An elegant, subtle, haunting novel that stayed with me long after I finished it. Sadie Jones has a long literary future ahead of her

The prose is elegant and spare, but the story it reveals is raw and explosive... Devastatingly good'

Jones's story is imbued with brooding atmosphere and drama. Understated and elegantly narrated with attention to period detail, this is a gripping love story with a twist. If you liked Atonement by Ian McEwan, you'll love this

Eminently readable first novel....reads like a thriller, the tension and menace build expertly...a powerful, promising first novel

She writes with simmering intensity... particularly strong on atmosphere... Jones uses small, startling phrases to convey depths of passion and information and she can make seemingly innocuous passages radiate beauty

A dark but beautifully written, heart-wringing suspense tale... The claustrophobic, menacing atmosphere of Sadie Jones's page-turning debut never lets up, and that's admirable enough, but it's more than narrative tension that makes the novel special. Her writing is deeply affecting... the quality of the writing and the desire to see justice done keep one reading avidly

Controlled, insightful first novel... Comparisons with Ian McEwan are inevitable, but Jones's assured, compassionate writing is satisfyingly original

This hotly-tipped debut certainly delivers. The prose is clean and clear; so disciplined and spare

Sadie Jones proves she's no novice when it comes to poignant prose with this, her debut novel... The sense of mounting suspense coupled with the beautifully drawn characterisation makes this a novel that's guaranteed to get right under your skin

This elegantly written debut novel brings to life both her alienated and damaged protagonist and the small minded community that condemns him

The writing is impressive from the start, both succinct and fluent

Sadie Jones' take on an introverted and self-destructive teen is fresh and believable... An assured and engaging debut ****

My Life in Books: 'It's an incredible, dark, emotional story.

Beautifully crafted, wonderfully filmic, very real and emotional. It keeps you guessing. All you want in a book

Febrile and atmospheric

2018’s most hyped literary debut… [Imogen Hermes Gowar is a] soon-to-be literary star.

The richness and rhythm of the writing is irresistible.

A story of curiosity and obsession, this is full of rich detail and is a book to get lost in

A gloriously assured debut, set in a beautifully drawn London… A story of obsession and destruction, hope and heart, which beguiles as much as the mermaid herself.

The most buzzed-about book of 2018 so far is also the most magical… the definition of ‘must-read’

It feels like 2018 has more than its share of debut novels to get excited about. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar nails the 18th century as convincingly as Francis Spufford in Golden Hill, but with supernatural elements that bring to mind Susannah Clarke and Sarah Perry.’

A deliciously salty slab of historical fiction… The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock crests a new wave of historical fiction that brings the complex lives of historical women out of the shadows.

Big, big things are predicted for this debut. Set in 1785, merchant Jonah Hancock finds himself in possession of a mermaid (“More of a sea-goblin, aint it?”) and is invited by an ageing courtesan to pool their resources and turn it into a society showstopper which just happens to take place in her “high-society parlour” where he meets the wonderful Angelica. Rich in detail and utterly charming, it’s the natural successor to The Essex Serpent and The Miniaturist.

An epic and intricately researched historical novel evokes 1780s London – an era of spectacle, Soho courtesans, lavish parties and dark secrets.

A wonderful romp through Georgian London.

A wonderful read

Beautiful courtesans, destructive mermaids, mercenary madams, raucous sailors; there's little Imogen Hermes Gowar doesn't throw at her extraordinary debut novel. And thanks to her deft, skilfully weaved plot and gorgeous writing, it all comes together beautifully.

A fabulous new author... A wonderfully atmospheric historical novel which is vivid and rich enough in its depiction of 18th century London. Posing questions of social mobility, the status of women and the role of family, this is a debut novel in which you can get lost.

Absolutely delightful... I read it greedily, savouring the characters’ adventures and their wit, resilience and humanity as they contend with the glittering, filthy, dangerous city that was Georgian London. The novel is a well-researched, charming, immensely entertaining read

Immerse yourself in Georgian London... beautiful storytelling with a hint of magic.

I was captivated by this beautiful book until the last perfect sentence

Good god, it is a wonderful book

Exquisitely written, flawlessly imagined, The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock's siren song - of courtesans and merchants, shipwrecks and wonders, love and grief, ambition and passion - will echo like the ocean in a seashell long after the last page is turned.

[A] gripping debut… independence, love, class, death and gender stereotypes — are skilfully explored here through a late 18th-century lens

Beautifully written, sinuous, enchanting, brilliantly researched, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock goes deep into the eighteenth century - its grand front rooms, the secret places, the streets and the ocean that changed everything about Britain and it lays bare the hearts of a cast of unforgettable characters

This story really is spellbinding, an unforgettable jewel of a novel, filled to the brim with intelligence, heart and wit.

Beautifully written… By turns bawdy, witty and moving this is a glorious romp through Georgian London, in “the age of unlikely ascents”. With a truly gorgeous package á la The Essex Serpent, it deserves to be huge

Delightful… A gloriously immersive read, bringing Georgian London vividly to life… The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock impresses with Gowar’s attention to vivid and sensual detail

Its energy, characterisation and great sense of period completely seduced me.

An utterly absorbing read.

A gorgeously immersive novel.

Stunning.

In 2018 [mermaids] are back in vogue.

A terrific debut

The Mermaid And Mrs Hancock is the rare book that actually lives up to its hype and I’d be surprised if it wasn’t this year’s The Essex Serpent. Lush, vivid descriptions of 1780s Soho, proto-feminism, sparkly dialogue and a pleasingly irreverent style, it’s historical fiction even for people who don’t like historical fiction.

A tale of love, family and social status movingly told.

An absorbing tale of curiosity and obsession… Gowar’s prose is marvellous… There’s a beautiful balance of rhythm and intrigue, and an eye for what brings a book alive.

The most anticipated novel of the year.

An accomplished, captivating debut novel.

- The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is a roistering, swaggering, bawdy novel… [a] confident and accomplished debut

Lush, vivid descriptions of 1780s Soho, proto-feminism, sparkly dialogue and a pleasingly irreverent style.

Prose that’s as effervescent as it is intelligent.

Gowar’s prose shimmers.

Rich and humorous, it’s a heady period whirl with a magic realist twist.

A highly impressing debut… An absorbing tale of sex, money, ambition and the lure of the new.

Gowar’s wonderful novel expertly captures that sense of a more fluid society… An engrossing and well-paced novel, shot through with melancholy, yet filled with wonder and desire. The sort of book you lose yourself in for days.

Imogen Hermes Gowar’s bawdy, picturesque romp through the heady miasma of Georgian London is easily one of the most wonderfully immersive, richly drawn books I’ve read in years… This piece of historical fiction is really something special… Some truly exquisite writing.

All-consuming and spellbinding.

Gowar's writing is energetic, and she has wonderful attention both to physical and emotional detail and to the circumstances that constrain lives

This glittering debut novel examines every rung of 18th-century London’s social ladder with keen wit and in delicious detail

A Dazzling account of dreams and desire in Georgian London