Mrs Gulliver

The newest novel from Valerie Martin, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction'Beguiling' The Times'Utterly brilliant' Daily Mail'Intelligent, quick-witted and curious' Irish Times1954. Nineteen years old, beautiful and blind since birth, Caritá has taken control of her life by leaving home and working in Mrs Gulliver's reputed and exclusive brothel. On her first night there she meets Ian Drohan, a young and wealthy idealist who falls madly in love with her, and is determined to save her from this employment. But does Caritá need saving?A delightful entanglement of star-crossed lovers, gangsters and chase across tropical paradise, Mrs Gulliver is an entertaining escapade of two women forging their place in the world.

The title suggests a rollicking tale and a rollicking tale is what you get, full of twists and surprises and never a dull moment. Entertainingly wild -- Karen Joy Fowler, Man Booker longlisted author of Booth
I adore Valerie Martin, and Mrs Gulliver is no exception. Pure elegance, subtlety and wit. A triumph of a novel -- Francesca Segal, author of Mother Ship
Irresistible - a funny, sexy romp that's also smart, even wise Kirkus starred review
An elegant, deftly crafted tale Sunday Post
Brilliant Daily Mail
A quirky and enjoyable twist on an old story with plenty of plot and thematic oomph. Rich in unabashed raunchiness, it toys with feminist tropes and hands us a heroine who is superficially fragile, yet very much in command of her own destiny Big Issue
Captivating ... In Mrs. Gulliver, Valerie Martin offers us an idyll, perhaps even a comedy. All's well that ends well. We hope Bookpage starred review
Martin's surprisingly playful latest observes two strong-willed women as they make the best of their initially unfortunate lives ... it's a pleasure to get to know both of her intelligent and resourceful heroines Booklist
This is an excellent character-written novel. You get invested in their lives, and want to read along and see what happens to them. You will not want to put this one down Red Carpet Crash
Refreshing and completely different - I loved it as soon as I started reading. I love how Valerie Martin writes and was totally engrossed by the story of these strong unconventional women and the men they vanquish - so thought-provoking, so quirky, so well realised -- Sabine Durrant, author of Sun Damage
An unexpected and witty novel examining the eternal inequalities embedded in this particular trade -- Adele Parks MBE, author of Both of You
Lila is a beguiling narrator, offering often shrewd observations, and Carita is an appealingly canny protagonist The Times
An intriguing, well-written gem, it slips down as sweetly as a sonnet Buzz Magazine
Praise for Valerie Martin -- :
Martin's writing is a reward in itself, a wonderful precision-tool. She uses it to chisel at the human condition - and the effect is astonishing Financial Times
Valerie Martin is a fleet-footed writer; you never quite know where she'll go next Observer
Few have written so surprisingly, so convincingly as Valerie Martin about sexual obsession and the perverse twistings of the human heart -- Margaret Atwood
[Martin's] writing - so prized and clean limbed - is a marvel -- Toni Morrison
Valerie Martin is one of the best novelists we have -- Jane Smiley
The generosity of Martin's understanding opens every character to the full, astounding range of human possibility. Her revelations build mesmerizing excitement, a surprising kindness, and an unexpected sanity in the darkness Washington Post Book World
An enrapturing and ruthless storyteller, Valerie Martin possesses a predator's ability to mesmerize her prey . . . Martin's tales of betrayal, obsession, connivance, and failure put the firepower back into art Chicago Tribune
Martin is a vibrant force in American fiction Times New Orleans

Valerie Martin is the author of eleven novels, including I Give It To You, Italian Fever and Property, which won the Orange Prize and Women's Prize for Fiction. She has also written three collections of short fiction and Salvation, a biography of Saint Francis of Assisi. She has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, as well as the Kafka Prize for Mary Reilly.

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