Search results for ""Author Alice O'Keeffe""

'O'Keeffe exposes the scandal of the Special Demonstration Squad with empathy and anger' - SAGA'In a country of lockdowns, borders bills and voter ID, O'Keefe's 'arrow of hope' is needed more than ever. In Skylark that arrow will pierce your heart.' - SHINY NEW BOOKS BLOG'O'Keeffe brings the world Skylark inhabits to vibrant life, painting the passions of her activists so vividly that the reader - and Dan himself - are drawn into their desire to change the world.' - OBSERVER'An acutely observed, beautifully written story of lies and betrayal ... a thought-provoking, well-researched and compelling saga.' - BUZZ MAGAZINE'A lyrical love story about a real-life scandal' - HEAT'respectful and moving... a lovingly evoked examination of the 90s protest scene.' THE GUARDIAN'SKYLARK plunges the reader headfirst into a vivid, heady world where passion and betrayal collide. Beautifully-written, immersive and ultimately enraging, it's a must-read for anyone who has ever wanted to change the world.' - ERIN KELLY'Alice O'Keeffe deftly renders the shocking truth of the spy cops scandal into a moving tale of love, identity and betrayal. Essential reading.' - JAKE ARNOTT'Skylark is a book of profound psychological perception, which conjures with deft precision the atmosphere of the anti-roads movement in all its fierce, tender idealism. I couldn't put it down.' - JAY GRIFFITHSTheir ideals brought them together, but how closely should you follow your heart?It's the mid-90s, and rebellion is in the air.Skylark is an activist, a raver, a tree-dweller, a world-changer. Handsome, dependable Dan appears on the scene, offering her the security she has never had. When they fall in love, she shows him a new way to live; he will never be the same. But Dan has a secret, which Skylark must never, ever know. A secret so powerful that its fault-lines run from their ordinary council flat right up to the highest echelons of the state.Their story is the story of Britain's undercover police.As Skylark comes to doubt not only Dan's commitment to their shared ideals, but his very identity, she finds herself asking: can you ever really know the person you love?

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'Funny and well observed, this timely novel explores the isolation of new motherhood O'Keeffe examines themes of class, race, privilege and gender with a deft touch which will speak loudly to a certain generation. I loved this book.' CLOVER STROUD, AUTHOR OF MY WILD AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS'A warm-hearted and entertaining debut' HANNAH BECKERMAN, OBSERVER'A poignant tale of modern family life' WOMAN & HOME'On the Up is a gem of a novel that holds up a mirror to the way we live now.' RED'Funny and compassionate' NEW STATESMAN'Funny and real, this is a blast of fresh air.' FABULOUS'An uplifting debut.' HELLO'I love the way this book makes the domestic political, and vice versa' POLLY SAMSON'An intimate exploration of womanhood and the idea of home and belonging. Funny, melancholic, and full of warmth' XIAOLU GUO '[Alice writes] really well about the frustrations of not having much money in a culture that is geared towards those that have it all. It's not a topic we see a lot of in contemporary fiction and I found it very refreshing to see it tackled here.' LAURA BARNETT author of The Versions of Us'I love this book. Funny, heart-felt and poignant. It reflects perfectly the experiences of a generation that doesn't ever seem to have as much time, or money, as our parents had.' TOBIAS JONES'an uplifting book about persevering through the tough times ... an amazing debut.' YAHOOBy reading Style magazine, I was training myself not to want things. It was going quite well. I had already found that I did not want a pair of Yves Saint Laurent mules, a chandelier made from plastic antlers, or a diamond-encrusted necklace in the shape of a pineapple. I was still working on not wanting a fitted farmhouse kitchen in warm wood. Sylvia lives in a flat on a council estate with her not-quite-husband Obe and their two young children. She dreams of buying a house on a leafy street like the one she grew up in. If she closes her eyes, she can see it all so clearly: the stripped floorboards, the wisteria growing around the door... It's not ideal that she's about to be made redundant, or that Obe, a playworker, is never going to earn more than the minimum wage. As sleep deprivation sets in, and the RnB downstairs gets ever louder, Sylvia's life starts to unravel.But when the estate is earmarked for redevelopment, the threat to her community gives Sylvia a renewed sense of purpose. With a bit of help from her activist sister, and her film-maker friend Frankie, she's ready to take a stand for what she believes in.

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'O'Keeffe brings the world Skylark inhabits to vibrant life, painting the passions of her activists so vividly that the reader - and Dan himself - are drawn into their desire to change the world.' - Observer 'Alice O'Keeffe deftly renders the shocking truth of the spy cops scandal into a moving tale of love, identity and betrayal. Essential reading.' - Jake ArnottTheir ideals brought them together, but how closely should you follow your heart?It's the mid-90s, and rebellion is in the air.Skylark is an activist, a raver, a tree-dweller, a world-changer.Handsome, dependable Dan appears on the scene, offering her the security she has never had. When they fall in love, she shows him a new way to live; he will never be the same.But Dan has a secret, which Skylark must never, ever know.A secret so powerful that its fault-lines run from their ordinary council flat right up to the highest echelons of the state.Their story is the story of Britain's undercover police.As Skylark comes to doubt not only Dan's commitment to their shared ideals, but his very identity, she finds herself asking: can you ever really know the person you love?

Read more less