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'Playful, moving and wholly remarkable' Guardian 'A small miracle' New Statesman 'Mastery of craft, resonance and deep feeling on every page' Telegraph An introspective young boy, Joseph Coppock squints at the world with his lazy eye. Living alone in an old house, he reads comics, collects birds' eggs and plays with his marbles. When, one day, a rag-and-bone man called Treacle Walker appears, exchanging an empty jar of a cure-all medicine and a donkey stone for a pair of Joseph's pyjamas and a lamb's shoulder blade, a mysterious friendship develops between them. A fusion of myth, magic and the stories we make for ourselves, Treacle Walker is an extraordinary novel from one of our greatest living writers. 'All the exuberance and eccentricity, all the deep thought and resounding mythology of [Garner's] best work' Observer 'Spare and allusive... luminous and understated' Rowan Williams, New Statesman 'Cryptic, evocative, sparely told and deceptively simple' Carolyne Larrington, TLS A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR
A TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR
A GUARDIAN BEST FICTION BOOK OF 2021
'Playful, moving and wholly remarkable' Guardian 'A small miracle' New Statesman 'Mastery of craft, resonance and deep feeling on every page' Telegraph An introspective young boy, Joseph Coppock squints at the world with his lazy eye. Living alone in an old house, he reads comics, collects birds' eggs and plays with his marbles. When, one day, a rag-and-bone man called Treacle Walker appears, exchanging an empty jar of a cure-all medicine and a donkey stone for a pair of Joseph's pyjamas and a lamb's shoulder blade, a mysterious friendship develops between them. A fusion of myth, magic and the stories we make for ourselves, Treacle Walker is an extraordinary novel from one of our greatest living writers. 'All the exuberance and eccentricity, all the deep thought and resounding mythology of [Garner's] best work' Observer 'Spare and allusive... luminous and understated' Rowan Williams, New Statesman 'Cryptic, evocative, sparely told and deceptively simple' Carolyne Larrington, TLS A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Alan Garner was born and still lives in Cheshire, an area which has had a profound effect on his writing and provided the seed of many ideas worked out in his books. His fourth book, 'The Owl Service' brought Alan Garner to everyone's attention. It won two important literary prizes – The Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal – and was made into a serial by Granada Television. It has established itself as a classic and Alan Garner as a writer of great distinction.
Reviews-
September 11, 2023 English author Garner, known primarily for children’s fantasies such as Red Shift, offers a hypnotic and surreal adventure in this Booker-shortlisted outing. Joe Coppock, a child of unspecified age, wears a patch over his lazy eye and spends his time reading comic books. One day, he hears a rag-and-bone man named Treacle Walker calling through the window and trades Treacle his pajamas and a lamb bone for a pot and a donkey stone. After Joe accidentally gets some of the paste from the pot on his good eye, he has a series of strange encounters, including one with Thin Amren, a naked man in a bog, who explains how Joe can see magic. He finds the power distressing and asks for guidance from Treacle, who often speaks in riddles. As details from Joe’s life bleed into his comic books, he longs for his previous, simpler existence, and near the end he takes a bold fantastical leap in hopes of returning. Garner blends accessible prose with elliptical references to Northern England mythology (“put the clout to the glamourie and use the glim that’s in the mirlingoes”), which will send curious readers down a rabbit hole. This is alluring and elusive in equal measure. Agent: Karolina Sutton, Curtis Brown.
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This compact yet intense fantasy may confuse many listeners, as well as beguile them. British actor Robert Powell narrates the magical story of an English boy, Joe Coppook, who encounters strange folkloric characters who confound him as he wrestles with the nature of time and of good and evil. Powell shows his theatrical skills in his portrayals. Whimsical characters--such as the bog man, the heroes and villains from a 1940s comic book, the rag-and-bone man called Treacle Walker, and, of course, Joe--are all expertly brought to life. The language of this fantasy is literary but archaic. The British slang and northern English idioms, plus the mythological references. make this a challenging listen despite its lyrical tone and Powell's dramatic talent. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
