LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
After the phenomenal success of One Day it must have been tough for the author to write this. Little will live up to that masterpiece but give the man some slack and sit back and enjoy this. It is not as irresistible as One Day but it’s still a lovely read. Darker than his previous novel it tells of a struggling marriage and an awkward relationship between father and son. To help solve both problems our protagonist, Douglas, takes them on a ‘grand tour’ of Europe. Reading a bit like a pacy travelogue with much human reflection on life, it’s a sad tale spotted with humour and clever descriptions of the period in which we live. I like his writing very much. ~ Sarah Broadhurst
One of our Books of the Year 2014.
Winner of the UK Author of the Year at the Specsavers National Book Awards 2014.
Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2014.
Sarah Broadhurst
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Us Synopsis
David Nicholls brings the wit and intelligence that graced his international bestseller One Day to a compellingly human, deftly humorous new novel about what holds marriages and families together-and what happens when everything threatens to fall apart.Douglas Petersen may be mild mannered, but behind his reserve lies a sense of humour that, against all odds, seduces beautiful Connie into a second date . . . and eventually into marriage. Now, almost three decades after their relationship first blossomed in London, they live more or less happily in the suburbs with their moody seventeen-year-old son, Albie. Then Connie tells Douglas she thinks she wants a divorce.The timing couldn't be worse. Hoping to encourage her son's artistic interests, Connie has planned a month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world's greatest works of art as a family, and she can't bring herself to cancel. And maybe going ahead with the original plan is for the best anyway? Douglas is privately convinced that this landmark trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage, and may even help him to bond with Albie.Narrated from Douglas's endearingly honest, slyly witty, and at times achingly optimistic point of view, Us is the story of a man trying to rescue his relationship with the woman he loves and learning how to get closer to a son who's always felt like a stranger. Us is a moving meditation on the demands of marriage and parenthood as well as the intricate relationship between the heart and the head. In David Nicholls's gifted hands, Douglas's odyssey brings Europe-from the streets of Amsterdam to the famed museums of Paris, from the cafes of Venice to the beaches of Barcelona-to vivid life just as he experiences a powerful awakening of his own. Will this summer be his last as a husband, or the moment when he turns his marriage, and maybe even his whole life, around?
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Press Reviews
David Nicholls Press Reviews
'I loved this book. Funny, sad, tender: for anyone who wants to know what happens after the Happy Ever After.' Jojo Moyes
'Wonderful. A novel that manages to be both truly hilarious and deeply affecting. I loved it.' S J Watson
'A wrenching examination of a journey through Europe that goes terribly wrong and a consideration of what it means to be a parent today.' Philip Hensher - Guardian
'As many emotions as air miles' Damian Barr-Observer
'Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love, this time about a type of relationship often neglected as unsexy - the long-married couple. Yet greater longevity, female economic independence and the baby-boomer sense of entitlement to perpetual happiness has led to a spike in fiftysomething divorces. Long marriages are no longer seen as becalmed seas, albeit with chilly, hidden depths, but in as constant flux as younger partnerships. Nicholls has demographics on his side, along with his wry, plaintive but ever hopeful words.' Janice Turner- The Times
Author
About David Nicholls
David Nicholls trained as an actor before making the switch to writing. His TV credits include the third series of Cold Feet, Rescue Me, and I Saw You, as well as a much-praised modern version of Much Ado About Nothing and an adaptation of Tess of the D’Urbervilles, both for BBC TV. David has continued to write for film and TV as well as writing novels, and he has twice been nominated for BAFTA awards.
David's bestselling first novel, STARTER FOR TEN, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club in 2004, and David has written the screenplays for film versions of both STARTER FOR TEN (released in 2006, starring James McAvoy) and THE UNDERSTUDY (not yet released). His third novel, ONE DAY, was published in hardback in 2009 to extraordinary critical acclaim, and stayed in the Sunday Times top ten bestseller list for ten weeks on publication.
Photograph © Joss Barratt/Stay Still Ltd
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