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The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall

Paul Torday author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Orion Publishing Co

Published:19th Jul '12

Should be back in stock very soon

The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall cover

Hartlepool Hall has been in Ed's family for generations - but is that about to change, and who is the mysterious Lady Alice?

'A deliciously dark comedy about class, snobbery and a vanishing way of life' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

'Gloriously enjoyable' DAILY MAIL

'Excellent' METRO

Ed Hartlepool has been living in self-imposed exile for five years, but with a settlement regarding his inheritance looming, he must return to his ancestral seat, Hartlepool Hall. On his return, he discovers that his father has left him, along with the house, a seven million pound tax bill, two massive overdrafts, an 80-year-old butler, and a vast country estate that is creaking at the seams. Not only that, but there is a strange woman in residence - Lady Alice - who seems to have made herself very much at home.

With the debts mounting, it seems that Ed's only recourse is to turn to his friend Annabel's new boyfriend, a property developer who plans to turn Hartlepool Hall into luxury flats and a golf course. But can Ed save his inheritance without such a drastic move? And is Lady Alice really the person she claims to be?

It's a novel that should enhance his reputation for excellent, ingenious writing * METRO *
More intriguing is the skein of darkness that, in common with much of Torday's fiction, runs discretely through the story - one sequence is sufficiently macabre as to recall the work of a young McEwan * LITERARY REVIEW *
It grabs you right from page one and is another great read from the author of SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN * ESSENTIALS *
A novel that's quirky, funny, moving and peopled with superbly drawn characters * CHOICE *
A deliciously dark comedy about class, snobbery and a vanishing way of life * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *
This is a novel about decay and destruction, but bracingly unsentimental and surprisingly moving * GUARDIAN *
Gloriously enjoyable * DAILY MAIL *
A black comedy of manners and a poignant social commentary. * THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE *

ISBN: 9780753828830

Dimensions: 129mm x 200mm x 24mm

Weight: 266g

304 pages