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Learning to Talk: Stories

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Description

A dazzling collection of short stories from the two-time winner of the Booker Prize and 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wolf Hall trilogy. In the wake of Hilary Mantel’s brilliant conclusion to her award-winning Wolf Hall trilogy, Learning to Talk is a collection of loosely autobiographical stories that locates the transforming moments of a haunted childhood. Absorbing and evocative, these drawn-from-life stories begin in the 1950s in an insular northern village “scoured by bitter winds and rough gossip tongues.” For the young narrator, the only way to survive is to get up, get on, get out. In “King Billy Is a Gentleman,” the child must come to terms with the loss of a father and the puzzle of a fading Irish heritage. “Curved Is the Line of Beauty" is a story of friendship, faith and a near-disaster in a scrap-yard. The title story sees our narrator ironing out her northern vowels with the help of an ex-actress with one lung and a Manchester accent. In “Third Floor Rising," she watches, amazed, as her mother carves out a stylish new identity. With a deceptively light touch, Mantel illuminates the poignant experiences of childhood that leave each of us forever changed. “A book of her short stories is like a little sweet treat...Mantel’s narrators never tell everything they know, and that’s why they’re worth listening to, carefully.” ―USA Today “Her short stories always recognize other potential realities...Even the most straightforward of Mantel’s tales retain a faintly otherworldly air.” ―The Washington Post Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Henry Holt and Co.; Reprint edition (June 21, 2022)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250865360


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 66


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.5 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.65 x 0.85 x 8.5 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #779,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #8,783 in Short Stories Anthologies #15,957 in Short Stories (Books)


#8,783 in Short Stories Anthologies:


#15,957 in Short Stories (Books):


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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Saturday, Sep 20

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • Talk
This was not my type of reading, the whole read I was trying to work out the point,what is this book about. Read it and let others see your prospective. What did I miss?
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2023 by jill

  • A quick, unique read
I want to call this book "fun", but that seems wrong given the general tone. I did very much enjoy reading each and every story. The author's life experience gives her a very unique perspective on childhood and coming of age which shows through in each tale. I was sad to reach the end.
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2023 by K. Avalos

  • Great collection of short stories
Hilary Mantel's Learninv To Talk is a good collection of her early year memories, whether deformed or adapted by her brain or factual or even romanticized. Nobody really knows how the brain works and why it picks certains details and leaves others behind. I particularly lived learning about her school years, her relationship with her mother and father and her first professional experience. A very quick read and some good life lessons to be taken away. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2022 by books_and_heels

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