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Doubleday
August 2007
On Sale: August 7, 2007
Featuring: Ambrose Zephyr; Zipper
128 pages ISBN: 038552255X EAN: 9780385522557 Hardcover
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Fiction
THE END OF THE ALPHABET is a tender, intimate story of an
ordinary life defined by an extraordinary love.
Ambrose
Zephyr is a contented man. He shares a book-laden Victorian
house with his loving wife, Zipper. He owns two suits, one
of which he was married in. He is a courageous eater, save
brussels sprouts. His knowledge of wine is vague and best
defined as Napa, good; Australian, better; French, better
still. Kir royale is his drink of occasion. For an
Englishman he makes a poor cup of tea. He believes women are
quantifiably wiser than men, and would never give Zipper the
slightest reason to mistrust him or question his love.
Zipper simply describes Ambrose as the only man she has ever
loved. Without adjustment.
Then, just as he is turning
fifty, Ambrose is told by his doctor that he has one month
to live. Reeling from the news, he and Zipper embark on a
whirlwind expedition to the places he has most loved or has
always longed to visit, from A to Z, Amsterdam to Zanzibar.
As they travel to Italian piazzas, Turkish baths, and other
romantic destinations, all beautifully evoked by the author,
Zipper struggles to deal with the grand unfairness of their
circumstances as she buoys Ambrose with her gentle affection
and humor. Meanwhile, Ambrose reflects on his life, one well
lived, and comes to understand that death, like life, will
be made bearable by the strength and grace of their
devotion.
Richardson's lovely prose comes alive with an
honesty and intensity that will leave you breathless and
inspired by the simple beauty and power of love. THE END OF
THE ALPHABET is a timeless, resonant exploration of the
nature of love, loss, and life.
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