Awfully Big Adventure: Amazon.ca: Beryl Bainbridge: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

This novel of the theater scene in 1950s Liverpool follows a young actress who becomes romantically involved with a director.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

The voices of Paul McGann weave this neighborhood tale of Liverpool. At age fifteen, Stella is a self-possessed young woman who wreaks havoc on the troopers at the regional theater where she has hired on as a gofer. This is not a lighthearted romp though the vagaries of theater life, but rather a sadness as told at the hands of the gossips at the corner table. As lies and intrigues abound, Paul McGann ably plays every part in the unraveling of these lives with gentleness and sensitivity. B.H.B. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars This has a really chilling ending and there's a lot about, Oct 30 2003

By A Customer

Stella that I could relate to. It's a quick read and definitely worth picking up. It's a very secretive book, much like its heroine. She's a strange one.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, Jan 23 2002

By	sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This spare little (205 pages) novel doesn't waste a word, yet signifies volumes. The highly honored Ms. Bainbridge, winner of the prestigious Whitbread Prize and short-listed (six times!) for the Booker Prize amply displays what all the fuss is about. She is that good.

The book is hard to categorize. It isn't a coming-of-age, a psychological thriller, a dazzling Peter Pan parable; it is all these things and more.

Stella raised in blue-collar, post WWII Liverpool is a troubled and troubling 15-year old who determinedly washed out of school and has been fixed up as a "student" (read gofer) at a provincial repertory company. She has no particular acting ambitions, but is certain she would be very good at it. We get a many-sided view of Stella; as she sees herself and as she is perceived by the people around her. Every scene and every word of dialogue interlocks like a jeweled timepiece. The reader is almost unaware of the ever-increasing momentum until it crashes upon you in a chilling finale. You think Ms. Bainbridge is through with you, but not quite. Just when you think you are utterly and completely emotionally drained, Ms. Bainbridge delivers a final twist, and now you know you are. I was left stunned.

An excellent example of fine prose. Highly recommended.

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5.0 out of 5 stars One of Bainbridge's Best, Dec 9 2001

By	Zack Handlen (Lewiston, ME United States) - See all my reviews

This is a phenomenal book- but it is crucial to approach it with the right mindset. This is not a light comedy, or a fantasy about the joys and agonies of growing up. The laughs to be found here are dark, and the story is painful and disturbing. It is also deeply powerful and moving, full of richly created characters and brilliantly subtle parrallels to J.M. Barrie's classic play, "Peter Pan." Do not open this one expecting anything easy, but do expect to be moved if you are willing to lose yourself inside. Highest possible recommendation.

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Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars An Awfully Awful Adventure
This dark and dreary book set in post war Liverpool(mid-50s) is really drawn out and confusing. The story is that of Stella, a sixteen year old actress, as she learns the hard... Read more

Published on Dec 11 2000 by lissa320

3.0 out of 5 stars An Awfully Sad Story..
I read this book expecting something more lighthearted,perhaps,But jeeze,this was depressing! The author obviously is down on the theatrical world(I read on the jacket cover she... Read more

Published on Aug 24 2000 by Robyn Lee Markow

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Character Novel from Beryl Bainbridge
"An Awfully Big Adventure" was a sheer pleasure to read. With her ability to make mundane life seem utterly unique and interesting, Bainbridge creates characters that... Read more

Published on Aug 18 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
Very honestly, I only read the book because the movie had struck me with its great directing, talented acting and a terrific unusual plot, and I must say I am not at all sorry I... Read more

Published on Feb 28 2000 by Irina Rozenberg