Author:Helen Paris
A story of hope, forgiveness and kindness, Lost Property reminds us to keep our loved ones (along with our bags and umbrellas) close...
'An enthralling read, full of rich descriptions and characters you can't help but love' Hazel Prior, bestselling author of Away with the Penguins
'A lovely novel about loss and reconnection...both satisfying and joyful' Lissa Evans
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One lost purse. One lost woman.
A chance encounter that changes everything.
Dot Watson has lost her way. Wracked with guilt and struggling with grief, she has tucked herself away in the London Transport Lost Property office, finding solace in the process of cataloguing misplaced things. It's not glamorous or exciting, but it's solitary - just the way Dot likes it.
That is, until elderly Mr Appleby walks through the door in search of his late wife's purse and Dot immediately feels a connection to him. Determined to help, she sets off on an extraordinary journey, one that could lead Dot to reclaim her life and find where she truly belongs...
Perfect for fans of Matt Haig, Rachel Joyce and AJ Pearce, this is a moving and uplifting novel about finding your place in the world.
Readers have fallen in love with Lost Property:
***** 'A beautiful book and one of my best reads this year'
***** 'An emotional journey that had me hooked'
***** 'A wonderful, uplifting debut novel'
***** 'Dot is an inspiration'
***** 'Full of sorrow, love and a light humour'
***** 'I am so pleased to have found Dot'
An enthralling read, full of rich descriptions and characters you can't help but love
—— Hazel Prior, bestselling author of Away with the PenguinsA wonderfully rich, funny book. Shades of Eleanor Oliphant and Dear Mrs Bird, but also entirely its own. Dot is a treasure waiting to be found
—— Beth MorreyA lovely novel about loss and reconnection...both satisfying and joyful
—— Lissa EvansEmotionally rich and character-led, Lost Property is a sharply funny, wise and warming story
—— Anne Cater, The Daily ExpressA deeply moving and richly detailed story that genuinely tugs at the heartstrings
—— CultureFlyA beautifully written book ... a truly uplifting read
—— NB MagazineFilled with beautiful prose, this is a life-affirming novel
—— My WeeklyGentle and warm
—— Magic Book Club[T]his twisty adventure, in which the blood-and-guts thrills and breathy sex scenes ultimately act as a delivery mechanism for an urgent affirmation of the necessity of social justice.
—— Daily MailA furious utopia. Utterly compelling, brilliant and terrifying. Sorrowland seizes the history of white supremacy, racist medical experimentation, and the dream - and danger - of the commune and gnashes it into something magnificent and truly reparative. An epic fantasy that interweaves righteous, large-scale confrontations with power, extremely sexy and moving erotic gothic horror, and exquisite, meticulous renderings of the daily life of parenting. This is a fairy tale for adults, spangled in the wreckage of the world. A gorgeous, singular, and profound work.
—— Jordy Rosenberg, author of Confessions of the FoxThe writing is visceral and soul-clenching. The characters - bold, creative, and memorable. The action, heart-stopping. This is imaginative storytelling at its finest. Once I started, I could not put down Sorrowland until I reached the end. And then I wanted more!
—— Djèlí Clark, author of Ring ShoutSorrowland is a raw, powerful, and visceral read. Nature, joy, science, belonging, human metamorphosis, generational oppression, strength, and sheer lust for life: if Toni Morrison, M. Night Shyamalan, and Marge Piercy got together they might, if they were lucky, produce something with the unstoppable exhilaration of this novel. Sorrowland is sui generis.
—— Nicola Griffith, author of HildSorrowland by Rivers Solomon contains so much wisdom and insight, wrapped in an abundance of passion and fury and tenderness. There is so much going on in this book: the spectre of what happens when rebellion is co-opted, our longstanding practice of using Black bodies for cruel and unethical experiments, the audacity of queer love. The arc of this book takes Vern and her babies away from civilization and then back to it - but they return changed, and they change everyone else, and this book restored my faith in our potential to transform just when I needed it most.
—— Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the SkyLee Child on An Unkindness of Ghosts: Immediately immersive and sophisticated. This is a phenomenal piece of work.
—— Lee ChildOn An Unkindness of Ghosts: Solomon debuts with a raw distillation of slavery, feudalism, prison, and religion that kicks like rotgut moonshine...Stunning.
—— Publishers WeeklyInfused with the spirit of Octavia Butler and loaded with meaning for the present day, An Unkindness of Ghosts will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Solomon's impassioned, speculative, literary book is sorely needed on library shelves.
—— BooklistOn An Unkindness of Ghosts: What Solomon achieves with this debut - the sharpness, the depth, the precision - puts me in mind of a syringe full of stars. I want to say about this book, its only imperfection is that it ended.
—— NPRDark and magical, Sorrowland is a fantastical tale that grapples with America's history of racism and marginalised communities
—— I PaperSolomon captures Vern's journey in a gripping narrative that is equal parts speculative fiction and Gothic tale, all while unravelling a fictional world that is not dissimilar to our own, particularly in its depiction of racism and white supremacy.
—— TIME MAGAZINE (Europe)Solomon's most powerful work yet.
—— The New York TimesSORROWLAND is a highly atmospheric, addictive read.
—— The White ReviewTyler's books are full of subtleties, tender compassion and humanity, and French Braid is no exception
—— UK Press Syndication[Tyler's] style is striking... few are better at covering the passage of time, and hinting at the shifting cultural climate in a single sentence
—— Rosemary Goring , HeraldDeft and graceful, French Braid is utterly convincing. Fifty-eight years since she published her first novel, Tyler continues to capture life's joys, contradictions and ordinary heartbreaks with humour and precision
—— Sarah Collins , ProspectTyler pulls off the rare feat of presenting her characters both as they see themselves and as others see them
—— Scotsman, *Summer Reads of 2022*A warm-hearted exploration of the foibles and dynamics of family life
—— The Times, *Summer Reads of 2022*read her for the eccentric characters, the pitch-perfect dialogue, the humour and the tiny ordinary moments so exquisitely described they bring tears to your eyes
—— Liane Moriarty , Irish Daily MailA warm-hearted exploration of the foibles and dynamics of family life
—— The Times, *Books of the Year*Tyler is a superb observer of family life... Heartbreak is deftly layered over a vibrant portrayal of the city, its codes and nuances
—— Lady, *Books of the Year*Anne Tyler is a wonderful storyteller and French Braid is another classic... Funny but hearthbreaking, too. I loved every single page
—— Good Housekeeping, *Books of the Year*Anne Tyler's genius lies in her ability to make this unremarkable family so enthralling
—— Sunday ExpressTyler is a genius at telling big stories with small details and this is an engrossing, fascinating family portrait
—— UK Press SyndicationGentle and comforting, but with a hidden core of desperate, cloying sadness, and is vintage Tyler
—— Sunday Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*An astute, well-observed and compulsively readable saga
—— Daily MirrorI adore her [Tyler] books. She’s written 24 novels and I’ve read every single one. She’s 81 and yet French Braid, her latest, is one of her very best
—— Jacqueline Wilson , Sunday TimesKimberly Farr reads with a gentle-paced wryness, thoughtful and exact
—— Tablet