LoveReading Says
Nina George Dean on the surface has it all. Fantastic friends, a new home all of her own, a successful career as a food writer and a loving family. Saying that, her thirties thus far haven't been all they were cracked up to be...and so she decides to dive into online dating.
This is a funny observational debut novel by Dolly Alderton, a voice we recognise from her best-selling memoir Everything I Know About Love and her podcast The High Low. But it's fresh, it's so relatable, so real. We've all been through it or know someone who has - and because of that it's so heartfelt and sad and tender and true. But funny; I chuckled, laughed and nodded along on every step of Nina's journey.
And it's not an easy journey as love interest Max isn't quite what she hoped he'd be with his good looks and prepackaged charm and we hope she doesn't fall hard when after two hours she "wants to touch his face which looked like it belonged to a Viking warrior". Her doting dad shows more and more signs of dementia, and her friendships drift as friends become consumed with kids, love and moving out to the 'burbs.
Whatever decade you're in, this will serve as a witty warning, a reeling realisation or a magnificent memory and I can't recommend it enough.
Deborah Maclaren
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Ghosts Synopsis
Nina Dean has arrived at her early thirties as a successful food writer with loving friends and family, plus a new home and neighbourhood. When she meets Max, a beguiling romantic hero who tells her on date one that he's going to marry her, it feels like all is going to plan.
A new relationship couldn't have come at a better time - her thirties have not been the liberating, uncomplicated experience she was sold. Everywhere she turns, she is reminded of time passing and opportunities dwindling. Friendships are fading, ex-boyfriends are moving on and, worse, everyone's moving to the suburbs. There's no solace to be found in her family, with a mum who's caught in a baffling mid-life makeover and a beloved dad who is vanishing in slow-motion into dementia.
Dolly Alderton's debut novel is funny and tender, filled with whip-smart observations about relationships, family, memory, and how we live now.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780241434543 |
| Publication date: |
15th October 2020 |
| Author: |
Dolly Alderton |
| Publisher: |
Fig Tree an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
337 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Romance / Relationship Stories
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Dolly Alderton Press Reviews
There are sharply skewered set pieces, but also tender observations . . . a promising, deftly written, often entertaining and poignant debut novel - Sunday Times
Alderton masterfully exposes the hideous reality of dating in your 30s and how unfair it can be on women who enter the fray in honesty and hope. Hugely emotionally intelligent and often very funny. I adored it - Daily Mail
Funny and insightful, it's a brilliant look at the way we can be haunted by doubts, memories and home - Psychologies
Alderton balances heartrending emotion with keen-eyed satire, displaying a flair for metaphor and comic set pieces - Mail on Sunday
A fascinating, perceptive look at what it means to be a thirty-something woman right here, right now . . . Sharply observed, sometimes tender, sometimes tart, Ghosts will resonate with so many women - Red, The Best Books to Read this October
The perfect novel to curl up with . . . Full of smart and resonating reflections on modern life, this is exactly what we're in the mood to read right now - Stylist, Best New Books for October
A few years ago, Alderton seamlessly taped into our psyches with her 2018 memoir Everything I Know About Love. Now she's back with that same signature wit and blistering honesty in her debut novel, Ghosts - Cosmopolitan
Witty, tender, big-hearted - Sainsbury's Magazine
Whip-smart . . . a heartwarming tale of family and friendship - Evening Standard
Hilariously cutting, but also sad and insightful. Reading Dolly's writing is like having one of those glorious girls night in, where you drink till the early hours - laughing, venting, and feeling warm and seen - Holly Bourne
If you've ever been disappointed by a man it will vindicate every mixed-up emotion you've ever had about it - Laura Jane Williams
Such clever writing, wonderfully funny; fab characters and delightful details. Divine - Nina Stibbe
So brilliantly perceptive, packed with pin-sharp observations on every page. Dolly is such a fantastic writer - Jill Mansell
This brilliantly observed novel will make you nod, laugh and cry in recognition - The Sun
You know a book has hit the spot when you've decided before finishing which friend you're going to pass it to. The writer's skill at dissecting love and relationships translates seamlessly into fiction - Evening Standard
Utter BRILLIANCE. Dolly is such an insightful commentator on love, longing, friendship and emotional landscapes. I absolutely LOVED it! - Marian Keyes
A stunning achievement: I was laughing out loud, doing my best a few minutes later not to burst into tears and then angry that it had all come to an end. So moving, so funny, so beautifully written and so poignant. Brilliant - Stanley Tucci
Dolly Alderton's writing is incredibly intimate, tender, and observant. Ghosts is a fantastic novel about friendship, family, and love - Holliday Grainger
I absolutely adored it. So clever and funny and such a treat. The pages really did turn themselves - Cathy Rentzenbrink
