The Streets
By (Author) Anthony Quinn
Vintage Publishing
Vintage
1st October 2013
6th June 2013
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Historical fiction
823.92
Short-listed for Walter Scott Prize 2013 (UK)
Paperback
272
Width 129mm, Height 198mm, Spine 17mm
191g
A tale of love and conspiracy in Dickens' London. From the author of Half of the Human Race.(Channel 4 TV Book Club). From the author of Half of the Human Race (Channel 4 TV Book Club) comes an intricate and thrilling tale of love and conspiracy in Victorian London. London, 1882. David Wildeblood, an idealistic young journalist, pounds the streets of Camden reporting on the notorious slums. The misery and squalor surprise him, but more shocking still is the realisation that someone is profiting from this destitution. Wildeblood's urge to uncover the truth draws him into mortal danger as his investigations reveal a trail of corruption that leads to the very highest levels of society... 'Powerful and heartfelt. Ms Eliot and Mr Dickens would surely approve' Sunday Telegraph 'Quinn blends his history, his political concerns, his ideals, his plot and his characters elegantly, with a light hand and the pace of a thriller' Daily Telegraph
Ambitious, gripping and disturbingly well done. -- Kate Saunders * The Times *
Quinns most mature novel yet His picture of povertys shaming, dehumanizing effect is powerful, and the recurrent call for pity heartfelt. Ms Eliot and Mr Dickens would surely approve. -- Holly Kyte * Sunday Telegraph *
Cements his reputation as an accomplished and challenging novelist Though it takes place 130 years ago, the questions that The Streets poses about how, as a society and individuals, we tackle deprivation arguably remain just as pertinent. -- Peter Stanford * Independent *
Quinn blends his history, his political concerns, his ideals, his plot and his characters elegantly, with a light hand and the pace of a thriller. -- Louisa Young * Daily Telegraph *
Displays the unsentimental yet powerful flair for romance that characterized his previous novel, Half of the Human Race. Perhaps most exciting of all, there is a sense that he is still writing within himself. -- Tom Cox * Sunday Times *
Anthony Quinn was born in Liverpool in 1964. From 1998 to 2013 he was the film critic for the Independent. He is the author of six novels- The Rescue Man, which won the 2009 Authors' Club Best First Novel Award; Half of the Human Race; The Streets, which was shortlisted for the 2013 Walter Scott Prize; Curtain Call, which was chosen for Waterstones and Mail on Sunday Book Clubs; Freya, a Radio 2 Book Club choice, and Eureka.