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Duckling
Duckling
Aug 23, 2025 9:55 PM

Author:Eve Ainsworth

Duckling

Duckling's a nickname Lucy has never been able to shake off.

And, if she's honest, maybe it suits her.

She just isn't the type to socialise with other people.

You might say she's reluctant to leave her nest.

Lucy's life is small, but safe. She's got a good routine. But all that's about to change...

When Lucy's neighbour asks her to look after her little girl for a couple of hours - and then doesn't come back - Lucy is suddenly responsible for someone other than herself.

It takes courage to let the outside world in, and Lucy's about to learn there's much more to life - but only if she's brave enough to spread her wings...

________________________________

Praise for Duckling

'A poignant read' Woman's Own

'[I] loved this gorgeous, funny, poignant and very human book' Rowan Coleman

'Underlines the importance of friendship, community and family while maintaining a galloping plot that keeps you gripped until the last page' Sarah J Harris

'A lovely, heart-warming story about the importance of friendship and family, the power of forgiveness and about learning to love yourself' Clare Swatman

'Duckling is joyous, life-affirming and refreshing' - Joanne Harris

'Combines uplifting and poignant moments with a plot that is so gripping it had me feverishly turning the pages!' Jessica Ryn

'Charming and compassionate, dark at times yet peppered with joy'Eleanor Ray

Reviews

Uplifting, heart-warming and with characters you truly root for, I couldn't put [Duckling] down. It underlines the importance of friendship, community and family while maintaining a galloping plot that keeps you gripped until the last page. Highlight recommend a read

—— Sarah J Harris

I love a story about an underdog, and Lucy is definitely one of those! I loved watching her blossom - or learn to fly - throughout the course of the novel, and was with her all the way on her journey of self-discovery. Duckling is a lovely, heart-warming story about the importance of friendship and family, the power of forgiveness and about learning to love yourself. It's a warm, satisfying read with a great, relatable cast of characters and, even though it deals with some gritty issues, it does so with real intelligence and understanding. A great story.

—— Clare Swatman

This beautiful story combines uplifting and poignant moments with a plot that is so gripping it had me feverishly turning the pages!

—— Jessica Ryn

[I] loved this gorgeous, funny, poignant and very human book

—— Rowan Coleman

Charming and compassionate, dark at times yet peppered with joy. I fully expect Duckling to spread its wings and fly!

—— Eleanor Ray

The most delightfully bonkers historical fantasy romance of 2021! I enjoyed every absorbing moment

—— Jen DeLuca, author of Well Played

The most charming, clever, and laugh-out-loud funny book I've read all year . . . India Holton's utterly delightful debut is pure joy from start to finish.

—— Martha Waters, author of To Have and to Hoax

India's debut is charming, clever, action-packed, with masterful bantering-while-dueling choreography: it reminds me of The Princess Bride, except swoonier and more fantastical. It's an instant beloved favorite.

—— Sarah Hogle, author of You Deserve Each Other

The perfect diversion for a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea. What fun!

—— Manda Collins, author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem

Magnificent in every sense. India Holton's writing is gorgeous and lyrical, her dialogue clever and witty, and her characters loveable and unforgettable

—— Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, author of Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything

A tongue-in-cheek swashbuckling adventure

—— Library Journal

Black is a master at world-building.

—— The New York Times

The many mysteries keep the suspense sizzling as Charlie guides readers through this slippery world. Black's adult fans and readers looking for dark urban fantasy will be thrilled.

—— Publishers Weekly

Book of Night delivers hot sex, a breathless plot, perfect characters, and some of the most gorgeous writing I've read in years, sharp as a razor blade, clear as a one-way glass.

—— Ellen Kushner, award-winning author of Swordspoint

...[T]he story builds to an exciting climax that will certainly leave you crossing your fingers for a sequel.

—— Paste Magazine

Book of Night is both wickedly clever and dangerously entertaining.

—— Grimdark Magazine

Black is a veteran fantasy writer, which shows in the opening pages as she neatly and easily guides the reader through the engrossing world of gloamists, magical shadows, and Charlie's brand of criminality... The mystery elements are well executed, as is Charlie's characterization, and the big twist at the end packs a satisfying punch... Hits the marks for spooky thrills and mysterious chills.

—— Kirkus

Mesmerising . . . A promising debut from a talent to watch

—— Good Housekeeping

A deliciously lyrical novel . . . weaving between the dangerous yet excitable now and the years of ungodly traumas passed, this masterful tale of childhood love will wash over you like the refreshing, cold waters of The Paper Palace's nearby lake

—— BUZZ magazine

[Cowley Heller] brings to fiction an understanding of how to layer storylines, as well as an assured feel for dialogue and visual description . . . a skilful portrait

—— The Oldie, Book of the Month

The Paper Palace paints a vivid picture of family secrets and tensions, against the backdrop of a sun-soaked summer

—— Take A Break

Miranda Cowley Heller's debut The Paper Palace . . . finds Elle on the point of leaving her near-perfect family life for the visceral thrill of Jonas, green-eyed soul mate of her youthful vacations. With its atmospheric setting and rich backstory, the denouement is set to be an August talking point and a mini-series is already slated.'

—— Country and Townhouse

A stirring and sensual story

—— Woman's Weekly

This accomplished family saga is gripping and poetic, capturing the complexity of the human heart

—— Daily Mirror

A richly detailed family saga that nods to tales by Johns Cheever and Updike . . . this immersive novel makes for a lushly satisfying read

—— The Times

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

—— Choice

[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

—— Woman's Weekly

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

—— Sun

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

—— CultureFly

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

—— Big Issue

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.

—— Claire Lowdown , Spectator

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

—— Times Literary Supplement, *Books of the Year*

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.

—— Anakana Schofield, Irish Times, Books of the Year 2022

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

—— Samir Chadha , White Review, *Books of the Year*

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

—— Helen Charman , White Review, *Books of the Year*

Hilarious.

—— Alice Hattrick , White Review, *Books of the Year*

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

—— Megan Hunter , White Review, *Books of the Year*

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.

—— Crack

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

—— Jessica Zhan Mei Yu , White Review, *Books of the Year*

Funny, wry and insightful

—— The Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*

Laugh out loud…hilarious and thoughtful

—— Times Literary Supplement, *Books of the Year*
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