Human Croquet

by Kate Atkinson

Book Overview

New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year

Part fairy tale, part mystery, part coming-of-age novel, this novel tells the story of Isobel Fairfax, a girl growing up in Lythe, a typical 1960s British suburb. But Lythe was once the heart of an Elizabethan feudal estate and home to a young English tutor named William Shakespeare, and as Isobel investigates the strange history of her family, her neighbors, and her...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312186886
• ISBN13: 9780312186883
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Amazing and Absorbing

I found myself overwhelmed by this story and atmosphere in which it was told. Every now and then I had to just stop reading and absorb the newest information. Kate Atkinson's writing is multidimensional and stunning, as she interwove times, people, and plots so that they were overlaid upon each other...yet not. I am amazed that anyone can write like this. Now I will have to re-read the book to understand what was "really" happening. And I cannot see the final pages as an ending with "too much reality" because I'm asking myself 'is that how it really ended?' or how Isobel wanted it to end?

Creative, unusual, challenging -- WOW!

Kate Atkinson has a quite unusual and creative style of writing. If you like very linear,unambiguous fiction, she is definitely not for you but if you are up for a challenging and extraordinary read, check this, her second novel, out. It's hard to describe "Human Croquet" without sounding unbearably pretentious or giving away too much of the plot. Simply put,"Human Croquet" is the story of Isobel Fairfax, a teenager growing up in northern England in the early 1960s -- but the book goes far beyond the traditional coming-of-age story, with its time-bending, imaginative plot. History is intermingled with the present, dreams with reality, and alternate realities are at war with what's actually happening in Isobel's life. The characters are vivid and real, the writing is funny and witty and fresh, and Isobel's story and voice grip you from the beginning. Thoroughly enjoyable, and well worth the trip.

As good as, if not better than Behind The Scenes.

I read Kate Atkinson's first book somewhat reluctantly - "Behind The Scenes At The Museum" - and then read it all through in delight and fascination. If anything, Human Croquet is even better. A tighter narrative, a closer grasp upon the characters in her book, and an incredible wit and talent for characterisation have combined to greatly improve upon Atkinson's style. Behind the Scenes was an awesome debut. Human Croquet is a marvellous book. I fell instantly in love with the characters, even the ones you aren't really sure you're supposed to like, but do anyway (Aunt Vinny is an absolute black delight.). It explores realities and dreamlands, plays around with our expectations and thoughts, and eventually everything falls into place. You MUST re-read this book at least three times. It's the only way you will ever realise just what a superlative work of art it is - complex, deep, and very, very clever....I have just discovered that Kate Atkinson's next book is out in June! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!Anyway... there is so much I could say about this book - it is a devastatingly devious whodunnit, that you don't even realise is a whodunnit until you realise it IS one; it is a extremely funny, barbed and ironic book; it is a character driven piece as well as a plot-driven piece. It is one of my top 10 books of all time. The only other book I can think of that comes even close to Kate Atkinson's style in this book is Jostein Gaarder's "The Solitaire Mystery"

Don't miss this book!

Wow! This novel is incredible. I started it after dinner, and it was so good I stayed up all night to finish it - I literally couldn't put it down. This novel is witty and charming, and Atkinson gets everything right - Isobel's search for the truth about her mother, her infatuation with Malcolm Lovat...Trust me, you will love this novel. Atkinson's first novel, "Behind the Scenes at the Museum," is also wonderful. Read them both!

Kate Atkinson has written the perfect book

Kate Atkinson has done what no other author (that I have read) has been able to do: capture a dream on paper. Human Crouquet flows so effortlessly from one storyline to the next that the reader can actually sit down with it for an hour, or a day, and escape into someone else's dreams. It seems as though all the other reviewers prefered Atkinson's first book, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, to this one, but I can easily say that Human Crouquet is the best book ever written, in my opinion, and I can't wait for Kate Atkinson to write another one