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Featuring new book reviews for Horatio Clare's Heavy Light, Claire Fuller's Unsettled Ground and Scholastique Mukasonga's Our Lady of the Nile Home | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Children's | Genres | Publications | Prizes   The Week in Review 22nd March 2021   Clare takes critics to the 'far edges of the mind' in latest memoir   Good morning     Critics ventured into travel writer Horatio Clare's memoir Heavy Light: A Journey Through Madness, Mania and Healing (Chatto & Windus) this weekend. In the Sunday Times, Megan Agnew called the memoir — which details Clare's 2019 breakdown — "a gift to the rest of us — having such an articulate agent, reporting back from the far edges of the mind." In the Scotsman Stuart Kelly called the title "self-contradictory yet brilliantly written," adding that the title is "essential reading". Finally, in the Daily Telegraph, Helen Brown wrote: "Clare gives a gripping account of his 2019 descent into paranoid self-destruction."    Claire Fuller's Unsettled Ground (Fig Tree) was on steady footing in this weekend's reviews. In the Times, Melissa Katsoulis heralded the title "a beautiful, powerful tale about real country life." Zoë Apostolides mirrored this high praise in the Financial Times, she wrote: "Fuller displays a tenderness for her characters as well as highlighting the precariousness of even the most fervently believed truths." Finally, in the Daily Mail, Anthony Cummins said that Fuller writes "agonisingly well about poverty, and the cruelty of predatory villagers who smell fresh blood."   Scholastique Mukasonga's Our Lady of the Nile (Daunt Books) meandered through the reviews this weekend. Translated by Melanie Mauthner and set in a covent school in Rwanda in 1979, this novel was dubbed "a coming-of-age tale with a terrible portent" by the Sunday Telegraph's Lucy Scholes. In the Observer, John Self called the novel a "surprisingly bright, light-touch debut". The Financial Times' Saba Ahmed said: "Rwanda’s descent into violence and genocide is captured in this story set in an elite school for girls." By Tamsin Hackett, Books Co-ordinator, The Bookseller   Book of the Week   Heavy Light Horatio Clare     4.83 out of 5 | 3 reviews   "what a gift to the rest of us — having such an articulate agent, reporting back from the far edges of the mind"   The Sunday Times   "In his memoir Heavy Light, Horatio Clare gives a gripping account of his 2019 descent into paranoid self-destruction"   The Daily Telegraph   "Self-contradictory yet brilliantly written, Horatio Clare’s account of his mental breakdown, treatment and recovery is essential reading"   The Scotsman     Latest Reviews   Beyond Order Jordan B. Peterson     3.2 out of 5 9 reviews   "...a self-help book that is not here to hug you better" The Daily Telegraph   Invisible Walls Hella Pick     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...This voice from before the age of Facebook and Twitter is profound and urgent." The Observer   Albert and the Whale Philip Hoare     4.3 out of 5 4 reviews   "...The gifted writer summons the eclectic travels of Albrecht Dürer with captivating passion, poignancy, pure wonder and a personal twist" The Observer   Glossy Nina-Sophia Miralles     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Nina Sophia Miralles’s entertaining history covers a century of high drama" The Spectator     A Fine Madness Alan Judd     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "... a vivid and credible tale of espionage" The Guardian   Our Lady of the Nile Scholastique Mukasonga, Melanie Mauthner     4.5 out of 5 4 reviews   "...both comedy and tragedy are hauntingly understated as it builds towards its violent climax" The Guardian   Value(s) Mark Carney     2.7 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a mix of rich analysis mixed with pages that read like a dry Bank of England minute" The Observer   Hot Stew Fiona Mozley     4.1 out of 5 7 reviews   "...Mozley’s achievement is to create room for nuance, even when the book’s world is drawn with such cartoonish vigour" The Guardian   Edge of the Grave Robbie Morrison     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "... Robbie Morrison makes his debut as a novelist with a bang" Evening Standard   Harvest Edward Posnett     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Eider down, bird’s nest soup, coats of vicuna: how money is made from the most precious products." The Sunday Times   Maggie Blue and the Dark World Anna Goodall     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...a sophisticated magical tale, awash in sinister villains and perplexing plights" Financial Times   Milk Fed Melissa Broder     4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...This riot of carnal pleasures will make you laugh as well as gasp" The Times     Paperback Book of the Month   Midnight at Malabar House Vaseem Khan   This is the first in a new historical crime series from the bestselling author of the Baby Ganesh Agency books, and it is the absolute answer to any doom or gloom we might be feeling, whisking readers away to 1949 Bombay and a world where India's first female police detective, Persis Wadia, must fight for every scrap of respect she gets        Best Reviewed     Heavy Light Horatio Clare     4.8 out of 5 3 reviews   "...what a gift to the rest of us — having such an articulate agent, reporting back from the far edges of the mind" The Sunday Times   Our Lady of the Nile Scholastique Mukasonga, Melanie Mauthner     4.5 out of 5 4 reviews   "...both comedy and tragedy are hauntingly understated as it builds towards its violent climax" The Guardian   The Manningtree Witches A. K. Blakemore     4.4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...In the poet’s first novel, a richly textured account of the Essex witch trials, the persecuted women are brought vividly to life" The Guardian   Untraceable Sergei Lebedev, Antonina W. Bouis     4.3 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Lebedev writes superbly and his denouement deftly blends comedy and poignancy" The Sunday Times   Albert and the Whale Philip Hoare     4.3 out of 5 4 reviews   "...The gifted writer summons the eclectic travels of Albrecht Dürer with captivating passion, poignancy, pure wonder and a personal twist" The Observer   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   The Western Front Nick Lloyd     4.1 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Nick Lloyd has written a tour de force of scholarship, analysis and narration" The Times   Hot Stew Fiona Mozley     4.1 out of 5 7 reviews   "...Mozley’s achievement is to create room for nuance, even when the book’s world is drawn with such cartoonish vigour" The Guardian     Most Reviewed   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   No One Is Talking About This Patricia Lockwood     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "...A family emergency brings the unreality of our digital-steeped lives into sharp focus in this irreverent and surprisingly poignant novel" The Daily Telegraph   Beyond Order Jordan B. Peterson     3.2 out of 5 9 reviews   "...a self-help book that is not here to hug you better" The Daily Telegraph   Fake Accounts Lauren Oyler     3.7 out of 5 9 reviews   "...enigmatic and spectacular – a dark comedy about a dark time, and a prismatically intelligent work of art." The Guardian     Hot Stew Fiona Mozley     4.1 out of 5 7 reviews   "...Mozley’s achievement is to create room for nuance, even when the book’s world is drawn with such cartoonish vigour" The Guardian   How to Avoid a Climate Disaster Bill Gates     3.6 out of 5 7 reviews   "...There is still hope, says the Microsoft founder in this very practical call to action" The Sunday Times   Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries Chips Channon     4.1 out of 5 7 reviews   "...The between-the-wars diaries of the romping, social-climbing MP Henry Channon make for a irresistible, saucy read" The Daily Telegraph   Maxwell's Demon Steven Hall     3.8 out of 5 6 reviews   "...a Pynchonesque, footnote- and theory-heavy mystery novel that’s as postmodern as they come" The Daily Telegraph   Online Book Events from BookGig     Alex Christofi discusses Dostoevsky in Love   Wednesday 24th March, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   Carcanet Book Launch: Catullus: Shibari Carmina by Isobel Williams   Wednesday 24th March, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   A Year on the Front Line: Rachel Clark and Gavin Francis   Saturday 27th March, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   Cambridge Literary Festival: Smriti Halls, Not That Pet   Sunday 28th March, 2021 @ 11:00 am   © 2021 The Bookseller, The Stage Media Company Ltd.

