I whizz through scores of books for work but I’ve rarely read one that made me cry on the train. Luckily no one was sitting next to me on the 15.28 to Waterloo. If they had been, they might have been surprised to see a middle-aged woman in a spotty dress blubbering at Lisa Jewell’s new book, Then She Was Gone. I’ve always been a fan of Lisa Jewell’s novels ...keep reading
I’ve been a fan of Lisa Jewell’s books for as long as I can remember. I read her first novel, Ralph’s Party, after the high-brow poet and academic Tom Paulin reviewed it on Newsnight Review in 1999. He unexpectedly declared that Ralph’s Party was “a breath of fresh air,” even though I’m sure it wasn’t his usual reading fare. The Girls is Jewell’s 13th novel and it’s a stunning read, one of her best. The book is ...keep reading
The first time I heard Lisa Jewell’s name was back in 1999. I was watching Late Review on BBC2 and the notoriously caustic critic Tom Paulin (one of my all-time heroes) described Jewell’s debut novel, Ralph’s Party, as “a breath of fresh air.” Tom Paulin’s approval was good enough for me. I hotfooted it round to my local bookshop the next day and read Ralph’s Party from cover to cover. ...keep reading