Now Read On is the new novel by Patricia Ferguson, whose last novel, It So Happens, was long-listed for the Orange prize.

 

Now Read On is a funny, moving, enthralling story of love, separation, deception and betrayal spanning two generations from the years of post-war austerity to the modern era of consumerism and affluence.  At its heart is the tragic love story of Iris and Rob, whose idyll is crushed by the straitjacket of a class-bound society and a conspiracy born of prejudice. But there are more loves and more deceptions to come.  Pat Ferguson has written possibly her finest work yet, a great romantic drama rooted in a world so real you can smell and taste it, and peopled with an unforgettable cast of characters: victims, lovers, villains, ogres and fools.  She is writing at the height of her powers, in a voice utterly assured and in prose that delights, compels and surprises, without a wasted word.

 

Between 1985 and 1995 Pat had three novels and a short story collection published by Deutsch.  Her first book, Family Myths and Legends, won the Betty Trask, David Higham and Somerset Maugham awards.  In 1995 she took an extended break from writing to raise her children, but returned with It So Happens (Solidus) which was long-listed for the 2005 Orange Prize.