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October 2012:
The Siege
by Helen Dunmore.
First Published: 2001
Wikipedia entries:
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The Siege
by Helen Dunmore
There were widely divergent views on this book.
Some positively took exception to it finding it inaccurate, offensive and distasteful. It was seen as bitty and lacking a coherent narrative.
Certainly it deals with difficult and sensitive matters but whilst some of us saw this as verging on taking a vicarious pleasure in people’s suffering others of us felt that these matters were treated sympathetically and sensitively.
Certainly for those of us lacking knowledge of the historical circumstances some research proved enlightening.
And for those of us who knew about the context the novel endowed the story with a very human and personal aspect.
Those of us who enjoyed the book enormously thought that Dunmore wrote with a real empathy for the period and the people presenting us with
a wonderfully authentic and beautifully written story of love and fortitude in the face of terrible adversity.
NS. October 2012
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Awards:
AA Book Club
- 2001 Shortlist: Whitbread Prize
- 2002 Shortlist: Orange Prize
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