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Life at the Top

By John Braine

In this, the sequel to John Braine’s celebrated first novel, Room at the Top, Joe Lampton realises that while he has achieved all that he dreamed of, it’s not enough. Something has to change.

In John Braine’s remarkable first novel, Room at the Top (1957), he introduced readers to Joe Lampton, a ruthlessly ambitious young working-class man determined to reach the top at any cost. The book became a defining novel of the decade, selling over a million copies and being adapted for an Oscar-winning film.

Life at the Top (1962), reunites readers with Joe, ten years later. He has everything he thought he wanted: an upper-class wife, a nice house, a sports car, two children, and a job at the best firm in town. But despite all of this, Joe’s life is strangely empty. His boss treats him with disrespect, his son despises him, and his wife is having an affair. Consumed with a growing anger, Joe becomes desperate to escape the life he has created for himself. 

When he falls in love with pretty Norah Hauxley, is it a chance to break free and start a new life, or one more illusory promise of happiness? 

 
 
 
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