โ Scribed by Winslow, Emily
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At once a sensual and irresistible mystery and a haunting work of psychological insight and emotional depth,The Whole World marks the beginning of a brilliant literary career for Emily Winslow, a superb, limitlessly gifted author.
Set in the richly evoked pathways and environs of Cambridge, England, The Whole World unearths the desperate secrets kept by its many complex charactersstudents, professors, detectives, husbands, motherssecrets that lead to explosive consequences.
Two Americans studying at Cambridge University, Polly and Liv, both strangers to their new home, both survivors of past mistakes, become quick friends. They find a common interest in Nick, a handsome, charming, seemingly guileless graduate student. For a time, the three engage in harmless flirtation, growing closer while doing research for professor Gretchen Paul, the blind daughter of a famed novelist. But a betrayal, followed by Nicks inexplicable disappearance, brings long-buried histories to the surface.
The investigation raises countless questions, and the newspapers report all the most salacious detailsfrom the crime that scars Pollys past to the searing truths concealed in photographs Gretchen cannot see. Soon the three young lovers will discover how little they know about one another, and how devastating the ripples of long-ago actions can be.
A research project turns deadly in Winslow's uneven debut. Expatriate American students Polly and Liv, in conjunction with British student Nick, are assisting blind Cambridge University professor Gretchen Paul to recapture her family history, organizing photographs of her childhood with her novelist mother. But secrets in Polly's and Gretchen's pasts, as well as a rivalry between Polly and Liv over Nick, quickly snowball into Nick's disappearance and two deaths. As told by Polly, Nick, a detective named Morris, Gretchen, and Liv, the ambitious tale presents difficulties in sorting out reliable voices and events from a clutter of peripheral characters and impressionistic storytelling. In addition, the American author's lack of dexterity with British English lends an unconvincing air to the British narratives, and leads the reader to wish the novel had been related solely by the haunted Polly, the most poignant and winning protagonist. (May)
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East Coast native Polly and Californian Liv, both studying at Cambridge, quickly bond over their mutual excitement with their study-abroad experience. Befriended by handsome British grad student Nick, the pair become even closer after taking a part-time job helping blind professor Gretchen assemble old photographs that will help her figure out the answers to questions she has about her mother. Polly, Liv, and Nick all have fraught relationships with their parents and harbor nasty secrets from the past; then, when Nick makes his affections for Polly known, Liv is consumed with jealousy. After Nick goes missing, Liv and Polly are questioned by the police. Ugly information surfaces, and their friendship takes a dark turn. In her first novel, which is told from five different perspectives, including that of a policeman, Winslow excels at describing the unique architecture and ambience of Cambridge while gradually creating a chilling, psychologically creepy atmosphere. Although the plotting becomes increasingly implausible, readers will be inclined to keep turning the pages, trying to figure out whether the neurotic lead characters are seriously disturbed or just run-of-the-mill drama queens. --Joanne Wilkinson
Library : General
Formats : EPUB
ISBN : 9780440339571
A Novel
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SUMMARY: At once a sensual and irresistible mystery and a haunting work of psychological insight and emotional depth, The Whole World marks the beginning of a brilliant literary career for Emily Winslow, a superb, limitlessly gifted author. Set in the richly evoked pathways and environs of Cambridge
SUMMARY: At once a sensual and irresistible mystery and a haunting work of psychological insight and emotional depth, The Whole World marks the beginning of a brilliant literary career for Emily Winslow, a superb, limitlessly gifted author. Set in the richly evoked pathways and environs of Cambrid
At once a sensual and irresistible mystery and a haunting work of psychological insight and emotional depth, The Whole World marks the beginning of a brilliant literary career for Emily Winslow, a superb, limitlessly gifted author. Set in the richly evoked pathways and environs of Cambridge, England
SUMMARY: At once a sensual and irresistible mystery and a haunting work of psychological insight and emotional depth, The Whole World marks the beginning of a brilliant literary career for Emily Winslow, a superb, limitlessly gifted author. Set in the richly evoked pathways and environs of Cambrid
Set in the richly evoked pathways and environs of Cambridge, England, The Whole World unearths the desperate secrets kept by its many complex characters?students, professors, detectives, husbands, mothers?secrets that lead to explosive consequences.
Set in the richly evoked pathways and environs of Cambridge, England, The Whole World unearths the desperate secrets kept by its many complex characters?students, professors, detectives, husbands, mothers?secrets that lead to explosive consequences.