Altered Land [Paperback]

Jules Hardy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2002

Joan is a single mother who adores her son, John. They live in the west Country and John lives his life outdoors. On his 13th birthday they take a trip to London to buy his first pair of Levi jeans. Taking a wrong turn, Joan learns the devestating repercussions of a moment's hesitation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A tragic accident on a boy's 13th birthday forever changes the lives of a mother and son in this haunting debut novel. Joan is a single mother, a beautiful woman and a brilliant academic who never lacks for male attention. Her son, John, knows he is adored; if his father's disappearing act during his mother's pregnancy shadows their past, the two still enjoy a peaceful life in the West Country of England. The accident-which leaves John deaf and his mother facially disfigured-at once strains and strengthens their bond. Employing alternating narratives, Hardy picks up the story 27 years later. John is a successful carpenter in Bristol, married to Sonja, who is a synaesthete-someone whose senses have merged so that she tastes colors and feels sound. Their 20-year relationship is shaken when John decides to undergo risky surgery to obtain cochlear implants; Sonja, meanwhile, may be having an affair. John's mother has become a virtual recluse and alcoholic, attending to her best friend Ellen, who is dying of cancer. From these somber elements Hardy weaves an affecting, emotionally complex story, as damaged mother and son explore the vicissitudes of the past. The well-developed cast of characters struggle through heartbreak and recovery, and learn that there is something to be gained by coping with fear and loss. The author's captivating prose, lushly descriptive but never overly sentimental, heightens the multilayered effect that lingers well after the final page has been turned.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A wrong turn across the Battersea Bridge outside of London leads a mother and her son into the path of an IRA bomb that shatters their previously untroubled lives. Before the tragedy, Joan was a beautiful, brilliant academic and a devoted single mother who enjoyed frequent short-term liaisons and a fair share of alcohol. John, her affable 13-year-old son, had a passion for water sports. But the explosion severely disfigures Joan and leaves John without hearing or the ability to immerse himself in water. Only the intervention of a compassionate doctor and the friendship of a fellow patient allow them to find their way back to the world. John eventually marries, becomes a carpenter, and runs a successful deck construction business, while Joan, unable to face her students, abandons academia for traveling and drinking funded from canny investments. The story alternates between mother and son and moves from 1972, immediately following the explosion, to a period 30 years later as each character faces significant change and a chance to reflect on the past. Although the IRA recently issued a public apology for the toll that three decades of violence has taken on innocent civilians, this deeply affecting novel demonstrates with poignancy how little and how late this must count for its victims. Essential for readers of quality fiction.
Barbara Love, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (December 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743462408
• ISBN-13: 978-0743462402
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,811,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous new debut author, October 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Altered Land: A Novel (Hardcover)

If you only read one new author this year, give Jules Hardy a try. I just loved this book and cannot
recommend it highly enough. I have bought it for severeal friends and they all loved it too. I know that everyone
is raving about Lovely Bones (which I have also read) but this is even better.) Give it a go, you won't be
disappointed.

5.0 out of 5 stars Altered land, March 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Altered Land: A Novel (Hardcover)

I've read this book about a year ago, and it still haunts me. It's one of the most moving and gripping books I've read, and as someone has written above, I can't recommend it highly enough. All of my friends who've read it loved it. Be sure to read it too!

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile read, May 19, 2003

By 

I McAllister (DUNFERMLINE, FIFE United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Altered Land: A Novel (Hardcover)

Once I started this book I could not put it down! A great writer for a first time novel. I laughed and cried. When it ended I was lost without it. Please read this book and I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy it so please buy it now!