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secular sunday sermon: when good marriages go bad

secular sunday sermon: when good marriages go bad

I'm really at my wit's end these days... I really don't know what to effect....


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the new world by chris adrian and eli horowitz...

the new world by chris adrian and eli horowitz...

Originally conceived as a digital novel,this satirical story about cryogenically engineered...


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the drowned detective by neil jordan review -...

the drowned detective by neil jordan review -...

Corruption and car chases add thrills to a powerful study of the psychology of jealousyIn the first...


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war and turpentine by stefan hertmans review - a...

war and turpentine by stefan hertmans review - a...

A remarkable Flemish poet brings his grandfather’s recollections of the first world war vividly...


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book reviews roundup: purity, two years, eight...

book reviews roundup: purity, two years, eight...

What the critics thought of Jonathan Franzen’s Purity,Salman Rushdie’s Two Years, Eight Months...


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the folly by ivan vladislavić review - a fable of...

the folly by ivan vladislavić review - a fable of...

A unusual,unsettling story in which a couple spy on a man as he starts to draw a house nearbyA man,...


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universal harvester by john darnielle review -...

universal harvester by john darnielle review -...

Grief haunts an eerie puzzle box of a story in the second novel from the Mountain Goats frontman,set...


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caryl phillips: reading my way back to the past,...

caryl phillips: reading my way back to the past,...

Research for The Lost Child drew me back to shadowy memories of the 60s,illuminated by Emily Brontë...


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daughter of eden by chris beckett review - a...

daughter of eden by chris beckett review - a...

The third instalment of Beckett’s trilogy explores theological themes with wit,insight and...


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transit by rachel cusk review - a triumphant...

transit by rachel cusk review - a triumphant...

Divorced and making a original start in London,a creative writing teacher is immersed in the lives...


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what belongs to you by garth greenwell review -...

what belongs to you by garth greenwell review -...

An acclaimed debut about a love affair between a hustler and a writer reflects a clash in...


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the essex serpent by sarah perry review - a...

the essex serpent by sarah perry review - a...

An Essex village is terrorised by a winged leviathan in a gothic Victorian tale crammed with...


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the mandibles: a family, 2029 2047 by lionel...

the mandibles: a family, 2029 2047 by lionel...

A super-rich Manhattan family shows its will to survive as the dollar collapsesThere are plenty of...


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fear of dying by erica jong review -

fear of dying by erica jong review -

The protagonist of her 70s classic Fear of Flying lives on in Jong’s ninth book,a decade in the...


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sweet caress by william boyd review - love and war...

sweet caress by william boyd review - love and war...

Boyd makes an effective utilize of real-life pictures to demonstrate this photographer’s brisk...


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the theoretical foot by mfk fisher review - the ...

the theoretical foot by mfk fisher review - the ...

The grand food writer’s story of young Americans abroad in the late 1930s is lean on plot but...


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a little life by hanya yanagihara review -...

a little life by hanya yanagihara review -...

This ecstatically received novel approximately four friends in original York,now longlisted for the...


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echoland by per petterson review - hits the reader...

echoland by per petterson review - hits the reader...

A 12-year-old Danish boy suddenly comes of age in this tense and vivid yarn,pregnant with hidden...


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book reviews roundup: mothering sunday; the button...

book reviews roundup: mothering sunday; the button...

What the critics thought of Mothering Sunday by Graham Swfit,The Button Box by Lynn Knight and City...


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west of sunset by stewart o nan review - a fine...

west of sunset by stewart o nan review - a fine...

Sadness,estrangement and promise heed the last three years of the much Gatsby author’s life as a...


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break in case of emergency review - an...

break in case of emergency review - an...

There’s nothing new about the premise – the insecurities of a thirtysomething woman in Brooklyn...


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beast by paul kingsnorth review - a brilliant...

beast by paul kingsnorth review - a brilliant...

In the blisteringly intense second volume of Kingsnorth’s trilogy,a man alone on the moor is...


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pat barker interview:  i am edgy, but not dead...

pat barker interview: i am edgy, but not dead...

After delivering one of the most powerful fictional depictions of psychological turmoil in the...


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the past by tessa hadley review - a brilliant...

the past by tessa hadley review - a brilliant...

Tensions race tall among a Chekhovian trio of sisters on a summer holiday togetherIn her...


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the gun room by georgina harding review - the...

the gun room by georgina harding review - the...

