Annan Water

Annan Water

by KateThompson (Author)

Synopsis

Michael first sees Annie one morning on the banks of Annan Water, when he is out exercising two horses from his parents stables. That first impression of her never leaves him. She triggers in him a desire to get to know and understand her and in doing so, to understand himself. Complicated by the fact that he is haunted by the tune and words of a song about the Annan Water, he finds there is no easy answer to the way he must go: to get to know Annie seems as impossible as interpreting the words of the song. Michael's parents make endless demands on Michael's skill as a rider and his innate sympathy for horses. (They had become a dealer's yard, not a family'). Coupled with this he finds himself totally at odds with his companions and teachers at school. With its fascinating background of horse dealing, Kate Thompson enlarges the range of settings of her novels. But at its core lies a theme about which she feels deeply and of which she has repeatedly proved herself a master - she explores the need for the young person on the brink of adulthood to find independence and meaning in life. A gripping story unresolved until the very last page.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 279
Edition: New edition
Publisher: Red Fox
Published: 02 Jun 2005

ISBN 10: 0099456265
ISBN 13: 9780099456261
Children’s book age: 12+ Years

Media Reviews
Darkly mysterious and deeply compelling love story from a master storyteller. Highly recommended. - Inis The style and structure, though spare and taut, still manages to allow room for interweaving fictions which, at times, are heartbreaking in their poignancy. - Irish Times Kate Thompson is always worth reading, and her Annan Water (Bodley Head, [pound]10.99) is yet another intriguingly different story.... a beautiful, self-harming new girl neighbour provides relief, however troubled, with the two teenagers almost but not quite re-enacting the tragic ballad upon which this well-written and deeply romantic story is based. - The Independent Kate Thompson writes beautifully. - The School Librarian
Author Bio
Kate Thompson was born in Yorkshire in 1956, daughter of Edward and Dorothy Thompson, both labour historians who were deeply involved in the anti-nuclear movement. She started riding at the age of four and went on to work with horses when she left school. She spent a year in upstate New York working with racing quarter horses, then returned to England and worked with National Hunt horses and point-to-pointers. She has travelled widely, spending some years in India. After her two daughters were born, she settled in Co Clare. There she had a five-acre smallholding and began writing. Swtichers, her first novel was published by a small Irish publisher in 1994. She moved to Kinvara in County Galway. There, three years ago, she discovered her passion for playing the fiddle. She is now an accomplished player, has a great interest in restoring instruments and is doing a course at the University of Limerick in Irish Traditional Music Performance.