Author:Mary Morrissy
Berlin 1920. A young woman throws herself from a bridge into the Landwehr Canal, intent on suicide. But she is saved. She refuses to give any clue to her identity. She is literally a nobody. After two years of silence, she claims to be Anastasia, the fourth daughter of the Tsar of Russia. For over sixty years she lives with the firm conviction that she is, indeed, a grand duchess. It is only after her death in 1984 that DNA tests establish that the woman could not have been a Romanov. Who, then, was this mysterious woman, who lived a lie and convinced so many others of her fictional identity? And what of her own identity that she drowned that winter's night in Berlin?
In The Pretender, Mary Morrissy writes the prequel to the Anastasia myth. She creates a fictional history for Franziska Schanzkowska, the Polish factory worker who so successfully donned the mantle of the doomed princess. From the few facts that are known, Morrissy fashions the biography of a nobody - an impoverished Polish childhood, an adolescence set against the First World war and the ruinous humiliation of Germany in defeat, a young adulthood blighted by violence, trauma and loss. The Pretender is a nesting doll of a book. Morrissy unspools the multiple intricacies of female identity and explores the strategies that women employ to survive in a calamitous world. Was Franziska Schanzkowska a fraud? Was she de
A magical tale about the power of family, fables and railway stations. Shot through with wisdom, wit and melancholy, Wallace demonstrates what skill it takes to write a truly charming novel
—— Sarah Perry, author of THE ESSEX SERPENTA cracking read
—— Cathy RentzenbrinkCharming, magical and beautifully imagined.
—— Carys Bray, author of A SONG FOR ISSY BRADLEYPhenomenal...The Finding of Martha Lost spoke to my soul, I loved it so much
—— Carrie Hope FletcherThis magical book had me bewitched within a few paragraphs. Martha is an irresistible character, who brings light and laughter into the lives of every person she meets - and will do to yours too! If you love the films Amelie or Hugo, you will adore this magical modern fairytale.
—— Essentials MagazineA charming, quirky tale
—— Woman & HomeA charming read
—— PrimaThe Blade Artist is lean...clever and propulsive. The shorter length concentrates Welsh’s energy… There is a reason people still read him.
—— Orlando Bird , Daily TelegraphNo one writes about violence and class with such wit and insight as Welsh. He’s a social satirist of the highest order and, with its themes of vengeance and redemption, this is a deceptively comic book with a very dark heart.
—— MetroWelsh may be a reformed character but he's still got it, and The Blade Artist is fab.
—— Katy Guest , Independent on SundayFans are in for a treat
—— UK Press SyndicationThis Ultra-violent but curiously redemptive new novel is both elegant and electrifying.
—— Glasgow West EndAn ultra-violent odyssey through the darkest recesses of urban life.
—— Hot PressFast and fizzing, compulsively readable.
—— Sunday MirrorHorribly enjoyable
—— Mail on SundayUnique mix of raw Scots dialect, ultra-violence and sickening social comedy.
—— WNQ MagazineOffers biting social commentary and razor-sharp humour.
—— Keely Bolger , UK Press SyndicationWelsh with his trademark wit and observation unpeels a layer of his character to offer an unsettling glimpse into Begbie’s psyche.
—— Kate Whiting , HeraldThe dialogue is zippy, the pace rarely flags and Welsh is excellent on the milieu of the ageing career hard-man.
—— Private EyeMaintains his forensic command of the Edinburgh demotic.
—— Anna Travis , Times Literary SupplementWelsh shows his hardman character in a new light.
—— Gloucestershire EchoUltimately satisfying.
—— Irish IndependentDisturbing but also intensely gripping… If you’re a fan of intense character studies, you’ll kick yourself –violently- if you miss it.
—— Paul Nolan , Hot PressEspecially intriguing… it’s Welsh’s prose that gives the story its edge… The language really gets into your head, and you start thinking in Scots, and it’s one of the most immersive literary devices I’ve ever encountered
—— Felix White-Thomson , Oxford StudentSuperb
—— Paul Nolan , Hot PressA composite portrait of modern masculinity and the foibles of contemporary Europe.
—— Jon Day , GuardianThis book is well written, the language is clear and evocative of mood and movement, the observations offered are both simple and profound, the overall effect is a sophisticated commentary on life.
—— Methodist RecorderIf you haven’t read David Szalay before, these finely crafted, bite size narratives seem like a good place to start.
—— Lucy Chatburn , Bookmunch[It is] scabrous, intelligent and hugely engaging.
—— Philip Hensher , Spectator, Book of the YearSzalay got some of the critical recognition his formidable talent deserves for All That Man Is
—— Duncan White , Daily Telegraph, Book of the Year[It is] glorious.
—— Philip Hensher , Guardian, Book of the YearA revelation… Not only of a brilliantly inventive and observant writer…but of new possibilities for the novel as a form… I can’t stop thinking about it.
—— Alan Hollinghurst , Guardian, Book of the YearSzalay brilliantly avoids approximation by precisely detailing the inner and outer worlds of his nine very different characters.. [It is] really worth your time – both first and second time through.
—— Claire Lowdon. , Times Literary Supplement, Book of the YearA stylish exploration of masculinity that deserved its place on the Booker shortlist.
—— Melissa Katsoulis , The Times, Book of the YearI’m still struck by just how natural Szalay’s vernacular English voices sound in the mouths of his listless French teenagers, Hungarian bodyguards and cynical Danish journalists.
—— Lorien Kite , Financial Times, Book of the YearSzalay’s astute and insightful book focuses on nine different men, each at a tricky stage of life… This is a deft, amusing and often disturbing vision of the plight of the modern European male.
—— Rebecca Rose , Financial TimesA collection of funny, moving, sometimes desperately sad stories
—— Alex Preston , Observer, Book of the YearDeservedly shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize… A compelling masterpiece.
—— John Harding , Daily Mail, Book of the YearWonderfully compelling stuff.
—— Marcus Tanner , Tablet, Book of the YearA witty deconstruction of modern masculinity.
—— Week, Book of the Year #3All That Man Ishas a rather surprising tenderness. A grand project neatly realised.
—— Ben East , National, Book of the YearSzalay paints a bleak yet fascinating picture of European man today.
—— Sir Howard Davies , Times Higher Education, Book of the YearBeautiful, curious and compelling.
—— Mike McCormack , Irish Independent, Book of the YearShortlisted for last year’s Booker, these nine stories about very different men are replete with richly observed humanity, caught on the page as if in the midst of lives that extend backwards and forwards beyond the time we spend with them. Szalay’s writing is virtuosic, whether external realities or psychology… These are the best shirt stories I’ve read for ages.
—— Edward Docx , GuardianIt is beautifully written, with characters both repulsive and charming in equal measure
—— i
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