TYPORAMA
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By the Author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies and
A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom
THE House of special purpose: A Novel
By John Boyne
Other Press Paperback Reprint • ISBN: 978-1-63542-177-4
On-Sale Date: August 10, 2021 • Price: $18.99
“Suspenseful and touching…ingeniously constructed and gripping…[Boyne] skillfully evokes the wrenching pain of loss and exile while presenting a tribute to enduring love.”—Booklist
“John Boyne’s haunting novel travels to the heart of the Russian empire.”—BBC
“An exciting, fast-paced story… deft plotting and strong dialogue. Absorbing and richly satisfying.”—The Times (UK)
“Boyne exercises total control over pace and revelation. A work that chimes perfectly with our times.”—IRISH TIMES
“A thrilling historical novel rooted in the Russian revolution and the end of Romanov czars…a gripping story.” —MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE
ABOUT THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE:
In THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE, Boyne applies the same meticulous historical research and flawless storytelling of his past books to the Russian Revolution and the fate of the Romanovs, creating a thrilling novel that is part love story, part historical epic, and part tragedy.
THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE illuminates the final days of czarist Russia. Eighty-two-year-old Georgy Jachmenev is haunted by his past—a past of death, suffering, and scandal that will stay with him until the end of his days. Living in England with his beloved wife, Zoya, Georgy prepares to make one final journey to the Russia he once knew and loved, the Russia that both destroyed and defined him. As Georgy remembers days gone by, we are transported to St. Petersburg in the early twentieth century, to the Winter Palace of the czar, threatened by bloody revolution. Georgy’s memories reveal shocking secrets, stripping away decades of deceit until we learn the story of the house of special purpose.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Gilligan
John Boyne was born in Ireland in 1971 and is the author of twelve novels for adults, most recently the New York Times bestseller The Heart’s Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky, and A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom as well as six novels for teens and young adults including the #1 New York Times bestselling The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Thanks for stopping,
ReplyDeleteI read THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE a couple years ago.
ReplyDeleteJohn Boyne's writing is so good I've given five stars to all of his books that I've read so far. And I would have given five to THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE, too, except it seemed to me in the first quarter that this was going to be a story with little plot, less a story than a series of incidences.
Later I realized these incidences were what the story depended on.
Also, Boyne skipped from one year to another, sometimes back and sometimes forward. I didn’t see the logic of that at first. It seemed haphazard. But it wasn’t.
I saw how skillfully Boyne built anticipation in this way. Rather than just present a story, he managed his presentation.
In the end, I loved this book as much as his others. But I rated it with four stars rather than five because it didn’t grab me right away.
Thank you for your helpful comments about the book, techeditor.
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