I wouldn’t have had to fight all these little battles that I’ve had to fight.”Īdjusting her blue headscarf, which compliments her blue blouse, she continues: “If I’d been Lee Child, and written a series of books totally on-brand and predictable, then I’d have had a much easier life. “If I’d decided to become a brand,” she says, “I’m sure I’d have made much more money and would have had a much more certain career. She remains impressively industrious, and is full of new book ideas, none of them particularly “en vogue”.

If you do either, I’ll go in search of a publisher who knows better.’”ģ0 best books for summer, from Sorrow and Bliss to The Other Black Girl “You see, I had no idea how publishing works – and one might say I still don’t – but I said to my publishers, ‘We will get on just fine as long as you don’t do either of the following: 1) tell me what to write next, and 2) give me a deadline. “Yes,” says the woman who still retains a certain froideur redolent of school ma’ams, “but if I was going to give up my day job, and my pension, and all that security, then I certainly didn’t want anyone to interfere with what I was doing. Suddenly, Harris was able to quit the staffroom and turn to writing full-time.

It went on to sell a million copies, and became a hit Hollywood film. Twenty years ago, her third novel, Chocolat, was an unexpected hit that had previously been turned down by several publishers who deemed its confection of love and food in France not particularly “en vogue”. Harris, who was born and still lives in Yorkshire, is an unusual novelist for the simple fact that she tends to write whatever pleases her, irrespective of market forces. After all, you can't keep a good woman down.Comedy Women in Print Prize 2021 longlist announced with Dolly Alderton and Naoise Dolan leading the nominees She'll bury the past so deep it will evade even her own memory, just like she has done before. And with it, the remains of a body are discovered.īut Rebecca is here to make her mark. As the new regime takes on the old guard, the ground shifts. Barely forty, she is just starting to reap the harvest of her ambition. Rebecca Buckfast has spilled blood to reach this position. For the first time in its history, a headmistress is in power, the gates opening to girls. It's an incendiary moment for St Oswald's school. Now I'm in charge, the gates are my gates. 'A psychological thriller you can't put down and an antiheroine you won't forget.'-Harlan Coben Fierce.'-Bridget Collins, bestselling author of The Binding 'A dark world of emotional complexity and betrayal, where twist follows twist and nothing is what it seems.'-Alex Michaelides, bestselling author of The Silent Patient

An electrifying tale of psychological suspense and revenge at an elite grammar school where secrets run deep.

Joanne harris a narrow door review