 

Featuring new book reviews for Fiona Mozley's Hot Stew, Jonathan Sumption's Law in a Time of Crisis and Lisa Harding's Bright Burning Things Home | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Children's | Genres | Publications | Prizes   The Week in Review 15th March 2021   Critics say Mozley's latest confirms her as 'a writer of extraordinary empathic gifts'   Good morning    Fiona Mozley's Hot Stew (John Murray) warmed up this weekend's critics. The Observer's Alex Preston had high praise for the author's follow-up to her Booker-shortlisted novel, Elmet, he wrote: "Hot Stew confirms Mozley as a writer of extraordinary empathic gifts." In the Financial Times, Isabel Berwick praised Mozley's writing as having a "lyrical, almost fairytale quality." Finally, in the Guardian, Laura Feigal wrote: "Mozley’s achievement is to create room for nuance, even when the book’s world is drawn with such cartoonish vigour."   Jonathan Sumption's Law in a Time of Crisis (Profile Books) seemed to be just what the reviewers needed this weekend. Roland White called the collection of essays from the ex-judge "lively" and "strong on evidence and logic". Over in the Times, Daniel Finkelstein said that "time spent on Law in a Time of Crisis is time spent in the company of a brilliant mind considering interesting things."    Lisa Harding's Bright Burning Things (Bloomsbury) was a shining star in this weekend's reviews and was dubbed "skilful" and "moving" by critics. In the Irish Times, Soma Ghosh wrote: "Harding boldly exposes those hypocrisies that create manipulative mothers and destroy childhoods." In the TLS, Desirée Baptiste praised the author's narrative style: "Harding avoids cliché through her skilful deployment of a very non-tedious stream-of-consciousness."   By Tamsin Hackett, Books Co-ordinator, The Bookseller   Book of the Week   Hot Stew Fiona Mozley     4.17 out of 5 | 6 reviews   "Mozley follows up her Booker-shortlisted novel Elmet with a sprawling urban comedy about Soho prostitutes on the brink of eviction"   The Daily Telegraph   "a lively depiction of London’s bohemia"   The Times   "Mozley’s achievement is to create room for nuance, even when the book’s world is drawn with such cartoonish vigour"   The Guardian   "Hot Stew confirms Mozley as a writer of extraordinary empathic gifts"   The Observer     Latest Reviews   Beyond Order Jordan B. Peterson     3.2 out of 5 8 reviews   "...a self-help book that is not here to hug you better" The Daily Telegraph   Failures of State Jonathan Calvert, George Arbuthnott     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...this is the book to throw at those who were meant to protect the British public and failed in their duty" The Guardian   The Mirror and the Palette Jennifer Higgie     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...A study of self-portraits charts 500 years of women’s art" The Sunday Times   The Best Catholics in the World Derek Scally     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...An unblinking look at the collapse of religious deference among the Irish" The Sunday Times     The Mirror and the Palette Jennifer Higgie     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...A study of self-portraits charts 500 years of women’s art" The Sunday Times   Transient Desires Donna Leon     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...an epic achievement" The Times   Hot Stew Fiona Mozley     4.2 out of 5 6 reviews   "...Mozley’s achievement is to create room for nuance, even when the book’s world is drawn with such cartoonish vigour" The Guardian   The Committed Viet Thanh Nguyen     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...The Committed is a work of assuredly settled and excessively well-demonstrated points" Financial Times   Law in a Time of Crisis Jonathan Sumption     3.3 out of 5 3 reviews   "...time spent on Law in a Time of Crisis is time spent in the company of a brilliant mind considering interesting things." The Times   The Cold Millions Jess Walter     4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...A timely study of individuals living through the tumultuous Spokane Free Speech riots of 1909" Financial Times   Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries Chips Channon     4.1 out of 5 7 reviews   "...The between-the-wars diaries of the romping, social-climbing MP Henry Channon make for a irresistible, saucy read" The Daily Telegraph   Bright Star, Green Light Jonathan Bate     3.5 out of 5 5 reviews   "...A daring, dizzying attempt to connect Keats and F Scott Fitzgerald has plenty to take pleasure in" The Observer     Children's Book of the Month   Show Us Who You Are Elle McNicoll   Cora is a young autistic girl who has recently lost her mother. Dragged to a party by her brother, she strikes up an unexpected friendship with Adrien who, she later discovers, has ADHD. Adrien is the son of the c.e.o. of Pomegranate Technologies, which is developing an Artificial Intelligence program to re-create people in hologram form, in order to comfort grieving families. Cora is soon swept up in Pomegranate's mysterious world, dazzled by the enigmatic Dr Gold.       Best Reviewed     Albert and the Whale Philip Hoare     4.4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...The gifted writer summons the eclectic travels of Albrecht Dürer with captivating passion, poignancy, pure wonder and a personal twist" The Observer   The Manningtree Witches A. K. Blakemore     4.4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...In the poet’s first novel, a richly textured account of the Essex witch trials, the persecuted women are brought vividly to life" The Guardian   Diary of a Film Niven Govinden     4.3 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a beautiful, poignant novel of love and longing" The Daily Telegraph   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   Hot Stew Fiona Mozley     4.2 out of 5 6 reviews   "...Mozley’s achievement is to create room for nuance, even when the book’s world is drawn with such cartoonish vigour" The Guardian   The Western Front Nick Lloyd     4.1 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Nick Lloyd has written a tour de force of scholarship, analysis and narration" The Times   Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries Chips Channon     4.1 out of 5 7 reviews   "...The between-the-wars diaries of the romping, social-climbing MP Henry Channon make for a irresistible, saucy read" The Daily Telegraph   Acts of Desperation Megan Nolan     4 out of 5 5 reviews   "...Nolan’s headlong, fearless prose feels like salt wind on cracked lips." The Sunday Times     Most Reviewed   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...what Spufford appears to be most interested in redeeming is not individual human souls but time itself" The Times   Fall John Preston     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "... such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished that it could have been twice as long" The Daily Telegraph   No One Is Talking About This Patricia Lockwood     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "...A family emergency brings the unreality of our digital-steeped lives into sharp focus in this irreverent and surprisingly poignant novel" The Daily Telegraph     Fake Accounts Lauren Oyler     3.7 out of 5 9 reviews   "...enigmatic and spectacular – a dark comedy about a dark time, and a prismatically intelligent work of art." The Guardian   Hurdy Gurdy Christopher Wilson     3.9 out of 5 8 reviews   "...There is a cure for pandemic gloom. What you need to do is read a funny novel about an even more deadly plague, the Black Death of the 14th century." The Times   Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries Chips Channon     4.1 out of 5 7 reviews   "...The between-the-wars diaries of the romping, social-climbing MP Henry Channon make for a irresistible, saucy read" The Daily Telegraph   How to Avoid a Climate Disaster Bill Gates     3.6 out of 5 7 reviews   "...There is still hope, says the Microsoft founder in this very practical call to action" The Sunday Times   Online Book Events from BookGig     Race, identity and belonging: Three writers share their personal stories   Monday 15th March, 2021 @ 8:00 pm   Philip Pullman in conversation with Michael Rosen   Tuesday 16th March, 2021 @ 5:30 pm   Marian Keyes & Chris Brookmyre in conversation with Jude Rogers   Thursday 18th March, 2021 @ 7:30 pm   Live author event with Nicci French   Thursday 18th March, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   © 2021 The Bookseller, The Stage Media Company Ltd.

