London
City of Disappearances
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
‘A book full of richness, unexpected enticements, short sharp shocks and breathtaking writing’ Guardian
Welcome to the real, unauthorised London: the disappeared, the unapproved, the unvoiced, the mythical and the all-but forgotten. The perfect companion to the city.
‘Exhilarating, truly wonderful, a cavalcade of eloquent writing. London demands an anthology like this to remind us of the irascible quirkiness of its residents, and we have Sinclair to thank for marshalling such a perverse and ultimately pleasurable exercise’ Independent on Sunday
Customer Reviews
Worth Reading but Should Have Some Deletions
I am a fan of Sinclair, but he only wrote bits of this book. It's like going to a funeral where anyone can have his or her say about the deceased. Some are intelligent and to the point. Some very personal, some are sappy, and some go on and on forever and ever.
The idea of the book sounded like a great idea. I have my own London disappearance story so I was eager to read this. Unfortunately many pieces are long and self pitying whines about lost youth, beatniks and performance art of the hippie times. Very cringe-worthy. The historic disappeared buildings, jobs and changes in neighborhoods are usually more interesting subjects. Sarah wise's little gems are very pithy and to the point--not sentimental blather. Sorry, Alan Moore, you bore me.
In spite of being too long and scattershot i'd still recommend it.
My disappearance fits right in. In trying to find out more about a grandmother born in the area of old St. Pancras church, and despite the fact I had a street and street number, the entire street has disappeared. Ironically, Sinclair sets one of his pieces in that area. My grandmother's birthplace may have been covered with rail yards or by even tattier lodgings or a Marriott hotel.