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The Slaves of Solitude

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Wartime boarding house drama; darkly humorous resilience.

If you've ever felt like an underdog in a world that's too loud and self-absorbed, "The Slaves of Solitude" might resonate with you. Through the character of Miss Roach, Patrick Hamilton has spun a tale that is as darkly funny as it is poignant. It's the World War II setting reimagined—not with grand heroics but with everyday battles of wits and wills. Perfect for readers who appreciate subtler shades of courage and comedy drawn from life's undercurrents.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Just Arrived

The Slaves of Solitude

Regular price
Unit price
per
Compare to estimated retail price: RM81.00 MYR  
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ISBN: 9781590172209
Publisher: NYRB Classics
Date of Publication: 2007-02-20
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Related Topics: War, World War II, Classics, Literature
Goodreads rating: 4.08
(rated by 2911 readers)

Description

England in the middle of World War II, a war that seems fated to go on forever, a war that has become a way of life. Heroic resistance is old hat. Everything is in short supply, and tempers are even shorter. Overwhelmed by the terrors and rigors of the Blitz, middle-aged Miss Roach has retreated to the relative safety and stupefying boredom of the suburban town of Thames Lockdon, where she rents a room in a boarding house run by Mrs. Payne. There the savvy, sensible, decent, but all-too-meek Miss Roach endures the dinner-table interrogations of Mr. Thwaites and seeks to relieve her solitude by going out drinking and necking with a wayward American lieutenant. Life is almost bearable until Vicki Kugelmann, a seeming friend, moves into the adjacent room. That’s when Miss Roach’s troubles really start to begin. Recounting an epic battle of wills in the claustrophobic confines of the boarding house, Patrick Hamilton’s The Slaves of Solitude, with a delightfully improbable heroine, is one of the finest and funniest books ever written about the trials of a lonely heart.
 

Wartime boarding house drama; darkly humorous resilience.

If you've ever felt like an underdog in a world that's too loud and self-absorbed, "The Slaves of Solitude" might resonate with you. Through the character of Miss Roach, Patrick Hamilton has spun a tale that is as darkly funny as it is poignant. It's the World War II setting reimagined—not with grand heroics but with everyday battles of wits and wills. Perfect for readers who appreciate subtler shades of courage and comedy drawn from life's undercurrents.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.