Author:W. Somerset Maugham

Crippled sixteen-year-old Catalina is the one person unable to join in the festivities of the Feast of the Assumption. But then she has a vision of the Virgin, and is miraculously cured. In the dark days of the Spanish Inquisition, such a claim to blessedness has serious consequences, especially when Catalina seems more inclined to obey her heart than the demands of the Church.
The last of Maugham's novels, Catalina is a romantic celebration of Spain and a delightfully mischievous satire on absolutism.
One of my favourite writers
—— Gabriel Garcia MarquezThe modern writer who has influenced me the most
—— George OrwellIn his prime, he evolved a clear and effective prose style that achieved a quality possessed only by master story-tellers, making the reader greedy for more....From an era that produced George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells and John Galsworthy, Maugham is the great survivor
—— EconomistAn impressive addition to the works of a master storyteller
—— IndependentThis fragrant, fond and faintly otherworldly novel, with its final, poignant twist, is a memorable read
—— The LadyWritten with aplomb and canniness
—— Ursula K Le Guin , GuardianPanos Karnezis writes with assurance of a world which must, perforce, be closed to him
—— Daily MailHe has wit, style, and panache, in a world where those qualities are in permanently short supply
—— The New York Review of BooksA masterful stylist and a wise, often hilarious observer of human nature and his times, Anthony Powell is an under-appreciated literary gem. The pleasures and dramas of the "Dance" continue to illuminate daily life.
—— Claire Messud[A] comic masterpiece
—— Irish TimesComic, satisfying, thought-provoking, addictive
—— The TelegraphIt's his supreme skill in mastering a lengthily interwoven chronicle, the evolution of such a range and variety of pin-point characters, the wit and the cultural ambition that give the novel a unique place in English literature.
—— Melvyn BraggIt's his supreme skill in mastering a lengthily interwoven chronicle, the evolution of such a range and variety of pin-point characters, the wit and the cultural ambition that give the novel a unique place in English Literature.
—— Melvyn BraggThe London Train is an intelligent and gently manipulative story of human weakness and lies... Wicked but delightful
—— Lesley McDowell , Independent on SundayHadley offers first-class views on the psychological scenery of 21st-century Britain
—— Daily TelegraphA passionate, hilarious look at mid-twentieth-century Britain.
—— Jeremy Paxman , Gentleman's JournalSomething I know I love ... Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time, which I could read endlessly.
—— Tracey Thorn , Daily MailI’m bowled over, hooked and, hurrah, there are 11 more volumes to go as Jenkins grows up. Terrific.
—— Daily MailA highly accomplished debut, this is a chilling portrait of racial tension, social immorality, betrayal and love, and also an atmospheric examination of the end of innocence.
—— The Lady MagazineThe writing is strong and though the sections featuring Gay's earlier life lose momentum, the story picks up pace when the girls' paths become entwined and the conclusion is compelling and thrillingly macabre.
—— TelegraphThis fictional account of a true story gives a darkly shocking version of the events surrounding this tragic case.
—— Good Book GuideBrilliantly melds a factual post-war murder into a dark fictional tale
—— Telegraph