David Nicholls

A Novel

Beth Bartholomew

“I realise that this sounds like I'm putting on a brave face, but we make too big a deal about being alone. People aren't meant to spend their whole adult lives with one other person. In fact, very few do. Well, very few, but your parents, mine, they're not the majority. And lots of people live without a life partner. I don’t know why this perfectly common thing’s thought of as odd or sad.•

karina

“I suppose the main thing I feel now, and I want you to remember I’ve had a drink or two, is that I would have liked to love someone. You know, mutually, and for a period of time, and at that time of life, when you’ve got so much of it. Love, not salmon. I think I’d have been good at it.”

The trick is to change the way you think about time. It's no use thinking in minutes or hours or days, or even generations. You've got to adjust the scale, think in terms of millennia. Then everything you see here is temporary, the lakes, rivers, moun-tains, all in motion, the changes taking place over millions of years. This valley wasn't always here: it was created, gouged out by a great glacier, because ice is a moving thing [...] volcanoes, here, volcanoes, can you believe it?

The point is to remember that the process doesn't stop just because humans are here. It's happening now and it'll happen when the last human is long gone. Mighty forces beneath your feet. Nothing permanent, everything changing.

Sarah Erle

A slow burn walk through the English countryside. Very earnest but many parts made me laugh out loud. 

Mic Carter

This is my First David Nicholls Book; I saw this book on a lot of Tables in Bookshops at the time of release and while browsing I decided that I was intrigued and wanted to give it a go and I really enjoyed getting lost in the story of 2 people meeting for the first time while walking coast to coast!

Geography teacher, Michael, had been planning a solo walking trip across northern England when his fellow teacher, Cleo, turned it into a group event. Michael was dealing with a separation from his wife and recovering from an assault from a bunch of thugs, and Cleo thought he could use some company. She invited several people including Marnie, a divorced copy editor who worked from home. Most of the friends stayed on the walk for a couple days, but Michael and Marnie continued the coast-to-coast walk. While Michael is a nature lover from York, Marnie is used to city life in London. But Marnie gets into the rhythm of the walk.

It’s clear that over the course of their time together the 2 grow a bond with each other they enjoy spending time together. They enjoy their conversations, appreciate each other's humorous nature, experience a growing attraction and understand the marital strife that each has been through. This book feels like 2 real people going on this adventure together and that they are real people which is rare in books

The descriptions of the scenery, the quirky pubs and B&Bs along the way, and the rainy weather make the walk very realistic and extremely British!! The story unfolds from the alternating points of view of Marnie and Michael, which provides additional insights to the same events.

The engaging characters and outstanding dialogue made this a great read and it’s clear that this is something that Nicholls excels in giving the reviews for some of his previous books.

Ian Brakspear

This is my First David Nicholls Book; I saw this book on a lot of Tables in Bookshops at the time of release and while browsing I decided that I was intrigued and wanted to give it a go and I really enjoyed getting lost in the story of 2 people meeting for the first time while walking coast to coast!

 

Geography teacher, Michael, had been planning a solo walking trip across northern England when his fellow teacher, Cleo, turned it into a group event. Michael was dealing with a separation from his wife and recovering from an assault from a bunch of thugs, and Cleo thought he could use some company. She invited several people including Marnie, a divorced copy editor who worked from home. Most of the friends stayed on the walk for a couple days, but Michael and Marnie continued the coast-to-coast walk. While Michael is a nature lover from York, Marnie is used to city life in London. But Marnie gets into the rhythm of the walk.

 

It’s clear that over the course of their time together the 2 grow a bond with each other they enjoy spending time together. They enjoy their conversations, appreciate each other's humorous nature, experience a growing attraction and understand the marital strife that each has been through. This book feels like 2 real people going on this adventure together and that they are real people which is rare in books

 

The descriptions of the scenery, the quirky pubs and B&Bs along the way, and the rainy weather make the walk very realistic and extremely British!! The story unfolds from the alternating points of view of Marnie and Michael, which provides additional insights to the same events.

 

The engaging characters and outstanding dialogue made this a great read and it’s clear that this is something that Nicholls excels in giving the reviews for some of his previous books.

You Are Here A Novel

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