Bookseller Reviews
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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... READ MORE
Corgi for life.
Queenie is one of the best things I've read in a long time. It's heartbreaking, funny, fresh and modern all at once. Candice Carty-Williams has created a c... READ MORE
Powerful, funny and relatable!
I absolutely LOVED this book and it has since made it into my Top 5 Favourite Books of all-time list!
Queenie Jenkins is a twenty-something trying to nav... READ MORE
X-rated Eleanor Oliphant!
Queenie is a very timely novel covering themes of race, feminism and mental health. It’s an easy and funny read with a great character in the ballpark of B... READ MORE
Unendingly Relatable
Typically, I go for fantasy, science fiction and horror reads, so picking this book up was a bit unusual for me. I was really pleasantly surprised, however... READ MORE
This a book that nestled into the corner of your heart and stays there.
One of the most moving reading experiences I’ve had. Queenie takes you apart and as her life takes her apart. You go on a journey together. And as she take... READ MORE
A Squeeze to the Heart
I was so enthralled when reading "Queenie" while on the train that I almost missed my stop, multiple times!
The story follows Queenie Jenkins, who after s... READ MORE
The Queen(ie) of My Heart
If you like having a lot of feelings then this is the book for you! Candice Carty-Williams gives us a heroine so funny, whip-smart and compelling that you ... READ MORE
Deft, Gritty and Full of Heart
Coming to this novel late, I was aware of all the media around it and the fact that many reviewers have compared it to Bridget Jones' Diary. I have to say ... READ MORE
My Queen
Candice Carty-Williams is truly a writer to watch. This is the very compelling story of Queenie who makes some regrettable life choices and is at times ver... READ MORE
Synopsis
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 information
- Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
- ISBN: 9781409180074
- Number of pages: 400
- Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 30 mm
- Weight: 304g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allI 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 ... READ MORE
Great story
This is a modern romantic comedy.
Queenie is a British woman who works for a newspaper in London. She is of Jamaican descent. Her storyline reminded me of... READ MORE
A seemingly unpopular opinion, but not for me!
I didn’t really enjoy Queenie, although it was good to read a perspective on life from a WOC. Maybe I didn’t connect with it because I couldn’t relate to Q... READ MORE
An Important Book
I read Queenie in the span of a night. Queenie is an important book, and as a woman of colour I'd say it's an overdue book. The character is relatable and ... READ MORE
Grossly Overrated
It is simple. The end. I cannot believe that it is published in the first place, for it is merely an account of a black woman going about her life. It is n... READ MORE
I read this in a day, I simply couldn't put it down.
This book had me laughing out loud from the very first page and I was immediately hooked. The book covers so many issues including anxiety and self-loathin... READ MORE
Not an easy read
A disturbing tale of how one black girl is treated by her white boyfriends and her apparent acceptance of this awful behaviour and her lack of self esteem.... READ MORE
How to have a Mid-life Crisis in your Mid 20s.
This book explores so many aspects of real life: race, sex, mental health, friendships, broken family and how they can all be connected. It's narrator it s... READ MORE
Bridget Jones it is not, but it is brilliant nonetheless
This debut novel is original, funny, heartbreaking and clever. Throughout, the author addresses many important issues in today’s society such as racial dis... READ MORE
One of the best written female characters of the decade
‘Queenie’ might have been marketed as ‘Bridget Jones meets Americanah’, but you’d be fooled if you think this is a love story. This is a story of Queenie, ... READ MORE
Surprising
At first I didn't get the fuss about this novel, then the tone and content changes half way through and you get this light bulb moment. Then it finally mak... READ MORE
Unflinching and darkly comic
An unflinching, darkly comic portrayal of a young Black British woman struggling with life, her identity, womanhood and mental health. I have seen Queenie ... READ MORE
4****
I really enjoyed Queenie, although I don't personally feel as though anything significant actually happened in the book - I think that was the point. Queen... READ MORE
Stunning
This is a lovely, funny, gripping read that also dips into issues of covert racism in such a wonderful way. I have recommended to so many people! Both for ... READ MORE
Queenie, Queenie, Queenie. What are we going to do with her?
She's the exasperating younger sister you keep trying to help but who doesn't listen to your advice and then ends up in ridiculous/dangerous/(insert your o... READ MORE
Buy it
This book is a must read. I don’t cry at books very often but the of Queenie’s life is something we can all relate to and Candice Carty-William’s captures... READ MORE
Love love LOVE!
