sunday times book reviews 2020

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A gripping account of how the Swiss bank collapsed under the weight of scandal after scandal

A bored mother in New Zealand started her own escort agency. But this memoir shows the reality was a long way from Pretty Woman

A cocky showboat called Donald with a juvenile personality and a short temper? Hmm, he sounds familiar …

Islamist terrorists killed 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015. The celebrated French writer Emmanuel Carrère gives his unflinching account of the nine-month trial of the perpetrators

In an extract from his memoir The Boy Who Lived, David Holmes talks about the dark days after breaking his neck on set, his friendship with Daniel Radcliffe and a brighter future

As Samantha Harvey wins the Booker prize with her 160-page wonder Orbital, our critics celebrate the best of brevity across the arts

The first English Booker winner since 2019, Harvey’s novel is bold, scintillating and gloriously imaginative

The British author becomes the first woman to triumph since 2019 with her ‘beautiful, miraculous novel’ about one day on the International Space Station

The writer on watching Psycho 40 times and why Ulysses and Megalopolis should be burnt

This short story collection groans with awful men, twisted desires and popped pimples

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Ghosts: The Top 10 Sunday Times Bestseller 2020 Paperback – July 22, 2021

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A 21ST CENTURY LOVE STORY AND TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Utter BRILLIANCE . . . I absolutely LOVED it!' Marian Keyes, bestselling author of GROWN UPS 'I loved it' Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of QUEENIE __________________________________________________ Everything gets easier in your thirties, right? Though she has plenty to celebrate - successful career, new home, loving friends and family - for Nina Dean, her thirties have not exactly been the liberating experience she was sold. From fading friendships to exes popping the question, everyone is moving on (or worse, to the suburbs). And as her dad slowly loses his memories, her mum seems dead set on making new ones. Then she meets Max, who tells her on date one that he's going to marry her. But what seems like an exciting new development will ensure this year is Nina's strangest yet . . . ____________________________________________________ SHORTLISTED FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 'A book so relatable you'll give yourself neck ache nodding in recognition' Grazia 'Funny, sharply observed, poignant' Matt Haig, bestselling author of THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY 'Alderton masterfully exposes the hideous reality of dating in your 30s . . . I adored it ' Daily Mail 'Like having one of those glorious girls night in, where you drink till the early hours - laughing, venting, and feeling warm and seen' Holly Bourne, author of HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW? 'Dolly sums up life in your thirties with such wit, warmth and accuracy' Heat 'Dolly is such a fantastic writer' Jill Mansell, author of AND NOW YOU'RE BACK 'The perfect no-holds-barred modern day rom-com' Stylist

• Print length 338 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Penguin
• Publication date July 22, 2021
• Dimensions 5.08 x 0.83 x 7.8 inches
• ISBN-10 0241988683
• ISBN-13 978-0241988688
• See all details

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Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; International_edition (July 22, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0241988683
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0241988688
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.83 x 7.8 inches
• #3,551 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
• #5,372 in Contemporary Women Fiction
• #10,958 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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About the author

Dolly alderton.

Dolly Alderton is an award-winning author and journalist. She is a columnist for The Sunday Times Style and has also written for GQ, Red, Marie Claire and Grazia. From 2017 to 2020, she co-hosted the weekly pop-culture and current affairs podcast The High Low alongside journalist Pandora Sykes.

Her first book Everything I Know About Love became a top five Sunday Times bestseller in its first week of publication and won a National Book Award for Autobiography of the Year. Her first novel Ghosts was published in October 2020 and was also a top five Sunday Times Bestseller.

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 47% 32% 16% 3% 1% 47%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 47% 32% 16% 3% 1% 32%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 47% 32% 16% 3% 1% 16%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 47% 32% 16% 3% 1% 3%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 47% 32% 16% 3% 1% 1%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the book delightful, entertaining, and relatable. They praise the writing style as extremely well-written, beautifully with humor and wit. Readers appreciate the insightful, poignant, and accurate social observations. They also mention the characters are great, three-dimensional, and memorable. However, some feel the story is too long for the storyline and not captivating.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book delightful, entertaining, and refreshing. They say it holds their attention and is a wonderful book about love.

