Wise and witty

I loved Old Baggage. Such original characters, and so timely. And it made me weep at the end.

Utterly wonderful and intelligent

A timely, bittersweet comic novel

Old Baggage gives an inspiring model of womanhood. Moving, warm and wry. It is wonderful!

This beautifully written story teems with atmosphere and perfect period detail but it’s the brave and brilliant Mattie that makes it unforgettable

Essential . . . Evans is a brilliant storyteller

Lissa Evans’s gift for comedy edged with satire and pathos is God-given . . . Mattie’s search for meaning and purpose, which hints at the darker undercurrents of people marginalised by their sex and era, will strike a chord with most.

A thoughtful, funny, companionable novel, offering an invigoratingly fresh vantage on a well-trodden period

Lissa Evans writes with beguiling wit and vigour. I found myself utterly involved with her heroines, and the history is spot-on.

A perfectly pitched, captivating read

Joyously funny, much poignancy and social commentary. old Baggage is a gloriously entertaining, deeply moving novel.

“wonderfully rich tale about a clever, lovably nonconformist heroine”

A harrowing and powerful read, offering an insight into the widespread suffering of others during the war

Bracht brings the truth to light with sensitivity... Bracht's beautiful descriptions are the perfect foil to the brutality... fascinating

an original, shocking novel, contrasting mankind’s capacity for cruelty with the unquenchable strength ofthe human spirit, even in the most dire of circumstances

What a story this terrific storyteller has to tell

Brave, bold, important

An impressive debut novel from a writer with a sensitive heart and gifted mind

A captivating, beautiful debut. Warning: you’ll shed many tears

A fascinating debut

Offers a valuable insight into a neglected area of history... epic

A deeply moving read about the savage cruelty of war, and the perseverance of love

Masterfully crafted, Bracht's mesmerizing debut novel is rich with historical detail and depth of emotion. this is a memorable story about the courage of Korean women during the Second World War

Suspenseful and eye-opening... In this story of a community nearly obliterated by war but saved by the strength of will of generations of women, Bracht humanizes tragedy while highlighting important social issues. Once they devour this book, readers will be looking for more

A captivating, beautiful debut. Warning: you'll shed many tears

Elegantly written, emotionally shattering, and historically accurate, White Chrysanthemum is a feat of literary alchemy. Mary Lynn Bracht reveals the unfathomable cruelty of Japanese sex slavery during World War II through the unbreakable love of Korean sisters

White Chrysanthemum is a powerful account of a little discussed subject about the Second World War -- comfort women enslaved by the Japanese army -- but it’s also about the courage of the women involved who want to speak about their suffering and their cry for justice, peace and love. Hana’s tragic life is just one of an estimated 200,000 Korean comfort women’s stories. Beautifully written, it’s an impressive debut novel from a writer with a sensitive heart and gifted mind

A captivating, controlled and devastating book about the lives of two Korean sisters during the Second World War… Allows us to look at the immediate travesty of the so-called 'comfort women' and the unresolved consequences of sexual slavery for the victims' families. Brave, bold, important, this book is beautifully written with characters that will stay with you long after the final, unforgettable paragraph

Spoils reeks of the fog and futility of war… It has its own blue-collar beauty as it tells its tale from three perspectives: a gay, female US soldier, an Egyptian jihadist and a US tank commander.

Brian Van Reet has firsthand combat experience to draw upon for this powerful piece of fiction, rendering it an intensely humane story, giving credible authenticity to the plot, and scenes presented to the reader… Enlightening, thought provoking and hauntingly mesmerising, I cannot recommend Spoils highly enough to anyone interested in novels about war and conflict.

Every page brims with brutal authenticity.

Spoils bears eye-widening witness to valour, horror, violence, cruelty and absurdity.