The Laying On of Hands: Stories

The Laying On of Hands: Stories
by Alan Bennett

The Laying On of Hands: Stories
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Book Summary Information

Author: Alan Bennett
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-05-02
ISBN: 0312422253
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Picador
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780312422257
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Summary of The Laying On of Hands: Stories

Alan Bennett?s extraordinary ear for dialogue and sharpness of perception have made him a master storyteller. In ?Father! Father! Burning Bright? he writes with tragicomic insight about a son?s vigil at his father?s deathbed where their lifelong battle continues to the end. ?The Laying on of Hands,? a brilliantly funny satire, describes a society memorial service for a rather special masseur who died tragically young; and in ?Miss Fozzard Finds her Feet,? a lonely, unmarried department store clerk discovers there?s more to life than looking after her brother through her only indulgence, her podiatrist.

With his actor's ear for dialogue, his dead-on pacing, and his talent for social comedy, British playwright Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George) is hardly lacking in literary gifts. The three stories in The Laying On of Hands, two of which have been filmed by the BBC, are funny in different ways. The title piece is a slow-to-ripen satire set at the Anglican funeral service of a handsome young masseur, whose clients turn out to include cabinet ministers, soap opera stars, and the presiding clergyman. The second story, "Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet," describes the odd relationship a pure-minded middle-aged woman develops with her charming chiropodist (podiatrist). And the final story, "Father! Father! Burning Bright," follows a mousy schoolteacher named Midgley through the self-searching and nurse-hunting days preceding his father's death in Intensive Care. The range and subtle coloration of Bennett's humor will appeal, especially, to readers of Robertson Davies and Muriel Spark. --Regina Marler

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