Elixir of Youth

by Gillian Bradshaw

A biomedical thriller When Alison Greenall arrives in California to visit the father who walked out when she was a baby, she isn?t sure what to expect, but it certainly isn?t what she discovers. Her father has just had his research lab broken into by activists, and a violent pro-lifer is hanging about claiming he's been framed. Alison just wants to get to know her father, but how far can she trust him?

220 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Born in Arlington, Virgina, Gillian Bradshaw grew up in Washington, Santiago, Chile and Michigan. She is a Classics graduate from Newnham College, Cambridge, and published her first novel, Hawk of May, just before her final term. A highly acclaimed historical novelist, Gillian Bradshaw has won the Hopwood Award for Fiction, among other prizes. She lives in Cambridge with her husband and their four children.

Reviews

[Lissa Notreallywolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Elixir of Youth is a science fiction/action story about a genetic cosmetic tonic. It's entertaining because it is narrated by an argumentative philosophy major who exposes some of the logical fallacies on the pro-choice/pro-life divide as she struggles to reconcile with her father. I don't think I would like to spend a holiday with Alison Grenall or her father, Brian, but Bradshaw does a wonderful depiction of the Santa Barbara area, and the less than wonderful culture of California. I particularly enjoyed the bored intellectuals at the beach, endangered by sunburn, a familiar experience. The book also offers some romance of the shallow and deeper kinds, but I was unmoved by most of it. Generally I have preferred Bradshaw's historical fiction to her science fiction because the relationships seem more sympathetic.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gillian Bradshaw returns to modern fiction. Our protagonist, a college student in philosophy, is visiting her previously-absentee father, a bioscientist trying to develop an anti-aging drug - much to the interest of her stepmother, a TV show host. But, a local pro-life group is protesting the research based on embryonic stem cells, and there was a recent burglary...

The plot is much more interesting than Bradshaw's previous modern novels. She's drawn some very good characters, who reveal unexpected depths as the plot progresses. Perhaps she isn't the fairest to the pro-life cause, but she does treat it with some sympathy in the end. This wasn't anywhere near my favorite of her works, but - despite an unappealing beginning before the twists and character depths present themselves - it was a decent read.

[RiverShore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of Bradshaw's best. Still it had some interesting philosophical arguments (the main character was a philosophy grad.). All in all, I can't honestly recommend it. The characters are never very well developed and the plot is confusing.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the 13 best mysteries I read in 2006.