A raw, unflinching, intimate family memoir, for readers of Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, On Chapel Sands, and Priestdaddy ¿ rejacketed to reach a broader readership.
Gavin¿s first novel, Mrs Engels, was nominated for a number of literary awards, his second, The Sisters Mao, was praised by the likes of The Times (`a masterpiece¿), The Guardian (`dazzlingly ambitious¿), The Irish Times (`profoundly brilliant¿), and more.
`Flayingly authentic and sensationally compelling ¿ one of the best books of the year.¿ The Observer
¿`A book that few authors would have the courage to write, nor the skill to write so well.¿ Irish Independent
`Are you going into town today?¿ she says, which annoys me because it¿s something she says all the time, having forgotten she said it before, and I say, `Jesus, Mum, not this again, ¿ and she says, `What again?¿ and I say, `Town is shut...
In September 1870 a train leaves Manchester bound for London. On board is Lizzie Burns, a poor worker from the Irish slums, who is embarking on the journey that will change her forever. Sitting in the first-class carriage beside her lover, the wealthy mill-owner Frederick Engels, the vision of a life of peace and comfort takes shape before her eyes: finally, at nearly fifty, she is to be the lady of a house and the wife to a man. Perhaps now s...
One of Amazon's Top Twenty Books of 2015 • Selected as both a Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2015 • Longlisted for The Guardian 2015 First Novel Award"The illiterate lover and eventual wife of a coauthor of The Communist Manifesto is the star of this enthralling work of historical fiction." —O: The Oprah Magazine"Lizzie has been brought to life with exuberant force." —The New York Times"Impressive. . . . A memorable portr...
