The Giant, O'Brien (Paperback, Epub Edition)

Charles O'Brien is a giant, standing eight and a half feet tall, and possessed of a rare talent for story-telling. He and his motley acolytes prepare for their voyage from Ireland to England, O'Brien dreaming of palatial surroundings and an adoring public. But the reality turns out to be more brutal - a London of stinking streets, straw-filled cellars and wily prostitutes. Eventually, the giant's court, tiring of their lot, are seduced into striking up an illegal deal with a surgeon who dissects ill-gotten corpses for research purposes. Admirers of the eminently talented Mantel will not be disappointed by this compelling, authentic tale. The Calendar (Kirkus UK)

The Giant, O'Brien is based on the true story of the 18th Century Irish giant, Charles O'Brien, who was exhibited in London and eventually dissected by the surgeon Charles Hunter. O'Brien's bones hang to this day in the Hunterian Museum in Lincoln's Inn Field, despite O'Brien's best endeavours to avoid such a fate. Charles O'Brien, bard and giant. The cynical are moved by his flights of romance; the craven stirred by his tales of epic deeds. But what of his own story as he is led from Ireland to seek his fortune beyond the seas in England? The Surprising Irish Giant may be the sensation of the season but only his compatriots seem to attend to his mythic powers of invention. A motley court surrounds him: slow witted Jankin; the thrusting Claffey brothers; sharp-tongued Bride Claskey, the procuress. None so low as Bitch Mary, and none so opportunistic as impressario Joe Vance, yet London shall make its mark on them all. Just bodies. But even dead, London shall have them. John Hunter, celebrated surgeon and anatomist, buys dead men from the gallows and babies' corpses by the inch. Where is a man to hide his bones when he is yet alive? The Giant, O' Brien is an unforgettable novel; lyr

General

Imprint:	4th Estate
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	June 1999
Authors:	Hilary Mantel
Dimensions:	197 x 130 x 16mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	210
Edition:	Epub Edition
ISBN-13:	978-1-85702-886-7
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General & literary fiction > Modern fiction
LSN:	1-85702-886-4
Barcode:	9781857028867

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