The story of ex-soldiers in search of peace,seen through the lens of a traumatised photographerA...


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the gap of time by jeanette winterson review - an...

the gap of time by jeanette winterson review - an...

This Winter’s Tale ‘cover version,set in wealthy London and the deep south, kicks off a new...


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list of the lost by morrissey review - verbose,...

list of the lost by morrissey review - verbose,...

There’s so much inelegant confusion in this chronicle of a teenage relay team that a short novel...


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augustown by kei miller review - a vivid modern...

augustown by kei miller review - a vivid modern...

The poet’s fiction debut dramatises the country’s history in a novel with the feel of a ticking...


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the museum of you by carys bray review - funny,...

the museum of you by carys bray review - funny,...

The follow-up to A Song for Issy Bradley examines how a bereaved young girl makes sense of her...


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scary old sex by arlene heyman review - lusty,...

scary old sex by arlene heyman review - lusty,...

A literary muse breaks her silence in these warts-and-all tales approximately elderly loversThe...


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i ll sell you a dog by juan pablo villalobos...

i ll sell you a dog by juan pablo villalobos...

A Mormon,a Maoist and an irresistible muse are among the characters in a retired salesman’s...


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nutshell by ian mcewan review - an elegiac...

nutshell by ian mcewan review - an elegiac...

An unborn child tells the story of how his mother and her lover contrivance to murder his father in...


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moonstone by sjon review - a glittering fable of...

moonstone by sjon review - a glittering fable of...

Dreams colonise reality in the Icelandic author’s fable of an outsider in early 20th-century...


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born on a tuesday by elnathan john review - a...

born on a tuesday by elnathan john review - a...

A young man discovers corruption,devout extremism and the redemptive power of language on his vivid...


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the life and death of sophie stark by anna north...

the life and death of sophie stark by anna north...

This richly realised US debut gives us multiple perspectives on its elusive protagonistWho is Sophie...


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his bloody project review by graeme macrae burnet...

his bloody project review by graeme macrae burnet...

Based on ‘found’ documents,this Man Booker-longlisted historical thriller deftly masquerades as...


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the speaker s wife by quentin letts review -  a...

the speaker s wife by quentin letts review - a...

Celebrity atheists,greedy MPs, evangelicals falling from grace … the political sketch writer’s...


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paradise lodge by nina stibbe review - funny,...

paradise lodge by nina stibbe review - funny,...

Stibbe’s young heroine Lizzie Vogel comes of age,contending with ‘comfort rounds’ and commodes...


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reputations by juan gabriel vasquez review - the...

reputations by juan gabriel vasquez review - the...

This fable of how a Colombian rebel is embraced by the establishment is promising but...


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a country road, a tree by jo baker review - a...

a country road, a tree by jo baker review - a...

The author of Longbourn illuminates Beckett’s work by dramatising the privation and adventures of...


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top 10 arctic novels

top 10 arctic novels

The stark extremes of this forbidding territory enjoy provided a brilliant setting for writers from...


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we don t know what we re doing by thomas morris...

we don t know what we re doing by thomas morris...

A graceful debut captures the banalities and blessings of ordinary lifeSmall towns get a bad press...


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the death of rex nhongo by cb george review - how...

the death of rex nhongo by cb george review - how...

Four fictional married couples feel the fallout from political unrest and the mysterious death of a...


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the fishermen by chigozie obioma review - four...

the fishermen by chigozie obioma review - four...

This promising debut spins a simple,almost mythological conceit into a heartbreaking elegy to...


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james bond, spy fiction and the decline of empire

james bond, spy fiction and the decline of empire

In a week when Anthony Horowitz apologised for a remark approximately who could play James Bond and...


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lars iyer: real philosophers feel a burning sense...

lars iyer: real philosophers feel a burning sense...

A contemporary version of Wittgenstein,my central character has much in common with the powerful...


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the life writer by david constantine review -...

the life writer by david constantine review -...

A wonderfully accomplished novel about grief,obsession and the ineffable power of the pastIn the...


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two years, eight months and twenty‑eight nights...

two years, eight months and twenty‑eight nights...

There are clear parallels with Rushdie’s own experience in this ever-unfolding fairytale...


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elnathan john:  i want to show that things are...

elnathan john: i want to show that things are...

The Nigerian writer and satirist on his first novel,Born on a Tuesday, a study of a young man caught...


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translation tuesday: the princess by alit karp

translation tuesday: the princess by alit karp

A cook’s chance encounter with a young Swedish princess sets the scene for this short...