Couldn't put this book down! Read it within a day and its absolutely amazing! One of the best books I've read! One of my new favourite authors! Can't wait ... READ MORE
A Book That Stays With You
Any book that opens at the bus stop in front of the Lewisham Hospital—a place I have stood myself many times—is automatically going to get five stars from ... READ MORE
A great read!
I thought this book was great! Loved that it was an easy read and very hard to put the book down.
Interesting account of human GULLABILITY!
Not sure I understand “Queenie” agreeing to join back such a biased and manipulative set up unless it is not for the moeilijke situatie(pardon, my breaking... READ MORE
Meh.
This was an easy read. A bit like a romcom script, but that was it. There was nothing original or surprising. Which was a real disappointment given the att... READ MORE
Funny, poignant, current and important. Queenie is here to stay.
Last month I started off the year by reading Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams which turned out to be a very good way to start this new decade of reading o... READ MORE
Queenie
An excellent book to read and i just could't put it down because it was hugely enjoyable. 5 stars
I burned my dinner reading this
I loved this book so much, I couldn't put it down. I was so engrossed in Queenie that I accidentally burned my dinner. Whoops! It really is that good thoug... READ MORE
Not for the faint-hearted
The reviews for this book are misleading and inaccurate. This book is about severe mental health issues which the main character deals with by having multi... READ MORE
Brilliant provoking read!
I have been waiting to read this for a while and it was so worth the wait! Such a thought provoking story which opened up thoughts some of us may not even ... READ MORE
Best book I've read all year
Literally could not put this book down. It is wonderfully written. The characters were well developed and relatable. This book was at times tough but refle... READ MORE
I loved it
I have never read a book that better encapsulated what it is to be a woman of colour in Britan today, it was eye-opening and heartwarming.
The reviews do n... READ MORE
Queenie is Queen
This book is truly amazing. I finished it within three days and honestly couldn’t put it down. A stark commentary on prejudice still faced by Black Women i... READ MORE
Queenie
Was looking forward to this book hopefully to get a perspective of what coloured women have to go through. Very disappointing did not like Queenie’s charac... READ MORE
Trash
I fell for the hype with this book. I wish I’d never bought it. Poor plot and badly written. Pretty much unreadable and judging by reviews on Good Reads I’... READ MORE
Loved this book!
I wanted to spend all my time with Queenie. Saw myself in her in some part of the story. Very easy to read and i like the author’s style. Enjoyed it very m... READ MORE
A great story
Queenie Jenkins is a twenty-five-year-old black woman, who is unsure of her role in life and her place. She has just been dumped, or ‘on a break’ with her ... READ MORE
Great Read
Initially this seems to seems to be a bit like a Bridget Jones for all the single twenty-somethings dealing with the daily dramas of dating apps and entry ... READ MORE
I will be missing Queenie!
So touching and heartbreaking!
Queenie has made me laugh, cry and think about how fast our lives can change, especially when we don’t address our most pr... READ MORE
totally relatable
This book definitely has a lot of hand to palm moments each chapter but keeps you excited and engaged. I wish they handled the UK’s subtle racism a bit bet... READ MORE
Honest and brilliant
I had been wanting to read Queenie for a while and when I got sent a review copy I was over the moon! I've just finished the Book now and it was definitely... READ MORE
The world needed this book.
I didn't realise exactly how much this narrative was missing from this genre until I read this book. As a white reader, I'm ashamed to say that I had faile... READ MORE
Modern Day Bridget Jones
I couldn’t put this book down. It tackles so many important issues while feeling hauntingly real and personal - I haven’t had a book read so real since the... READ MORE
Brilliant read
loved this book. So many emotions, trials and tribulations all dealt with by Queenie. You go from laughing, to crying, to cheering her on as life throws th... READ MORE
A journey back to my 20’s
*Contains Spoilers*
What a woman Queenie is!
I read this book having skimmed some of these extreme reviews and had to find out for myself; this book was n... READ MORE
Such an incredible book!
I loved this, wanted to spend all my time with Queenie
Fresh of breath air
Absolutely loved this, I couldn’t put it down!
Queenie
⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Queenie. Well-written, it features some excellent, relatable, honest characters.
Although Queenie did make some qu... READ MORE
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