Author:Dinah Jefferies
A stolen sister. A daughter determined to uncover the truth.
'I was gripped, moved and utterly in thrall to this deeply emotional and compelling tale' Kate Furnivall
Belle Hatton has embarked upon an exciting new life far from home: a glamorous job as a nightclub singer in 1930s Burma, with a host of sophisticated new friends and admirers. But Belle is haunted by a mystery from the past - a 25 year old newspaper clipping found in her parents' belongings after their death, saying that the Hattons were leaving Rangoon after the disappearance of their baby daughter, Elvira.
Belle is desperate to find out what happened to the sister she never knew she had - but when she starts asking questions, she is confronted with unsettling rumours, malicious gossip, and outright threats. Oliver, an attractive, easy-going American journalist, promises to help her, but an anonymous note tells her not to trust those closest to her. . .
Belle survives riots, intruders, and bomb attacks - but nothing will stop her in her mission to uncover the truth. Can she trust her growing feelings for Oliver? Is her sister really dead? And could there be a chance Belle might find her?
'A moving and complex story, beautifully told' Isabel Wolff
'Dinah Jefferies has a knack of getting under the skin of her exotic locations and this story about loss and love, set in sultry Burma during the troubled 1930s, is no exception' Kate Riordan
I was gripped, moved and utterly in thrall to this deeply emotional and compelling tale. Jefferies is truly a master of her craft. She writes so vividly I could feel the Rangoon grit under my finger nails and the humidity heavy on my skin. This powerful story explores the all-consuming impact of family and lifts the lid with an intimate sensitivity on how we deal with loss and betrayal in our lives. Belle and Diana are wonderful characters who leapt effortlessly into my life and whirled me through a helter-skelter of danger and suspicion that had me turning the pages late into the night. As always with a Dinah Jefferies book the research was meticulous. I loved it.
—— Kate FurnivallThe Missing Sister is a rich and enjoyable read on so many levels. It's an intriguing mystery, a deliciously rewarding romance, and a searing portrait of mental breakdown. 1930s Burma is vividly evoked and the plot is worked out to a conclusion that is not simply satisfying, but almost magical. This is a moving and complex story, beautifully told.
—— Isabel WolffI positively raced through The Missing Sister this week and adored it! It's full of Dinah Jefferies' trademark atmosphere, with the colours and scents and wildlife of Burma described so vividly I felt I was there - and there's a terrific story too.
—— Gill PaulDinah has an infallible ability to draw us into deliciously exotic worlds, and The Missing Sister is no exception. The superficial glamour of late colonial-era Burma reveals unsettling undercurrents and growing unrest, the perfect backdrop for the thrilling tale of a singer's desperate search for her lost sister. A wonderfully compelling, immersive read with characters that stay with you long afterwards.
—— Liz TrenowMy ideal read - I couldn't put it down
—— Santa Montefiore on 'The Tea Planter's Wife'A sweeping tale, beautifully written in a wonderful setting, heart rending yet ultimately uplifting. Gorgeous.
—— Katie Fforde on 'The Sapphire Widow'The Missing Sister is a pacy, intriguing novel. Set in an exotic, little-known location, it draws you in to its secrets and dangers; the dark recesses of Burma. I stayed up all night reading.
—— Carol DrinkwaterDinah Jefferies has a knack of getting under the skin of her exotic locations and this story about loss and love, set in sultry Burma during the troubled 1930s, is no exception.
—— Kate RiordanA gorgeous novel. Deliciously transporting
—— Eve ChaseA fabulous read
—— Elizabeth BuchanPrepare to have your senses well and truly ignited in the sweeping, sun-drenched new novel from master storyteller Dinah Jefferies... A compelling and meticulously researched story
—— Lancashire PostThe Parisian is a sublime reading experience: delicate, restrained, surpassingly intelligent, uncommonly poised and truly beautiful. It is realism in the tradition of Flaubert and Stendhal - everything that happens feels not so much imagined as ordained. That this remarkable historical epic should be the debut of a writer in her twenties seems impossible, yet it's true. Isabella Hammad is an enormous talent and her book is a wonder.
