Ever After

By Graham Swift

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LAST ORDERS AND MOTHERING SUNDAY, reissued for the first time in Scribner

Bill Unwin, an academic of dubious status, has never recovered from the death of his famous actress wife and is now convalescing from a recent brush with his own mortality. He has two tales to tell. One, spanning post-war Paris, 1950s Soho and contemporary sexual and scholarly entanglements, surveys the muddle of his own life. The other, drawn from the notebooks of a Victorian ancestor, is the very different story of Matthew Pearce, a serious-minded man whose happiness is destroyed by his compulsive search for truth.

Bill’s recollections of his beautiful wife, his wayward mother and his philandering stepfather, his wry reflections on his present plight and his unexpected bond with the forgotten Matthew combine to form a potent and moving mental quest. Embracing two centuries and a host of subjects—from ballet dancers and prehistoric beasts to the bewildering persistence of love—it asks nothing less than the eternal question: ‘Why should things matter?’

‘A perfect piece of literary art’ The Spectator

‘Masterfully done’ Washington Post
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Jul 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781471187414

Graham Swift

Graham Swift was born in 1949 and is the author of eleven novels, two collections of short stories, including the highly acclaimed England and Other Stories, and of Making an Elephant, a book of essays, portraits, poetry and reflections on his life in writing. His most recent novel, Mothering Sunday, became an international bestseller and won The Hawthornden Prize for best work of imaginative literature. With Waterland he won the Guardian Fiction Prize, and with Last Orders the Booker Prize. Both novels were made into films. His work has appeared in over thirty languages.

Reviews for Ever After

[absc0603 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Overall, I think it's a good book. A good idea, but the writing stlye reminds me of my own in the book I'm currently editing, so I'm not really a fan of the writing stlye. I don't think I will read the other books in the series.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The beginning is good, the beginning of the middle is kind of meh, the rest of the middle is good, and the ending is spectacular. For the last fifty pages, I couldn't put it down. The adventure and world of the Ever After is just so wonderful and fun and the characters are so cool. It's the kind of ending that leaves me with a grin on my face. Jodi Lynn Anderson does all the right things with her plot, and boy does she know how to tie everything together (and still leave it in a bit of a cliffhanger)!I really don't remember it being this good when I read it four years ago, but it sure is -good-.

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

May Bird feels uncomfortable at school due to the taunts and teasing from the kids who don't understand her. For her, the woods are a comfortable place, where she can be a brave warrior princess and Somber Kitty, her cat, her guardian.When May accidentally falls into the lake, she finds herself in another world when she climbs out. Not comfortable, like the woods, but dangerous and filled with very strange people. There is a blue glow to the place and the people don't seem to be real. In fact, they seem to glide a few inches above the ground when they move, and can appear, disappear and walk through walls.She is befriended by Pumpkin, a house ghost who is even more timid than May feels. He is to accompany her on a quest to get to the Far North to help the Lady of the North, per her letter of request. A letter that May found in a dusty old book.May must not be discovered by any of the ghouls, ghosts, goblins and other strange creatures that inhabit this strange world. Especially the Bogey and his Shuck dogs as he will make May disappear. During this journey, May finds that she does have courage and can do things. She also finds friends who care about her.I am not a big fantasy reader, but I will definitely look for the other books in the series so I can read them to find out what else happens to May.

[laurengommert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An anything by typical book that tackles the all too typical genre of juvenile fantasy. May Bird is a book for the morbid at heart. The main character, and her sidekick Somber Kitty, embark on a terrifying journey through the morbid land of Ever After. A nice twist on the usual fantasy books, though not for the faint of heart.

[brittany_hawes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

May Bird and the Ever After is the first book in the May Bird series written by the talented author Jodi Lynn Anderson. I've read the entire series but decided to reread them. They were THAT good! I loved the lively (well, sort of) cast of characters! I believe my favorite was Pumpkin. He was too adorable! The story kept me interested and laughing all the way through. May and Somber Kitty have to go through a lot of wild adventures to get home and this book is just the beginning. Wonderful start to a wonderful series! :)

[aliterarylion · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was part of Sunshine State books series. I loved the fantasy aspect and wonder that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. I could relate to the main character.

[atuson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked it. I appreciated that non-human animals were described positively and respectfully (not usual in my experience). I liked May's character. I liked the bizarre friendly 'ghost', and I felt I really knew Sombre Kitty. A satisfying read. Would recommend for those who like their gothic spooky but lite.

[bookaholic29 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

awesome, i loved this book, reading book 2 & 3.

[ginerbia · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this book to my children and they loved it. It was one that I could even get into with them. It was kind of dark and moody but life isn't all about sunshine and daisies. My kids really appreciated May's sense of humor and sarcastic wit.

[inky_fingers · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good characters, interesting though inconsistent setting, poorly written and edtied.

[bitter_grace_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought this an excellent children's book - one of the most original I've read. It's written with a breezy, witty style that lulls you into the unexpectedly lively land of the dead. Somber Kitty is just one of many characters rich in eccentricity. The sequence of events is so unusual, so fabulously described and so unexpected, this book was really a pleasure to read. I've just bought the sequel so I can follow May on her journey.

[jphamilton-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found many parts of this novel extremely moving—especially as I’m always drawn to stories of dying spouses—but in the end I found the combination of the contemporary story with the one from the Victorian era lacking. Swift can write like a dream, many times his writing feeling so heartfelt and personal that it feels as if you reading a personal letter from the man. The parts from the 1800s became sections that I would find myself reading faster and faster as I wanted to get back to his writing of the current storyline, and Ruth. My copy of the book is heavily porcupined with the Post-its that I use to mark memorable lines and passages, so there was much that impressed me here, it was just a disconnect with his two story theme.