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Coming Up for Air

By George Orwell

(33)

| Audio Cassette | 9785557023931

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Book Description

COMING UP FOR AIR is about coping. Orwell hooks a character from among the struggling middle class and, close-up, lets us watch him wiggle. George (Tubby) Bowling is a "fat, middle-aged bloke with false teeth and a red face." He sells insurance, a task at which he grimly excels. The father of two inContinue

COMING UP FOR AIR is about coping. Orwell hooks a character from among the struggling middle class and, close-up, lets us watch him wiggle. George (Tubby) Bowling is a "fat, middle-aged bloke with false teeth and a red face." He sells insurance, a task at which he grimly excels. The father of two ingrates and husband to a slattern, he dutifully makes mortgage payments on their dreary home. As the years roll by, he comes to feel like a hostage to his family. He regards them as wardens, himself a prisoner.

Bowling is a splendid example of Thoreau's observation that "most men lead lives of quiet desperation."

Critics

  • 'Coming Up for Air' by George Orwell

    The story, which is commonly thought to be thinly veiled autobiography, is narrated by George Bowling, a 45-year-old married man with two children who's bored with his life as an insurance salesman. He lives in the "inner-outer suburbs" in one of tho ... (read full critics)

    readingmatters published on Tue, 28 Sep 2010

2 Reviews

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  • Coming Up For Air: George Orwell

    Victor Gollancz, 1939; this edition: Penguin, 1973

    One of my favourite novels, and for me, Orwell’s best.

    George Bowling tries to escape from modern England, and the upcoming Second World War.

    He can’t.

    Is this helpful?

    Philip Downer said on Jun 20, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • This book is described as 'nostalgia' and it really is - and brilliantly done. George Bowling, an insurance salesman, takes a look into his childhood. His descriptions of the customs, the characters, the buildings, the way of life is very moving. This is what life was like before World War Two. The ... (continue)

    This book is described as 'nostalgia' and it really is - and brilliantly done. George Bowling, an insurance salesman, takes a look into his childhood. His descriptions of the customs, the characters, the buildings, the way of life is very moving. This is what life was like before World War Two. The war was to change everything. It's worth a look back through the eyes of George Bowling!

    Is this helpful?

    GraJon said on Jul 19, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Book Details

  • Rating:
    (33)
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  • English Books
  • Audio Cassette
  • ISBN-10: 5557023933
  • ISBN-13: 9785557023931
  • Publisher: Books on Tape
  • Pub date: Jan 01, 1950
  • Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover, Others and eBook
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9785557023931 Audio Cassette $35.00 -- The Book Depository
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