Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances brim with elegance, wit and historical accuracy […] and this is one of her finest and most entertaining […] This charming book is escapism of the highest order

One of the very great writers of the last century

An Apprenticeship or The Book of Pleasures teaches us how to love. And how love lies in spaces. In waiting

Lispector had an ability to write as though no one had ever written before

Magnificent... a captivating autobiographical novel

A deeply personal exploration of cultural and personal identity, sexuality and belonging. Raw and sensual, readers will be enraptured by the narrator's intense evocations of guilt, desire and longing

It's a feel-good book, but what really stands out is Prue's voice. She's known a lot of pain, and it all comes out in a tone which is precise, impatient and cold, but which evokes immediate sympathy for her and perhaps reveals more vulnerability than Prue realises

Wonderfully written, with both soul and intense drama - it glistens almost, like the mermaid!

Stunning . . . A mesmerising read

Extraordinary, beautifully written . . . We found it completely compelling . . . It feels like a classic in the making

Magical touches blend with precise realism in this bittersweet tale of a mermaid trying to put the sea behind her

Arresting . . . Truly original . . . deftly weaving myth, feminism, humour

Hugely entertaining . . . A joy to read, brimming with memorable characters

The tantalising story of a mermaid loved and feared in equal measure . . . A book for our time

A dark love story between a fisherman and a mermaid torn from the sea . . . Moving

A dark love story between a fisherman and a mermaid torn from the sea... Touching on themes of love, loss, family and friendship, as well as the negative impacts of jealousy, it's a moving novel

Sensuous, beguiling but without whimsy, Roffey's tale convincingly transplants a mythical creature into a modern setting - a striking achievement...wondrous

Not your standard mermaid. No comb and glass, no Lorelei hair. No catch and release...

Magical touches blend with precise realism in this bittersweet tale of a mermaid trying to put the sea behind her... What makes the novel sing is how Roffey fleshes out these mythical goings-on with pin-sharp detail from the real world, as Aycayia, hidden away in David's bedroom, navigates the perils (and pleasures) of life on land

The Mermaid of the Black Conch arrives bearing tragedy and beauty. Monique Roffey has created a new myth for an age of ruined oceans. She continues to be one of our most exciting new Caribbean voices

Arresting... where can Aycayia [the mermaid] be most free, asks this truly original novel, deftly weaving myth, feminism, humour and social realism

With easy prose and the tantalising story of a mermaid loved and feared in equal measure, [Roffey] draws the reader in... A book for our time

Monique Roffey is a writer of verve, vibrancy and compassion, and her work is always a joy to read

Monique Roffey has a sharp, original way of looking at the world... an arrestingly poetic story

[Monique Roffey] is the most adventurous of writers and The Mermaid of Black Conch does not disappoint... this is a strange, haunting, original and memorable novel about Aycayia, a mermaid from deep history who is entrapped and taken out of the sea... This is a novel packed with layers of meaning around womanhood, alienation, masculinity, toxic attitudes towards women, and inter-female rivalry, as well as love, compassion and the search for home

Monique Roffey is a unique talent and most daring and versatile of writers. I never know what to expect and I'm never disappointed

The Mermaid of Black Conch is wonderfully written, with both soul and intense drama - it glistens almost, like the mermaid! I love its all-round charisma and also its great compassion for both humanity and the natural world

An extraordinary, beautifully written, captivating, visceral book - full of mythic energy and unforgettable characters, including some tremendously transgressive women... It is utterly original - unlike anything we've ever read - and feels like a classic in the making from a writer at the height of her powers. It's a book that will take you to the furthest reaches of your imagination - we found it completely compelling

A fiercely modern mermaid story... Roffey subverts the fairtyale... The narrative is interspersed with poetry, journal entries, recollections and passages that give insight into various characters' perspectives; this entertaining novel, like Aycayia [the mermaid], is itself a shape-shifting curiosity.

I would definitely recommend The Mermaid of Black Conch...a bittersweet love story between a beautiful young woman cursed to live as a mermaid and a fisherman... a joy to read, brimming with memorable characters and vivid descriptions... a hugely entertaining and thought-provoking novel

Roffey doesn't limit herself to simple romance, but delves into themes of corruption, prejudice, ecology and more

Magical

The novel is a unique Caribbean fable that takes the familiar story of a mermaid abruptly thrust onshore and brings it to a new place. It reads like the work of a novelist in command of her material and focused on using a mythic 'then' to speak to now

A lyrical love story about a mermaid and a fisherman, but equally, transformation and ancient ways. It's exquisite

[A] beautiful book... Roffey's writing is lyrical and filled with magic, but there is plenty of bittersweet realism to ground it

A very beautiful, haunting book

Busting with witty and poignant observations about the messiness of family

Emma Straub has done it again! All Adults Here introduces us to the Stricks, a delightfully flawed family, with matriarch Astrid at the centre...I know I've been having trouble adulting during this time (seriously, I have to cook, again?!), and the characters in this novel feel like they're struggling right alongside me

All Adults Here will make you question your entire childhood

All Adults Here is deliciously funny and infectiously warm - a clever blend of levity and poignant insights. Straub's flair for irony and wit shine, and she puts a fresh (and progressive) spin on the age-old multigenerational family saga

The queen of the summer novel...we have turned to Emma Straub to bring us highly enjoyable, yet still thought-provoking, tales about witty protagonists in the throes of life changes

Straub's novel takes her signature wit upstate, exploring the complexities of small-town life and what it's
like to live as an adult in the same place where you grew up

If you've spent lockdown at home with the family, this one might just ring true for you. A witty, warm and thoroughly entertaining novel. Relatable

It takes rare skill to make everyday family ups and downs so pleasurable to read but Straub brings both a deceptive light touch and a flinty sense of humour to this breezy big-hearted portrait of ordinary people trying to negotiate the landscape of being a grown up. A superior slice of domestic fiction for fans of Anne Tyler and Ann Patchett

Pulsating with perceptive wit . . . entertaining

Great for fans of Liane Moriarty

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

Warm, witty, perceptive. Anne Tyler on laughing gas

Written with true warmth and wit

Praise for Emma Straub

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

Funny, poignant and beautifully observed

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

Smart and entertaining

Hugely talented . . . intelligent holiday reading

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

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

A funny and insightful look at love and relationships

Written with true warmth and wit

A smart, cool sensibility

Lovely, satisfying

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

Thoughtful and hilarious

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

Wise and often hilarious

Readers will devour this witty and warmly satisfying novel

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

Devilishly observed

Sprinkled with humour and insight

Straub is consistently excellent