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How It All Began: A Novel
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Author:
Lively, Penelope
Published:
Penguin Publishing Group 2012
Status:
Checked Out
Description
A vibrant new novel from Penelope Lively—a wry, wise story about the surprising ways lives intersect
Look out for Penelope Lively’s new book, The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories.

When Charlotte Rainsford, a retired schoolteacher, is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike. A marriage unravels after an illicit love affair is revealed through an errant cell phone message; a posh yet financially strapped interior designer meets a business partner who might prove too good to be true; an old-guard historian tries to recapture his youthful vigor with an ill-conceived idea for a TV miniseries; and a middle-aged central European immigrant learns to speak English and reinvents his life with the assistance of some new friends.

Through a richly conceived and colorful cast of characters, Penelope Lively explores the powerful role of chance in people's lives and deftly illustrates how our paths can be altered irrevocably by someone we will never even meet. Brought to life in her hallmark graceful prose and full of keen insights into human nature, How It All Began is an engaging, contemporary tale that is sure to strike a chord with her legion of loyal fans as well as new readers. A writer of rare wisdom, elegance, and humor, Lively is a consummate storyteller whose gifts are on full display in this masterful work.

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Subjects
Subjects
Fiction
Literature
Humor (Fiction)
More Details
Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
01/05/2012
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781101565759
ASIN:
B005OW8GVO
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Penelope Lively. (2012). How It All Began: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Penelope Lively. 2012. How It All Began: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Penelope Lively, How It All Began: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group, 2012.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Penelope Lively. How It All Began: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group, 2012.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Grouped Work ID:
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Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 15:41:02
Date Updated:
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Last Metadata Change:
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Last Availability Check:
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Last Availability Change:
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Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
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      • value: books fiction
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title
How It All Began
fullDescription
A vibrant new novel from Penelope Lively—a wry, wise story about the surprising ways lives intersect
Look out for Penelope Lively’s new book, The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories.

When Charlotte Rainsford, a retired schoolteacher, is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike. A marriage unravels after an illicit love affair is revealed through an errant cell phone message; a posh yet financially strapped interior designer meets a business partner who might prove too good to be true; an old-guard historian tries to recapture his youthful vigor with an ill-conceived idea for a TV miniseries; and a middle-aged central European immigrant learns to speak English and reinvents his life with the assistance of some new friends.

Through a richly conceived and colorful cast of characters, Penelope Lively explores the powerful role of chance in people's lives and deftly illustrates how our paths can be altered irrevocably by someone we will never even meet. Brought to life in her hallmark graceful prose and full of keen insights into human nature, How It All Began is an engaging, contemporary tale that is sure to strike a chord with her legion of loyal fans as well as new readers. A writer of rare wisdom, elegance, and humor, Lively is a consummate storyteller whose gifts are on full display in this masterful work.

reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        November 7, 2011
        Charlotte, who is in her 70s, is mugged, leaving her injured and without her handbag. This delightful, absorbing novel relies on a sophisticated and skillfully realized structure to introduce and then follow its endearingly ordinary characters. Though Charlotte’s incident proves to be the first domino to fall, she herself recedes into the background as her daughter, her middle-aged ESL student, her boss, and her boss’s niece come to the fore, going about the business of their daily lives and loves, all on a somewhat different path than they would have, had not Charlotte broken her hip. The interdependency of the characters’ lives, which they remain largely unaware of, builds intriguing momentum, and the pace quickens as the novel develops. Throughout, prolific Booker Prize–winning author Lively (for Moon Tiger) illustrates her knack for charming familiarity and just the right dash of surprise.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        September 1, 2011

        A chance encounter between a retired schoolteacher and a petty thief sets off an unexpected chain of events. A marriage is undone by a misdirected cell phone call revealing an affair, for instance, while an old-timey historian gets an idea for a snappy miniseries. The moral--life always has other plans for us--should be beautifully conveyed by Man Booker Award winner Lively. Especially nice for book groups.

        Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

popularity
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Look out for Penelope Lively’s new book, The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories.

When Charlotte Rainsford, a retired schoolteacher, is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike. A marriage unravels after an illicit love affair is revealed through an errant cell phone message; a posh yet financially strapped interior designer meets a business partner who might prove too good to be true; an old-guard historian tries to recapture his youthful vigor with an ill-conceived idea for a TV miniseries; and a middle-aged central European immigrant learns to speak English and reinvents his life with the assistance of some new friends.

Through a richly conceived and colorful cast of characters, Penelope Lively explores the powerful role of chance in people's lives and...

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