Author:Ann Ingle,Ann Ingle,Michael Ingle
Brought to you by Penguin.
'Something they don't tell you about getting older is that you fall. Oh, you hear about it in passing, of course, "She had a fall, poor thing". Falling is not something you ever think about as a younger woman. You think about falling in love . . .'
At 20 Londoner Ann Ingle fell madly in love with an Irish fellow she met on holiday in Cornwall. At the church to arrange their shotgun wedding she discovered that he hadn't even told her his real name.
Sixty-odd years later Ann looks back on that first glorious fall and in a series of essays considers what she has learned from the life that followed - bringing eight children into the world, their father's years of mental illness and tragic death at 40, being a cash-strapped single mother in 1980s Dublin, coming into her own in her middle years - going to college, working and writing, and continuing to evolve and learn into her ninth decade, even as she accepts the realities of being 'old'.
Candid about everything that matters - love, sex, heartbreak, money, class, religion, mental health, rearing children (and letting them go), reading and writing, ageing - Open-Hearted is a compelling story about living life in a spirit of curiosity and delight and with a willingness to look for good in others.
© Ann Ingle 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
A beautiful book
—— Irish TimesLifted my spirits beyond description! So loving and non-judgemental and Ann Ingle's enjoyment of life is beautiful to behold. Genuinely inspirational. I LOVE ANN INGLE
—— Marian KeyesI loved it, really loved it . . . a very uplifting, hopeful book . . . brilliant
—— Ray D'ArcyWhat a beautiful openhearted, at times broken-hearted memoir . . . honest, funny, searingly direct, a wonderful voice . . . remarkable
—— Joe DuffyHeart-breaking yet funny, and jaw-droppingly honest . . . by some distance, the most courageous, most poignant, most life-affirming memoir I've read in the last twenty years and more
—— Paul HowardIncredibly poignant and so compelling, honest, warm and unique - I love this!
—— Nina StibbeProfoundly honest . . . I relish its kindness, its humour and its courage
—— Frank McGuinnessA breathtakingly honest account of marriage, motherhood and widowhood . . . extremely moving and hugely inspiring
—— Kathleen Mac MahonThose who read openhearted will experience the warm glow of Ann Ingle's company - you are lucky
—— Niall BreslinReally beautiful. Searingly honest, astonishingly frank and very, very funny
—— Maia DunphyWise and funny and thoughtful
—— Rosita BolandOpenhearted . . . is a reminder of how much times have changed and this should appeal to all readers, of every vintage, young and old
—— Irish IndependentExtraordinary . . . a story of survival in the face of extraordinary hardship, but also a love story - and one that betrays not an ounce of mawkishness or self-pity
—— The GlossWow, what a debut! I was left wanting more - more of Ronke, Boo and Simi and more of Nikki's brilliant writing about food and friendship. Warm and fun, I loved watching the more sinister side to the story emerge. Fantastic!
A funny, tragic, piercing portrait of modern women and friendship written in glittering and discerning prose
—— EMMA STONEX, Author of THE LAMPLIGHTERSWAHALA delivers! Nikki's style is warm and comforting on one page and razor-sharp on the next. There's a twist folks, and it's not one I saw coming.
—— LIZZY DENT, author of THE SUMMER JOB and THE SET-UPSometimes it's not enough to just read a novel, you actually want to climb inside it. I adored hanging out with Ronke, Boo and Simi and I miss them already.
—— CLARE POOLEY, author of THE AUTHENTICITY PROJECTBold, juicy and real! WAHALA is tense and powerful, it's friendship at its best and its worst, and it's THE book to read this year!
—— LAUREN NORTH, author of SAFE AT HOMESharp, precise, unapologetic, modern. In one word, Exquisite!
—— Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström, author of IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACKDazzling and bursting with life. WAHALA is as joyous, complex and all-encompassing as female friendship itself. I loved it.
—— TAMMY COHEN, author of THE WEDDING PARTYLOVED Wahala. Funny and sharp - I completely fell in love with the characters. Definitely one to add to your list
—— LAURA MARSHALL, Author of FRIEND REQUESTDark, fresh, compelling - all about female friendship and with an outstanding cast of vibrant loveable (and not-so-loveable) characters
—— ELIZABETH KAY, Author of SEVEN LIESFast-paced and filled with witty dialogue, and the book explores the depth and complexity of friendships between women
—— INDEPENDENT: 10 BEST BOOKS BY BLACK AUTHORSWildly entertaining
—— THE BOOKSELLERI LOVED this absolute cracker of a book about the cuckoo in the next and a toxic female friendship. Highly recommended
—— LIZ NUGENT, author of LYING IN WAIT and OUR LITTLE CRUELTIESI loved hanging out with Ronke, Simi and Boo. A brilliant portrayal of how complicated friendships can sometimes be
—— NINA POTTELLThis story draws you in and spits you out, breathless. Echoes of Atwood's The Robber Bride but so its own thing. A treat.
