One of The Independent's best non-fiction books to read in 2024
'Richly detailed, sympathetic and endlessly fascinating, this biography brings Barbara Comyns to life.'
Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground
'A riveting account of the bohemian life of one of Britain’s finest - and most underrated - novelists. It made me long to re-read her distinctive and original novels.’
Alexandra Pringle, Founding Director of Virago Press
'Barbara Comyns has a truly unique voice. Her books are surreally truthful, hilarious and utterly haunting. She deserves to be recognised as one of the most original and talented writers of the 20th century. Avril Horner's beautifully written, thought-provoking and extensive examination of Comyns' life will hopefully garner some of the recognition this incredible writer so richly deserves.'
Jan Carson, author of The Raptures
'Here is the book fans of Barbara Comyns have been waiting for. Finally, there is a definitive and fascinating record of this overlooked writer's wildly varied and adventurous life, told in prose as fast-paced and naturally riveting as that of Comyns herself.'
Emily Gould, author of Perfect Tunes and Friendship
‘A fascinating read about one of the twentieth century’s most interesting writers. Thoughtful, thorough and completely engaging, the book delves into Comyns’s work and life and brings both vividly to the page. I loved it.’
Kate Hamer, author of The Lost Girls
‘An exemplary biography that sheds light on the life of a wonderful and original writer. Horner not only makes a case for Comyns's literary importance; she reveals someone human and impulsive and fallible – and all the more likeable for it.’
Brian Evenson, author of Song for the Unraveling of the World
'This is a riveting portrait of a writer more people need to read. I hope Avril Horner’s book will be an introduction to the singular, savage, and sneakily complex world of Barbara Comyns'
Richard Mirabella, author of Brother & Sister Enter the Forest
'Horner weaves a satisfying late-in-life success story from the flurry of attention Comyns received in the years before her death in 1992, and makes a strong case that her “life was as extraordinary as her novels.” This should earn Comyns some new fans.'
Publishers Weekly
'Illuminating'
Jé Wilson, The New York Review of Books
'Horner is heroically non-judgmental, a calm and measured guide through some rackety, tempestuous years, awkward human desires and mistakes. She celebrates decency and generosity and understands how friends and family fall out and fall back in again.'
Norma Clarke, Literary Review
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