I’d like to think there’ll be a copy of this book in every Doctors / Psychiatrists office and when we want to give up smoking, need painkillers for PMT or insomnia or any one of a thousand physical and mental ills then there will be a literary remedy to hand. There is much to comfort, challenge, amuse and educate within these covers, I loved the many lists, the recommendations and the voice of the authors and it will join Anne Fadiman’s wonderful Ex Libris as one of my favourite literary books and kept to hand at all times. ~ Sue Baker
The Novel Cure An A to Z of Literary Remedies Synopsis
Are you weary in Brain and Body? Do you desire a Positive Cure for your Pessimism? Do you require Bronte to re-boot your Broken Heart? Do you despair of your Nose? Can Fielding open your Flood Gates? Or Pynchon purge your Paranoia? May we administer Austen to curb your Arrogance? Hemingway for your Headache? An injection of du Maurier for your low Self-Esteem? Are you Shy, Single, Stressed or Sixty? Are your Vital Statistics in need of some Spark? May we massage you with Murakami? Ease your pain with Wolf or Wodehouse? Do you require the Very Book to lessen your Loneliness? May we revive your Spirit with a Literary Tonic? This is a medical handbook, with a difference. Whether you have a stubbed toe or a severe case of the blues, within these pages you'll find a cure in the form of a novel - or a combination of novels - to help ease your pain. You'll also find advice on how to tackle common reading ailments - such as what to do when you feel overwhelmed by the number of books in the world, or you have a tendency to give up halfway through. When read at the right moment in your life, a novel can - quite literally - change it, and The Novel Cure is a reminder of that power. Written with authority, passion and wit, here is a fresh approach to finding new books to read, and an enchanting way to revisit the books on your shelves.
'Witty, warm and wise, I loved this book within moments of dipping in and know I shall be returning to it for a long time to come. It's a wonderful reminder of the restorative power of fiction and ideal for anyone who has ever wondered what on earth to read next' -- SJ WATSON author of BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP
'Brilliant' Bookseller Editor's Pick
'Great fun and wonderfully inspiring, The Novel Cure is a must for any booklover's shelves' The Bookseller, September's best books
Author
About Ella Berthoud, Susan Elderkin
Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin met as English Literature students at Cambridge University, where they began giving novels to each other whenever one of them seemed in need of a boost. Ella went on to study fine art and become a painter and art teacher. Susan became a novelist and journalist. In 2008 they set up a bibliotherapy service through The School of Life in London, and since then have been prescribing books either virtually or in person to clients all over the world. With four children, two husbands, various cats, dogs, mice and tortoises (some of them imaginary) between them, they created their first book, The Novel Cure, together in 2013.
