Topical redux #oscars #hughgrant

I first read this as a teenager & have since reread it many times, which is unusual for me. A rollicking tale told by an unreliable narrator, it still feels fresh & funny in the 21st C, so one can only imagine what the Victorians made of it in the nineteenth.

But what‘s not to love about the amoral, cunning heroine Becky Sharp? While she is far from admirable, she is only trying to make her way in the world...

#inlaws #reviews #others
Reflecting in pitiless detail the poverty trap into which so many people fell, but is at the same time readable and relatable, you really feel for these people. It‘s also a salutary corrective for twenty first century readers. Millions of migrants are still struggling, in ways unimaginable to most of us, to improve their lot while being both exploited and vilified for wanting a bit of what we too often take for granted.

#inlaws #sample “If I was frustrated by Gideon‘s inability to see his mother for what she really was, this frustration was as nothing to my sense of impotent fury the following day when Marjorie played a blinder. I was getting ready to bellow to Gideon that ..."

#inlaws #sample “'You could,' Claire suggested, 'be self sabotaging.' She wasn‘t easily going to give up on the idea that it was me and not Marjorie, who was the problem. 'You have a long history of failed relationships‘, said Claire, getting straight to the point'

#inlaws #reviews #others Am I missing something here? Where some authors make the everyday experience of characters feel relevant for all humankind, others don‘t. The characters in this book, rather than leaping off the page, lay there, inert.

#inlaws #reviews #others An extraordinary insight into what people had to do to survive in pre-revolutionary China. The immense hardship & lack of any safety net is chilling, especially when one reflects that things are not so different for millions today, all over the world.

#goodreads #reviews

"In a tone reminiscent of "Carrie Bradshaw", I saw a narrator that I could relate to"

Thanks to a lovely reader for her review over on Goodreads
buff.ly/2K0VJdo

#inlaws #reviews #others You may never have heard of Patrick Hamilton, but you will have heard the term ‘gaslighting‘. This book is an evocation of lives lived in London in the 1930s. It exquisitely details the minutiae of every day experience

#inlaws #reviews #others

I am not easily spooked by books, but this one really sent a shiver down my spine. I haven‘t been so creeped out since I read The Turn of the Screw as a teenager. A slowly developing sense of menace suffuses the entire story & that the writer manages to imbue a rucksack with malevolence is particularly impressive. A concise, powerfully evocative read that left me feeling as chilly as the Himalayas in which it is set.

Just books on shelves. That is all.

#inlaws #reviews #others

So evocative of a time & the feelings - love & pain - in a beautifully written tale. However, a bit like Captain Corelli's Mandolin, it's a book of two pieces and could have been better tied together.

Under your nose #hiddenrivers #NationalParkCity #london

[Interview] Recorded live at the Ampthill Literary Festival 2019: Kate chats about the success of 'Inlaws and Outlaws' and what's next.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/katefulfordauthor/secklow-fm-stevens-on-sunday-may...

@AmpLiterary festival special on the radio

“An excellent distillation of experience & psychology into answering What is Creativity?”

#inlaws #reviews #others

History is important, very important. If we don‘t know about it, we can‘t learn from it. Read this absolutely terrifying account of everyday life in Stalinist Russia, and if you had any nagging doubts about the value of democracy and a free press, they will be erased forever. While far from perfect, democracy is still better than all the alternatives.

“What a read! Witty and well written with great characters and an ending I did not expect. Thoroughly recommend it, a great debut novel from Kate”

So evocative of a time & the feelings - love & pain - in a beautifully written tale. However, a bit like Captain Corelli's Mandolin, it's a book of two pieces and could have been better tied together.

