The poems we learn stay with us for the rest of our lives. They become personal and invaluable, and what's more they are free gifts - there for the taking

This is a book full of hints and echoes, from the past, from literature, from Yoel's former life. It is a remarkable novel, on the one hand a reminder of fiction's capacity to push at the boundaries of the expressible and on the other a meticulous account of one particular character's advance towards wisdom

A writer of extraordinary perception and of a warm humanity, which never slides into sentimentality and never dodges judgement. His dialogue shines with life and he evokes the feel of the physical world, the shimmer of light in the dawn or at evening, wonderfully well. The result is a book, which not only has a firm moral structure, one which poses and explores fundamental questions of human nature and of obligation, but also sparkles with vividly realised renderings of the details of daily life. It is very good indeed

HE, SHE AND IT, a ground-breaking example of Jewish feminist fabulation, is a triumph

One of our boldest writers...like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, He, She and It finds disturbing trends in contemporary culture.

An allegorical tour de force

Marge Piercy confronts large issues in this novel: the social consequences of creating anthropromorphic cyborgs, the dynamics of programming both humans and machines, the ethical question of our control of machines that might feel as well as think.

...a philosophical romance...the story she tells is at once new and old...Vividly drawn...

Ambitious and absorbing...Woven through this incredible plot line is a magical story from the past...a very readable fable about the dangers of creating intelligent beings...Ominously real'

A powerful story of lives marred by secrets, unfulfilled potential and the unjustness of the world... interwoven with another beautiful story of the dances people do to rise above it all

Clever, funny, confident and kind. Her gift for language is a pleasure and her character shines through

A sweeping meditation on race and identity... [Smith's] most ambitious work yet

A nuanced, richly rewarding tale

Lauren Kate really knows how to keep a reader engaged. A breathtaking read. 5/5

With its original plot and charming protagonist, there is much to like about Emily Barr's young-adult debut.

Her [Emily's] page-turning talents are put to good use in Flora's adventure, as the reader accompanies a brave teenager on a journey to discover who she really is.

Barr's light touch captures the innocence and integrity of Flora's voice.

Readers will surely have difficulty forgetting about Flora, her parents and their predicament.

An icily atmospheric story with a captivating hook.

A pacy page-turner that packs a significant emotional punch.

An absorbing, original and definitely memorable book.

A winning mix of a John Green/ Rainbow Rowell-style sharpness and sensitivity, but underlined with a darker edge, belying the author's previous experience as a thriller writer . . . a coming-of-age, finding-yourself-type novel which is, in turn, unsettling and uplifting.

This is yet another masterwork from the wonderful Israeli novelist whose work resonates with emotional intelligence, humanity and truth.

Bold, brash, angry and heartbreakingly tender, with flurries of exasperated humour, here is a novel to take one by surprise… A demanding and gloriously rewarding novel, in it Grossman confronts the business of being alive.

A sensitive and deeply emotional account of a past-prime comedian… This book is an immersive read for both the fans and haters of the stand-up comedy, but tread carefully if you’re not up for an emotional rollercoaster.

The perfect antidote to Trump.

This book is a compelling study of the relationship between artist and spectator, and how suffering feeds into art, and he’s made of it a bravura performance… Extraordinary.

A haunting, intense and Man Booker International prize-winning novel from a great writer.

Incredibly fast paced, and the dialogue comes at you like a machine gun… It is powerful in its own right.

Abrasive, unexpected and eventually heartbreaking, it is a masterclass in characterisation and structure, and it beat off some exceptionally strong competition to win the prize… A Horse Walks into a Bar is quite unlike any other Grossman book except in one important respect: it’s another masterpiece.

Excellent.

Pitch-perfect black comedy