  

Featuring new book reviews for Jordan B Peterson's Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, Emma Stonex's The Lamplighters and Nick Lloyd's The Western Front: A History of the First World War Home | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Children's | Genres | Publications | Prizes   The Week in Review 8th March 2021   Critics say Peterson's sequel Beyond Order shows he is 'still on top'   Good morning    Jordan B Peterson's Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life (Allen Lane) offered critics and antidote to chaos in this week's reviews. The sequel to 12 Rules to Life (Generic, 2018) was a book of the week in the Guardian, Oliver Burkeman wrote: "Peterson offers an invaluable reminder that we’re finite and inherently imperfect." In the Evening Standard, Melanie McDonagh said the title is "full of sensible, humane advice, and shows he is still very much on top." Over in the Sunday Times, Christina Patterson said: "the result is part quest, part adventure, part lecture and part polemic."   Emma Stonex's The Lamplighters (Picador) is a "whodunnit, horror novel, ghost story and fantastically gripping psychological investigation rolled into one" said the Guardian's Christobel Kent. Jumping between 1972 and 1992, the mystery was praised by Patricia Nicol in the Sunday Times: "It is rare for a story to hold as fast to its secrets as Emma Stonex’s literary suspense mystery The Lamplighters." Finally, in the Observer, Sarah Hughes called the novel "elegant" and "satistfying".    Nick Lloyd's The Western Front: A History of the First World War (Viking) is the first of three volumes which will cover the warfare between 1914 andd 1918. In the Sunday Telegraph, Simon Heffer called the "magnificent" title a "must-read". In the Times, Lawrence James wrote: "Lloyd has written a tour de force of scholarship, analysis and narration."  By Tamsin Hackett, Books Co-ordinator, The Bookseller   Book of the Week   Beyond Order Jordan B. Peterson     3.20 out of 5 | 6 reviews   "a self-help book that is not here to hug you better"   The Daily Telegraph   "The tale seems a remnant of a different life, from a time when he was an eccentric professor enjoying small-scale controversy rather than the present kind which is on a global scale. "   The Times   "Peterson offers an invaluable reminder that we’re finite and inherently imperfect"   The Guardian   "There is too much messianic passion and not enough enlightening psychology"   The Observer     Latest Reviews   Beyond Order Jordan B. Peterson     3.2 out of 5 6 reviews   "...a self-help book that is not here to hug you better" The Daily Telegraph   Becoming Kim Jong-Un Jung H. Pak     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...The author does her best to maintain a detached analytical tone in the face of material that, on the face of it, belongs in a Tarantino movie" The Sunday Times   Transcendent Kingdom Yaa Gyasi     4 out of 5 6 reviews   "...a profound follow-up to Homecoming" The Guardian   Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries Chips Channon     4.1 out of 5 5 reviews   "...The between-the-wars diaries of the romping, social-climbing MP Henry Channon make for a irresistible, saucy read" The Daily Telegraph     The Gun, the Ship and the Pen Linda Colley     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a bold and bloody history of constitutions" The Times   Under a White Sky Elizabeth Kolbert     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...explor(es) the emergency interventions people are staging to save the biosphere, and ask(s) whether such interventions might do more harm than good" The Times   The Western Front Nick Lloyd     4.1 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Nick Lloyd has written a tour de force of scholarship, analysis and narration" The Times   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.2 out of 5 11 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   A Coup in Turkey Jeremy Seal     4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...Seal’s work is an excellent addition to any Turkey bookshelf" The Times   After Dr. Bruce Greyson, MD     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...told in the sort of layman's language that made Oliver Sacks a bestseller" Daily Mail   The Lamplighters Emma Stonex     3.8 out of 5 4 reviews   "...It is rare for a story to hold as fast to its secrets as Emma Stonex’s literary suspense mystery The Lamplighters" The Sunday Times   Hot Stew Fiona Mozley     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...a lively depiction of London’s bohemia" The Times     Fiction Book of the Month   Transcendent Kingdom Yaa Gyasi   This is the story of a single family, narrated by Gifty, a PhD candidate in neuroscience working at her Stanford University lab. Gifty's tightly contained life, dedicated to her research, is upended when her mother arrives to stay. For her mother is in grip of clinical depression, and takes to bed, not for the first time.        Best Reviewed     Consent: A Memoir Vanessa Springora     4.3 out of 5 7 reviews   "...rapier-sharp, written with restraint, elegance and brevity — and beautifully translated" The Times   Diary of a Film Niven Govinden     4.3 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a beautiful, poignant novel of love and longing" The Daily Telegraph   Daughters of Night Laura Shepherd-Robinson     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Shepherd-Robinson is fascinating on women’s portrayal in art" The Times   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.2 out of 5 11 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   The Western Front Nick Lloyd     4.1 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Nick Lloyd has written a tour de force of scholarship, analysis and narration" The Times   Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries Chips Channon     4.1 out of 5 5 reviews   "...The between-the-wars diaries of the romping, social-climbing MP Henry Channon make for a irresistible, saucy read" The Daily Telegraph   Milk Fed Melissa Broder     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...This riot of carnal pleasures will make you laugh as well as gasp" The Times   Acts of Desperation Megan Nolan     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Nolan’s headlong, fearless prose feels like salt wind on cracked lips." The Sunday Times     Most Reviewed   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...what Spufford appears to be most interested in redeeming is not individual human souls but time itself" The Times   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.2 out of 5 11 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   Fall John Preston     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "... such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished that it could have been twice as long" The Daily Telegraph   No One Is Talking About This Patricia Lockwood     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "...A family emergency brings the unreality of our digital-steeped lives into sharp focus in this irreverent and surprisingly poignant novel" The Daily Telegraph     Fake Accounts Lauren Oyler     3.7 out of 5 9 reviews   "...enigmatic and spectacular – a dark comedy about a dark time, and a prismatically intelligent work of art." The Guardian   Hurdy Gurdy Christopher Wilson     3.9 out of 5 8 reviews   "...There is a cure for pandemic gloom. What you need to do is read a funny novel about an even more deadly plague, the Black Death of the 14th century." The Times   How to Avoid a Climate Disaster Bill Gates     3.6 out of 5 7 reviews   "...There is still hope, says the Microsoft founder in this very practical call to action" The Sunday Times   Maxwell's Demon Steven Hall     4 out of 5 7 reviews   "...(A) theory-heavy mystery novel that’s as postmodern as they come, and – or but, depending on the reader – it’s superb" The Daily Telegraph   Online Book Events from BookGig     Pink, Auld & Brown Book Club with Georgina Lawton   Wednesday 10th March, 2021 @ 6:30 pm   Detransition Baby with Torrey Peters   Thursday 11th March, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   An evening with Lesley Pearse   Thursday 11th March, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   An Evening With Isabel Allende   Friday 12th March, 2021 @ 6:30 pm   © 2021 The Bookseller, The Stage Media Company Ltd.

