The Kiss

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When Cormac, an Edinburgh-based art teacher and sculptor, tries to transmit his passion for Rodin to his pupils he finds his words tend to fall on stony ground. There is one exception: fifteen years old, beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Clarinda Bain is his keenest and most ardent student.On a school trip to Paris she becomes obsessed by the work and the life of Gwen John, in particular her affair with Rodin. When she begins to mirror this relationship by becoming obsessed with her own mentor, Cormac’s life as a teacher and husband is suddenly thrown into confusion.Compelling and exquisitely written, The Kiss is a study of artistic and sexual obsession by a writer at the height of her powers.Review'Lingard, with the deftest of touches, invokes Gwen John's ghost and lets it haunt the rest of the novel... The Kiss illuminates the shadowlands that lie between adolescence and maturity, artistic ambition and fulfilment, admiration and obsession' Glasgow Herald 'Impressionable teenage girls, disgraced teachers, famous artists and their lovers... a remarkably assured piece of writing, as effective as it is undemonstrative' Sunday Telegraph 'Joan Lingard tells the story deftly, sympathetically, artfully... [she] recognises the individuality of her characters and respects it.' Alan Massie, The Scotsman About the AuthorJoan Lingard is the acclaimed author of over 40 books for both children and adults. She was born in Edinburgh and brought up in Belfast, the inspiration for many of her novels, including the compelling Across the Barricades.