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angelique chrisafis talks to the mother of michel...

angelique chrisafis talks to the mother of michel...

Michel Houellebecq,France's most shocking novelist, made his name with tales of dysfunctional,...


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a beautiful young wife review - dissection of the...

a beautiful young wife review - dissection of the...

Dutch writer Tommy Wieringa’s often excruciatingly honest prose brilliantly conveys the break-up...


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conrad   eleanor by jane rogers review - two...

conrad eleanor by jane rogers review - two...

This powerful novel ruthlessly exposes its characters’ inner lives to explore the contradictions...


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six tudor queens 1: katherine of aragon, the true...

six tudor queens 1: katherine of aragon, the true...

Seven pregnancies,one child, a public divorce … the heartbreaking life yarn of a intrepid (brave...


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the chosen ones by steve sem sandberg review -...

the chosen ones by steve sem sandberg review -...

Nothing is held back in this astonishing novel set during the Nazis’ programme of forced...


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the trees by ali shaw review - nature s revenge on...

the trees by ali shaw review - nature s revenge on...

Can a mild-mannered antihero save the day in this English ecological version of The Road?One...


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number 11 by jonathan coe review - a sequel to...

number 11 by jonathan coe review - a sequel to...

A brutal family dynasty shows its staying power in this state-of-the-nation satire that takes in...


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foxlowe by eleanor wasserberg review - an...

foxlowe by eleanor wasserberg review - an...

This fable exploring the arcane mythology of a cult living in a crumbling musty house will lure you...


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john aubrey: my own life by ruth scurr - review

john aubrey: my own life by ruth scurr - review

This ‘autobiography’ of the 17th century writer stitched together from literary fragments is a...


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the natural way of things review - a masterpiece...

the natural way of things review - a masterpiece...

Ten women are abducted and held prisoner in the Australian outback in Charlotte Wood’s powerful...


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pond by claire louise bennett review - a stunning...

pond by claire louise bennett review - a stunning...

This immersive collection,narrated by a rural recluse, finds the extraordinary and the dreamlike in...


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the selected works of abdullah the cossack by hm...

the selected works of abdullah the cossack by hm...

Set in seedy modern Karachi,this conjures a lost city of jazz, cabarets and hard drinking Soviet...


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the course of love by alain de botton review -...

the course of love by alain de botton review -...

It’s more than two decades since the philosopher’s first novel approximately like and...


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fates and furies by lauren groff review   a...

fates and furies by lauren groff review a...

Like Gone Girl,this tightly controlled portrait of a cruel and impossible relationship pivots on a...


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max porter:  the experience of the boys...

max porter: the experience of the boys...

The author of an astonishing debut,Grief Is a Thing with Feathers, talks approximately family, and...


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oh, the things i do for england … why spy...

oh, the things i do for england … why spy...

In a week when Anthony Horowitz apologised for a remark about who could play James Bond,and it was...


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trigger mortis by anthony horowitz review - james...

trigger mortis by anthony horowitz review - james...

Written with terse precision and touches of cruel poetry,this 007 revival makes seamless spend of a...


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satin island by tom mccarthy review - everything...

satin island by tom mccarthy review - everything...

A corporate anthropologist contemplates the totality of contemporary existence in an ambitious...


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we need to talk about cultural appropriation: why...

we need to talk about cultural appropriation: why...

Is it OK for white writers to retract on a black voice? The protest that followed the American...


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erica jong: there are a million ways of making...

erica jong: there are a million ways of making...

Her frank 1973 bestseller panic of Flying brought fame and notoriety. Now,with her first novel in 10...


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colm toibin on filming his novel brooklyn:...

colm toibin on filming his novel brooklyn:...

John Crowley’s original film gives Enniscorthy more glamour,but also perfectly captures the place...


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the transmigration of bodies by yuri herrera...

the transmigration of bodies by yuri herrera...

In an unnamed city emptied out by plague,feuding gangsters deal in the dead: the second novel from...


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sweetbitter by stephanie danler review - new york...

sweetbitter by stephanie danler review - new york...

A twentysomething server discovers herself in a restaurant-set All approximately Eve. The book has...


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the living by anjali joseph review - an...

the living by anjali joseph review - an...

An extraordinary portrait of two lives that moves between Norwich and smalltown India poses...


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under the udala trees by chinelo okparanta review...

under the udala trees by chinelo okparanta review...

