Bøger i Salterton Trilogy serien

The ';first-rate . . . abundantly funny' conclusion to the Salterton Trilogy, following Leaven of Malice and Tempest-Tost (The New York Times). Louisa Bridgetower, the imposing Salterton matron, has died. The substantial income from her estate is to be used to send an unmarried young woman to Europe to pursue an education in the arts. Mrs. Bridgetower's executors end up selecting Monica Gall, an almost entirely unschooled singer whose sole experience comes from performing with the Heart and Hope Gospel Quartet, a rough outfit sponsored by a small fundamentalist group. Monica soon finds herself in England, a pupil of some of Britain's most remarkable teachers and composers, and she gradually blossoms from a Canadian rube to a cosmopolitan soprano with a uniqueand tragicomiccareer. ';Davies is equally familiar with the world of the Canadian provinces and with that of musical London, and portrays both with rich humor and sympathetic understanding.'Chicago Tribune ';Something of a virtuoso performance, this relies more on its wit than its warmth, but the musicianship is very knowledgeable and the fingerwork light.'Kirkus Reviews

The Salterton Trilogy continues with a novel ';full of zest, wit and urbanity' from the celebrated Canadian author of Tempest-Tost and the Cornish novels (The New York Times). Returning to the town he first visited inTempest-Tost, Davies continues to explore the lives of its inhabitants in this winner of the Leacock Medal, awarded for the best in Canadian literary humor. The following announcement appeared in the Salterton Evening Bellman: ';Professor and Mrs. Walter Vambrace are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Pearl Veronica, to Solomon Bridgetower Esq, son of . . .' Although the malice that prompted this false engagement notice was aimed at three people onlySolly Bridgetower, Pearl Vambrace, and Gloster Ridley, the anxiety-ridden local newspaper editorbefore the leaven of malice had ceased to work it had changed permanently, for good or ill, the lives of many citizens of Salterton. Praise for Robertson Davies ';Invention has always been Robertson Davies's strength. He tells terrific stories that twist around and double back on themselves in surprising ways and, characteristically, combines them with intriguing, arcane information.'The New York Times ';Davies' fiction is animated by his scorn for the ironclad systems that claim to explain the whole of life. Messy, magical, high-spirited life bubbles up between the cracks.'South Florida Sun-Sentinel

';With a sure comic touch, Davies assembles his cast of characters and lets them make fools of themselves . . . in the best Shakespearean tradition.'The Emerald City Book Review Weaving a tapestry of wonderfully developed characters, smoldering rivalries, and witty satire, Robertson Davies introduces the first book inthe Salterton Trilogy. An amateur production ofThe Tempestprovides a colorful backdrop for a hilarious look at unrequited love. Mathematics teacher Hector Mackilwraith, stirred and troubled by Shakespeare's play, falls in love with the beautiful heiress Griselda Webster. When Griselda shows she has plans of her own, Hector despairs on the play's opening night. ';High comedy with a spice of satire to give it savor.'Montreal Gazette ';An exercise in puckish persiflage.'Toronto Star ';Hilarious, satirical, witty and clever.'Edmonton Journal ';By turns humorous and sympathetic, Davies shows us that he knows his stuff, even in this, his first book.'AllReaders.com ';It would not be a bad thing for more writers to read and be inspired by Davies's example of intelligent, emotionally resonant fiction, or for more readers to discover its pleasures.'The Emerald City Book Review