Author:Ali Smith

WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR FICTION 2021
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2021
A once-in-a-generation series, Ali Smith's Seasonal quartet is a tour-de-force about love, time, art, politics, and how we live now.
'A maestra's portrait of her age . . . remarkable' Guardian
In the present, Sacha knows the world's in trouble. Her brother Robert just is trouble. Their mother and father are having trouble. Meanwhile the world's in meltdown - and the real meltdown hasn't even started yet. In the past, a lovely summer. A different brother and sister know they're living on borrowed time.
This is a story about people on the brink of change. They're family, but they think they're strangers. So: where does family begin? And what do people who think they've got nothing in common have in common?
Summer.
Discover all four instalments: Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer. Ali Smith's new novel, Companion piece, is available now.
*****
'The first great coronavirus novel - a book to savour, a literary tour de force' Evening Standard
'Exquisite. Smith is in a class of her own'Nicola Sturgeon
'An astonishing finale to a prescient series . . . Ali Smith brilliantly weaves strands of joy and celebration to end her Seasonal Quartet'Irish Times
An astonishing finale to a prescient series . . . Ali Smith brilliantly weaves strands of joy and celebration to end her Seasonal Quartet
—— Evening StandardThe first great coronavirus novel - a book to savour, a literary tour de force that captures the nation's psyche exquisitely
—— Evening StandardThis singular writer has found her moment
—— ProspectA maestra's portrait of her age. . . remarkable
—— GuardianFew writers today can make a more compelling claim to singularity of innovation and sustained brilliance
—— TLSThe bravura performance of a writer, poised at the edge of the day's vast darkness, gathering all the warmth and light of our inner summer
—— The Washington PostSmith bring[s] this brilliant quartet to a satisfying close
—— NPRThe final flourish of a mazy and beautiful quartet
—— TelegraphSublime
—— The Boston GlobeBrilliant
—— The ScotsmanThe novel's hopeful message about the healing power of friendship ensures the quartet ends on a feel-good note
—— Sunday TimesA remarkable experiment with timeliness in fiction
—— Literary ReviewA Deadly Education is a book that lives up to its gob smacker of an opening sentence and follows right through to its shocker of an ending that promises more to come. Naomi Novik is relentlessly innovative and entertaining
—— TERRY BROOKSFresh, smart, and delightfully unique. It's Hogwarts with higher stakes and sharper claws, and I absolutely loved it.
—— ALIX E. HARROWThe author's most entertaining novel to date
—— SFXFun and beautifully written
A story that never stops moving while always remaining focused on developing the characters of both the people and the school itself
—— Locus MagazineMohamed is . . . intent on expanding her world, listing its teeming varieties and presenting a wealth of character and language
—— TLSEvocative and enlightening
—— New StatesmanHeaving with life . . . The Fortune Men excavates the forgotten reaches of British colonial history . . . The purposeful detail is an implicit corrective to all the times when the lives of people like Mattan have not been considered at all
—— TelegraphA moving work
—— The Week, Novel of the WeekNadifa Mohamed's richly evocative novel paints a vivid picture of life in this notorious neighbourhood as she visits a forgotten miscarriage of justice
—— Vogue[Mohamed] creates an intriguing snapshot of an era and a complex main character you can't help but root for
—— The TimesIt's unbearably wrenching . . . Mohamed makes the outrage at the book's heart blazingly unignorable by inhabiting Mattan's point of view, a bold endeavour pulled off to powerful effect. Passages from the barbaric climax are still echoing in my head, even as I type
—— Daily MailJust as Half of a Yellow Sun drew out the little documented dramas of the Biafran war, Mohamed describes an East Africa under Mussolini's rule . . . such an accomplished first novel
—— Independent, on Black Mamba BoyA first novel of elegance and beauty... a stunning debut
—— The Times, on Black Mamba BoyA haunting and intimate portrait of the lives of women in war-torn Somalia
—— New York Journal of Books, on The Orchard of Lost SoulsMixing startling lyricism and sheer brutality, this is a significant, affecting book
—— Guardian, on Black Mamba BoyWith the unadorned language of a wise, clear-eyed observer, Nadifa Mohamed has spun an unforgettable tale
—— Taiye Selasi, on The Orchard of Lost SoulsA moving and captivating tale of survival and hope in a war-torn country, and confirms Mohamed's stature as one of Britain's best young novelists
—— Stylist on The Orchard of Lost SoulsMesmerising
—— Daily NerdMackintosh poses urgent questions about social expectations and free will that are relevant to all realities
—— Poets and WritersHeartbreaking but redemptive, and lightened by French's trademark humour, this is a compelling read that will keep you poised between laughter and tears
—— Daily MailA tantalising story of motherhood told with Dawn French's signature warmth
—— Sainsbury's MagazineAs ever, even in the darkest of times, Dawn has found humour to inject into her novel
—— BestA brilliant book
—— Good HousekeepingThe life-affirming and unmissable new novel
—— Eastern Daily PressA tale told with warmth
—— Daily RecordWhile Dawn French's latest novel contains a dash of humour, it's also heart-wrenching
—— The Hunsbury HandbookA fabulous emotional tearjerker of a novel
—— SilversurfersPraise for Dawn French
—— -Hilarious and brilliant
—— Woman & HomeI adored According to YES. It's so different to anything I've read in forever, so charming, wise, brilliantly written. I loved it all
—— Marian KeyesWitty and wise, it'll have you burning the midnight oil. A cracker
—— Woman's WeeklyVery funny and packs an emotional clout. Brilliant!
—— HeatAn enlightening and feel-good read offering a fresh look at life and how to embrace it. Funny and enjoyable to the end
—— We Love This BookThere is lots of fun to be had reading this book. It's impossible not to warm to Rosie, a funny and open-hearted woman who acts as a salve and comfort blanket for this unhappy, inhibited family. There's something quite joyous about the way she unashamedly romps her way through the novel, changing the lives of those around her for the better
—— ExpressAnother hilarious novel!
—— BellaFrench can spin a yarn . . . which sets According to YES apart. Think the vicar of Dibley, without the dog collar. YES YES YES indeed
—— IndependentWise and poignant
—— Beyond the JokeHeart-warming
—— Choice Magazine






