It was Mackay's second novel, after the other two novellas which comprise the other Mackay VMC on my list; Dust falls on Eugene Schlumburger and Toddle on the Run (she has written a number of other novels which I believe have been published by Virago but not as VMCs). She wrote it aged 19 after living in Earl's Court for 2 years and a long period of playing truant at school.
Two covers here for your delight...firstly the original green one, which is the one that I own, and then the more recent one.
How unusual sounding; I must admit to not having heard if this one.
ReplyDeleteThe curious thing about the green Virago Modern Classics covers, regardless of how much I love them, is that they are not representative of the stories inside and very much a representation of when you simply can't judge a book by its cover. Saying that, some of the modern covers aren't that informative either and can be misleading in some cases (I'm thinking of Cassandra at the Wedding again). Carter, Spark, and Pym as always are excluded from this observation, which is more or less an impression I have as I see more and more covers you post.
Yes, you're right Claire - I think the second picture here is more informative than the top one - you'd think that Music Upstairs was a book about a fairly well to do girl with a cat rather than an unemployed bisexual. It was weird, but I'm learning to accept that VMCs are not always straightforward or what they seem.
ReplyDeleteI read a book called Orchard on Fire by Mackay--it must be a later novel, but I read it ages and ages ago so remember little about it. I didn't realize she had any books published by Virago--this one does sound a little unusual.
ReplyDeleteAnd a side note--the US version of Cassandra at the Wedding is very different than the Virago. It's interesting how differen publishers interpret a story and how to illustrate it.
Hi Danielle - her earlier books were published as VMCs but some of the later ones too have been published by Virago.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested to see the US cover of Cassandra.
I read this a long time ago, in my teens I think, and didn't quite get it either. An interesting point about the covers. I was gifted the book by a relative who, I'm sure, had no idea what the story was about. He probably chose the book on the Virago name only. The cover really doesn't quite convey the gist of the book. To be honest, I don't think the second cover does it either.
ReplyDeleteYes, actually Swati, I don't really think the picture on the second one does it either. I'm tickled by the idea of a relative giving it to you without knowing what it's about; the title and the cover are indeed most inocuous!
ReplyDeleteI saw this in Oxfam the other day. Glad I didn't buy it now, it doesn't sound like my sort of book!
ReplyDeleteI know! My mother was very unimpressed when I told her the gist of the story (it was her brother who bought it for me). This was the good old days before the internet so there was no real way of researching a book for its content. I remember my mother telling him off, saying if I wanted to read "weird stuff" I could hunt it out for myself :)
ReplyDeleteShe probably scared him off buying me anything other than Famous Five...he's gifted me only book tokens ever since!