Author:Dilly Court
A CLASSIC FAMILY SAGA FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR DILLY COURT
East London, 1880
Lily Larkin is the youngest and least important member of her family. When tragedy strikes, she is left at home to look after the house whilst her older siblings go out to work. As she goes about her daily chores, her head is full of dreams, and she longs for the day she might have a life of her own.
When a fire threatens to destroy the nearby docks, Lily's act of kindness towards a handsome foreigner has disastrous consequences for the whole family. Losing their home, the family struggle to make ends meet. And just when things might finally be looking up for them, Lily makes a terrible error of judgement. Forced onto the streets, Lily wonders if she'll ever see her family again . . .
A lovely, heart-warming story . . . full of friendship, love and hope'
—— Chells and BooksA terrific treat for saga fans, Katie Flynn's Over the Rainbow is another surefire hit from this much-loved writer
—— Bookish JottingsA thoroughly enjoyable historical saga
—— Jaffa Reads TooThe answer to finding a last-minute Mother's Day present, and it will also please thousands of Flynn fans
—— Peterborough Evening TelegraphA bravura debut novel . . . It's clever, satisfying, and often playful
—— GuardianThis is a book saturated with the sensations of southeast Asia; where, in Menon's pungent turns of phrase, you feel as though you could "grab the air in two hands and wring it out"; where guilt can be "squatting in the room . . . stringy as spit", and where tiger princes and jungle spirits lurk amid a painful colonial past
—— The Times, pick of the latest fictionA rich and moving family history takes shape, filled with love and heartache, guilt and grief, and no end of secrets and lies . . . Gripping, compelling . . . Menon's story shows that, though time flows on, history's waves still ripple decades downstream
—— EconomistMenon is a sparky storyteller whose thickly atmospheric debut keeps us guessing as its many ghosts press in ever closer
—— Daily MailA beautiful, richly textured absorbing read. I was utterly transported
—— Irenosen OkojieA propulsive debut scattered with gems of fresh and surprising imagery. Menon is at her best exploring the intricate bond between women over generations, their histories strung tight over the fraught realities of a nation coming into being
—— Preti TanejaAlways here for a cross-generational family story, especially one that involves moral ambivalence
—— Marian Keyes selection for her PageTurners top readsAn intriguing, fast-paced, imaginative novel
—— Bad FormA beautifully written story of one Indian Malaysian family's history, entwined with secrets and hidden heartbreak . . . Fragile Monsters is a story of homecoming which illustrates the tension of returning to a past which remains painfully present . . . a cleverly-crafted family saga which explores themes of truth, belonging and shame across multiple generations
—— Asian Review of BooksLeavened with a brisk, dry humour, Fragile Monsters is as propulsive as any mystery, with a bewitching sense of place . . . an accomplished feat of multi-stranded storytelling
—— Evening StandardLyrically beautiful writing
—— iSpellbinding
—— Tatler MalaysiaA story about love, betrayal and redemption with an electric daughter-grandmother relationship at its heart
—— Sheer Luxe, reading recommendationA terrific family saga.
—— Village BookshelfA lyrical prose reminiscent of William Trevor, and a haunting family drama.
—— Times Literary SupplementOne of the most exciting literary talents to emerge in the last decade.
—— Irish Examiner