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Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields
Aug 29, 2025 3:39 PM

Author:Katie Flynn

Strawberry Fields

Liverpool: Christmas Day 1924.

When twelve-year-old Sara Cordwainer, the unloved child of rich and fashionable parents, sees a ragged girl with a baby in her arms outside her church, she stops to talk to her, pressing her collection money into the girl's icy hand. But from this generous act comes a tragedy which will haunt her for years.

When, years later, Sara meets Brogan, a young Irishman working in England, she feels she has found a friend at last. But Brogan has a secret which he dare tell no one, not even Sara.

And in a Dublin slum, Brogan's little sister Polly is growing up. The only girl in a family of boys, she knows herself to be much loved, but it is not until Sara begins to work at the Salvation Army children's home, Strawberry Fields, that the two girls meet - and Brogan's secret is told at last...

Reviews

THE THIRD CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEAN

June 1940. Rita Smith swore she would never lose heart . . . Despite losing her mother at a young age and her father away on important war work, seventeen-year-old Rita Smith has plenty of people to turn to in the close-knit community of Cliffehaven.

—— from the publisher's description

A poignant and mesmerising story of tragedy and triumph from the author of The Stanford Lasses

—— Country Gentleman’s Association

This charming tale will be perfect for when you want to escape the festive preparations

—— First magazine

One of the country's most popular storytellers

—— Scottish Daily Record

Beautifully observed . . . [Anshaw] intimately dissects how one event or choice can alter the trajectory of a life, how a fork in the road can lead to wholly unexpected and divergent outcomes

—— Michiko Kakutani , The New York Times

A funny, vivid and pingingly true story about longing and the pain of love. Anshaw conveys beefy emotions and life-changing events with the most gossamer of touches

—— Rachel Johnson , Vogue

Carol Anshaw is one of those authors who should be a household name . . . [a] fine, eloquent novel

—— USA Today

Superb . . . [Anshaw] has a knack for capturing a personality in a single phrase

—— Financial Times

Moving and engaging . . . Anshaw has written not only a funny, smart and closely observed story, but also one that explores the way tragedy can follow hard on celebration, binding people together even more lastingly than passion.

—— Sylvia Brownrigg , The New York Times Book Review

Words used to praise Anshaw's earlier novels - witty, warm, intimate, poignant - apply equally well to her most compelling book yet, a wholly seductive tale of siblings, addiction, conviction, and genius . . . Masterful in her authenticity, quicksilver dialogue, wise humour, and receptivity to mystery, Anshaw has created a deft and transfixing novel of fallibility and quiet glory

—— Booklist

A brilliant feat of storytelling . . . one of the most intensely vibrant novels I've ever read

—— Boston Globe

Here's passion and addiction, guilt and damage, all the beautiful mess of family life. Carry the One will lift readers off their feet and bear them along on its eloquent tide

—— Emma Donoghue

Splendid . . . sits somewhere between a Jonathan Franzen novel and a collection of haiku

—— Entertainment Weekly

Funny, touching, knowing . . . a quiet, lovely, genuine accomplishment

—— Publishers Weekly

Anshaw is that rare, brilliant, witty writer whose prose is rich and buttery, and whose plotting is as well-conceived and seamlessly executed as that of the most intricate thriller

—— Chicago Tribune

If you love Jonathan Franzen, you'll love this compelling book

—— Entertainment Weekly

Graceful and compassionate . . . Writing with rueful wit and a subtle understanding of the currents and passions that rule us, Anshaw demonstrates that struggling to do one's best, whatever the circumstances, makes for a life of consequence

—— People

A fine novel . . . stunning . . . wise

—— TLS

Anshaw submerges the reader in gorgeous detail

—— Independent

Carol Anshaw's writing is cool and funny, outraged and sympathetic by turns. The book is full of sharp observations and memorable phrases

—— Literary Review

Beautiful prose

—— Independent on Sunday

Beautiful prose

—— Independent on Sunday

A series of beautifully detailed snapshots . . . an arresting examination of three intersecting lives, forcefully told

—— Telegraph
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