Exuberant and affirming, it's funny and immensely clever, emotionally rare and strong. I feel bereft now I've finished' Tessa Hadley Casey has ended up back in Massachusetts after a devastating love affair. Her mother has just died and she is knocked sideways by grief and loneliness, moving between the restaurant where she waitresses for the Harvard elite and the rented shed she calls home. Her one constant is the novel she has been writing for six years, but at thirty-one she is in debt and directionless, and feels too old to be that way - it's strange, not be the youngest kind of adult anymore. And then, one evening, she meets Silas. He is kind, handsome, interested. But only a few weeks later, Oscar walks into her restaurant, his two boys in tow. He is older, grieving the loss of his wife, and wrapped up in his own creativity. Suddenly Casey finds herself at the point of a love triangle, stuck between two very different relationships that promise two very different futures. Lily King's Writers & Lovers follows Casey in the last days of a long youth, a time when everything - her family, her work, her relationships - comes to a crisis. Hugely moving and impossibly funny, it is a transfixing novel that explores the terrifying and exhilarating leap between the end of one phase of life and the beginning of another. It is a novel about love and creativity, and ultimately it captures the moment when a woman becomes an artist.
Curtis Sittenfeld Books
Curtis Sittenfeld explores the intricacies of relationships and societal expectations with sharp wit and keen observation. Her works often delve into themes of identity, belonging, and the search for self within family and social structures. Sittenfeld excels at capturing authentic human emotion and offering witty commentary on contemporary life. Her ability to reimagine classic narratives in a modern setting while retaining their essential spirit showcases her literary craft.







Show Don't Tell
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
Exploring themes of marriage and female friendship, this collection features twelve compelling stories that delve into the complexities of women's lives. Notably, "Lost But Not Forgotten" revisits Lee Fiora from the author's earlier work, reflecting on her reunion and past memories. Other narratives include a woman's reconnection with old friends post-divorce and a photographer's shocking realization about her documentary. With sharp wit, the author critiques societal norms surrounding fame, ambition, and intimacy, revealing the unspoken thoughts of women navigating their pursuits.
Romantic Comedy
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
With a series of heartbreaks under her belt, Sally Milz - successful script writer for a legendary late-night TV comedy show - has long abandoned the search for love. Then Sally meets Noah, a pop idol with a reputation for dating models. But this isn't a romantic comedy - it's real life. Would someone like him ever date someone like her?
BY THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ROMANTIC COMEDY, AMERICAN WIFE and PREP 'This addictive novel is the SLIDING DOORS of American politics. Gripping' Stylist 'Startlingly good. One of my favourite writers' KATE ATKINSON ---------------------- 'Awfully opinionated for a girl' is what they call Hillary as she grows up in her Chicago suburb. Smart, diligent, and a bit plain, that's the general consensus. Then Hillary goes to college, and her star rises. At Yale Law School, she continues to be a leader - and catches the eye of driven, handsome and charismatic Bill. But when he asks her to marry him, Hillary gives him a firm No. How might things have turned out for them, for America, for the world itself, if Hillary Rodham had really turned down Bill Clinton? With her sharp but always compassionate eye, Sittenfeld explores the loneliness, moral ambivalence and iron determination that characterise the quest for high office, as well as the painful compromises demanded of female ambition in a world ruled by men. _____________ 'A lot of fun. A wonderful sad dream of what might have happened' Guardian 'It ends up being a love letter to a type- the female intellectual, who is given none of the licence of her less talented male peers. At the end, I found myself saying Oh My God' Observer 'An explosive new book' Grazia
Help Yourself
- 96 pages
- 4 hours of reading
This collection of stories illuminates human experience and gracefully upends our assumptions about class and race, envy and disappointment, gender and celebrity
American Wife
- 573 pages
- 21 hours of reading
In the year 2000, in the closest election in American history, Alice Blackwell's husband becomes president of the United States. Their time in the White House proves to be heady, tumultuous, and controversial. But it is Alice's own story - that of a kind, bookish, only child born in the 1940s Midwest who comes to inhabit a life of dizzying wealth and power - that is itself remarkable. Alice candidly describes her small-town upbringing, and the tragedy that shaped her identity; she recalls her early adulthood as a librarian, and her surprising courtship with the man who swept her off her feet; she tells of the crisis that almost ended their marriage; and she confides the privileges and difficulties of being first lady, a role that is uniquely cloistered and public, secretive and exposed. In Alice Blackwell, Curtis Sittenfeld has created her most dynamic and complex heroine yet. American Wife is not a novel about politics. It is a gorgeously written novel that weaves race, class, fate and wealth into a brilliant tapestry. It is a novel in which the unexpected becomes inevitable, and the pleasures and pain of intimacy and love are laid bare.
The Best American Short Stories 2020
- 400 pages
- 14 hours of reading
New York Times best-selling author Curtis Sittenfeld selects the twenty best short stories of the year.
You Think It, I'll Say It
- 256 pages
- 9 hours of reading
Each of these stories could be expanded into a blockbusting novel. There is no writer alive who inhabits her characters so knowingly, or is able to send up contemporary attitudes and mores as expertly...clever, funny, revealing and a joy to read. Evening Standard
"Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, the late night live comedy show that airs each Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she's long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life. But when Sally's friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actress who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show-and in society at large-who've gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the Danny Horst Rule, poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman. Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week's show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder if there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn't a romantic comedy-it's real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her . . . right?"-- Provided by publisher
Eligible
- 544 pages
- 20 hours of reading
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'This is Pride and Prejudice 2.0 and I must confess, I liked it more than the original' STYLIST 'Bold and brilliant' GLAMOUR 'Sheer joy... Giddy and glam and a hearty update of Pride and Prejudice' JESSIE BURTON, author of The Miniaturist Liz and Jane Bennet return to suburban Cincinnati to persuade their mother to stop overfeeding their father post-surgery, tidy their crumbling family home, and help their three sisters break free from their stagnation. Under one roof, old dynamics resurface, and the pressure of their single status becomes unbearable for these successful women in their late thirties. However, a BBQ at the Lucas family's home introduces them to some eligible men, sparking new possibilities. This dazzling, heartwarming narrative catapults the beloved classic into the modern world, filled with humor and authenticity. Praise for this modern retelling includes accolades from Elle, Judy Blume, Red, Woman and Home, Nigella Lawson, and the New York Times, highlighting the charm, wit, and romance reminiscent of the original while delivering a fresh, delightful experience.


