Utopian Man

(Paperback)

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Description

It's the 1880s. Marvellous Melbourne is a lavish and raucous city where anything could happen. Eccentric entrepreneur Edward William Cole is building the sprawling Cole's Book Arcade and filling it with whatever amuses him, or supports his favourite causes: a giant squid, a brass band, monkeys, a black man whose skin has turned white, a Chinese tea salon, and of course, hundreds of thousands of books. When Edward decides to marry he advertises for a wife in the newspaper, shocking and titillating the whole town. To everyone's surprise he marries his broadsheet bride and the Arcade grows into a monumental success. But in the 1890s depression hits Melbourne - and Edward - hard, and the death of one of his children leaves him reeling. Grief, corruption and a beautiful, unscrupulous widow all threaten to derail his singular vision. But it's not until he visits Chinatown one night - and his own deeply suppressed past - that the idealist faces his toughest challenge. Utopian Man is the story of a man who lives life on his own terms, and leaves behind a remarkable legacy.

Reviews

." . . a really lovely read from start to finish...full of beautiful imagery, a little bit of conflict, and a lot of imagination." A Reading Life, The Everette, WA Public Library blog"
"Engaging and buoyant." "Publishers Weekly""
"Lang s award-winning debut is a delight, as a novel, as biography, and as history." Historical Novels Review"
"Lang's award-winning debut is a delight, as a novel, as biography, and as history." -- Historical Novels Review
"Engaging and buoyant." --"Publishers Weekly"

Author Bio

Lisa Lang is the author of E W Cole: Chasing the Rainbow.