Regener has captured absolutely the lifestyles and conversations of a group of pre-fall-of-the-Wall Berlin friends

Full of Kafkaesque absurdity, Berlin Blues is as wilfully detached, witty, endearing and deadpan comic as its loafer protagonist

Regener captures note-perfectly the disengagement of a German generation that came of age between the crushing of the Baader-Meinhof underground and the demolition of the Wall

Richly atmospheric...quite wonderful

A powerful novel, alive with the love, deceit, wisdom and the heroics of humanity

'Make sure you have a lot of time on your hands before you open Lesley Marshall's debut novel, A Girl Could Stand Up. You'll find it hard to tear yourself away'

'A page-turner that will disarm and charm. A stand-out talent'

'Utterly real...rendered with truthfulness and charm'

'Lively, slightly breathless comic narrative...this game is worth the candle'

'Fun, funny, fast-paced'

'Distinctive debut novel'