  

Featuring new book reviews for Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun, Yaa Gyasi's Transcendent Kingdom and Julia Parry's The Shadowy Third: Love, Letters, and Elizabeth Bowen Home | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Children's | Genres | Publications | Prizes   The Week in Review 1st March 2021   'Klara and the Sun confirms Ishiguro as a master prose stylist' say critics   Good morning    Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun (Faber & Faber) brought a brightness to this weekend's reviews. The Booker prize winner's latest novel was called "classic Ishiguro — oblique and deeply poignant" by the Sunday Times' Peter Kemp, whilst the Times' John Self dubbed the novel "a vision of humanity which — while not exactly optimistic — is tender, touching and true." In the Guardian, Anne Enright wrote: "People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love."   Yaa Gyasi's Transcendent Kingdom (Viking) certainly exceeded reviewers expectations this weekend. The Guardian's Sara Collins gave the novel a near perfect review, calling it "a profound follow-up to Homecoming". In the Financial Times, Erica Wagner called it "an absorbing, moving book" whilst the Observer's Hephzibah Anderson wrote: "There’s bravery as well as beauty here."    Julia Parry's The Shadowy Third: Love, Letters, and Elizabeth Bowen (Duckworth) was heralded "intimate, kind, fierce, brutal" by the Sunday Times' Lucy Atkins. Over in the Sunday Telegraph, Rupert Christiansen called the title "an essay of rare sensitivity and intelligent reflection." Finally, in the Times Literary Supplement, Patricia Craig said that Parry "marshals her facts and impressions with energy and assiduity." By Tamsin Hackett, Books Co-ordinator, The Bookseller   Book of the Week   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.25 out of 5 | 7 reviews   "People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love."   The Guardian   "a vision of humanity which — while not exactly optimistic — is tender, touching and true."   The Times   "“Klara and the Sun” complements his brilliant vision, though it doesn’t reach the artistic heights of his past achievements"   The New York Times   "Klara and the Sun confirms Ishiguro as a master prose stylist"   Evening Standard     Latest Reviews   The Lamplighters Emma Stonex     3.7 out of 5 3 reviews   "...It is rare for a story to hold as fast to its secrets as Emma Stonex’s literary suspense mystery The Lamplighters" The Sunday Times   Cannibal Safiya Sinclair     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...a singingly gifted writer I'm thrilled to have discovered" The Bookseller   A Coup in Turkey Jeremy Seal     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Seal’s work is an excellent addition to any Turkey bookshelf" The Times   Rein Gold Elfriede Jelinek, Gitta Honegger     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Intertextual monologues that bring Wagner’s epic ‘Ring’ cycle into the modern age" Financial Times     What Does Jeremy Think? Suzanne Heywood     3.7 out of 5 5 reviews   "...will be invaluable as a source for scholars and historians both as to how, when, why and by whom certain decisions were taken" The Guardian   Lightseekers Femi Kayode     4 out of 5 5 reviews   "...Femi Kayode is an atmospheric writer" The Times   Populism Michael Burleigh     2.6 out of 5 3 reviews   "...(an) excoriating polemic against right-wing political hucksters" The Times   The Good Girls Sonia Faleiro     4.3 out of 5 6 reviews   "......transfixing; it has the pacing and mood of a whodunit" The New York Times   Transcendent Kingdom Yaa Gyasi     4.4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a profound follow-up to Homecoming" The Guardian   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.3 out of 5 7 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   Acts of Desperation Megan Nolan     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Nolan’s headlong, fearless prose feels like salt wind on cracked lips." The Sunday Times   Bright Star, Green Light Jonathan Bate     3.6 out of 5 4 reviews   "...A daring, dizzying attempt to connect Keats and F Scott Fitzgerald has plenty to take pleasure in" The Observer     Non-fiction Book of the Month   Many Different Kinds of Love: A story of life, death and the NHS Michael Rosen   In March 2020 Rosen became unwell and, struggling to breathe, he was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with Covid-19. Gravely ill, he spent months on the wards-including a month in an induced coma-and underwent weeks of rehab and recovery as the NHS saved his life, and got him back on his feet. Throughout it all, a diary was kept at the end of his bed, in which his nurses wrote him letters of hope and support. As soon as he was able, he started writing his own version of events...       Best Reviewed     Let Me Tell You What I Mean Joan Didion     4.9 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a masterclass in minimalism" The Observer   Transcendent Kingdom Yaa Gyasi     4.4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a profound follow-up to Homecoming" The Guardian   Consent: A Memoir Vanessa Springora     4.4 out of 5 6 reviews   "...rapier-sharp, written with restraint, elegance and brevity — and beautifully translated" The Times   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.3 out of 5 7 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   Daughters of Night Laura Shepherd-Robinson     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Shepherd-Robinson is fascinating on women’s portrayal in art" The Times   Lightseekers Femi Kayode     4 out of 5 5 reviews   "...Femi Kayode is an atmospheric writer" The Times   Insatiable Daisy Buchanan     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "... Daisy Buchanan quietly captures the aching loneliness of feeling cast drift in your twenties" Evening Standard   A Coup in Turkey Jeremy Seal     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Seal’s work is an excellent addition to any Turkey bookshelf" The Times     Most Reviewed   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...what Spufford appears to be most interested in redeeming is not individual human souls but time itself" The Times   No One Is Talking About This Patricia Lockwood     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "...A family emergency brings the unreality of our digital-steeped lives into sharp focus in this irreverent and surprisingly poignant novel" The Daily Telegraph   Fall John Preston     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "... such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished that it could have been twice as long" The Daily Telegraph   Fake Accounts Lauren Oyler     3.7 out of 5 9 reviews   "...enigmatic and spectacular – a dark comedy about a dark time, and a prismatically intelligent work of art." The Guardian     The Survivors Jane Harper     3.8 out of 5 9 reviews   "...A new book from Harper is always an event" The Sunday Times   Hurdy Gurdy Christopher Wilson     3.9 out of 5 8 reviews   "...There is a cure for pandemic gloom. What you need to do is read a funny novel about an even more deadly plague, the Black Death of the 14th century." The Times   Girl A Abigail Dean     4.6 out of 5 9 reviews   "...In the traditional new year battle between much touted first thrillers it’s the clear winner." The Sunday Times   Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro     4.3 out of 5 7 reviews   "...People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love." The Guardian   Online Book Events from BookGig     Exclusive virtual book signing with Kazuo Ishiguro   Monday 1st March, 2021 @ 6:30 pm   Why Women Are Poorer Than Men and What We Can Do About It with Annabelle Williams   Wednesday 3rd March, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   Reading Party for The Sanatorium, with Sarah Pearse   Wednesday 3rd March, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   Moon Lane TV: World Book Day Exclusive with Joseph Coelho and Fiona Lumbers   Thursday 4th March, 2021 @ 10:00 am   © 2021 The Bookseller, The Stage Media Company Ltd.

