Description

Book Synopsis

'Poetic, atmospheric' Daily Mail
___________________________

Foresight is not always a gift...


The summer Natasha Rothwell turns fifteen, strange dancing lights appear in the sky above her small town, lights that she interprets as portents of doom.

Natasha leads a sheltered life with her beautiful, bohemian mother in a crumbling house by the sea. As news of the lights spreads, more and more visitors arrive in the town, creating a feverish atmosphere of anticipation and dread. And the arrival of a new lodger, the handsome Mr Bowen, threatens to upset the delicate equilibrium between mother and daughter.

Then Natasha's fears seem to be realized when a local teenager goes missing, and she is called on to help. But her actions over that long, hot summer will have unforeseen and ultimately tragic consequences that will cast a shadow for many years to come...



Trade Review
A brooding, gothic-tinged coming-of-age tale... There is a gentle lyricism to Donohue's prose that brushes everything with a dreamy heat haze - but the emotions roiling beneath are sharp and cutting * The Times *
Poetic, atmospheric * Daily Mail *
An elegant, coming-of-age novel that has touches of Françoise Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse as well as LP Hartley's The Go-Between ... the atmosphere and characters Donohue creates linger long after finishing. * Sunday Independent *
Haunting and compelling * Emma Rous *
Brims with atmospheric, eerie tension * Irish Independent *
Donohue looks to be the latest name to join the ranks of Ireland's proud female thriller-writing tradition. * Irish Independent on Rachel Donhue *
Donohue's language is sharp, mature and occasionally quite beautiful. There is a poetic lilt to the prose... * Sunday Business Post *
Donohue is a master of clean, sharp prose * Irish Times on Rachel Donohue *
Eloquent, lyrical prose ... fascinating and thought-provoking * NB Magazine *
Donohue's writing is crisp and frequently elegant ... the novel's moving ending feels earned and real. * Irish Times *
Donohue writes with an apparently effortless grace * Big Issue *

The Beauty of Impossible Things

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    £13.49

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    RRP £14.99 – you save £1.50 (10%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Sat 4 Jul 2026.

    A Hardback by Rachel Donohue

    3 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Beauty of Impossible Things by Rachel Donohue

      Publisher: Atlantic Books
      Publication Date: 06/05/2021
      ISBN13: 9781838952143, 978-1838952143
      ISBN10: 1838952144

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      'Poetic, atmospheric' Daily Mail
      ___________________________

      Foresight is not always a gift...


      The summer Natasha Rothwell turns fifteen, strange dancing lights appear in the sky above her small town, lights that she interprets as portents of doom.

      Natasha leads a sheltered life with her beautiful, bohemian mother in a crumbling house by the sea. As news of the lights spreads, more and more visitors arrive in the town, creating a feverish atmosphere of anticipation and dread. And the arrival of a new lodger, the handsome Mr Bowen, threatens to upset the delicate equilibrium between mother and daughter.

      Then Natasha's fears seem to be realized when a local teenager goes missing, and she is called on to help. But her actions over that long, hot summer will have unforeseen and ultimately tragic consequences that will cast a shadow for many years to come...



      Trade Review
      A brooding, gothic-tinged coming-of-age tale... There is a gentle lyricism to Donohue's prose that brushes everything with a dreamy heat haze - but the emotions roiling beneath are sharp and cutting * The Times *
      Poetic, atmospheric * Daily Mail *
      An elegant, coming-of-age novel that has touches of Françoise Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse as well as LP Hartley's The Go-Between ... the atmosphere and characters Donohue creates linger long after finishing. * Sunday Independent *
      Haunting and compelling * Emma Rous *
      Brims with atmospheric, eerie tension * Irish Independent *
      Donohue looks to be the latest name to join the ranks of Ireland's proud female thriller-writing tradition. * Irish Independent on Rachel Donhue *
      Donohue's language is sharp, mature and occasionally quite beautiful. There is a poetic lilt to the prose... * Sunday Business Post *
      Donohue is a master of clean, sharp prose * Irish Times on Rachel Donohue *
      Eloquent, lyrical prose ... fascinating and thought-provoking * NB Magazine *
      Donohue's writing is crisp and frequently elegant ... the novel's moving ending feels earned and real. * Irish Times *
      Donohue writes with an apparently effortless grace * Big Issue *

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