The Porpoise
by Haddon, Mark
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 1784742821
- ISBN 13
- 9781784742829
- Seller
-
Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Reviews
The Porpoise is the fourth novel by award-winning British author, Mark Haddon and is a retelling of the Greek legend of Apollonius. Newborn Angelica is the only survivor of a small plane crash. Her wealthy father Philippe, paralysed by grief at the loss of his wife, becomes reclusive, keeping Angelica in isolation. At first this is from a paranoia about her safety, but then it is his unhealthy obsession, his inappropriate attentions that he needs to hide from the world. And, as she matures, Angelica begins to understand that this is not normal.
It might be observed about Philippe: "If you have never had to face the consequences of your own mistakes, does the quiet, critical, contrary voice at the back of your mind grow gradually quieter until it is no longer audible?"
Darius Koulouris is the son of a recently-deceased art dealer with business ties to Philippe. This rather dissolute young man comes upon something his father had intended for Philippe and immediately recognises the opportunity to check out the fabled Angelica. Before he has been in their company for long, he intuits the situation, but hesitates to get involved. On his return, Angelica begs him to take her away, but Philippe intervenes, with violence: Darius will be lucky to escape with his life…
Angelica has always been an avid reader. "Her favourite stories are the old ones, those that set deep truths ringing like bells, that take the raw materials of sex and cruelty, of fate and chance, and render them safe by trapping them in beautiful words." Often "She enters that foggy border country between dream and story…she is weaving another world."
And now the imagined world to which she escapes when subjected to Philippe's incestuous attentions is one in which Darius escapes the far reach of her father's murderous intentions. Darius morphs into Pericles who is sometimes Appolinus or Apollonius, sailing the Mediterranean and beyond, saving a city, being ship-wrecked, winning a princess's hand, suffering terrible tragedy and wandering alone for many years of self-imposed exile.
Not all readers will be familiar with this Greek legend and its various iterations but a quick look at Wikipedia provides the basics, including the fact that William Shakespeare had a go, and Haddon refers to this in the Author's Notes. The parts of the novel featuring Will are very entertaining, particularly if envisaging him as portrayed by David Mitchell in Upstart Crow.
Haddon's version of the legend is beautifully told, with some exquisite descriptive prose that easily evokes the era, be it Ancient Greece, twenty-first-century Hampshire or Jacobean London. As the story progresses, Haddon's Pericles and Chloe, through their trials, gain much wisdom, while Marina, without the benefit of either parent, grows into a beautiful person, within and without, courageous and resilient. While quite a departure from Haddon's earlier work, this is a wonderful read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Doubleday Australia
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- PsychoBabel & Skoob Books (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 544937
- Title
- The Porpoise
- Author
- Haddon, Mark
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 1784742821
- ISBN 13
- 9781784742829
- Publisher
- Chatto & Windus
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 2019
Terms of Sale
PsychoBabel & Skoob Books
Refunds
Returning unwanted goods
7 days to cancel purchase for non-faulty goods
In the EU, you have the right to cancel your on-line purchase within seven working days.�
This seven-day "cooling off" period begins on the day when you receive your purchase.�
You can choose to cancel your order for any reason within this time frame – even if you simply changed your mind.
We will give you a refund within 30 days. This refund must include any shipping charges you paid when you made your purchase.
Although you have a right of refund, you will have to pay the postage costs of shipping goods bought on-line back to us.
Worldwide returns:
Our voluntary returns guarantee: You may return, for a full refund, any item ordered from us within 30 days of receipt, provided it is in perfect condition.
Please contact us to obtain a returns authorisation by completing and returning this cancellation form, emailing (books@psychobabel.co.uk) or telephoning +44(0)1235 861411. You will be responsible for the cost of returning the item to us, unless we delivered it to you in error or it is faulty. It is your responsibility to ensure safe return of the item.
If you return a high-value item, we recommend you use a recorded delivery service. Once we've received your item, we'll refund the same means of payment as you used to make your purchase. This returns guarantee doesn't affect your statutory rights and therefore doesn't affect your right of cancellation described above.
Emails are usually answered within 24 hours, except at weekends.Shipping/Delivery TimesWe ship orders from Monday to Friday and all orders received and paid for before 3:00pm are sent the same day. Orders placed on weekends or Bank Holidays are shipped the following business day.
UK packages are sent via Royal Mail. International orders are shipped via Royal Mail's airmail service. Expedited courier deliveries can be arranged. Please contact us for a quote.
Heavy orders (over 5kg UK or international) are usually shipped via private couriers. If your order is for a particularly heavy book or a volume set, please contact us with your shipping address and we will quote your total cost - the price of your order plus shipping costs - before you place your order.
Postal Insurance and special delivery is available at extra cost - simply let us know and we'll quote your total order amount, including p&p for whatever service you require.
�
About the Seller
PsychoBabel & Skoob Books
About PsychoBabel & Skoob Books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...