My Name is Lucy Barton has been included on the longlist for the Man Booker Prize 2016, and so understandably it’s quite popular at the moment generating a bit of hype. Almost every review I have read (both in newspapers/magazines and online) has been favourable, mentioning the beauty of the writing and the emotional depth… Continue reading My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
Tag: Fiction
New Fiction: The Last Photograph by Emma Chapman
As some readers may know, I was a big fan of Emma Chapman's first novel How To Be A Good Wife. It was a taught thriller with wonderful characters and plotting, and though dark in subject matter it was a joy to read. Chapman's literary skills are similarly showcased in her new novel The Last… Continue reading New Fiction: The Last Photograph by Emma Chapman
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Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes
I bought this book last year, and somehow have only just got around to reading it. Too many books as always. Despite being about life during the Second World War I knew that it would not be a heavy read - and so I took it with me on holiday to Mallorca. The introduction and… Continue reading Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes
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Upcoming reads and reviews
I'm focusing purely on reading at the moment, and I know it'll be a week or so until my next review - so in the meantime I thought I'd share a 'preview' of what's coming up, both in my reading and here on the blog. I am about to finish reading the third book in… Continue reading Upcoming reads and reviews
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The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan
As you can tell I am steaming ahead with the Lady Trent series! I finished book one, A Natural History of Dragons, and went straight into book two - The Tropic of Serpents. This one is set three years after book two, and Isabella is on another foreign expedition to study dragons. This time she… Continue reading The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan
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Exploring genres with A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
I generally read 'literary' or historical fiction, and I've wanted to reach out into more genre fiction for a while. While browsing in Waterstones a few weeks ago I wandered with my boyfriend up to the sci fi/fantasy section, and came across the Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan. Lady Trent is a 'dragon naturalist'… Continue reading Exploring genres with A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
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Her Father’s Daughter by Marie Sizun (tr. Adriana Hunter)
In short, Her Father's Daughter is another amazing little book from Peirene. If you are a child of divorce, like me, you will recognise at least some of the emotions and scenarios in this book. There are moments and situations that will make your heart stop; things you recognise that you hoped you had forgotten.… Continue reading Her Father’s Daughter by Marie Sizun (tr. Adriana Hunter)
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Let Me Tell You About A Man I Knew by Susan Fletcher: blog tour review plus Q&A with the author
This post is part of the blog tour for Let Me Tell You About A Man I Knew - be sure to check out the other posts! I was very glad to be offered a review copy of this book. The Little Brown website describes it as 'tender and savage' and this is certainly true -… Continue reading Let Me Tell You About A Man I Knew by Susan Fletcher: blog tour review plus Q&A with the author
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Can We Take a Minute to Appreciate the New Maggie O’Farrell Hardback?!
I recently reviewed Maggie O'Farrell's new book This Must Be The Place, after the publisher kindly sent me a lovely review copy. It was a very attractive review copy, but my hardback copy arrived today from Wordery, and my goodness it is beautiful. Whoever came up with and executed its design deserves all the awards.… Continue reading Can We Take a Minute to Appreciate the New Maggie O’Farrell Hardback?!
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New Maggie O’Farrell! ‘This Must Be The Place’
I first started reading Maggie O'Farrell when the lovely Georgina Moore from Headline sent me a copy of her 2013 novel Instructions for a Heatwave. I fell in love with it and subsequently read two of O'Farrell's earlier novels (The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and After You'd Gone). Now that I've read her brand… Continue reading New Maggie O’Farrell! ‘This Must Be The Place’
These Little Words 