Jump to content

The Hand That First Held Mine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by GrahamHardy (talk | contribs) at 19:41, 11 June 2019 (not in series). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Hand that First Held Mine
AuthorMaggie O'Farrell
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
PublisherHeadline Review
Publication date
2010
Publication placeEngland
Media typePrint (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages341 pp.

The Hand that First Held Mine is a novel written by Maggie O'Farrell, about the spirited journey of Lexie Sinclair, a bright, tempestuous woman who finds her way from rural Devon to the center of postwar London's burgeoning art scene. Soon, she falls deeply in love.[1]

First published in 2010 by Headline Review. The book won the Costa Book Awards in 2010.[2][3]

Plot summary

The story progresses in two different timelines. It tells the story of Lexie Sinclair, a young English woman who falls in love with magazine editor Innes Kent, after escaping from her stifling family to London in the 1950s. The other timeline, set in the present day, deals with Elina, a Finnish-Swedish painter who had a near-fatal Caesarian section and gives birth to the son of film editor Ted. The theme of the novel is motherhood and how it changes one's perception of the world. The link between the two timelines is not established until the end of the novel.

References

  1. ^ http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6939939-the-hand-that-first-held-mine
  2. ^ McAlpin, Heller (12 May 2010). "Book review: 'The Hand That First Held Mine,' by Maggie O'Farrell". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ Day, Elizabeth (24 April 2010). "The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell". The Guardian.