{"product_id":"mr-peacocks-possessions-the-times-book-of-the-year-1","title":"Mr Peacock's Possessions","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An intelligent, beautifully written story about a dysfunctional family in a sinister paradise' \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOceania 1879. A family of settlers from New Zealand are the sole inhabitants of a remote volcanic island.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eFor two years they have struggled with the harsh reality of trying to make this unforgiving place a paradise they can call their own. At last, a ship appears. The six Pacific Islanders on board have travelled eight hundred miles across the ocean in search of work and new horizons. Hopes are high for all, until a vulnerable boy vanishes. In their search for the lost child, settlers and newcomers together uncover far more than they were looking for. The island's secrets force them all to question their deepest convictions.\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eMr Peacock's Possessions\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'Syson's novel, a modern take on the literary genre known (after Robinson Crusoe) as the robinsonade, is\u003cb\u003e a haunting exploration \u003c\/b\u003eof Lizzie's disillusion with her father's dreams and their damaging consequences' \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'Syson's novel is\u003cb\u003e richly evocative \u003c\/b\u003eof a Pacific world in flux, as \u003cb\u003ecultures clash and individuals battle to find their place \u003c\/b\u003eamid the ensuing confusion . . . a\u003cb\u003e very moving story \u003c\/b\u003eof fathers and children, of faith and disillusion, and of the dangerous   consequences of trying to take possession of people as well as land'\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBBC History Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Lushly written, \u003c\/b\u003ewith \u003cb\u003eimmaculate historical detail, \u003c\/b\u003eit worked for me on many levels' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWomen and Home\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'As \u003cb\u003ecompelling, mysterious and haunting \u003c\/b\u003eas the troubled tropical paradise it portrays . . . Syson doesn't just write about the past, she transports us there.\u003cb\u003e A tour de force\u003c\/b\u003e'\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePiers Torday\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'A \u003cb\u003ewonderful book full of drama, courage and aspirations. \u003c\/b\u003eThe language is rich and the characters so humanely drawn' \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCarol Drinkwater\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'A \u003cb\u003ethrilling story of love and courage, brutality and hope \u003c\/b\u003eall told with equal measures \u003cb\u003eof deep humanity, imagination and élan. \u003c\/b\u003eLydia  Syson has an amazing gift of bringing history alive through \u003cb\u003erichness  of language, dramatic pace and fabulous visual imagery\u003c\/b\u003e. This is better  than watching a film!'\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnne Sebba\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'With its \u003cb\u003echorus of vivid voices\u003c\/b\u003e, Lydia Syson's novel \u003cb\u003ereminds us why we consumed \u003ci\u003eThe Poisonwood Bible\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Underground Railway \u003c\/i\u003eso avidly\u003c\/b\u003e'\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMichelle Lovric\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'What a\u003cb\u003e powerful, rich and fascinating \u003c\/b\u003ebook. Dark historical events are interwoven with the mystery of a missing child on a remote Pacific island in 1879.\u003cb\u003e Highly compelling\u003c\/b\u003e' \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnna Mazzola\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003ci\u003eSwiss Family Robinson\u003c\/i\u003e meets \u003ci\u003eLord of the Flies\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003ein Lydia Syson's \u003cb\u003esuperb and engrossing \u003c\/b\u003ebook. This scintillating story evokes an island paradise which descends into a nightmarish hell as \u003ci\u003eMr Peacock's Possessions\u003c\/i\u003e builds towards \u003cb\u003ea shocking revelation and a thrilling climax'\u003cbr\u003eWendy Moore\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'A\u003cb\u003e tense, evocative, richly imagined \u003c\/b\u003enovel' \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmma Darwin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zaffre","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32125809033299,"sku":"9781785761867","price":18.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781785761867.jpg?v=1746252949","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/mr-peacocks-possessions-the-times-book-of-the-year-1","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}