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Sale

The Quickening Maze

by Adam Foulds, Andrej E. Skubic
$3.18 $2.00 37% off
The Quickening Maze - Thryft
The Quickening Maze - Thryft

Imprisoned poet loses grasp on reality.

This book is a great read for those interested in historical fiction and mental health. The novel provides a vivid description of the life of John Clare, a nature poet who ends up in an asylum, struggling to hold on to his identity. The conversations between young Alfred Tennyson and Dr. Matthew Allen add depth and character development to the plot while the description of the forest and its inhabitants provide a stunning contrast to the bleak, isolated world of the asylum.

Sale

The Quickening Maze

by Adam Foulds, Andrej E. Skubic
$3.18 $2.00 37% off
ISBN: 9780224087469
Estimated First-hand Retail Price: $29.69
Authors: Adam Foulds, Andrej E. Skubic
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Date of Publication: 2023-01-01
Format: Hardcover
Related Collections: Literary Fiction, Poetry, Historical Fiction
Related Topics: Literature, Literature
Goodreads rating: 3.13
(rated by 2531 readers)

Description

Based on real events in Epping Forest on the edge of London around 1840, The Quickening Maze centres on the first incarceration of the great nature poet John Clare. After years struggling with alcohol, critical neglect and depression, Clare finds himself in High Beach Private Asylum - an institution run on reformist principles which would later become known as occupational therapy. At the same time another poet, the young Alfred Tennyson, moves nearby and becomes entangled in the life and catastrophic schemes of the asylum's owner, the peculiar, charismatic Dr Matthew Allen.For John Clare, a man who had grown up steeped in the freedoms and exhilarations of nature, who thought 'the edge of the world was a day's walk away', a locked door is a kind of death. This intensely lyrical novel describes his vertiginous fall, through hallucinatory episodes of insanity and dissolving identity, towards his final madness.Historically accurate, but brilliantly imagined, the closed world of High Beach and its various inmates - the doctor, his lonely daughter in love with Tennyson, the brutish staff and John Clare himself - are brought vividly to life. Outside the walls is Nature, and Clare's paradise: the birds and animals, the gypsies living in the forest; his dream of home, of redemption, of escape. Rapturous yet precise, exquisitely written, rich in character and detail, this is a remarkable and deeply affecting book: a visionary novel which contains a world.
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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Imprisoned poet loses grasp on reality.

This book is a great read for those interested in historical fiction and mental health. The novel provides a vivid description of the life of John Clare, a nature poet who ends up in an asylum, struggling to hold on to his identity. The conversations between young Alfred Tennyson and Dr. Matthew Allen add depth and character development to the plot while the description of the forest and its inhabitants provide a stunning contrast to the bleak, isolated world of the asylum.