Thanks so much to Anne Cater From Random Things Tours for allowing me to be part of the blog tour for the brilliant Midland by James Flint!
What they say:
A tale of two families torn apart by the hidden debts of love, from the award-winning novelist James Flint
On his way back from a meeting one day, investment banker Alex Wold finds himself standing up to his waist in the Thames, trying to guide a lost bottlenose whale back out to the sea. Later, as he’s drying out his suit and shoes, the news comes through that Tony Nolan – his mother’s ex-husband – has died of a sudden heart attack.
Alex wonders if the universe is urging him to resolve a long-running feud with his environmentalist brother Matthew, and with the Wolds and the Nolans all heading back to Warwickshire for Tony’s funeral he now has an opportunity to do just that. But he finds Matthew as angry as ever, unable to relinquish his obsession with Caitlin, Tony’s troubled daughter, whose actions force both families to take an uncomfortable journey into the past.
In Midland, the acclaimed novelist James Flint carries out a devastating exploration of what binds families together, and what tears them apart.
The Review: I have to say from the first few pages of this book I was absolutely totally in, as I met Alex Wold who was having pretty much the most stunning day of his life, you know, one of those days that starts out like any other, then unfolds into something that weighs on your mind, changes multiple outlooks and makes everything else very insignificant? And so it starts. A book that really grabbed me, that didn’t just tell Alex’s story as I had predicted it would (I read this months and months after I’d received it), but actually introduces us to a host of characters and follows the through moments that are momentous and sometimes not but nearly always important.
The characters were likeable at times and other times almost villainous. I found this to be a read that was always captivating and I read it, as it should be, over two nights by the fire, devouring every single word. Very much recommended and thanks again to Anne Cater for the book in return for an honest review.
About the author
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1968, James Flint is the internationally acclaimed author of three novels: Habitus (1998), 52 Ways to Magic America (2000) and The Book of Ash (2008). In 2002, his short story ‘The Nuclear Train’ was adapted for Channel 4, while his journalism has appeared in The Times, the Guardian and Dazed & Confused among many others. From 2009 to 2012 he was Editor-in-Chief of the Telegraph’s weekly world edition, and he is currently CEO of the health communications start-up Hospify.
SALES POINTS
James Flint’s first book, Habitus (1998), was widely acclaimed, while his second, 52 Ways to Magic America (2000), won Amazon’s inaugural Writers’ Bursary award. The Book of Ash (2008) won an Arts Council Writers Award.
Midland represents the return to form of a promising talent now matured into a seriously readable novelist.
James wrote the novel in instalments, performing a new chapter each year at Port Eliot festival.
For fans of Capital by John Lanchester, The Northern Clemency by Philip Hencher, Enduring Love by Ian McEwan.
PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS WORKS
‘Probably the best British fiction debut of the last five years’ Time Out on Habitus
‘Flint’s talent and invention are unmistakable; his writing vigorous and beautiful’ The Times on 52 Ways to Magic America
‘A bold British counterpart to DeLillo’s Underworld’ Boyd Tonkin, Independent on The Book of Ash
And now how about you follow the blog tour?!
BRMaycock's Book Blog 
Great review of what sounds like an intriguing book.
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Very intriguing Michelle, out of my comfort zone, which shows I should read outside of it more often!
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That is difficult to do. Reading my preferred genres is what motivates me to read.
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Huge thanks for your Blog Tour support x
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Not at all, great book!
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