This collection of strange and difficult-to-categorize pieces is comic not in the usual sense, but rather, as Viðar explains in his excellent introduction, in the sense of reading counter to the Icelandic family sagas, whose narratives he terms tragic. The stories here are edgy, subversive and often grim little narratives, in striking contrast to the humane, wise and sometimes uplifting family sagas

A touching novel...reminiscent of Call The Midwife

Excellent characters...absorbing story...I look forward to the next instalment in the lives of these interesting women.

Fans of Call the Midwife will enjoy this

With some nice romantic elements and sub-plots that are ripe for development in future, this is a great start to a new series of books and I’m already looking forward to The Nightingale Sisters
4/5

'A delightfully fresh and original novel with an unexpected sinister streak.'

'This warm first novel set in working-class Soho in the Fifties explores an adult world through a child's eyes ... The author spent her childhood in Soho which perhaps explains the convincing period detail.'

Anshaw's understated, casual tone is made delightful with small details.Vivid images hit home with finishing flourishes . . . Carry The One is an engaging narrative, eloquently told

Carol Anshaw is one of those authors who should be a household name . . . [a] fine, eloquent novel

Superb . . . [Anshaw] has a knack for capturing a personality in a single phrase

Moving and engaging . . . Anshaw has written not only a funny, smart and closely observed story, but also one that explores the way tragedy can follow hard on celebration, binding people together even more lastingly than passion.

Words used to praise Anshaw's earlier novels - witty, warm, intimate, poignant - apply equally well to her most compelling book yet, a wholly seductive tale of siblings, addiction, conviction, and genius . . . Masterful in her authenticity, quicksilver dialogue, wise humour, and receptivity to mystery, Anshaw has created a deft and transfixing novel of fallibility and quiet glory

A brilliant feat of storytelling . . . one of the most intensely vibrant novels I've ever read

Funny, touching, knowing . . . a quiet, lovely, genuine accomplishment

Splendid . . . sits somewhere between a Jonathan Franzen novel and a collection of haiku

Anshaw is that rare, brilliant, witty writer whose prose is rich and buttery, and whose plotting is as well-conceived and seamlessly executed as that of the most intricate thriller

If you love Jonathan Franzen, you'll love this compelling book

Graceful and compassionate . . . Writing with rueful wit and a subtle understanding of the currents and passions that rule us, Anshaw demonstrates that struggling to do one's best, whatever the circumstances, makes for a life of consequence

A fine novel . . . stunning . . . wise

Anshaw submerges the reader in gorgeous detail

Carol Anshaw's writing is cool and funny, outraged and sympathetic by turns. The book is full of sharp observations and memorable phrases

Beautiful prose

A series of beautifully detailed snapshots . . . an arresting examination of three intersecting lives, forcefully told