The Secret Purposes - Softcover
The subject is a hidden part of British history, treated with gravity: the internment of German Jewish refugees on the Isle of Man in the 1940s. June Murray is a translator who doesn't share the unsympathetic incomprehension of her colleagues at the Ministry of Information, and travels to the Isle of Man in order to interview the Jews interned there. June hopes to expose the true horror of what the Nazis are doing, but her best efforts are wasted, and she can glean nothing. But her relationship with a man she meets, the highly intelligent (if ineffectual) Isaac Fabian, is to have a profound influence on her life and thinking--and nothing will be the same again for June, Isaac or his wife and daughter.
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About the Author:
Co-creator of three of the BBC's most successful comedy programmes, David Baddiel has proved himself an accomplished novelist (and critic) too.
From Booklist:
*Starred Review* British comedian and novelist Baddiel takes a turn for the dramatic in this World War II tale of Germans interned on the Isle of Man. With Europe on the verge of war, Isaac Fabian and his wife, Lulu, trade East Prussia for the peaceful confines of Cambridge. Isaac, a German Communist who betrayed his rabbi father by marrying a Gentile, feels uneasy in England, while Lulu's Aryan appearance makes it easier for her to blend in. When Isaac's outspoken behavior prompts his detainment on the Isle of Man, Lulu is left behind to care for their young daughter and gather affidavits from British citizens on her husband's behalf. Meanwhile, Ministry of Information translator June Hunter, suspicious that Nazi atrocities on the isle are far worse than reported, secretly travels to the camps to uncover the truth. There she meets Isaac, sparking an alliance that alters each in unexpected ways. Drawing on his grandfather's experiences as a refugee, Baddiel evokes the intellectual and cultural climate of the Isle of Man camps, which resembled "an English seaside holiday town behind barbed wire." Baddiel's ending may be too pat for some, but it does little to dampen this poignant examination of the impact of history upon individual lives. Allison Block
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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- PublisherLittle, Brown
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 0316725765
- ISBN 13 9780316725767
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages416
- Rating
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The Secret Purposes
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Little, Brown
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ISBN 10: 0316725765
ISBN 13: 9780316725767
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001847651
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The Secret Purposes
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The Secret Purposes This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780316725767
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The Secret Purposes
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Used; Very Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine. Seller Inventory # CHL9672893
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The Secret Purposes
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ISBN 13: 9780316725767
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages. Seller Inventory # CHL9733227
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780316725767
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ISBN 13: 9780316725767
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Book Description Condition: Very Good. 2004. Export/Airside only. Paperback. Clean copy. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # KEX0230789
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The Secret Purposes
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ISBN 13: 9780316725767
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Book Description Condition: Very Good. 2004. Export/Airside only. Paperback. Clean copy. . . . . Seller Inventory # KEX0230789
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The Secret Purposes. Deutscher Titel: Noch nicht übersetzt.
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London, Little Brown & Company
(2004)
ISBN 10: 0316725765
ISBN 13: 9780316725767
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Book Description Illustrierte Originalbroschur. Condition: Wie neu. First Imprint. Erstausgabe. 408 pages. 23,5 cm. Large format paperback. Sehr guter Zustand. - What might you expect in a novel such as The Secret Purposes from the talented David Baddiel? Apart from the laddishness of his Fantasy Football TV appearances with Frank Skinner, Baddiel has proved himself to be one of the sharpest and most perceptive of younger novelists, with a sympathetic understanding of human nature (perhaps we can blame Baddiel's TV persona on his co-compere, whose own literary efforts haven t matched Baddiel's highly accomplished Time for Bed and Whatever Love Means). The earlier books were darkly comic pieces shot through with his trademark seriousness; the new book is a striking departure. The subject is a hidden part of British history, treated with gravity: the internment of German Jewish refugees on the Isle of Man in the 1940s. June Murray is a translator who doesn t share the unsympathetic incomprehension of her colleagues at the Ministry of Information, and travels to the Isle of Man in order to interview the Jews interned there. June hopes to expose the true horror of what the Nazis are doing, but her best efforts are wasted, and she can glean nothing. But her relationship with a man she meets, the highly intelligent (if ineffectual) Isaac Fabian, is to have a profound influence on her life and thinking--and nothing will be the same again for June, Isaac or his wife and daughter. This is clearly a very personal subject for Baddiel, and he produced his most affecting and (in many ways) timely novel yet. Time and place are evoked with quite as much skill as the rich characterisation--June is a heroine to draw the reader ineluctably into the moving narrative.--Barry Forshaw. - - David Baddiel ist in Großbritannien bekannt als Comedian und Mitschreiber von "Football's coming home". In Deutschland leider etwas unbekannt ist die Tatsache, dass Baddiel drei ganz wundervolle Bücher veröffentlich hat, die außer dem letzten auch in deutscher Sprache erschienen sind. "The secret purposes" schildert biographisch angehaucht das Schicksal seines Großvaters, der im Dritten Reich mit seiner Frau aus Deutschland nach England flieht und dort wegen kommunistischer Ansichten interniert wird. Das Buch ist einfach großartig. Baddiel kann Geschichten erzählen und dabei kommen in seinen Sätzen immer Knackpunkte vor, die einen stutzen lassen. Im Gegensatz zu den ersten beiden Büchern Baddiels kommt hier zwar Humor kaum vor, aber man vermißt ihn auch nicht - dazu ist die Geschichte zu interessant. Der beste Baddiel bislang, aber auch das sage ich nach jedem seiner Bücher. Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 450. Seller Inventory # 43674
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The Secret Purposes
Published by
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ISBN 10: 0316725765
ISBN 13: 9780316725767
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Book Description Softcover: 15.4 x 3 x 23.4 cm. Export/Airside only. 416 p. Very good condition. Reading pages are clean and without marks. Slight traces of storage or use. Otherwise very good exemplar. 9780316725767 Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 558. Seller Inventory # 215527
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