and some new reviews! England’s Lane

‘…Emma Woolf’s debut novel is a love story with a difference. Starting with a bang – an ingenious twist of the Hollywood cliche of a half-dressed male exiting a torrid sex scene, here the heroine Lily is the departing lover. Woolf handles multiple characters with insouciance. How can we not like Lily – intelligent, beautiful, slim with her J Brand jeans, casual cashmere and Hunter’s wellies. Traces of Virginia Woolf in Emma’s evocative scenes. I simply could not put it down.’

‘Absolutely loved this book, such an easy read, fantastic characters and story written around an area of London I know so well…’

‘Parts of this book will break your heart. Parts of it will make you smile. And parts will fill you with hope.

Emma Woolf uses three perspectives to tell the story: Lily, a young woman in her late twenties who begins an affair with her married boss; Harry, the married boss, who has always been faithful but who finds himself powerfully drawn to Lily on emotional, spiritual, and sexual levels; and Pippa, Harry’s wife, who suspects her husband’s infidelity. The driving narrative belongs to Lily, however, and she proves to be a worthy choice.

Several characters in this book struggle with depression and each respond in different ways. Harry, undoubtedly, proves to be the bleakest. He battles not just depression but also near debilitating back pain, and the combination of the two brings him to his knees. Lily brings brightness and vitality to his life. as do his sons. His marriage had become complacent and colorless before Lily, so her emergency shows him what he could have. Yet never once does Emma Woolf want you to believe that another person is responsible for the state of your psyche. You alone can heal yourself.’

England’s Lane, some lovely reviews

Ah… some amazing feedback from early readers of the new novel!

Just finished reading England’s Lane and I’m in tears – this is powerful poignant writing. I can so identify with the characters. Tumbleweed is forming in the corners of my house because the hoover has been neglected all weekend, my family had to make their own dinner.

An amazing story about love, forgiveness and mental health. The characters were rich and full of life. Truly this is the best book I’ve read in a long while. Now I have nothing left to read.

Is there going to be a sequel? More, more please.

Just finished reading England’s Lane. Thank you. Oh, all the emotions.

England’s Lane

Well chaps, it’s only a few days to go until *publication day* of my new novel England’s Lane, a.k.a this year’s Scorching Summer Read! I’m excited and delighted for the book to finally hit the shelves and hope you will beg, borrow, steal – I mean ORDER – your copy right away. Hopefully you’ve seen some of the sparkling reviews/interviews already, and watch out for more radio/press promo over the next few weeks. Here’s a sneak preview.

Three voices, three lives, three broken hearts…

Lily: Caught in a complicated love affair with an older man, fighting against her feelings. Until the day he takes it too far…

Pippa: Struggling with a midlife crisis and trying to make sense of a marriage based on lies… How will she rebuild her life after Harry?

Harry: Torn between two women, depressed and hopelessly in love, he can only see one way out… But what will he leave behind?

England’s Lane is a tale of betrayal and forgiveness, family and friendship, loss and redemption. A painful but powerful modern love story, it explores the cost of marital infidelity and the challenges of single motherhood, the legacy of suicide and the healing power of love.

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Available on Amazon now

England’s Lane

Buy England’s Lane by Emma Woolf (ISBN: 9781910153246) from Amazon’s Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

or at all good bookshops…

advice…

‘Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things – childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves – that go on slipping , like sand, through our fingers.’
Salman Rushdie, Imaginary Homelands