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Ellie and the Harpmaker
Ellie and the Harpmaker
Oct 3, 2024 3:25 PM

Author:Hazel Prior,Philip Battley,Katharine Lee McEwan

Ellie and the Harpmaker

Brought to you by Penguin.

A poignant, feel good debut about a man who gives a stranger a harp, and inadvertently gives them both a second chance at life...

'Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Uplifting and full of heart, and I couldn't put it down!'

JO THOMAS

MEET ELLIE. She's perfectly happy living a quiet life with her husband, Clive. (Well, she does sometimes wonder about the way he talks to her, and about all the things she hasn't achieved yet. But, she's happy enough.)

MEET DAN. He's definitely content - content with his predictable, ordered existence, making harps in his isolated barn on Exmoor. Content being on his own, far away from other people and - crucially - far away from any risk of surprises.

What Ellie and Dan don't know yet, is that a chance encounter is about to change all of this . . .

'A beautiful love song of a story, wonderfully told with a warm heart and much hope'

PHAEDRA PATRICK

© Hazel Prior 2019 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Reviews

Every bit as darkly delicious as you might hope . . . Glamour, murder, oodles of humour and revenge with a capital R

—— Herald

Praise for Mad and Bad

—— -

Sizzlingly glamorous

—— Guardian

The must-have beach read this summer

—— Telegraph

A fast-paced tale of sex, lies and murder . . . Sex and the City dialled up several notches

—— Stylist

A summer read to make you hotter than the weather outside . . . you'd be mad not to find room for this in your case

—— Sun

One of the most compelling and hilarious characters we've come across in a long time. Warning: this brilliant and dark book is not for the faint-hearted

—— New Magazine

White-hot

—— Glamour

This caper has Alvina up to her neck in designer labels, hot sex and trouble . . . outrageous

—— Daily Mail

I just read Mad in one go. I bloody LOVED it. Like Gone Girl, if Amy Schumer had written it. SUCH fun

—— Bryony Gordon , bestselling author of Mad Girl

Allergic to chick lit? Meet Alvie Knightly . . . Insane as its title promises

—— Mail on Sunday

Raunchy, fun

—— Guardian

Trust us when we say that you won't ever have encountered a character quite like Alvie Knightly . . . A brilliantly bonkers read

—— Heat

Like The Devil Wears Prada - fast-paced, but funnier and more readable

—— 10 Best Novels by Women Authors , Independent

If you loved Paula Hawkins's Into the Water, try Mad

—— Red

She's an evil hot mess is what she is, and I kinda like it!

—— Sarah Knight , bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k

Pure, unadulterated entertainment. There is nothing Chloé Esposito's Alvie won't do. Strap in for a fun, fast and fresh read

—— Ali Land , bestselling author of Good Me Bad Me

A compelling and uncensored antiheroine

—— US Weekly

An unforgettable summer debut

—— Library Journal

Deliciously over-the-top, with a protagonist you'll never forget

—— Bookpage

Such a tender read. Astute and compassionate, it made me cry. It's full of love. And it's quietly magnificent

—— Tor Udall, author of A Thousand Paper Birds

A perfect combination of deeply-felt tragedy with great hopefulness

—— Anne Youngson, author of Meet Me at the Museum

A remarkable book

—— Joy Rhoades, author of The Woolgrower’s Companion

A superb second novel that goes to places you mightn't expect but which ultimately end up making a great deal of sense. It touches on a lot thematically and doesn't ever suggest that any one life path can be a cure for severe mental illness and it does some things that... are very pleasing indeed. I had a LOT OF FEELINGS

—— Claire Hennessy, author and editor of Banshee Journal

Loved it. Beautiful and original

—— Sunday Independent

A beautifully observed saga of abandoned dreams, loss and self-discovery

—— Alan McGonagle, author of Ithaca

Absolute poetry and a love letter to family and to the arts. The depiction of depression is as accurate as any I've read and the empathy in this book is beautiful

