Queenie Jenkins’ life seems to be steadily spiralling out of control in Candice Carty-Williams luminous debut, which is by turns hilariously funny, dramatic and tender, with a heroine to root for.
Winner of the British Book Awards Book of the Year & Debut Book of the Year 2020
Runner Up in the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2020
Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2019
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020
Shortlisted for the The Jhalak Prize 2020
Shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2019
Published on a wave of critical acclaim – and breathless enthusiasm from our booksellers – Candice Carty-Williams’ luminous debut is a joy-filled, painfully funny coming-of-age story set in modern Britain. Fabulous but flawed, defiant but vulnerable, Queenie Jenkins is one of the great fictional creations of the twenty-first century, and her story is, by turns, hilariously funny, dramatic and movingly tender.
Caught between the Jamaican British family who don’t seem to understand her, a job that’s not all it promised and a man she just can’t get over, Queenie’s life seems to be steadily spiralling out of control. Desperately trying to navigate her way through a hot mess of shifting cultures and toxic relationships and emerge with a shred of dignity, her missteps and misadventures will provoke howls of laughter and tears of pity – frequently on the same page.
Tackling issues as diverse as mental health, race, class and consent with a light yet sure touch, Queenie is refreshingly candid, delightfully compassionate and bracingly real. The perfect fable for a frenetic and confusing time, Carty-Williams’ stellar novel is undoubtedly one of the year’s most exciting debuts and announces its author as a fresh and vibrant new voice in British literature.
Cover design may vary.
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
ISBN: 9781409180074
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 281 g
Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 30 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Hilarious, compelling, painful, enlightening, honest. I loved it. - Dolly Alderton
Queenie is a masterclass in how to write accessible political fiction about race and gender. Funny, relatable, sad, and hopeful; Candice Carty-Williams is a writer to watch. - Christie Watson
Brilliant, timely, funny, heartbreaking - Jojo Moyes
Funny, wise and of the moment, this book and this writer are the ones to watch - Kit de Waal
Queenie has all the things you want in a debut novel - a startlingly fresh voice, characters you fall in love with from the very first page, and a joyous turn of phrase that makes this book almost impossible to put down. In turns hilariously funny and quietly devastating, Queenie is an important, timely story. - Louise O'Neill
Adorable, funny, heartbreaking
Queenie is the sort of novel you just can't stop talking about and want everyone you know to read. Snort your tea out funny one moment and utterly heart-breaking the next ... I absolutely loved it
Hilarious and off the wall and tender
Candice gives so generously with her joy, pain and humour ... a beautiful and compelling book
I ate this up in one greedy, joyous gulp. I loved Queenie and was cheering her on all the way
I was engrossed and loved Queenie - her humour, her pain, her politics, her friends, her family!
A really special book with much to say about black female identity, sexual politics, group chats & emotional becoming in a way that feels totally unforced. Filthy, funny & profound
Queenie is the best mate we all want - funny, sharp and more than a little vulnerable. I loved climbing inside her mind and wish I could have stayed longer. I adored this novel
Candice Carty Williams is my new favourite writer and she will be yours, too...I needed this book in my early twenties. I have never felt so seen in fiction. My heart is full.
I enjoyed Queenie a lot; sharp, relatable, and incredibly evocative
This smart, funny, and tender debut embraces a modern woman's messiness. - Booklist
A black Bridget Jones, perfectly of the moment. - Kirkus
One of the buzziest debuts of 2019 - THE GUARDIAN
This year welcomes Candice Carty-Williams to the literary scene. In 2016, best-selling author Jojo Moyes offered the use of her rural cottage to a wannabe novelist trying to finish a book; she selected Candice from more than 600 applicants. - GRAZIA
perfect for anyone who loved Fleabag - MAIL ON SUNDAY
Incredibly funny, this is the book that everyone will be talking about. - CLOSER
This debut is original, heart-breaking, funny and clever, and also carries many important messages... [this] book blew my mind in all the best ways. I'm still rooting for Queenie long after turning the final page. - DAILY MAIL
We are irresistibly drawn into Queenie's world by a romcom which is wry and often hilarious. - DAILY MIRROR
A candid and funny, no-holds-barred exploration of a young black Woman's life... Carty- Williams is a talented writer with a fresh perspective that the publishing industry desperately needs. Joyous, memorable and necessary. - EVENING STANDARD
This is an important, timely and disarming novel, thirst-quenching and long overdue: one that will be treasured by "any type of black girl" and hordes of other readers besides. - GUARDIAN
A blistering blend of funny, filthy, frank and dark, this is the mark of a true voice at work. - HEAT
A delight from start to finish... a little bit of Fleabag but less double-barrelled and more relatable - I
[A] smart and breezy comic debut - OBSERVER
Honest and heartfelt - PSYCHOLOGIES
Smart, thoughtful and funny - RED
We are irresistibly drawn into Queenie's world by this fresh romcom which is wry and often hilarious, even when it goes to some dark places. - SUNDAY EXPRESS
Filled with raw emotion tempered with wry humour, this debut is bitter-sweet. - SUNDAY MIRROR
This topical, timely debut's bracing frankness has a blazing purpose... vital and often funny - SUNDAY TIMES
This is a funny, clever, heartbreaking lightning bolt of a first novel, by a writer bristling with talent. - THE TIMES
The plot spoke to my soul...Queenie's journey as a millennial is relatable on so many levels. I'm so besotted with [Queenie] that I'm heavily delaying finding out how this enchanting tale ends. It'll be a bittersweet day when it finally arrives. - Refinery29`
This is an amazing novel about what it means to be a black girl whose world is falling apart and needs to find the strength to put it back together
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“I loved this book - a lot!”
I've been waiting to read Queenie for ages but I was so glad to see my copy in the post! This is a really special book and Candice is a new fresh voice in the literary scene. She has created something brilliant... More
“Queen of my Heart”
This a gorgeous, hilarious, moving portrait of a young black woman's life in South London. I'm so in love with Queenie. I want her to be my best friend!
“To my Queen”
Queenie. A beautifully emotional, joyful, fist punching the air book. So smart, sharp and unbelievably timely. Queenie will have you laughing and crying in solidarity at her take on modern life.
I loved all the...
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