Schama at his best, a labour of love, as full of memorable incident as a Bellow novel and wittier than a Woody Allen movie

Schama has written a proud and personal story of his people, one that will make a good starting point for those interested in one of history’s most fascinating and tragic tales

Inspiring… Schama tells it with panache, weaving facts and anecdotes into a vivid history

Unforgettable…a delicious cacophony of conversations and clamorous arguments echoing across history

A spirited, immensely enjoyable and wide-ranging account… [expresses] both the triumphs and the tragedies with irrepressible enthusiasm and his customary eloquence

400 pages of hatred and hope. Terrific

Schama is an entertaining and eloquent guide through the triumphs and tragedies

Schama at his best – a labour of love, as full of memorable incident as a Bellow novel and wittier than a Woody Allen movie

A remarkably authoritative and engaging book

Few historians write with the energy of Simon Schama. His second volume on the history of the Jews shows that Schama has lost none of his vigour: the mixture of stories about people, ordinary but more extraordinary, witty asides, Schama family reminiscences, schmaltzy views of Jewish life in past times – all this is there

In the hands of a less agile writer, the complex narration of this novel and its passionate denunciation of the Catholic Church would likely have failed. Fortunately for us, Boyne is a master storyteller. When I arrived at the last page, I knew I had just read an instant classic.

Respectfully outraged, timely, scandalous and loaded with more than a little controversy, A History of Loneliness shimmers like a multifaceted diamond.

Deftly complex . . . Boyne gets it right

A compelling testament to the suffering of ordinary people caught up in violence far beyond their control – and to the particularly terrible price it exacts from women.

Starkly horrifying memoir.

Farida Khalaf won her small but significant battle. Its happy ending notwithstanding, it's difficult to focus on positivity – but then, perhaps that's why this remains a vital read.

A gut-wrenching and relentless experience...Farida's story needs to be told.

A powerful description of a world ripped apart... Farida tells a story that is testament to how toxic violence can be born of religion.

This is a mesmerising study of human cruelty and a brave depiction of the monsters that arise when reason sleeps.

It’s a shattering, brave, enraging book but also a stirring story of survival.

An unflinching account… This is one of those rare volumes that offers astonishing insights into the human spirit… A catalogue of horror is made bearable only by her extraordinary courage.

Although a harrowing story it is also an uplifting one as it is truly a triumph of the human spirit over terror.

This is a brave, harrowing but necessary book.

Farida's story needs to be told

Truly a triumph of the human spirit over terror

This is one of those rare volumes that offers astonishing insights into the human spirit

A compelling testament to the suffering of ordinary people caught up in violence far beyond their control

Mesmerising

Timely, excruciating and important.