—— Maggie Smith, award-winning author of Good Bones and Keep Moving

Powerful, intimate, moving - a beautiful exploration of love and family

—— Maria Dickenson, M.D. Dubray Books

This will touch your soul

—— Sainsbury's Magazine

Cullen's atmospheric novel captures beautifully the continuity of life even at times of deepest grief. If we avoid tragedy in literature, we're closing ourselves off to some of the most powerful and moving writing, as exemplified by Helen Cullen's second novel which deals delicately and humanely with the subjects of mental health and the ravaging effects of grief

—— Business Post

An Irish novel moves from a family's joy to tragedy and back in this poignant yet hopeful novel spanning the late 1970s to 2015

—— Shelf Awareness

Cullen's lyrical prose drives the immersive and heart-wrenching narrative. This complex study of depression and its impact on family dynamics will lure readers

—— Publishers Weekly

Love is here in spades... clear a weekend for this gorgeous read

—— Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for Helen Cullen

—— -

If you liked Harold Fry and Me Before You, you will love Cullen's nostalgic debut. This life-affirming book will draw you in and keep you there

—— Independent

Delightful

—— Sunday Times

Deeply moving

—— Irish Times

I found myself totally transported into William's poignant and beguiling world of lost opportunities and love

—— A. J. Pearce, author of Sunday Times bestseller Dear Mrs Bird

This will touch your soul

—— Sainsbury's Magazine

Cullen's writing is precise, haunting and, above all, beautiful . . . has the twin ability to inspire you to take delight in the world, yet also cry with the pain that unfolds in its pages

—— i

Deals delicately and humanely with the subjects of mental health and the ravaging effects of grief . . . ultimately a hopeful read that lives long in the memory

—— Business Post

Cullen's quietly devastating novel is both a family saga and a careful exploration of the realities of living with mental health issues

—— i

A thoroughly moving and frequently funny story of love and compassion

—— The New European

A tender and unflinching exploration of mental illness and how it can eat into the heart of a family. Full of empathy and genuinely moving, a novel that will stay with me for a long time

—— Christine Dwyer Hickey, prizewinning author of The Narrow Land

Pulsating with perceptive wit . . . entertaining

—— Sunday Post

Great for fans of Liane Moriarty

—— Harpers Bazaar

Whips along with feel-good momentum, driven by warmth and love

—— Press Association

Warm, witty, perceptive. Anne Tyler on laughing gas

—— Saga Magazine

Written with true warmth and wit

—— Bella

Praise for Emma Straub

—— -

It's the beautifully drawn, vibrant characters that make this smart, compelling novel so irresistible

—— Liane Moriarty

Funny, poignant and beautifully observed

—— Jojo Moyes

Straub writes beautifully and amusingly . . . hard to beat for sheer charm and gentle wit

—— Daily Mail

Smart and entertaining

—— Stylist

Hugely talented . . . intelligent holiday reading

—— Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4

Warm and big-hearted . . . leaves you smiling for days

—— Maria Semple , bestselling author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Straub writes with such verve and sympathetic understanding of her characters . . . Reading this novel has all the pleasures of reading one of Anne Tyler's compelling family portraits

—— New York Times

A funny and insightful look at love and relationships

—— Good Housekeeping

Written with true warmth and wit

—— Bella

A smart, cool sensibility

—— Elle

Lovely, satisfying

—— EW.com

Smart and fresh, offering new insights into the lives of people all around us

—— Brooklyn Magazine

Thoughtful and hilarious

—— Real Simple

It would be easy to compare Straub to other masters of the genre like Meg Wolitzer or Jennifer Egan, but she's already a master in her own right

—— The Millions

Wise and often hilarious

—— Buzzfeed

Readers will devour this witty and warmly satisfying novel

—— Publishers Weekly

A precise and observant writer whose supple prose carries the story along without a snag. Straub's characters are a quirky and interesting bunch . . . it's a pleasure spending time with them

—— Starred Review , Kirkus

Devilishly observed

—— Starred Review , Booklist

Sprinkled with humour and insight

—— Starred Review , Library Journal

Straub is consistently excellent

—— Book Riot

A warm-hearted and wise tale of a family in trouble. Packed full of sharp observations and laugh-out-loud lines

