A hell of a read - so emotionally sophisticated, so deft with shade and light, more absorbing than most fiction I've read this year

Terrific

Another gratifyingly well-put-together work... Tremain's long sentences brim with a poised positivity...[and] add lightness to her fond depictions of these imperfect strivers

Subtle, illuminating and captivating

A moving exploration of love and the sacrifices we're willing to make in its name

Over a distinguished literary career, Rose Tremain has traversed genres with her customary flair... in her portrayal of the ways in which individual longing and frustration unfold against the constraints of forces beyond our control, Tremain has long been one of our most accomplished novelists, and here is further confirmation

An exhilarating exploration of love, life, loss and death... A thrilling and seductive story... Vivid and beguiling

Rose Tremain gives Hilary Mantel a run for her money for the title of Britain's greatest living historical novelist... there are still few writers who can conjure up a version of the past that is so startlingly unfamiliar yet so convincing

An enjoyable page-turner

A new book from Rose Tremain is always a cause for celebration. Her exceptionally well-crafted and deeply humane historical novels are invariably a joy and Islands of Mercy is no exception... A rich, rewarding and highly satisfying novel from one of our finest novelists.

Vivid, transgressive, explicit and kaleidoscopic

O'Callaghan's prose is mesmerising in its beauty . . . Profound, moving, sometimes shocking, [Life Sentences is] from the pen of a writer at the top of his game.

One of the most beautiful books of the year.

The novel I most look forward to is Billy O'Callaghan's Life Sentences.

The accomplished writer . . . O'Callaghan has proved an empathic and expert diviner of the extraordinary in ordinary lives.

An absolutely stunning book . . . A truly beautiful read.

A gifted storyteller.

A terrific family saga.

A lyrical prose reminiscent of William Trevor, and a haunting family drama.

One of the most exciting literary talents to emerge in the last decade.