Miles Mcginty: A Novel [Paperback]

Tom Gilling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2001

New South Wales, 1856: Miles McGinty and Isabel Dowling are born on the same night into different worlds. Miles is the illegitimate son of an actress in a troupe of travelling players, Isabel the rebellious daughter of a merchant banker, her home a red-brick mansion in one of Sydney's better suburbs. Both are destined to defy convention - and gravity. She rides in a balloon at the age of seven, defying the tweed-coated official who'd asked for a boy. He learns to float in mid-air with the aid of a mysterious showman and storyteller. But Miles becomes possessed by a secret ambition, the desire to build and ride in a flying machine. When his path finally crosses Isabel's, he knows he's met the only person who can share his adventurous vision.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Strongly drawn characters... and an engaging, well-paced story... an enjoyable and imaginative novel that captures the excitement and uncertainty of pioneer efforts in the pre-airplane age' -- Historical Novels Review 20030501 'For anyone defeated by Peter Carey's hefty antipodean tomes, Tom Gilling's pared-down version of 19th-century Down Under may be the answer' -- Independent 20030301 'Tom Gilling pitches well as an entertainer. His novel [is] a jolly fable, with a beguiling lightness and enjoyable, wry humour' -- Daily Telegraph 20030315 'Gilling [takes] innovators, entrepreneurs and chance-takers and turns them into imaginative, charming heroes... A heart-warming adventure for all the family, and nothing wrong in that either' -- Scotsman 20030405 'More than worth reading for Gilling's use of language, some of it so good you feel like whooping' -- Glasgow Herald 20030405 'Gilling's wonderful novel blends Dickensian characters... with a love story pssessed of the simple moral force of a fairytale' -- The Times 20030404 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Tom Gilling studied English and German literature at the University of York. After emigrating to Australia in his early twenties, he became a journalist. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: The Text Publishing Company (September 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1876485965
• ISBN-13: 978-1876485962
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,000,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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