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A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Aug 28, 2025 8:42 AM

Author:James Joyce,Trevor Kaneswaran

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Brought to you by Penguin.

The portrayal of Stephen Dedalus's Dublin childhood and youth, his quest for identity through art and his gradual emancipation from the claims of family, religion and Ireland itself, is also an oblique self-portrait of the young James Joyce and a universal testament to the artist's 'eternal imagination'.

© James Joyce 1916 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Reviews

An outstanding work of breathtaking beauty

—— Lemn Sissay

A writer of important, beautiful, painful, truthful novels

—— Marian Keyes

Lovely heartbreaker of a novel centered on dark secrets of civil wars & evils of extremism: Cyprus, star-crossed lovers, killed beloveds, damaged kids

—— Margaret Atwood on Twitter

Elif Shafak is a unique and powerful voice in world literature

—— Ian McEwan

One of the best writers in the world today

—— Hanif Kureishi

A wise novel of love and grief, roots and branches, displacement and home, faith and belief. The Island of Missing Trees is balm for our bruised times

—— David Mitchell, author of Utopia Avenue

An absorbing novel

—— Sunday Express

Lawson has carved out a world in Northern Ontario that's vividly, absorbingly real... Carries you along from midnight to dawn, oblivious of the time

—— Literary Review

A Town Called Solace keeps you breathless with anxiety, then relief and finally even joy

—— Ferdinand Mount , Observer

Close to perfection

—— The Times

Beautifully written and so finely crafted; told in the kind of prose I most admire because it takes what appears to be complicated and makes it clear . . . These interwoven stories of three people at different stages of life, and yet each struggling with their own form of loss and grief, will stay with me the way good friendships stay with you. It's already one of my favourite books of the year

—— Rachel Joyce

Mary Lawson writes with a pure simplicity... she has the God-given ability to convey the complexities of human nature in everyday language... It was only on a second reading that I came to realise quite how intricately plotted A Town Called Solace is: like a magician, Lawson hides her technique, and makes it all seem as natural as breathing... she possesses an instinctive feel for when to withhold information, and when to release it

—— Craig Brown , Mail on Sunday

Lawson's books are a pleasure to read - they conjure a space where quiet reflection and owning your past mistakes bring gentle rewards; they feel kind and wise and brimful of empathy

—— Siobhan Murphy , The Times

This is Mary Lawson's fourth novel and I'd recommend a binge immersion... Lawson has carved out a world in Northern Ontario that's vividly, absorbingly real; she captures tones and voices with exactitude in writing that's idiomatic but never flashy and carries you along from midnight to dawn, oblivious of the time.

—— Nooni Minogue , Literary Review

Poised, elegant prose, paired with quiet drama that will break your heart. The sort of book that seems as if it has always existed because of its timeless perfection

—— Graham Norton

You can't get much farther north than the Ontario of Mary Lawson's icy, compelling stories of calamity and redemption. A Town Called Solace keeps you breathless with anxiety, then relief and finally even joy

—— Ferdinand Mount , Observer

Close to perfection

—— Christina Hardyment , The Times, *Audiobooks of the Year*

Lawson's writing is clear and emotive... In this poignant novel, rightfully recognised by the Booker judges, the steadfastness of children brings solace to lost grown-ups

—— Francesca Carington , Sunday Telegraph, *Novel of the Week*

There's a beauty and simplicity in her [Lawson's] stories set in small-town Canada

—— Nina Pottell , Prima

Anne Tyler is a big fan of this Canadian author and so am I

—— Good Housekeeping

A lovely, gentle novel with edge, worthy of Anne Tyler

—— Saga

Lawson's writing is such that it appears effortless but, as all the strands come together to create a rich and satisfying tapestry, her genius for storytelling becomes apparent.

—— Irish Independent

Completely absorbing... A Town Called Solace pleases at every level. It's a captivating tale suffused with wisdom and compassion

—— Brett Josef Grubisic , Toronto Star

[In A Town Called Solace] doubts, difficulties and uncertainties of the human condition are examined carefully in a way that is both heartbreaking and joyful

—— Bridie Pritchard , UK Press Syndication

Subtle and darkly funny, this tender novel unspools the interconnected lives of her beautifully drawn characters, as they grapple with grief and loss, while steadfastly hoping for a change of happiness in the face of life's uncertainties

—— Eithne Farry , UK Press Syndication

[Lawson] writes an unpretentious prose that zings with metaphorical vim and humour

—— Tablet, *Summer Reads of 2021*

Exquisitely poignant

—— Liane Moriarty , Good Housekeeping

[An] absorbing novel

—— Sunday Express, *Summer Reads of 2022*
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