- Paperback: 308 pages
- Publisher: Goose Lane Editions; No edition edition (Jan 1 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0864923422
- ISBN-13: 978-0864923424
- Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 14.1 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 413 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #821,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Quill & Quire
"An ambitious debut novel . . . [a] rich and vivid evocation of the two main characters and their vastly different milieus . . . Preston shifts easily between the narrative strands."
The Globe and Mail
"Preston's Dickensian touch with pathos and villainy is refreshingly unfashionable . . . When [Anton] helplessly climaxes in the cramped darkness of the closet, the cloy of wet heat and primal release are masterfully evoked."
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tent Of Blue,
This review is from: Tent of Blue (Paperback)
Over the Christmas break I have put aside, all the other books and magazines competing for my attention and read a new novel Tent of Blue. I'm glad I did so. Here is a remarkable story of human triumph over adversity - or at least a triumph of sorts. Yvonne will always remained damaged by the events that shaped her tragic life, and as a result be misunderstood and mistrusted. For me she is the heroine of the story; and I'm left hoping that Anton will eventually gain the insight that maturity brings, to accept his mother's strengths and not just her weaknesses.I am no literary critic, nor do I profess to any knowledge of composition or novel structure. Nevertheless, I am aware of the considerable skills used in shaping this narrative. The parallel story lines are very effective and it was interesting to see how they converged towards the end of the novel. It is extremely well conceived and beautifully written. The book contains scenes of great tension and suspense - Anton's trespassing into Jasmine's apartment for instance, is as good as anything I've ever read. The character of Harold Crouch could be straight out of a J.B. Priestley saga. The reader has a clear picture of the man and the shady twilight world in which he exists. It catches well the feel (and fear) of living in wartime London (and Blackpool!). The description of Yvonne's evacuation was vivid and poignant - her expulsion from the only world she's known into a strange rural environment and a family of well-meaning strangers will be familiar ground for those who had it to endure (including, briefly my own mother and her two eldest children.) This, already unwelcome event then becomes compounded by a tragic loss of life - a scenario handled touchingly. As in all good novels, in truth there is no ending. Life simply goes on - the poor reader being left to speculate on how the various events were finally resolved - if ever. I don't know the rules of grammar; I only know what reads well. I open the book at random and find for instance: "When Yvonne opened her eyes again, the shadows in the room had lengthened and shifted. The air felt stiller, tasted staler than before. She licked her lips, her mouth dry and sticky. Such sentences compel the reader to continue, and there were numerous occasions when reading the book when I couldn't put it down. In short, Tent of Blue is a tremendous achievement and one that fills me with nothing but admiration for the writer. This is, I understand, a first novel, and I look forward to her next. Long may she continue to express herself and portray life with such imagination, warmth and candour.
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Favorite Novel This Year,
By A Customer
This review is from: Tent of Blue (Paperback)
If you like reading novels you can't put down with characters who become friends you don't want to say goodbye to then you will love Rachael Preston's "Tent of Blue." The compelling plot focuses on a mother and son whose stories are cleverly told in alternating chapters. Yvonne's tale begins in 1930's England where she is enslaved by her chillingly abusive mother, while Anton's story is set in Vancouver during the 1950's where he too suffers oppression under his mother's domination. As Yvonne's story develops over several decades the reader journeys with her through the hardships that bring her to her current situation and in the process, we learn much of Anton's history as well. The author transitions with ease from pre-war England in one chapter to post war Canada in the next, moving the action along at a rhythmic, page turning pace, creating suspense as the two stories merge into a poignant conclusion. Just as interesting are the secondary characters; even the most despicable manages to evoke sympathy. It is Preston's skill with prose that enhances this character development and engrossing plot. Rich in imagery that is at times stark and menacing, while at others sweet and lyrical, the characters react to each other and their circumstances with a vividness that carries the reader along with them."Tent of Blue" is a story of the innocence of dreams, the joy and dysfunction of love, the pain of emotional imprisonment, and of the resiliency of the human spirit. I was absorbed by this novel from first page to last and I highly recommend it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tent Of Blue,
By R.W.NAYLOR - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tent of Blue (Paperback)
Over the Christmas break I have put aside, all the other books and magazines competing for my attention and read a new novel Tent of Blue. I'm glad I did so. Here is a remarkable story of human triumph over adversity - or at least a triumph of sorts. Yvonne will always remained damaged by the events that shaped her tragic life, and as a result be misunderstood and mistrusted. For me she is the heroine of the story; and I'm left hoping that Anton will eventually gain the insight that maturity brings, to accept his mother's strengths and not just her weaknesses.I am no literary critic, nor do I profess to any knowledge of composition or novel structure. Nevertheless, I am aware of the considerable skills used in shaping this narrative. The parallel story lines are very effective and it was interesting to see how they converged towards the end of the novel. It is extremely well conceived and beautifully written. The book contains scenes of great tension and suspense - Anton's trespassing into Jasmine's apartment for instance, is as good as anything I've ever read. The character of Harold Crouch could be straight out of a J.B. Priestley saga. The reader has a clear picture of the man and the shady twilight world in which he exists. It catches well the feel (and fear) of living in wartime London (and Blackpool!). The description of Yvonne's evacuation was vivid and poignant - her expulsion from the only world she's known into a strange rural environment and a family of well-meaning strangers will be familiar ground for those who had it to endure (including, briefly my own mother and her two eldest children.) This, already unwelcome event then becomes compounded by a tragic loss of life - a scenario handled touchingly. As in all good novels, in truth there is no ending. Life simply goes on - the poor reader being left to speculate on how the various events were finally resolved - if ever. I don't know the rules of grammar; I only know what reads well. I open the book at random and find for instance: "When Yvonne opened her eyes again, the shadows in the room had lengthened and shifted. The air felt stiller, tasted staler than before. She licked her lips, her mouth dry and sticky. Such sentences compel the reader to continue, and there were numerous occasions when reading the book when I couldn't put it down. In short, Tent of Blue is a tremendous achievement and one that fills me with nothing but admiration for the writer. This is, I understand, a first novel, and I look forward to her next. Long may she continue to express herself and portray life with such imagination, warmth and candour.
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Favorite Novel This Year,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tent of Blue (Paperback)
If you like reading novels you can't put down with characters who become friends you don't want to say goodbye to then you will love Rachael Preston's "Tent of Blue." The compelling plot focuses on a mother and son whose stories are cleverly told in alternating chapters. Yvonne's tale begins in 1930's England where she is enslaved by her chillingly abusive mother, while Anton's story is set in Vancouver during the 1950's where he too suffers oppression under his mother's domination. As Yvonne's story develops over several decades the reader journeys with her through the hardships that bring her to her current situation and in the process, we learn much of Anton's history as well. The author transitions with ease from pre-war England in one chapter to post war Canada in the next, moving the action along at a rhythmic, page turning pace, creating suspense as the two stories merge into a poignant conclusion. Just as interesting are the secondary characters; even the most despicable manages to evoke sympathy. It is Preston's skill with prose that enhances this character development and engrossing plot. Rich in imagery that is at times stark and menacing, while at others sweet and lyrical, the characters react to each other and their circumstances with a vividness that carries the reader along with them."Tent of Blue" is a story of the innocence of dreams, the joy and dysfunction of love, the pain of emotional imprisonment, and of the resiliency of the human spirit. I was absorbed by this novel from first page to last and I highly recommend it. |
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