Name: Burntcoat
ISBN: 9780571329335

Sarah Hall

'Extraordinary.' Sarah Perry 'A masterpiece.' Daisy Johnson 'A dark and brilliant novel about love, art and fragility in a time of crisis.' Sarah Moss 'Wonderful . . . The writing goes down smoking hot onto the page.' Andrew Miller You were the last one here before I closed the door of Burntcoat, before we all shut our doors. In the bedroom above her immense studio at Burntcoat, the celebrated sculptor Edith Harkness is making her final preparations. The symptoms are well known: her life will draw to an end in the coming days. Downstairs, the studio is a crucible glowing with memories and desire. It was here, when the first lockdown came, that she brought Halit. The lover she barely knew. A presence from another culture. A doorway into a new and feverish world.

Burntcoat

ayoni

I'm the wood in the fire. I've experienced, altered in nature. I am burnt, damaged, more resilient. A life is a bead of water on the black surface, so frail, so strong, its world incredibly held.

It’s all art, even thought, everything is. What we make is made of not only the self but a thousand other naive or rarefied versions. I was left with my hands, my impulses.

The world exists through recreation, how it is perceived. You were a tear in all that, a gift of sudden truth. Because of you I could say, with certainty, I believe in it, all. 

An electrifying novel of mortality, passion, and human connection, set against the backdrop of a deadly global virus--from the "astonishing, miraculous" (Daisy Johnson) Man Booker-nominated writer. You were the last one here, before I closed the door of Burntcoat. Before we all closed our doors... In an unnamed British city, the virus is spreading, and like everyone else, the celebrated sculptor Edith Harkness retreats inside. She isolates herself in her immense studio, Burntcoat, with Halit, the lover she barely knows. As life outside changes irreparably, inside Burntcoat Edith and Halit find themselves changed as well: by the histories and responsibilities each carries and bears, by the fears and dangers of the world outside, and by the progressions of their new relationship. And Burntcoat will be transformed too, into a new and feverish world, a place in which Edith comes to an understanding of how we survive the impossible--and what is left after we have. A sharp and stunning novel of art and ambition, mortality and connection, Burntcoat is a major work from "one of our most influential short story writers" (Guardian). It is an intimate and vital examination of how and why we create--make art, form relationships, build a life--and an urgent exploration of an unprecedented crisis, the repercussions of which are still years in the learning.

i cried like i am the artist who mourns for lost and sad memories 

"I'm the wood in the fire. I've experienced, altered in nature. I am burnt, damaged, more resilient. A life is a bead of water on the black surface, so frail, so strong, its world incredibly held!

I knew I liked Sarah Hall from reading her feminist dystopia #TheCarhullenArmy, but when I saw it was another pandemic novel I wasn't sure whether I'd enjoy this one as much.

Following an acclaimed artist just before she dies, we watch as she reflects on her life from childhood to what led here to this point. It's haunting, beautifully written, utterly devastating, and so addictive to read. This is closer to a novella in size but I still devoured it quickly whilst sinking into her gorgeous writing.

She doesn't call it covid, her pandemic is slightly more sinister with some shocking results, but there are scenes in the book obviously recreated from our last few years and I think I connected to the characters more because of it. It felt more real to be reading a book about the pandemic in our world today. I also loved the delving into the role of art, different techniques she explores within the book, and how being an artist creates the protagonist's (Edith) character.

If you're looking for a quick, haunting, beautiful read then this is the book for you. Absolutely glorious.

Imie Kent-Muller

"I'm the wood in the fire. I've experienced, altered in nature. I am burnt, damaged, more resilient. A life is a bead of water on the black surface, so frail, so strong, its world incredibly held!

WoW.

I knew I liked Sarah Hall from reading her feminist dystopia #TheCarhullenArmy, but when I saw it was another pandemic novel I wasn't sure whether I'd enjoy this one as much.

If anything I loved this one even more.

Following an acclaimed artist just before she dies, we watch as she reflects on her life from childhood to what led here to this point. It's haunting, beautifully written, utterly devastating, and so addictive to read. This is closer to a novella in size but I still devoured it quickly whilst sinking into her gorgeous writing.

She doesn't call it covid, her pandemic is slightly more sinister with some shocking results, but there are scenes in the book obviously recreated from our last few years and I think I connected to the characters more because of it. It felt more real to be reading a book about the pandemic in our world today. I also loved the delving into the role of art, different techniques she explores within the book, and how being an artist creates the protagonist's (Edith) character.

If you're looking for a quick, haunting, beautiful read then this is the book for you. Absolutely glorious.

Burntcoat

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