A young gay woman looks for forgiveness from God in a brave novel seeking to challenge...


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the noise of time by julian barnes review - how...

the noise of time by julian barnes review - how...

Barnes’s latest novel is a gripping fictionalised account of the composer’s life,and the...


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top 10 modern medieval tales

top 10 modern medieval tales

From George RR Martin to Umberto Eco,many writers absorb been inspired by stories of the middle...


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autumn by ali smith review - a beautiful,...

autumn by ali smith review - a beautiful,...

Set just after the EU referendum,the first post-Brexit novel is a poignant and subtle exploration of...


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the combinations by louis armand review -...

the combinations by louis armand review -...

This sprawling,self-consciously avant garde novel is the product of serious thought, but it’s also...


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judas by amos oz review - a complex and impressive...

judas by amos oz review - a complex and impressive...

Oz’s first novel in a decade,set in 1959 Jerusalem, explores a clash of idealisms that connects...


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death and the seaside by alison moore review - an...

death and the seaside by alison moore review - an...

Meditations on mortality are deftly transposed to a banal English holiday resort in a strikingly...


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the muse by jessie burton review - a solid follow...

the muse by jessie burton review - a solid follow...

A double portrait of hidden creativity set in swinging 60s London and civil war Spain from a writer...


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artist in residence review - a darkly entertaining...

artist in residence review - a darkly entertaining...

Artist Simon Bill’s novel features a feckless painter offered a position at a neurological clinic...


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preparation for the next life by atticus lish -...

preparation for the next life by atticus lish -...

Every word rings real in this novel about a US war veteran and an illegal Chinese immigrant...


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the woman who ran by sam baker review -...

the woman who ran by sam baker review -...

Anne Brontë’s heroine is re-imagined as a fearless war photographer in this fast-paced...


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the high mountains of portugal by yann martel...

the high mountains of portugal by yann martel...

Walking backwards in Lisbon,a gruesome autopsy, a tale of man and ape … Martel saves the best...


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why fates and furies was this year s most talked...

why fates and furies was this year s most talked...

President Obama and Amazon named Lauren Groff’s word-of-mouth sensation Fates and Furies as their...


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the diver s clothes lie empty by vendela vida - a...

the diver s clothes lie empty by vendela vida - a...

A young American woman loses herself in Casablanca in an intoxicatingly uncommon quest for...


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what will remain by dan clements review - vivid...

what will remain by dan clements review - vivid...

These stories owe a great deal to Hemingway,and if they don’t quite live up to Papa’s example...


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selection day by aravind adiga review - gazing at...

selection day by aravind adiga review - gazing at...

Aravind Adiga’s tale of poor Mumbai boys chasing cricketing stardom satirises a contemporary...


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sudden death by alvaro enrigue review - a rich...

sudden death by alvaro enrigue review - a rich...

The devout and cultural forces of Europe’s golden age collide as Caravaggio duels on the tennis...


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garth greenwell:  cruising parks need to be...

garth greenwell: cruising parks need to be...

The debut author on meeting his hero Alan Hollinghurst and why he is happy to identify himself as a...


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fifty shades of shame (or why you won t find the...

fifty shades of shame (or why you won t find the...

The worthy titles people display at domestic are often unread,while private passions – from Dan...


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beatlebone by kevin barry review - a darkly wry...

beatlebone by kevin barry review - a darkly wry...

John Lennon heads to the west coast of Ireland in 1978 for scream therapy and solitude in this...


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the summer that melted everything by tiffany...

the summer that melted everything by tiffany...

This account of dark passions in a sun-scorched small town addresses some heavy questions but cannot...


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marlow s landing by toby vieira review - a stylish...

marlow s landing by toby vieira review - a stylish...

We are deep in Joseph Conrad territory as a bored accountant from Hull embarks on a reckless...


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imagine me gone by adam haslett review - tragedy,...

imagine me gone by adam haslett review - tragedy,...

Depression is passed down the generations in a tale of family struggle that becomes an intense...


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hystopia by david means review - the virtuoso...

hystopia by david means review - the virtuoso...

In an alternative version of 1970s America,the Vietnam war grinds on and on; but the urgent,...


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hotels of north america by rick moody - tthe...

hotels of north america by rick moody - tthe...

The author of The Ice Storm is back on form with this comedian take on the impermanence of modern...


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city on fire by garth risk hallberg review -...

city on fire by garth risk hallberg review -...

