Armfelt, Nicholas. Catching Up. First Edition. London, Faber and Faber, 1971. 21.5cm x 13.5cm. 245 (5) pages. Original Hardcover with original, unclipped dustjacket. In protective Mylar. Very good condition with only minor signs of external wear.

When Graham Tarden gives up his job as a librarian in England and travels across the world to take up a rteaching post in New Zealand; he is determined to make a fresh start; life, he feels, is passing him by. The place he has chosen for his ‘catching up’ is a rural township called Waitapa, and here, encouraged by Terence whose assurance he envies, he rapidly gains confidence. His growing awareness turns towards one of his pupils, and he looks forward to the chance of dancing with her at the school socials.

But Melva has problems of her own. Urged on by her father, who wishes she were a son, she is too desperate trying to catch up, not only in the classroom and on the sports ground, but also in her barely-grasping understanding of adult life and relationships. It is Terence, seemingly detached from the schedules and pressures of life, who takes over the final stages of her education; and after the last, shattering lesson (who is teaching whom?) Melva is left- as is Graham- to settle for what is attainable, and second-best.

Set against the magnificent scenery of New Zealand, this first novel is sensitively written and wittily observed.

• Keywords: Literature · Modern Literature
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0571095682
• Inventory Number: 50043AB

Our price: EUR 28,--