Summary
In 18th-century France, a child is captured in the forests near Aveyron, where he seems to have been living wild for seven years. Now 12 years old, the Wild Boy is put on public display as a freak, and finally handed over to the ambitious, emotionally repressed Doctor Itard, who is charged with educating the boy, whom he names Victor, and trying to discover the secrets of his strange, secret life.
But Victor soon becomes a pawn in the raging debate about nature vs nurture, and Itard’s…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780340822975 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 034082297X |
| Author: | Jill Dawson |
| Publisher: | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Imprint: | Sceptre |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 304 |
| Release Date: | 12 August 2004 |
| Weight: | 220g |
| Dimensions: | 198mm x 128mm x 22mm |
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Critics Review
Intriguing and deeply moving - Sunday Telegraph
An accomplished novel, rich with ideas and vivid characters, which is, above all, a lucid and moving exploration of the nature of autism. - Laura Baggaley, ObserverFascinating and deeply sympathetic … Ingenious, well-crafted and carefully researched, this novel questions what makes us human and leaves one a little wiser for it. - David Shukman, Daily MailThe damaged child’s frantic little body and fragile heart are an insistent, vivid presence on every page of [Dawson’s] fine novel … Dawson’s prose is graceful, her approach deeply intelligent and persuasive. - Hilary MantelExcellent … Dawson takes what is already a compelling tale and successfully fleshes it out into a convincing and highly moving book. - Michael Newton, GuardianAbout The Author
Jill Dawson
Jill Dawson was born in Durham. She is the author of three novels: Trick of the Light, Magpie and Fred & Edie, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award and the Orange Prize and translated into several languages. She is also an award-winning poet and has edited five anthologies, including Wild Ways: New Stories about Women on the Road (co-edited with Margo Daly), The Virago Book of Wicked Verse and the recent Gas and Air: Tales of Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond. She taught at Amherst College and is currently the Creative Writing Fellow at University of East Anglia in Norwich. She lives in the Fens with her partner and two sons.
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