Set on the crazier fringes of 1950s literary London, Muriel Spark’s A Far Cry from Kensington is a delight, hilariously portraying love, fraud, death, evil, and transformation. A Far Cry From Kensington Synopsis Mrs. Hawkins, the majestic narrator of A Far Cry…
Juliet Naked Synopsis Annie and Duncan are a mid-30s couple who have reached a fork in the road, realising their shared interest in the reclusive musician Tucker Crowe (in Duncan’s case, an obsession as well as an academic career) is…
The Tiger’s Wife Synopsis ‘Having sifted through everything I have heard about the tiger and his wife, I can tell you that this much is fact: in April of 1941, without declaration or warning, the German bombs started falling over…
Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden is a captivating and atmospheric story of secrets, family and memory that I highly recommend in audiobook. The Forgotten Garden Synopsis Thirty-eight-year-old Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much-loved grandmother, Nell, has just died…
The Imperfectionists is Tom Rachman’s acclaimed debut novel. The Imperfectionists Synopsis: Fifty years and many changes have ensued since the paper was founded by an enigmatic millionaire, and now, amid the stained carpeting and dingy office furniture, the staff’s personal…
A love triangle has never been made to look more beautiful and poetic. In The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai Ruiyan Xu’s prose is thoroughly engrossing and as artful as a Chinese watercolour painting.
Karin Slaughter’s The Unremarkable Heart is a short story with stark and dark subject matter, with surprising compassion
Robert Wilson’s The Ignorance of Blood is a gritty, high octance crime thriller with a labyrinthine plot.
Julia Stuart’s The Matchmaker of Perigord is a wonderfully quirky mix of opposites – old and new, hilarity and melancholy, mystic fancy and pragmatism.
In Started Early, Took My Dog Kate Atkinson has plumbed literary depths uncommon in the mystery and crime-detective genre.
The Broken Teaglass mystery is cleverly constructed. Debut author Emily Arsenault has taken care to develop her ensemble cast of characters slowly, creating tension and gradually revealing depth in unexpected places.
Of Love and Shadows Book Review: Isabel Allende’s memorable novel switches from heart-stopping action to magical moments of reflection.
In The Broken Shore Peter Temple has created characters that display the darker side of humanity that is all too present in society, whether we choose to admit it or not.
There is a relentless and very personal message contained in The Broken Shore, a continual surging towards the delivery of justice in an imperfect world by imperfect people – symbolic of waves crashing into a shore. This is no pollyanna story – some readers may find the subject matter confronting (over and above the use of language I’ve already mentioned).
Paul Murray had attempted to explore so many deep concepts in Skippy Dies and I’m just not sure he quite pulls it off. Although undeniably impressive, the goal may perhaps have been a tad lofty?
This novel operates on many levels, many of them in very dark places of the human psyche. Everything is put under the microscope — the themes of ‘coming of age’, differences between men and women, right and wrong (ethics), perception versus reality, love versus dependence….. with an undercurrent of existentialism.
I devoured this novel, more than 400 pages, in a single day. I was mesmerised.
In The Tapestry of Love Rosy Thornton’s evocative descriptions transport readers to the stunning French countryside.
Heartwarming, charming and funny – a beautiful love story for all ages.
Helen Simonson’s debut novel Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is one of the most uplifting and rewarding romance novels I’ve read in years.
