A Girl Could Stand Up
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Transworld Publishers Ltd
Published:3rd Jan '05
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
A passionate coming-of-age novel reminscent of John Irving, about how a young girl copes in an eccentric family after the accidental death of her parents at a funfair.
When six-year-old Elray reaches up to touch the moon in the Tunnel of Love, she narrowly escapes a freak electric current that claims the lives of both her parents. Suddenly orphaned, she is left stunned and mute, until two loving but undomesticated uncles step in.
When six-year-old Elray reaches up to touch the moon in the Tunnel of Love, she narrowly escapes a freak electric current that claims the lives of both her parents. Suddenly orphaned, she is left stunned and mute, until two loving but undomesticated uncles step in.
Cross-dressing Uncle Ajax insists on being addressed as 'Aunt'; Uncle Harwood is a macho photographer, full of swagger and fond of drink. When the deceptively sweet Irish lawyer Rena moves in to mount a lucrative lawsuit against the fairground, the eccentric household becomes the very model of family life reinvented.
'An atmosphere of crazy cheerfulness...undercut by moments of poignancy...a pleasure to read' * Daily Telegraph *
'This quirky novel is a must for Kate Atkinson and John Irving fans who are fond of a surreal read' * Glamour *
'A lovely tale of teenage love and companionship in a world where all adults seem insane' * Time Out *
'An extraordinary journey through the life of an extraordinary family, chronicled by a child-woman you will not forget' -- Anne Rivers Siddons
'Leslie Marshall ... is the Homer of dysfunctional modern family life. This is the best first novel I've read in years' -- Edmund White
'Make sure you have a lot of time on your hands before you open Lesley Marshall's debut novel, A Girl Could Stand Up. You'll find it hard to tear yourself away' * Prima *
'A page-turner that will disarm and charm. A stand-out talent' * People *
'Utterly real...rendered with truthfulness and charm' * Los Angeles Times *
'Lively, slightly breathless comic narrative...this game is worth the candle' * Sunday Canberra Times *
'Fun, funny, fast-paced'
* Guardian *ISBN: 9780552771900
Dimensions: 198mm x 127mm x 25mm
Weight: 283g
416 pages