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175:. The storyline follows the fragmented lives and the strange interconnections between Kay, Helen and Julia, three lesbians; Viv, a straight woman; and Duncan, her brother, whose sexuality is ambiguous. The war, with its never-ending night watches, serves as a horrifying backdrop and metaphor of the morbidity that surrounds life and love.
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The action shifts back another three years, to 1941. On a crowded train, Viv meets a soldier named Reggie, who tells her he is stuck in an unhappy marriage. Duncan and his friend Alec are angry at their families and the government when Alec receives his service papers. They decide to make a statement
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Kay works as an emergency response ambulance worker, cleaning up after air raids. One night, Kay and her coworker Mickey are sent out to take a woman to the hospital as she miscarries. On the same night, Kay learns of an air raid that occurred on her street. Kay panics and runs to the rubble to where
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for three years now, and Viv and her father visit him once a month. Viv is working as a typist and lodges at a boarding house with some of her co-workers. She meets Reggie, who is married, at anonymous hotels once every five weeks, whenever Reggie is permitted leave from Wales. When her "friend" is
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Helen works for the government in a division that assists those who've lost their belongings in the war. By chance she runs into Julia, a woman who was once acquainted with Kay. On her birthday, Helen is restless and alone at home, and decides to leave for Julia's flat. They take a walk, and when
202:
doctor at
Lavender Hill. After having dinner with his sister, Duncan works at the candle factory. When he leaves work, Duncan is surprised to see Fraser waiting for him at the gates. He invites Duncan to a pub by the water, and Duncan reluctantly agrees, mainly because he doesn't want Mr Mundy to
273:(4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with the critical summary stating, "For a few critics the risky narrative device robs the book of its suspense, but in the final tally most writers agree that the view from the other end of the telescope is "an elegant and profound device" (
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Helen and Viv receive an unexpected visit from Robert Fraser, Duncan's old cellmate. Viv dismisses Fraser, feeling as though he thinks she and her father haven't done enough to help Duncan's situation and explains that he simply doesn't know everything.
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The novel begins in 1947 with Kay
Langrish, a woman broken by the war. She spends her days locked in her room in London, her only human contact being with another lesbian, Mickey. One night, Viv appears and hands Kay a gold ring.
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worry. Fraser makes several calls at Duncan's for dinner. One night, however, he doesn't show up, and Duncan is quite upset, while Mr Mundy is relieved. Duncan decides to find Fraser, leaving Mr Mundy home alone.
191:. When Helen's girlfriend Julia doesn't come home one night, Helen is overcome with worry and jealousy. After work, Viv has dinner with her brother Duncan and Duncan's roommate, an older gentleman named Mr Mundy.
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another air raid alarm sounds, they run and hide from the chaos. Nights later, she realizes she's late to go home from Julia's, and they hurry back to Helen and Kay's flat.
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On 25 November 2010, BBC2 network announced the cast for the 90-minute television adaptation of
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July/Aug 2006 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a
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Duncan accompanies Mr Mundy, or "Uncle Horace," as he refers to him in public, to his
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through third-person narrative, takes place in 1940s London during and after
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late, Viv realizes that she must be pregnant, and hesitates to tell Reggie.
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The novel moves back three years, to 1944. Duncan has been imprisoned in
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with deadly consequences. Kay and Mickey respond to an emergency call.
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her flat used to be, and cries thinking Helen is dead.
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33:UK first edition cover
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317:Anna Maxwell Martin
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692:Historical novels
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341:Anna Wilson-Jones
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355:as Robert Fraser
347:Tom Weston-Jones
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436:. Retrieved
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404:. Retrieved
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179:Plot summary
173:World War II
165:Orange Prize
157:Sarah Waters
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43:Sarah Waters
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618:Fingersmith
567:Fingersmith
373:as Mr Mundy
307:Paula Milne
189:Bond Street
686:Categories
438:14 January
406:14 January
396:Metacritic
378:References
323:Claire Foy
237:Metacritic
532:Works of
361:as Reggie
227:Reception
155:novel by
77:Publisher
626:Affinity
559:Affinity
367:as Nancy
353:JJ Feild
275:Guardian
139:62265716
59:Language
62:English
672:(2015)
653:(2018)
645:(2016)
637:(2011)
629:(2008)
621:(2005)
613:(2002)
594:(2014)
586:(2009)
578:(2005)
570:(2002)
562:(1999)
554:(1998)
542:Novels
331:as Viv
312:Cast:
281:Awards
114:480 pp
80:Virago
39:Author
111:Pages
67:Genre
440:2023
408:2023
277:)".
133:OCLC
120:ISBN
688::
424:.
394:.
525:e
518:t
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442:.
410:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
