Set, by turns, in 1880s glasgow and 1930s london, the story is narrated by the elderly harriet baxter. Gillespie and i is jane harris second novel to receive both public and critical acclaim. Gillespie and i is a deliciously morbid, almost smutty story, a compendium of inappropriate wants and smarmy desires there are what amounts to three different novels in these 500 pages, each one creepier than the last. Jun 22, 2019 gillespie and i by jane harris 2011 back to the pile of books i bought on a tour of charity shops in bakewell and ive still got quite a few to get through. Save up to 80% by choosing the etextbook option for isbn. Jane harriss gillespie and i appears to be an account of harriets subsequent entanglement with the family of ned gillespie, a struggling painter of some talent, who we learn later killed himself and burnt his canvases. Ned gillespie of the title is an artist, painting in. Its run by debbie james, the owner of the bookshop look it up at. Jane harris s gillespie and i presents a strongly voiced female protagonist evocative of moll flanders and becky sharp, who offers a keen sensibility, deeply felt observations, and poignant remembrances. I picked up gillespie and i by jane harris in an airport bookshop hoping it would keep me so engrossed i wouldnt notice the length of the flight. Gillespie and i by jane harris 2011 back to the pile of books i bought on a tour of charity shops in bakewell and ive still got quite a few to get through. Jane harriss first two historical novels showcased the voices of unsung, socially disadvantaged characters.
Buy gillespie and i by jane harris from waterstones today. Gillespie and i by jane harris tlc book tour library. Harris so slowly and subtly allows doubt to creep into harriets tale that it is only upon going back and rereading early passages that its roots can be traced in harriets own words. Her short stories have appeared in a wide variety of anthologies and magazines and she has also written several awardwinning short films. Jane harriss gillespie and i presents a strongly voiced female protagonist evocative of moll flanders and becky sharp, who offers a keen sensibility, deeply felt observations, and poignant remembrances of the world of a young artist in turnofthecentury glasgow in this fantastic work of historical fiction. Gillespie and i, jane harris girl with her head in. Harriet baxter, a cultured and refined woman approaching her 80th year, sits. Theres a saying that when you go on traveling tours, you get to know whom the designated jerk is going to. Her short stories have appeared in a wide variety of anthologies and magazines, and she has written.
May 20, 2011 gillespie and i, while less strikingly original than the observations, has much of its pace and verve. It begins in 1888, when a hooknosed spinster named harriet leaves london for. Belfastborn jane harris was raised in glasgow, but currently lives in london with her husband. Gillespie and i by jane harris nuns and soldiers by iris murdoch superior saturday by garth nix the bell by iris murdoch k picts and martyrs by arthur ransome the borrowers avenged by mary norton. Discover book depositorys huge selection of jane harris books online. This was such an exhausting conversation, hostile and full of dead ends. Harris is an empathetic and intelligent writer, with an instinct for the delicate alchemy that produces pageturners.
I started ideal bookshelf in 2008, painting the books that change peoples lives. She finds a strong voice with harriet, both in her memories and in her contemporary musings. Told from the pointofview and voice of lucien, a barely thirteenyear old. Elegant novel of love, loss and redemption among the victorians and caledonians. Without a doubt, jane harris is an extraordinarily effective and accomplished author. Told from the pointofview and voice of lucien, a barely thirteenyear old farm slave on martinique, the novel is based on real events. Aug 22, 2011 jane harris s skill at manipulating her reader through harriet is brilliant and the twists in the plot continually raise doubts and questions about what is really happening. Gillespie and i jane harris a dark and subversive novel. Jane harris sets her novel gillespie and i at a time when scotland felt it was ready for its closeup. Harris is an empathetic and intelligent writer, with an. As she sits in her bloomsbury home with her two pet birds, elderly harriet baxter sets out to relate the story of her friendship, nearly four decades gone, with ned gillespie.
It seemed it would tick all the boxes historical setting, a sense of mystery and it came from the pen of an author whose name i kept hearing though i had never read nothing by jane harris. Ive been a member of a book club for about three years now. The studio was the painting she saw in the london gallery right at the beginning, the first time she met gillespie. Jan 05, 2012 gillespie and i jane harris as she sits in her bloomsbury home, with her two birds for company, elderly harriet baxter sets out to relate the story of her acquaintance, nearly four decades previously, with ned gillespie, a talented artist who never achieved the fame she maintains he deserved. Gillespie and i will certainly be on my list of one of the best books i ve read this year. Instantly i recalled that i had planned to read this last year but never got around to it. Upon arrival, she meets the women of the gillespie family when ned gillespies mother elspeth faints in the street and swallows her dentures. A graduate of the university of east anglias creative writing course, she was writerinresidence at durham prison before writing her debut novel, the observations. Jane harris s gillespie and i presents a strongly voiced female protagonist evocative of moll flanders and becky sharp, who offers a keen sensibility, deeply felt observations, and poignant remembrances of the world of a young artist in turnofthecentury.
The best moments in reading are when you come across something a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things which you had thought special and particular to you. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. If you buy the book using that link, i will receive a small commission from the sale. I came across one of these yesterday while doing a bit of a clean up of the bookshelf and desperately hoping to find some gaps so i could fit in my new purchases. Sep 10, 20 freelance writer, copyeditor and proofreader. January 31, 2012 trade paperback, 528 pages as the book opens it is 1933 london, england and elderly harriet baxter begins to record the story of her friendship, 40 years earlier, with the scottish artist ned gillespie. You can also buy an enamel pin of the book you love the most, or totebags and mugs, here in this shop. As she sits in her bloomsbury home, with her two birds for company. As she sits in her bloomsbury home, elderly harriet baxter sets out to relate the story of her acquaintance, nearly four decades previously, with ned gillespie, a talented artist who never achieved the fame she maintains he deserved. Jane harris born 1961 is a british writer of fiction and screenplays. This post contains affiliate links which you can use to purchase the book. Oct 22, 2011 written by jane harris, gillespie and i is an historical fiction novel, which is my favourite genre so naturally i was pretty pleased with my win.
