- Hardcover: 1 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury UK (April 7 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 074757961X
- ISBN-13: 978-0747579618
- Product Dimensions: 18 x 11.7 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 272 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #569,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
'Justin Cartwright looks to be one of the finest novelists currently at work' Guardian PRAISE FOR THE SONG BEFORE IT IS SUNG: 'With inexorable tenderness Cartwright weaves his narrative threads into a fabric of beautiful complexity [...] He is notably good at openings, but the opening page of The Song Before It Is Sung, a list of the random thoughts drifting through Conrad's mind on a flight towards Berlin, is heartstopping' Jane Shilling, Sunday Telegraph 'This is a magnificent novel, the narrative utterly compelling, the author's understanding of moral complexities quite remarkable' Allan Massie, Scotsman
Product Description
Continuing Bloomsbury's Writers in the City Series, This Secret Garden is both a memoir and an attempt to understand how the Oxford myth has survived into the 21st century Oxford is many things. But it has a symbolic meaning well beyond its buildings, gardens, rituals and teaching. It stands for something deep in the Anglo-Saxon mind - excellence, a kind of privilege, a charmed life, deep-veined liberalism, a respect for tradition. Cartwright has spoken to many leading figures, looked at favourite places in Oxford, subjected himself to an English tutorial - he performed very poorly - attended the Freshers' dinner in his old college, studied various works of art and museums, investigated the claim that dons like detective novels, and reread many Oxford classics. At the same time he has looked at some of the great debates which made Oxford what it is, as well as the most recent debate about funding, which ended in a resounding defeat for the reformers. He depicts the beauty of this historic city, the landscape of enclosed quads and gardens, and the astonishing collection of buildings. Cartwright concludes that the Oxford myth, while outstripping the reality, is as powerful as ever. This is an enchanting and highly original look at Oxford, indispensable reading for anyone interested in the myth and reality of Oxford.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
What is this?, May 30 2008
By D. C. Carrad "augustabookman" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: This Secret Garden (Hardcover)
Not at all what I expected or how the book is described. Meanders all over the map (and off it), into the author's school days (okay, I expected a little of that, but what we get is excessive) including quotations from his college essays and discourses on philosophy...in America, author's relatives would schedule an intervention after reading this. Too much Cartwright, not enough Oxford.
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