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Angela Carter
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Michael Duffy
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Wise Children Paperback – January 1, 1993

by Angela Carter (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 667 ratings
See all formats and editions
Dora and Nora Chance are a famous song-and-dance team of the British music halls. Billed as The Lucky Chances, the sisters are the illegitimate and unacknowledged daughters of Sir Melchoir Hazard, the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day. At once ribald and sentimental, glittery and tender, this rambunctious family saga is Angela Carter at her bewitching best.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1993
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.5 x 7.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    014017530X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0140175301
  9. See all details
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love. | Learn more

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Carter, who died this year, delivers comic writing of the highest order in this giddy tale of a highly eccentric British theatrical family.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Angela Carter (1940 -1992) wrote nine novels and numerous short stories, as well as nonfiction, radio plays, and the screenplay for Neil Jordan's 1984 movie The Company of Wolves, based on her story. She won numerous literary awards, traveled and taught widely in the United States, and lived in London.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reprint edition (January 1, 1993)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 014017530X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140175301
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.5 x 7.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 667 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Angela Carter

    Angela Carter

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Angela Carter was born in 1940. She lived in Japan, the United States and Australia. Her first novel, Shadow Dance, was published in 1965. Her next book, The Magic Toyshop, won the John Llewllyn Rhys Prize and the next, Several Perceptions, the Somerset Maugham Award. She died in February 1992.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Michael Duffy

    Michael Duffy

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
667 global ratings
Overall, satisfied
4 Stars
Overall, satisfied
Book came in quite quickly, but the bottom right corner pages were bent.
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Top reviews from the United States

Andy J
5.0 out of 5 stars Unusual Narration, but that's the fun
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
The audiobook itself was excellent, loved the experience of hearing someone read some of these phrases out loud.

This book was very far outside of my usual wheelhouse (book club pick), but I found myself enjoying it a lot. Who doesn't love an old queen unreliably narrating her tragic life in five acts and turning it into a comedy with a happy ending? The main character has such a strong voice, and it's so much fun to hear certain life events told with all of the life experience that being eighty grants.

It was an especially good book club selection because there were so many layers to it! The author's layer! The character's perspective! The character as an author's perspective! And evaluating what the intent behind each layer was! It got abstract enough that someone in my book club decided that one prominent character never actually existed and was an invention of the narrator, and there was enough evidence that everyone decided that this was a very likely interpretation. It got very Things They Carried, where the story mattered less than the message, but the message was also in tatters because the storyteller was eighty years old and alone.

God, what a great book. Thanks, Angela.
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Book Collector and Memorabilia
4.0 out of 5 stars Overall, satisfied
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
Book came in quite quickly, but the bottom right corner pages were bent.
Customer image
Book Collector and Memorabilia
4.0 out of 5 stars Overall, satisfied
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2020
Book came in quite quickly, but the bottom right corner pages were bent.
Images in this review
Customer image
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Mary
5.0 out of 5 stars A Sparkler
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2017
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One of my favorite books--a true sparkler that's theatrical in scope and deeply nostalgic the whole way through. Laugh out loud funny in some parts, and darkly sad in others. Carter's protagonist has a knack for the sentimental, but both the author and Dora keep it checked (for the most part). For me, this one shines above Nights at the Circus as Carter's true masterpiece--it contains all sorts of complicated and rich love stories. I would place a copy of it into your hands if I could!
7 people found this helpful
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Kate Bishop
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2018
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The concept is fun, but the incest really killed my enjoyment.
2 people found this helpful
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John B. Gray
5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant Family Story and Amusing Theatrical "Memoir"
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
Practically every word in Wise Children is magnificent and serves to examine the complex, confusing, and unfortunate tension that exists between the two families of the story: one that is (apparently) legitimate in every sense of the word, and the other that is not. A memorable, feisty narrator casually describes her incredible family history with humor, shocking twists, and sadness. Carter's final novel pokes fun at trivial theatrical prejudices and questions what it truly means to be "legitimate."
8 people found this helpful
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Ellen Goldberg
5.0 out of 5 stars What a Treat
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
For years I had it on my bookshelf unread. What a surprise was waiting for me. It is like
whipped cream that has nourishment for the soul. A fabulous book to be read by women of all ages,
but especially wonderful to discover as one grows older. It is sly, subversive ,feminist, wise, and, if you stay with it,
funny as all get out. I just bought a copy for a friend.
8 people found this helpful
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Katrina
4.0 out of 5 stars I loved it. Such a crazy happy walk down memory ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2017
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I loved it. Such a crazy happy walk down memory lane!
One person found this helpful
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P.G
2.0 out of 5 stars It'd be wise to give this book a miss.
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2005
I had to read Wise Children for my A-level English lit class. I'm not fond of this book to say the least and it pains me to think I have to reread it sometime soon. It's unnecessarily filled with incestuous relationships written in the most dire and ponderous narrative possible from the view of a 75 year old woman reminiscing her long gone heydays.

Carter's language has the potential in creating something of a worthy read but the structure and content of the novel diminish and incinerate every possibilty. As if the narrative isn't dire as it is, the chronology of events are manipulated and Dora digresses a great deal. We're soon left wondering What The Hell Is Going On? and need to re-read the same paragraph to grasp hold of the labrynth like links between each events.

This book lacks in a plot with any substance and ends exactly how it started. What a waste of time.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved the book
Reviewed in India on June 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
I loved the book. Then I lost it. I got it from amazon. And I loved it again and more
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Sophie
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2016
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Wonderful, Angela Carter us always a joy to read!
One person found this helpful
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Shirley Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars Wise and Funny
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2014
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I chose this as a possible comparison to the Kray Sisters by Carol Anne Duffy. Now they both make me laugh and I am sure any A level student who needs short but pithy texts for there comparative essays, will enjoy these and so will the examiner who has to read all the essays. The characters are brilliantly over-the-top and the story line very amusing but touching at the same time.
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naokopi
4.0 out of 5 stars アイリーン・アトキンズによる朗読ＣＤ（簡略版）
Reviewed in Japan on November 6, 2011
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大好きな女優アイリーン・アトキンズによる朗読ＣＤを探していて、
簡略版だと知りつつ、購入しました。
４枚のＣＤで約５時間の朗読です。

簡略版のため、本を片手に聞いても、そのままを読むわけではないので、
「あれ？今、どの辺かな」となるので、星を１つ減らしましたが、
朗読そのものは聞きやすいし、原作にあるウィットやユーモアは多分、
損なわれることなく、そのまま活きていると思います。

でも、完全版が出たら、買い直します。
朗読者の間の取り方、話しぶりが好きなので･･･。

原作『ワイズ・チルドレン』は邦訳も出ています。
にやっと笑わせられてばかりです。
One person found this helpful
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Jonathan Oates
4.0 out of 5 stars Weird and wonderful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
A crazy, fun romp filled with unforgettable characters. Brimming with warmth and outrageous exploits. As weird and wonderful a book as I have read.
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