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Review: You Are Here by David Nicholls (Sceptre, 2025)
Time is a sensation that alters depending on where you are, and the cursed hours between three and five on a February afternoon lasted forever, as did the same hours in the morning, times when she had nothing to contemplate but the same circling anxieties and regrets, times when she… Continue reading
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Review: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (One More Chapter, division of HarperCollins, 2023)
‘… It’s time you took your head out of your books and faced reality.’I clung tighter to my book. A rare first American edition of Wuthering Heights, a gift from my father, along with a deep love of reading. … It was not in perfect condition; the cloth boards were… Continue reading
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Review: If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (Dial Press, 1974)
Daniel tried to tell Fonny something about what had happened to him, in prison… Sometimes, when Daniel spoke, he cried – sometimes, Fonny held him. Sometimes I did. Daniel brought it out, or forced it out, or tore it out of himself as though it were torn, twisted, chilling metal,… Continue reading
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Review: Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon (Fig Tree, 2024)
So Gelon says to me, ‘Let’s go down and feed the Athenians. The weather’s perfect for feeding Athenians.’ Gelon speaks the truth. ‘Cause the sun is is blazing all white and tiny in the sky, and you can feel a burn from the stones as you walk. Even the lizards… Continue reading
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Review: Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (Granta Books, 2023)
Lemoine said in a cool, clear voice ‘Do you have something you want to say?’ He could only be addressing Shelley. There was another lull. Mira stood in the dark astonished, mouth open, waiting for Shelley’s reply. ‘I’m guess I’m just a little worried that we might be doing this… Continue reading
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Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell (Tinder Press, 2022)
Lucrezia can see that they are nearing Santa Maria Novella; there isn’t much time. These are the last moments of her girlhood – with every passing second, her time with her family is ebbing away. Very soon, she will be married. The feasting, the dancing and the gaming have already… Continue reading
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Review: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (first published by Roberts Brothers, 1868)
‘Is Beth the rosy one, who stays home a good deal, and sometimes goes out with a little basket?’ asked Laurie, with interest.‘Yes, that’s Beth; she’s my girl, and a regular good one she is, too.’‘The pretty one is Meg, and the curly-haired one Amy, I believe?’‘How did you find… Continue reading