Author:Rajaa Alsanea

Saudi Arabia - where marriages are arranged and there are no cinemas or parties to go to, where social life consists of trying to keep girls and boys apart rather than put them together.
But as Rajaa Alsanea reveals in this absorbing novel, that's not the whole story: determination, mobile phones and the internet have made life easier for young Saudis, and the four girls in this novel are all finding romance even though mostly it goes badly wrong. Girls of Riyadh captures the trials and tribulations of a middle-class society quite unlike our own and blows the lid off all our preconceptions of Arab life.
A novel that captures it all . . . a revealing study of one of the world's most secretive societies
—— Financial TimesLove and lust, men and money . . . a taboo-breaking, bestselling tale of sex and the city
—— TelegraphDemonstrates the storytelling expertise of co-authors McCaffrey and Scarborough. Old and new characters, exotic alien races, and unique methods of problem-solving make this a good choice
—— Library JournalSpirited...Fantasy fans of all ages should go for this one
—— Publishers WeeklyA felicitous combination of authors
—— Kirkus ReviewsWodicka's narrative displays a skill that frequently belies his status as a first-time novelist
—— The TimesSo who's the worst father in literature? Lear? Pap Finn? Michael Henchard? Ladies and gentlemen, there's a new contender in town. Tod Wodicka has created a monster of neglect and lack of awareness in bulbous-nosed Burt Hecker, a 63-year-old American medieval re-enactor who wouldn't know answerability from a hole in the ground.
—— Sunday TelegraphWodicka is assured and original, and his wry and subtle prose is a pleasure throughout. Burt is a pathetic, frustrating and sympathetic creation, heartbroken and heartbreaking as he struggles to pull himself together for his children.
—— ObserverWodicka is original and writes an efficient, precise prose
—— Irish TimesA wonderfully memorable protagonist... and an arresting narrative that manages to combine both tragedy and hilarity
—— The BooksellerFunny... accomplished
—— Kamran Nazeer , ProspectBoy is it fun to read All Shall Be Well...Traveling through Eastern Europe with Burt Hecker, aka Eckbert Attquiet, medieval re-enactor and mead-addled father, is a little like heading south with Charles Portis' Ray Midge or being holed up in the campgrounds with Nabokov's Charles Kinbote - uproarious, wholly odd, wonderfully rendered
—— Joshua FerrisAn astonishing, beautiful book. It's comic and compassionate, assured in tone and richly poetic. Best of all, it's so original, unfolding in brilliantly unexpected and entertaining ways. Easily among the very best novels - never mind debuts - that I've read in years.
—— Peter Hobbs, author of The Short Day Dying and I Could Ride All Day in My Cold Blue TrainQuite simply, the master of comic writing at work
—— Jane MooreTo pick up a Wodehouse novel is to find oneself in the presence of genius - no writer has ever given me so much pure enjoyment
—— John Julius NorwichCompulsory reading for anyone who has a pig, an aunt - or a sense of humour!
—— Lindsey DavisThe Wodehouse wit should be registered at Police HQ as a chemical weapon
—— Kathy LetteWitty and effortlessly fluid. His books are laugh-out-loud funny
—— Arabella WeirThe funniest writer ever to put words to paper
—— Hugh LaurieThe greatest comic writer ever
—— Douglas AdamsP.G. Wodehouse wrote the best English comic novels of the century
—— Sebastian FaulksSublime comic genius
—— Ben Elton






