Lioness

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Lioness by Emily Perkins, read by Kerry Fox.

** AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER & WINNER OF THE OCKHAM NZ BOOK AWARDS**

'The most exciting novel I've read in ages... I gulped it down, so readable, so EXCELLENT about people. Read it' Marian Keyes

‘This novel is perfection’ Glamour

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

You know how we say we devoured a story, and also that we were consumed by it? Eating and being eaten. It was like that with Claire, for me.

From humble beginnings, Therese has let herself grow used to a life of luxury after marrying into an empire-building family. But when rumours of corruption gather around her husband's latest development, the social opprobrium is shocking, the fallout swift, and Therese begins to look at her privileged and insular world with new eyes.

In the flat below Therese, something else is brewing. Her neighbour Claire believes she's discovered the secret to living with freedom and authenticity, freeing herself from the mundanity of domesticity. Therese finds herself enchanted by the lure of the permissive zone Claire creates in her apartment – a place of ecstatic release.

All too quickly, Therese is forced to confront herself and her choices – just how did she become this person? And what exactly should she do about it?

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

Critics Review

'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

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