[A] marvellous novel

Roddy Doyle has done the impossible - he has made Paula Spencer even more unforgettable the second time round

[A] magnificent achievement

Doyle has created a little masterwork, a gem of persuasive realism

An intoxicating sequel...a phenomenally rewarding read

Paula is a triumphantly original character, and her gently anarchic sense of humour, her ruthless honesty and the bursting sense of fun that permeates the book scotch any hint of sentimentalism. Doyle constructs his set-pieces and orders the narrative with a craft so unobtrustively elegant and clever that it demands a second reading. This is a splendid piece of work

Doyle's writing is as sharp as ever. Sentences snap out from the page, some so short they only contain one word... Paula Spencer has come into her own and Roddy Doyle has gained a comfortable and wholly convincing access into the female mind

This is a magnificent novel...not once does Doyle offer any sentimental cop-out or wallow in bleakness... It's a disciplined piece of writing, full of humour and immense empathy - and what more can you ask than that?

There is an intense pleasure in the reading of this book

A complex and intricate portrait of an unlikely, yet likable, heroine