Author:Katie Flynn
Kay Duffield's fiancé is about to leave the country, and her own duty with the WAAF is imminent when she becomes a bride. The precious few days she spends with her new husband are quickly forgotten once she starts work as a balloon operator, trained for the heavy work in order to release more men to fight. There she makes friends with shy Emily Bevan, who has left her parents' hill farm in Wales for the first time; down-to-earth Biddy Bachelor, fresh from the horrors of the Liverpool bombing, and spirited Jo Stewart, the rebel among them, whose disregard for authority looks set to land them all in trouble. The girls stay friends through good times and bad, through romantic encounters and, ultimately, tragedy.
Watch out Catherine Cookson
—— Northern EchoA mesmerising patchwork of horror, humour and humanity
—— IndependentA magnificent, poetic, colossal novel... Superbly written... It is, in every sense, a sublime book
—— Irish TimesHis most serious and ambitious achievement to date
—— Times Literary SupplementPleasurable... Like Steinbeck, de Bernières deserves praise for his imaginative sympathy
—— Independent on SundayShafak will challenge Paulo Coelho's dominance
—— The IndependentAn honour killing is at the centre of this stunning novel... Exotic, evocative and utterly gripping
—— The TimesLushly and memorably magic-realist... This is an extraordinarily skilfully crafted and ambitious narrative
—— The IndependentThe book calls to mind The Color Purple in the fierceness of its engagement with male violence and its determination to see its characters to a better place. But Shafak is closer to Isabel Allende in spirit, confidence and charm. Her portrayal of Muslim cultures, both traditional and globalising, is as hopeful as it is politically sophisticated. This alone should gain her the world audience she has long deserved
—— The GuardianIn Honour, Shafak treats an important, absorbing subject in a fast-paced, internationally familiar style that will make it accessible to a wide readership
—— Sunday TimesFascinating and gripping - a wonderful novel
—— Rosamund Lupton, author of SisterVivid storytelling... that explores the darkest aspects of faith and love
—— Sunday TelegraphMoving, subtle and ultimately hopeful, Honour is further proof that Shafak is the most exciting Turkish novelist to reach western readers in years
—— Irish Times