PositiveThe Washington PostAs both writer and personality, he has never wanted for confidence or a fancy prose style ... For Self to turn to autofiction now, one might assume that Elaine can be read in part as a critique of the category itself; whichever genre he tackles, Self always goes in with both boots ... Little in the way of plot ... A full-blooded Nabokovian relish for the possibilities of the sentence, the phrase, the word. This is not just Self’s idea of fun, it is his modus operandi.
Mark Doyle
RaveThe Spectator (UK)Here in 2020, writing about the Kinks — about any of the groups of the 1960s —is increasingly a nostalgic act ... So it is to Mark Doyle’s considerable credit that in this book he succeeds in making the Kinks’s records, these historical recordings from a bygone era, seem brand new, fresh and relevant; and he does so by recreating the past ... The result is a book that distinguishes between the musical and lyrical conservatism of which Davies has been accused and the ambivalence and compassion which informs his best songs. I know these records inside out, but Doyle sent me back to them with fresh insights and enthusiasm ... There are more straightforward accounts of the Kinks’s career available, including some by members of the group, but few are as eloquent, persuasive or fully engaged as Songs of the Semi-Detached.
Andrew Miller
RaveThe Spectator (UK)Now We Shall Be Entirely Free...is simultaneously a historical novel, a thriller and an exploration of the forms redemption may take. The plot grips and surprises. Miller’s prose remains poetic and taut, with an eye for the telling detail...And he excels at creating characters who are defined, but not limited, by a specific time and place, not just Lacroix, Calley and Medina but the minor players too. Historical or otherwise, this is fiction — storytelling — at its best.
Laura Cumming
RaveThe Spectator...it is when Cumming turns her acute gaze on pictures from the family photo album that On Chapel Sands unites the strands of her work in earnest. Faded snapshots are sifted for clues as though they were both paintings and evidence. The book becomes a meditation on family, art and time ... On Chapel Sands is a mystery solved through empathy and interpretation. It feels as if this is the book Cumming has been working towards, a deeply personal story but one that also draws on practised skills as a critic and a writer. It is perfectly balanced between the requirements of its narrative and the expression of its author’s passions. It is a moving tribute from a daughter to her parents and grandparents. It is beautifully written.
