Gibbons was an acute and witty observer, and her dissection of the British class system is spot-on

Stella Gibbons is the Jane Austen of the 20th century

Hill's writing here is superb, conveying emotion and pain in the sparest of prose...a comforting keenly moving tale of endurance and the eternal springs of friendship and love

It has a power beyond its pages; a haunting resonance between each stark sentence that stayed with me long after I'd turned the final page.The delicate balance between kindness and bitterness, hope and despair, a dying man and a dying town, are almost unbearably poignant. This is a short book that will live long in the memory

Concisely captures primal emotions and offers astonishing transformations... Movingly perceptive

I read this short novel in one sitting; it is an enthralling story, touching and ultimately positive

Susan Hill is the mistress of subtle atmosphere

Moving study of faith and humanity

Beautiful novel

A bittersweet family drama set in an English industrial town

Richly satisfying

The legendary Ms Trollope triumphs yet again, with her latest slick of classy chick-lit

This thoroughly engaging, intelligent, literate novel

The brilliantly observed portrayal of family life is wonderfully compelling - and a story many will be able to identify with. ****