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A hypnotic portrait of women unravelling and being unravelled from the Women's Prize longlisted, award-winning author of The Forrests

About the Author

Emily Perkins is the author of a prize-winning collection of short stories, Not Her Real Name, and four novels, including Novel About My Wife (winner of the NZ Book Award and the Believer Magazine Book of the Year, and The Forrests (longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction). Her work for stage and screen includes co-writing the film adaptation of Eleanor Catton’s novel The Rehearsal (dir. Alison Maclean), an adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and the original play The Made. She lives in New Zealand.

Reviews

'I've just finished reading a great GREAT book! Lioness by New Zealand author Emily Perkins is the most exciting novel I've read in ages... Ostensibly about a dysfunctional family it's really about feminism. I gulped it down, so readable, so EXCELLENT about people. Read it'
*Marian Keyes*

‘A thoughtful, intelligent novel about one woman’s search for more meaning’
*Good Housekeeping*

I was so gripped by this astoundingly good book. Rich, disturbing, deep, sharp and unputdownable. Gave me shivers about women, families, the masks we wear, how hard it is to tear them off - and what happens when we do
*Charlotte Wood*

A terrific novel about self-doubt and changing life
*Good Reading Magazine*

Explores the damage done to women by living behind a mask… A well-told story of family rivalry and sibling whining… there are moments of droll humour… the central story is strong… captured smartly
*Independent*

This novel is perfection
*Glamour*

The nuance of Lioness’s portrait of a mid-life personal and political awakening is extremely seductive
*Financial Times*

A coolly ironic look at modern womanhood… this is an excellent novel
*The Times*

Lioness is a bold, exuberant and illuminating exploration of identity that exposes the chasm between what one believes and how one actually lives. Perkins’ writing is exquisite, her observations so strikingly acute and original they will make you gasp
*Books + Publishing*

Rich and deeply layered… A thought-provoking read about identity and meaning in life
*Muddy Stilettos*

A novel that roars with the desire for authenticity and reinvention… Perkins’ prose is elegant, economical and seamless. She’s a magnificent writer, commenting on women’s empowerment, awakening and visibility to themselves with poise and grace
*Better Reading*

Praise for Emily Perkins:

'Perkins is an extraordinary writer
*Sunday Times*

Literary fiction at its most luscious
*MAIL ON SUNDAY*

Brilliant and boundary smashing
*NEW STATESMAN*

Exhilarating: intensely attentive, funny, lyrical and moving
*DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOKS OF THE YEAR*

Neither quite comedy nor quite tragedy but – exactly like real life – an uneasy blend of both
*GUARDIAN*

A master of dialogue and plain speech, a casual Carver for our times
*OBSERVER*

Funny, painful and utterly mesmerising
*INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY*

'Perkins writes vividly and often beautifully'
*Scotsman*

Lioness by New Zealand author Emily Perkins is the most exciting novel I've read in ages ... Ostensibly about a dysfunctional family it's really about feminism. I gulped it down, so readable, so EXCELLENT about people. Read it
*Marian Keyes*

I was so gripped by this astoundingly good book. Rich, disturbing, deep, sharp and unputdownable
*Charlotte Wood*

A coolly ironic look at modern womanhood … This is an excellent novel
*The Times*

Explores the damage done to women by living behind a mask … A well-told story of family rivalry and sibling whining … there are moments of droll humour … the central story is strong … captured smartly
*Independent*