The Beacon (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Beacon, is a novel by English author Susan Hill
, first published in 2008 by Chatto and Windus
and in paperback the following year by Vintage Books
.
farmhouse called 'The Beacon'; Colin and Berenice marry locally, May, the central character of the novel went to University in London but returns within a year. Only quiet, watchful Frank escapes to become a journalist on Fleet Street
. But then he publishes a successful novel about his childhood which throws the family into turmoil...
's Woman's Hour Drama
, broadcast in five 15-minute episodes from March 22-26 2010.
Susan Hill
Susan Hill is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include The Woman in Black, The Mist in the Mirror and I'm the King of the Castle for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971....
, first published in 2008 by Chatto and Windus
Chatto and Windus
Chatto & Windus has been, since 1987, an imprint of Random House, publishers. It was originally an important publisher of books in London, founded in the Victorian era....
and in paperback the following year by Vintage Books
Vintage Books
Vintage Books is a publishing imprint founded in 1954 by Alfred A. Knopf. Its publishing list includes world literature, fiction, and non-fiction...
.
Reception
- Joanna BriscoeJoanna Briscoe-Early life:Joanna Briscoe was born in London in 1963. Much of her childhood was spent in the southwest of England. At the age of 10 years she moved with her family from Somerset to Jordan Manor, an isolated six-bedroomed thatched Devon long house set within of land in a valley in Dartmoor...
in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described it as a "novel of great structural and stylistic control" and as being "an almost perfect little literary novel", - Laura ThompsonLaura ThompsonLaura Thompson is a Canadian musician and music columnist for CBC Newsworld's daily arts wrap, CBC News: The Scene.Thompson is also a producer on The Scene and a member of Toronto-based pop band The Good Soldiers.-External links:*...
in The TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
describes it as "a little masterpiece" - The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said it was "a moving, evocative and rewarding novel".
Plot introduction
The four Prime children grow up in a bleak North CountryNorthern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
farmhouse called 'The Beacon'; Colin and Berenice marry locally, May, the central character of the novel went to University in London but returns within a year. Only quiet, watchful Frank escapes to become a journalist on Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
. But then he publishes a successful novel about his childhood which throws the family into turmoil...
Radio Dramatisation
The novel was dramatised for BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Woman's Hour Drama
Woman's Hour Drama
The Woman's Hour Drama is a BBC Radio 4 Arts and Drama production. It consists of 15 minute episodes, broadcast every weekday 10.45-11.00am , repeated 7.45-8.00pm. These tend to be plays which extend over a week, or multiple of 5 episodes...
, broadcast in five 15-minute episodes from March 22-26 2010.
External links
- Author webpage
- Real and imagined terrors review by Joanna BriscoeJoanna Briscoe-Early life:Joanna Briscoe was born in London in 1963. Much of her childhood was spent in the southwest of England. At the age of 10 years she moved with her family from Somerset to Jordan Manor, an isolated six-bedroomed thatched Devon long house set within of land in a valley in Dartmoor...
in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format... - The Beacon by Susan Hill review by Laura ThompsonLaura ThompsonLaura Thompson is a Canadian musician and music columnist for CBC Newsworld's daily arts wrap, CBC News: The Scene.Thompson is also a producer on The Scene and a member of Toronto-based pop band The Good Soldiers.-External links:*...
in The TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B... - Truth, lies and misery lit review by Katy Guest in The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
- Terrors of the imagination review by Paul Binding in The SpectatorThe SpectatorThe Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
- Times Review by Matthew Dennison
- A twisted tale of malice aforethought, review by Nicholas LezardNicholas LezardNicholas Lezard is an English journalist and literary critic.Lezard has a weekly column, 'Nicholas Lezard's choice', reviewing paperback books for the Guardian. He also writes for the Independent, and writes the 'Down and Out in London' column for the New Statesman.-External links:* at journalisted...
in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format... - Vintage books webpage