Author:Rowan Coleman
Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes and Sophie Kinsella, this is a funny, warm-hearted novel from the author of The Memory Book, which was featured in the Richard & Judy book club 2014
'I immediately read The Memory Book and it's WONDERFUL ... I'm so happy because she's written other books and its so lovely to find a writer you love who has a backlist' Marian Keyes
Alison James thinks she might be living the wrong life. She loves her husband Marc and their three children but somehow, in the process of building a perfect life for her family, she seems to have lost herself. And sometimes she worries that she's being punished for how it all started - for the day she ran away with her best friend's boyfriend.
Catherine Ashley knows she's living the wrong life. She adores her two daughters, but she'd always thought that at thirty-one she'd be more than a near-divorcee with a dead-end job. In those dark middle-of-the-night moments that come all too often these days, her mind still flicks back to the love of her life: Marc James.And she still wonders whether Alison stole her life as well as her boyfriend.
Alison and Catherine have been living separate lives, a hundred miles apart, for fifteen years - since Alison and Marc ran away together. But now Alison's moving back to Farmington, the town in which they both grew up. And they're about to find out just how different both their lives could still be ...
I immediately read The Memory Book and it's WONDERFUL ... I'm so happy because she's written other books and its so lovely to find a writer you love who has a backlist
—— Marian KeyesOne of my favourite writers
—— Cara DelevingneAt times laugh-out-loud funny, at others tear-provoking, The Accidental Wife is one of those books that makes you miss your bus stop. Totally addictive
—— Take A BreakA funny, touching story ... unputdownable
—— CompanyHighly amusing
—— OK!A sweet tale
—— CloserAn extraordinary near-future adventure
—— chosen as one of the '50 Best Winter Reads' , IndependentA novel of the near future in which genre boundaries no longer have any meaning... The twists and turns of The Man with the Compound Eyes provide compelling reading. It is safe to say you will read nothing else quite like it
—— Maureen Kincaid Speller , InterzoneA fascinating genre-bending novel merging fantasy with an important environmental message
—— Big IssueA novel anchored in the gritty mess of what it means to remember and to exist as an individual
—— Tash Aw , GuardianEvery word counts: one has the sense of a complicated piece of music played by a master soloist.
—— Christina Hardyment , The TimesFascinatingly complex and finally heartbreaking… A quite beautiful work of fiction.
—— John Sutherland , The TimesA great writer. One of the most acute chroniclers of modern life and its discontents ... The Children Act is both gripping and highly topical…Entirely entrancing
—— Andrew MarrProse of uncommon clarity, unshowiness and control … Masterly
—— Kate Kellaway , ObserverAnother notable volume from one of the finest writers alive.
—— Ron Charles , Washington PostA masterclass in the power of precision and restraint … McEwan is brilliant on the details that form the backdrop to public and private tragedy.
—— Christina Patterson , The Sunday TimesAlthough thrillingly close to the child within us, McEwan nonetheless writes for, and about, the grown-ups. In a climate that breeds juvenile cynicism, we more than ever need his adult art.
—— Boyd Tonkin , IndependentMcEwan brings to the analysis of justice a distinctive combination of literary skill, empathy and legal knowledge… A welcome addition to the class [of novels about judges].
—— David Pannick QC , The TimesA classic McEwan novella, swift and compelling, asking to be read in a single sitting despite its 200-odd pages… He makes it look simple yet few other writers have anything like his mastery of such prose… So skillfully composed and fluently performed, it’s a pleasure from start to finish, one not to be interrupted.
—— David Sexton , Evening StandardA brave and enormously interesting subject.
—— Amanda Craig , Independent on SundayA dazzling tapestry… Another magnificent work by McEwan, important and meticulously crafted.
—— James McNair , NationalA svelte novel as crisp and spotless as a priest’s collar.
—— Ron Charles , Washington PostPacy and gripping, with a fascinating premise… McEwan skillfully brings complexity and depth to the characters.
—— StylistBeautifully told with pared-down emotional honesty, this 13th novel from the Booker Prize-winner is fiercely clever and incredibly moving.
—— Hello!A gripping new novel which brings into question morality, religion and the very nature of life itself.
—— Hunts PostMcEwan masterfully weaves a gripping personal story.
—— Peter Donaldson , Gazette (Colchester)I feel that both Fiona and the boy somehow sort of transcended naturalistic character
—— Mark Ravenhill , Saturday ReviewEmotionally wrenching and visceral.
—— ElleGripping.
—— Mail on SundayA short novel of great subtlety and tenderness.
