Blood Family by Anne Fine - ISBN: 9780552567633
Paperback
Trapped by blood, haunted by the past: Can he escape destiny?

Blood Family

Does the Past Ever Leave You?

$19.98

  • Paperback

    304 pages

  • Release Date

    1 August 2014

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Summary

Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, this is the dark and gripping tale of a young boy’s struggle to escape the horrors of his childhood - and the violent destiny he fears must await him.

Edward is four years old when he is locked away with his mother by her abusive, alcoholic partner, Harris. By the time an elderly neighbour spots his pale face peering through a crack in the boarded-up window and raises the alarm, he is seven.

Rescue comes, but lasting damage has been done. Se…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780552567633
ISBN-10:0552567639
Author:Anne Fine
Publisher:Penguin Random House Children's UK
Imprint:Corgi Childrens
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:304
Release Date:1 August 2014
Weight:213g
Dimensions:198mm x 129mm x 18mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Strong stuff from a writer who is never afraid to be outspoken – Nicholas Tucker * Independent *
Reading Anne Fine’s work is always a challenge as well as a delight. She’s like a difficult relative who appears at family events and tells everyone a few home truths, yet gets away with it because she has such a wickedly witty turn of phrase – Tony Bradman * Guardian *
A riveting read * The Bookseller *
Once again Fine proves why she is such a prolific author with this dangerous and dark new book … Evocative, emotional and beautifully imagined * We Love This Book *
Excellent – Marilyn Brocklehurst * The Bookseller *
Written with clear sight, understanding and elegance … Blood Family covers the age-old debate between nature and nurture. It asks if our past can ever be banished. It’s about guilt, grief, and anger. But it’s also about redemption. It’s beautifully, carefully, written. And it feels very, very truthful. I believed every single word - from the degradation of Edward’s early life, through the biddable but disassociated child in the early aftermath and the often crass actions of social services, right to the inevitable breakdown in Edward’s adolescence. It’s the best story in the kitchen sink style I’ve read in a long time. And I think it’ll win prizes – Jill Murphy * The Bookbag *
To me Blood Family felt like a totally different Anne Fine from what I’ve read before. It is well written, and draws you in from the beginning. (This book) is less about the importance of blood families, and more about how things can go right – or wrong – for anyone, at any time. It’s worth remembering. Things can easily go right. Things don’t have to be all disastrous and wrong. No matter what kind of start to life you had, it can become good * The Bookwitch *
Hard-hitting – Teesdale Mercury
Her most powerful book yet * Northern Echo *
I was completely and utterly drawn in by this book and finished it in one sitting … A fantastically dark and insightful read which I would highly recommend * The Overflowing Library *

About The Author

Anne Fine

Anne Fine is one of our most distinguished writers for children. She has written over fifty highly acclaimed books and has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and both the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year and the Carnegie Medal twice over. Anne was appointed the Children’s Laureate from 2001-3, and her work has been translated into over forty languages. In 2003 she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was awarded an OBE. Anne lives in County Durham.

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