—— KATE SAWYER, author of THE STRANDINGA heady mix of friendship, dark comedy and murder. WAHALA is razor-sharp
—— OK! MAGAZINEMay's nuanced exploration of race and gender makes this refreshing. This will leave readers intrigued to see what May does next
—— PUBLISHER'S WEEKLYA terrific, witty debut
—— I-NEWSWAHALA hooked me from page one and kept me enthralled till the (TWIST!) end. A riot of colour and noise, friendships, enemies, secrets, lies and soul food. Written with a lightness of touch. Insightful, clever, and honest. I will read anything and everything she writes
—— ERICKA WALLER, author of DOG DAYSThis gripping debut is a journey of friendship, revenge and finding your true self
—— STYLIST MAGAZINENikki May builds a propulsive reading experience as she slowly reveals Isobel's manipulations while keeping the reasons behind them hidden. Compelling character studies of each of the women don't shy away from the jealousies and judgements that sometimes make the line between friend and enemy razor thin...A fascinating look at the dark side of female friendship
—— KIRKUSA funny brilliant read
—— BELLAThis will satisfy hungry appetites and blow your thriller taste buds. Deliciously spicy
—— HEAT MAGAZINE, Read of the WeekNikki May's sharp and funny debut novel is a delight on many levels. WAHALA bursts with life from start to finish
—— DAILY EXPRESS, 'Books of 2022'May seamlessly weaves love, betrayal, self-reflection, and Nigerian food, clothing, and customs into this fast-paced debut...Fans of domestic suspense will revel in this tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness, set in the cultural milieu of Lagos
—— LIBRARY JOURNALSharp and darkly witty
—— CULTURE FLYA rapid and wildly hilarious page-turner
—— COUNTRY AND TOWN HOUSEA hotly tipped debut for 2022
—— DAILY EXPRESSWAHALA combines a frank and daring exploration of modern female friendship with a dark, punchy thriller
—— WOMAN AND HOMEFabulously fun
—— PRIMA MAGAZINEMay's skill for weaving together entertaining personal problems with a wistfulness for Nigerian food, customs and culture is unparalleled. WAHALA is hard to put down - an energetic, entertaining interrogation of a fundamentally flawed friendship
—— I-NEWSRefreshing and original. Exhilarating
—— SUNDAY TIMES, Best Popular Fiction of 2022Contemporary female friendship goes glam in this lively debut novel with remarkable depth
—— WASHINGTON POSTI would definitely recommend this book to friends. I already have!
—— Recommended Read, BBC Radio 2 Book ClubSharply observed ... sophisticated and culturally adept ... May is a masterful chronicler of Black upper-middle-class lie and ennui in Britain. WAHALA is both great fun and extremely smart in how it captures some of the central issues in modern city living: women's evolving roles in home and work, interracial relationships and multicultural identity, the current competition that runs through so many friendships and daily interactions and, most of all, how easily intimacy can morph into enmity
—— NPR.ORGWitty-wity-edge. Its humour is pin sharp
—— THE SHIFT, Sam Baker's Summer ReadingA dazzling, rich and efferverscent read. It's relevant and full of life. The killer edge was unexpectedly shocking. Just fantastic in every way
—— NB MAGAZINEA glorious read
—— STYLIST MAGAZINE, 'The Style List'Spicy as Aunty K's moin moin, satisfying as a plate of Ronke's jollof rice
—— SAGA MAGAZINEPacy, fun and gripping ... May wanted to write "a brown Sex and the City, or a brown Big Little Lies" - we reckon WAHALA could be just as big
—— EVENING STANDARD, Faces of 2022Like "Sex and the City" but set in London. And with mystery. And murder
—— COSMOPOLITANThe upshot is a funny, slightly murdery story about three women and their wahala, or "trouble" - their boyfriends, their professional aspirations, and their weaves
—— GLAMOUR MAGAZINEThe novel's strength lies in May's attention to her main character's identities. May's breezy prose is well-suited to these moments of casual intimacy, unfolding over drinks, at the hairdresser's or at the kitchen table, where all the best gossip takes place
—— NEW YORK TIMESSome of the smartest reading fun I've had all year
—— DAISY BUCHANAN