I’m not sure this anthology can harness the power of a Siren or a Spitfire (to give two sample story titles) to stem the tide, but it’s certainly fun.

We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. Although I could fairly quickly work out the rough outlines of the disaster, Haynes kept me on the edge of my seat by the incredibly skillful way she slowly revealed a detail here and a detail there, as if I were seeing a picture at first only blurrily through misted glass but then the mist gradually evaporated.

Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. What I loved best, tho, was that this story was not a re-telling of a Greek classic as the books blurb may have suggested. Of the eight books incoming in March this year I have now abandoned two and read and reviewed four, with one not reviewed on here yet, and one in the Reading With Emma pile. I was determined to read this book, published this year to celebrate Virago Press’s 50th anniversary, this year, and I have got it in as hopefully my penultimate read.

For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password. Smith was raped and beaten by an acquaintance who detained her in her home until she shot him with her brother’s gun. Warrior” by Chibundu Onuzo (5/5) features a Biblical figure whose leadership and wisdom lead her people to victory in battle. You'll feel like a powerhouse by the end and each story will move you in ways you could never imagine.Haynes shines with these classroom vignettes, which capture the self-conscious, insecure and often raw nature of troubled teens. Adopted as a baby, he’s never quite felt at home with the family that treats him more as a curious pet than a son.

Her goal is to use drama therapy to help them “to find ways of talking about terrible emotions and difficulties, without focusing on their own lives all the time. Also loved the story by my talented friend Claire Kohda about a 'Tiger Mum', and various (Rachel Seiffart, Chibundu Onuzu) using true historical stories of women's protests. On the other hand, ‘Hussy’, Caroline O’Donoghue’s story of a porn star past her prime, who unexpectedly runs into a former co-star (in a fun subversion, he’s the Hussy of the title — or is he? The book is Furies: Stories of the wicked, wild and untamed and it’s a worthy volume to mark 50 years of being in the vanguard of feminist publishing.For this celebratory work, Virago have drawn on an impressive array of authors to explore the topic of damaging words.

There’s a feeling, with terms of abuse, that if they’re reclaimed from the oppressors, re-appropriated and used by those abused, the words lose their power; certainly that’s often been the case with the N-word, which has been taken back and used by those of colour. As a reader, I knew that Alex was torn apart by her fiancée Luke’s death, yet I knew next to nothing about Luke (other than his profession) nor did I get a sense of them as a couple. However, in these stories, the authors have taken ownership and empowered strong, bold and vibrant women with these words. A FUN AND FEARLESS ANTHOLOGY OF FEMINIST TALES, to celebrate Virago’s 50th birthday, featuring NEW AND ORIGINAL STORIES by Margaret Atwood, Susie Boyt, Eleanor Crewes, Emma Donoghue, Stella Duffy, Linda Grant, Claire Kohda, CN Lester, Kirsty Logan, Caroline O’Donoghue, Chibundu Onuzo, Helen Oyeymi, Rachel Seiffert, Kamila Shamsie and Ali Smith – introduced by Sandi Toksvig.My mother spent the last thirty or so years of her life there, having fallen in love with the city (and my dad) during her time at Edinburgh University, so I got to know the place reasonably well during many family visits.