3 Novels : The Blue Flower, The Bookshop, Offshore [Boxed Set]

by Penelope Fitzgerald

Gathered together for the first time are three of Penelope Fitzgerald's most beloved novels: The Blue Flower, The Bookshop, and Offshore. The Blue Flower: Chosen by the New York Times Book Review as one of the eleven best books of 1997, this magical novel recounts the curious obsession of the Romantic poet Novalis for his one "true philosophy" -- the plain and simple twelve-year-old Sophie. "A masterpiece. . . How does she do it?" (A. S. Byatt) "Quite astonishing . . . Her greatest triumph" (New York Times Book Review). The Bookshop: In 1959, Florence Green, a kindhearted widow with a small inheritance, risks everything to open a bookshop -- the only bookshop -- in the seaside town of Hardborough. She must contend with a leaky roof, a poltergeist, and, what's more, ruthless opposition from the self-proclaimed first lady of culture, Violet Gamart. "A brilliant little book" (Boston Globe). Offshore: Winner of the Booker Prize, this acclaimed novel features an eccentric cast of characters living in houseboats on the Thames, rising and falling with the great river's tides. "The novelistic equivalent of a Turner watercolor" (Washington Post).

Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Penelope Mary Fitzgerald was a Booker Prize-winning novelist, poet, essayist and biographer from Lincoln, England. In 2008 The Times listed her among "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945". The Observer in 2012 placed her final novel, The Blue Flower, among "the ten best historical novels". A.S. Byatt called her, "Jane Austen’s nearest heir for precision and invention."

Reviews

[Felicia Glaser · Rating 5 out of 5]

An all time favorite! Both I and my mom stayed up well into the early hours finishing this book. :) Part of what makes The Scarlet Pimpernel so effective is the fact that people like this did exist and made attempts to smuggle innocent children, women, and men out of France during the Reign of Terror. The time period is so fresh and dynamical, that the story is a cover to cover read! The love story also adds dimensions to the suspense. A must read for historical fiction/romance enthusiasts or those just being introduced.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have listed these as separate books. Offshore was great, more a character study than a novel (and a lot closer to a short story aesthetic). The others are both solid, with The Bookshop having some key flaws, and The Blue Flower just not quite connecting.

[Gerard de Bruin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik zeg graag dat zij mij werd aangeraden door Julian Barnes. Dat is natuurlijk niet echt zo, maar ergens schrijft hij dat zij superieur en ondergewaardeerd is. En gelijk heeft hij. Ik kende The Bookshop als film, fraai maar doet geen recht aan deze prachtige korte roman. The Blue Flower is een juweel. Ook weer kort maar zeer diep en empathisch over Novalis, een Romantische voorloper van wie ik weinig wist. Tot slot The Gate of Angels dat, overigens net als The Bookshop, lichtjes raakt aan 'gothic', maar vooral een prachtig doorkijkje is van de mores van de kleine burgerij (en de wetenschap) aan het begin van de 20e eeuw. Dickens, maar dan veel leesbaarder en compact. Alles in een onberispelijk proza dat aansluit bij tijd en plaats van het verhaal.

[Beth Shields-Szostak]

1st edition US