Author:Jules Verne
In Journey to the Centre of the Earth, an obsessive German professor and his nephew travel towards the earth’s core in the steps of a medieval explorer beneath an Icelandic volcano where they discover a lost world. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is famous for its portrayal of the Byronic Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus, in which he explores the ocean while wreaking vengeance on mankind for their wickedness. In Around the World in Eighty Days, a starchy Englishman suspected of robbing the Bank of England accepts a bet that he cannot circumnavigate the globe in that time, and proceeds to do so, accompanied by his resourceful valet, Passepartout.
The three novels combine fantasy and rich local colour with true learning and cod science in a mixture which attracts readers of all ages.
Compelling…Engrossing…Gripping
—— Sunday TimesSurprising and dark and excellent
—— New York TimesA sinister story about guilt, atonement and restitution, fashioned from lean, prowling prose
—— HeraldA terrifically realised encounter between the clashing values of traditional Islam and the hedonistic, secular West... Beautifully written, painfully resolved.
—— Lionel Shriver , The TimesMore than a stylish thriller… The central plot has parallels with The Bonfire of the Vanities, while the socialites could be straight out of The Great Gatsby
—— StylistA gripping read
—— KirkusA superbly compelling novel... As menacing and engrossing as the best McEwan
—— Robert Collins , Sunday TimesOsborne brings together all his authorial talents in this gripping and sophisticated thriller
—— Emma Hagestadt , IndependentStylish, somehow both lavish and muscular at the same time
—— David Evans , Independent on SundayUtterly compelling; at the risk of trotting out a cliché, I couldn't put the book down
—— Justin Cartwright , ObserverA brilliantly observed tale of class and hedonism
—— The Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*Meg Wolitzer’s latest offering promises to be the epic novel of the summer
—— Stella, Sunday TelegraphA wonderful novel, written with warmth and depth of emotion
—— Kate Mosse , The TimesThis is an exhilarating, aerobatic, addictive novel
—— Claire Lowdon , Sunday TimesMeg Wolitzer’s best novel yet
—— William Leith , Evening StandardThe dreamy, criss-crossing narrative proves Wolitzer one of America’s most ingenious and important writers
—— Sunday TelegraphAn engrossing look at life’s twists and turns
—— Woman's WeeklyThe wit, intelligence and deep feeling of Wolitzer’s writing are extraordinary and The Interestings brings her achievement, already so steadfast and remarkable, to an even higher level.
—— JEFFREY EUGENIDESThis is a wonderful book. Intelligent and subtle, it is exquisitely written with enormous warmth and depth of emotion… Wolitzer is an affectionate and clear-sighted observer of human nature
—— Kate Mosse , The TimesMeg Wolitzer proves brilliant at writing normal, unremarkable lives, investing them with just as much detailed attention and humane humour as the lives of the beautiful, the rich and the famous… [She] also pulls off an impressive balancing act, sometimes inhabiting the moment-to-moment present of her characters, and at others times writing with a droll hindsight
—— Holly Williams , Independent on SundayThere are certain authors whose new book you look forward to as though you were about to catch up on news from an old friend. And there are authors whose new book you fall on greedily because you know it will be tartly delicious and satisfy a hunger you didn’t know you had till you read them for the first time. For me, Meg Wolitzer has long been in both of those categories… The Interestings is full of Wolitzer’s trademark pleasures. I love her fearlessness in tackling everything … She has a sly wit and verbal brio which can even make clinical depression entertaining
—— Allison Pearson , Daily Telegraph