This Lovely City
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- 29,99 zł
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- 29,99 zł
Publisher Description
*As seen on the new BBC TWO TV book club, Between the Covers*
Longlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award
Indie Book of the Month for March, selected by the Booksellers Association
One of OBSERVER’S 10 best debut novelists of 2020 / WOMAN & HOME Best of 2020 / EVENING STANDARD Best books of 2020 / MAIL ON SUNDAY 2020 Highlights / I Best of 2020
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‘Full of life and love . . . it made my heart soar, and should be on every Londoner’s shelf’ Stacey Halls, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars
‘The writing is wonderful; London’s energy runs right through it; the characters leap off the page. I was truly sad to leave them behind’ Adam Kay, Observer
‘Convincing and involving’ Sunday Times
‘Fans of Zadie Smith and Andrea Levy won’t want to miss Louise Hare’s enthralling debut novel’ Elle
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The drinks are flowing.
The music is playing.
But the party can’t last.
With the Blitz over and London reeling from war, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England’s call for help. Fresh off the Empire Windrush, he’s taken a tiny room in south London lodgings, and has fallen in love with the girl next door. Lawrie has poured his heart into his new home – and it’s alive with possibility. Until, one morning, he makes a terrible discovery.
As the local community rallies, fingers of blame are pointed at those who had recently been welcomed with open arms. And, before long, the newest arrivals become the prime suspects in a tragedy which threatens to tear the city apart.
Atmospheric, poignant and compelling, Louise Hare’s debut shows that new arrivals have always been the prime suspects. But, also, that there is always hope.
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MORE PRAISE FOR THIS LOVELY CITY:
‘I loved, loved, loved it’ Cathy Rentzenbrink, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Last Act of Love
‘Full to the brim with such complete joys and heart-aching tragedies . . . you can feel the warmth and colour emanating from the pages’ Magic Radio Book Club
About the author
Louise Hare is a London-based writer and has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. Originally from Warrington, the capital is the inspiration for much of her work, including This Lovely City, which began life after a trip into the deep level shelter below Clapham Common.
This Lovely City was featured on the inaugural BBC TWO TV book club show, Between the Covers, and has received multiple accolades, securing Louise’s place as an author to watch.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Louise Hare’s poignant debut transports us back to 1950s London when, in the aftermath of World War II and the Blitz, Lawrie Matthews arrives in the capital from Jamaica aboard the Empire Windrush. But, after falling for the girl next door and finding work, his life is turned upside down when he discovers the body of a baby in Clapham Pond—and unjustly becomes the prime suspect. In the wake of the 2018 Windrush scandal, This Lovely City is a vital read, exploring the hope so many had for a new life in Britain, and the shocking discrimination they faced after arriving. Part murder mystery, part historical novel and a love story throughout, Hare’s unmissable novel will make your heart soar and break in equal measure.