Description
Some time around his fiftieth birthday, Ambrose Zephyr fails his annual medical check-up. An illness of inexplicable origin with no known or foreseeable cure is diagnosed and it will kill him within a month. Give or take a day. In the time that remains, he decides to travel to all the places he has most loved or ever wanted to visit, in strict alphabetical order. And so Ambrose and his wife Zipper embark on a strange adventure that takes them further and further away from home and doesn't quite turn out as either of them had expected.
A warm, witty and wise debut novel about a man with a month to live who embarks on a whirlwind tour of all the places he's ever dreamed of visiting - from Amsterdam to Zanzibar.
About the Author
CS RICHARDSON has worked in Ontario as a book designer for over 20 years, winning Canada's most prestigious design awards on several occasions and having his work exhibited at the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs. He is currently at work on his second novel for Portobello.
Reviews
'This book promises enchantment as soon as you pick it up.' Claire Rayner 'A stunning accomplishment. To say so much in so few words is breathtaking. If Alphabet doesn't become the next Tuesdays with Morrie, there's something wrong with the world. Though, it's nothing like Tuesdays - because it's so much more. Give it to the one you love; to someone who has lost, or is losing, someone; and to anyone who needs to hope, who needs to cry, or who needs to really dream. It's that powerful.' Publishers Weekly 'An elegant, spare and beautifully written tale. The surprise of this little book is not that it is poignant but that it is delightful: graceful, stylish, humorous, and intelligent - each page shimmers with life at its gentle, everyday best.' Washington Post 'A sad and sweet debut, with prose as taut as a spider's web - a tear-stained goodbye note and a heartfelt love letter.' L A Times
Awards
Winner of Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best First Book - Caribbean and Canada 2008.
Book Information
ISBN 9781846271113
Author C.S. Richardson
Format Paperback
Page Count 128
Imprint Granta Books
Publisher Granta Books
Weight(grams) 136g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 12mm
A warm, witty and wise debut novel about a man with a month to live who embarks on a whirlwind tour of all the places he's ever dreamed of visiting - from Amsterdam to Zanzibar.
About the Author
CS RICHARDSON has worked in Ontario as a book designer for over 20 years, winning Canada's most prestigious design awards on several occasions and having his work exhibited at the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs. He is currently at work on his second novel for Portobello.
Reviews
'This book promises enchantment as soon as you pick it up.' Claire Rayner 'A stunning accomplishment. To say so much in so few words is breathtaking. If Alphabet doesn't become the next Tuesdays with Morrie, there's something wrong with the world. Though, it's nothing like Tuesdays - because it's so much more. Give it to the one you love; to someone who has lost, or is losing, someone; and to anyone who needs to hope, who needs to cry, or who needs to really dream. It's that powerful.' Publishers Weekly 'An elegant, spare and beautifully written tale. The surprise of this little book is not that it is poignant but that it is delightful: graceful, stylish, humorous, and intelligent - each page shimmers with life at its gentle, everyday best.' Washington Post 'A sad and sweet debut, with prose as taut as a spider's web - a tear-stained goodbye note and a heartfelt love letter.' L A Times
Awards
Winner of Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best First Book - Caribbean and Canada 2008.
Book Information
ISBN 9781846271113
Author C.S. Richardson
Format Paperback
Page Count 128
Imprint Granta Books
Publisher Granta Books
Weight(grams) 136g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 12mm