Time stands on its head in this Proustian epic set during New York’s 1977 blackoutThere’s a...


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private citizens by tony tulathimutte review - ...

private citizens by tony tulathimutte review - ...

This much-hyped debut about four Stanford graduates making their way in noughties San Francisco may...


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everyone brave is forgiven by chris cleave review...

everyone brave is forgiven by chris cleave review...

The stakes are high in a sharply paced novel set in London and Malta during the second world...


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thomas and mary: a love story by tim parks review...

thomas and mary: a love story by tim parks review...

This forensic account of marital breakdown is breathtakingly honest,but also problematicThere are...


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early fiction in england - the roots of our...

early fiction in england - the roots of our...

From the tall tales of Geoffrey of Monmouth to Chaucer’s romances,these extracts from the middle...


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the story of a brief marriage by anuk arudpragasam...

the story of a brief marriage by anuk arudpragasam...

A debut novel which raises timely questions approximately how we regard the suffering of othersThe...


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on writing black characters - when you are not |...

on writing black characters - when you are not |...

I think Lindy West’s article “It’s hardly strange in white America,but Jonathan Franzen’s...


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smoke by dan vyleta review - visions of sin

smoke by dan vyleta review - visions of sin

In Vyleta’s alternate-history 19th-century Britain,evil thoughts and wicked deeds are exuded from...


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a war and peace for our time

a war and peace for our time

Andrew Davies’s unique TV adaptation of War and Peace may be racy and pacy,but how does it compare...


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lauren groff: i didnt want there to be...

lauren groff: i didnt want there to be...

Her original novel,Fates and Furies, is a resounding critical success – and a likely bestseller...


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another mother s son by janet davey review -...

another mother s son by janet davey review -...

Davey excels at capturing emotion in a depiction of parenthood that becomes exhausting in its...


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the allegations by mark lawson review - a stinging...

the allegations by mark lawson review - a stinging...

The arts critic,who left Radio 4 amid allegations of bullying, turns his guns on the witch-hunt...


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the sellout by paul beatty review - a whirlwind...

the sellout by paul beatty review - a whirlwind...

Every anxiety about race in the US is laid bare in a surreal fable about a black neighbourhood being...


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how to measure a cow review - margaret forster s...

how to measure a cow review - margaret forster s...

A compelling portrait of a headstrong,fractured woman, who has taken on a new alias after being...


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the street by bernardine bishop review - big...

the street by bernardine bishop review - big...

The late novelist’s final work teases mighty truths from the lives of a few neighboursEnormous...


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high dive by jonathan lee review - an atmospheric...

high dive by jonathan lee review - an atmospheric...

A tedious-burning fuse is lit as the manager of the Grand Hotel,Brighton, looks forward to hosting...


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the dictator s last night review - yasmina khadra...

the dictator s last night review - yasmina khadra...

‘Everything I say is gospel’ … This is a powerful tale of the demise of a megalomaniacColonel...


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top 10 books about cheating

top 10 books about cheating

From illicit James Salter to category-defying Jeanette Winterson,here are the best modern works...


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the underground railroad by colson whitehead...

the underground railroad by colson whitehead...

This thrilling,genre-bending tale of escape from slavery in the American deep south contains...


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today will be different by maria semple review

today will be different by maria semple review

A zesty,memorable novel approximately the trials of a dysfunctional Seattle yoga mom, by the author...


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all we shall know by donal ryan review - a modern...

all we shall know by donal ryan review - a modern...

This is an extraordinary portrait of adultery,loneliness and betrayal in a closed small town...


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bright, precious days by jay mcinerney review -...

bright, precious days by jay mcinerney review -...

The 2008 banking crisis and more extramarital affairs fail to add fresh life to familiar characters...


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the empathy problem by gavin extence review

the empathy problem by gavin extence review

A dying hedge fund manager’s redemption is a promising view,but the tale rings hollowWhen...


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nine folds make a paper swan by ruth gilligan...

nine folds make a paper swan by ruth gilligan...

This complex historical novel follows in the footsteps of Joyce,ranging from the arrival of...


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cynthia bond: i get why so many writers are...

cynthia bond: i get why so many writers are...

The author of Ruby talks about how she immersed herself in an agonising history of abuse,echoed in...


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tuesday nights in 1980 review - sharp rendering of...

tuesday nights in 1980 review - sharp rendering of...

Molly Prentiss’s debut sets up shop as New York is approximately to clean up its act in the 80s...


