Black Diamond [Paperback]

Francis Brett Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 2008

First published in 1921, this absorbing tale has all the ingredients of a 21st-century best-seller: infidelity, sex, drunkenness, violent death, football corruption, urban and rural poverty, and explicit coverage of human frailties and desires. Abner Fellows, a miner and semi-professional footballer, is found a surface job to ensure that industrial injury does not impede his prowess at football. Abner's stepmother is only a little older than himself and, when his hard-drinking miner father is hospitalized, he becomes the breadwinner. Just as his father returns home, Abner is sacked for refusing to 'throw' a cup match for his boss. Fellows senior unjustly accuses his son of impropriety with his stepmother, a fight ensues and Abner leaves home. He tramps west and after several skirmishes finds lodgings with a casual acquaintance. Again he finds himself the breadwinner of a small family. His landlady keeps him at arm's length but, just before the release of her husband from gaol, succumbs to his advances. Following another fight, Abner leaves and, whilst intoxicated in Shrewsbury, accepts an offered panacea for all his problems.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Francis Brett Young was born in 1884 at Halesowen, Worcestershire. He read Medicine at Birmingham University before entering general practice at Brixham in 1907. Brett Young served in East Africa in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I and his experiences are recorded in Marching on Tanga. After the war he and his wife went to live in Capri where a number of novels with African, as well as English, backgrounds were produced. They then returned to England and settled in Worcestershire. During this period he was at the height of his fame and annually produced novels were eagerly awaited. During the Second World War, Brett Young laboured on The Island, his long poem covering the spread of English history from prehistoric times. It was published in 1944 and regarded by him as his greatest achievement. Following a breakdown in his health, the Brett Youngs moved to South Africa, where he died in 1954.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: House of Stratus (January 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0755115716
• ISBN-13: 978-0755115716
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,963,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)