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Utopian Man
Utopian Man
Utopian Man
Ebook271 pages4 hours

Utopian Man

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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An exquisite historical novel about a remarkable man who chose his own path, charming and scandalizing others in equal measure—the cowinner of the Australian/Vogel Literary AwardIt's the 1880s and Marvellous Melbourne is a lavish and raucous city where anything can happen. Eccentric entrepreneur Edward William Cole is building the sprawling Cole's Book Arcade and filling it with whatever amuses him or supports his favorite causes: a giant squid, a brass band, monkeys, a black man whose skin has turned white, a Chinese tea salon, and of course, hundreds of thousands of books. When Edward decides to marry he advertises for a wife in the newspaper, shocking and titillating the whole town. To everyone's surprise he marries his broadsheet bride and the arcade grows into a monumental success. But the 1890s depression hits hard for Melbourne—and Edward—and the death of one of his children leaves him reeling. Grief, corruption, and a beautiful, unscrupulous widow all threaten to derail his singular vision. But it's not until he visits Chinatown one night—and his own deeply suppressed past—that the idealist faces his toughest challenge. This is the vivid, fascinating story of a man who lives life on his own terms, and leaves behind a remarkable legacy.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherAllen Unwin
Release dateSep 1, 2012
ISBN9781742691220
Utopian Man

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Rating: 2.85 out of 5 stars
3/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An interesting story based on the life of Edward Cole who, in Melbourne in the 1880's, built Cole's Book Arcade - a multi-floor book shop with tea parlour, band performances, an amusement arcade, a fernery and even live monkeys. The book appears to be a fiction version of the author's earlier non-fiction study of Cole and I would really like to read the earlier work as Utopian Man left me with a lot of questions about the amazing Mr Cole. I do remember my mum talking about Cole's Funny Picture Books but I never knew there was a real man with such an intriguing life story - he even advertised in the papers for a wife. The book also paints an interesting picture of Australia at the beginning of the 20th Century, from Federation to the growth of the White Australia Policy - fascinating!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    A first novel for this author and she was the co-winner of The Australian/Vogel Literary award in 2009. But I didn't get past page 30. The story is about Edward William Cole, entrepreneur and a man with a vision and a legacy in the making, set in Melbourne during the 1880's. I should have enjoyed this book, should have 'stuck' with it a bit longer. But at my age I just don't have the time to 'stick' with a slow book anymore, when a book is right for me, I'm hooked from the very start!

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Utopian Man - Lisa Lang

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