Under the Same Stars by Tim Lott – review
A tale of two brothers' search for their fatherNaming your protagonist Salinger signals a serious intent, not to mention a sort of mad bravado – particularly when you call his brother Carson (although the down-to-earth character in question woul...
Room of my own: Kathy Lette
The comic writer shows off the vibrant study in her London homeWhen Kathy Lette arrived in London 20-odd years ago, her Aussie accent, she says, meant she spent a lot of time looking up nostrils. To make matters worse, she'd left school at 16. So when ...
The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year by Sue Townsend
The heroine of this comic novel is an intriguing, unexpected characterIf a comic novel is to have a vaguely preposterous premise, it helps if it's one that seems immediately enticing to a high proportion of the readership. And which of us, in a moment ...
Why we’re watching: Grace McCleen, author
The 31-year-old writer of The Land of Decoration has a bright future ahead of herAh, a debut novelist. But isn't it virtually impossible for anyone to get their first book noticed? You're half-right: it's not easy. But it helps if you're one of the Wat...
Jack Holmes and His Friend by Edmund White
An impressive and enjoyable chronicle of love and friendshipWho is the unhappier? The unrequited lover, his passions awakened but unfulfilled, or the love object, ignorant of such exquisite suffering? Or have both characters developed in such a way as ...
A room of my own: Billy Childish
The multi-talented musician and author sheds light on the studio in Kent where he paints every weekend Billy Childish is half-joking when he calls himself a "Sunday painter", but when he arrives each week at the studio in his mother's house in Whitstab...
A room of my own: Vikram Seth
The author opens the door of his music room in the Wiltshire rectory he's filled with all things Indian and ChineseWhen Vikram Seth visited the rectory in Salisbury that had once been home to 17th-century metaphysical poet George Herbert, he loved it s...
A room of my own: Penelope Lively, writer
The acclaimed author surrounds herself with history and personal effects in her north London home "Nobody will ever have seen one!" laughs Penelope Lively CBE of the typewriter she bought in Rymans for £99 at least 10 years ago – "and still working ...
Webchat: A critic speaks
Book reviewer Alex Clark will be answering your questions on Friday 28 October, from 1-2pm (BST). Post your questions nowA few weeks ago, readers requested that we invite a book critic to one of our regular publishing insider webchats. We are delighted...
The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq – review
Houellebecq may have 'relapsed into charcuterie', but he's still a great readEver the deadpan comedian, Michel Houellebecq includes in the acknowledgments of the British edition of his new novel, a brief but perfectly straight thank-you to Wikipedia. F...
The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq – review
Houellebecq may have 'relapsed into charcuterie', but he's still a great readEver the deadpan comedian, Michel Houellebecq includes in the acknowledgments of the British edition of his new novel, a brief but perfectly straight thank-you to Wikipedia. F...
