Haunting, distinctive voices . . . Mary's spare simple words paint brilliant pictures in the reader's mind . . . Nell Leyshon's imaginative powers are considerable

The Colour of Milk is an astounding read. Like the best bits of Hardy's Tess of the D'Ubervilles . . . Mary is one of the most compelling narrators I've ever encountered . . . packs a powerful punch . . . a very British gem

It is once in a blue moon that an author creates a voice quite as alive and as startling as Mary's. Nell Leyshon
deserves to be showered with awards for The Colour Of Milk

Spare and beautifully crafted . . . compelling . . . Like a love letter to the power of words

A small tour de force - a wonderfully convincing voice, and a devastating story told with great skill and economy

Brilliant, devastating and unforgettable

Leyshon is a master of domestic suspense . . . Slender but compelling, the charm of Leyshon's novella is to be found as much in its spare, evocative style as in the moving candour of its narrator

Leyshon's spare, dialogue-centred storytelling is lean and vivid . . . a small potted tragedy

Leyshon's novel has a powerful impact . . . one is wholly submerged in the horrific events . . . skilfully captures the young girl's steadily growing confidence in her writing

I loved it. The Colour of Milk is charming, Brontë-esque, compelling, special and hard to forget. I loved Mary's voice - so inspiring and likeable. Such a hopeful book

An urgent tale of class division, poverty and the hardship of life as a poor woman in a patriarchal world . . . packs a punch

Brontë-esque undertones . . . a disturbing statement on the social constraints faced by 19th-century women

The economy of her prose heightens the power of this slender but vivid tale

Memorable . . . the ending will surprise you