Our nb recommendedreadsthis issue …*P&P charge applies
SUMMER READINGYOU NEED A BIGGER SUITCASE!
ISSUE 89 SUMMER 2016 £5
$2M debut - our Big Interview
Emma Cline
Jessie Burton
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newbooksmagazine for readers and reading groups
The
BAILEYS, WAINWRIGHT, DUBLIN -WE HAVE THE SHORTLISTS COVERED
PAUL TORDAY - MUCH MORE THAN SALMON FISHING
Loved The Miniaturist?You'll adore The Muse.
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ISSN 1742−3821
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N U D G E A N D N B P U B L I S H E R
VIEW HEREfrom
Day by day, a steadystream of proofs andreview copies leave hereand your reviewers –gawd bless ‘em! – duly
return their considered opinions.Now we have nudge I post mostreviews – in full - on receipt.And if they fall within the remitof the upcoming Directory I adda code – dir89 will find you allthat were considered for thisissue.
The Directory is a labour of lovefor Cath and I - if only we couldbring you all those reviews on thepage but for nb89 that was inexcess of 20,000 words – a pageaverages 500! (I was amazed tofind that, to the end of May, wehad published 791 reviews onnudge this year – a superbresource for all you passionatereaders).
So we sift to achieve aninteresting mix, our over-ridingphilosophy being books to seekout, rather than books to avoid.Some of your reviewers areprodigious contributors and wetry to reflect the breadth of suchan interesting bunch.
Then there’s the length of thereviews. This is probably mygreatest angst – I love readingwhat you made of a book but thismagazine was never meant to belike those weekend broadsheet‘essays’ - I read those too, often
feeling I no longer need to readthe book!
After 89 issues we are stillexperimenting with the format –which as someone with OCDtendencies I find a littleunsettling - but I just can’t helpfeeling we can improve further.Plus if I’m excited about whatwe’re presenting for you then Ifervently hope you feel the sameas you peruse these pages. Soapologies if you’re thinking‘What’s he doing now?’ but myintentions are of the best.-----------------------------Alison Wearden and DorothyAnderson were driven tocomment on last issue’s Viewwherein I confessed to havingtorn up the latest MaggieO’Farrell in order to read thestory in chronological sequence:
I loved your 'just cut up a book'review - something I've oftenwondered about! I always assumethat the author has chosen thedisjointed approach because theyfear a strict chronological talewould be less interesting/exciting/readable. A feature inthe making? I'm sure thereviewers could come up withplenty of examples.RegardsAlison
I just wanted to say how much Iagree with you about theneedless to-ing and fro-ing in
many modern novels. In somecases it can be clever andinsightful (Kate Atkinson can dono wrong as far as I amconcerned!), but often it seems alazy way to make a trite story'more exciting'. My sister has self-published a novel and gotbogged down with her next pieceof writing so applied to go on acreative writing course at BathSpa. One of her tutors suggestedmixing up the time scale as that is'what publishers want'. My reading group membersremarked recently that it wouldbe good to read something thatstarts at the beginning and justtells the story!Off to write my book review fornudge now. So many books, solittle time!RegardsDorothy Anderson
So there you have it, on the basisof 2 readers opinions, I appear tobe getting something right foronce.
FROM US TO YOU3 THE VIEW FROM HERE
Your publisher’s angst!
6 WHAT WE'RE READINGe gang on what’s keeping themup.
8 BOOKS FOR YOURSUITCASE Mel breaks EU weight restrictionson baggage allowances.
10 WAINWRIGHT SHORTLIST Mr BookLife, Paul Cheney, on theirmerits.
54 WHAT DOES THE ARTIST SEEIN THE MIRROR? . . .Phil Ramage puts his questions toauthor, Kim Devereux.
57 A LIFE’S WORK: PAULTORDAY 14 reviewers are close to consensus.
64 ‘SCRIPT Upcoming movies om Alastair Giles.
66 ‘SCRIPT ROSEMARY’S BABY Phil Ramage admires both authorand Director.
67 ‘SCRIPT WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE GODFATHER Your publisher tries to explain.
