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Etta and Otto and Russell and James

Etta and Otto and Russell and James

by EmmaHooper (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2015

    $3.29
Synopsis

'Writing that easily equals that of the Booker-winning Richard Flanagan...[and] as readable and gripping as any thriller.' - The Times I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. I will try to remember to come back. Etta's greatest unfulfilled wish, living in the rolling farmland of Saskatchewan, is to see the sea. And so, at the age of eighty-two she gets up very early one morning, takes a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots, and begins walking the 2, 000 miles to water. Meanwhile her husband Otto waits patiently at home, left only with his memories. Their neighbour Russell remembers too, but differently - and he still loves Etta as much as he did more than fifty years ago, before she married Otto.

$3.29

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2 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 288
 Publisher: Fig Tree
Published: 29 Jan 2015
ISBN 10: 0241003326
ISBN 13: 9780241003329
Book Overview: Rocking back and forth with the pull of the waves, Etta and Otto and Russell and James moves from the present of a too-quiet-for-too-long Canadian farm to a dusty past of hunger, war, passion and hope, from trying to remember to trying to forget as, from prairie to forest to mountain to sand, Etta walks.

Media Reviews
Writing that easily equals that of the Booker-winning Richard Flanagan...[and] as readable and gripping as any thriller. Only the thrills offered by this bright new star of literature are metaphysical and unexpected and will leave you thinking on a new level about the connections between men, women and places. * The Times *
Beautifully written...this deserves to follow in the footsteps of 2014's big debut novels The Miniaturist and Elizabeth Is Missing. * Daily Express *
Intriguing... a clear and beautifully unadorned prose style... Hooper has written an interesting, nuanced and genuinely moving book. * Guardian *
Hooper has more or less nailed the 'Amelie' charm with this sweet, disarming story of lasting love...Hooper shows great restraint in balancing the quirky with the universal, blurring the lines between them. This may be the best novel to meaningfully feature windblown dust. Hooper's steady hand creates the perfect setup for the unexpected. To paraphrase Wallace Stevens: A man and a woman are one. Two men, a woman and a coyote are one. * New York Times *
Luminous debut...there's a lovely musicality to her prose - care and attention have been spent on the rhythms and melody of her words...wonderfully tender. * Sunday Express *
Her debut novel is a magical, big-hearted book about one woman's walk to the sea. If Wes Anderson's stylised dream worlds make you happy, you need a copy of Etta and Otto and Russell and James. * Elle Magazine *
A fan of Audrey Niffenegger and Alice Munro, Hooper's sense of playfulness comes across in the book's gentle magical realism' * The Observer *
charming, sweet...there is a singing simplicity that cuts through to the heart of things...fresh and touching * Sunday Times *
[A] delightful debut novel * Mail on Sunday *
Beautifully written...a powerfully moving account. * Sunday Express *
Picked as one of the hot authors to watch in 2015. * The Times *
A sweet, redemptive message ...Etta's trek as she comes to the end of her life and reckons with the past, has a real and worthwhile dignity to it. * Financial Times *
There's a huge buzz around this debut novel. * Red Online *
Canadian Emma Hooper is sure to be 2015's face of literary quirk. * Grazia *
The friends' life stories unfold in beautifully written, bite-sized chapters that ebb and flow between past and present like the sea Etta is seeking. Unusual, touching and utterly memorable. * Choice Magazine *
An irresistibly enchanting debut novel * Booklist *
Hooper, with great insight, explores the interactions and connections between spouses and friends - the rivalries, the camaraderie, the joys and tragedies - and reveals the extraordinary lengths to which people will go in the name of love. * Publishers Weekly *
This is a quietly powerful story whose dreamlike quality lingers long after the last page is turned. * Library Journal Review *
Magical... such wonderfully assured storytelling: it's been a very long time since a book has taken me by the hand - and the heart - as this one has. * Sarah Winman (international bestselling author of When God Was a Rabbit) *
Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper is incredibly moving, beautifully written and luminous with wisdom. It is a book that restores one's faith in life even as it deepens its mystery. Wonderful! -- Chris Cleave
Author Bio
Emma Hooper is a musician and writer. As a musician, her solo project 'Waitress for the Bees' tours internationally and has earned her a Finnish Cultural Knighthood. As an author, she has published short stories, non-fiction pieces, poetry and libretti as well as a number of academic papers. She is a research-lecturer at Bath Spa University, in the Commercial Music department, but goes home to cross-country ski in Canada as much as she can afford.