The Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint

Jan 15, 2026 3:16 PM

Author:William Shakespeare

Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design.

When this volume of Shakespeare's poems first appeared in 1609, he had already written most of the great plays that made him famous. The 154 sonnets - all but two of which are addressed to a beautiful young man or a treacherous 'dark lady' - contain some of the most exquisite and haunting poetry ever written, and deal with eternal subjects such as love and infidelity, memory and mortality, and the destruction wreaked by Time. Also included is A Lover's Complaint, originally published with the sonnets, in which a young woman is overheard lamenting her betrayal by a heartless seducer.

Reviews

A moving, bittersweet coming of age . . . A collection that works its magic quietly

—— Kirkus Reviews

The story is sit-up-until-3am readable, the wide-ranging cast of highly individual characters is beautifully handled

—— Sunday Times

Kennedy is a complete genius when it comes to understanding the minds of stylish but troubled women. What's more, he does so enthrallingly and movingly

—— Daily Mirror

Extremely clever and consistently engaging

—— Independent on Sunday

A mesmerising page-turner

—— Sunday Express

Kennedy has a thriller writer's ability to keep you turning the pages, while absorbing you in the persuasive detail of one woman's emotional life. Popular fiction at its best

—— Marie Claire

Dunmore chillingly evokes the atmosphere of Soviet suspicion, where whispered rumours and petty grievances metastasise into lies and denunciation. A gripping read

—— Daily Mail

Meticulous, clever, eloquent. An absorbing and thoughtful tale of good people in hard times

—— Guardian

A remarkably feeling, nuanced novel that satisfies the head as well as the heart. This does not read like a retelling of history, but like a draught of real life. With her seemingly small canvas, Dunmore has created a universe

—— Sunday Herald

Dunmore's genius lies in her ability to convey the strange Soviet atmosphere of these very Soviet stories using the most subtle of clues

—— Spectator

Storytelling on a grand scale

—— The Times

This cleverly constructed novel will have, deservedly, widespread popular appeal, especially, perhaps, with young female readership

—— School Librarian

A beautifully written book with moments of real sadness, hope, laughter, tragedy and joy, which make you appreciate all the little things you love, as your eyes brim with tears

—— Booktrust online

A beautifully-crafted, heart-breaking look at love and loss

—— Western Daily Press

Another must is If I Stay by Gayle Foreman, which deals with deep, universal emotions and unpicks the truth about moving on after unspeakable loss - a fresh and compelling piece of work

—— Sarah Webb , Irish Independent

A heartbreaking and beautifully written novel that should be a must-read for everyone. I doubt anyone who reads this will get to the end dry-eyed. Stock up the tissues!

—— So Little Time for Books

If I Stay makes you appreciate what you have, all that you've lost and all that might be

—— Shout

A beautifully written book with moments of real sadness, hope and joy

—— Rachael Ashley , Sainsbury's Magazine

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