—— i

Her writing just gets better and better . . . Grown Ups is funny and clever in the way it tackles addiction and eating disorders and the hurly burly of family life

—— Waitrose Weekend

A sharp satire of family dynamics and the trappings of wealth. It is a delicious thing - light and dark at once, full of acid observations and warmth, and fully attuned to the absurdities of familial life

—— The Gentleman's Journal

An entertaining story of family dynamics packed with vibrant characters, humour and empathy

—— The Sunday Times

A sharp, wry tale about a seemingly happy family with contemporary problems . . . despite the traumas, you'll whizz through it with a smile on your face

—— Oxfordshire Limited Edition

Keyes's captivating 14th novel tackles difficult issues with a sparkling style that makes it impossible to put down

—— Daily Mail

Marian Keyes is the most wonderful writer. She just gets better and better. She is a writer who believes in the best of us. She shows people's foibles but she also shows the love that binds us together in a very real way

—— Richard Osman

Her novels tackle hard subjects with such humour and warmth its impossible not to be drawn in

—— Jane Harper , Daily Mail

Another high-definition family comedy. An intoxicating, effervescent and warm look at modern life

—— Metro

A delightful and insightful examination of the modern family

—— Holly Bourne , Beastmag

Laughter and tears intertwine, as ever, in the latest from our leading chronicler of the emotional messiness of contemporary life

—— Guardian

The strength of this book lies in its relatability factor - I laughed, cried, nodded in recognition and laughed again

—— Irish News

Shines a light on the frustrations and gripes of family life, while inviting us to laugh at the petty reality of it all

—— London Living

A book to fall into and while away hours with

—— Writers Online

Funny, thought-provoking and hitting you right in the feels, Marian Keyes does it again

—— Red Online

I loved this complex family drama . . . Keyes nails every character she touches while keeping it all so relevant

—— Jamie Klingler , iNews

Praise for Marian Keyes

—— -

Mercilessly funny

—— The Times

Everything this woman touches turns to comic gold

—— Cosmopolitan

Comic, convincing and true. The warmth and empathy of Keyes's writing shine through this tale of family secrets revealed.

—— Katy Guest , Guardian

Clever, hilarious, poignant . . . Gloriously funny

—— Sunday Times

Wildly funny, romantic and nearly impossible to put down

—— Daily Mail

Her writing is a lovely mixture of funny and perceptive and bittersweet

—— Cressida Cowell

Full of brilliantly funny characters, genuine emotion and heaps of charm

—— Heat

Her books are humorous and have the quality of a warm bath

—— The Times

Classic Marian Keyes: a blizzard of wit and wisecracks

—— The Times

Keyes is an international treasure. The ultimate choice for a binge read

—— Stylist

When it comes to writing page-turners that put a smile on your face and make you think, Keyes is in a class of her own

—— Daily Express

Fabulously entertaining. The queen of intelligent women's fiction

—— Sunday Mirror

Full of darkness and light, this is Keyes at her classic and most brilliant best

—— Red

Keyes writes about women who are absolutely themselves, even when society tries to insist they are something else

—— Irish Times

Glorious, life-affirming

—— Woman & Home

Marian's glorious, warm-hearted wit is always guaranteed to make me laugh on the very first page

—— Liane Moriarty

There is no finer writer than Marian Keyes

—— Rowan Coleman

She really is unparalleled when it comes to making serious points with the lightest of touches

—— The Pool

Hilariously wise

—— Prima

Brutal yet endearing honesty, wonderful humour and astonishing acumen

—— Ruth Hogan

Keyes writes extremely well about modern women. Candid and deeply felt

—— Metro

Marian Keyes has an unparalleled talent for making you howl with laughter, nod in recognition and think at the same time

—— Sam Baker , Good Housekeeping

Always brilliant - and brilliantly funny

—— Best

A publishing sensation

—— Daily Express

There are few fiction writers today with as much verve and sense of independence as Marian Keyes

—— Daily Telegraph
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