The Old Romantic
The Old Romantic by Louise Dean, published by Penguin Publishing Group on February 7, 2012, is a reprint edition comprising 352 pages. This novel explores the complexities of family dynamics through the lens of Nick, who has distanced himself from his contentious working-class parents, Ken and Pearl. As Nick enjoys a seemingly idyllic life with his partner Astrid and her daughter Laura, his estranged family is thrust back into his life when Ken declares his impending death and embarks on a misguided mission to reunite them.
Readers will find a vivid portrayal of love and marriage, as well as the humorous and poignant clashes that arise from generational, gender, and class differences. The narrative delves into the flawed yet relatable characters, each navigating their own challenges within the family saga. Through this exploration, Louise Dean presents a rich tapestry of family life, highlighting the hidden grace that can emerge amidst chaos.
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“A highly entertaining, vivid evocation of love and marriage.” –The New York Times Book Review
It’s been decades since Nick cast off his impossible, contentious, embarrassingly working-class parents: gruff, stingy, explosive Ken, and Pearl, who seemed to revert to a primal state of nature after a divorce that both of them managed to blame on Nick. Enjoying the life of the country gentleman that he’s made for himself with impeccably turned-out Astrid and her daughter, Laura, Nick has kept only the slenderest connection to his brother, Dave, who’s stuck with the role of ambassador in a family that’s long settled into cold war.
Then Ken decides that the year of his death has arrived, and kicks off an ill-conceived quest to reunite his family before he meets his fate. Bringing to this tinderbox the park it needs, Louise Dean, award-winning author of Becoming Strangers and several more acclaimed novels, sends up the whole clan, each of them fatally flawed, yet saved by hidden grace, and illuminates their clashes of generation, gender, class, and temperament, in a riotous, compassionate, and truly memorable family saga.
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