Author:John Harding
At fifty the guarantee runs out...
About to hit the big five-oh, obsessed with sex, cocaine-fuelled and gripped by a crippling fear of death, Professor Michael Cole is finding life a bit of a struggle.
It's finding the time to squeeze everything in, really. He's supposedly writing the definitive biography of his literary hero, John Donne, but barely manages three hundred words a week. His insatiable enthusiasm for his prettier female students might be partly to blame, but they are only young once. And the fact that one of his female colleagues has yet to succumb to his charms is, admittedly, a distraction he could well do without. But throw in a fight for promotion, a wife to lie to and two small children to look after and it's no wonder his blood pressure has reached life-threatening heights. He knows the time has come to act his age. The question is how.
Because Michael Cole is very much a creature of habit and, as we all know, old habits die hard. But it's when he's caught in the act of adultery by his grandmother that Cole truly begins to see the writing on the wall. After all, she's been dead for twenty-five years...
Marrying humour, heart and a singular understanding of the human condition, WHILE THE SUN SHINES is an uproariously funny yet hugely affecting novel about growing-old disgracefully and the price we sometimes have to pay...
'Wonderfully funny, original and moving'
—— Helen Dunmore'Beautifully crafted...the perfect marriage of humour and heart'
—— Glenn Patterson'A wonderful novel...written with great humour and a rare generosity of spirit. Truly original'
—— Deborah Moggach'A really wonderful book'
—— The Times'Pognant, hilarious and ultimately deeply moving...a wonderful novel'
—— Marika Cobbold[An] enthralling love story. Simon has written an enormously affecting read, and provided sensitive insight into a complex world often dismissed by the "abled"
—— Publisher's WeeklyThe Story of Beautiful Girl is the most compelling, resonating novel I've read in years. It is a love story, a mystery and a visceral indictment of a once-popular way of dealing with the disabled in U.S. society. Rachel Simon has crafted a breathtakingly beautiful, yet heart-wrenchingly aching story that, despite its cruelty and inhumanity, uplifts the reader
—— World HeraldHeart-tugging
—— O, the Oprah magazineTruly stirring
—— Entertainment WeeklySimon infuses it, bit by bit, with the expectation of a gratifying conclusion, one that rewards an indomitable romantic and parental love for its many surprises
—— Boston GlobeReaders of Rachel Simon's fiction know that she's a hopeful romantic. Her work is smart and laced with sweetness, presenting an optimistic view even when her subject matter is bleak. It's a perspective Simon achieves, in part, by taking an unexpected angle on her subject - and subjects. She brings an anthropologist's eye to her stories, describing characters, action, and emotion as if she were new to the weary world. By seeing anew what comes naturally to most of us - cognition, memory, hearing, speech - Simon illuminates her characters' interior lives and finds new and forgotten meaning in familiar symbols. The novel's resolution is unexpected and satisfying, allowing for empathy with Lynnie's conflicted family, who ' put her away.' Simon's thorough research, detailed in an author's note, is evident in her careful crafting of this moving story. Those readers familiar with her insightful memoir, Riding the Bus with my Sister, will find this new fictional work an opportune meeting of author and material
—— Philidelphia EnquirerImprobably beautiful
—— Christian Science MonitorA gripping yet tender storyline that unfolds as the insurmountable obstacles are faced with bravery and loyalty. You're sure to be reaching for the tissues
—— CandisA moving and disturbing tale of love and loyalty. And you might cry
—— Sun Buzz Magazine
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