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Sweet Caress
Sweet Caress
Oct 3, 2024 11:29 AM

Author:William Boyd,Juliet Stevenson

Sweet Caress

Brought to you by Penguin.

Amory's first memory is of her father doing a handstand. She has memories of him returning on leave during the First World War. But his absences, both actual and emotional, are what she chiefly remembers. It is her photographer uncle Greville who supplies the emotional bond she needs, and, when he gives her a camera and some rudimentary lessons in photography, unleashes a passion that will irrevocably shape her future.

A spell at boarding school ends abruptly and Amory begins an apprenticeship with Greville in London, living in his flat in Kensington, earning two pounds a week photographing socialites for fashionable magazines. But Amory is hungry for more and her search for life, love and artistic expression will take her to the demi monde of Berlin of the late 1920s, to New York of the 1930s, to the Blackshirt riots in London and to France in the Second World War where she becomes one of the first women war photographers. Her desire for experience will lead Amory to further wars, to lovers, husbands and children as she continues to pursue her dreams and battle her demons.

In this enthralling story of a life fully lived, William Boyd has created a sweeping panorama of some of the most defining moments of modern history, told through the camera lens of one unforgettable woman, Amory Clay. It is his greatest achievement to date.

© William Boyd 2015 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

Witty, touching without ever being sentimental, hugely enjoyable

—— David Nicholls

It's incredibly moving. The idea of believing in everything and nothing in the same moment. The female friendships were beautifully drawn

—— Billie Piper

Ghosts is wonderful. Funny, sharply observed, poignant, and full of truths about life and love and friendship.

—— Matt Haig

This debut novel is a tender, effervescent and deliciously well-observed guide to the complexities of thirty-something life

—— Jane Shilling , The Daily Mail

Ghosts is an absolute knock-out. Wickedly funny and, at turns, both cynical and sincere, Dolly Alderton's voice feels like your very favourite friend. I devoured it

—— Taylor Jenkins-Reid

A sharp-eyed debut . . . Tests the boundaries of what used to be called chick-lit

—— Guardian

There are sharply skewered set pieces, but also tender observations . . . a promising, deftly written, often entertaining and poignant debut novel

—— Sunday Times

Loved it from start to finish, really laugh out loud: well-written, packed with ideas and observations and so engaging I can't put it down

—— Philippa Perry

I absolutely adored it. So clever and funny and such a treat. The pages really did turn themselves

—— Cathy Rentzenbrink

A stunning achievement: I was laughing out loud, doing my best a few minutes later not to burst into tears and then angry that it had all come to an end. So moving, so funny, so beautifully written and so poignant. Brilliant

—— Stanley Tucci

Utter BRILLIANCE. Dolly is such an insightful commentator on love, longing, friendship and emotional landscapes. I absolutely LOVED it!

—— Marian Keyes

Dolly Alderton's writing is incredibly intimate, tender, and observant. Ghosts is a fantastic novel about friendship, family, and love

—— Holliday Grainger

I loved it - Dolly Alderton has clearly mastered every form of writing. Which is a surprise to nobody

—— Candice Carty-Williams

This is a lovely, funny, modern comedy of manners. It's shrewd and sharp

—— Russell T Davies , Instagram

I love this book. It is wise, funny, tender and true, sharply-observed and utterly hilarious. Alderton's gift is always to give the mundane its beautiful due and in Ghosts, she manages to write a compulsively readable novel. Dolly Alderton's talent is phenomenal

—— Elizabeth Day

I loved it. Had me howling with laughter and recognition!

—— Bryony Gordon

You know a book has hit the spot when you've decided before finishing which friend you're going to pass it to. The writer's skill at dissecting love and relationships translates seamlessly into fiction

—— Evening Standard

This brilliantly observed novel will make you nod, laugh and cry in recognition

—— The Sun

Such clever writing, wonderfully funny; fab characters and delightful details. Divine

—— Nina Stibbe

If you've ever been disappointed by a man it will vindicate every mixed-up emotion you've ever had about it

—— Laura Jane Williams

Hilariously cutting, but also sad and insightful. Reading Dolly's writing is like having one of those glorious girls night in, where you drink till the early hours - laughing, venting, and feeling warm and seen

—— Holly Bourne

Whip-smart . . . a heartwarming tale of family and friendship

—— Evening Standard

So brilliantly perceptive, packed with pin-sharp observations on every page. Dolly is such a fantastic writer

—— Jill Mansell

Witty, tender, big-hearted

—— Sainsbury’s Magazine

A few years ago, Alderton seamlessly taped into our psyches with her 2018 memoir Everything I Know About Love. Now she's back with that same signature wit and blistering honesty in her debut novel, Ghosts

—— Cosmopolitan

Alderton masterfully exposes the hideous reality of dating in your 30s and how unfair it can be on women who enter the fray in honesty and hope. Hugely emotionally intelligent and often very funny. I adored it

—— Daily Mail

A fascinating, perceptive look at what it means to be a thirty-something woman right here, right now . . . Sharply observed, sometimes tender, sometimes tart, Ghosts will resonate with so many women

—— Red, The Best Books to Read this October

Dolly sums up life in your thirties with such wit, warmth and accuracy, you won't want it to end

—— Heat

Alderton balances heartrending emotion with keen-eyed satire, displaying a flair for metaphor and comic set pieces

—— Mail on Sunday

Funny and insightful, it's a brilliant look at the way we can be haunted by doubts, memories and home

—— Psychologies

Alderton has a talent for believability, realism and the knack to reach into the pages and pull out the characters onto the sofa next to you. Topical, relevant with a touch of tender humour

—— Weekly

As warm-hearted, wise and observant as her bestseller Everything I Know About Love. In this heartfelt, funny and insightful tale, Alderton cleverly explores the way memories, doubts and home can haunt us

—— Sunday Express

Alderton explores the ideas of relationships, friendships, love, memory and the way in which we live in a beautifully written and poignantly powerful novel

—— GQ

Stuffed full of insights and adroit observations . . . a masterpiece of modern manners. Alderton's life-enriching social anthropology will be the antidote for flagging spirits in the next lockdown' Spectator

—— Spectator

Achingly relatable. A darkly funny-melancholic novel about the rich variety of relationships in our lives - and the importance of showing up for them

—— i

This modern love story has lashings of arch humour and gentle wisdom, and slides down as pleasingly as a slice of cake and a nice cuppa

—— Spectator

Explores the ideas of relationships, friendships, love, memory and the way in which we live in a beautifully written and poignantly powerful novel

—— GQ

If you need a good rom-com escape, Dolly Alderton more than delivers in Ghosts. . . it's darker than Everything I Know About Love - but just as fantastically relatable

—— Vogue 12 of the Best Autumn Reads to Curl Up With Now

All Adults Here will make you question your entire childhood

—— Marie Claire US

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

—— Washington Post

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

—— Entertainment Weekly

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

—— Deadline

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

—— Luxe

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

—— Metro

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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