A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar: A Novel
A haunting, original and beautifully written tale that conveys a sense of profound alienation, and of other realities Paul Torday, bestselling author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen A heartfelt story about adventurous women and a fascinating history of life in a remote corner of the Silk Road in the early twentieth century; utterly beguiling Rebecca Stott, author of The Coral Thief An astonishing epic - colonial-era travel combined with a modern meditation on where we belong and how we connect in the world - I could not put it down Helen Simonson Eccentric and full of twists and surprises and in the end very touching. Above all bold and different and extremely readable Katharine McMahon, author of The Rose of Sebastopol Richly imaginative and daring in the way it weaves together time-scapes and landscapes Gillian Beer A wonderfully evocative, fresh and impressive debut. I admired its scope and its unexpectedness Jill Dawson Suzanne Joinson's first novel is a finely-worked and captivating read. She combines her own wealth of travel experiences with vivid characters from past and present, resulting in a delicate yet richly-layered story. Delicious Stella Duffy Thrilling and densely plotted ... An impressive debut, its prose as lucid and deep as a mountain lake. Joinson also has a gift for evoking finely calibrated shifts of feeling... Joinson explores notions of freedom, rootlessness, dislocation - any writer's reliable arsenal. But she makes these themes her own -- Sara Wheeler New York Times Book Review There's a brilliant sense of place in this original debut Marie Claire Beautifully written in language too taut, piercing, and smartly observed to be called lyrical, this atmospheric first novel immediately engages, nicely reminding us that odd twists of fate sometimes aren't that odd. Highly recommended Library Journal An affecting tale of inheritance and belonging Woman's Own [An] old and elegant first novel ... Joinson's depiction of the continuing cultural, sexual and spiritual conflicts between East and West is provocative and powerful. The present is as richly depicted as the past, with Frieda's professional life and family background as significant as Evangeline's. An ambitious, accomplished debut -- Michael Arditti Daily Mail The title of Suzanne Joinson's first novel promises much and delivers ... Joinson's characterisation is finely drawn and brings Kashgar vividly to life - it's a debut novel of note The Lady Joinson possesses a touching, joyful quality that somehow suits the fragile, elusive nature of her characters Independent on Sunday Two stories are told in Suzanne Joinson's complex, luminous debut about unconventional women ... With great delicacy, Joinson conveys wonder and horror, both past and present, as the scraps of stories from this cast of wanderers build into an enthralling tale, packed with vivid impressions and full of surprises Metro Brilliantly descriptive, this is a book to delight in and savour Choice A first book by a young Englishwoman impressed me. Suzanne Joinson's A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar consists of two parallel stories, each told from the point of view of a childless female protagonist, one at a shimmering, multi-ethnic Silk Road trading post, the other in contemporary London Guardian, Books of the Year This is a sprightly, engaging and lovingly written book Guardian I was blown away by this debut. It's amazing. Clever, exotic, compulsive, intensely moving Irish Examiner An ambitious debut ... With intriguing characters and exotic locations, A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar is a compelling and likeable tale ... not only a smartly paced adventure story but also a careful meditation on the myriad ways in which loving, and failing, our children are often tragically and inextricably linked Sunday Telegraph Impressive ... This parallel use of the emigrant/immigrant experience is enlightening an full of dramatic potential ... a novel that very effectively draws you in ... a subtle and pleasing story Scotland on Sunday Joinson balances these parallel stories with impressive skill. In an alternating-chapter narrative, there's always a temptation to skip through one story in favour of the other. Here, both are equally absorbing ... a strikingly original first novel, and a total page-turner. In fact, it has the look of a slow-burn, word-of-mouth favourite Irish Times The opening of this book is nothing if not dramatic! ... With a gripping narrative and two powerful stories, Joinson creates a novel with considerable impact. **** Lifestyle An absolute surefire winner for any bookish bicyclist Cycling Active Joinson's debut switches effectively between the exoticism ... and the bleakness ... Her prose is clear and her tale not without humour, although the historical narrative would have sufficed on its own Sunday Herald