Learning to Talk

Short Stories

Format: Paperback
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A companion piece to the captivating memoir Giving Up the Ghost by the Man Booker-winning author of Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror & the Light, this collection of loosely autobiographical stories locates the transforming moments of a haunted childhood.

This sharp, funny collection of stories drawn from life begins in the 1950s in an insular northern village 'scoured by bitter winds and rough gossip tongues.' For the child narrator, the only way to survive is to get up, get on, get out.

In 'King Billy is a Gentleman', the child must come to terms with the loss of a father and the puzzle of a fading Irish heritage. 'Curved Is the Line of Beauty' is a story of friendship, faith and a near-disaster in a scrap-yard. The title story sees our narrator ironing out her northern vowels with the help of an ex-actress with one lung and a Manchester accent. In 'Third Floor Rising', she watches, dazzled, as her mother carves out a stylish new identity.

With a deceptively light touch, Mantel locates the transforming moments of a haunted childhood.

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Publication Date:
07/07/2003
Authors:
Mantel, Hilary
Year Published:
2003
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9780007166442
Number of Pages:
176
Place of Publication:
London
Publication Date:
07/07/2003
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers
SKU:
9780007166442

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