70 WELCOME TO LOVE YOURINDIE A loyalty card scheme forindependent booksellers.
71 WORD POWER Our Love Your Indie choice omEdinburgh.
72 APOLLOWe report on a new imprintunveiling forgotten works of fiction.
74 WRITERS & LOVERS Reviewer Philipa Coughlan on DHLawrence.
77 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY 3 more for our growing collection.
81 AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS And Jade bags 2 more countries.
83 THE DIRECTORY Our reviewers’ integrity andobjectivity means you can trust whatthey say.
84 BAILEYS WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION e shortlist in full.
98 WHAT WE ARE THINKING To blurb or not to blurb - that'sMike's question!
summer reading special17 WHY I LIKE
Karen Weatherly on why she likedMe Before You.
18 QUIRKY Q&A Adèle Geras on cakes, tea and cups.
26 MY 5 FAVES Alison Moore shares her ‘otherness’.
28 WHAT IF IT WAS YOUR FAULT? Shari Lapena focuses on everyparent’s worst nightmare.
29 FOLLOW THE THREADS Eleanor Wasserberg loves trashy tv.We like her already!
30 INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD What the Judges thought!
33 BOOKS TO MAKE A BOOK GROUP BUZZ Claire omas on the responsibility,the responsibility!
34 MY HUSBAND’S WIFE? MY HUSBAND’S WIFE? Sheila A Grant wanted to knowmore.
newbooksGUY PRINGLE
Publisher, nudge and newbooksALASTAIR GILES
Managing Director, AMS Digital PublishingBERT WRIGHT
Nudge List EditorMELANIE MITCHELL
Publisher Relationship ManagerDANIELLE BOWERS
Production ManagerCATHERINE TURNER
Project Production ManagerCommunity VoicesPAUL CHENEY
JADE CRADDOCK
SHEILA A GRANT
PHIL RAMAGE
REG SEWARD
MIKE STAFFORD
nb Magazine1 Vicarage LaneStubbington, Hampshire PO14 2JUTelephone 01329 [email protected]
All raw materials used in the productionof this magazine are harvested fromsustainable managed forests.
Every effort has been made to traceownership of copyright material, butin a few cases this has proved impossible.Should any question arise about the use ofany material, do please let us know.
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C O N T E N T S
35 SUMMER READING QUIZ Just checking you’ve read everypage.
36 MAMMISSIMAA mouth watering summer recipeom an Italian Mamma!
Features9 THERE’S HOPE FOR US ALL
Competition to win a readinggroup set of Hope Farm by PeggyFrew.
10 RANDOM THINGSTHROUGH MY LETTERBOX Blogger Anne Cater on whatarrives on the doormat.
11 EDINBURGH BELLE I’m a Writer and I love TVdrama, says Sara Sheridan.
12 WHICHBOOK OF THEWEEK Fiona Edwards walks us througha website worth checking out.
42 GUILDFORD BOOKFESTIVAL Festival Co-director Jane Beatonon the highs and lows.
44 POETRY = WINCHESTER =POETRY Festival chair, Stephen Boyce looksback to look forward.
46 TRY NOT TO BREATHE Not as easy as you think! saysHolly Seddon.
50 ”LIKE SOMETHINGGLINTING AT THE BOTTOMOF A DEEP TIN MINE” Why Cornwall has to be thesetting for Eve Chase’s mystery.
