Promotional Information

This is the tale of Mary, a simple farm girl, sent to care for the vicar's invalid wife but who discovers wonders in words - and terrors in life.

About the Author

Nell Leyshon's first novel, Black Dirt, was long-listed for the Orange Prize, and shortlisted for the Commonwealth prize. Her plays include Comfort me with Apples, which won an Evening Standard Award, and Bedlam, which was the first play written by a woman for Shakespeare's Globe. She writes for BBC Radio 3 and 4, and won the Richard Imison Award for her first radio play. Nell was born in Glastonbury and lives in Dorset.

Reviews

Shocking and haunting. Read it, in one sitting * Spectator *
Charming, Bronte-esque, compelling, special and hard to forget. I loved it * Marian Keyes *
A small tour de force - a wonderfully convincing voice, and a devastating story told with great skill * Penelope Lively *
Starts deceptively quietly, describing a life of rural hardships and limited prospects, but bit by bit, letter by letter, it reveals a world of potential that is shattered by human fallibility * Daily Telegraph *
Astounding . . . one of the most compelling narrators I've ever encountered * Stylist *
It is once in a blue moon that an author creates a voice quite as alive and as startling as Mary's. Leyshon deserves to be showered with awards * Sunday Express *
Brilliant, devastating and unforgettable * Easy Living *
Spare and beautifully crafted, compelling. Like a love letter to the power of words * Marie Claire *
An astounding read. Like the best bits of Hardy's Tess of the D'Ubervilles . . . Mary is one of the most compelling narrators I've ever encountered . . . packs a powerful punch . . . a very British gem * Stylist *
I loved it. Charming, Bronte-esque, compelling, special and hard to forget. I loved Mary's voice - so inspiring and likeable. Such a hopeful book * Marian Keyes *
Haunting, distinctive voices. Mary's spare simple words paint brilliant pictures in the reader's mind. Leyshon's imaginative powers are considerable * Independent *
Leyshon is a master of domestic suspense . . . Slender but compelling, the charm is to be found as much in its spare, evocative style as in the moving candour of its narrator * Observer *