A bittersweet romantic tale that will leave you smiling

An all-round excellent beach book

Profound and original

A most unusual, fascinating novel...gripping transcontinental adventure

Brilliantly brutal

Splicing tales of Griselda's mission with Philomena's wartime trials, Belben's narrative ambles along at a pace suited to the war-battered world in which it unfolds. From this sentimental premise, she carves an epic tale devoid of syrup that cuts to the heart of our relationship with other cultures and other creatures

The novel offers a heart-rending account of the horses' experience in the Great War... Our Horses in Egypt, a radical experiment in narrative, has a sympathetic splendour, leading the blinkered humanist imagination into the realm of creaturely experience

Belben does not shy away from difficult themes...In this powerful novel, Belben celebrates the gift of not forgetting with the confidence and style of a writer who deserves to be a great deal better known

Here is a First World War story and a love story with a difference... Rosalind Belben is as unsentimental as she is skilful. Griselda's quest is perfectly paced, and the author's default tone is restraint mixed with irony. As a result she has conjured up a novel of unexpected potency

A beautiful, descriptive and engaging read

I consumed it in two sittings ... for sheer escapism, Hothouse Flower will fit the bill perfectly

Meticulously researched and emotionally powerful, this is a second novel to be proud of.

Her prose is direct, undecorated, irresistibly dynamic and immensely powerful... Small Wars is at least as good as The Outcast. In fact, it is probably better, and praise doesn't come much higher

Jones writes brilliantly; you quickly inhabit Hal and Clara's world; from the dank, metallic smell of the interrogation room to the taste of White Ladies at the Limassol Club that linger long after you've reached the end

Sadie Jones pulls no punches in her description of the savagely unsophisticated island war. An exceptional book that shudders with the weight of human responsibility

With her second novel, Sadie Jones...confirms her brilliance

A timely read for the end of 2009

A novel that resonates with contemporary parallels

Sadie Jones again pulls no punches in this strong story.

Intelligent and moving novel

This impassioned tale is a gripping read

Jones is fabulous...offering titbits of danger and discord, yet keeping a cool matter-of-fact tone for the big horrors

Her second novel is a must-read; a devastating, brilliant account of what happens when everything a man believes in...begins to crumble

Full of danger and discord