Please wait... This may take a moment.
That They Might Lovely Be
by David Matthews
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Pub Date
Dec 08 2017
| Archive Date
Jan 01 2018
Description
No-one
thought Bertie Simmonds could speak. So, when he is heard singing an Easter
hymn, this is not so much the miracle some think as a bolt drawn back,
releasing long-repressed emotions with potentially devastating consequences...
A decade later, Bertie marries Anstace, a woman old enough to be his mother,
and another layer of mystery starts to peel away. Beginning in a village in
Kent and set between the two World Wars, That They Might Lovely Be stretches
from the hell of Flanders, to the liberating beauty of the Breton coast,
recounting a love affair which embraces the living and the dead.
No-one thought Bertie Simmonds could speak. So, when he is heard singing an Easter hymn, this is not so much the miracle some think as a bolt drawn back...
Description
No-one
thought Bertie Simmonds could speak. So, when he is heard singing an Easter
hymn, this is not so much the miracle some think as a bolt drawn back,
releasing long-repressed emotions with potentially devastating consequences...
A decade later, Bertie marries Anstace, a woman old enough to be his mother,
and another layer of mystery starts to peel away. Beginning in a village in
Kent and set between the two World Wars, That They Might Lovely Be stretches
from the hell of Flanders, to the liberating beauty of the Breton coast,
recounting a love affair which embraces the living and the dead.
A Note From the Publisher
David Matthews was a teacher for twenty-two years and a head teacher for eleven. His play 'Under the Shadow of Your Wings' was professionally directed and performed in the summer of 2015, as part of Croydon's heritage festival. David divides his time between family life in Croydon and renovating a cottage in south-west France.
David Matthews was a teacher for twenty-two years and a head teacher for eleven. His play 'Under the Shadow of Your Wings' was professionally directed and performed in the summer of 2015...
A Note From the Publisher
David Matthews was a teacher for twenty-two years and a head teacher for eleven. His play 'Under the Shadow of Your Wings' was professionally directed and performed in the summer of 2015, as part of Croydon's heritage festival. David divides his time between family life in Croydon and renovating a cottage in south-west France.
Advance Praise
David Matthews’ excellent first novel is about love unknown, about sin and its consequences, about grief and even about redemption. Although there is war, suicide, loneliness and despair, it is a deeply hopeful novel. The story is romantic but is far more than just a romance. The mute son of the schoolmaster, who may or may not really be the illegitimate son of his spinster daughter, is at the heart of the novel. His character develops as he discovers speech, grows and eventually is able to form a mature relationship; escaping from the claustrophobic family home and seeing his first adopted refuge destroyed by war. This is a very good read. The dialogue is particularly well written and realistic, the era is evoked perfectly and without artificial information being used to prop up the action. The perfect material for a film or mini-series, That They Might Lovely Be is a delight to read.
Fr Richard Peers, blogger, Director of Education in the Anglican diocese of Liverpool
David Matthews’ excellent first novel is about love unknown, about sin and its consequences, about grief and even about redemption. Although there is war, suicide, loneliness and despair, it is a...
Advance Praise
David Matthews’ excellent first novel is about love unknown, about sin and its consequences, about grief and even about redemption. Although there is war, suicide, loneliness and despair, it is a deeply hopeful novel. The story is romantic but is far more than just a romance. The mute son of the schoolmaster, who may or may not really be the illegitimate son of his spinster daughter, is at the heart of the novel. His character develops as he discovers speech, grows and eventually is able to form a mature relationship; escaping from the claustrophobic family home and seeing his first adopted refuge destroyed by war. This is a very good read. The dialogue is particularly well written and realistic, the era is evoked perfectly and without artificial information being used to prop up the action. The perfect material for a film or mini-series, That They Might Lovely Be is a delight to read.
Fr Richard Peers, blogger, Director of Education in the Anglican diocese of Liverpool
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Paperback |
| ISBN |
9781785356230 |
| PRICE |
£15.99 (GBP)
|
Additional Information
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Paperback |
| ISBN |
9781785356230 |
| PRICE |
£15.99 (GBP)
|
Average rating from 1 member