"...dimensional character that emerges from the pages as a believable, relatable , and memorable woman. The lesser characters are also fully realized...." Read more

"...It was truly what I loved most about the book. It is very realistic , and optimistic at the same time...." Read more

"I am enjoying this book. Good escapism with very interesting characters." Read more

"...Idk, it was really nice to read ; it resonated with me and also that means both pain and pleasure." Read more

Customers find the writing style of the book extremely well-written, beautifully with humor and wit. They also say it's honest, easy to read, and fun.

"...In skillful and intelligent prose by the author, Nina is a fully developed, three dimensional character that emerges from the pages as a believable..." Read more

"...And I loved it. The writing drew me in and Nina's ups and downs kept me reading. I'm flummoxed by how much I related to Nina...." Read more

" Loved Dolly's writing style . All of her characters were believable and real, whether they were good people or not lol...." Read more

"...This book was entertaining and quick to read but ultimately…forgettable." Read more

Customers find the book insightful, sobering, and meaningful. They appreciate the poignant, accurate, and profound social observations. Readers also mention the story is great, refreshing, and optimistic at the same time.

"...With piercing insight and beautiful poignancy, the author describes the bewildering and heartbreaking reality of witnessing a parent’s personality..." Read more

"I loved how poignantly and accurate Dolly is able to describe the relationship with her aging father. It was truly what I loved most about the book...." Read more

"...book made me laugh out loud at times, but it also had some profound social observations that I found interesting, like it was a small window into..." Read more

"Liked it. Beautiful but heartbreaking description of dementia ...." Read more

Customers find the characters in the book great, three-dimensional, and memorable. They also say the story captures the characters' hearts and minds.

"...intelligent prose by the author, Nina is a fully developed, three dimensional character that emerges from the pages as a believable, relatable, and..." Read more

"I am enjoying this book. Good escapism with very interesting characters ." Read more

"Loved Dolly's writing style. All of her characters were believable and real , whether they were good people or not lol...." Read more

"...The story captures the characters hearts and minds & takes you on a journey not to be forgotten...." Read more

Customers find the story length of the book too long for the storyline. They also say the plot is lacking and the book is not worth their time. Readers mention some pages are ok, while others are extremely long and boring.

"...The City vibes and would probably make a good show but the storyline isn’t strong enough for a book." Read more

"...Overall, I am having a hard time getting back to it. It is just not captivating , not the story and not the delivery." Read more

"I was very disappointed with the book . It was an effort to finish." Read more

"The reviews were disappointing and I say don’t waste your time and money! No plot and why write smut?" Read more

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The 10 Best Fiction Books of 2020

R eading fiction in 2020 was an act of defiance—of turning our attention away from the catastrophes playing out around us to engage in a quiet, imaginative act. And the year’s best fiction offered many paths toward greater understanding and meaningful escape. Whether in the tumultuous halls of power in Tudor England with The Mirror & the Light , a storm-ravaged mansion in A Children’s Bible or a ghost-filled Japan with Where the Wild Ladies Are , readers could find joyful, thrilling distraction, models of resilience and empathy and challenges that somehow made our own feel more bearable.

Here, the best fiction books of 2020.

10. Breasts and Eggs , Mieko Kawakami

In her first novel published in English, Japanese author Mieko Kawakami follows three women and their relationships with their changing bodies. There’s 30-year-old Natsu, her older sister Makiko and Makiko’s daughter Midoriko. The first half of Breasts and Eggs , translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd, centers on Makiko’s quest to plan a breast enhancement procedure, and Midoriko’s recent refusal to speak to her. Their interactions are relayed through the dry voice of Natsu in scenes filled with blunt and witty dialogue. Then, Kawakami shifts the story forward, picking up 10 years later and focusing on Natsu as she is single but considering motherhood. While Natsu was measured and judgmental in narrating the story of her sister’s obsession with perfecting her image, she is now uncertain and confused by her own fears about aging. In describing these anxieties, Kawakami takes a stirring look at the expectations put on women by the world and by themselves.

