Author:Richard Yates

Bobby is eighteen and lost on the battlefields of Europe, stumbling his way through World War II. He has turned out to be the heroic soldier he imagined and his experience of battle principally involves fear and confusion. Back home, his mother Alice puts all her hopes in her son, and dreams of his return and starting a new life for them both.
Richard Yates's novel is both tender and ironic as he follows Bobby's adventures and disasters and reflects on the intense but complicated bond between mother and son.
A beautiful book
—— Joan DidionWonderful
—— Andre DubusSo quotidian, so possible, so plausible, that it is more terrifying to read...than to read of the disasters and massacres of kings
—— Harper'sEvery good writer I know acknowledges Yates as a master
—— Kurt VonnegutYates's trademark blackness does not seem out of place or excessive... the skilful sketches of Prentice's colleagues bring an element of humanity to a sordid and inhumane topic
—— Leyla Sanai , www.rocksbackpagesblogs.comMesmerically readable... A revelation
—— The TimesA shocking backdrop if recent historical events, Andrea Eames has used a fresh, candid voice to create an intimate, sensitive and moving debut novel
—— Tina Jackson , MetroIn this assured debut novel, Eames draws on her own interrupted childhood...to paint an authentic portrait of a nation on the edge
—— Emma Hagestadt , IndependentThe Cry of the Go-Away Bird is a promising debut novel, and Eames's own Zimbabwean childhood colours her writing with vivid descriptions of the earth, wildlife and Shona language
—— Syndicated Review across National PressDiary of an Ordinary Woman is certainly more gripping and more immediate than many novels...Forster has pulled off an imaginative feat
—— Literary ReviewCaptivating... Like a beloved granny's visit, we're a little bit sorry to see the end approaching
—— Irish TimesThis rich novel, full of pathos, concerns the unbridgeable gaps between generations
—— Daily TelegraphFaulks's most vivid character is the odious John Veals, a hedge-fund manager, who relishes all the money that he makes and the power that he quietly exerts... Veals is brilliantly insidious... A thoughtful page-turner... The handsome sunset is heavily, and rightly, weighed down by dark clouds
—— The TimesA tragedy at sea, a miracle on paper... Moore offers us, elegantly, exultantly, the very consciousness of her characters. In this way, she does more than make us feel for them. She makes us feel what they feel, which is the point of literature and maybe even the point of being human.
—— Globe and MailThis mesmerising book is full of tears, and is a graceful meditation on how to survive life's losses
—— Marie ClaireFans of Anita Shreve and Anne Enright will love this
—— Viv Groskop , Red MagazineThe gentle, meandering pace of this exquisitely expresses the agony of grief and the confusions and complexities of parental love
—— Easy LivingMoore's portrayal of loss is remarkably real
—— Clare Longrigg , PsychologiesProfoundly moving, beautifully written book
—— Waterstone's Books QuarterlyA marvellous book
—— Winnipeg Free PressA perfectly pitched novel that captures its characters and their dilemmas.
—— Woman and HomeLose yourself in a fantastical gastronomical journey ... This novel explores familial love in an unexpected way, and you'll be hooked from the first taste
—— SheThis emotional and moving tale blew us away with its beauty
—— BellaIt's as beautiful as it is strange. Bender writes such lyrical sentences, you pause over them in wonder. She has an unusual take on life; and makes even the ordinary extraordinary. It's a compulsive page turner. This book is already a best seller in America, and has been embraced by book clubs. I loved it. It's one of those books you don't want to finish - and even when you have - it stays in your mind. Bender has written three previous novels. I intend to savour them all
—— Irish ExaminerThis novel, in the style of stories like Chocolat, is a dreamy feast of gorgeous writing ... Gently, beautiful, odd, this is a story to sip and savour
—— Dublin Evening HeraldAn intriguing premise for an original novel about a family and its relationships
—— Good Book GuideMoving and highly original, this book will make you look at food in a whole new light
—— Star






