Handsomest Sons in the World: A Memoir - Softcover

Carlton, Harold

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0715631586 ISBN 13: 9780715631584

Publisher: Duckbacks, 2002

Synopsis

Seen through the eyes of earnest, thirteen-year-old Howard, a Jewish family from 1950's London springs into larger-than-life clarity when his parents buy an Italian restaurant in Soho. Beautiful Mum, embittered and repressed Dad, gentle, kindly Grandpa, and towering above the rest, Grandma, with her orange hair, her dead-white face, her unmatchable 'way' with chicken soup (cooked for two days and served with feather-light kneidlach) and her unshakeable belief that her sons are better than anyone elses. All this whirls around Howard, who struggles to understand himself and his family with the help of Freud and his knowledgeable elder sister Rachel. Harold Carlton's semi-autobiographical romp through northwest London and Soho evokes the post-war era with affection and humor.

About this title

About the Author:

Harold Carlton has written several best-selling novels, as well as a history of the silk square. He now divides his time between Pimlico, London and Palma de Mallorca, where he is working on a new novel.

Review:

'Elegant and precise prose... although the novel encompasses some gloomy themes - death, divorce, betrayal and rejection - it retains a charming delicacy.' Daily Telegraph

About this edition

• Publisher: Duckbacks
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0715631586
• ISBN 13: 9780715631584
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272