- Published: 8 August 2023
- ISBN: 9780241955055
- Imprint: Penguin General UK
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 288
- RRP: $26.00
Darling
A razor-sharp, gloriously funny retelling of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love
- Published: 8 August 2023
- ISBN: 9780241955055
- Imprint: Penguin General UK
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 288
- RRP: $26.00
A savagely funny, bracingly sad, dazzlingly clever reimagining of The Pursuit of Love. I loved it
Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss
A triumph! Brilliantly done, faithful but imaginative, tremendously romantic and very funny. Meeting the Radlett family again in the 21st century was an absolute a treat, rather like hearing a new arrangement of beloved old carol and hearing it anew, with trumpets
Nina Stibbe, author of Reasons to be Cheerful
Sheer brilliance. Darling is hilarious and heartbreaking and vivid and and clever and utterly compulsive - I absolutely loved it
Francesca Segal, author of Mother Ship
Darling is a black forest gateau of a book: rich characters, sumptuous prose, delicious dialogue, and layered throughout with sharp wit and intelligence (which are even better than the cherry liqueur the gateau calls for). Somehow, India Knight's writing manages to be hilarious, melancholy, insightful, and romantic all at the same time. Treat yourself to this novel
Katherine Heiny, author of Early Morning Riser
I found myself tearing through, beguiled by Knight's faithful channelling of Radlett ways, wiles and speech patterns ... Reinventing anything so beloved is a formidable challenge, and Knight has risen to it admirably
The Bookseller
Total escapist bliss. A joyous updating of the Mitford classic. I loved every page
Sabine Durrant, author of Finders Keepers
[A] lively modern update of a passionately loved classic ... A sizzling modern-day comedy of manners. Plenty of Mitfordian wit but with Ukip peers and mobile phones
The Times, Best Fiction to Read This Autumn
A modern retelling of Nancy Mitford's beloved The Pursuit of Love ... Knight nails the wit and satire
Grazia
Fans of Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit Of Love will adore this brilliant contemporary take ... The writing is as sharp, the details as perfect, the jokes as funny as [the] original
Daily Mail
The delight is in the details. Knight's are bang on, and there's joy in spotting them ... There's heart as well as humour: it was, and remains, a sincere romance ... Pursuit of Love diehards can rest easy: your blood vessels are safe with this faithful, fiercely funny homage
Spectator
It takes a brave author to attempt a contemporary reimagining of such a beloved novel. Luckily, India Knight [...] has courage and talent in spades ... It's beautifully and meticulously done, echoing the detail of the original plot as far as feasible, but with contemporary twists ... Knight is warmer than Mitford, and more comforting
Sunday Times
Beguiling reimagining ... Spry and wry Darling is delicious
Mail on Sunday, Best New Fiction
In less talented hands, Knight's retelling of this classic novel might have gone horribly wrong. But Darling is a treat, with whip-smart dialogue, larger-than- life characters, witty observations and a heart-breaking twist ... Fans will love Knight's clever re-imagining of this classic tale - and new readers will relish the chance to discover the glorious Radletts
Daily Express
What could have been a disaster - a modern reimagining of Nancy Mitford's superlative comedy of manners The Pursuit of Love - is an absolute triumph. Romantic, clever and oh-so funny
The i Paper, What We're Reading
A perfect comfort read: the kind of book you take into the bath and keep reading even when the water has gone cold, a one-sitting, dark-at-four joy ... Darling is a very human book, full of feelings and heartbreak and humour and joy
Ella Risbridger, Guardian