Beryl Bainbridge’s masterly evocation of Dr Johnson, arguably Britain’s greatest Man of Letters, in all his wit and glory.

In the late 18th century, Johnson has completed his life’s major work (he compiled the first ever Dictionary of the English Language) and is now running an increasingly chaotic life. With every passing day he becomes further torn between his strict morality and his undeclared passion for Mrs Thrale, the wife of an old friend…. A story of love and friendship, brilliantly narrated by Queeney, Mrs Thrale’s daughter, as she looks back over her life.

Longlisted
The Booker Prize 2001
Published by
Duckworth
Publication date

Buy the book

We benefit financially from any purchases you make when using the ‘Buy the book’ links.

Beryl Bainbridge

Beryl Bainbridge

About the Author

Beryl Bainbridge, who died in 2010, was a Booker Prize heroine. Although Bainbridge was shortlisted for the Booker Prize five times, she never won. Some degree of correction occurred in 2011 when, after a public vote, her 1998-shortlisted novel Master Georgie won a one-off prize, The Man Booker Best of Beryl.

More about Beryl Bainbridge

Other nominated books by Beryl Bainbridge

Master Georgie
Every Man for Himself
An Awfully Big Adventure
The Bottle Factory Outing
The Dressmaker