  

Featuring new book reviews for Vanessa Springora's Consent: A Memoir, Inga Vesper's The Long, Long Afternoon and Steven Hall's Maxwell's Demon Home | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Children's | Genres | Publications | Prizes   The Week in Review 22nd February 2021   Critics herald Springora's memoir 'rapier-sharp' and written with 'admirable restraint'   Good morning     Vanessa Springora's Consent: A Memoir (HarperVia) was a favourite amongst this weekend's critics. In the memoir, originally published in France in January 2020, Springora tells of having been sexually abused by writer Gabriel Matzneff between the ages of 14 and 16, when he was more than three times her age. In the Times, Melanie Reid dubbed the memoir "rapier-sharp, written with restraint, elegance and brevity — and beautifully translated." In the Guardian, Lauren Elkin said the author describes, with "admirable restraint," how Matzneff "expertly manipulated her." In the Spectator, Fleur Macdonald thought the memoir "dismantles the myth of the eccentric genius," adding that "Matzneff’s legacy is now enmeshed forever in this clever, thoughtful and honest book."   Inga Vesper's The Long, Long Afternoon (Bonnier Zaffre) wasn't a drag for this weekend's critics. The Sunday Times' Joan Smith wrote, "Vesper mixes a gripping plot with pithy views on class, sex and race." Whilst the Guardian's Laura Wilson descried the California-set mystery in which a 1950s housewife goes missing, as a "tale of inequality, broken dreams and quiet desperation behind a picture-perfect facade." Over in the Times, Antonia Senior called the novel a "clever and absorbing debut".   Critics heralded Steven Hall's Maxwell's Demon (Canongate Books) as "enjoyable," "consistently fun" and "often impressive". The Daily Telegraph's Jake Kerridge gave the book a near-perfect score, calling the title a "theory-heavy mystery novel that’s as postmodern as they come, and – or but, depending on the reader – it’s superb." The Scotsman's Stuart Kelly felt Hall's second novel had been "well worth the wait" adding "the genius of the book is that despite it seeming like an elegant orrery, all these wheels within wheels are a carapace, a psychic armour against a grief."  By Tamsin Hackett, Books Co-ordinator, The Bookseller   Book of the Week   Consent: A Memoir Vanessa Springora     4.40 out of 5 | 6 reviews   "Springora shows that it is Matzneff himself, not “life”, who initiates her into disillusionment and despair"   The Guardian   "rapier-sharp, written with restraint, elegance and brevity — and beautifully translated"   The Times   "shows that revenge is still a dish best eaten cold"   Evening Standard   "A French memoir of sexual abuse created a political storm – but is it, as its author suggests, “first and foremost a piece of literature”?"   New Statesman     Latest Reviews   Let Me Tell You What I Mean Joan Didion     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...a masterclass in minimalism" The Observer   Skin Kerry Andrew     3.7 out of 5 3 reviews   "...A compelling, well-crafted tale about identity and the lasting loss felt when a parent disappears." The Bookseller   Lullaby Beach Stella Duffy     3.5 out of 5 3 reviews   "...wise, generous and intensely atmospheric" The Observer   The Western Front Nick Lloyd     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Nick Lloyd has written a tour de force of scholarship, analysis and narration" The Times     What Does Jeremy Think? Suzanne Heywood     3.7 out of 5 4 reviews   "...will be invaluable as a source for scholars and historians both as to how, when, why and by whom certain decisions were taken" The Guardian   The Plague Cycle Charles Kenny     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...a lively survey of our millennia-long struggle to defeat [infectious disease]" Daily Mail   Thin Places Kerri ni Dochartaigh     4.4 out of 5 5 reviews   "...(an) exceptional debut, a steely but spellbinding blend of memoir, nature writing, social history and politics" The Bookseller   Two Terrible Vikings Francesca Simon, Steve May     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Spaced words in a clear and simple typeface, and energetic caricatures by Steve May, make this comic romp suitable for early readers." The Sunday Times   The Shadowy Third Julia Parry     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...illuminating" The Spectator   The New Climate War Michael E Mann     3.8 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a call to arms in the new war against “inactivists” who are using new tactics of “deception, distraction and delay”" The Observer   Notes from Deep Time Helen Gordon     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...an extraordinarily ambitious journey through our planet's past" The Daily Telegraph   Islands of Abandonment Cal Flyn     4.3 out of 5 4 reviews   "...In her brilliant new book, Cal Flyn finds green shoots of hope in the places humanity has left behind" The Daily Telegraph     Paperback Book of the Month   The Last Day Andrew Hunter Murray   Andrew Hunter Murray's debut imagines a world which has, ever so slowly, stopped turning, bringing disaster.        Best Reviewed     A Net for Small Fishes Lucy Jago     4.4 out of 5 5 reviews   "...Like all the best historical fiction, A Net for Small Fishes is a gloriously immersive escape from present time" The Guardian   Daughters of Night Laura Shepherd-Robinson     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Shepherd-Robinson is fascinating on women’s portrayal in art" The Times   Consent: A Memoir Vanessa Springora     4.4 out of 5 6 reviews   "...rapier-sharp, written with restraint, elegance and brevity — and beautifully translated" The Times   London and the 17th Century Margarette Lincoln     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...A thrilling account of the capital during its most dramatic and important era" The Sunday Times   Find You First Linwood Barclay     4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...Barclay... give(s) a heart to what could easily be heartless" The Sunday Times   The Cold Millions Jess Walter     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...A timely study of individuals living through the tumultuous Spokane Free Speech riots of 1909" Financial Times   The Long, Long Afternoon Inga Vesper     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a clever and absorbing debut by the British writer Inga Vesper" The Times   Maxwell's Demon Steven Hall     4 out of 5 7 reviews   "...(A) theory-heavy mystery novel that’s as postmodern as they come, and – or but, depending on the reader – it’s superb" The Daily Telegraph     Most Reviewed   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...what Spufford appears to be most interested in redeeming is not individual human souls but time itself" The Times   No One Is Talking About This Patricia Lockwood     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "...A family emergency brings the unreality of our digital-steeped lives into sharp focus in this irreverent and surprisingly poignant novel" The Daily Telegraph   Fall John Preston     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "... such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished that it could have been twice as long" The Daily Telegraph   The Survivors Jane Harper     3.8 out of 5 9 reviews   "...A new book from Harper is always an event" The Sunday Times     Girl A Abigail Dean     4.6 out of 5 9 reviews   "...In the traditional new year battle between much touted first thrillers it’s the clear winner." The Sunday Times   Fake Accounts Lauren Oyler     3.7 out of 5 8 reviews   "...enigmatic and spectacular – a dark comedy about a dark time, and a prismatically intelligent work of art." The Guardian   Hurdy Gurdy Christopher Wilson     3.9 out of 5 8 reviews   "...There is a cure for pandemic gloom. What you need to do is read a funny novel about an even more deadly plague, the Black Death of the 14th century." The Times   Maxwell's Demon Steven Hall     4 out of 5 7 reviews   "...(A) theory-heavy mystery novel that’s as postmodern as they come, and – or but, depending on the reader – it’s superb" The Daily Telegraph   Online Book Events from BookGig     Isadora Moon Day Online Event with Harriet Muncaster   Monday 22nd February, 2021 @ 3:30 pm   A Night in with Louise Pentland   Tuesday 23rd February, 2021 @ 6:30 pm   Becky Chambers – in conversation with Laura Lam   Wednesday 24th February, 2021 @ 7:30 pm   Tony Parsons In Conversation with Susy Atkins: Your Neighbour's Wife   Friday 26th February, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   © 2021 The Bookseller, The Stage Media Company Ltd.

