by Gudrun Bowers | 19, May 2016
The Kindness by Polly Samson Pub Bloomsbury 8.99
At the outset of this assured second novel by Polly Samson we encounter Julian, prematurely aged at only 29, in a state of deep anguish at the loss of his lover, Julia, and their daughter, Mira. He drifts through his Sussex childhood home, consumed by their absence. Empty photograph frames, beds which no longer hold his sleeping family, this is a house echoing with regrets – but the details of his loss are a mystery. Polly Samson has received much praise for her short story collections and this compelling novel, lyrical but deftly rooted in reality, is a set of interlocking stories which lead the reader to piece together the mystery at the heart of the book while at the same time provide great insight into the inner lives of the protagonists.
The Kindness wears its structural complexity lightly, the voice and the pace so assured that it seems remarkable that this is only Samson’s second novel. It’s a rare achievement to create a book that is at once a wise and tender meditation on the nature of love and disappointment, and a page turner that will keep you awake into the small hours” – Observer
by Gudrun Bowers | 19, May 2016
Helen Simonson sets her new novel, “The Summer Before the War,” in the summer of 1914 when Europe is contemplating the unthinkable – a German invasion of Belgium. In the English seaside town of Rye the residents are agog at the arrival of the new Latin teacher, Beatrice Nash —a bright, attractive and fiercely independent orphaned daughter of academic parents who is not prepared to endure uncritically the social restrictions that prevail in the town that later inspired E F Benson’s Lucia novels. Fans of Simonson’s “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand,” will once again enjoy the perceptive social comedy in this lively and engaging book which gains added depth as we are drawn inexorably towards the effects on the town’s inhabitants of the onslaught that will ravage a generation.
Helen Simonson will be in discussion with authors Polly Sampson and Suzanne Joinson at a Festival event on May 23rd at 7.30pm in the Gluck Studio, Chantry House. Access from Elm Grove Lane.
by Gudrun Bowers | 19, May 2016
On Monday 23rd May at 7.30 pm, Steyning’s newest arts venue, the atmospheric Gluck Studio, will host a very special literary event, as part of the Steyning Festival.
Enjoy a glass of wine as you hear a trio of fine novelists all published by Bloomsbury Publishing; Suzanne Joinson, Polly Samson and Helen Simonson.
Suzanne Joinson’s first novel A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar was Guardian/Observer Book of the Year 2012. Her latest, The Photographer’s Wife is a beautiful and gripping story set in 1930’s Jerusalem and Sussex.
Author Suzanne Joinson
Polly Samson is an acclaimed writer and Costa Award judge whose brilliant novel The Kindness, was chosen as a 2015 Book of the Year by the Times and Observer.
Bloomsbury author Polly Samson
Helen Simonson is the author of international bestselling Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand which was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Her stunning new novel The Summer Before the War is set in Rye in the summer of 1914.
Bloomsbury author Helen Simonson
All the author’s books will be on sale at the event, and they will be happy to personally sign and dedicate copies at the conclusion of the evening.
by Gudrun Bowers | 9, May 2016
An amazing chance to join best-selling children’s author Cressida Cowell to hear about her wonderful Hiccup the Horrendous series and the twelfth and final novel (sob) How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury, just out in paperback. Cressida spent her childhood summers on an uninhabited Hebridean island with no electricity. In the evenings her father would tell tales of the Vikings who invaded the islands a millennium ago. This inspired her to use these stories, and her beloved island, as the basis for her wildly popular and very funny Viking series, starting with How to Train your Dragon, which has enchanted a generation of 6-11 year olds with its wit, inventiveness and hilarious illustrations, and inspired two (soon to be three!) DreamWorks films. Just like her books, Cressida is great fun!
Ticket includes £2 voucher towards a book.
