Grunewald, their mother's science-obsessed godson, who instead seeks refuge in Ellinghurst's enormous library. But when the cataclysm of the Great War devastates the Melvilles' world and reshapes their futures, Jessica and Phyllis must forge new paths in a world that no longer plays by the old rules. As Oskar is drawn reluctantly back into the Melville family fold, his life entwines with theirs in ways that will transform all of their futures forever. In We That Are Left, Clare Clark brings us a new story of an old family whose reckoning with change will haunt and resonate for many generations. "We That Are Left is still haunting me. It offers an utterly convincing sense of period; a story that tugs at you; characters who are surprising, tender, hurt; emotions crushed, misunderstood, exploding; on every page the unresolved intensity of real life."--William Nicholson, author of Lovers of AmherstFrom the Back Cover
A New York Times Editors' ChoiceA Washington Post Notable Fiction Book of 2015
As always, [Clark s] environments are deliciously luxe. . . With splendid breadth and depth, We That Are Left accommodates an era s worth of historical reverberations within the confines of its highly polished rooms. Washington Post
Growing up at Ellinghurst, their crumbling family estate, all three Melville children dream of escape. Headstrong Jessica yearns for the glitter and glamor of London while Phyllis longs to attend university. The adored Theo, meanwhile, eclipses everyone around him. None of the children take much notice of Oskar Grunewald, their mother s science-obsessed godson, who instead seeks refuge in Ellinghurst s enormous library.
Butwhen the cataclysm of the Great War devastates the Melvilles world and reshapes their futures, Jessica and Phyllis must forge new paths in a world that no longer plays by the old rules. As Oskar is drawn reluctantly back into the Melville family fold, his life entwines with theirs in ways that will transform all of their futures forever.
In We That Are Left, Clare Clark brings us a new story of an old family whose reckoning with change will haunt and resonate for many generations.
We That Are Left is still haunting me. It offers an utterly convincing sense of period; a story that tugs at you; characters who are surprising, tender, hurt; emotions crushed, misunderstood, exploding; on every page the unresolved intensity of real life. William Nicholson, author of Lovers of Amherst
CLARE CLARK is the author of four novels, including The Great Stink, which was long-listed for the Orange Prize and was named a Washington Post Best Book of the Year, and Savage Lands, which was long-listed for the Orange Prize.
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Review Quotes
A New York Times Editors' Choice A Washington Post "Notable Fiction Book of 2015" "[A] lavishly detailed historical novel that doesn't just recreate the past but alters your perception of it...Clark's descriptive powers provide deep pleasure."--Michael Upchurch, New York Times Book Review "As always, [Clark's] environments are deliciously luxe...With splendid breadth and depth, We That Are Left accommodates an era's worth of historical reverberations within the confines of its highly polished rooms."--Washington Post "Clark reminds us that one of the pleasures of reading historical fiction is meeting characters whose thoughts are their own but also mirror the wrongdoings and legacies of their time...Vivid, layered, and provocative period drama about the trade-offs of backing tradition versus letting go." --Kirkus "Deftly evoking the faded glory of the British gentry while weaving an intricate love story with an unlikely twist, acclaimed English writer Clark (Beautiful Lies, 2012) presents a historically rich, psychologically rewarding tale of heritage and romance." --Booklist "Clare Clark's novel of the dislocations that befall an aristocratic English family during and right after World War I is beautifully written and enjoyable...Clark's novel does its forebears proud, for We That Are Left is engrossing...the characters are vivid and her feel for place is equally superb." --BookPage "We That Are Left is still haunting me. It offers an utterly convincing sense of period; a story that tugs at you; characters who are surprising, tender, hurt; emotions crushed, misunderstood, exploding; on every page the unresolved intensity of real life." --William Nicholson, author of Lovers of Amherst "What a gorgeous, brilliant, heart-smacking book! I am in awe of its stunning scale." --Laird Hunt, author of Neverhome --
About the Author
CLARE CLARK is the author of four novels, including The Great Stink, which was long-listed for the Orange Prize and was named a Washington Post Best Book of the Year, and Savage Lands, which was long-listed for the Orange Prize.