Sometimes compared toThe Catcher in the Rye, this rediscovered novel of the 1960s has a similar haunting sense that the adult world is phony and threatening. The hero of the book, Ashton Vaughan, has come home after a long absence from his Welsh seaside town. A member of the notorious Vaughan family, he has become a hopeless alcoholic drifter, but he moves in with his brother, aloof and eccentric, who still lives in the family home. Slowly, as Ashton reaches out to his loyal friends in town, it becomes clear that a violent vendetta had forced him to run away from home.
Mr. Jones has a talent for swift vivid portraiture, and he writes vigorous dialogue. —New Yorker
Fluent first novel. —Times Literary Supplement
Remarkable indeed. Gladstone is quite beautifully described and presented and everywhere there is evidence of the quality of the author’s mind. —Times
Stead Jones is perhaps Wales' great forgotten writer. With a sharp eye for character and context, he tells stories that are vivid, humorous and poignant. —Martin Johnes
Stead Jonesis the author ofThe Ballad of Oliver Powellwhich was published in the United States as The Man with the Talents.Philip Pullmanis the bestselling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials. The first of His Dark Materials has been turned into the filmThe Golden Compassand the first two books from his Sally Lockhart series have been adapted for television.
This coming-of-age story of an alienated youth was published in 1964 to much critical acclaim in the UK and in the U.S.
![Make Room for the Jester [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/6/2/8/2_6873229.jpg "Make Room for the Jester [Paperback]")