Second in the Cornish Trilogy following The Rebel Angels. "An
altogether remarkable creation, [Davies'] most accomplished novel to
date."--The New York Times
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize
Francis Cornish was always good at keeping secrets. From the well-hidden
family secret of his childhood to his mysterious encounters with a
small-town embalmer, an expert art restorer, a Bavarian countess, and
various masters of espionage, the events in Francis' life were not
always what they seemed.
Rounding out the story started by the death of eccentric art patron and
collector Francis Cornish in The Rebel Angels, this worthy follow-up,
What's Bred in the Bone, takes you back to Cornish's humble beginnings
in a spellbinding tale of artistic triumph and heroic deceit. It is a
tale told in stylish, elegant prose, endowed with lavish portions of
Davies' wit and wisdom.
"Davies' novel is absorbing, and the understated humor radiates with
good sense about the way of the world."--Los Angeles Times
"Davies' fiction is animated by his scorn for the ironclad systems that
claim to explain the whole of life. Messy, magical, high-spirited life
bubbles up between the cracks."--South Florida Sun-Sentinel