Once Upon a Time in England

Once Upon a Time in England

by HelenWalsh (Author)

Synopsis

On the coldest night of 1975, a young man with shock-red hair tears though the snowbound streets of Warrington's toughest housing estate. He is Robbie Fitzgerald, and he is running for his life - and that of his young family. In his heart, Robbie knows the odds are stacked against them. In this unbending Northern town, he has married the beautiful brown nurse who once stitched up his wounds. Susheela is his Tamil Princess, but in the real world, the Fitzgeralds have to face up to prejudice, poverty and sheer naked hatred from their neighbours. Now Robbie has seen a way out, and he's sprinting to his date with destiny...But back at their low-rise flat, Susheela hears a noise. This single moment starts a chain of events that will reverberate throughout the lives of all four Fitzgeralds - herself, Robbie, their son Vincent and unborn daughter, Ellie. Over thirteen years of struggle, aspiration, achievement, misunderstandings, near-misses and shattered dreams, Helen Walsh plunges us into the lives and loves of the young, doomed Fitzgerald family. She shows herself to be a brilliant chronicler of our people and our times. And in the Fitzgeralds, she has created a family who will stay in your heart, long after the final page."Once Upon A Time In England" offers an unforgettable portrait of the world in which we live, and confirms Helen Walsh as a writer of searing power.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Edition: Main
Publisher: Canongate Books
Published: 06 Mar 2008

ISBN 10: 1841958689
ISBN 13: 9781841958682
Prizes: Winner of Somerset Maugham Award 2009.

Media Reviews
Walsh . . . unflinchingly shows human beings consumed by a damage and hurt that turns them into the very monsters they had hoped to slay. -- Anita Sethi * * Independent * *
Walsh writes with conviction . . . [she] won the Betty Trask award for her first novel, Brass, and this is an unflinching follow-up. -- Lucy Atkins * * Sunday Times * *
The kind of book whose events you find yourself repeating to friends. -- Helen Brown * * Daily Telegraph * *
Walsh . . . is a lively, keen-eyed guide to Warrington and the north west. The subject matter is harrowing, but, as with Brass, Walsh's writing has a wonderful, propulsive exuberance. -- Tim Teeman * * The Times * *
Walsh's talent shines through as she explores the complexities of human relationships and creates a convincing and touching portrayal of family life. * * Time Out * *
Author Bio
Helen Walsh was born in Warrington, England, in 1976. Her first novel, Brass, was published in 2004 and was the winner of a Betty Trask Prize. She now lives in Liverpool.