Raymond Brigg's most extraordinary and most appealing book yet - a tender, moving, warmly funny tribute to his parents- Ethel and Ernest - now a major animated film starring Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn and Luke Treadaway
Featureing Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn and Luke Treadaway Utterly original, deeply moving and very funny, this is the story of Raymond Briggs' parents' marriage, lady's maid Ethel and milkman Ernest, from their first chance encounter in 1928, through the birth of their son Raymond in 1934, to their deaths, within months of each other, in 1971.
Raymond Brigg's most extraordinary and most appealing book yet - a tender, moving, warmly funny tribute to his parents- Ethel and Ernest - now a major animated film starring Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn and Luke Treadaway
Featureing Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn and Luke Treadaway Utterly original, deeply moving and very funny, this is the story of Raymond Briggs' parents' marriage, lady's maid Ethel and milkman Ernest, from their first chance encounter in 1928, through the birth of their son Raymond in 1934, to their deaths, within months of each other, in 1971.
A marvellous, life-enhancing book for all ages, now a major animated film starring Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn and Luke Treadaway
Utterly original, deeply moving and very funny, Ethel & Ernest tells the story of Raymond Briggs' parents' marriage, lady's maid Ethel and milkman Ernest, from their first chance encounter in 1928, through the birth of their son Raymond in 1934, to their deaths, within months of each other, in 1971.
Told in Brigg`s unique strip-cartoon format, Ethel and Ernest live through the defining moments of the twentieth century: the darkness of the Great Depression, the build up to World War II, the trials of the war years, the euphoria of VE Day and the emergence of a generation from post war austerity to the cultural enlightenment of the 1960s.
Ethel & Ernest is a heartfelt and affectionate tribute to an ordinary couple and an extraordinary generation.
“"A classic." -- Evening Standard "Packed full of domestic detail, Briggs's enchanting labour of love provides a personal and social record of London life between the Thirties and Eighties. A guaranteed bestseller." -- Independent " Ethel & Ernest has a historical sweep and a sure command of social detail not often found in contemporary fiction. It deserves to be taken seriously as literature, whether told in cartoon form or not. A huge tranche of social history is here…." -- Daily Telegraph "Briggs's techniques are deceptively simple, yet terribly moving. The book is a considerable achievement, both simple and complex, emotional and dispassionate." -- Guardian "Its charm, its fun, its sense of period, and the sure-footedness of its characters, will leave most novels standing…Raymond Briggs has given us a classic." -- Evening Standard "A best seller in Britain, this winsome little book is one family's twentieth century, told as a comic strip that fast-forwards through the decades. Briggs's artful rendering of his parents' striving captures the English working class, and as the tale progresses, you find yourself slowly sucked into their daily patter, amused by their cooing voices, impressed by their bravery. At the end,you're hardly prepared for the emotional wallop." - Time "In the details of Briggs's sparkling cartoons, the characters become richly specific and endearing . . . both pathetic and heroic in the face of overwhelmingevents. [They are] what make you read through Ethel & Ernest over again." -Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times " Ethel & Ernest works brilliantly and artfully as an archetype. It is the author's willingness to frame his love and anguish so piercingly that makes it such a singular piece of work. We should be grateful that Briggs is so brilliantly equipped to remind us of what we u sed to be, and why." -Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review”
"Briggs has always had the ability to move his readers, but never more powerfully than this." -- Stephen Pritchard Guardian "As our memory of pre-Niketown Britain fades, we should be grateful that Raymond Briggs is so brilliantly equipped to remind us of what we used to be, and why." -- Nick Hornby New York Times "Ethel & Ernest imparts, as the best novels do, the sense of lived lives. It's not too much to say you come to love these people... Briggs' book earns our tears. Ethel & Ernest is a just about perfect miniature: small in scale, not in spirit." -- Charles Taylor Salon
Raymond Briggs is one of our most respected and beloved artists. Born in Wimbledon Park in 1934, he studied at the Wimbledon School of Art and later at the Slade School of Fine Art, and went on to produce a treasure trove of work. He has created characters that are now icons for generations of children, including Fungus the Bogeyman, Father Christmas and, of course, the beloved Snowman. The biography of his parents in graphic novel form, Ethel & Ernest, became a bestseller in the UK, and an animated feature film based on the novel will be released in 2016.He has won many awards over his career including the Kurt Maschler Award, The Children's Book of the Year, Dutch Silver Pen Award, and the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award twice for his Mother Goose Nursery Treasury and Father Christmas. Raymond lives in Sussex.
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.