We Are Reading

At Jaffé & Neale we are always happy to recommend our favourite reads. Here are our current picks:

“This is such a clever page turner. It’s a fictionalisation of Vladimir Putin’s ascendency and all that entailed. It feels like you have a front seat view on Russian history as it is made. It’s a gripping read and thought provoking.”
The Wizard of the Kremlin
Review by Patrick Neale
“A Libyan Proust? Maybe. The Booker winner 2024? Quite possibly.”
My Friends
Review by David Faulds
“Simultaneously horrifying and heartwarming.”
Glorious Exploits
Review by Hattie Williams
“An insightful and hard-hitting debut novel from journalist Louise Tickle that confronts coercive control in relationship breakdowns and the complexities of family court disputes.”
Between The Lies
Review by Rachel White
“Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s Iliad is an excellent follow up to her translation of the Odyssey (2017). Her command of Ancient Greek means that her translation is both accurate to the wording of the original text as well as conveying the sense of the text in a way that resonates with English-speaking readers, and this is especially clear in her translation of dialogue, where the characters are the most vividly portrayed.”
The Iliad
Review by Hattie Williams
“Richard Flanagan has created a moving and gripping memoir, capturing the horrors of his father’s incarceration in the Second World War (as recounted in the Booker Winner Narrow Road to the Deep North), the arrival of the Atomic Bomb, first envisaged by H G Wells and his near death from drowning while canoeing at the age of 21. His laser clear view of what it means to be a human makes it a privilege to read and accompany him on his reflections of growing up in Tasmania, an island with a haunted and guilty past.”
Question 7
Review by Patrick Neale
“A deep dive into the hows, whys and wherefores of a 30 year relationship told against the backdrop of contemporary America.”
Wellness
Review by Rachel White
“A striking and moving retelling of the Iliad from the perspective of Briseis, the abduction of whom sparks the wrath of Achilles, this book explores the position of women in the epic world and questions the behaviour of the heroes idolised throughout history.”
The Silence of the Girls
Review by Hattie Williams
“If you want an elevator pitch then this is The English Patient meets The Goldfinch. It’s a joy. Derek B Miller has thrown everything into this novel. His storytelling is wonderful, drawing you into the world of a young child who loses its parents and witnesses the catastrophe of the Destruction of the Monastery Montecassino in the Allies’ advance on Italy in 1943. The child is taken under the wing of the enigmatic Pietro Houdini Mussolini. They struggle to survive and collect a band of misfits along their Odyssey. Miller’s writing is mesmeric. It makes you despair as you come to the end of the book. I didn’t realise that my life would involve worrying about the fate of a mule called Ferrari. But Derek B Miller deals out episodes of love, war, history, art and humour in exquisite prose, leaving you craving for more.”
The Curse of Pietro Houdini
Review by Patrick Neale
“Women’s Prize for Fiction Winner. This is the perfect homage to Dickens’ David Copperfield. Set in 1990s Appalachia during the ongoing painkiller addiction crisis, Demon, an orphan, sets out to make his way in a challenging world. The new protagonist’s voice is wry, authentic and effortlessly a modern Dickensian voice. 500 pages of jeopardy and literary pleasure.”
Demon Copperhead
Review by Patrick Neale
“If you spend more than five minutes time with me I will inevitably mention this book. It’s a brilliant environmental novel that tells the story of a group of activists who disperse across America after a protest goes horribly wrong. I learnt more about trees and their ecosystems from this book than numerous non fiction titles. Richard Powers’ love and respect for nature comes across in this life changing book.”
The Overstory
Review by Patrick Neale
“THE BEST READ OF 2023. This is a startling piece of work. It’s speculative fiction at its most gripping. It’s the best book I have read in a long while. It takes us through the environmental crisis in America over the next 30 years at the macro and micro level. The characters become friends and enemies. It feels as if Jonathan Franzen and Tolstoy have been asked to collaborate to write a Netflix series about global warming and how it affects everyday lives. A must read. I have imported copies from the US and will be thrusting it into all my customers’ hands.”
The Deluge
Review by Patrick Neale
“Seven touching short stories about human (and feline) relationships. May even tug at the heartstrings of dog owners.”
The Goodbye Cat
Review by Simon Lewis-Beeching
“A bootleg VHS by an obscure French filmmaker. A dilapidated house in the edgelands of Birmingham. A journey down a rabbit hole of obsessions. A masterclass in British weird fiction.”
The Witnesses Are Gone
Review by David Faulds
“A mash up of Richard Powers’ Overstory and the film Arrival. This highly accomplished novel takes us from the depths of the Atlantic to a journey to Mars. It follows the life of Leigh, a young Dutch woman, from her scientific research into extra terrestrial life to the attempts to resolve the climate crisis. Throughout the novel her connection with the earth, desert and sea makes this a spellbinding novel. It’s not science fiction, it’s not a thriller, it’s more.”
In Ascension
Review by Patrick Neale
“Fantasy, magic books, evil, time-travel, peril, violence… this book has it all. Should also appeal to Young Adult readers.”
The Book of Doors
Review by Simon Lewis-Beeching

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