Unexpected Lessons in Love

This is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in years. I found it completely gripping. The carefully but unobtrusively structured plot (involving adoption, DNA and paternity) is domestic but with a wide reach; it is played out against a backdrop of world events. On reflection, I have never before read a book which confronts a serious and almost unmentionable illness with such lightness of touch. It’s happy and it’s cheering, with a beautiful warmth to it, achieved without a moment of sentimentality. I loved it - Margaret Drabble

A remarkable, immensely readable and warm-hearted book - Sunday Express

A refreshingly candid, unexpectedly witty and ultimately moving tale - Candis, Jan 2013

A charming, playful novel - Red

Bishop treats a fearful subject with an extraordinary lightness of touch; her humour and her emotional wisdom make this a delightful and humane novel - The Times

This novel, wise, sharp and startlingly frank, distils a lifetime of reflection on the rules of attraction, affection - and family life. From confused youth to the ordeals and confusions of old age, her wry insights delight’ - Independent

A wonderful novel, one of those rare books which leaves the reader with a deeper understanding of the human heart … This is an author of exceptional intelligence, subtlety and warmth. Expect to hear the name Bernardine Bishop when the lists for the Costa and Man Booker prizes are compiled later this year - Spectator

This novel should appeal to Joanna Trollope fans … Bishop is a fine, intelligent writer, capable of handling moral and philosophical themes with a light touch - Sunday Telegraph