Sweet Sorrow

the new Sunday Times bestseller from the author of ONE DAY

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Pub Date 11 Jul 2019 | Archive Date 11 Jul 2019

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Description

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'That most rare and coveted of literary feats: a popular novel of serious merit, a bestseller that will also endure.' Observer

'Triumph ... the sense of nostalgia is visceral and intense, almost time-bending.' The Sunday Times

'Pitch perfect ... Exquisite ... Terrific ... Very funny ... Though Sweet Sorrow is certainly pulse-quickening enough to absorb readers through this summer's airport delays and rained-off beach days, it's no escapist fantasy. The tale of Charlie and Fran will linger long beyond your tan.' Telegraph

One life-changing summer
Charlie meets Fran...

In 1997, Charlie Lewis is the kind of boy you don't remember in the school photograph. His exams have not gone well. At home he is looking after his father, when surely it should be the other way round, and if he thinks about the future at all, it is with a kind of dread.

Then Fran Fisher bursts into his life and despite himself, Charlie begins to hope.

But if Charlie wants to be with Fran, he must take on a challenge that could lose him the respect of his friends and require him to become a different person. He must join the Company. And if the Company sounds like a cult, the truth is even more appalling.

The price of hope, it seems, is Shakespeare.

Poignant, funny, enchanting, devastating, Sweet Sorrow is a tragicomedy about the rocky path to adulthood and the confusion of family life, a celebration of the reviving power of friendship and that brief, searing explosion of first love that can only be looked at directly after it has burned out.

'A compassionate, intelligent look at the raw pain and loneliness of a teenage boy, the everyday miracle of first love and the perennial power of Shakespeare's language.' Spectator

'A superbly written, beautifully observed account of teenage life, love, family dysfunction and friendship, which builds to a stunningly poignant ending.' Heat

'The author of Us and of course One Day has never written with more tenderness and insight than in this bittersweet story ... perfectly captures the dizzying highs and lows of first love.' Daily Express

'Such a beautiful book. Captures perfectly a moment in time we've all experienced.' Graham Norton

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'That most rare and coveted of literary feats: a popular novel of serious merit, a bestseller that will also endure.' Observer

'Triumph ... the sense of nostalgia is...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781444715408
PRICE £20.00 (GBP)
PAGES 400

Average rating from 4 members


Featured Reviews

This is a sensitively written book about the roller coaster ride of the middle teenage years, which must resonate with anyone who has been through the harrowing process and come out battered, bruised but much wiser at the other end. It is set around the staging of a Shakespeare play in a summer holiday project while awaiting exam results, and traces the rehearsals of the very different characters in and around the production. Charlie, the protagonist - and far from a typical Romeo of the play - has a problematic relationship with his family, and his uncertain past and future colour his thoughts and actions. His lack of confidence contrasts with that of his school friends and his new acquaintances, but he gradually tries to overcome some of his misery. This is an affecting novel which touches on all the highs and lows of the staging post between childhood and becoming an adult. It is sympathetic, insightful and an ultimately truthful portrayal - well worth a read.

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I really enjoyed this book. It has great main characters and a really good story line. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

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