Firefly

Description

Offers a seductive snapshot of Noel Coward, that consummate man of the theater. Most of the action occurs during one week in 1971. The recently knighted Sir Noel is living in his tiny hilltop retreat in Jamaica, the eponymous Firefly, above his much larger, bustling home below. He divides his time between there and Switzerland, avoiding England for tax reasons. The great man is in poor health, suffering dizzy spells and leading a sedentary life (he will die two years later, at age 73). Down the hill, his unobtrusive partner, Graham Payn, takes care of business. What's different about this week? Noel's peerless manservant, Miguel, an older, married man who arranges everything just so, is away, visiting a dying relative. Standing in for him is Patrice, an exuberant 22-year-old. The relationship between the young blood with big dreams and the literary lion tugged back by memories is at the heart of the novel.

Description

On a secluded hillside in Jamaica lies Firefly, Noël Coward's peaceful retreat. Here, between sundowners and sunsets, brandies and cigarettes, the 70-year-old Coward whiles away his days - a comforting, frustrating pattern of unwanted breakfasts, walks, dips in the pool - in the company of his manservant Patrice. Both of them dream of a London that is long-gone or imagined: Noël's peopled with glamorous friends and Patrice's a vision of elegance and opportunity. Set over a series of summer days in the early 1970s, Firefly flits through Coward's dreams and memories, his successes and regrets.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Firefly2015-01-01
• FireflyEuropa Editions, Incorporated2013-01-01
• FireflyEuropa Editions2013-01-01
• FireflyChatto & Windus2013-01-01
• FireflyPaperbackVintage Books2014-07-22
• Firefly2015-01-01