It is written with lovely, controlled precision. His descriptions deliver little aesthetic shock-charges of pleasure...There are delights of simple recognition-but there are also deeper emotional depth-charges

Striking...The Book Against God is a gifted and winning first novel, neatly knotted at the end

Thought-provoking and full of sharp-eyed observations of characters and places

At once hilarious and haunting... It keeps your attention in every sentence

A work of skilful craftsmanship, which teasingly engages and disengages one's sympathies

The novel simply thrums with an intellectual passion rarely seen in fiction these days

Spry and confident-by turns gravely comic and hilariously tragic

To add urgency to an everyday story of high-school bullying, [Chevalier] compresses the action into the cycle of a school day. It's a clever strategy, executed with typical aplomb by the gifted author of Girl With a Pearl Earring... Her New Boy is an often inspired riff on adolescence and alienation

New Boy is in the tradition of movies such as 10 Things I Hate About You or West Side Story, or Toni Morrison's play Desdemona ... A deft examination of the accommodations a boy such as Osei must make wherever he goes ... Chevalier is delicate in her description of the emotional and mental cost of all this careful avoidance

Tracy Chevalier's powerful drama of friends torn apart by jealousy, bullying and betrayal will leave you reeling

It is undoubtedly a real page turner

The tightness of Chevalier’s version is admirable… She is careful to make this a book full of movement and observation… The plot works terrifying well in a playground. Fifteen-year-olds are brutal, especially fired by the conflicting aches and desires of puberty… Prior knowledge of Othello’s ending makes the final act, played out over monkey bars on a jungle gym, all the worse: such adult consequences to the actions of those so young makes the outcome breathtakingly sad

Chevalier has transposed the tragic manipulation and downfall of Shakespeare's black Venetian general to a 1970s American school playground where a new eleven year old black pupil finds and loses love within a day. Tactfully, Chevalier uses this cushion of time to make the racism of the novel easier to digest, while subtly encouraging us to reflect on current progresses which can still be made.

The futuristic ship is full of impressive gadgets; the competitions are clever and it's fun to guess what skill they might be designed to elicit; the true stars, however, are the teens themselves, wildly diverse and all carrying their own emotional baggage. It is still of note when an African American boy pops up as a sci-fi protagonist, and Emmett is a complex, well-developed, and rich character who speaks, acts, and interacts like a teen who was raised in a rough, urban setting but surrounded by people who love him. Both curious and suspicious at every turn, he is an ideal narrator, and a sequel can't come soon enough

A brilliant exploration of the dark side of human nature and the secrets people hide.

Emotive and thrilling this makes for a compelling read

It was an excellent, absorbing read, and there's lots of content to sink your teeth into.

If you’re looking for a book where you won’t be able to guess where it’s heading, where you are on the edge of your seat and cannot guess the ending then this is the book for you!

I’m convinced it’s this intimacy between reader and character that makes Dorothy’s stories so gripping. In the case of The Brighton Mermaid the suspense, thrill and fear was palpable

I've been left reeling from this book that packs a humongous punch. The story builds steadily at first but when I sat down for the last 30% this evening, I didn't expect anything like what I read

As always Dorothy Koomson uses a number of hard-hitting issues in The Brighton Mermaid but all are deeply woven into the story-line, not one appearing placed for effect alone

The premise for this story is clever, intriguing and a perfect hook. The lingering sense of threat and ominous atmosphere builds gradually . . . kept me gripped and on edge of my seat

Plenty of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat and unable to put the book down

Addictive read full of secrets

Simmering with tension and fraught with tales of failed friendship and broken relationships, this is a fantastic summer read.

Satisfyingly full of suspense with engaging characters

A thrilling new novel about friendship, trust and the thin line that often occurs between what is perceived as morally right and wrong . . . another page-turning, addictive read

Gripping stuff

A satisfying page-turner

Page turner

Gripping, twisty and written with Koomson’s trademark brilliance, this is pure class

A real page turner

Love, loss, new beginnings and saying goodbye, it's all in here. A moving read

A terrific novel.

[Segal's] descriptions are spare and unerring; everyday family interactions are observed warmly and yet with precision

Evans' writing is like water; her sentences ebb and flow and change course, mirroring the Thames as it wends its way in and around the characters' lives

A masterpiece of modern living

An amazing book full of wisdom and empathy

An immersive look into friendship, parenthood, sex, and grief - as well as the fragility of love. It is told with such detail, you're left wanting more

Beautifully written and observed

Evans is extraordinarily good on the minutiae of grief, family, and the fragility of love

a lyrical portrait of modern London