Ripeness

Sex and childbirth, emigrant and exile, the present and the past: Sarah Moss’s ambidextrous talent is evident on every page of this elegant novel. It is intelligent, but never disembodied; evocative, but never sentimental; honest, but never cruel. Ripeness is a book of tart and lasting pleasures – Eleanor Catton, Booker prize-winning author of The Luminaries and Birnam Wood
This book felt to me like I was reading the achievement of a lifetime, written by one of the best writers alive. Moving, unexpected, masterful, it is a story of stories, of belonging, of exits and entrances, and everything in between. Moss’s understanding of who her characters are is also her understanding of all of us. A beautiful, powerful read that echoed for me long after – Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist
Tender and rueful, Ripeness is a tale of being a foreigner that moves between 1960s Italy and 2020s Ireland, finding pain and bliss in both. Working at the height of her mature powers, Sarah Moss is a marvel of insight and eloquence – Emma Donoghue, author of Room
Sarah Moss is one of the best writers working today, and this might be her best book yet. A wise and tender novel about birth, ballet and belonging, it captivated me completely – Bobby Palmer, author of Isaac and the Egg
I devoured Ripeness, thrilling at the world Moss brings to life and the characters who inhabit it. What a delicious novel * Literary Review *
The sublime author Sarah Moss returns with Ripeness … Glorious * Vogue *
A luminous tale about borders, bodies and a sense of belonging – Thomas McMullan, Financial Times
Impressive * The Independent *
Sarah Moss is a master of the ticking clock. Her novels thrum with tension … as the climax rushes towards us, Moss makes every moment count * The Sunday Times *
Beautifully crafted … absorbing and moving * Daily Mail *
An extended meditation on what home or belonging might mean in a period of disruption and displacement … Moss perfectly judges the prickly absolutism of the younger Edith … unfailingly spare and alert … captivating * The Irish Times *
Evocative … Immensely moving - and this story feels very much like life … This novel lingers so strongly in the mind * Harper’s Bazaar *
A powerful and beautifully written story of family, friendship and identity * The Guardian *
An expansive, expressive tale of family, history and ballet, this is illuminated by pin-sharp imagery and rueful self-awareness * Mail on Sunday *
An insightful examination of family ties and belonging * The Economist *
There’s no shortage of gifted writers who have never had a sniff of a major prize. The English novelist Sarah Moss, now based in Dublin, is such an obvious example of this … Moss’ new novel, Ripeness, might fix that * The Critic *
Endlessly intriguing * The Observer *

Sarah Moss has written several novels, including the Sunday Times top ten bestseller Summerwater, and Ghost Wall, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize. She has also written a memoir of her year living in Iceland.

Born in Glasgow, she grew up in the north of England. After living in Oxford, Canterbury, Reykjavik, west Cornwall, and the Midlands, she now resides in Dublin, where she teaches English and creative writing at UCD.

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