—— Zadie SmithThe love story at the heart of [The Parisian]… is rendered in aching detail… Hammad has a great eye for the acts of increasing intimacy along the way to falling in love.
—— The TimesGlorious… Hammad asks some fascinating questions about the way narratives have shaped, and continue to shape, our world… Provocative, testing and magnificently risky, this is an author writing for her life.
—— Sophie Ratcliffe , Daily TelegraphThe Parisian is a gripping historical novel, a poignant romance, and a revelatory family epoch. Above all, it is a generous gift. There is a kind of joy that can hold not only pleasure, but struggle, and even sadness. This novel tells that kind of joyful story, and evokes that kind of joy in the reader.
—— Jonathan Safran FoerThe Parisian is a lushly imagined, beautifully written, expansive powerhouse of a debut. Isabella Hammad is a great new voice.
—— Nathan EnglanderAn exquisite, intricate and wise novel. I was utterly gripped from the first page until the last. This sweeping, historical epic marks the arrival of a wonderfully gifted author. Isabella Hammad is a marvel and The Parisian is an unforgettable read.
—— Irenosen Okojie[Hammad cuts] through the familiar dichotomies of West and Near East, placing her protagonist in a rich web of families, political intrigues, and cultural exchanges, and subtly reconfiguring the literary tropes of “home” and “abroad”.
—— New YorkerIt's a big family novel like Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy but it charts the history of Palestine... The prose is impeccable.
—— Leila AboulelaThe Parisian is extraordinary—wise, ambitious, and lavishly rewarding. With luminous prose and rare compassion, Bella Hammad offers her readers an absorbing story of war and identity, of love and independence, of hope and history. It’s an astonishing novel, heralding the arrival of a major talent.
—— Bret Anthony JohnstonWith masterful lyricism and unflinching insight, The Parisian captures the personal passion and political violence of a nascent nation’s struggle for independence. Hammad has written a profound and intoxicating epic, brimming with unexpected, vivid imagery and unforgettable characters. Hers is a fresh voice of the first order.
—— Bradford MorrowSuperb… There’s romance and adventure and adversity… sublimely written.
—— Good HousekeepingIsabella Hammad shows a rare maturity, both in her marshalling of a huge cast of characters and in her ability to illuminate such a politically charged period of history without didacticism or literary showboating.
—— Mail on SundaySumptuous and sharply observed – an old-school novel to lose yourself in.
—— MetroHammad taps into the satisfying slow-burn style of classic literature with a storyline that captures both the heart and the mind…This is an immensely rewarding novel that readers will sink into and savor.
—— Publishers WeeklyAn assured debut novel that sets the life of one man against the tumultuous backdrop of Palestine in the waning years of British occupation… Closely observed and elegantly written.
—— Kirkus *Starred Review*Undeniably beautiful.
—— The Times *The Best New Novelists of 2019*An engrossing, sweeping novel.
—— Evening StandardThe are moments of such lyric beauty in The Parisian, Isabella Hammad’s debut novel, that you want what they describe to be permanently closed, hers to be the final word… [The Parisian] also has a close grasp of history, and the high quality of its writing never fades.
—— Charles Finch , Washington PostThe Parisian by Isabella Hammad has already won advance praise from Zadie Smith, and deservedly so: this tale of a Palestinian immigrant... is beautiful historical fiction.
—— Evening StandardHammad traces her protagonist’s emotional journey with great sensitivity, against a backdrop of historical events… a vivid, capacious historical novel.
—— Jude Cook , SpectatorThe Parisian is a graceful and balanced book, animated throughout by an immense social intelligence… a pleasure to read.
—— Literary ReviewA sweeping historical novel that opens in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire… The Parisian calls to mind a 19th-century novel.
—— New York TimesComplex, subtle and challenging… [The Parisian is] excelling––with a powerful ending that is moving in the way it knits together the themes of self-betrayal and social and political treachery.
