Lord Of Misrule

Local Description

Quercus, 2011. A paperback copy in brand new condition.

Description

At the rock-bottom end of the sport of kings sits the ruthless and often violent world of cheap horse racing, where trainers and jockeys, grooms and hotwalkers, loan sharks and touts are all struggling to take an edge, or prove their luck, or just survive. Jaimy Gordon's novel begins and ends at a backwards race track in early-1970s West Virginia, where horse trainer Tommy Hansel dreams up a scam. He'll run four horses in claiming races at long odds and get out before anyone realizes how good his horses are. But at a track as small as Indian Mound Downs, where everyone knows everybody's business, Hansel's hopes are quickly dashed.

Awards

Winner of National Book Awards: Fiction 2010. Long listed for Orange Prize 2012

Reviews

'Such a beautifully written novel... Remarkable' Jane Smiley.

Author description

Jaimy Gordon was born in Baltimore. In addition to two novels, she has published poetry, plays, short stories and essays. Lord of Misrule was awarded the National Award for Fiction 2010.