This year at the Ampthill Literary Festival here in the UK I will be running a workshop about the creative process, with specific reference to writing. It will help to understand how you can tap into your innate creativity and develop expertise in order to solve the problem of how to start, and keep, writing.

https://www.ampthillfestival.com/ampliterary-info

#inlaws #reviews #others

I found it fascinating when I learnt the author researched the whole thing without leaving London. It shows the power of imagination in conjuring up worlds of which one has no experience. This shouldn‘t, I suppose, be a surprise. I don‘t imagine JK Rowling has ever visited a school for wizards, Tolkien never ventured very far from Oxford, & CS Lewis had perfectly normal wardrobes, but it‘s still impressive nonetheless!

OK, so I‘m not going to pretend I finished it, but it‘s worth giving it a go if only to immerse yourself in its dreamy prose for a while.

And if you keep going long enough you‘ll be able to nod sagely when you next hear someone mention Proust‘s madeleines (it‘s not a euphemism and nor were they his girlfriends) which will give the impression that you are a true intellectual.

#inlaws #reviews #others

If you‘ve ever struggled to understand evolution, claimed by some to be the most important idea ever, read this. If you still don‘t understand it, read The Blind Watchmaker. If you still don‘t get it, go and lie down in a darkened room for a while before trying again.

#writerslife #20questions

15: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

Going on an Arvon writing course. It gave me confidence that I had some talent and believe that I could be a writer, and that‘s priceless.

From the lovely readers over on Instagram

"We‘ve all heard stories about the 'mother in-law from hell'. Rest assured though, that she can‘t be as evil as this ..." @UnderratedReads talks about this #debut #novel - get it now on #Kindle and #paperback. Read first 2 chapters FREE at https://buff.ly/2I60OOv

#inlaws #reviews

"this potpourri of flawed characters that make this book read-worthy ... the fast-paced writing style added to my entertainment ... this is a book I would recommend to friends of the darker side of chick-lit."

https://buff.ly/2OKAWv2

#inlaws #reviews

"The main character isn't pure. She's reminds me a bit of Amy from Gone Girl but she's not that evil. She's very good at manipulation. Her soon-to-be mother-in-law is a great adversary. They were playing mental chess with each other" - with thanks to a lovely reviewer

#inlaws #reviews #others

Another childhood favourite. It took me to another world, one of Edwardian children living in a house full of servants, which seemed pretty exotic to me. But then it got properly magical when the children meet the Psammead, a strange creature who can make wishes come true. An old fashioned morality tale (be careful what you wish for!), its message is as relevant & fun for children today as it was when I was a nipper.

#inlaws #reviews

“The one thing that impressed me about this book was the rich characterization ... I also love the ending, that took me by surprise, it really embodied the beauty of this novel."

https://buff.ly/2MDqwzA

#inlaws #reviews #others

A fabulous & fantastical glimpse into the lives of the residents of 28 Barbary Lane, with the first in the series set in San Francisco in the 1970s. Full of secrets & surprises it also has a great deal of humanity. The characters are rich & multi-layered and through the whole series you go on a really interesting, if increasingly unrealistic, journey with them as they look for love, happiness, and a sense of belonging.

#inlaws #reviews #others

The point, the point? A self-absorbed, unlikeable narrator tells us about his brilliantly successful career in the theatre, how he was (unaccountably) catnip to almost every woman who crossed his path, and what he had for his dinner. Oh, and he goes swimming and has some tedious friends to stay. Couldn‘t finish it, didn‘t want to, don‘t care.

#inlaws #reviews #others

A pitch black story which plays with the readers‘ sympathies, making you constantly reassess the characters, their motives and behaviour. With no clear ‘good‘ or ‘bad‘ characters, this dark and difficult story is far less sensational than many recent ‘psychological thrillers‘, but is all the more disturbing for that.

When I was a little girl there was a doll called Chatty Cathy. My mother claims it was named after me. So when I was offered the chance to take part in Waterstones‘ Local Authors evening, I was delighted to join the party!

To find out more about all the authors visit http://www.chiswickbookfestival.net/speakers-2018/pre-festival-tuesday-wednesday...

