A Raging Calm

by Stan Barstow

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Bar...

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00767d8

Description: Tom Simpkins is a respected public figure in Cressley. He is also the long-time lover of a married woman. But when the husband of his mistress is killed in a car crash, he is forced to re-evaluate his life and relationships.

Episode 1: In 1960s Yorkshire, Andrea meets Philip, a married man. Tenderness, not lust, might be the real enemy. Stars Deborah McAndrew.

2/10: town councillor Tom discovers unsettling news about his lover Norma's husband.

3/10: with their affair still a secret, Andrea meets Philip's wife, Kate.

4/10: The tragic news of Norma's husband draws Tom closer, but at what cost to her kids?

5/10: can Andrea and Philip, a married man, keep their affair a secret?

6/10: Tom plans for Norma's future, while Andrea's future is very much threatened.

7/10: Andrea faces a battle, while Shirley is shocked by her brother's news.

8/10: after finding out Tom is actually her father, Shirley has gone missing.

9/10: Election Day draws closer with Philip and Tom as rivals.

10/10: Election Day and Andrea and Philip's wife, Kate, clash

4* A Kind of Loving
4* A Raging Calm

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 1969 novel set in 1965, a year after Labour got into power, featuring two extra-marital affairs, one lasting for 17 years and one for 6 months - and the impact on two families. Some quite long winded pieces of social commentary but overall a good read redolent of the times in which it is set.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only complaint I could make of this is that all characters possess the ability to analyse their feelings and report them with an articulacy that, to me, is beyond belief. And the interlocking of accidental meetings and couplings a wee bit convenient. That said, how else to tell a tale which held my interest from beginning to end?

[Lisa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest, gritty, of its time. I actually love Stan Barstow’s writing & his observations of relationships.

[Moirad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Late 60s setting in a fictional northern industrial town. Some stock characters, but a nostalgic read.