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Take Nothing With You

A richly absorbing novel of boyhood, coming of age, confusion and desire

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Take Nothing With You

By: Patrick Gale
Narrated by: Patrick Gale
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About this listen

 From the bestselling author of A PLACE CALLED WINTER comes a new novel of boyhood, coming of age, and the confusions of desire and reality. For all readers of Ian McEwan's ATONEMENT or L P Hartley's THE GO-BETWEEN.

1970s Weston-Super-Mare and ten-year-old oddball Eustace, an only child, has life transformed by his mother's quixotic decision to sign him up for cello lessons. Music-making brings release for a boy who is discovering he is an emotional volcano. He laps up lessons from his young teacher, not noticing how her brand of glamour is casting a damaging spell over his frustrated and controlling mother.

When he is enrolled in holiday courses in the Scottish borders, lessons in love, rejection and humility are added to daily practice.

Drawing in part on his own boyhood, Patrick Gale's new novel explores a collision between childish hero worship and extremely messy adult love lives.

(P)2018 Headline Publishing Group Ltd©2017 Patrick Gale Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Highlander

Critic Reviews

Absolutely one of his complete best. So many funny and tender and terrific scenes. He hovers between social comedy and apocalyptic tragedy without the move appearing artificial or contrived. Just a wonderful, wonderful read (Stephen Fry)
Safe in the arms of Patrick Gale's BEAUTIFUL writing again - I could weep with joy. (Joanna Cannon)
A wonderful, intelligent and enriching novel. Gale draws his protagonist with compassion and empathy, and the book is populated by some terrific supporting characters, such as former star cellist Naomi, who had to give up performing because of stage fright and becomes a surrogate sibling in Eustace's life. Ultimately, it is a forceful reminder of the emotional power of music. As Eustace is told by his teacher at summer school: "Music knits. It heals. It is balm to the soul." The same could be said for this book
Sexy, joyous, funny and tender. I relished it (Sarah Winman)
Joyous and full of light. I only meant to read a chapter and I greedily gobbled down the whole lot in one go. He is a beautiful and empathetic writer. (Cathy Rentzenbrink)
A compelling story of how a passion for music can be the gateway to self-discovery, and lead a young teenager to find his tribe. The storytelling is so vivid, you can actually hear the music, and the intense fusion of artistic and erotic exploration will stir up memories for quite a few readers. (Jonathan Dove, composer)
A fascinating story, gripping, moving and exquisitely written, this is a wonderful gift of a book from one of the best writers working today. (SJ Watson)
Very well done indeed - brilliantly sustained (Rachel Johnson)
A tender and touching coming of age story from the always eminently readable Patrick Gale
Patrick Gale has created such a wonderful character, I was bereft to leave him
A compassionate and funny coming-of-age and coming-out novel. If you haven't read Gale before, start now
A beautiful novel about longing, growth, music and family
Gale is an enticing and quietly subversive storyteller . . . its depictions of strangeness and toxicity of under-the-surface conventions of middle-class life take it into darker and more surprising territory. In elegant, restrained prose, Gale writes with an eye on impermanence, showing how loss can be tinged with hope, and new beginnings with the threat of mortality. . . he taps into a range of experiences and emotions that are both specific and beautifully universal
Gale is excellent on the hot, messy nature of self-discovery and sexual awakening
Beguiling, vivid, wise and moving
Beautifully told with understated glee and humanity, this novel raises smiles and shocked tears
This coming-of-age story is gorgeously written, full of warmth and humour
As elegiac and contemplative as one might expect . . .suffused with the joy and wisdom of Gale's mid-life reconnection with music
All stars
Most relevant
This was an extraordinarily brilliant listen. The narrator is the author which is an amazing duo. He is superb to listen to and the writing is like listening to a musical piece which rises and falls with lyrical intent.
I would recommend to anyone who loves depth and creative non fiction and is a lover of life and music.

Superb

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I enjoyed this book about young people and puberty and there sexual prefrance
Thank you very much Patrick Gale much appreciated.

Take Nothing With You by Patrick Gale

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I am rating this book as one of my all time favourites. I do love music so maybe that drew me in but the storyline was wonderful and real. The narrator was brilliant and I enjoyed his every word . I did not want the book to end and now feel heavy of heart.
I will cherish this story.

I was captured from word go

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Such a wonderful story it’s a shame when it ends. The narration is excellent too.

Enchanting

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A wonderful story and beautifully narrated by the author. Loved it. Would have liked to have had confirmation that Eustice’s mum actually had a lesbian affair that seemed obvious but maybe only in my mind.

String theory.

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