What a cracking work of fiction. Hands down my most enjoyable read of the year so far. Hamnet is a fictionalised account of the death of William Shakespeare’s son. Clearly I wasn’t listening at school, because I had never known that Shakespeare had three children (a girl and then a twin boy and girl) and that […]
Author Archives: Ms A
April
26
A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry
posted by Ms A
It’s the aftermath of the Civil War in Tennessee and “the time is so dangerous that the law is barely possible”. An Indian girl named Winona is living on a farm with two soldiers who adopted her, their landlord and two recently emancipated black slaves. Released in March, A Thousand Moons is the latest from […]
Stoner by John Williams
posted by Ms A
I’m not sure I can explain to you how much I loved this book. Surely the most pure, quiet and understated work of fiction I have read in a long time. Stoner was first published in 1965 with no fanfare. Fifty years later, it was discovered by the general public and became a bestseller across […]
January
26
The Topeka School by Ben Lerner
posted by Ms A
I’ll admit it, I found this book a challenge. I would go so far as to say it is the trickiest book I’ve read in years. Swinging between fact and fiction and jumping forward and back in time, reading The Topeka School was the most exercise I did all holiday. The Topeka School is the […]
January
12
Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
posted by Ms A
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner is one of the hit books of 2019 in the USA. It was released in June with hit reviews and by September, there was a 10-party bidding war for TV rights. Taffy Brodesser-Akner is best known in the USA as a writer for GQ Magazine and the New […]
December
01
The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
posted by Ms A
It’s Christmas time and three seventy something female friends have come together to clean out a beach house. The house was owned by their fourth friend, Sylvie, who has recently died. There is a lot of work to do, so the surviving friends get started cleaning cupboards while trying to fill the gaps left by […]
October
21
The Martian by Andy Weir – Guest review by Sebastian aged 12
posted by Ms A
“I guess you could call it a “failure”, but I prefer the term “learning experience.” Sol 23: Today I read The Martian. Not all of it, but enough of it to read it all throughout the day and into the night. I promised to myself “After this chapter, no actually, after this one, no, I can […]
October
20
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
posted by Ms A
Praise be! I finished a book. The year started so well, but by Easter I had lost control of the laundry v reading life equation. Trust Margaret Atwood to return my domestic equilibrium. Like her or not, it is impossible not to finish a Margaret Atwood book. The Testaments is the highly anticipated sequel to […]
April
23
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
posted by Ms A
For the love of music, the 70’s and cracking stories, you have to read this book. Written by Taylor Jenkins Reid and published in March, there has been a lot of hype leading up to its release. It already has its own Spotify playlist and Reece Witherspoon backed Netflix Series. Talk about a cross-disciplinary marketing juggernaut. […]
March
05
French Exit by Patrick deWitt
posted by Ms A
I didn’t sleep the night I finished this book. It is funny but also strangely emotional and I couldn’t get it out of my head. Released late last year, French Exit tells the story of a glamorous New York widow, Frances and her gloomy adult son, Malcolm. The two of them have spent the last of […]
Readhead 