Author:Pankaj Mishra
WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR
'If you buy one literary novel this year, make sure it's this' THE TIMES
'The Romanticslooks to Flaubert's Sentimental Education, to E.M. Forster, to Turgenev. But it is the product of a distinctive and sharp intelligence' HILARY MANTEL
'Grips the reader as artfully and as compellingly as the first page of A Passage to India' THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS
WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES ART SEIDENBAUM AWARD FOR FIRST FICTION
1989. In the holy city of Varanasi, 19-year-old Samar rents a room to avoid a small-town job and lose himself in reading about worlds outside of India. But when he is thrust into local a circle of privileged European and American expats, led by the charismatic Miss West, Samar will soon face his own silent desires and crumbling beliefs.
'A work of art' Financial Times
'A supernova' The Washington Post
'A charming debut' The Independent
The Romantics looks to Flaubert's Sentimental Education, to E.M. Forster, to Turgenev. But it is the product of a distinctive and sharp intelligence
—— Hilary MantelA sensitive and introspective novel . . . a meditation on hope and failure. Mishra's evocations of Indian landscape and customs are vivid and thoughtful; his prose clean and unhampered and his descriptive passages to be savoured
—— GuardianContemporary India is brought to vigorous, thrumming life in the pages of The Romantics
—— Sunday TimesIf you buy one literary novel this year, make sure it's this
—— Amanda Craig , The TimesThis bright new star is the real thing
—— David Robson , Sunday Telegraph[A]n intriguing combination of casual grace and emotional intensity, peppered with discreet social comment on caste, class, sectarian strife, the state of the nation . . . a charming debut
—— The IndependentA work of art, a first novel of the highest achievement...a writer whose work will last. Read it and find yourself at the source of something great
—— Candia McWilliam , Financial TimesA first novel of astonishing maturity
—— Daily Telegraph[An] extraordinary debut novel . . . a supernova
—— The Washington PostMishra's lyrical descriptions . . . and the depth of culture the region offers, is a haunting reminder of India's power to bewitch
—— Time OutGrip[s] the reader as artfully and as compellingly as the first page of A Passage to India
—— The New York Review of BooksIf much of cosmopolitan Indian writing has valorized the immigrant and the foreign land, then The Romantics is a celebration of the home and its forgotten world
—— Amitava Kumar , The NationA voice that fuses the lapidary precision of Flaubert with the meditative lyricism of Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, a voice that's alternately wry and ruminative, meticulous and expansive
—— Michiko Kakutani , New York TimesMany treasures in this brilliant novel
—— Elizabeth HardwickPankaj Mishra writes the most perfect prose of any Indian novelist of his generation
—— William DalrympleMishra's eye is sharp, his prose flawless
—— Time[A] surprisingly assured, provocatively balanced meditation on the familiar culture flash
—— Boston GlobeA truly ambitious attempt to compare the way people in the East and the West dream . . . Delicate and subtly tantalising in the way only a book can really be
—— VogueIt is almost as if when everyone is flashing De Beers diamonds, Mishra traps the quiet luminescence of the moonstone in his theme and style
—— The HinduMishra's writing has a lovely potency . . . subtly layered and compelling
—— Times Literary SupplementImpressive . . . The Romantics turns its back on the exotic richness and the "teeming" panoramic quality which we readily assume to be expressive of Indianness itself
—— Sydney Morning HeraldA first novel whose achievement is something that most writers could be proud of at any stage in their careers
—— Vancouver SunAnother brilliant tale from best-selling author Jane Fallon
—— Hello!Brilliant
—— BellaPRAISE FOR JANE FALLON
—— - -Another Fallonesque treat. Full of heart, humour and humanity. She's so good at tapping into the best and the worst in us. Fabulous
—— RUTH JONESFunny, insightful, sharp, wicked, brilliant
—— MILLY JOHNSONIntelligent, edgy and witty
—— GlamourWe adore Jane Fallon's novels, and this witty page-turner could be her best yet
—— CloserIngenious. Her eye for detail, compressed emotion and the absurdity that lurks beneath what people say to each other, is unerring. One of our very finest comic novelists
—— Tortoise MediaI LOVE her books. She always delivers a fabaliss read
—— MARIAN KEYESA romcom with attitude
—— Mail on SundayJane Fallon is cool as f***
—— DAWN O'PORTERIngenious . . . This is one book you can't miss out on. Moriarty has an extraordinary talent. Thrilling
—— Female FirstThere is not a word wasted. I could not put it down
—— Today UK NewsThe ending is witty and satisfying, but comes with a dark twist. Apples Never Fall is another enjoyable offering full of intrigue, suspense and surprises, sure to delight
—— Press AssociationPraise for Liane Moriarty
—— -Wise, honest, beautifully observed. One of the few writers I'll drop anything for
—— Jojo MoyesStaggeringly brilliant, literally unputdownable
—— Sophie HannahKeeps you guessing until the very end - perfect summer read
—— Reese WitherspoonMoriarty writes vividly, wittily and wickedly
—— Sunday ExpressStraight-from-life characters, knife-sharp insight and almost unbearable suspense will have you racing through it
—— Good HousekeepingAs brilliantly accomplished as it is dark, twisty and compulsive
—— HeatA hell of a good book. Funny and scary
—— Stephen KingRiveting drama packed with suspense and secrets
—— Woman & HomeLike drinking a pink Cosmo laced with arsenic . . . a fun, engaging and sometimes disturbing read
—— USA TodayPerfect
—— HelloFascinating and compassionate
—— Daily TelegraphI loved every line of it
—— Louise CandlishFunny and captivating
—— CloserA cracking story cleverly told
—— FabulousIt 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 MillionsEmma Straub is such a funny and brilliant writer and this time-travelling tale is a charming exploration of what it would be like to find yourself younger and surrounded by the people you love when they're still at the height of their power
—— StylistWise and often hilarious
—— BuzzfeedReaders will devour this witty and warmly satisfying novel
—— Publishers WeeklyA 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, KirkusDevilishly observed
—— Starred Review, BooklistSprinkled with humour and insight
—— Starred Review, Library JournalStraub is consistently excellent
—— Book Riot