Tickets available from the bookshop, and from http://www.steyningfestival.co.uk/whats-on/meet-cressida-cowell-94
by Gudrun Bowers | 9, May 2016
A very special opportunity to meet Sir Vince Cable who joins Guardian columnist and economist David Boyle to discuss a new revised and updated paperback edition of After the Storm. This provides fascinating insights into the global economy – and Britain’s place in it – from his unique vantage point as a former senior member of the coalition and offers a carefully considered perspective on how the British economy should be managed in the future. “Lucid, intelligent – and damning” — The Guardian. “Vince Cable is the parliamentarian who has been consistently the most prescient and thoughtful in his analysis of the credit crunch.” John Kay, Financial Times.
7.30 – 10 pm Tuesday 24th May, Festival Big Top.
Copies of ‘After the Storm’ will be on sale for Vince to sign after his talk.
Tickets from http://www.steyningfestival.co.uk/
or direct from The Steyning Bookshop.
by Gudrun Bowers | 9, May 2016
We are delighted to announce that Peter James is back in Steyning to introduce the 12th novel in his addictive Roy Grace series – ‘Love You Dead’.
Peter James is a one of the nation’s most treasured thriller writers – recently voted ‘The Best Crime Author of All Time’ by WH Smith readers. The Roy Grace series of novels have sold more than 17 million copies and been translated into over 36 languages, bringing the seamy underbelly of Brighton alive to a worldwide audience!
Peter is always a very entertaining speaker, having a wealth of fascinating stories that he has picked up while researching with the Sussex Police, so we can promise an evening of thrills, spills, and the occasional raised eyebrow!
Ticket price includes a hot-off-the-press hardback copy of ‘Love You Dead’, which Peter will, as always, be happy to sign for you after his talk.
7.30 -10 pm Tuesday 24th May.
Tickets available from http://www.steyningfestival.co.uk/
or from The Steyning Bookshop, festival box office.
by Gudrun Bowers | 4, Apr 2016
A welcome return to longer picture books from Emily Gravett, after her delightful series for toddlers featuring Bear and Hare, ‘Tidy’ tells the story of Pete the badger, a slightly OCD woodland character who gets a bit carried away when he starts to tidy up the forest, with disastrous but amusing consequences! Sumptuously illustrated and with a resounding environmental message, this book is a real treat for 3-5 year olds.
Emily will be at the bookshop on the launch date of the book – April 7th, tickets priced £2 per child.
by Gudrun Bowers | 4, Apr 2016
Sunjeev Sahota’s first novel Ours Are The Streets gained him a place on the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list of 2013 and this his second novel was longlisted for the 2015 Man Booker prize. Pertinent in view of the situation in Calais and Greece, this novel, set in Sheffield, is a brilliant depiction of the aspirations and daily struggles of three Indian men sharing accommodation with a group of other migrant workers and, in another part of the city, a devoutly Hindu Indian woman trapped and compromised by her marriage of convenience. The novel moves skilfully between India and England, initially taking the form of short stories and novellas about the characters in childhood and in the present day, and then as the main protagonists’ lives intermingle, the narrative gains further strength and opens still more the question of Western responsibilities to those less fortunate. An engrossing and humane read.
by Gudrun Bowers | 4, Apr 2016
Yasmin is fifteen, fat and in her words “a freak”, compulsively drawn to beautiful Alice Taylor whom she feels compelled to protect from afar, with far reaching consequences. An unsettling but at times comic portrayal of an obsession, this debut novel by former film editor Tasha Kavanagh grips and disturbs.
Published as adult fiction but could be read by older teenagers.
by Gudrun Bowers | 4, Apr 2016
Anne Jaccob is the daughter of a well-to-do family, though material comforts do nothing to soften a life pinched by misery and neglect. Her father cares nothing for her, her mother is exhausted and absent through her many confinements, and they are all grieving in their own ways for Anne’s baby brother. Denied emotional solace at home and desperate to escape the suitor her father has picked for her, Anne starts to look outside for excitement and affection. She settles on Fub, the butchers’ boy, hardly a suitable match for a young lady. Hardened by grief and made reckless by desire, Anne pushes herself off on a course there’s no turning back from…
Don’t let Janet Ellis’s cosy demeanour fool you, this is a dark, twisting tale of grief, lust and violence in Georgian London, and one unforgettable heroine’s warped attempt to escape the stifling claustrophobia of the female sphere.
