"This early 20th century novel about a music hall dancer, a performance artist of that time, who measures her freedom between relationship and touring has not aged at all. No one writes about relationships as perceptively as Colette and very few write as well."

"This largely autobiographical novel has had deep meaning for me from the time that I first read it in the late ‘60s. It’s about a man coming to terms with who he is and the legacy that he wants to leave behind. It’s stunningly beautiful."

"‘Coventry are fuck all. They’ve got a shit team and shit support. Hitler had the right idea when he flattened the place.’ Yes, I was hooked from the opening sentences too. This is the most important English novel since Orwell put pen to paper."

"Feeling like your world is currently imploding? Here’s an I-couldn’t-put-it-down dystopian novel that makes the end of days kind of cheery (in the end). I just finished reading it, and am glad to have a place to sing its praises."

"This is a nuanced and powerful novel about growing up, the mother-daughter relationship, female identity, sexuality, cultural dissonance, privilege, poverty and the pernicious legacy of colonialism. Kincaid’s style is both immediate and headily intense. A glinting, multifaceted work within relatively so few pages."

"The one criticism I’ve read about this novel is that Emma isn’t particularly good or likable, but that’s beside the point. The sly, clever, eloquent Jane Austen is the one who is likable, and the reader is in exquisite company with her at all times."