Bobby Dazzler (Paperback, New Ed)

Philip Collins's first novel, The Men from the Boys, heralded the arrival of a bright new voice on the literary scene. In this second book he achieves the almost impossible feat of subjecting his reader to tears of joy and grief within a few brief paragraphs. All human life is here in the Northern town of Heywood, where Georgie Lees rules the roost at the Amateur Dramatic Society and her husband, Preston, runs the local funeral business; life with all its richness and routine, the daily grind leavened with wit and absurdity. Georgie lives for the hours she spends on stage as one of her idols from Oklahoma! or South Pacific. Her family, Preston, son Bobby and increasingly batty mother, Mary, are the centre of her world, a world which seems safe and secure. True, Bobby is being bullied at school, and Preston's fixation with his allotment is increasingly irritating, but on the whole life is good. When an agent offers her the chance to audition for the starring role in Hello Dolly! and wants to take her on tour, Georgie cannot believe her luck. But should she go off and leave her family behind, when they all depend on her so much? The decision is cruelly taken out of her hands when she makes a shocking discovery which will change her life for ever. As her old world is blown out of the water, she finds herself back with her mother, clinging to the wreckage of her childhood home and desperately trying to make sense out of tragedy. Into her life comes Brian, a quiet, caring man and a brilliant singer who believes in her utterly, and eventually persuades Georgie to have faith in herself. There is more sorrow and more heartbreak for Georgie, but when she has to face this second loss, she is able to handle it with dignity and grace rather than rage. Philip Collins has written a poignant book which examines the effect of bereavement on those left behind, but there is no trace of mawkishness or gloom. This is a celebration of life and Collins demands that we should live each day to the full. Ultimately this is a book about the joy of living, rather than the wretchedness of dying, and as such it is a book to be cherished. (Kirkus UK)

Second novel from the author of The Men from the Boys. Philip Collins had an impressive debut with the bestselling The Men from the Boys. That was a story on male friendship. Now with Bobby Dazzler he looks at what we make of our lives. The market stall and the Amateur Dramatic Society are the twin poles of Georgie Lees' working existence. She is the organiser of the market and the star of the local theatre. Her son, her mother, and sometimes her ex-husband, are the cornerstones of her life. Mary, her mother, one-time publican, popular neighbourhood performer and brilliant needlework designer, is beginning to show early signs of erratic behaviour; her son is struggling at school and, at ten, is too old to be cuddled for comfort but too young to talk to; and his father, the local funeral director, seems to spend more time talking to the plants in his allotment than to any of them. Georgie is offered what she had always wanted: the chance to perform professionally. But should she - could she - take the opportunity when her family seem to be in such need? It is the growing difficulties of her mother that bring a new player into her life, the comical but efficient, dramatic but stoic Brian. And it is death that irrevocably changes their lives and asks the question lying behind all their choices - how should those with no religious faith find meaning in life?

General

Imprint:	HarperCollinsPublishers
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	February 2004
Authors:	Philip Collins
Dimensions:	198 x 129 x 18mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	320
Edition:	New Ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-00-717856-8
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General & literary fiction > Modern fiction
LSN:	0-00-717856-5
Barcode:	9780007178568

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