Setting Free the Kites
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  • Published: 15 January 2018
  • ISBN: 9780399576485
  • Imprint: Putnam
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $45.00

Setting Free the Kites

Formats & editions
EBook
21 Feb 2017
Audiobook
21 Feb 2017
Paperback
15 Jan 2018
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From the author of the "lyrical and compelling" (USA Today) novel A Good American, the powerful story of the unintended consequences that friendship, hope, and obsession impose on two families in crisis.

From the author of the “lyrical and compelling” (USA Today) novel A Good American comes a powerful story of two friends and the unintended consequences of friendship, loss, and hope.
 
For Robert Carter, life in his coastal Maine hometown is comfortably predictable. But in 1976, on his first day of eighth grade, he meets Nathan Tilly, who changes everything. Nathan is confident, fearless, impetuous—and fascinated by kites and flying. Robert and Nathan’s budding friendship is forged in the crucible of two family tragedies, and as the boys struggle to come to terms with loss, they take summer jobs at the local rundown amusement park. It’s there that Nathan’s boundless capacity for optimism threatens to overwhelm them both, and where they learn some harsh truths about family, desire, and revenge.
 
Unforgettable and heart-breaking, Setting Free the Kites is a poignant and moving exploration of the pain, joy, and glories of young friendship.
  • Published: 15 January 2018
  • ISBN: 9780399576485
  • Imprint: Putnam
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $45.00
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About the author

Alex George

Alex George is a writer and a lawyer.  He was born in England, but presently lives in Columbia, Missouri.

Alex has been named as one of Britain's top ten 'thirtysomething' novelists by theTimes of London, and was also named as the Independent on Sunday's 'face to watch' for fiction in its Fresh Talent feature.

Alex read law at Oxford University and worked for eight years as a corporate lawyer in London and Paris.  He moved to the United States in 2003, and re-qualified as a US attorney.  He now runs his own law firm in Columbia, Missouri.

Alex has two children, Hallam and Catherine.  His hobbies include listening to obscure jazz albums, playing his saxophone, and cooking (and eating) complicated meals.  He is proud to be President of the board of the Voluntary Action Center, a leading nonprofit organization in mid-Missouri.

Also by Alex George

A Good American
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Praise for Setting Free the Kites

PRAISE FOR Setting Free the Kites

"[A] touching story . . . George is masterly in his rendition of Maine landscapes and the emotional swings of adolescence." --Publishers Weekly

"Replete with soaring emotion, Setting Free the Kites is a coming-of-age novel driven by the forces of hope. Alex George skillfully proves that the tethers of a painful past can be cut, freeing us to rise above our circumstances if only we have fearless hearts." -- SARAH McCOY, author of The Mapmaker's Children

"I think I fell a little in love with Alex George's Setting Free the Kites when I heard the beautiful title. Luckily, the book itself--colorful, poignant, winning and touching--does not disappoint and seduces like a spring breeze. Mr. George, please consider me one of your new and ardent admirers." -- GEORGE HODGMAN, author of Bettyville

"A captivating, lyrical novel with scenes so crisp and moving you will find yourself holding your breath as page by page he renders the profundity of childhood and the primality of longing, and breaks your heart." -- MEGAN MAYHEW BERGMAN, author of Almost Famous Women

Columbia Daily Tribune

PRAISE FOR Setting Free the Kites

"[A] touching story . . . George is masterly in his rendition of Maine landscapes and the emotional swings of adolescence." --Publishers Weekly

"Replete with soaring emotion, Setting Free the Kites is a coming-of-age novel driven by the forces of hope. Alex George skillfully proves that the tethers of a painful past can be cut, freeing us to rise above our circumstances if only we have fearless hearts." -- SARAH McCOY, author of The Mapmaker's Children

"I think I fell a little in love with Alex George's Setting Free the Kites when I heard the beautiful title. Luckily, the book itself--colorful, poignant, winning and touching--does not disappoint and seduces like a spring breeze. Mr. George, please consider me one of your new and ardent admirers." -- GEORGE HODGMAN, author of Bettyville

"A captivating, lyrical novel with scenes so crisp and moving you will find yourself holding your breath as page by page he renders the profundity of childhood and the primality of longing, and breaks your heart." -- MEGAN MAYHEW BERGMAN, author of Almost Famous Women

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