What do you think?
Rate this book
Prelude
“What a read! Every schoolboy’s dream comes true in this deftly-written treatment of illicit romance. A triumph.”—Alexander McCall Smith
“My own piano teacher was called Mr Bagston and frankly I don’t think any power on earth could have persuaded us to create a scene of the kind Coles so movingly describes.”—Boris Johnson, mayor of London and author of Have I Got Views for You
“An outstanding debut novel. A wonderful story of first love. Few male authors can write about romance in a way which appeals to women—but Coles has managed it quite brilliantly.”— Sunday Express (United Kingdom)
Seventeen-year-old Kim is a student at one of Britain's most extraordinary institutions, Eton College—crammed with over a thousand boys and not a girl in sight. His head is full of the Falklands War and a possible army career, until the day he hears his new piano teacher, India, a beautiful but pained young woman, playing a prelude from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier . Kim's life will never be the same again. An intensely passionate affair develops between him and his twenty-three-year-old teacher, and he wallows in the wild and unaccustomed thrill of first love. Twenty-five years on, Kim recalls that heady summer and how their fledgling relationship was so brutally snuffed out—finished off by his enemies, by the constraints of Eton, and by his own withering jealousy. Prelude is the bittersweet story of a life-changing love.
William Coles has been a journalist for eighteen years. He lives in the United Kingdom.
“My own piano teacher was called Mr Bagston and frankly I don’t think any power on earth could have persuaded us to create a scene of the kind Coles so movingly describes.”—Boris Johnson, mayor of London and author of Have I Got Views for You
“An outstanding debut novel. A wonderful story of first love. Few male authors can write about romance in a way which appeals to women—but Coles has managed it quite brilliantly.”— Sunday Express (United Kingdom)
Seventeen-year-old Kim is a student at one of Britain's most extraordinary institutions, Eton College—crammed with over a thousand boys and not a girl in sight. His head is full of the Falklands War and a possible army career, until the day he hears his new piano teacher, India, a beautiful but pained young woman, playing a prelude from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier . Kim's life will never be the same again. An intensely passionate affair develops between him and his twenty-three-year-old teacher, and he wallows in the wild and unaccustomed thrill of first love. Twenty-five years on, Kim recalls that heady summer and how their fledgling relationship was so brutally snuffed out—finished off by his enemies, by the constraints of Eton, and by his own withering jealousy. Prelude is the bittersweet story of a life-changing love.
William Coles has been a journalist for eighteen years. He lives in the United Kingdom.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
William Coles
17 books4 followersI am a journalist; and a writer of love stories.
I am currently embroiled in an epic series of love stories, which, with luck, will comprise at least 12 novels. Two of these novels are already out - The Well-Tempered Clavier and The Woman Who Made Men Cry - with another two due to be published by Thames River Press later this year. The next one in the series will be The Woman Who Knew What She Wanted, out in May.
The premise of these love stories is quite simple. The hero, or perhaps anti-hero, is a journalist called Kim. He is a man in his mid-forties, who is looking back at the various loves of his life. Each of his past loves has her own bitter-sweet tale - for, like all stand-out love affairs, they have a very great tendency to turn out badly.
I've been a journalist for over 20 years, including stints as the New York Correspondent and Political Correspondent of The Sun. I've also written for The Wall Street Journal, the Daily Mail, the Express, The Mirror and the Scotsman.
For the past five years, I've been an editorial consultant with a number of newspaper groups including Media 24 in South Africa and DC Thomson in Scotland. This media coaching has formed the basis for my first non-fiction book, "Red Top", which is also due out later this year.
Apart from the love-stories, I have written two other mainstream novels - 'Lord Lucan: My Story' (2009) and 'Mr Two-Bomb' (2010), as well as two satires, 'Dave Cameron's Schooldays' (2010) and 'Simon Cowell: The Sex Factor' (2011).
I am currently embroiled in an epic series of love stories, which, with luck, will comprise at least 12 novels. Two of these novels are already out - The Well-Tempered Clavier and The Woman Who Made Men Cry - with another two due to be published by Thames River Press later this year. The next one in the series will be The Woman Who Knew What She Wanted, out in May.
The premise of these love stories is quite simple. The hero, or perhaps anti-hero, is a journalist called Kim. He is a man in his mid-forties, who is looking back at the various loves of his life. Each of his past loves has her own bitter-sweet tale - for, like all stand-out love affairs, they have a very great tendency to turn out badly.
I've been a journalist for over 20 years, including stints as the New York Correspondent and Political Correspondent of The Sun. I've also written for The Wall Street Journal, the Daily Mail, the Express, The Mirror and the Scotsman.
For the past five years, I've been an editorial consultant with a number of newspaper groups including Media 24 in South Africa and DC Thomson in Scotland. This media coaching has formed the basis for my first non-fiction book, "Red Top", which is also due out later this year.
Apart from the love-stories, I have written two other mainstream novels - 'Lord Lucan: My Story' (2009) and 'Mr Two-Bomb' (2010), as well as two satires, 'Dave Cameron's Schooldays' (2010) and 'Simon Cowell: The Sex Factor' (2011).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 6, 2009
Prelude was a beautiful and heartbreaking story. It really tried to pull my heart out towards the end. While it was a slow start for me, by the end of it I was hooked and didn't want to let go.
While other student/teacher relationships in books seem to have one character taking advantage of another I didn't feel that so much in this book. I felt like they were on equal footing and were really there for each other. I never saw India as a predator and I found their relationship rather sweet. It actually seemed to me that Kim was stronger than India, I guess you could say in that way she used him, to prop herself up but it worked for me. I thought the choice to use music as a way to connect them (student to teacher) added a beautiful theme to the story.
I loved how the story was told, with Kim looked back on the events from 25 years later. It was nice having his reflections rather then just being in the moment with him. I also liked how upfront we know that this love doesn't last. And that Kim was able to admit that his own jealousy and paranoia helped end their relationship.
Overall I thought this was a beautifully told story that shows how one summer can change your life forever!
While other student/teacher relationships in books seem to have one character taking advantage of another I didn't feel that so much in this book. I felt like they were on equal footing and were really there for each other. I never saw India as a predator and I found their relationship rather sweet. It actually seemed to me that Kim was stronger than India, I guess you could say in that way she used him, to prop herself up but it worked for me. I thought the choice to use music as a way to connect them (student to teacher) added a beautiful theme to the story.
I loved how the story was told, with Kim looked back on the events from 25 years later. It was nice having his reflections rather then just being in the moment with him. I also liked how upfront we know that this love doesn't last. And that Kim was able to admit that his own jealousy and paranoia helped end their relationship.
Overall I thought this was a beautifully told story that shows how one summer can change your life forever!
August 14, 2009
Wow. This was far better than I thought it would be. It is a rite of passage, first love, story. It is incredibly intense as you know that everything will flounder from the very start.
I was only disappointed in the writing itself. It was sometimes to stilted. But the story, the emotions were indomitable. Everything rang so true in so many ways.
For me it was a mesmerizing read.
I was only disappointed in the writing itself. It was sometimes to stilted. But the story, the emotions were indomitable. Everything rang so true in so many ways.
For me it was a mesmerizing read.
November 30, 2009
A simple tragic love story beautifully written.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews