Mother Country [Paperback]

Libby Purves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Everyone agreed that Shark Grayson wasn’t fit to keep her baby. A heroin addict living in a sordid London squat, she was already close to death when her American lover took charge, carrying off the baby Alexander to give him an affluent future and a loving home in the Midwest. But now Alex is 27 and afflicted by his lost roots and a romantic vision of England. When a business trip provides the chance to go and trace his unknown relatives, he discovers that while some British people are, indeed, very hard to get along with, others turn out to be more closely akin to him than he ever could have imagined.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Purves's great skill is her ability to marry her cultural and historical insights with her characters' personal development -- all wrapped up in a well-paced detective story... Engrossing.' -- Joanna Hunter, The Times Play 'Amusing, wry and often thought-provoking ... its greatest rewards are to be found in the subtle changes which occur in Alex and the people he encounters as he gets ever closer to discovering the truth.' -- Robert Colbeck, Yorkshire Evening Post 'A thoughtful and entertaining read.' -- Northern Echo 'contemporary and assured ... There is a hint of Henry James in the lonely, bright and kindly young man from America' -- Jan Lee, Oxford Times 'For three-quarters of its course, the novel is pure late Shakespeare ... A comedy of manners ... drawn with skill and humour.' -- David Robson, Sunday Telegraph 'another satisfying novel' -- Spain (Edinburgh) 'A complex and compelling detective story ... surprising but satisfying' -- Home & Country 'A beautifully written story, rich in evocative language and emotion.' -- Good Book Guide 'Compelling reading with an array of skilfully conceived characters' -- Tablet

About the Author

Libby Purves is a writer and also a broadcaster who has presented the talk programme Midweek on Radio 4 since 1984 and formerly presented Today. She is a main columnist on the Times and in 1999 was named the Granada "What the Papers Say" Columnist of the Year, and awarded a O.B.E for services to journalism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 310 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340793910
• ISBN-13: 978-0340793916
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,635,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Memoirs, February 6, 2010

By 

Ren Draya (Medora, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mother Country (Paperback)

Well written, often poignant. Harding chooses details and incidents to evoke an era and a style.

5.0 out of 5 stars Adopted child's quest for his natural mother, June 2, 2009

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mother Country (Paperback)

Jeremy Harding was an adopted child who, for a long time, didn't bother investigating the circumstances of his birth. Eventually deciding (for the sake of his own children as much as for his own curiosity) that he ought to at least make an attempt, he set about his task. As he suspected would be the case, there were many twists and turns before the ultimate conclusion.

This book traces the story of Jeremy's quest but it seems to double up, at least in part, as Jeremy's autobiography. No doubt there would be other stuff in here if it were a genuine autobiography, but there's a lot of material in here that isn't obviously relevant to the main story. There is much information about the author's childhood, the places he lived and the people he was surrounded by, which provides an insight into London and the home counties as they were back then. Depending on your perspective, you may find this fascinating or frustrating. Fascinating because it is interesting in its own right or frustrating because you're really interested in Jeremy's quest for his natural mother - it's for you to decide.

As to the quest itself, that was at times very frustrating for Jeremy. He tried all the obvious archive sources but nearly missed the line that proved successful. Even then, he got lucky. Yes, he eventually identified his birth mother. Was she dead or alive? If alive, was there a reunion and if so, was it a happy one? You can find the answers in this book, which is certainly worth a read.