A more ambitious novel than Captain Corelli, and a better one

A mesmerising patchwork of horror, humour and humanity

A magnificent, poetic, colossal novel... Superbly written... It is, in every sense, a sublime book

His most serious and ambitious achievement to date

Pleasurable... Like Steinbeck, de Bernières deserves praise for his imaginative sympathy

An honour killing is at the centre of this stunning novel . . . Exotic, evocative and utterly gripping

Lushly and memorably magic-realist . . . This is an extraordinarily skilfully crafted and ambitious narrative

Shafak treats an important, absorbing subject in a fast-paced, internationally familiar style that will make it accessible to a wide readership

Compelling

A pulsating saga delivered with the sweep and power of a Norse war axe

I loved this. It’s for people who like their historical fiction high-octane . . .a superb, brutal story that pulls no punches

Glorious . . . one of the finest historical novels of the year

Brilliant prose, vivid descriptions and compelling characters . . . a must read. If you are a fan of the series, The Vikings, then this book is for you

Compelling, affecting, intelligent and surprising… Bold and striking… Worked out with precision and gracefulness… Ambitious and eloquent, and in forgoing exoticism captures genuine humanity

The Lives of Others is searing, savage and deeply moving: an unforgettably vivid picture of a time of turmoil.

The writing’s assured, considered and lucid, the author’s observations of character wry and acute. He has a real talent for revealing people’s true intentions and why they act the way they do

Mukherjee creates a believable world where the jealousies and rivalries of one family are representative of the country

Memorably vivid and moving

A powerful generational story of the chasm between the haves and have-nots