Bibliofemme Bookclub An Irish Bookclub

Subtitled “A book about the moment before happiness”, ‘The Summer House, Later’ has variously been described as melancholy, elegant, powerful, touching and reflective – it is all of those things and more. A literary sensation in her native Germany, Judith Herman achieves a kind of stillness in her writing that is both

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If you are an Isabel Allende fan you’ll already know what to expect from her new book. ‘Portrait In Sepia’ is a densely plotted tale set amongst an extended family, peopled by unforgettable exiles and marginalized characters and written in Allende’s typically rich and sensuous manner. This is the third in a loose trilogy

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In 2001 an unusual development arose during the final judging of one of Britain’s most prestigious literary awards. The Whitbread Prize Book of the Year Award (the most hotly contested category) looked as though it might be a draw – until Tim Rice stepped in. As the literary world held its breath, Sir Tim used his casting vote to award

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These lines from a Pablo Neruda poem are the only link to the past that a young Cuban woman has to her mother. The words, scrawled on a piece of paper, are pinned to her clothes as she is abandoned to the care of her grandfather. The time is Cuba, at the height of the revolution, when the city’s inhabitants are fleeing the terror of Batista

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