Author:Kirstan Hawkins

Surrounded by forest and reached only by a treacherous road, the sleepy South American town of Valle de la Virgen is almost unknown to the outside world. But after a silent stranger rolls in on the back of a pick-up truck, nothing is the same again.
Life for the town's inhabitants has not turned out as they once dreamed. Doña Nicanora never did escape the swamp town and travel the world, Don Bosco did not marry the woman he loved, and the mayor is yet to achieve the power and influence he craves. But it is not until the arrival of the mysterious foreigner, known only as Gringito, that their dreams start to be reawakened. Yet every dream must come at a price and the inhabitants of this sleepy little town are about to get more than they bargained for.
Intriguing and intoxicating, with a host of unforgettable characters in a magical setting, Doña Nicanora's Hat Shop is a remarkable novel that dares us to follow our dreams.
I absolutely loved it - the sense of place was so strong, the characters so delicious and the sense of fun perfect for countering these gloomy times. I hope it does really well... It took me back to the pleasure I had reading Love in the Time of Cholera.
—— Mavis CheekComic delight ... A quirky, bewitching novel brimming with great characters.
—— Woman & HomeThis is a charming, humorous and quirky tale about love, politics and the importance of holding on to your dreams. A delightful debut that will beguile fans of Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Chocolat.
—— Waterstone’s Book QuarterlyPlenty of charm in this effervescently sweet novel - perfect for reading in the bath.
—— MetroA colourful and uplifting debut
—— Daily ExpressA minor tragi-comic masterpiece
—— Martin Booth , Daily TelegraphA brilliant satirical take on life in modern-day Kiev. Watch out, though, as Kurkov's writing style is highly addictive
—— Punch'Our anti-hero finds himself writing obituaries for soon to be deceased undesirables in the chaotic and dangerous modern Ukraine, macaberly observed by his depressed pet King Penguin Misha. Immensely readable with terrifically dark humour, loved it.'
—— Wayne Winstone, OttakarsOne of my favourite novels of all time
—— Misha GlennyThe travel writer's wanderlust generated bestselling and Booker-nominated work, but his collected letters unveil the man behind the books
—— TimesThese letters are as close to the real McCoy as we're going to get - not least because he sloughs off the confident, self-possessed persona exhibited in his books and allows his vulnerabilities to show
—— Alastair Mabbott , Herald'[a] page turner...a series of profound, and mystifying, stories within a stoy that will confound and delight...Another confirmed bestseller
—— News of the WorldEighteen years on from Generation X, Coupland still satirises pop culture better than anyone. This globe-spanning tale, set in the near future, is masterfully told and often hilarious
—— GQWith this exceptional sequel to Generation X, Douglas Coupland may be one of the smartest, wittiest writers around . . . He is a terrifically good writer . . . Generation A is set in the near future . . . Bees have become extinct, but then five people are stung . . . It is the attempt to get to the bottom of this mystery that brings the five together on an Alaskan island where they are made to tell stories to one another. Coupland weaves common elements across these tales and into the main narrative: large themes . . . comic themes . . . existential themes . . . There is a compelling plot . . . Coupland scatters his smartly satirical observations throughout . . . This is a clever, brilliant book - and it's loads better than Generation X . . . funny and profound . . . Straight A . . . (Coupland) deserves top marks for his latest novel
—— EsquireCoupland is a master at creating eccentric, lonely characters and illuminating the mundaneness of dull lives in our celebrity-obsessed, technology-driven world . . . Ideas bounce of his writing like sparks off a live electrical wire
—— The Scotsman[A] tour-de-force myth of the near future . . . As ever, the writing is sharp and witty, displaying Coupland's keen eye for cultural trends and an awareness of the ever-expanding limits of technological advancement
—— QHighly recommended. Like Murakami in thriller-trope mode. Go for it
—— William Gibson, author of Virtual LightAmbitious and weird . . . genuinely experimental
—— Scotland on SundayUnusual circumstances ensue in this latest read from the brilliant social commentator
—— ElleCoupland is a smart, witty writer . . . A delight
—— London LiteCoupland juggles some fascinating ideas . . . Equal parts humor and revelation...An intelligent look at pop and digital culture
—— Publishers WeeklyFrom the very first pages it jumps out: the language, the preoccupations, the political and technological references, the humour - they're all so now . . . Scintillating . . . I must admit I read the novel enviously. Oh, to have written something so clever, funny, heartfelt and original . . . The narration is layered, there are passages that are very funny, others that are wise, and throughout the language crackles with vitality . . . In the future, if people are curious about what it was like to live in our times, in the early 21st century, they will do well to read Douglas Coupland
—— Yann MartellSuperbly entertaining stuff. Coupland's dialogue is witty and spiky and makes you laugh out loud . . . Coupland just can't resist making his characters as smart as he is, which is very smart indeed. He's one of the few writers who has really grasped what different times we live in . . . But Coupland's personality as a writer isn't just smart, it is also charming humane and fundamentally optimistic. A pure pleasure
—— Independent on SundayA delightful Decameron of a book . . . rich, educative and even consoling
—— IndependentOne of the most popular serious writers of our time
—— Aravind Adiga , Financial Times