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elizabeth strout interview: from years of...

elizabeth strout interview: from years of...

The novelist talks approximately her long struggle to get published,the Olive Kitteridge fan club...


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top 10 books for the broken hearted

top 10 books for the broken hearted

whether Valentine’s Day is an unwelcome reminder of what has become of your love life,you can find...


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food in books: soup and rye bread from the book...

food in books: soup and rye bread from the book...

Soup is regularly served in Markus Zusak’s novel of life in Nazi Germany. Below is a full-bodied...


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fishnet by kirstin innes review - alluring,...

fishnet by kirstin innes review - alluring,...

After discovering that her lost sister was a sex worker,Fiona embarks on an internet-fuelled trip...


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spill simmer falter wither by sara baume review -...

spill simmer falter wither by sara baume review -...

One man and his dog embark on a road trip in this haunted tale of isolation and belonging,longlisted...


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the terranauts by tc boyle review -  an ark to...

the terranauts by tc boyle review - an ark to...

Based on an experiment in the Arizona desert,this investigation into self-suffiency becomes a...


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selection day by aravind adiga review - a...

selection day by aravind adiga review - a...

Set in Mumbai,Adiga’s anecdote of two cricketing brothers, divided by success and failure, or...


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rowan hisayo buchanan:  pain shape shifts down the...

rowan hisayo buchanan: pain shape shifts down the...

When her mother suddenly lost her memory,Buchanan began to write Harmless Like You, her...


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the girls by emma cline review - the charles...

the girls by emma cline review - the charles...

This finely written fictionalisation of the Manson murders explores the trials of...


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the blade artist by irvine welsh review - a...

the blade artist by irvine welsh review - a...

Edinburgh’s hardman Begbie is given an unconvincing makeover as a sculptor,family man and torturer...


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freya by anthony quinn review - elena ferrante...

freya by anthony quinn review - elena ferrante...

The period novelist tackles women’s changing fortunes in a myth that runs from VE Day to the...


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american housewife by helen ellis review - what it...

american housewife by helen ellis review - what it...

Hysterical wit and worry in short stories that blow up the cliches we use approximately womenThe...


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mr splitfoot by samantha hunt review - american...

mr splitfoot by samantha hunt review - american...

Orphan siblings,religious fanatics, spirit guides ... but this novel of two journeys from the Orange...


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petronille by amelie nothomb review - a literary...

petronille by amelie nothomb review - a literary...

What saves this slight work from being toxically winsome are the flashes of vicious comedy and an...


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a cure for suicide by jesse ball review -...

a cure for suicide by jesse ball review -...

This wily meditation on how to live explores the social construction of identityThe author Jesse...


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eve out of her ruins by ananda devi review -...

eve out of her ruins by ananda devi review -...

Four teenagers struggle with self-identity and sexuality against a backdrop of daily life in an...


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the knives by richard t kelly review - sharp end...

the knives by richard t kelly review - sharp end...

This tale of a likable but hubristic domestic secretary rings refreshingly trueAs late as the...


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a state of denmark: a disturbing vision of england...

a state of denmark: a disturbing vision of england...

Derek Raymond’s chillingly prescient novel about a homegrown dictatorship is difficult to salvage...


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the tidal zone by sarah moss review - a portrait...

the tidal zone by sarah moss review - a portrait...

With the NHS a central theme,this story about the effect of a child’s illness on her family is a...


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napoleon s last island by thomas keneally review -...

napoleon s last island by thomas keneally review -...

Bonaparte’s time on St Helena,as seen through the eyes of the young girl who befriended himIn a...


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the sunlight pilgrims   the dead queen of bohemia...

the sunlight pilgrims the dead queen of bohemia...

A hopeful finish-of-the-world novel contrasts with a poetry collection suffused with ennuiJenni...


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human acts by han kang review - solidarity and...

human acts by han kang review - solidarity and...

Han tells the stories of survivors and victims of the 1980 Gwangju rebellion in South KoreaTwo...


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golden years by ali eskandarian review - sex,...

golden years by ali eskandarian review - sex,...

Posthumously published after Eskandarian was shot and killed in 2013,this autobiographical novel...


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the clasp by sloane crosley review - an...

the clasp by sloane crosley review - an...

This shaggy dog memoir from the American essayist glitters with wit and wisdom,but ultimately relies...


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john o farrell s top 10 celebrity appearances in...

john o farrell s top 10 celebrity appearances in...

