Gabriel's Lament [Paperback]

Paul Bailey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 1987 | Series: King Penguin

This is the story of Gabriel Harvey who was happy until the day his father inherited a lot of money and became a snob. Then his beloved mother, 35 years her husband's junior, vanishes. Gabriel feels that he'll see her again, but gradually understands that her "holiday" is a complete separation.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; First Edition edition (October 29, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140102574
• ISBN-13: 978-0140102574
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,660,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Full of life., December 21, 2004

By 

algo41 "algo41" (philadelphia, pa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gabriel's Lament (Paperback)

The protagonist is a "Mommy's" boy, whose mother deserts him when he is 12. Not a very promising subject for a novel, and in fact, the early part of the novel is unappealing. Then Bailey works his magic. Gabriel's Lament is filled with characters, mostly misfits, as is the protagonist, really, who are full of life. Most notable is Gabriel's father, kind of an Archie Bunker type. The conflict and tension between Gabriel and his father gives substance to this work. As in two other Bailey novels which I have read, the story is told looking back, but it is mostly linear in time, and does not display the technical virtuosity of "Kitty and Virgil": for new Bailey readers, I would recommend that work first.