The Literary Sofa
Isabel Costello
Book Review: Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
For once, my book group didn’t take issue with the novel which won the Booker prize this year, but when we decided to read one from the shortlist, Pigeon English was the unamimous choice even though I don’t think any of us was actually looking forward to it. Debut author Stephen Kelman’s impetus to write … Continue reading
Book Review: Florence & Giles by John Harding
I came to this book with no preconceptions, having bought it on Kindle because someone on Twitter had recommended it as a Victorian ghost story. That’s all I knew. I may have been attracted by the title Florence & Giles – titles made up of two first names are rare and bold, and the novel itself … Continue reading
On Location: #2 Red Hook, Brooklyn
In my first post on this blog, I confessed a weakness for places which are off the beaten track, quirky, not conventionally beautiful. Red Hook is like that. It was one of the earliest parts of Brooklyn to be settled, by the Dutch in 1636, and the name comes from the colour of the soil … Continue reading
Book Review: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
I don’t often await a novel with as much anticipation as the latest from Jeffrey Eugenides. Both The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex drew me into worlds which were bizarre but utterly captivating, so I fully expected to be writing a rave review of The Marriage Plot. Well, it’s not going to happen. It seems that … Continue reading
Book Review: Are We Nearly There Yet? by Ben Hatch
I feel as though I’ve robbed Ben Hatch. To have paid only 99p on Kindle for Are We Nearly There Yet? doesn’t seem right. But I’m going to make up for it by buying some hard copies because it would make a brilliant Christmas present for anyone who (sorry, this is quite a list): has kids … Continue reading
On Location: #1 South Bank, London
On Location is a new series of posts about places which feature in my novel, minus the context. So the focus is on the place and why I think it’s interesting, NOT the part it plays in the book. (I hope you’ll find that out one day when you read it !) I’ll throw in a few … Continue reading
Book Review: The Devil’s Music by Jane Rusbridge
I recently spent some time on the coast in Dorset, but I’ve been thinking about the sea for weeks, since reading The Devil’s Music by Jane Rusbridge. When you read a lot (and I’m up to 46 novels so far this year), even good books fade and blur in the memory, but a month after … Continue reading
A Citydweller’s Week by the Sea
Back in London now after a fantastic week away from it all in Dorset, in Lyme Regis on the Jurassic Coast (South Coast of England about 4 hrs from London for those who don’t know it) which is a designated World Heritage Site. It covers 95 miles of truly stunning coastline from East Devon to Dorset, … Continue reading
Luck: When one good thing comes of another
On one of the many three-day weekends we had this year (with the royal wedding and all) we went to visit my husband’s family in the place where he grew up and the rest of them still live. The Wye is a beautiful wooded river valley that snakes back and forth across the border between England and Wales. We … Continue reading
Book Review: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
Repellent characters, foul language, horrible sex… More than three years after it was published, The Slap continues to reverberate, not least in its native Australia where the TV series is currently being broadcast. This book has quite a reputation. When it came out in the UK in 2010 (and made the Booker longlist) a book group in … Continue reading
My new novel SCENT – out in paperback on 19 May 2022
The Literary Sofa 