Foreign Land: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

After 40 years, George Grey is leaving his work in foreign countries and returning to live in retirement in England. He returns to a daughter who scares him, a house that haunts him, and a culture that befuddles him. It is only in purchasing a small boat that he recovers a sense of personal balance. Returning to the ocean provides the security that his native land and his compatriots seem to suck out of him. Raban's new novel is a kindly exploration of the psyche of an expatriate Englishman trying to adjust to post-empire Britain. The descriptions of people and places give a true sense of the ``new'' life George faces rather unwillingly. The reader will enjoy accompanying George on his voyages, both nautical and personal. Highly recommended. W. Keith McCoy, Plainfield P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Jonathan Raban's achievements in this novel are nothing short of awesome."
--The Washington Post

"Raban has a wonderful gift...These characters seem to index an entire civilization."
--The Village Voice Literary Supplement

"Raban is a first-rate observer, with an eye for the ridiculous and a gift for the sudden pounce."
--Newsday
-- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (December 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375725946
• ISBN-13: 978-0375725944
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,443,130 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting poignant tale with a fantastic end., August 24, 2000

By	Sailoil (Dublin Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foreign Land (Audio Cassette)

There are many books that are rivals for the award of best beginning, but this is definitely my vote for the best ever ending of a novel. Obviously I can't tell you the end, because that would spoil it, but the end of this book has kept me thinking for years since I read it. The story itself is low key, an aging man who has spent his productive years abroad and finds no solace in returning home. He decides to head off into the teeth of a rebellion rather than vegetate in the country of his birth. The novel is well written, with the nautical detail that you would expect from Raban. It is a book written at the pace of the central character, a little slow reflecting his age and the age in which he grew up. Believe me, though, this is one you want to finish, The ending is just brilliant.

3.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking, empty shell, December 15, 2007

By	David A. Seruyange "sophtwarez" (Sioux Falls, SD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a book of gaps - gaps in time, gaps in explanation, and gaps in feeling. While it does inspire thought, the ending folds itself into an empty experience that has too many loose ends from the early acquaintance the reader makes with the principal character. Although it has its moments, moments do not a memorable book make.