Buy Now: Breasts and Eggs on Bookshop | Amazon

9. Where the Wild Ladies Are , Aoko Matsuda

In Where the Wild Ladies Are , Japanese author Aoko Matsuda guides readers through supernatural events and introduces them to otherworldly characters as if they were completely ordinary. That understated and witty touch is what makes this short story collection, translated to English by Polly Barton, so special. Matsuda updates traditional Japanese ghost stories for the contemporary era, giving agency to previously voiceless female characters and playfully breaking down gender roles and stereotypes still so pervasive in Japanese culture today. A translator herself, Matsuda knows how to play with language, infusing her narrators with memorable idiosyncrasies. While each chapter is its own contained short story, some interlink. The result is a reimagining of traditional tales as part of a broader narrative about women and power.

Buy Now: Where the Wild Ladies Are on Bookshop | Amazon

Read More : The 100 Must-Read Books of 2020

8. Deacon King Kong , James McBride

It’s September 1969 when Sportcoat, the grumpy old deacon of a church in the Causeway Houses project in Brooklyn, shoots local drug dealer Deems in the face. The whole neighborhood is buzzing with the news: Sportcoat pulled a .38 from his pocket and blew the ear off of the boy he used to coach in baseball. Why on earth would he do such a thing? Even the deacon himself doesn’t seem to know. National Book Award-winning author James McBride unveils the answer in this story of comedy and compassion, which pays loving attention to a wide cast of characters . McBride describes their world in densely packed, rhythmic specificities, fixating on the community’s rich local history and the voices that populate it.

Buy Now: Deacon King Kong on Bookshop | Amazon

7. A Burning , Megha Majumdar

After witnessing a terrorist attack, Jivan, a poor Muslim woman living in the slums of Kolkata, makes a comment on Facebook criticizing her government’s response to the tragic event. It’s an action with terrible consequences, as she’s taken into custody and accused of aiding the attackers. In her exquisitely plotted debut novel , Megha Majumdar writes with absorbing urgency as she details Jivan’s plight. Beyond Jivan, Majumdar introduces two key perspectives: the protagonist’s former gym teacher, PT Sir, who has ties to the right-wing political party that seeks to seal her fate, and Lovely, an outcast with dreams of being an actor and the only person who can prove Jivan’s innocence. In moving between their three voices, Majumdar reveals the intersections of their ambitions and fears, coalescing into an unnerving investigation of corruption, class and tragedy.

Buy Now: A Burning on Bookshop | Amazon

6. I Hold a Wolf by the Ears , Laura van den Berg

The 11 stories that comprise Laura van den Berg’s beautiful and bold collection feature a cast of contemplative women navigating situations that are strange, sad and unsettling. Among them are the “grief freelancer” who brings in extra income by impersonating the dead, the wife who is unknowingly being drugged by her husband with sedative-spiked seltzer and the daughter who accompanies her ailing mother on a bittersweet final tour of Italy. The characters in these narratives are each broken in different ways, but they all quietly grapple with life’s greatest questions—the meaning of loneliness and loss, the durability of love. I Hold a Wolf by the Ears is short fiction at its finest: van den Berg captures the cruelest of traumas on one page, then supplies a healing dose of humor on the next.

Buy Now: I Hold a Wolf by the Ears on Bookshop | Amazon

5. Homeland Elegies , Ayad Akhtar

Every so often we are gifted a novel that combines deep intelligence, meticulous prose and something profound to say about the state of our world. In Homeland Elegies , Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar gives readers just that in the story of a man very much like himself, who shares his name and was born to Pakistani immigrants in the American Midwest as Akhtar was. From the opening chapters when the fictional Ayad’s father treats Donald Trump for a heart condition in the 1990s, it’s clear we are in a world that is recognizable but not necessarily real. That’s all part of Akhtar’s point: his project uses fiction as a filter through which to tell an essential story about a man facing the turmoil of American life after 9/11 and his family’s attendant struggle to define itself. It’s a delicate balancing act between what’s real and what may not be, yet in Akhtar’s brilliant book the complexities of the American Dream have never been so naked.

