About the Author

Cressida Connolly is a reviewer and journalist who has written for Vogue, the Telegraph, the Spectator, the Guardian and numerous other publications. Cressida is the author of four books- The Happiest Days, which won the MacMillan/PEN Award, The Rare and the Beautiful, My Former Heart and After the Party, which is currently shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and was a Waterstones Book of the Month. She lives in Worcestershire.

Reviews

A ravishing novel from the great family saga-teller Cressida Connolly and an honourable tribute to the past
*The Times, Best Books for the Summer*

Connolly's vivid characterisation, supple prose and striking imagery sweep you along, in an absorbing and affecting saga that uses one family's story to anatomise the different stages of grief
*Daily Telegraph*

In recent British fiction I can think only of Tessa Hadley who rivals Connolly in exacting such intricate, compelling drama from close-knit families . . . I don't often wish a book were longer, but this one I did
*Observer*

Masterful . . . a joy to see it garnering the ecstatic reviews it deserves
*Polly Samson, author of A Theatre for Dreamers*

Moving [and] powerful . . . Connolly's vividly drawn characters grapple with trauma, unkindness and greed in an intriguing novel where past actions reverberate in the present
*Daily Mirror*

Connolly, like Anne Tyler and Tessa Hadley, is a master of fluidly shifting perspectives, a sharply witty observer of social class, and a champion of imaginative empathy
*Daily Mail*

Bad Relations is an amazing achievement and one of the most satisfying books you're likely to read this year
*The Times*

Elegantly written, this subtle, satisfying, well-observed novel is a delight
*Country and Town House, Books of 2022*

Another fascinating, moving story from the author of After the Party
*Good Housekeeping*

This clever novel set across three timelines tells the story of a family haunted by tragedy. A skilfully written, powerful drama
*BEST*