RESULTS

Continuing the story of Joe from A Son of War, this is the story of the rapid changes in his life from working-class Wigton to the rarified atmosphere of Oxford as he begins his studies there. He finds many changes, including his relationship with Rachel, his fiancee in Wigton.

Bragg is a great enthusiast for modern science, and its popularisers. Here he investigates its origins, in a book based on a radio series which brought together scientists and historians to discuss great work from the past. The book restores much from the original interviews, and offers a useful beginners guide to many of the great figures of science.

Set in the border country of northern England, the story of two young men as they struggle with the constraints of living in a close-knit farming community. Amidst the intimacies and tensions of their families, they discover that only through each other's passion for escape will they be able to live their youth.

Management Teaching use: The novel details the conflicts felt between the father and son running a family farm. There is no question of succession, but the father's obsession with the business is mirrored in many small firms. The inability of the father to communicate with his son could hamper the growth of the business, as could his insistence on keeping the work within the family and not going elsewhere for even hired help. A classroom discussion could centre on ways in which this difficult father-son relationship (in business terms) could be improved and how it is affecting the way the farm is run.

The upheavals of the Second World War reverberated in the peace that followed, and many found a return to the old life more difficult than they had anticipated. Like Sam Richardson, who was determined to break free of the constraints of his background and leave Cumbria for the promised land of Australia. His wife, Ellen realises how close to the brink their marriage had come. Between them their young son Joe strives to fulfil the conflicting expectations of childhood and adolescence and confronts his own demons. Crafted with potent understatement and acute insight into the twists and turns of the heart, this is a formidable successor to Melvyn Bragg's widely praised and award-winning novel, The Soldier's Return.