Getting giddy now, as my first novella is let loose on the world on 30th January! That's two books released during a lockdown now - not the best time, but it is what it is.
So I thought I'd share part of a lovely new review from Judy Darley - there's a link to the full review at the bottom of the post.
If you fancy pre-ordering All Our Squandered Beauty then you can do so HERE!
Review by Judy Darley:
"In her debut novella, Amanda Huggins casts her lyrical storytelling over the ruggedness of wild oceans, churning grief and raw adolescence with dizzying potency.
Set in 1978, the salt and tides of the North Sea flavour Huggins’ words as she introduces us to Kara, named after a sea in the Siberian Arctic and a guardian sprite who carried shipwrecked sailors “into the clouds in fishing nets” spun from her hair. Kara simultaneously thirsts for adventures beyond her field of vision while yearning to dive back into the safety of her past. Huggins captures this inner conflict beautifully, highlighting Kara’s confused emotions against a backdrop of motorbikes, unsuitable suitors, nature and art.
When Kara’s art teacher Leo informs her that she’s eligible for “a funded place for a gifted student” on a three-week art placement on a Greek island, Kara is swept away under a swell of first impressions that absorb every sense. Yet misgivings murmur beneath the surface, even as Huggins’ ribbons of words saturate us.
“When they stepped off the plane they were enveloped in a cloud of warm air filled with the scent of herbs and pine resin, of flowers and hot tarmac.”
It’s enough to make you draw in breath.
And less than half a page and a stretch of water later: “silver-green olive groves that pulsed with the sound of cicadas.”
Places are summoned up with deliciously rich yet spare descriptions, until you feel you’re remembering as much as reading. I was reminded of my own teenage years and the joyful risks I took without hesitation."
You can read the full review here
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