{"product_id":"keith-waterhouse-there-is-a-happy-land-9781939140616","title":"There Is a Happy Land","description":"'[A]mong the few great writers of our time.' - Auberon Waugh, The Independent \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'He gets into the mind of his eleven-year-old, sees the world from the height of three foot six . . . The book is vivid, accurate, perceptive . . . how brilliant - and how honestly - the author makes his original effect.' - The Observer \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'An exceptionally talented novelist.' - The Sunday Times \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'Remarkable for the deep and unwavering insight it gives into child behaviour . . . the candour of his vision and the cunning of his art are such that he captures the very essence of the eleven-minus mind.' - The Times \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Inspired by its author's own childhood experiences, this moving novel is the story of a fateful few weeks in the life of an eleven-year-old boy on a public housing estate. When an eccentric man who is unusually fond of children (they nickname him 'Uncle Mad') moves onto the estate, the wheels of tragedy are set in motion, a tragedy made especially poignant because we experience it through the eyes of the young narrator, who is incapable of fully understanding the significance of the terrible events unfolding around him . . . \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Although Keith Waterhouse (1929-2009) is best known for his classic comic novel Billy Liar (1959), many critics believe his first novel, There is a Happy Land (1957), is his best. This edition is the first ever published in the United States and includes a new introduction by Bill Hagerty and the original jacket art by William Belcher.","brand":"Valancourt Books","offers":[{"title":"Used - very good","offer_id":53599154012502,"sku":"9781939140616-V","price":17.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0925\/5829\/5382\/files\/product_image_9781939140616_1_5572fc06-2fec-47d6-8487-3738dcf3d6f0.jpg?v=1778522880","url":"https:\/\/www.momoxbooks.com\/products\/keith-waterhouse-there-is-a-happy-land-9781939140616","provider":"momoxbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}