The Widow’s Confession by Sophia Tobin
Written by Victoria Best Broadstairs, Kent in the early summer of 1951, and visitors are arriving to spend extended holidays on its beaches. Edmund Steele, a middle-aged medical man has…
Her by Harriet Lane
Reviewed by Kim Forrester British writer Harriet Lane has followed up her debut novel Alys Always with another psychological thriller that may make you think twice about striking up a…
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Translated by Deborah Smith Reviewed by David Hebblethwaite The first of Korean writer Han Kang’s books to be widely available (in Deborah Smith’s superb translation) to English-speaking audiences, The Vegetarian…
Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss (YA)
Paperback review by Annabel This debut novel was one of the big YA hits in the UK last year and is now out in paperback. An exploration of family, friendship…
A Man of His Word by Imma Monsó
Translated from the Catalan by Maruxa Relaño and Martha Tennent Reviewed by Jean Morris I wonder if my daughter will forget the image of the rainy street where for years…
Cover Your Eyes by Adèle Geras
Reviewed by Harriet Best known for her books for children and young adults (ninety-five of them to date), Adèle Geras has also written a handful of novels for adults, of…
The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick
Reviewed by Annabel Marcus Sedgwick is one of my favourite authors, one of the few whose new YA and adult novels I will buy automatically. He has won several prizes…
The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman by Denis Thériault
Translated from the French by Liedewy Hawke Reviewed by Ali Hope Swirling like wateragainst rugged rocks,time goes around and around The art of the Haiku is an ancient one, and…
The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol
Translated by Anna Summers Reviewed by Karen Langley Russian author Nikolai Gogol, best known for satirical works like The Nose and Dead Souls, is not a name you would automatically connect with a…
Mr Mac and Me by Esther Freud
By Helen Skinner In Mr Mac and Me, Esther Freud paints a beautiful portrait of a small rural community and the ways in which it is affected by war. Our narrator…
Three-Card Monte by Marco Malvaldi
Translated by Howard Curtis Reviewed by Terence Jagger I knew nothing of this author, but enjoyed this light, untroubling murder mystery set in the coastal town of Pineta in Italy. …
Together and Apart by Margaret Kennedy
Reviewed by Lyn Baines Together and Apart is a novel about marriage and divorce and about how events can very quickly run out of control. Betsy Canning is bored with her…
Forever Yours by Daniel Glattauer
Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch Reviewed by Victoria Best Well this is a curious book, and one that’s been divisive in the online reviews, with a fair few…
The Islanders by Pascal Garnier
Translated by Emily Boyce Reviewed by Annabel I am a recent convert to the dark noir novels of French author Pascal Garnier. There has been a lot of interest around…
The Lost Prince by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reviewed by Elaine Simpson-Long The Lost Prince is not one of Burnett’s well known titles. The Little Princess and The Secret Garden are those that spring to mind when this author’s name is mentioned and The…
The Emperor Waltz by Philip Hensher
Reviewed by Denise Kong The Emperor Waltz is a long (over 600 pages), complex and astonishing read. If you like David Mitchell, Alan Hollinghurst or Donna Tartt, you’ll probably like The Emperor…
The Love Child by Edith Olivier
Reviewed by Simon Thomas Edith Olivier’s The Love Child (1927) was her first novel, and easily her best. Although rediscovered as a ‘modern classic’ in 1981 by Virago, it has not been…
The Hawk & Knight Crusader by Ronald Welch
Reviewed by Jodie Robson Over the last few weeks I’ve been rediscovering an almost forgotten aspect of childhood in the company of two very exciting young men: Phillip D’Aubigny, Knight…
J by Howard Jacobson
Reviewed by Max Dunbar Milan Kundera wrote that ‘The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.’ Winston Smith, of course, worked as an editor in…
The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin
Reviewed by Elaine Simpson-Long Having enjoyed Daisy Goodwin’s first novel, The Last Duchess and enjoyed it greatly I was looking forward to her second, The Fortune Hunter, and even more so when I…
The Good Comrade by Una Silberrad
Review by Jane Carter I must confess that until quite recently I had never heard of Una L Silberrad, but now that this lovely book has fallen into my hands…
The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley
Reviewed by Harriet Devine I think I must have been about seven or eight when I was given this book for Christmas. I doubt if it can have been the…
The Ghost and Mrs Muir by R.A. Dick
Reviewed by Simon Nobody loves a good reprint better than I do, and so I was quite excited to see a series from Vintage called ‘Vintage Movie Classics’, wherein they…
The New World by Andrew Motion
Reviewed by Rowland Jones Our narrator, Jim Hawkins… Ah, Jim Hawkins as of Treasure Island you may ask? Well, yes and no. This is Jim Hawkins the son, who has also been…