 | |
| Author | Thomas Keneally |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Chatto and Windus |
Publication date | 1988 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 306 pp. |
| Preceded by | The Playmaker |
| Followed by | By the Line |
Act of Grace (1988) is a novel by Australian writer Thomas Keneally, published under the pseudonym "William Coyle". It was originally published by Chatto and Windus in the UK in 1988. [1] It is also known by the title Firestorm.
The novel follows two different storylines: the first concerns an Australian tail-gunner flying in a Lancaster bomber over Germany during World War II; the second features his sister who has entered a convent and who is troubled by an overly attentive priest.
Writing in The Canberra Times reviewer Mark Thomas noted that the novel was "worthy" but ended with the statement: "The parallel stories are neatly woven, the scenes are adeptly sketched, but the book never gains momentum or drama." [2]
After its original publication in 1988 in the UK by publisher Chatto and Windus [3] the novel was later published by William Morrow, in USA, in 1989 under the title Firestorm. [1] Several paperback editions followed.
Thomas Michael Keneally, AO is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his non-fiction novel Schindler's Ark, the story of Oskar Schindler's rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, which won the Booker Prize in 1982. The book would later be adapted into Steven Spielberg's 1993 film Schindler's List, which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
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