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Late one summer evening, Wilberforce – rich, young, and work-obsessed – makes a detour on his way home to the vast undercroft of Caerlyon Hall, and the domain of Francis Black, a place where wine, hospitality and affection flow freely.
Through Francis, Wilberforce is initiated into a life rich in the promise of friendship and adventure, where, through his new set of friends, the possibility of finding acceptance, and even falling in love, seems finally to be within his reach.
Wilberforce becomes a willing pupil to Francis, and in the cellars of Caerlyon he nurtures a new-found passion for wine. But even the finest wine can leave a bitter aftertaste, and Wilberforce will learn the undercroft’s unpalatable secrets, and that passion comes at a price …
Read by David Rintoul
(p) 2008 Orion Publishing Group
Through Francis, Wilberforce is initiated into a life rich in the promise of friendship and adventure, where, through his new set of friends, the possibility of finding acceptance, and even falling in love, seems finally to be within his reach.
Wilberforce becomes a willing pupil to Francis, and in the cellars of Caerlyon he nurtures a new-found passion for wine. But even the finest wine can leave a bitter aftertaste, and Wilberforce will learn the undercroft’s unpalatable secrets, and that passion comes at a price …
Read by David Rintoul
(p) 2008 Orion Publishing Group
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Reviews
Slips down a treat
Telling the story back-to-front allows Torday to highlight Wilberforce's self-delusion; he's that familiar figure, the alcoholic who pretends that he's merely a connoisseur
Remarkably, given the bleakness of both subject and hero, it is an incredibly good read
[The plot] provides Torday with copious opportunities for comedy, which he readily exploits. But there is a serious undertone
The whole book is delightfully written...Paul Torday is a remarkably original novelist
What makes us want to find out about Wilberforce is Torday's wonderful prose - the same simple, clear writing that made Salmon Fishing so readable
A well-told tale...Torday wryly observes Wilberforce's descent
Torday's confidence in his story's power to command attention is not misplaced...Wilberforce is well worth sampling
He has a good feeling for character and a sly sense of humour
Exceptionally accomplished.. second novels are notoriously difficult to pull off but Torday has managed a near masterpiece
A heart-wrenching tale of alcoholism and a lonely man's search for identity...a mesmerising page-turner
Grows more and more poignant as the novel progresses.. satisfyingly full-bodied and slips down a treat