—— Gareth Jenkins , Socialist WorkerReconciling oneself with the pain and pleasure of the ties that bind one to certain people and places is something that lies at the heart of Hammad’s novel… the world Hammad paints is a rich one.
—— Lucy Scholes , iHammad… convincingly weaves the conversations and arguments around the Palestinian table, inviting the reader to join the friends and family who are full of complexity and humanity, and refuse to be defined by the tragedy that is befalling them… To read The Parisian is to gradually get to know a friend, like drinking tea with a favourite uncle and hearing about family stories, gossip and politics.
—— Tanushka Marah , Middle East EyeEscapism in the form of adventure and sisterhood. This is a novel with real depth and feeling and touches on worker's rights, racism, environmentalism and education
—— iThis tribute to female friendship and the joy of books is a compelling read
—— Woman's WeeklyA captivating tale of love, friendship and self-actualisation
—— PeopleEscapism in the form of adventure and sisterhood. A novel with real depth and feeling. Empowering
—— Press AssociationAn exploration of people's cruelty and also their kindness
—— Ruth Junes , Good HousekeepingThe author of Me Before You pulls off a cracker with this stirring, exciting adventure story inspired by true events, in depression-era Kentucky, women find freedom and friendship by joining a brigade of horseback librarians
—— BestJojo Moyes is back with another page turner. Inspired by a remarkable true story, The Giver of Stars features five incredible women who will prove to be every bit as beloved as Lou Clark, the unforgettable heroine of Me Before You
—— StellarJoyous. Pucky female characters and wonderful writing. This is her best
—— Good HousekeepingAbout five extraordinary women in 1920s Kentucky, who worked on horseback as travelling librarians
—— Woman & HomeAn enthralling read based on a true story
—— My Weekly Special SeriesOne to get lost in. Escape with this book and follow the story of five women who are embarking on a powerful journey - and refuse to obey any man's commands!
—— No. 1 Magazine, Books to cosy up with this winterA brand-new page-turner . . . based on a true story and tracks five feisty women living in America during the Great Depression
—— That's LifeJojo Moyes is back with this tale based on the real-life horseback librarians of Kentucky
—— Hello!Took me to the mountains of depression-era Kentucky where brave women librarians risked all to deliver books on horseback
—— Damian Barr, Big Issue Books of the YearCelebrates the world of books . . . A fictional yarn about a quintet of extraordinary intrepid women from disparate backgrounds
—— RTE GuideFrom the very first page, I was drawn into the world and the characters that Jojo Moyes has so carefully created
—— Health & WellbeingA fabulous adventure story
—— BestPraise for Jojo Moyes
—— -Moyes somehow manages to break your heart before restoring your faith in love
—— Sunday ExpressRaw, funny, real and sad, this is storytelling at its best
—— Marie ClaireImmensely readable and enjoyable
—— Sunday TimesThis truly beautiful story made us laugh, smile and sob like a baby - you simply have to read it
—— CloserWonderfully written and completely engrossing, with exquisitely drawn characters in a brilliantly plotted narrative
—— Daily MailA heart-stopping read. Destined to be the novel that friends press upon each other
—— Independent on SundayBritain's best contemporary female author
—— Sun on SundayThe storytelling treads the delicate balance between heartbreak and hope perfectly
—— Good HousekeepingA triumph
—— HeatA tender, funny and hopeful look at love, grief and life. Bumper box of tissues required
—— StylistJoyful, with a pitch-perfect ending
—— Daily ExpressJulia Whelan is perfect as Alice Wright
—— The Times, Pick of the AudiobooksConcentrates on sisterhood and friendship
—— Scotsman, Best books to give this ChristmasA sweeping story of female friendship with a dash of romance, set in 1930s Kentucky
—— Daily ExpressHer writing is beautiful and whimsical with unique storylines
—— Liv Arnold, author of Etched in StoneThis most recent book of Jojo's is her best . . . I loved this adventure story for girls for its plucky female characters and wonderful writing
—— Good Housekeeping