Risking recrimination and lawsuits,some novelists contain inserted real life public figures into...


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the mirror by richard skinner review - two...

the mirror by richard skinner review - two...

In the title yarn a young woman is about to become a nun in 16th century Venice and in The Velvet...


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obama is right: novels show us who we are, and how...

obama is right: novels show us who we are, and how...

On this I agree with the president – fiction is what makes us comfortable with a complicated...


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petina gappah interview:  i ve written a very...

petina gappah interview: i ve written a very...

The awardwinning short-epic writer on returning home,changing perceptions and taking six years to...


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dear mrs bird by aj pearce review - a winning...

dear mrs bird by aj pearce review - a winning...

Stiff upper lips all round: a comedian novel approximately an agony aunt in wartime London proves...


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novel recipes: apple crumble from the secret diary...

novel recipes: apple crumble from the secret diary...

A passing mention of apple crumble in Sue Townsend’s comic masterpiece is enough to send Kate...


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the countenance divine by michael hughes review -...

the countenance divine by michael hughes review -...

Historical timelines interweave in a superb debut exploring literary heritage and millenarian...


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the association of small bombs by karan mahajan...

the association of small bombs by karan mahajan...

For the couple who lose their two sons,and the survivor who walks absent from the blast, trauma...


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we ve been expecting you, ms bond: why fiction...

we ve been expecting you, ms bond: why fiction...

The idea of Gillian Anderson as 007 has caused controversy. But spy fiction is such a rich and...


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the mule by david quantick review - a comedy...

the mule by david quantick review - a comedy...

This original and intriguing story approximately a hapless translator on the trail of a mysterious...


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woman at point zero by nawal el saadawi review -...

woman at point zero by nawal el saadawi review -...

Newly reissued,this powerful work about a woman on death row telling her record on the eve of her...


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top 10 assassination plots in fiction

top 10 assassination plots in fiction

Plans to kill absorb a powerful appeal for narrative plotters,including novelist Jonathan Lee. Here...


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sisters of the revolution: a feminist speculative...

sisters of the revolution: a feminist speculative...

Editors Ann and Jeff VanderMeer acquire brought together a fine anthology featuring emerging authors...


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nothing on earth by conor o callaghan review - a...

nothing on earth by conor o callaghan review - a...

Everyday sadness meets otherworldly menace as an Irish priest recalls the strange events of one hot...


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wild life by liam brown review - what happens when...

wild life by liam brown review - what happens when...

After losing his job and leaving his family,Adam is taken in by a secret collective living off the...


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iron towns by anthony cartwright review - football...

iron towns by anthony cartwright review - football...

This accomplished novel creates a powerful lament for England’s diminished regionsIn Anthony...


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when authors prejudices ruin their books

when authors prejudices ruin their books

The unsavoury attitudes found in novels from writers such as GK Chesterton and Susan Coolidge have...


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this living and immortal thing by austin duffy...

this living and immortal thing by austin duffy...

Duffy,himself an oncologist, brings insider knowledge to his story of a doctor who has fled the...


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thus bad begins by javier marias review -  a...

thus bad begins by javier marias review - a...

An dismal marriage reflects the trauma inflicted by years of fascist rule in a probing novel from...


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ahhhh! what are your scariest reading experiences?

ahhhh! what are your scariest reading experiences?

To designate the birth of Frankenstein’s monster 200 years ago,the Royal Society of Literature has...


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kevin barry:  i want to go as wild as i can within...

kevin barry: i want to go as wild as i can within...

The City of Bohane author on Ireland’s radicals,escaping the internet, and why he chose to write...


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ghostly: a collection of ghost stories edited and...

ghostly: a collection of ghost stories edited and...

The grief of Kipling,the humour of Wodehouse and the shock of Gaiman: a handsome collection to leave...


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the river is the river by jonathan buckley review...

the river is the river by jonathan buckley review...

The relationship between two sisters and the nature of storytelling itself are explored in this...


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macbeth by jo nesbø review - shakespeare...

macbeth by jo nesbø review - shakespeare...

Scandinavia’s king of crime turns the tragedy into a deliciously oppressive page-turnerThe Hogarth...


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pig tales - the swine in books and art

pig tales - the swine in books and art

From medieval manuscripts to Beatrix Potter pigs have taken a starring role Might pigs fly? Only on...


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top 10 novels about pakistan

top 10 novels about pakistan

From Kamila Shamsie to Salman Rushdie,and some names still unfamiliar to English readers, here is...