  

Featuring new book reviews for Patricia Lockwood's No One Is Talking About This, Bill Gates' How to Avoid a Climate Disaster and Fiona Sampson's Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning Home | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Children's | Genres | Publications | Prizes   The Week in Review 15th February 2021   Lockwood's latest dubbed 'an intellectual and emotional rollercoaster'   Good morning    Critics certainly had a lot to say about Patricia Lockwood's No One Is Talking About This (Bloomsbury Circus). The Guardian's Mark O’Connell called Lockwood an "incontrovertibly gifted writer", and added that the "anxious comedy gives way to a richer and more complex amalgamation of grief and beauty" in the American poet's first novel. Lucy Scholes called the novel "irreverent and surprisingly poignant" in the Daily Telegraph, whilst Anthony Cummins selected the title as an Observer Book of the Day, dubbing it a "richly tragicomic debut novel".   Bill Gates' How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need (Allen Lane) excelled in this weekend's reviews. Described as a "practical call to action" by the Sunday Times' Bryan Appleyard, the Microsoft founder sets out a plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe in his latest book. "If you’re after an approachable book about what needs to happen next, this is a great place to start", said Ed Conway in the Times.    Fiona Sampson's Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Profile) was praised by the weekend's critics. Lucasta Miller called the biography of the 19th century poet "an empathetic — and much-needed — reassessment which tells a fascinating story" in the Sunday Telegraph. The New Statesman dubbed the title "nuanced and insightful" in its NS Recommends feature, whilst the Sunday Times' Daisy Goodwin wrote: "Sampson’s book is timely in its examination of EBB’s political awakening."  By Tamsin Hackett, Books Co-ordinator, The Bookseller   Book of the Week   No One Is Talking About This Patricia Lockwood     3.86 out of 5 | 6 reviews   "short, infuriating and very entertaining"   The Times   "A family emergency brings the unreality of our digital-steeped lives into sharp focus in this irreverent and surprisingly poignant novel"   The Daily Telegraph   "An intellectual and emotional rollercoaster."   Daily Mail   "(a) richly tragicomic debut novel"   The Observer     Latest Reviews   Set the Night on Fire Mike Davis, Jon Wiener     4.4 out of 5 3 reviews   "......remains the best book written about LA." The Guardian   The Life and Death of Ancient Cities: A Natural History Greg Woolf (Director, Institute of Classical Studies, Director, Institute of Classical Studies, University of London)     3.8 out of 5 4 reviews   "...The famous cities of the ancient world were surprisingly small and fragile" The Spectator   Bessie Smith Jackie Kay     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Scotland’s national poet reaches for the flesh and blood woman in this biography" The Sunday Times   Fake Accounts Lauren Oyler     3.7 out of 5 8 reviews   "...enigmatic and spectacular – a dark comedy about a dark time, and a prismatically intelligent work of art." The Guardian     Blood Grove Walter Mosley     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...he’s his own man when it comes to describing “the darkness” within us all. Just brilliant!" The Times   The Emperor's Feast Jonathan Clements     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...a splendid introduction to the cooking and history of China, filled with surprising details" The Guardian   The Changing of the Guard Simon Akam     2.9 out of 5 4 reviews   "...... (an) excellent and valuable book" The Guardian   A Net for Small Fishes Lucy Jago     4.2 out of 5 4 reviews   "...Like all the best historical fiction, A Net for Small Fishes is a gloriously immersive escape from present time" The Guardian   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...what Spufford appears to be most interested in redeeming is not individual human souls but time itself" The Times   The Oxford Brotherhood Guillermo Martinez, Alberto Manguel     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...a winning combination of highbrow book chat and high jinks" The Times   Set My Heart to Five Simon Stephenson     3.5 out of 5 3 reviews   "...it is structurally elegant, with entire sections made up of whole sentences, then a break" The Scotsman   Mother for Dinner Shalom Auslander     3.6 out of 5 6 reviews   "...grotesque, extremely funny, weirdly touching and acute about families" The Guardian     Children's Book of the Month   The Last Bear Hannah Gold   Eleven-year-old April Wood is about to embark on "the best, most perfect summer of her life". She and her scientist father are on their way to a remote Norwegian outpost, Bear Island, where she will be free to explore while her father conducts his research. Despite the name, there are no polar bears left on the island... until the endless summer night when April meets one. He is starving, lonely and a long way from home, and April is determined to save him.       Best Reviewed     Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...what Spufford appears to be most interested in redeeming is not individual human souls but time itself" The Times   A Net for Small Fishes Lucy Jago     4.2 out of 5 4 reviews   "...Like all the best historical fiction, A Net for Small Fishes is a gloriously immersive escape from present time" The Guardian   The City of Tears Kate Mosse     4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...Mosse shows a deft command of character and narrative" The Sunday Times   Maxwell's Demon Steven Hall     4 out of 5 6 reviews   "...(A) theory-heavy mystery novel that’s as postmodern as they come, and – or but, depending on the reader – it’s superb" The Daily Telegraph   Radio Life Derek B. Miller     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...a gritty, post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller set in a 25th-century wasteland America" The Guardian   How to Avoid a Climate Disaster Bill Gates     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...There is still hope, says the Microsoft founder in this very practical call to action" The Sunday Times   London and the 17th Century Margarette Lincoln     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...A thrilling account of the capital during its most dramatic and important era" The Sunday Times   We Are Bellingcat Eliot Higgins     4 out of 5 6 reviews   "...riveting" The Sunday Telegraph     Most Reviewed   Luster Raven Leilani     4.1 out of 5 12 reviews   "...wry, sharp, honest, often caustically funny" The Bookseller   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.2 out of 5 12 reviews   "...what Spufford appears to be most interested in redeeming is not individual human souls but time itself" The Times   Fall John Preston     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "... such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished that it could have been twice as long" The Daily Telegraph   The Survivors Jane Harper     3.8 out of 5 9 reviews   "...A new book from Harper is always an event" The Sunday Times     Fake Accounts Lauren Oyler     3.7 out of 5 8 reviews   "...enigmatic and spectacular – a dark comedy about a dark time, and a prismatically intelligent work of art." The Guardian   Hurdy Gurdy Christopher Wilson     3.9 out of 5 8 reviews   "...There is a cure for pandemic gloom. What you need to do is read a funny novel about an even more deadly plague, the Black Death of the 14th century." The Times   Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires Professor Richard Bradford     3.3 out of 5 7 reviews   "...Bradford has heroically slogged through the 8,000 pages of her diaries and notebooks" The Sunday Times   Asylum Road Olivia Sudjic     3.9 out of 5 8 reviews   "...A beautifully written and deeply unsettling exploration of trauma and a young woman on the edge. " The Bookseller   Online Book Events from BookGig     A Night in with Raven Smith   Wednesday 17th February, 2021 @ 6:30 pm   Bill Gates - How to Avoid a Climate Disaster   Wednesday 17th February, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   The Prophets with Robert Jones Jr   Thursday 18th February, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   An Evening with Ann Cleeves and Steph McGovern   Thursday 18th February, 2021 @ 7:30 pm   © 2021 The Bookseller, The Stage Media Company Ltd..

