Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the Book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
May 2005, 667 pages
Paperback:
Jul 2006, 704 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
Buy This Book
This article relates to It's All Right Now
This first
novel by 72-year-old retired
civil servant Charles Chadwick
caused quite a ripple
pre-publication as much for the
age of the author as for the
book itself. It's All
Right Now is Chadwick's
fifth novel but his first to be
published (he received nothing
but rejection slips for the
others). When Chadwick
received the news that his novel
had received advances worth
several hundred thousand dollars
he said "I am utterly astonished
- The phrase 'beyond my wildest
dreams' has now taken on meaning
for me."
His editor at Faber (UK) said,
"As a first novel it is
astonishing; as the product of a
lifetime's experience it becomes
explicable."
During his career Chadwick's
postings as a British Council
official spanned London, Kenya,
Brazil, Canada and Poland.
He embarked on his master work
while in Nigeria in 1972 after
reading Joseph Heller's
Something Happens.
His agent, Caroline Dawnay, has
been reading It's All Right
Now as the author
wrote/rewrote it for more than 5
years before it was presented to
publishers. Speaking of Dawnay, a grateful Chadwick says, "One is conscious
of having been rescued from
oblivion by Caroline, especially
if one is getting on a bit in
years - and especially if the
whole novel is so big."
This "beyond the book article" relates to It's All Right Now. It originally ran in August 2005 and has been updated for the
July 2006 paperback edition.
Go to magazine.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
