Gripping and compelling from first page to last, Children of Fire is a ... spell-binding epic told with masterful craft

Oh, what a find! A lovely, funny book

There is much to savour, enjoy, intrigue and shock in this wonderful novel. Bowen is sublime

Great fun

Enchanted August is a true charmer of a novel, written with humour, sensitivity, and a huge amount of heart. I fell in love with the glorious Maine setting and with the quirky and endearing characters who find themselves thrown together there. It’s a perfect summer read – for any time of the year

Bowen has conjured up a delightful and inviting island summer complete with all the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Maine to create a feast for the senses…this feel-good story will make an enjoyable summer read for romance lovers

Bowen crafts an old-fashioned love story with humor and heart as well as a lush setting, quirky characters, and a well-paced narrative

With touches of Shakespearian comedy, this is. . . bright and kind and optimistic. A thoroughly pleasant summer read as breezy as the island itself

A heartwarming read, allowing the reader absorb the briny air, the taste of boiled lobsters, and cozy gatherings that bring one back to the languorous days of long ago endless summers

A suitably surreal cocktail of Kafka, Lagos life and Nigerian wit

A really interesting and different novel from many of the things I have read, or have seen published, this year. You can simply read it as a darkly witty escapist fairytale/myth/fable or you can or as a wonderful, satirical and occasionally daring way to look at society and questions of class, gender and race. Either way you are going to have a great read ahead of you

Barrett’s novel forces the reader to consider important questions regarding the human condition and is a worthwhile read precisely because of the difficult questions it raises.

Barrett reworks Kafka’s family drama as an urban odyssey and make a stunning success of it.