A Debut Novel at 72
by John F. Baker -- Publishers Weekly, 1/19/2004
That's what elderly British author Charles Chadwick has just accomplished, delivering a manuscript that clocks in at over 300,000 words. A best-bids auction among five top publishers here ensued, ending in a win for executive editor Tim Duggan at HarperCollins. The book in question, on which Chadwick has worked for more than 30 years, is called It's All Right Now; it's an epic study of an old-fashioned character named Tom Ripple and his efforts to come to terms with life in the contemporary world. The North American rights sale was made by Zoe Pagnamenta in the New York office of London agent Peters Fraser & Dunlop. The book has already sold to Faber in the U.K.