68 MY 5 FAVES Annabel Abbs on five novels thathoned her writing voice.
big interviews20 Jessie Burton
38 Emma Cline
RECOMMENDEDREADS23 THE MUSE
by Jessie Burton
47 TRY NOT TO BREATHE by Holly Seddon
52 BLACK RABBIT HALL by Eve Chase
56 REMBRANDT’S MIRROR by Kim Devereux
C O N T E N T S ISSUE 89 SUMMER 2016
All free, all we ask is youcover our p&p costs (UK only)
W H A T W E ’ R E R E A D I N G
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humour as she attempts toremain elusive. This Americanwasn’t, however, the type toblend in anywhere, let alone thegenteel English countryside ofthe 1960s.As Highsmith hides, writes andtends to her snails she becomesincreasingly highly-strung as shepursues married lover Samwhile being pursued herself byattractive young journalist,Ginny. It falls to local andfellow writer Ronnie to calmher down and tame her excesses- but in his absence her grip onreality falters, to fatal effect.Funny, horrific and moving inturn this is a riveting read andan intriguing glimpse into the
DANIELLEBOWERSDinner at theHomesickRestaurant by Anne Tyler Vintage
I had never read an Anne Tylernovel before so when I read ourinterview with Anne I knew Ihad to rectify this. I startedwith Dinner at the HomesickRestaurant, [conveniently one]of our recommended reads.Pearl Tull is dying and while sheis lying in bed she tries to tellher son that he should have gotanother mother. We then learnthe story of the Tull family and
MELANIEMITCHELLThe CrimeWriter by Jill DawsonSceptre
Jill Dawson’s The Crime Writeris a fictionalised account of ashort period of time in PatriciaHighsmith’s life that she spentin Suffolk. She was already well-known at this point and wasoften fearful of being found byfans and journalists. Herincreasing paranoia amplyaccommodates the crime caperthat follows and there are manymoments of near-farcical
murky depths of anextraordinary writer. JillDawson captures Highsmith’seccentricities brilliantly, whilesomehow also managing toconvey her humanity. Byseamlessly blending fact andfiction alongside the tender aswell as grotesque sides of herpersonality Dawson has coaxedthe eternally reluctantHighsmith out of the shadowsand made her relatable – a skillthat Highsmith herself excelledat in her own fiction.
all their secrets. Pearl was left byher husband and brings up her3 children on her own - thingswere tough and she was notalways very nice to her children.In many ways this book isamazing - I don't think I haveever read a story where I havefelt I have known the charactersso well, it is like you become amember of the Tull family.Family life, arguments, rivalry -the norms of daily life, you feellike you are sitting in thekitchen eating dinner withthem. I did not like Pearl or theoldest son Cody very much butafter I finished reading the storyI found myself wondering what
What we are reading
We areendeavouring toput more – andlonger versions –of what we’rereading ontonudge-book.comJust click on themagnifying glass,top right andsearch with WHATWE ARE READINGand ONE TOWATCH OUT FOR.
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W H A T W E ’ R E R E A D I N G
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might have happened to Pearl'syoungest son, Ezra.For me, the strange thing aboutthis book is nothing reallyhappens, you could even saythere is no real storyline as such,but somehow it is captivating,funny and moving. It felt likethis book was trying to teachme about people and their livesand I really felt like it did. Thisnovel is not gripping or a page-turner or like anything else Ihave ever read but it ismagnificent and moving.
GUYPRINGLELingua Francaby WilliamThackerLegend Press
For Miles Platting*, it is thepublic’s gullibility (nay,shallowness) that has providedhim with a living in LinguaFranca by William Thacker,namely, solving a town or city’sproblems by selling the namingrights to a multinationalcorporation for mega bucks.Well, it works for footballstadia so why shouldn’t it workfor, say, Doncaster, which wasrebranded as Waterstones(surely an author’s in joke,complete with missingapostrophe?).I smirked at the subtle hierarchyof towns which would employPlatting’s company, LinguaFranca’s services. Obviously notOxford, Cambridge or Bathwho won’t even take their calls;yellow level are the minor poshtowns – Cheltenham and
Winchester (!); beige includesReading, Colchester,Maidstone; and bottom of thepile – Cumbernauld, CanveyIsland and Barrow-in-Furness.The latter becomes our focus asthe Lingua Franca team movein to replace signage and localthinking in the newlydesignated Birdseye-in-Furness.Co-conspirator Nigel directsoperations like a virtual trafficcop in this very 21st century,cutting edge world – untilthings go awry. There’s aparallel strand with Miles’s wife,Kendal, (an unusual name for awoman and another placename?) that dips in and out,not always convincingly.I did enjoy this book but feltthere was a certain‘knowingness’ that I didn’talways catch – but that’s myfault not the author’s. You’llprobably curl your lip when Iadmit that I turn down thecorners of pages that I’d like tofind again – and there were farmore turned down pages in myproof copy than for a long, longtime so that suggests I was fullyengaged. Truth is, I’d love to bepart of a reading groupdiscussion of this book as I’msure it would be one where thescales drop from the eyes asother members share theirimpressions.
