Kitty and VirgilA love story set in Romania and England by the author of the Booker shortlisted bestseller, 'Gabriel's Lament'. Paul Bailey's most ambitious novel yet. Kitty Crozier wakes up in a hospital ward and finds a stranger looking down at her. Thus begins the most important, most demanding, most exhilarating relationship of Kitty's life. Her lover's name is Virgil Florescu, a poet who has escaped from Ceausescu's Romania. As their liaison deepens, more is revealed of their previous lives and of their different families. Both Kitty and Virgil have unusual fathers: Kitty's is a phenomenally accomplished philanderer, while Virgil's has changed his political allegiances from left to right and back again in order to ensure his survival. The book is rich in characters and despite its tragic theme -- which is not revealed until late in the narrative -- is often fiendishly funny. For all its concern with public issues of morality, it is very much about family life -- or rather, that of two distinct families with interesting histories and secrets, not all of them unhappy. |
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Adrian Andrew Aphrodite asked Aureliu beautiful boyar Branko Bucharest carpet Cecil Commodus Conducător Constanţa Constantin Florescu Daddy Daisy and Kitty Daisy's Danube daughter dead dear dearest darling Derek Harville Dinu Psatta Dobermann dressed drink Emily Dickinson English eyes father Felix Crozier Freda Whiteside George Bacovia glass hand happy hear heard hope Icon Ivan Janet kind kissed Kitty Crozier Kitty darling Kitty's knapsack laughed listened live London look Magda Mamã Marcus Aurelius Matilda Mihai Eminescu Miss Beryl Miss Kitty monkey's bum morning mother Nelly never night Noroc once perhaps photograph poem poet Radu Sava Razelos remember Romanian silence silly sister Skoptzi smiled snip someone soon sound speak stared stopped talk Tatã tell terrible Thank There's thought told Trajan Trappists ţuică Virgil Florescu voice walked wish woman wonder word young