Free (Kindle) The Fledgeling by Frances Faviell [Vintage Literary Desertion Drama]

[ATDrake]

The Fledgeling by Frances Faviell, a pseudonym for the late British author and painter Olivia Faviell Lucas is her vintage standalone literary personal drama novel starring a habitual attempted military deserter from the British National Service, this one tracing the aftermath of just one day following his third desertion, which he intends to make permanent, and all the people he seeks out and the various impacts of his decision upon himself and the people around him in the wake of it, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Dean Street Press.

This has previously been offered free in 2016.

This was originally published in 1958 by Cassell, and includes a bonus facsimile image of a review slip included in the first edition hardcover copies sent out by the original publisher. You can also read more about the history of the late author and this particular novel in this tribute post over at the publisher's sub-imprint blog.

Currently free @ Amazon (available to Canadians & in the UK and pretty much everywhere else Amazon sells worldwide, since this is being done via their KDP Select exclusive-or-else program)

Description
Neil Collins is going AWOL from his National Service – for the third time. Twice he has served time for previous desertions and been sent back, despite being hopelessly unsuited to military life. This time, terrorized by a bullying fellow soldier determined to escape himself, Neil intends to make his escape a permanent one. He heads to London, to the dreary, claustrophobic rooms where his twin sister, Nonie, and their dying grandmother live, periodically invaded by prying neighbours, a little girl who has befriended Mrs Collins, a curious social worker, and other uninvited visitors.

The Fledgeling (1958) traces the single day following Neil’s desertion, and its impacts on Neil, Nonie, the tough-as-nails Mrs Collins, and others. Each of the characters comes vividly alive in Faviell’s sensitive and observant prose. At times containing all the tension of a thriller, at others a profound drama of familial turmoil, Faviell’s third and final novel is dramatic, compelling, and emotionally wrenching. This new edition features an afterword by Frances Faviell’s son, John Parker, and additional supplementary material.