Gillespie and i, the second novel by jane harris whose the observations was widely acclaimed is a bravura work, its pace finely controlled, its plot like a rope played out, as taut or slack as dramatic. She meets the scottish painter, ned gillespie, and his wife, annie but tragedy is about to strike the gillespies. Harris is a fine storyteller and controls the twists and turns of her plot well. If the observations drew on gothic romance and sensation fiction for its inspiration, gillespie and i follows. Which book from this shelf are you most excited to read or reread if this is a favourites shelf.
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. The opening of jane harris s clever and entertaining second novel gives little indication of how dark it will become. Fiction british scottish 19th century artists unreliable narrator missing children secret identities. Jane harris was born in belfast and brought up in glasgow. Gillespie and i 9780571238293, 9780571271993 vitalsource. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. In 2000, she received a writers award from the arts council of england. It is beautifully written in a dignified victorian manner, which initially disguises the undercurrents of the psychology of the main characters. Gillespie and i, published in 2011, is the bestselling second novel by british author jane harris. Im a huge fan of her previous novels, the observations and gillespie and i and am eagerly anticipating this one. Harris characterizations are wonderful and delightfully victorian. In 1888, harriet baxter, an artloving englishwoman, arrives in glasgow for the citys international exhibition.
I thought it possibly meant she had made the whole thing up. After a chance encounter she befriends the gillespie family and soon becomes a fixture in all of their lives. Now almost in her 80s, harriet has decided to record for posterity the story of her close, if shortlived, friendship with the talented scottish artist, ned gillespie. Gillespie and i, while less strikingly original than the observations, has much of its pace and verve. After a chance encounter she befriends the gillespie. Written by jane harris, gillespie and i is an historical fiction novel, which is my favourite genre so naturally i was pretty pleased with my win. Jane harris books list of books by author jane harris. See all books authored by jane harris, including the observations, and gillespie and i, and more on. So begins gillespie and i, the orange prize longlisted second novel by jane harris. Gillespie and i by jane harris synopsis from back cover. Gillespie and i as she sits in her bloomsbury home, with her two birds for company, elderly harriet baxter sets out to relate the story of her acquaintance, nearly four decades previously, with ned gillespie, a talented artist who never achieved the fame she maintains he deserved.
I still cant read the final pages without chills running down my spine. Harriet baxter is a hitherandthither kind of person, capable of getting where she needs to go, even if the mores of the time suggest that a 35yearold woman should not properly be wandering off alone for a sojourn to the magnificent spectacle that was said to bestraddle both banks of the river kelvin. Despite having read a few duffers, im definitely enjoying the surprise factor with the books ive read this year. Her most recent work is the novel sugar money which has been shortlisted for several literary prizes harris. Gillespie and i, jane harris girl with her head in a book. About ideal bookshelf we make things for people who love books. Harriss story, though light on plot, is rich in character, its strength deriving almost wholly from daisys. Like the observations, gillespie and i is, at heart, a book about loneliness and obsessive love. Back in 1888, the young, artloving harriet arrives in glasgow at the time of the international exhibition. May 25, 2011 jane harriss second novel is, like her previous book, the observations 2006, a victorian mystery set in scotland. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. I will paint yours or make an affordable print of them for you. The end was a bit disappointing but the book is quite good.
Theres a link to her flickr collection of images and paintings which inspired some of gillespie s pictures as well as some pictures of the exhibition and glasgow. Harriet baxter is a sprightly young creature, a woman of generous means alone in glasgow during the 1888 international exhibition, when the city bustled with newcomers and there was something spectacular to see every day. In 2000 she received a writeras award from the arts council of england. In a recent author interview the author was asked to name the best books shed read in 2011 and this was one of them. As she sits in her bloomsbury home, with her two birds for company, elderly harriet baxter sets out to relate the story of her acquaintance, nearly four decades previously, with ned gillespie, a talented artist who never achieved the fame she maintains he deserved. Her novels have been published in over 20 territories worldwide and translated into many different languages see the observations and gillespie and i. Even if i asnt able to read the full story gillespie and i by jane harris.
The international exhibition of science, art and industry took place in glasgow from may to november in 1888 at kelvingrove park on the banks of the river kelvin image below, left. Its part treasure island, part uncle toms cabin, a dash of huckleberry finn but sugar money is something entirely its own. Her short stories have appeared in a wide variety of anthologies and magazines, and she has written several awardwinning short films. Ned gillespie of the title is an artist, painting in scotland in the late 1880s. This is as delicious a literary treat as they come. Jane harris was born in belfast, northern ireland, and raised in glasgow. Gillespie and i, jane harris s second novel is set, like her first, in 19 th century scotland. Gillespie and i king county library system overdrive. Historical fiction set in 1888 glasgow filled with mystery, innovation, and deception. Im also the editor of the philip roth society newsletter. If you are in any way squeamish or genteel, skip gillespie. Gillespie and i, the second novel by jane harris whose the observations was widely acclaimed is a bravura work, its pace finely controlled, its plot like a rope played out, as taut or slack as dramatic effect requires, its setting so well recreated that the reader could find their way around the glasgow of the 1880s, should the need arise.
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