Book news, reviews and recommendations
It wasn’t until Roxana Robinson’s Leaving arrived that I realised I’d read several other novels by her years ago. She writes the kind of quiet, thoughtful and unflashy novels that often don’t get a lot of attention although she’s won prizes in the States. Hers was one of the rare proofs I request in print […]
Leaving by Roxana Robinson: ‘Passion and honour’ Read More »
I was delighted when a proof of Paul Lynch’s Booker-longlisted Prophet Song dropped through my letter box. I’d been so impressed by his novella, Beyond the Sea, that I’d included it on my 2019 books of the year list. Set in a near future Ireland in the grips of an increasingly authoritarian regime, his new
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch: There but for the grace… Read More »
I couldn’t resist Louise Willder’s Blurb Your Enthusiasm when it popped up on NetGalley many months ahead of publication. That wordplay, of course, only added to the attraction. Willder’s book is all about those 100 or so words, so important in persuading us whether to read a book or not. She should know, she’s been
Blurb Your Enthusiasm: The A-Z of Literary Persuasion by Louise Willder: ‘Words matter’ Read More »
That vibrant jacket with its singing colours played some part in my considering Peace Adzo Medie’s His Only Wife for review. It was one of those dreary winter days with little good news to be had and I needed cheering up. Then I noticed Medie lectures at a local university but it was its striking
His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie: How to be strong Read More »
Caoilinn Hughes’ debut, The Orchid and the Wasp, made a quite a splash in the literary pool when it was published back in 2018. I started it but couldn’t get on with the style so was in two minds whether to read The Wild Laughter when it turned up but Cathy at 746 Books rated
The Wild Laughter by Caoilinn Hughes: Brotherly love, or the lack of it Read More »
I grew up in a village with my sights firmly fixed on escaping to the city which was what attracted me to You Have to Make Your Own Fun Around Here. That title says it all for those of us who couldn’t wait to get away. Beginning in the 1990s, Frances Macken’s debut is set
You Have to Make Your Own Fun Around Here by Frances Macken: What are friends for… Read More »
Originally published in the US back in 2011, Tayari Jones’ Silver Sparrow has been released here in the UK on the heels of Jones’ 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction triumph. I wasn’t entirely sure I’d read it, not having been quite as impressed with An American Marriage as the judges, but its premise is an
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones: A tale of two sisters, secrets and lies Read More »
I’m not sure how I’ve managed to miss Paul Lynch’s writing but as soon as I finished Beyond the Sea I added his previous novels to my list. Lynch’s prose exemplifies that spare, pared-back style which I so admire, one at which Irish writers seem to excel. In his new novella two fishermen are cast
Beyond the Sea by Paul Lynch: Cast adrift Read More »
I finished my review of Jen Beagin’s sharp, funny Pretend I’m Dead happily anticipating what she might come up with next. What I wasn’t expecting was a sequel. Two years after the love of her life disappeared, Mona’s finding herself becoming more intimate with her clients and not necessarily in a good way. Mona’s still
Vacuum in the Dark by Jen Beagin: Mona reprised Read More »
I wasn’t entirely sure I would read Deborah Kay Davies’ second novel. The press release suggested that she’s often been compared with Angela Carter which set loud alarm bells ringing but I rarely read Welsh fiction, and its published by OneWorld who can generally be relied upon to deliver the goods. Set in the 1970s,
Tirzah and the Prince of Crows by Deborah Kay Davies: She is my delight Read More »
Jen Beagin’s Pretend I’m Dead comes adorned with a ‘laugh-out-loud’ puff on its jacket, although it was the New Mexico setting that was the attraction for me. It’s about twenty-four-year-old Mona who cleans houses for a living, falls hard for a junkie who disappears then takes herself off to Taos. Not perhaps the most inspiring
Pretend I’m Dead by Jen Beagin: Smart, funny and dark Read More »