An extraordinary and unforgettable book - powerful, poignant and incredibly moving. I read the whole thing at a sitting, and absolutely loved it

Compelling new book

...powerful emotions are aroused. A compelling, thoughtful read

A classic romp through the world of horse racing. Guilty pleasures rarely come as delicious as this.

Jilly has given more pleasure to more girls and women than anyone else alive today...Cooper's familiar warmth and irrepressible humour.

A magnificent portrayal of how a beautiful young girl might become the first woman ever to win the Grand National.

Classic Cooper: either the perfect beach read or else something to curl up on the sofa with to keep out the encroaching autumn chill.

Sharp, funny and touching.

Warmed by the tender characterisation that has made Jilly Cooper a national treasure.

Just the thing for a wet winter weekend.

Unrivalled joy

To read one of Cooper's books is to escape into an alternative universe in which all is right with the world.

Jilly's descriptions of the glorious Cotswold countryside are some of the most lyrical ever written and her comedies of manners rival Nancy Mitford, if not Jane Austen.

As plots go you can't get more charming than this.

This is definitely the most exciting book that landed on my doormat this year. Cooper is a major genius...the narrative zips along, pierced with her characteristically brilliant ear for dialogue and empathy for human relationships of all kinds. You won't be able to put it down.

A rollicking fantasy.

I loved it.

An exciting, revealing and touching story

The novel's interest (or lack thereof) lies mainly in its stubborn refusal of anything resembling a narrative payoff...I loved it, right down to the prose, which, unspooling in a vaguely menacing present-continuous, sounds like screenplay instructions to a set designer

A dazzlingly agile novel about the interconnectedness of things

Entertaining as well as ambitious

McCarthy's descriptions of nature and of the everyday details of the era are vivid, surprising and true. And while the writing is often beautiful and ornate, the story has a bracing, Beckett-like severity