The Queen of a Distant Country [Hardcover]

John Braine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1973

The brilliant author of ROOM AT THE TOP probes the obsessive passion of a young man for a vital older woman and the painful ordeal which must follow--the exorcism of desire, the shattering of bonds, the shaking off of a profound and powerful influence.

"A masterful exploration of the many forms of love. Compulsively readable...shows us what an outstandingly good writer he is; flashes of descriptive power, subtleties of insight and intuition abound." (The Sunday Times, London)

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

Editorial Reviews

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8 1-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan; 1st edition (1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698105125
• ISBN-13: 978-0698105126
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A novel and a how-to-write a novel all in one, June 23, 2010

By 

P. Brucker (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Queen of a Distant Country (Hardcover)

"Queen of a distant country" is not only a novel with a well-told story, but also a how-to-write-a novel manual. The premise: the main character (a 19-year old John Braine stand-in and the same guy 20 some years later) reflects on the experiences that propelled him into becoming a successful novelist -- the mentoring from an older women novelist who had early success and now suffers from writer's block and some pivotal personal events (such as knocking up his first girlfriend). Braine shows how his prototagonist stand-in borrows and transforms his experiences into the basics of his first hit novel (which is described as being pretty much Braine's own first novel, "Room at the Top.")

All in all, a clever and well-written book and includes tips such as never writing directly or indulgently about your personal feelings (readers are more interested in actions) or yourself directly (the narrator shows how his own novel's protoganist and story departs from his own).

I know Braine wrote a how-to-write-a-novel self-help book for writers. But, this novel is probably a better way to get his drift on the subject.