Discover William Maxwell's classic, heart-breaking portrait of an ordinary American family struck by the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic 'A story of such engaging warmth that it would thaw the heart of any critic... Will melt many a reader to tears' TIME Elizabeth Morison is an ordinary woman. Yet, to eight-year-old Bunny, his mother is the centre of his universe. To Robert, her elder son, she is someone he must protect against the dangers of the outside world. And to her husband, James, she is the foundation on which his family ...
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Discover William Maxwell's classic, heart-breaking portrait of an ordinary American family struck by the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic 'A story of such engaging warmth that it would thaw the heart of any critic... Will melt many a reader to tears' TIME Elizabeth Morison is an ordinary woman. Yet, to eight-year-old Bunny, his mother is the centre of his universe. To Robert, her elder son, she is someone he must protect against the dangers of the outside world. And to her husband, James, she is the foundation on which his family rests and life without her is unimaginable. As the dark winter of 1918 dawns and the shadow of Spanish flu starts to disturb day-to-day life, a moving portrait of Elizabeth takes shape, set against the lives and fate of the Morison family. 'As you read They Came Like Swallows, you catch yourself from time to time being astonished at how tightly you're gripping the pages... There isn't a word that has dated. It could have been written yesterday, or tomorrow' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian
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Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Vintage.
Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Vintage.
Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Vintage.
Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $1.99, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Vintage.
Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $1.99, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Vintage.
Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $2.00, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of the Olympics rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from TACOMA, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Vintage.
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Fair. An acceptable and readable copy. All pages are intact, and the spine and cover are also intact. This item may have light highlighting, writing or underlining through out the book, curled corners, missing dust jacket and or stickers.
Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $2.08, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Harvill Press.
Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $3.24, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Vintage.
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Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $3.29, good condition, Sold by Orphans Treasure Box rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Champaign, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Vintage.
Add this copy of They Came Like Swallows to cart. $3.38, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by David R. Godine Publisher.
Beautifully understated. Wonderfully sparse prose. No wasted words. Plenty of space for you to climb in and experience the atmosphere. Never before has a story from the perspective of a child been told better.
My Grandfather was the only survivor of a family of seven when the flu pandemic of 1918 struck. If you share a similar experience, all the more reason you should read this book.
Few know of Maxwell today. If you love the written word, be one of the few.
cokycola
Dec 24, 2009
An understated gem
William Maxwell's work has long been recognized for its clarity and grace, even if his reputation has been less than that of more popular authors on the world stage. His books are introspective and normally quiet pieces, filled with a deep understanding of human nature and a sure eye for detail. This book captures the innocence of childhood and the pain of loss in beautiful prose. While Maxwell's style partakes of some modern techniques of flashback and shifting narrative points of view, its clarity is never in question. No reader will fail to be moved by his work, with passages that evoke tears - both from the sadness of the material and the moments of humor that inevitably come through in portraying a very real, and very human, family. 'They Came Like Swallows' is an excellent introduction to Maxwell's work. Readers who enjoy it should also try 'The Chateau,' which is very different in setting, and offers a great deal of subtle humor, as well as 'Ancestors,' which is almost symphonic in its composition, skillfully weaving family and national history. Maxwell's reputation will surely grow in the eyes of critics in years to come, who will place him in the first rank of American authors.
