false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169751149m/41688.jpg 41688 17 Human Croquet is a game in which some people act as hoops while others propel a blindfolded "ball" around the course. Though the game is never actually played in Kate Atkinson's remarkable novel, <I>Human Croquet</I>, the parallels between plot and pastime are undeniable. Atkinson, winner of the 1995 Whitbread Award in Britain, tells the story of Isobel Fairfax and her older brother, Charles. The children's parents vanished when they were young, leaving them to the care of their grandmother, now dead, and their Aunt Vinny. Recently their father has returned with "the Debbie-wife" in tow, and they all live in Arden, the family's ancestral home built on the foundations of the original manor house that burned to the ground in 1605. According to family legend, the first Fairfax took a wife who mysteriously disappeared one day, leaving in her wake a curse on the Fairfax name. More than 300 years later, Fairfax descendants are still struggling with this painful legacy. <P>Atkinson's novel is obviously not rooted in dull reality. Narrator Isobel has an uncanny knowledge of past and future events; Charles is obsessed with the concept of parallel universes and time travel; and a faery curse hangs over everybody. Fortunately, Kate Atkinson is a masterful writer who manages to keep her world of wonders in check. <I>Human Croquet</I> is no ordinary novel, and readers who venture into the Fairfax universe are in for a magical ride. 1369637 1997 Human Croquet: A Novel total:681|5:132|4:275|3:215|2:45|1:14| 681 2509 938 72 4 1 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 1998 Tue Aug 21 21:55:55 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 18 19:39:36 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Aug 06 22:49:10 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 10:34:27 -0700 2009 Behind the Scenes at the Museum A Novel, it had many of its strong points -- excellent writing and characterization, acerbic wit, good pacing, etc. It was also more creative and postmodern, which I found to be both a strength and a weakness.

Six...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Dec 08 17:06:24 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 10:37:04 -0800 2008 0 1 false false Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 10:09:37 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 10:17:08 -0800 2009 Sanders mentioned in her book this is all about fairy tales and that mythical cusp between childhood and adulthood. But more than that it's about stories and how they are not definite. Stories change depending on the teller, when it's being told, the audience, and a thou...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 03:35:26 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 03:22:56 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 10 false false Sat May 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 06:31:04 -0700 2009 Sat May 09 06:39:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Aug 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 15:09:51 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 07 16:27:39 -0700 2009 Project Runway for the literary set, Tim Gunn would have taken one look at this book and told Kate Atkinson to bring an editing eye to it. There are so many interesting elements to this—the humour, the meta elements, the mixture of history and imagination—b...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sat Jul 25 20:52:33 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 20:52:45 -0700 2009 has sat on my shelves for months;
now that I see how wonderful this
author is, I must read it, too.
"How can I trust reality when
the phenomenal world appears to
be playing tricks on me at
every turn?" Eliza tells us.
...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 12 10:59:01 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 16 20:19:13 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 30 11:53:20 -0800 2007 Mon Sep 28 16:55:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 20 10:20:37 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 20 10:20:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sat Feb 07 16:55:14 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 07 16:59:22 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 14:17:41 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 14:17:41 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 27 22:46:30 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 27 22:51:38 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 07:51:15 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 07:55:18 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 20:35:09 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 20:35:09 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun May 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 07:01:40 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 07:04:21 -0700 2009 4 0 true false Wed Dec 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 03 09:35:34 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 03 09:37:21 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Tue Jun 02 18:34:18 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 18:36:54 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Jan 24 09:42:19 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 14:54:55 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=41688