From Publishers Weekly
Dawson's third novel (after Tricks of the Light and Magpie) strikingly and elegantly blends fact and fiction in a reimagining of the events surrounding the spectacular 1922 London trial of Edith Thompson and her lover, Frederick Bywaters, who were convicted and hanged for murdering Edith's husband, Percy. Told primarily in letters Edie writes to her "darlint" Freddy while they are both imprisoned, the story offers a moving portrait of domestic tragedy and an understated but penetrating social commentary. Actual newspaper accounts and a few excerpts from the real Edith Thompson's letters are interspersed throughout; ironically, perhaps, they are less interesting less convincing, even than the fictional material Dawson attributes to Edie. Defiant, intelligent Edie finds solace in writing and in reliving her doomed but passionate affair with Freddy, a ship's steward seven years her junior who had been her sister's "paramour" first. Her language full of longing, rich with metaphor is stunning, and her increasing understanding of brutish Percy, callow Freddy, herself and human nature in general is almost redemptive. In a letter that Freddy never receives, she writes: "We had our happiness didn't we, the light might shine through it sometimes but it was green and fresh and unbending as a blade of grass, wasn't it, Freddy, while it lasted?" It is a testimony to Dawson's abilities that even though the novel must advance toward an inevitable conclusion, its story is gripping, surprising and beautiful. 5-city author tour, national advertising. (Sept.)Forecast: This title was a finalist for the Whitbread Prize; a film (Another Life) based on the same incidents premiered in the U.K. and is scheduled for U.S. release this year. Though set 80 years ago in England, the novel should draw a contemporary American audience given the controversy that continues to surround the issue of capital punishment.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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From Booklist
Prospects for women in 1920s London were far different than they are today. Despite the facts that women could work outside the home after marriage and society was moving toward suffrage in this era between world wars, choices were restricted and constrained. So Edith, called Edie, married Percy Thompson, whose excellent prospects and solidity unfortunately turned out to be pomposity and cruelty. Then she meets Freddy, her sister's beau, and experiences a passion she didn't seek but can't deny. Based on a true story, Dawson's dramatic tale opens with Percy's stabbing and Fred and Edie's arrest for murder. Through letters, clippings, and flashbacks, the reader learns about the life that Edie and Percy led, the intense love that sprang up between Edie and Fred, and the horrors of the high-profile trial and harsh sentences. Dawson skillfully presents intimate portraits of each of her compelling characters, capturing their growing desperation. Heartfelt and empathic, this is a chillingly good read.
Danise HooverCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Hardcover
édition.