  

Featuring new book reviews for John Preston's Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell, Linwood Barclay's Find Your First and Margarette Lincoln's London and the 17th Century Home | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Children's | Genres | Publications | Prizes   The Week in Review 12th February 2021   Critics fall headfirst for Preston's Robert Maxwell biography   Good morning    John Preston's Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell (Viking) landed in reviewers' laps this weekend. With a whopping 10 reviews on Books in the Media, the biography was dubbed "page-turning", "jaw-dropping" and "richly detailed". In the Times, Quentin Letts wrote: "Any good biography of a mountebank depicts not only its subject but also the ambivalent society that accommodated the monster... Fall does this with deft understatement." The Daily Telegraph's Lynn Barber gave the biography a five star review, heralding it as "such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished that it could have been twice as long." Ian Jack also praised the author's latest in the Guardian: "The stories are good and Preston tells them with his gift for the kind of wry comedy that suits English decline."    Critics had their sights set on Linwood Barclay's Find You First (HQ). In the Sunday Times, John Dugdale praised the author's tone in the thriller: "He has the good sense here to give a heart to what could easily be heartless." In the Evening Standard, Robert Dex called the mystery "the perfect beach read", adding that it "culminates in a gloriously over-the top finale which reads like it was written with a view to selling the film rights for a Hollywood blockbuster." Finally, in the Daily Mail, Geoffrey Wansell felt the novel was "a fast-moving, high concept thriller" that took readers on "a rip-roaring rollercoaster of a ride."    Margarette Lincoln's London and the 17th Century (Yale University Press) truly transported the weekend's reviews back in time, as it was dubbed a "vivid portrayal of a metropolis in the grip of alarming, bewildering and constant change" by the Spectator's Nigel Jones and a "thrilling account of the capital during its most dramatic and important era" by the Sunday Times' John Carey. Finally, in the Times, Ben Wilson wrote: "Her book speaks to the resilience of cities: they can withstand all kinds of disasters; opulence grows in the mire." By Tamsin Hackett, Books Co-ordinator, The Bookseller   Book of the Week   Fall John Preston     3.79 out of 5 | 10 reviews   "a trove of "scandalous anecdotes and shocking revelations", as we discover how a man who had once laid such store by ethics and good behaviour became reduced to a bloated, amoral wreck."   The Bookseller   "The stories are good and Preston tells them with his gift for the kind of wry comedy that suits English decline"   The Guardian   "Any good biography of a mountebank depicts not only its subject but also the ambivalent society that accommodated the monster. John Preston’s Fall does this with deft understatement"   The Times   "This life of the media magnate is by turns engrossing, amusing and appalling"   The Sunday Times     Latest Reviews   Consent: A Memoir Vanessa Springora     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...rapier-sharp, written with restraint, elegance and brevity — and beautifully translated" The Times   No One Is Talking About This Patricia Lockwood     3.8 out of 5 5 reviews   "...A family emergency brings the unreality of our digital-steeped lives into sharp focus in this irreverent and surprisingly poignant novel" The Daily Telegraph   Daughters of Night Laura Shepherd-Robinson     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...Robinson would be advised to clear her shelves for more awards" Financial Times   Hitler's Horses Arthur Brand, Jane Hedley-Prole     3.4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...This riveting tale-already a bestseller in his native Netherlands" The Bookseller     The Assault on Truth Peter Oborne     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...A clinical and merciless account of Johnson’s mendacity" The Guardian   Jews Don't Count David Baddiel     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...a furious look at antisemitism" The Sunday Times   The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames Justine Cowan     3.5 out of 5 3 reviews   "...(a) fascinating, moving book; part history of the Foundling Hospital and the development of child psychology, part Cowan’s own story" The Sunday Telegraph   Two-Way Mirror Fiona Sampson     3.7 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Fiona Sampson breathes vigour into a poet generally represented as a delicate invalid without any inner life at all" The Spectator   The Rag and Bone Shop Veronica O'Keane     3.6 out of 5 3 reviews   "...(A) cogent, meticulously researched book " The Spectator   Slough House Mick Herron     3.4 out of 5 5 reviews   "...Herron’s glorious creation... propels the story to the bitter end where the non-stop barrage of jokes is fatally undercut by a final shocking twist.  " Evening Standard   How Britain Ends Gavin Esler     3.2 out of 5 3 reviews   "...(A) thoughtful survey of the fraying ties that still just about bind the UK together" The Scotsman   The City of Tears Kate Mosse     4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...Mosse shows a deft command of character and narrative" The Sunday Times     Non-Fiction Book of the Month   Raceless Georgina Lawton   In Lawton's suburban childhood home, her Blackness and the obvious fact of her brown skin was never acknowledged by her white parents. Over time, the secrets of her true origins were deliberately buried by means of a complex family story which became accepted as truth, and despite the questions that raged within her, Lawton remained largely complicit in this erasure of her racial identity. When her father died when she was in her twenties, the truth finally began to emerge, and Lawton travelled the world in a bid to restore her lost identity.        Best Reviewed     A Burning Megha Majumdar     4.4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...Immaculately constructed, acidly observed and gripping from start to finish, A Burning is a brilliant debut." The Guardian   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.3 out of 5 9 reviews   "...what Spufford appears to be most interested in redeeming is not individual human souls but time itself" The Times   A Crooked Tree Una Mannion     4.1 out of 5 5 reviews   "...Packed full of small-town America ambiance" Prima   We Are Bellingcat Eliot Higgins     4 out of 5 5 reviews   "...riveting" The Sunday Telegraph   London and the 17th Century Margarette Lincoln     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...A thrilling account of the capital during its most dramatic and important era" The Sunday Times   The City of Tears Kate Mosse     4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...Mosse shows a deft command of character and narrative" The Sunday Times   Islands of Abandonment Cal Flyn     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Just when you thought there was nowhere left to explore, along comes an author with a new category of terrain" The Spectator   Find You First Linwood Barclay     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Barclay... give(s) a heart to what could easily be heartless" The Sunday Times     Most Reviewed   A Promised Land Barack Obama     3.8 out of 5 15 reviews   "...Barack Obama is as fine a writer as they come. It is not merely that this book avoids being ponderous, as might be expected, even forgiven, of a hefty memoir, but that it is nearly always pleasurable to read, sentence by sentence" The New York Times   Luster Raven Leilani     4.1 out of 5 12 reviews   "...wry, sharp, honest, often caustically funny" The Bookseller   Fall John Preston     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "... such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished that it could have been twice as long" The Daily Telegraph   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.3 out of 5 9 reviews   "...what Spufford appears to be most interested in redeeming is not individual human souls but time itself" The Times     Survivors Rebecca Clifford     TBC out of 5 1 reviews   "...What makes this book so original is the way she deftly interweaves the stories of the survivors with a sharp analysis of the social constructs" Irish Times   Girl A Abigail Dean     4.6 out of 5 9 reviews   "...In the traditional new year battle between much touted first thrillers it’s the clear winner." The Sunday Times   Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires Professor Richard Bradford     3.3 out of 5 7 reviews   "...Bradford has heroically slogged through the 8,000 pages of her diaries and notebooks" The Sunday Times   Asylum Road Olivia Sudjic     3.9 out of 5 8 reviews   "...A beautifully written and deeply unsettling exploration of trauma and a young woman on the edge. " The Bookseller   Online Book Events from BookGig     Concrete Rose: An Online Event with Angie Thomas   Friday 12th February, 2021 @ 6:30 pm   How To Write Romance Day   Saturday 13th February, 2021 @ 9:00 am   Book Club with Jill Dawson   Wednesday 17th February, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   An Evening with Ann Cleeves and Steph McGovern   Thursday 18th February, 2021 @ 7:30 pm   © 2021 The Bookseller, The Stage Media Company Ltd.