*Miles Platting, by the way, isapparently an area ofManchester that is in therunning as one of the worstplaces to live in Britain – surelyanother level of deviousnessfrom Mr Thacker?
BERTWRIGHTLittle Bones bySam Blake,Twenty7
These days Ireland seems to beturning out crime writers theway the Romanians used toturn out Olympic gymnasts. It’sbecoming difficult to keep upbut Little Bones by Sam Blakecaught my attention because it’smainly set in the area of CountyDublin in which I live. If, likeme, you’re allergic to the redherring school of crime writing,you’ll like the way Sam Blakeartfully weaves a manageableseries of sub-plots into acoherent whole. The concept isgenius – a baby’s bonesdiscovered in the hem of awedding dress found at a crimescene – but what separates thisthriller from the pack is thespecial appeal of young femalecopper, Detective CatConnolly. Feisty doesn’t do herjustice; she’s a kick-boxingchampion for starters. Butunlike the gnarly old Rebusfigures, she’s instantly likeableand yet vulnerable too. For CatConnolly and author SamBlake, Little Bonesmarks anauspicious debut.
You will find full reviews of these titlesand more that the team have read onnudge under WHAT WE ARE READING.
nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com
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Sadly, we can’t fit everything into these packed pages, so here’s just some of the titles coming out thissummer that we don’t want you to miss.
nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com
Books for your suitcase
First up are a couple ofperfect beach reads forthe BookDivas amongyou – Truly, Madly,Guilty by LianeMoriarty (a favourite of
mine) and I Found You by Lisa
Jewell (a favourite ofeveryones?). I bet you’ll racethrough both so you’d betterpick up a copy of I See You byClare Mackintosh as well –could it possibly match therunaway success of I Let YouGo? Sheila is keen to find outso look out for a review fromher on nudge.If the sun isn’t shining where
you are then maybe you’d betterfurther embracethe chill byindulging in aBookNoir pick– I like thesound ofhistorical crimetitle Mister
Memory by Marcus Sedgwickdescribed as ‘a captivatingliterary mystery’ and BloodWedding by CWA InternationalDagger winner Pierre Lemaitre(which our Real Readers will begetting their teeth into as youread this). Or perhaps Lying inWait by Liz Nugent for a moredomestic, but no less thrilling,take on the genre. PersonallyI’m looking forward to Smokeby Dan Vyleta, an other-worldlyvariant where sin can be seen...If it’s time you have to kill I
suggest you linger over TommyWieringa’s meditation on
marriage in ABeautiful YoungWife or TheMare by MaryGaitskill abouta couple whoselives arechanged when
they take in ayoung Dominican girl for thesummer. Hide by MatthewGriffin, about a gay male couplebattling to hold on to theirrelationship sounds moving andthought-provoking – one toconsider for your book group,maybe? For something a littlelighter Louis de Bernières is
bringing out Blue Dog, aprequel to the much-loved RedDog, inspired by the upcomingfilm adaptation of the originalnovel about his canine hero.If you have a luggage
allowance tothink about,Beside Myself byAnn Morgan,Fates and Furiesby LaurenGroff, TheKindness ofEnemies byLeila Aboulela and Coffin Roadby Peter May will all be comingout in paperback. Just be sure to save yourself
for September when the heavyhitters will be out in force – getexcited for All We Shall Knowby Donal Ryan, The LesserBohemians by Eimear McBride,Closed Casket by SophieHannah, The Wonder by EmmaDonoghue, Nutshell by Ian
McEwan andThe Trespasserby Tana French.Perhaps we
need to extendthe holidays?
Mel Mitchell
9nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com
Hope Farm by Peggy Frew is published by Scribe (£12.99 Paperback Original) and is nowavailable. Win a reading group set of 8 copies! Go to nudge-book.com and search withHope Farm. Competition closes 12th August.
COMPETITIONTIME
There’s for us all . . .
