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The End of the Day
The End of the Day
Jan 15, 2026 12:10 PM

Author:Bill Clegg

The End of the Day

'A writer with a profound comprehension of emotional destruction, loss and redemption' Sunday Times

A retired widow in rural Connecticut wakes to an unexpected visit from her childhood best friend whom she hasn't seen in forty-nine years.

A man arrives at a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania hotel to introduce his estranged father to his newborn daughter and finds him collapsed on the floor of the lobby.

A sixty-seven-year-old taxi driver in Kauai receives a phone call from the mainland that jars her back to a traumatic past.

These seemingly disconnected lives come together as half-century-old secrets begin to surface over the course of one fateful day...

Reviews

Quietly devastating... A finely-wrought masterpiece...

—— Francesca Carington , Sunday Telegraph *Novel of the Week*

Reading The End of the Day is like studying a stained-glass window up close...a large, beautiful, mysterious work of art.

—— David Ebershoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Danish Girl and The 19th Wife

A writer with a profound comprehension of emotional destruction, loss and redemption...

—— Francesca Angelini , Sunday Times

Fabulously rich and compelling.

—— Daily Mail

[A] glorious novel.

—— Helen Macdonald , Guardian

Written in lyrical, beautiful prose that makes even waking up seem like a poetic event, The End of the Day makes sense of the events of a single day in a compelling work of fiction.

—— GMA.com

A moody, atmospheric domestic drama with a mystery novel somewhere in its family tree.

—— Kirkus Reviews

Clegg delivers a thoughtful, well-observed story... The splendid prose and orchestrated maneuvering will keep readers turning the pages and send them back to the beginning, to read it all over again.

—— Publishers Weekly

A declining heiress returns home for the first time in decades, but can't remember why. Her former maid's daughter runs a taxi company in Hawaii. Her aunt is left with a baby whose parents have vanished. Leave it to Clegg to brilliantly bind these threads.

—— Entertainment Weekly

Clegg tantalisingly reveals the clues that connect the characters to each other. A gripping read.

—— Psychologies

Arresting and impressive.

—— Ethan Croft , Literary Review

The most striking feature of this moving and enjoyable book is her fearless openness. When the publishing world looked closed to her she prised it open with her daring fiction

—— The Sunday Times

Bernardine Evaristo is the most daring, imaginative and innovative of writers

—— Inua Ellams

Manifesto serves as not only a beautifully written, measured companion piece to the fictionalised lives of Girl, Woman, Other, but as a testament to Evaristo's own trailblazing commitment to creativity, education and activism

—— Buzzfeed

'[A] gorgeously crafted novel'

—— The Washington Post

A sweet, charming and wonderfully astute take on humanity and its foibles, this is gorgeous storytelling

—— Psychologies, Book of the Month

The Lincoln Highway is a joyride...[a] delightful tour de force .. There's so much to enjoy in this generous novel packed with fantastic characters

—— NPR.org

Following the runaway success of A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles returns with his third major novel, and we're pleased to say it's another stunner... A gem of a book

—— Woman and Home, Book of the Month

[The Lincoln Highway] is reason to rejoice for Towles's millions of fans, who made his first two novels, Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow, runaway international bestsellers

—— The Millions

Towles' third novel is even more entertaining than his much-acclaimed A Gentleman in Moscow (2016)... A remarkable blend of sweetness and doom, Towles' novel is packed with revelations about the American myth, the art of storytelling, and the unrelenting pull of history. An exhilarating ride through Americana.

—— Kirkus starred review

"[The] notion of American openness, of ever-fractalizing free will, coming up against the fickle realities of fate is the tension that powers Towles' exciting, entertaining [...] picaresque . . . Stories can bring us back to ourselves, Towles seems to say, if only we are open to receiving their power . . . Anyone who follows The Lincoln Highway will relish the trip

—— Los Angeles Times

An enthralling odyssey

—— People

Absorbing

—— USA Today

A wild ride through Americana

—— BuzzFeed

History [and] adventure collide in The Lincoln Highway . . . The pace is fast and writing concise, making it a digestible read whether in bed or at a loud coffee shop

—— Associated Press

Magnificent . . . Towles is a supreme storyteller, and this one-of-a-kind kind of novel isn't to be missed

—— Publishers Weekly

[A] playfully thought-provoking novel . . . [Towles] juggles the pieces of his plot deftly, shifting from voice to voice, skirting sentimentality and quirkiness with a touch of wistful regret, and leading up to an ending that is bound to provoke discussion

—— Booklist

A new author to me- but I'll be reading Amor's A Gentlemen in Moscow, as I was blown away by this... A heartfelt read, one that makes me think of coming of age film Stand By Me

—— Prima

A natural storyteller, Towles keeps the plot ticking over nicely in a solid holiday listen destined for the big screen

—— Irish Examiner

A perfect paperback

—— The Herald

A book to lose yourself in

—— Muddy Stilettos
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