The Messenger

The past is a strange country; in it, they do things differently. The Messenger is a great novel about a young innocent boy who finds himself caught in an unlawful romantic relationship according to the standards of his time, and ultimately tragic. The story is told by Leo Colston, now advanced in age, reminiscing about the events of the summer of 1900, the dawn of a new century, more than fifty years ago, when he was twelve years old and visiting a school friend at a country house in England. Leo is a dreamy, romantic, and very sensitive child about how others see him and still painfully unaware of how the adult world works. The Messenger, "a strange and beautiful book" as Ian McEwan described it, and Hartley's timeless masterpiece about class, sex, and innocence set in a fading golden age, is an unforgettable work. Author: Leslie Paul Hartley Publisher: Sadr for Publishing and Distribution Number of pages: 444