View tag: book reviews

Book review: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Tuesday 11th May 2021

My Dark Vanessa is one of the most harrowing novels I’ve read in a long time. The story of an abusive relationship between a 15-year-old girl and her teacher, it’s dark and disturbing, yet utterly compelling. Once you’ve read it you won’t be able to forget it. Vanessa Wye is an immature, awkward pupil at a US boarding school when her English teacher, Jacob Strane, starts to take an unsettling ...keep reading

Stubborn Archivist by Yara Rodrigues Fowler

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Thursday 12th March 2020

Stubborn Archivist is one of the most original novels I’ve read in a long time. Told in an eclectic mix of prose, dialogue, poetry, lists and snatches of Portuguese, it’s ambitious to say the least. However, this tender portrait of a young girl growing up between two cultures is a triumph – and highly readable at that. Yara Rodrigues Fowler grew up in a Brazilian British household herself and she’s ...keep reading

Book review: A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Saturday 7th September 2019

A new novel by Tracy Chevalier is always a treat. I’ve loved her books since her first, A Virgin Blue, was published way back in 1997 and in the intervening years she’s gone from strength to strength. Her 10 novels include the brilliant Girl with a Pearl Earring, which has sold more than five million copies and was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. Her latest, ...keep reading

Book Review: Jeffery Deaver’s new book

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Sunday 19th May 2019

When it comes to writing thrillers with dizzying plot twists Jeffery Deaver is second to none. He’s written more than 30 page-turning thrillers, sold more than 50 million books around the world and been translated into 25 languages. I’ve been a fan of Deaver’s writing for years. I was lucky enough to interview him six years ago and during the course of our conversation I discovered that while his clever ...keep reading

Love and Ruin by Paula McLain

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Tuesday 5th June 2018

Martha Gellhorn is an inspired subject for a novel. One of the most legendary war correspondents of the 20th century, she reported on every major conflict during that time, from the Spanish Civil War to Vietnam. At 81, an age when most people are ready to put their feet up, she covered the US invasion of Panama. I’ve always been fascinated by the intrepid Gellhorn’s story – and by her ...keep reading

The House of Hopes and Dreams by Trisha Ashley

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Monday 5th March 2018

Just in time for Mother’s Day comes Trisha Ashley’s entertaining new novel, The House of Hopes and Dreams. The Lancashire-born novelist has garnered plenty of plaudits over the years – Katie Fforde describes her as “one of the best writers around” while Carole Matthews praises her novels as “warmhearted and comforting”. The best thing about Ashley’s writing in my view is that she’s utterly original. She doesn’t follow the crowd, always ...keep reading

Book review: A Country Escape by Katie Fforde

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Tuesday 20th February 2018

February is the perfect month to read a new novel by Katie Fforde. The bestselling author of books like A Summer at Sea and A Secret Garden (out in paperback this month) has the rare knack of creating heartwarming scenarios and characters you really care about. I once said that her characters are the sort of people you want to be your new best friends – and they really are. ...keep reading

Book review: Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Thursday 8th February 2018

Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You was such an extraordinary book that I couldn’t imagine how she’d ever write a follow-up. But then again, lead character Lou Clark was so immensely likeable that readers were desperate to find out how her life panned out after losing Will Traynor, the wheelchair bound city financier she cared for. So Jojo wrote a second novel about Lou, After You, and now there’s a third ...keep reading

Book review: Anatomy of a Scandal

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Sunday 21st January 2018

The sky is grey, the wind is howling and mist has obliterated our views of the sea. Yes, it’s a miserable January Sunday and the only thing to do is curl up on the sofa and settle down with a good book. Luckily I’m spoilt for choice. Along with Jane Harper’s sequel to The Dry (one of my top reads in 2017), Joanna Cannon’s Three Things About Elsie and Still ...keep reading

Book review: The Squirrels Who Squabbled

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Friday 1st September 2017

Rachel Bright is one of the most talented – and prolific – children’s authors around. Under-fives (and over-fives too) love everything about her books while adults admire the witty storylines, thought-provoking themes and captivating illustrations. Bright’s latest title, The Squirrels Who Squabbled, is one of her best yet. Illustrated by Jim Field (her collaborator on The Lion Inside and The Koala Who Could), it’s the tale of two greedy squirrels ...keep reading