Sometimes, reading a poet for the first time is like meeting a person: the first impression is defining. That is what Paul Tran's debut is like. A queer, transgender Vietnamese American - such labelling scarcely serves as an introduction - their presence on the page is instantly dramatic: there is a gorgeous sensuality to the writing but a reason for readers to stay alert, to be on guard. A story of sexual abuse is unfolding ... in a confessional that extends to abuse of Tran's mother and abuse endured in childhood, underpinned by an intense quality of performance at every turn. Tran's work is filled with purpose ... there is a momentum, a thespian verve that does not mask the work's integrity. There is courage in their ongoing confrontation with pain. One of the questions that arises is: can trauma be contained by form - and how? ... Impressive ... These poems are flamboyant in content, yet their craftsmanship is as discreet as invisible mending: you will not see the stitches unless you seek them. And it is invisible mending, in the fullest sense, that Tran does best. There is no expectation that poetry will bring conspicuous resolution ... superb and ungovernable ... [with a] shimmering tension ... [an] unforgettable collection

Beautiful, sensuous and plural ... Paul Tran has written a vital and visceral collection. Breathtaking

Brave ... The pendulum between resistance and repetition in trauma both personal and historical moves throughout this striking collection, which is full of mirrors, pictures, paintings and retold myths, as though trying to articulate the unspeakable from various angles ... Though often nightmarish and dark, there are flashes of abandon, starlight, and moments of shimmering release that extend from costume to cosmos, so that by the end the speaker is running 'naked but for my snakeskin coat / so fast through wind I become the wind' ... an auspicious debut

Every so often, a true masterwork seemingly springs forth fully formed as if the goddess Athena, armor flashing and sword raised ... All the Flowers Kneeling arrived ready for war ... an exquisitely crafted labyrinth of a book

A testament to queer self-love ... a monument to [what] persists

Vivid ... searingly honest, beautifully told depictions of survival and self-love

[A] powerful debut ... marshals narrative lyrics and stark beauty

Paul Tran's debut collection of poems is indelible, this remarkable voice transforming itself as you read, eventually transforming you. I felt at times a passenger, a ghost, implicated, consumed, and ultimately delivered back to myself, renewed

Between grief and love, past and future, trauma and luminous survival, these are searching, generous poems that enact the resilience of the human spirit, how the art of language-making - story, truth-telling - allows us not only to survive but thrive. This is a stunning debut

An elegant meditation on many things - history, inheritance, language, trauma, how the self tricks the self, defiance ... All the Flowers Kneeling maps the journey past bewilderment, to knowing, to, finally, the mystery of unknowing, where ... the life we get to choose for ourselves begins

Ravishing ... Formally inventive, psychologically acute ... Tran's debut demonstrates the capacity of poetry to tell the truths which will set you free

All the Flowers Kneeling is a gorgeous debut ... Out of violences intimate and imperial, out of survival and self-fashioning, Paul Tran sculpts new forms to contain all. This book is a richness. What a stellar poet for our day

This utterly joyful novel takes you on an unforgettable journey with characters you wish you could meet in real life... I loved The People on Platform 5 even more than The Authenticity Project - it's glorious

This book is bursting with the kindness of strangers, and I was bursting with hope by the end of it

Clare Pooley is the queen of feel-good fiction. She takes relatable situations and characters and somehow makes them magical. The People of Platform 5 is funny, tender and true-to-life while also being thought-provoking. It was magnificent and a joy to read

The People on Platform 5 is nothing short of sheer and utter delight. It presents the best of humanity - the sweet and bashful kindness and generosity that lives in all of us. I can't think of a more joyful book!

Heartwarming, funny, a delicious dive into the profound and ridiculous modern world in which we live. Clare Pooley reminds us why we need each other

Pooley delivers not only acerbic, enchanting Iona but a compelling, tangled cast of quirky, complicated characters so engaging, it's enough to make you miss crowded commuter trains

This feel-good ensemble story will bring joy to readers who loved Anxious People and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine-not to mention fans of quirky London-set fare such as Ted Lasso...a warm, fun pick-me-up of a book

Clare Pooley has found a delightful way to bring home the point that we need each other

Leaving you with that fuzzy feeling you want from a feel-good book

Entertaining and uplifting

Filled with delightful characters... this heart-warming book explores relationships and the dilemmas of everyday life

Tackling many relevant issues, it's a heart-warming read

Poignant, totally joyful, this is a great read

A feel-good read, with great characters to care about, it takes current issues seriously but adds plenty of humour

[It leaves] the reader with that fuzzy feeling you want from a feel-good book. Fans of her previous hit, The Authenticity Project, will not be disappointed

A feel-good tale about the power of real-life connections

You can always rely on Pooley to deliver not just wonderful, lively characters but a story that leaves you feeling uplifted and hopeful

Batuman has taken what made The Idiot so brilliant, distilled it, and created an equally brilliant new work. Either/Or is unbridled joy.

Funny... Unforgettable... Batuman is particularly good on sex and sexual politics... The star feature is the narration... garrulous, rambunctious... full of baroque riffs and digressions.

A fresh voice is a rare thing, and Elif Batuman is one such.

Either/Or is extremely funny and delightfully ludic, as it probes the very act of reading from the point of view of confused university student Selin.

I was desperately looking forward to Elif Batuman's Either/Or, and it more than lived up to it.

Re-encountering Selin...felt like being reunited with an old friend.

Hilarious.

I greatly enjoyed the comic zing of Elif Batuman's delightful Either/Or

Witty, intelligent and funny... [Selin's] inner monologue is addictive enough to read a thousand more pages of, and I can only cross my fingers that this isn't the last instalment of the series.

Just as funny and self-aware and clever as The Idiot.

Funny, wry and insightful

Laugh out loud…hilarious and thoughtful