  

Featuring new book reviews for John Preston's Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell, Linwood Barclay's Find Your First and Margarette Lincoln's London and the 17th Century Home | Fiction | Non-Fiction | Children's | Genres | Publications | Prizes   The Week in Review 8th February 2021   Critics fall headfirst for Preston's Robert Maxwell biography   Good morning    John Preston's Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell (Viking) landed in reviewers' laps this weekend. With a whopping 10 reviews on Books in the Media, the biography was dubbed "page-turning", "jaw-dropping" and "richly detailed". In the Times, Quentin Letts wrote: "Any good biography of a mountebank depicts not only its subject but also the ambivalent society that accommodated the monster... Fall does this with deft understatement." The Daily Telegraph's Lynn Barber gave the biography a five star review, heralding it as "such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished that it could have been twice as long." Ian Jack also praised the author's latest in the Guardian: "The stories are good and Preston tells them with his gift for the kind of wry comedy that suits English decline."    Critics had their sights set on Linwood Barclay's Find You First (HQ). In the Sunday Times, John Dugdale praised the author's tone in the thriller: "He has the good sense here to give a heart to what could easily be heartless." In the Evening Standard, Robert Dex called the mystery "the perfect beach read", adding that it "culminates in a gloriously over-the top finale which reads like it was written with a view to selling the film rights for a Hollywood blockbuster." Finally, in the Daily Mail, Geoffrey Wansell felt the novel was "a fast-moving, high concept thriller" that took readers on "a rip-roaring rollercoaster of a ride."    Margarette Lincoln's London and the 17th Century (Yale University Press) truly transported the weekend's reviews back in time, as it was dubbed a "vivid portrayal of a metropolis in the grip of alarming, bewildering and constant change" by the Spectator's Nigel Jones and a "thrilling account of the capital during its most dramatic and important era" by the Sunday Times' John Carey. Finally, in the Times, Ben Wilson wrote: "Her book speaks to the resilience of cities: they can withstand all kinds of disasters; opulence grows in the mire." By Tamsin Hackett, Books Co-ordinator, The Bookseller   Book of the Week   Fall John Preston     3.79 out of 5 | 10 reviews   "a trove of "scandalous anecdotes and shocking revelations", as we discover how a man who had once laid such store by ethics and good behaviour became reduced to a bloated, amoral wreck."   The Bookseller   "The stories are good and Preston tells them with his gift for the kind of wry comedy that suits English decline"   The Guardian   "Any good biography of a mountebank depicts not only its subject but also the ambivalent society that accommodated the monster. John Preston’s Fall does this with deft understatement"   The Times   "This life of the media magnate is by turns engrossing, amusing and appalling"   The Sunday Times     Latest Reviews   No One Is Talking About This Patricia Lockwood     3.8 out of 5 4 reviews   "...A family emergency brings the unreality of our digital-steeped lives into sharp focus in this irreverent and surprisingly poignant novel" The Daily Telegraph   Hitler's Horses Arthur Brand, Jane Hedley-Prole     3.4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...This riveting tale-already a bestseller in his native Netherlands" The Bookseller   The Assault on Truth Peter Oborne     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...A clinical and merciless account of Johnson’s mendacity" The Guardian   Jews Don't Count David Baddiel     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...a furious look at antisemitism" The Sunday Times     The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames Justine Cowan     3.5 out of 5 3 reviews   "...(a) fascinating, moving book; part history of the Foundling Hospital and the development of child psychology, part Cowan’s own story" The Sunday Telegraph   Two-Way Mirror Fiona Sampson     3.7 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Fiona Sampson breathes vigour into a poet generally represented as a delicate invalid without any inner life at all" The Spectator   The Rag and Bone Shop Veronica O'Keane     3.6 out of 5 3 reviews   "...(A) cogent, meticulously researched book " The Spectator   Slough House Mick Herron     3.4 out of 5 5 reviews   "...the verve with which Herron writes carries the reader along" The Spectator   How Britain Ends Gavin Esler     3.2 out of 5 3 reviews   "...(A) thoughtful survey of the fraying ties that still just about bind the UK together" The Scotsman   The City of Tears Kate Mosse     4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...The second volume of Mosse’s wars of religion trilogy vividly depicts persecution and how politics can upturn ordinary lives" The Observer   Bright Star, Green Light Jonathan Bate     TBC out of 5 2 reviews   "...A daring, dizzying attempt to connect Keats and F Scott Fitzgerald has plenty to take pleasure in" The Observer   Maxwell's Demon Steven Hall     3.6 out of 5 3 reviews   "...(A) theory-heavy mystery novel that’s as postmodern as they come, and – or but, depending on the reader – it’s superb" The Daily Telegraph     Non-Fiction Book of the Month   Raceless Georgina Lawton   In Lawton's suburban childhood home, her Blackness and the obvious fact of her brown skin was never acknowledged by her white parents. Over time, the secrets of her true origins were deliberately buried by means of a complex family story which became accepted as truth, and despite the questions that raged within her, Lawton remained largely complicit in this erasure of her racial identity. When her father died when she was in her twenties, the truth finally began to emerge, and Lawton travelled the world in a bid to restore her lost identity.        Best Reviewed     A Burning Megha Majumdar     4.4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...a taut and compelling tale" Financial Times   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.3 out of 5 9 reviews   "...a miraculous achievement" The Daily Telegraph   A Crooked Tree Una Mannion     4.1 out of 5 5 reviews   "...Packed full of small-town America ambiance" Prima   We Are Bellingcat Eliot Higgins     4 out of 5 5 reviews   "...riveting" The Sunday Telegraph   London and the 17th Century Margarette Lincoln     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...A thrilling account of the capital during its most dramatic and important era" The Sunday Times   The City of Tears Kate Mosse     4 out of 5 4 reviews   "...The second volume of Mosse’s wars of religion trilogy vividly depicts persecution and how politics can upturn ordinary lives" The Observer   Islands of Abandonment Cal Flyn     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Just when you thought there was nowhere left to explore, along comes an author with a new category of terrain" The Spectator   Find You First Linwood Barclay     4 out of 5 3 reviews   "...Barclay... give(s) a heart to what could easily be heartless" The Sunday Times     Most Reviewed   A Promised Land Barack Obama     3.8 out of 5 15 reviews   "...An elegant, thoughtful memoir from the coolest president America ever had" The Independent   Luster Raven Leilani     4.1 out of 5 12 reviews   "...This is an elevated example of the “millennial novel”, swerving cliche" The Observer   Fall John Preston     3.8 out of 5 10 reviews   "... such a richly detailed, well-written, gripping biography I wished that it could have been twice as long" The Daily Telegraph   Light Perpetual Francis Spufford (author)     4.3 out of 5 9 reviews   "...a miraculous achievement" The Daily Telegraph     Survivors Rebecca Clifford     TBC out of 5 1 reviews   "...What makes this book so original is the way she deftly interweaves the stories of the survivors with a sharp analysis of the social constructs" Irish Times   Girl A Abigail Dean     4.6 out of 5 9 reviews   "......harrowing, gripping and also, somehow, life-affirming – an incredible achievement for a first novel." The Observer   Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires Professor Richard Bradford     3.3 out of 5 7 reviews   "...satisfyingly ruthless" Daily Mail   Asylum Road Olivia Sudjic     3.9 out of 5 8 reviews   "...A beautifully written and deeply unsettling exploration of trauma and a young woman on the edge. " The Bookseller   Online Book Events from BookGig     Empireland with Sathnam Sanghera and Samira Ahmed   Wednesday 10th February, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   Fleet by Judith Willson: Carcanet Book Launch   Wednesday 10th February, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   Book Club with Margaret Atwood   Thursday 11th February, 2021 @ 7:00 pm   Daisy Buchanan in conversation with Emma Jane Unsworth   Thursday 11th February, 2021 @ 7:30 pm   © 2021 The Bookseller, The Stage Media Company Ltd.