#inlaws #reviews #others

I first read this as a teenager & have since reread it many times, which is unusual for me. A rollicking tale told by an unreliable narrator, it still feels fresh & funny in the 21st century, so one can only imagine what the Victorians made of it in the nineteenth.

But what‘s not to love about the amoral, cunning heroine Becky Sharp? While she is far from admirable, she is only trying to make her way in the world...

#inlaws #reviews

“I particularly enjoyed this novel ... I would definitely like to see this as a movie."

Read more from Gloria here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2455819660

#inlaws #reviews

“The elements that won me over were of course the humor, the surprise ending (that nearly changes its genre)...and the question we are left with in the end.... Bravo Kate Fulford for a risky yet humorous debut!"

https://buff.ly/2L3nPao

The apparent idiocy of Bertie Wooster belies Wodehouse‘s dazzling command of the language and beautifully realised plots. Love one and you will love them all.

#inlaws #reviews

“A nice little twist at the end and still a few unanswered questions - we need to know All About Eve!"

http://buff.ly/2t8KkPu

#inlaws #reviews #others

Remembered now principally as a TV show that launched Catherine Zeta Jones but actually a charming series of novels by a now largely forgotten writer.

#inlaws #reviews #others

An intimidatingly large book but nonetheless evocative and atmospheric as well as being very readable

#inlaws #reviews "The elements that won me over were of course the humor, the surprise ending (that nearly changes its genre)...and the question we are left with in the end.... Bravo Kate Fulford for a risky yet humorous debut!" https://buff.ly/2L3nPao

#inlaws #reviews #others

It is a long time since I read this, and I‘ve never dared go back to it. A philosophical journey that constantly plays with and then subverts the idea of what constitutes reality, I‘ve always been afraid I won‘t think it‘s half as clever now I‘m a lot older. But, then again, perhaps I should revisit it and see how I respond to it at a different point in my life

#inlaws #reviews #others
A spooky tale that never really reveals what‘s going on, this requires complete suspension of disbelief, but I enjoyed the weird vibe, and it‘s beautifully written.

#inlaws #award
 
Andy Bridge, the artist behind cover illustrations for Yann Martel‘s Life of Pi and Hilary Mantel‘s Wolf Hall, is also part of the story. ‘We were great friends and worked together in our holidays from university,‘ Kate said.
 
One of only 20 books to be nominated for the People‘s Book Prize, the competition is decided by the public. To vote for Inlaws and Outlaws: www.tinyurl.com/voteinlaws2018

“I didn‘t expect deception to be a character itself, but it is in so many ways to the very conclusion. The similarities between them begs the question, what the heck happened in Marjorie‘s life to make her so calculated? Will we ever know? For both of these women, the truth is something to be molded to fit the narrative of their lives.”

Read more: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/28/inlaws-and-outlaws-by-kate-fulf...

A murder mystery set in the eighteenth century this is a genre mash up that I really enjoyed. Not for the squeamish, but then the eighteenth century wasn‘t for the squeamish either…

#inlaws #reviews "I loved this book more than I initially thought I would. Fulford infuses her characters with intense personalities that are prone to clashing with those of others. I loved Eve from the very beginning..." In-Laws and Outlaws (with some help from Kate Fulford), has been nominated in the Fiction category (just 20 books nominated!) of The People's Book Prize. ⠀

Learn more & vote via the link in the BIO

#inlaws #reviews #others.

Ben Goldacre thinks that it‘s a little bit more complicated than that, and he‘s right. A scientific dissection of the pseudoscience thrown at us by the media and advertisers. And if you don‘t like it you can always go on a detox afterwards to purge yourself of all the toxins it has released into your system.

#inlaws #reviews #others

A lost masterpiece? Not the book, but a painting found in a country house. A farce ensues as the hero, for want of a better word, tries to get hold of what he believes is a lost Bruegel. Fast paced and intelligent this is a book which rushes headlong (see what I did there?) to its satisfying but ambiguous conclusion.