First swing almost missed me. Fist came over his shoulder and I swayed back. Knuckles grazed the bridge of my nose and chin before digging into my chest. When I swayed again my foot didn't follow back the way I'd practiced. I went off-balance. Lost focus when the second punch came. In the opening passages of Summer of the Cicada, the boy Joseph Pullman describes, with chillingly passive detachment, a brutal and protracted beating at his father's hands. Joseph and his parents have just moved to Maritime, Massachusetts but ...
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First swing almost missed me. Fist came over his shoulder and I swayed back. Knuckles grazed the bridge of my nose and chin before digging into my chest. When I swayed again my foot didn't follow back the way I'd practiced. I went off-balance. Lost focus when the second punch came. In the opening passages of Summer of the Cicada, the boy Joseph Pullman describes, with chillingly passive detachment, a brutal and protracted beating at his father's hands. Joseph and his parents have just moved to Maritime, Massachusetts but the new start brings no change to Joe's life. The threat of violence in his father's house is unrelenting and his mother is slowly slipping away from reality. Things at home deteriorate and Joe faces trouble at school -but still the teachers, medical staff and neighbours fail to ask where he is getting all those scars and bruises. Joseph seeks refuge in the woods. He forms an uneasy friendship with the awkward Dean Gillespie and the boys occupy themselves burying animal corpses at the Killing Tree. One afternoon they set out to find the 'Grits', wandering gypsies and tramps rumoured to live in the woods. The next day a local boy is found tied to a tree, unconscious, the victim of a brutal attack. Meanwhile, Joseph's mother is gone and his father has retreated to his basement workshop with his bottles of whisky. This is the summer that the cicadas are due to come out of their seventeen-year hibernation and Joseph becomes convinced that their arrival will bring his salvation. Terrified by the noises coming from the basement and with nowhere to run, he sleeps with a knife under his pillow. When another local boy disappears, the residents of the town are finally forced to face the secrets of the Pullman's house. Will Napier's book evokes a boyhood summer that is both beautiful and terrifying and a hero whose voice is impossible to forget.
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Seller's Description:
New. It's 1987, and Joseph Pullman and his parents have moved to Maritime, Massachusetts. He befriends Dean Gillespie, and the boys are occupied burying animal corpses at the Killing Tree. This summer the cicadas are due to come out of their seventeen-year hibernation, and when a second local boy disappears, the residents confront the Pullmans' house. Num Pages: 336 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 129 x 22. Weight in Grams: 225. 2006. New Ed. Paperback.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
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Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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Seller's Description:
Unread book; shelfwear to cover including wear to edges/corners. Some copies may have a very small tear to the cover. Open edges of pages have marks/yellowing/roughly cut. Pages inside are very good.
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New. B-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. B-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.