Welcome to the website of Orange Prize for Fiction winning and Booker Prize shortlisted author Linda Grant.
This site contains information on Linda's published books, as well as her full biography, additional press resources and contact information.
The site is updated with the latest news and updates by Linda's UK publisher, Virago.
Reviews of Linda’s new novel, We Had It So Good have been pouring in ahead of its official publication date on Thursday (January 20th).
Here is a selection of the ones we’ve seen so far:
‘Grant is a lucid, stimulating writer and this is a deep reflection on the life span of the baby boomers. This subject could, of course, be deadly in the wrong hands, but Grant really is gifted: her prose is accessible, vivid, upbeat, sensible and constantly thought-provoking. She pays attention to big issues but never loses sight of the everyday details that define who we are. Again and again she takes the parochial and extrapolates. It is this talent that animated The Clothes on Their Backs. Grant demands that we think about the mechanisms of life: the irritating details that make us who and what we are, and what they really mean. Ultimately, it is this intensity that lifts the novel above others of its ilk.’
– Lucy Atkins, The Sunday Times
‘This is a gripping family saga stylishly told. Postwar California, Oxford and London are re-created superbly and brightly. Yet big ideas surface continually and make this much more than a readable trip down one man’s life path. Is family history a subject that you can ever really learn? What is a Jew and what is an Englishman? Is it wrong to marry someone you don’t think you will stay with for ever? Grant approaches these questions with her usual insight and subtlety and comes close to creating the perfect novel: one that never stops working to fill the reader’s mind with good and difficult things, and which takes you to beautiful and often frightening places.’
– Melissa Katsoulis, The Times
‘… her best novel so far. This is a serious, thoughtful novel that asks questions Grant has asked before, but does so in a way that perfectly matches form and content. That perfect match doesn’t make for easeful or complacent work; on the contrary, it show depth and feeling that both disturb and reassure.’
- Lesley McDowell, The Financial Times
‘Grant is never afraid to confront big ideas in her books, and this is no exception. That Grant can so vividly encapsulate the lives and times of her characters in less than 350 pages is testimony to her skill as a writer and perceptive observer of human behaviour. We Had it So Good is a portrait of a marriage and a family, and the compromises and bittersweet truths that come with age.’
– Catherine Heaney, Irish Times
‘Grant weaves in the stories of the generations on either side of the baby-boomers. Grant explores these ineluctable familial ties over four decades, suggesting that we may never really know our parents and exploring the lies parents tell and the truths their children doubt. Grant has an effortless style – no metaphor ever feels forced – and her many ideas linger with you long after you have finished reading. The novel is pleasingly unpredictable too – I never once foresaw a plot development. My only complaint? I fear I may not read a better book all year.’
– Rosamun Urwin, The Evening Standard
Linda has been interviewed by Susanna Ruston for The Guardian.
The interview, which was published on Saturday January 15th, covers Linda’s life, work and background, particularly in the context of the inspiration behind her new novel, We Had It So Good.
Read the full interview online at www.guardian.co.uk/culture.
Linda was interviewed for the Front Row on BBC Radio 4 last night and talked about the inspiration for and major themes within her band new novel We Had It So Good.
You can listen to the interview via the Front Row Archive (interview starts round about 22.30).
Linda Grant’s brilliant understanding of the innocence and idealism of the 1960s generation who have grown into uncomfortable middle-age made her the perfect novelist for Channel 4′s news last night.
Her new novel, We Had It So Good perfectly captures the emotional pulse of the country – then and today. It tells many truths, from the fragility of our dreams to how little we know of our parents until it is too late. It’s already hailed as ‘blisteringly good’ (Red) and ‘A must read for fans of intelligent fiction’ (Elle).
Linda’s new novel, We Had It So Good has been chosen by her publisher, Virago, to be the first title for discussion by members of the new Virago Book Club.
Linda recorded a video for Virago to introduce the book and explore some of her motivation for writing it:
For more information on the Virago Book Club, visit www.viragobooks.net/bookclub.
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