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resolution by an wilson review   this companion...

resolution by an wilson review this companion...

Clap and cannibalism accompanied Cook’s final journey to Hawaii. But on this showing,it’s a...


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how i became a north korean by krys lee review -...

how i became a north korean by krys lee review -...

Lee has worked with North Korean refugees,and her hotly anticipated debut novel vividly captures the...


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a doubter s almanac by ethan canin - review

a doubter s almanac by ethan canin - review

An academic solves a fiendish maths problem but can’t solve the rest of his life in this murky...


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the best recent thrillers - review roundup

the best recent thrillers - review roundup

Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant; Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan; Before the topple by Noah Hawley; Thirst...


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let me tell you about a man i know by susan...

let me tell you about a man i know by susan...

The wife of the warden at the hospital where Van Gogh took refuge provides the focus of this...


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last things by jenny offill review - the wonders...

last things by jenny offill review - the wonders...

The reissued debut novel from the author of Dept. of Speculation is a skilful dance between child...


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under the udala trees by chinelo okparanta -...

under the udala trees by chinelo okparanta -...

Chinelo Okparanta’s debut novel approximately a girl’s sexual awakening in 60s Nigeria is...


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some rain must fall: my struggle volume 5 by karl...

some rain must fall: my struggle volume 5 by karl...

Sex,marriage, self-hatred … and the discovery of his staunch voice in the compelling latest...


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mothering sunday: a romance by graham swift review...

mothering sunday: a romance by graham swift review...

A last moment of intimacy between English maidservant and heir is at the heart of this masterful...


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yuki chan in bronte country by mick jackson...

yuki chan in bronte country by mick jackson...

A Japanese woman travels to the Yorkshire moors,scene of her mother’s suicide, in a brave novel...


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top 10 novels about unfaithful wives

top 10 novels about unfaithful wives

From the class-crossing Constance Chatterley to Tolstoy’s enchanting Anna Karenina,here are 10...


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drinks with dead poets: the autumn term by glyn...

drinks with dead poets: the autumn term by glyn...

Part comedian novel,part criticism, part autobiography … and wholly brilliant evocation of a...


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commonwealth by ann patchett review -...

commonwealth by ann patchett review -...

An adulterous affair brings two California families uneasily together in this chronicle set over...


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resolution by an wilson review - the voyage of an...

resolution by an wilson review - the voyage of an...

Captain Cooks ship’s scientist,revolutionary, accidental erotic bestseller: George Forster is one...


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solar bones by mike mccormack review - an...

solar bones by mike mccormack review - an...

One family man’s Day of the Dead in County Mayo after the boom and bustExcellence is always scarce...


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my name is leon by kit de waal review - a...

my name is leon by kit de waal review - a...

A young vulnerable boy is taken into care after his mother is no longer able to copeKit de Waal has...


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the bones of grace by tahmima anam - review

the bones of grace by tahmima anam - review

This teasing love myth from one of Granta’s best young novelists has some superlative writing but...


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the gustav sonata by rose tremain review - why...

the gustav sonata by rose tremain review - why...

An investigation into the uses and limits of empathy (sensitivity to another's feelings as if...


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when the floods came by clare morrall review - a...

when the floods came by clare morrall review - a...

A lone family’s tower block in Birmingham becomes a tainted paradise in this mesmerising vision of...


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ayelet gundar goshen:  we israelis tend to forget...

ayelet gundar goshen: we israelis tend to forget...

The novelist and psychologist on the incident that inspired her current book,the impact of cultural...


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claire vaye watkins:  how come nobody s ever...

claire vaye watkins: how come nobody s ever...

The author discusses how growing up in the Mojave Desert informed her debut novel’s vision of an...


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the long room by francesca kay review - state...

the long room by francesca kay review - state...

In Kay’s intriguing novel,a weak, manipulative protagonist develops a self-induced passion while...


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pacific by tom drury review - an overlooked giant...

pacific by tom drury review - an overlooked giant...

The conclusion to Drury’s Grouse County trilogy showcases a laconic talent that can go from...


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grief is the thing with feathers by max porter...

grief is the thing with feathers by max porter...

Longlisted for the Guardian first book award,this moving story of a widower and his young sons...


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the dark circle by linda grant review - heartbreak...

the dark circle by linda grant review - heartbreak...

The 1950s are vividly captured as a twin brother and sister bring colour and life to the enclosed...


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