{"product_id":"small-pleasures-9781399620833","title":"Small Pleasures","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePre-Order SHY CREATURES: the unforgettable new novel about love, family and freedom from award-winning author of SMALL PLEASURES, Clare Chambers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCOMING AUGUST 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e***\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA BEAUTIFUL HARDBACK SPECIAL EDITION, FEATURING RECIPES AND AN EXCLUSIVE Q\u0026amp;A WITH THE AUTHOR\u003cbr\u003eTHE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE BOOK LOVER IN YOUR LIFE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA BBC 2 ''BETWEEN THE COVERS'' BOOK CLUB PICK\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Wonderful'' \u003cb\u003eRICHARD OSMAN\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Perfect''\u003cb\u003e INDIA KNIGHT\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ''Beautiful'' \u003cb\u003eJESSIE BURTON\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ''Witty and sharp'' \u003cb\u003eDAVID NICHOLLS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1957, the suburbs of south east London. Jean Swinney is a journalist on a local paper, trapped in a life of duty and disappointment from which there is no likelihood of escape. When a young woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud. As\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA very fine book\u003c\/b\u003e... It's\u003cb\u003e witty and sharp and reads like something by Barbara Pym or Anita Brookner, \u003c\/b\u003ewithout ever feeling like a pastiche. * David Nicholls, author of ONE DAY *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerfect\u003c\/b\u003e. * India Knight *\u003cbr\u003eSmall lives, love and loneliness, wit and despair all wrapped in an unexpected mystery and placed in a perfectly-realised 50s setting.\u003cb\u003e Effortless to read, but every sentence lingers in the mind\u003c\/b\u003e. * Lissa Evans, author of OLD BAGGAGE *\u003cbr\u003eThis is one of the \u003cb\u003emost tender, beautiful books I have ever read\u003c\/b\u003e. Please, please order it now for July. I honestly don't want you to be without it. \u003cb\u003eIt is exquisite\u003c\/b\u003e. * Lucy Mangan *\u003cbr\u003eI've had about five people recommend this to me, which is quite rare... It's a novel about the last throw of the dice, the last chance perhaps of finding a life of happiness when you've had a struggle. \u003cb\u003eThe writing is beautiful\u003c\/b\u003e. This is also the first novel Chambers has written for 10 years, which I find really inspiring. I think there's this discourse in our culture that you've got to have everything done in your first book ... But Chambers has been away for 10 years and she's come back with this absolute humdinger. It's just so nice to read a book by someone who's so confident with their talent. I'm glad she's having this renaissance. * Jessie Burton *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eQuietly remarkable\u003c\/b\u003e... Small Pleasures is \u003cb\u003eno small pleasure\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Andrew Billen * THE TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eSmall Pleasures is an \u003cb\u003ealmost \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eflawlessly written tale\u003c\/b\u003e of genuine, grown-up romantic anguish. Written in prose that is \u003cb\u003eclipped as closely as \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003esuburban hedges\u003c\/b\u003e, this is a book about seemingly mild people concealing turbulent feelings... one of the great strengths of the book is its \u003cb\u003etender, atmospheric descriptions of England\u003c\/b\u003e: wet leaves, misted windows, the \"melancholy sense of approaching dusk\". Small Pleasures succeeds in creating one of those enclosed fictional worlds that, however desolate, has its own rules, its own flavour and \u003cb\u003eits own charm\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * THE SUNDAY TIMES *\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere's \u003cb\u003ecompassion and quiet \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ehumour\u003c\/b\u003e to be found in this tale of a putative virgin birth in postwar suburban London... \u003cbr\u003eChambers's eye for drab, undemonstrative details achieves a \u003cb\u003eLarkin-esque lucidity\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e -- Alfred Hickling * GUARDIAN *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eirresistible \u003c\/b\u003enovel - \u003cb\u003ewry, perceptive and quietly devastating\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Hephzibah Anderson * MAIL ON SUNDAY *\u003cbr\u003eSmall Pleasures is no twee romance, but a \u003cb\u003equietly compelling novel \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eof duty and desire\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Francesca Carington * THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWonderful\u003c\/b\u003e. * Richard Osman *\u003cbr\u003eA wonderful novel. \u003cb\u003eI loved it\u003c\/b\u003e. * Nina Stibbe *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMiraculous\u003c\/b\u003e. * Tracy Chevalier *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ebeautiful and moving read \u003c\/b\u003eset in 1950s suburbia that'll be on bookseller tables across the land this summer -- Francesca Brown * STYLIST *\u003cbr\u003eThis is a \u003cb\u003edazzling, exquisitely written story\u003c\/b\u003e of how happiness and even love can find us when we least expect it. -- Sarra Manning * RED *\u003cbr\u003eThere are \u003cb\u003esmall pleasures aplenty\u003c\/b\u003e in Clare Chambers' quietly observed, 1950s-set story... Chambers' novel \u003cb\u003ecombines a startling storyline \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ewith an engagingly nuanced portrait \u003c\/b\u003eof post-war suburban femininity. -- Claire Allfree * METRO *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003estunning novel \u003c\/b\u003eto steal your heart. * WOMAN \u0026amp; HOME *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ewonderfully compassionate\u003c\/b\u003e imagining of the post-war years, \u003cb\u003edarned with the fine skeins of love\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e -- Kerry Fowler * SAINSBURY’S MAGAZINE *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI loved this novel\u003c\/b\u003e, which simmers with repressed emotions, and the \u003cb\u003egut punch of an ending\u003c\/b\u003e really stayed with me. -- Jo Finney * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, Book of the Month *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe glorious literary equivalent of pulling the duvet over your head\u003c\/b\u003e... Both an absorbing mystery and a tender love story - and the ending is devastating. Chambers is a writer who finds the truth in things. \u003cb\u003eIf you admire Tessa Hadley or Anne Tyler (and there are shades of Barbara Pym too), then this is one for you.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Alice O'Keefe * The Bookseller, Book of the Month *\u003cbr\u003eIt is a \u003cb\u003eglorious piece of storytelling\u003c\/b\u003e where powerful emotions and awful revelations are treated with a dignity that makes them all the more \u003cb\u003edevastating\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Eithne Farry * DAILY MIRROR *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003egentle, heart-aching mystery\u003c\/b\u003e that's \u003cb\u003einfused with empathy \u003c\/b\u003eand a keen understanding of stifling 1950s mores. -- Stephanie Cross * DAILY MAIL *\u003cbr\u003eThe author's first novel in almost 10 years is \u003cb\u003eso good it made me want to read her entire backlist!\u003c\/b\u003e.. \u003cb\u003eAn enticing read\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Nina Pottell * PRIMA *\u003cbr\u003eI am perverse about those books that acquire a sudden, unexpected popularity; perhaps a combination of natural contrariness and fear of being out of step with the cultural zeitgeist. I'm glad I overcame that irrational prejudice for Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers, another story of lives that appear to have hit the buffers... \u003cb\u003eA little gem of a book \u003c\/b\u003ethat transplants the listener quite elsewhere, while exploring the abiding issue of how much we are prepared to suspend our disbelief if we glimpse a chance of happiness. * Financial Times (Best Audiobooks) *\u003cbr\u003eClare Chambers's novel is \u003cb\u003ea delight to read\u003c\/b\u003e: \u003cb\u003ecompletely \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eand utterly haunting\u003c\/b\u003e... Quietly confident with moments of vibrant humour, this is \u003cb\u003ean exquisitely drawn \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003estudy of human fragility\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Helena Gumley-Mason * THE LADY *\u003cbr\u003ePart mystery, part love story, part reflection on changing attitudes to sexuality in post-war Britain, Small Pleasures is a \u003cb\u003edisarmingly gentle read that quietly builds to a devastating conclusion\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Scarlett Sangster * PRESS ASSOCIATION - syndicated across regional newspapers and websites *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003edevourable mystery\u003c\/b\u003e with a side order of love story set in 1950s suburbia. -- Rosamund Dean * GRAZIA *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHauntingly tender, and written with powerful grace\u003c\/b\u003e, Clare Chambers's \u003ci\u003eSmall Pleasures\u003c\/i\u003e is an \u003cb\u003eabsolute joy \u003c\/b\u003efrom start to finish... Laying bare a quivering three-way tug between obligation, propriety and passion, and the inexplicable way thunderbolt-bonds are formed between similar-souled individuals, Jean's conflicts and chance to love \u003cb\u003etruly get under your skin\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eWhat a remarkable book, with a dagger-sharp climax that will pierce your heart.