Disappointment,loneliness, unrealised dreams - not necessarilythe ingredients for an
absorbing novel, but in Hope Farm, Peggy Frew has managed it. The story is mainly told
from the point of view of thirteen year old Silver, who has moved to the commune at Hope Farm with her mother, Ishtar. Thereare also excerpts from Ishtar's 'journal' to give a different view of the events. Ishtar is the name she adopts when she leaves the mother and baby home with the baby she has
insisted on keeping and moves into an ashram. From here on, her life is a series of failed relationshipsin communes and ashrams across Australia. By the time they arrive at Hope Farm, her daughter Silverhas begun to realise the hopelessness of it all. Because of their nomadic life style, Silver has never been able to make friends and is lonely and
unhappy. This changes while she is at Hope Farm when she meets another lonely misfit, Ian, and theymake a strong but secret friendship. There is also Dan, in love with her mother, but able to give Silversome of the care and affection she desperately craves. However, there is also Miller, the man hermother is living with and with whom all the problems seem to lie. Peggy Frew has given an authentic voice to Silver, still in many ways a needy child but on the cusp
of understanding the adult world and its problems. Like many teenagers, she is resentful of not beingconsulted about decisions affecting her life, but with her background and her mother, it is perhapsmore understandable. The author also gives us a seemingly authentic view of the hippy/commune scene in Australia in
the 1980s - unrealistic dreams and hopes; failed attempts at communal living; lack of commitment infriendships and relationships and the effect all of this has on the children. I felt really worried about 5year old Jindi, one of the other Hope Farm children. This novel was shortlisted for the 2016 Stella Prize, a major Australian literary award that
celebrates women's writing. It has also been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, Australia's mostprestigious literature prize. It is thoroughly deserving of this recognition and would make an excellentchoice for a reading group.”Maddy Broome
Personal read ................����
Group read .................�����
Maddy Broomepronounces Hope Farm by Peggy Frew the idealreading group read – AND we have a readinggroup set to be won!
“When I was a smallchild at primaryschool I ordered abook called 'Free Stufffor Kids', and that'swhen my obsession
with receiving things throughthe post began. Now in my 40s,I still receive random items on aweekly basis. Books, hair dye,loaves of bread, stop-snoringdevices are just a few of thedelights I've opened recently.So, I thought I'd share mydelights with everyone else. I'mnot talking about bills andtakeaway menus - everyonereceives those. I'll review thebooks, test out the products - orget someone to test them forme. If you'd like to sendsomething to arrive through myletterbox, please do and I'll letyou know what I think of it.”And that's what Anne does aswell as working in the voluntarysector and living inLincolnshire with husbandMartin and two rascal cats,Costa and Nero.And her policy? “I'm really
happy to review books (oranything else for that matter ......
designer bags, make up, JimmyChoos!! .... a girl can try!). Idon't read e-books and I don'tlisten to audio books, so goodold- fashioned books, madefrom paper only please. I make apoint of prioritising books forreview, especially if there is adeadline.I receive no payment for
reviews, and I'm honest. Justbecause I may not likesomething doesn't mean thatother people will dislike it too,and vice versa.”Anne is a Top 100 reviewer
on Amazon and also reviewspre-publication books throughtheir Vine programme. “Myreviews are always posted onGoodreads, and I'm also a TopTen reviewer on theWaterstones site. I do read non-fiction, and especially enjoytravel and food books.”
What else will you find onRandom Things?
• My Life in Books - anoccasional feature whereauthors share a list of booksthat are special to them andhave made a lasting impressionon their life. Most recently itwas Jenny Blackhurst. • Blog Tours: Again, mostrecently it was Emma Kavanaghfor The Missing Hours• And of course book reviews –an impressive 24+ in April, 31in March and a running totalfor 2016 of 91 books beforeMay, including:The Swimming Pool by LouiseCandlish Not Working by Lisa OwensRoxy by Esther Gerritsen The Last Of Us by Rob Ewing This Must Be The Place byMaggie O'Farrell Only In Naples by KatherineWilson
So, no Jimmy Choos but plentywell worth checking out.
www.randomthingsthroughmyletterbox.blogspot.com
B L O G S P O T
In a world of weird names for blogs, Anne Cater’s must be one of thequirkiest. Where did it come from?
Random ThingsThrough My
Letterbox
10 nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com
