Modern British Fiction

The Country Life initially reads like English "chick lit," but then the work takes meaningful and thoughtful turns, with a witty and humorous tinge.

Dec 10, 2009 - Clarissa Caldwell

Daphne Du Maurier's classic Gothic novel Rebecca has now earned the critical acclaim that it deserves. A close reading reveals a Biblical allusion to the Serpent.

Nov 30, 2009 - Teresa Knudsen

Nick Hornby's latest novel, Juliet, Naked, returns him to familiar ground by once again placing music, art, the creative process and fan obsession under the microscope.

Nov 29, 2009 - Ryan Miller

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian is a novel of family history and the expectations of Western life.

Nov 28, 2009 - Holly Thacker

Before her masterpiece Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier was inspired on the coast of Cornwall to write The Loving Spirit, as told in her autobiography, Myself When Young.

Nov 25, 2009 - Teresa Knudsen

The holiday season is beginning earlier and earlier, but Graham Swift's intriguing exploration of love and murder will protect the month of November from holiday assault.

Nov 22, 2009 - Melissa Morelli Lacroix

Money cannot buy happiness. Or can it? Follow Fleur Daxeny on her journey as she attempts to steal money from a lonely widower.

Nov 20, 2009 - Kristyn Gansen

The author Louis de Bernières grew up in a Surrey village and the short stories in Notwithstanding reflect memories of rural idyllic childhood and English eccentricity.

Oct 30, 2009 - Martin P Wilson

The bestselling British author reveals another slice of women's history in this rip-roaring ride of a novel. Teenager Serafina is sent to a convent against her will.

Oct 26, 2009 - Victoria Robinson

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World didn't just adapt those two Patrick O'Brian novels. Incidents from numerous Aubrey-Maturin adventures appear in the film.

Oct 23, 2009 - Luke Arnott

After so many subsequent successes, such as the Costa Award-winning Day, it's time to re-examine celebrated Scottish fiction writer A.L. Kennedy's first novel.

Oct 7, 2009 - Douglas Nordfors

Nick Laird's Glover's Mistake, his second novel, while not without its flaws, gives some hope to a disappointing literary fiction scene.

Oct 7, 2009 - Douglas Nordfors

The Ghost Road is Pat Barker's conclusion to her Regeneration trilogy that tells the stories of shell-shocked British army officers of the first world war.

Sep 25, 2009 - Azharul Islam

The stories' connecting thread is a question: 'What is success'. Each tale examines how striving for it - or not - and achieving it - or not - affects relationships.

Sep 14, 2009 - Gail Mangold-Vine

Virginia Woolf creates an elegantly symmetrical framework in her 1927 novel To the Lighthouse.

Sep 9, 2009 - Kristin Hanneman

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" has been one of the most popular novels in recent years to address the subject of autism; how did it address autism?

Sep 7, 2009 - Jeffrey Donaldson

Mary Anning is the real life heroine in Remarkable Creatures, a fascinating story of finding dinosaur fossils on a beach. Tracy Chevalier transports the reader yet again.

Aug 22, 2009 - Elaine Walker

Nicholas Mosley, born in 1923 and best known for his novel Hopeful Monsters, is still going strong, and has never been more relevant, as his new novel proves.

Aug 12, 2009 - Douglas Nordfors

Two Caravans follows a group of migrant workers who have come to England to work as strawberry pickers in a field in Kent, living in two shoddy but charming caravans.

Aug 9, 2009 - Holly Thacker

Chris Cleave's novel, The Other Hand, is a perfect example of how beautiful the English language can be when used by such a talented and fearless author.

Jul 18, 2009 - Claudia J. Beresford

Ben Elton's dystopian novel Blind Faith satirizes the modern celebration of belief over reason. Despite timeliness and humor, it remains in the shadow of George Orwell.

Jul 13, 2009 - Luke Arnott

Confessions of a Shoaholic is a delightful chick-lit novel featuring hilarious situations and a heroine with a heart of gold.

Jul 7, 2009 - Mayra Calvani

The Birth of Venus sheds light on the female experience of one of Europe's most transformative periods of history.

Jul 6, 2009 - Victoria Robinson

The Whole Day Through is an intelligent, bittersweet love story with a fascinating focus on the lives of two carers. Look out for the writer's trademark twist at the end.

Jul 3, 2009 - Elaine Walker

Bridget Jones's Diary was released by Helen Fielding in 1996. It focuses on the life of Bridget Jones; a thirty-something 'singleton' living in London.

Jul 2, 2009 - Sabrina Louise Webb