\u003c\/b\u003e * LOVEREADING - July Picks of the Month and a Star Book *\u003cbr\u003eBeautiful... \u003ci\u003eSmall Pleasures \u003c\/i\u003eis a sort of meditation on finding moments of joy (a solo cigarette, a melting ice-cream) in a context of wider sadness. * Emma Beddington in the Observer Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSmall Pleasures\u003c\/i\u003e is a \u003cb\u003etender \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003eheart-rending\u003c\/b\u003e tale that \u003cb\u003ewill draw you in from the first page and keep you gripped until the very end\u003c\/b\u003e. Exquisitely compelling! * Ruth Hogan, author of THE KEEPER OF LOST THINGS *\u003cbr\u003eClare Chambers is that rare thing, a novelist of discreet hilarity, deep compassion and stiletto wit whose perspicacious account of suburban lives with their quiet desperation and unexpected passion makes her \u003cb\u003ethe 21st century heir to Jane Austen, Barbara Pym and Elizabeth Taylor\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003ci\u003eSmall Pleasures\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003eboth gripping and a huge delight\u003c\/b\u003e. I loved what she did with the trope of the claim of a virgin birth, and how the hope of a miracle opens the door to love, kindness and hope in an arid existence. \u003cb\u003eThis is better than \u003ci\u003eEleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine\u003c\/i\u003e and deserves just as much acclaim\u003c\/b\u003e. * Amanda Craig, author of THE LIE OF THE LAND *\u003cbr\u003eClare Chambers is such a witty, astute and subtle writer. There is a delightful whiff of Pym or Whipple about \u003ci\u003eSmall Pleasures\u003c\/i\u003e - it's an absolute delight! * Lucy Atkins, author of MAGPIE LANE *\u003cbr\u003eElegant, compelling, funny, sad. I loved every word of this tone perfect novel. I was so absorbed I stopped only to wonder if the author had squirrelled away a lost classic by Barbara Pym and presented it as her own. * Polly Samson, author of A THEATRE FOR DREAMERS *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSmall Pleasures \u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003ea gorgeous treat of a novel\u003c\/b\u003e: the premise is fascinating, the characters beautifully drawn and utterly compelling, the period setting masterfully and delicately evoked, and the plot is full of unexpected twists and turns. \u003cb\u003eAnd oh, the finale broke my heart. I just couldn't put this novel down.\u003c\/b\u003e * Laura Barnett, #1 bestselling author of THE VERSIONS OF US *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI adored \u003ci\u003eSmall Pleasures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e. It's engrossing and gripping: y\u003cb\u003eou want to race on and relish every sentence at the same time\u003c\/b\u003e. I love the way Clare writes - her wry, subtle turns of phrase, the humour in the smallest of observations, the finely drawn characters. A \u003cb\u003ewonderful\u003c\/b\u003e book' * Sabine Durrant, author of LIE WITH ME *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003edelicious \u003c\/b\u003emystery and a touching exploration of loneliness and desire in cloying 1950s suburbia - \u003cb\u003ea great read\u003c\/b\u003e. * Sally Magnusson, author of THE SEALWOMAN'S GIFT *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSmall Pleasures\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ethe best sort of book\u003c\/b\u003e: full of longing, regret and difficult emotions but leavened with so much warmth and humour it was a joy from start to finish.\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e * Francesca Jakobi, author of BITTER *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe must-read uplifting book of the summer.