Buy Now: Homeland Elegies on Bookshop | Amazon

4. A Children’s Bible , Lydia Millet

On a vacation like no other, a group of families share a lakeside summer home, where the parents care little about what their children are up to. When a catastrophic storm tears through the house, the adults choose to ignore the chaos and turn to the liquor cabinet instead, leaving the kids to seek safety on their own. In the slim and propulsive novel, teenager Evie narrates the group’s struggles in the midst of apocalyptic levels of devastation. Her thoughts on the burgeoning natural disaster capture the dual personalities of a sulking teen, sick of her parents, and a young person forced to grow up too fast. Pulitzer Prize finalist Lydia Millet’s novel, which was a National Book Award finalist, is both an adventure story reminiscent of the classics and a warning tale of a grim future told through the eyes of a generation far too comfortable with catastrophe.

Buy Now: A Children’s Bible on Bookshop | Amazon

3. The Mirror & the Light , Hilary Mantel

Few novels were as eagerly anticipated this year as The Mirror & The Light , the conclusion to British author Hilary Mantel’s blockbuster Wolf Hall trilogy. Mantel’s evocation of Tudor England and her ear for political drama were just as immersive as ever, and the book climbed to the top of bestseller lists in the U.S. and U.K. In 900 richly detailed pages, The Mirror & The Light lays out the downfall of Thomas Cromwell, consigliere to King Henry VIII and powerbroker of the Reformation. It’s historical fiction, but dazzlingly literary in its ambitions and dramatic in the cut and thrust of its dialogue. Mantel’s Cromwell is a character for the ages—rough-edged yet introspective, with a mind as sharp as an axe. Her Henry, meanwhile, is an apt reminder that self-pitying men with oversized egos enjoyed power long before the present.

Buy Now: The Mirror & the Light on Bookshop | Amazon

2. Shuggie Bain , Douglas Stuart

Douglas Stuart’s acclaimed debut novel draws heavily on his upbringing in 1980s Glasgow, where, like Stuart did, Hugh “Shuggie” Bain is growing up with an alcoholic mother and facing a culture of homophobia that makes him feel like an outcast. His father and two older siblings have left home, long before he can. Against the backdrop of a city neglected by the government and in decline, Shuggie and Agnes wrestle for control over their lives, often finding themselves swept away by the waves of her addiction. While the setting is bleak, littered with descriptions of quiet indignities—Agnes’ late-night calls to her ex-husband’s taxi company, lingering mugs filled with day-old beer—the guiding light of the novel is the boy’s enduring love for his mother. Stuart writes beautifully observed inner lives for both characters, capturing Shuggie’s devotion to his sometimes vivacious and glamorous mother and the pain that comes from seeing her transformed into a hateful, unpredictable stranger by drink. The novel, a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Booker Prize, is a gut punch.

Buy Now: Shuggie Bain on Bookshop | Amazon

1. The Vanishing Half , Brit Bennett

Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half lives just outside the realm of realism, in that space where a touch of fantasy serves to underscore the strangeness of reality. In her second novel, Bennett invents the tiny Black town of Mallard, La., where the residents pride themselves on their light skin, and identical twins Stella and Desiree Vignes are growing up in the 1950s all too aware of racial violence and oppression. It feels almost inevitable, then, when the girls run away together seeking better opportunities—and soon Stella makes the decision, easy at first and harder with time, to pass as white. Suddenly, she’s gone, leaving a devastated Desiree behind. Bennett weaves a layered and satisfying narrative that shifts through time and multiple characters’ perspectives to trace the impact of a single decision on Stella, her family and the next generation. An eloquent new entry to literature on that most vital of subjects, identity, The Vanishing Half is the novel of the year.

Buy Now: The Vanishing Half on Bookshop | Amazon

Read the rest of TIME’s best-of 2020 coverage:

• The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2020
• The 10 Best YA and Children’s Books of 2020
• The 100 Must-Read Books of 2020
• The 10 Best Movies of 2020
• The 10 Best Movie Performances of 2020
• The 10 Best TV Shows of 2020
• The 10 Best Albums of 2020
• The 10 Best Songs of 2020
• The 10 Best Podcasts of 2020
• The 10 Best Video Games of 2020

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Write to Lucy Feldman at [email protected] , Annabel Gutterman at [email protected] and Ciara Nugent at [email protected]