A Second Chance At First Love?

Two Red Shoes

A Second Chance At First Love? The stunning new novel from the Betty Trask award-winning author of Take One Young Man

Vivien Kelly was born in York in 1973.  After reading Modern Languages at Oxford she  moved to London, where she still lives.  Her first novel, Take One Young Man, was published by Arrow in 2000.

When Nicholas was four years old his mother took him by the hand and led him away from his father, his brother and his Ukrainian home, across the Carpathian mountains, through the Iron Curtain and eventually to Britain, and a new life. But growing up in Bradford Nicholas is an outcast, his only friend the effervescent Faye. And when she moves away - then one day stops replying to his letters - Nicholas is left alone.  Years later, when Nicholas and Faye meet again, neither is sure about the other. Faye is about to be married, and Nicholas is not even sure that he recognises the girl who once filled his head. Meanwhile, a trick of fate brings Nicholas and his father, recently arrived in England, together.  Both men, believing the other to be dead, fail to make the connection.  With Nicholas's mother dead, no-one can help them slot their lives together. And Nicholas, unsure what to do about his first and what he is convinced will be his last love, turns to his father for advice -

Vivien Kelly

Spectacularly sensitive and accomplished ... we need more stuff like this!

An incredibly ambitious and assured first novel ... Quite and achievement

Lively and sharp ... a well-observed picture of contemporary life

Brilliant ... moving and hilariously funny

The advertising world should tremble at the sharp wit behind this work

An exceptional first novel which mixes fluent storytelling, thoughtful insight, sensitive observation, seriousness and humour, all in perfect proportion

Sam Glass wants to go far. But not up the career ladder. Sam wants to go to Antarctica. 
 
Sam is a slave to his pager. A drone in the advertising industry, he spends his days being insulted by bosses, ad agency creatives and clients alike, and his evenings drinking with friends. At twenty-five, he's stuck in a rut of post-university, first-job existence. And he hates it. When he notices an advert for a research job in Antarctica, Sam is galvanised into action: this magical land of snow, ice and utter serenity represents the ultimate escape. While he and his best friend, Henry, endure the gruelling selection procedure, he embarks on both the destruction of his ordered, career-orientated, tidy life, and a string of well-organised, casual affairs. What Sam doesn't bargain for, however, is falling in love. 
 
Lively, funny and incredibly perceptive, Take One Young Man is a profoundly intelligent and moving novel.

Take One Young Man

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

sectionTitle

isEnabled

anchor

anchorLabel

prhuk/featured-book

prhuk/praise-section

maxBooks

showViewMore

prhuk/books-section

hideAuthorAlert

formName

iterableDivision

iterableBrand

buttonText

description

heading

legalText

successHeading

successText

image

alignment

variation

prhuk/email-section

prhuk/series-section

prhuk/biography-section

prhuk/articles-section

prhuk-authors

Frankenstein

Little Black Classics Box Set

Penguin Modern Box Set

Vivien Kelly

Praise for Take One Young Man

Spectacularly sensitive and accomplished ... we need more stuff like this!

An incredibly ambitious and assured first novel ... Quite and achievement

Lively and sharp ... a well-observed picture of contemporary life

Spectacularly sensitive and accomplished ... we need more stuff like this!

An incredibly ambitious and assured first novel ... Quite and achievement

Lively and sharp ... a well-observed picture of contemporary life

Spectacularly sensitive and accomplished ... we need more stuff like this!

An incredibly ambitious and assured first novel ... Quite and achievement

Lively and sharp ... a well-observed picture of contemporary life

Books by Vivien Kelly

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter