Gilgamesh (2004 Longlisted For Orange Prize For Fiction)

Description: 'A beautifully written meditation on life and loss' Harpers & Queen Gilgamesh is the epic story of a mother's search for the father of her child - from Australia to Armenia via England and Mesopotamia - all under the shadow of an imminent, and soon to be very real, World War II. Narrated in a clear, poetic voice, it is a portrayal of the different journeys we choose to take through life and what happens when ordinary people get caught up in extraordinary, seismic events. A bestseller in its native Australia, Gilgamesh was awarded the Age Fiction Book of the Year and shortlisted for the prestigious Miles Franklin award alongside Tim Winton and Richard Flanagan. Review: "'Joan London's glancing, iridescent, intelligent first novel... is such a pleasure to read, her prose a seamlessly shifting blend of poetry, pathos and humour' Washington Post; 'Streamlined, strong and remarkably lovely... Reading Gilgamesh is like watching a magician who can do many things rapidly, expertly and all at once' New York Times Book Review; 'An epic tale from a writer of considerable distinction' Sydney Morning Herald" Author Biography: Joan London is the author of two prize-winning collections of stories published in Australia. Gilgamesh is her first novel and her first work to be published in the UK. The paperback edition of Joan London's celebrated first novel: 'Readers will finish it feeling that they are holding something rare and precious' (Daily Mail)