\u003c\/b\u003e * WEST END LANE BOOKSHOP *\u003cbr\u003eYou know one of those rare books that \u003cb\u003ejust immerses you with its richly constructed world and compelling narrative\u003c\/b\u003e. Well, \u003ci\u003eSmall Pleasures\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003ci\u003ethat\u003c\/i\u003e book. * BOOK RIOT, Best Books of Summer 2020 *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003ePraise for the audiobook:\u003cbr\u003eNarrated by Karen Cass, who ably gives voice to a range of characters including lugubrious journalists, the potential trickster, Swiss woman Gretchen Tilbury, and her phlegmatic husband Howard, it's \u003cb\u003ea little gem of a book\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003ethat transplants the listener quite elsewhere\u003c\/b\u003e, while exploring the abiding issue of how much we are prepared to suspend our disbelief if we glimpse a chance of happiness.\u003c\/p\u003e * FINANCIAL TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eThe novel's charms lie less in its sensational subject than in the journalist's tentative efforts to escape the drab horizons of her daily existence. \u003cb\u003eQuietly perfect.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Claire Allfree * EVENING STANDARD, Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlissful.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Cressida Connelly * THE SPECTATOR, Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003eThis is a \u003cb\u003edazzling, exquisitely written story \u003c\/b\u003eof how happiness and even love can find us when we least expect it. -- Sarra Manning * RED MAGAZINE, 10 Best Books of 2020 *\u003cbr\u003eThis novel brings a sensibility not unlike those of Barbara Pym and Philip Larkin to a story (inspired by a real-life episode in the 1950s) of a woman who claims to have had a child by virgin birth... In a milieu of reticence and chin-up stoicism, startling revelations surface and emotions hopefully stir. -- Peter Kemp * THE TIMES, Best Novels of 2020 *\u003cbr\u003eMade me want to read the whole of her back catalogue!... An enticing read. -- Nina Pottell * PRIMA, Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003eOne of the year's most quietly affecting books... achingly tender. * THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR CLARE CHAMBERS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Clare Chambers is a diamond in the dust' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIndependent on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Clare Chambers' characters are so vivid that, by the end of the book, they feel like old friends' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA book I very much enjoyed and will be gifting is SMALL PLEASURES by Clare Chambers. It's a love story tangled up with a very satisfying mystery. The portrayal of post-war suburbia, its boredom and frustration, is so vivid and you long for the characters to find happiness. It's Brief Encounter with an ingenious twist. -- David Nicholls * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003eSet in 1957, Chambers' atmospheric tale of lonely journalist Jean and her last chance at love is compelling, beautifully written and will shatter your heart into smithereens. Unmissable. -- Charlotte Heathcote * DAILY EXPRESS, Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eClare Chambers' novels have \u003cb\u003ea unique quality \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eof elegiac charm\u003c\/b\u003e, and Small Pleasures, her breakthrough success, is set in\u003cbr\u003erecognisable 1950s' Kent. The setting alone is \u003cb\u003ea wonderful escape\u003c\/b\u003e from our own big bad reality and the plot - based on a true story of a woman who claimed to have undergone a virgin birth - is \u003cb\u003eboth striking and atmospheric\u003c\/b\u003e. Hers is a lost suburban world of quiet anguish and inhibited ecstasies. Chambers is compared to Barbara Pym but is \u003cb\u003emore joyful and\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eaddictive. I was hooked from her first novel. Treat yourself to all her work.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e -- Jane Thynne * THE TABLET, Best Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003eSome of the year's most purely enjoyable reading could be found in this perfectly formed, 1950s-set tale... A droll, charming and wholly absorbing blend of period mystery and romance. -- Anthony Cummins * METRO, Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003eI loved this book. Thoughtful and empathetic storytelling that is full of suspense. It is full of conflict, asking questions about duty and happiness. -- Jamie Klingler * I NEWSPAPER *\u003cbr\u003eClare Chambers's bittersweet novel of unexpected late love is beautifully observed and quietly compelling. -- Jane Shilling * DAILY MAIL *","brand":"Orion Publishing Co","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48738909061463,"sku":"9781399620833","price":17.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781399620833.jpg?v=1720050556","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/small-pleasures-9781399620833","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}