—— UK Human RightsExecuted in his trademark elegant prose and is evidently meticulously researched.
—— Carla McKay , Daily MailIncredibly moving, intriguing and quite perfect as piece of fiction.
—— Bath ChronicleYet another worthy addition to his canon.
—— EasyJet TravellerThe small morning scenes between husband and wife are superb.
—— Catholic HeraldMoving, sad and delicate.
—— Joanna Kavenna , ProspectTrue to life [as well as] being well-written.
—— Catherine Taylor, family solicitor , Latest HomesVery deft, urgent and morally plangent.
—— Lewis Jones , OldieImpeccably crafted.
—— Stephanie Cross , LadyThe Children Act is in part a tribute to the best of the legal profession and, as a wordsmith, his deep respect for the best of their prose… The book has some landmark McEwan features of skillfully created tension.
—— LancetHe offers the reader a masterful study of a mind devoted to fairness… The Children Act is also a fascinating, painstakingly researched look inside the judicial process… Conveyed in crisp prose, this attention to detail elevates the moral conundrums…beyond the sensationalism lesser authors might have pursued. It is, in all respects, a novel that is carefully judged.
—— Irish ExaminerIt explores the tension between cool-headed secularism and ardent belief. It is at times preposterous – and yet it has a magical readability and is slender enough to read in one intense, absorbing sitting.
—— Jason Cowley , New StatesmanIn typical McEwan style, The Children Act is unputdownable and hauntingly beautiful.
—— Sushmita Bose , Khaleej TimesThe Children Act is a…sophisticated exploration of how society treats children and how children’s welfare can be considered in the complex world in which we live, where issues about how children should be raised are not subject to consensus.
—— Carol Storer , Legal ActionIf you have any unanswered letters on your desk, McEwan’s latest will have you grabbing your pen pronto.
—— IndependentThe Children Act shows McEwan as a master of fiction who strives to teach us how to live.
—— Olivia Cole , GQ Magazine UKPowerful and moving.
—— Sir David Bell , Times Higher EducationTaut, sparing and effortless, this is another exquisitely wrought novel from the master of the novella.
—— Good Book GuideA subtly musical arrangement of urgently topical issues…it may be read at a sitting, but resonates for much longer.
—— Lewis Jones , SpectatorIt’s absorbing and, almost a novella, it doesn’t outstay its welcome.
—— Nick Bevan , Times Higher EducationDefinitely one of the best books I have read this year.
—— Natalie K. Watson , Church TimesThis is a wonderful read with sharp, crystalline prose and, together with a superb moral dilemma, this is a beautiful and moving story.
—— Bath ChronicleOffering a window into a compelling world of life or death dilemmas, this is told in prose as polished as you’d expect.
—— Daily MailThe book is bursting of beautiful writing. You’ll want to read it all over again.
—— Kirsty Brimelow , The TimesA story of human behavior told in a raw, uncluttered, unforgiving way.
—— Cambridge NewsRenowned author McEwan manages to surprise throughout this book, right to the last page.
—— Mayfair MagazineA story of human behavior told in a raw, uncluttered, unforgiving way – and we could all have done with another couple of hundred pages.
—— Cambridge MagazineMcEwan writes in taut, sparing and effortless prose.
—— Good Book GuideIan McEwan writes stories of exquisite precision and clarity. This one is ace.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardA page-turning novel
—— John Koski , Mail on SundayAs one has come to expect, McEwan sets up the moral issues with delicacy and precision.
—— John Sutherland , The TimesIan McEwan is at his most compelling with the story of Fiona Maye… Awesome
—— Marcus Field , IndependentA wonderfully readable and thought-provoking book
—— Kathryn Atkins , Bristol MagazineA short novel that will linger in your mind for a long time
—— Woman’s WeeklyAnother beautifully written masterpiece
—— Beyondrelevant, emotive, moving, this is beautifully written and a guaranteed page turner
—— Matthew Smith , H EditionOne of our best authors at his best.
—— Murray Neil , Hertfordshire LifeOne of my favourite authors… McEwan’s fascination with judicial issues, with music and poetry, and with the moral conundrum of how far you place your religious beliefs above the life of someone you love, all feature in this book which will leave you thinking long after you have finished it.
—— Frances Colville , Frost MagazineIt's an enjoyable and often surprising novella.
—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily ExpressIt asks fundamental questions in a sober, intelligent way about the choices we make and our blindness when it comes to our beliefs.
—— Francois Ozon, film-maker , ObserverHere he is again: vulnerable, insightful, passionate and utterly in control. He’s amazing.
—— Robert Webb , Mail on Sunday