Great reviews for Creatures of a Brief Season

On Friday 18th of September Creatures of a Brief Season by Clare Owen was launched at Bar Silo in Fowey.

It was a gorgeous dry and still warm evening amongst the converted barns and silo's of what was once a Turkey Farm. Now a laid back rustic wedding venue with country vibes, it was the perfect gentle venue for a book that has been reviewed as . . . beautifully observed, deeply humane, and quietly unforgettable.

Written as a dual narrative, the unflinching look at the challenges of old age seen through the eyes of a complex, often cantankerous protagonist, is comparable to Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge; in putting a carer and her attempts to carve out space for herself centre stage as well, the novel is also akin to the international prize winning When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén.

And the great comments continue...

‘Creatures of a Brief Season’ is a book that settles beside you, quietly, and then refuses to leave. There is a tenderness and honesty to the writing: the way Owen allows Vanessa and Leonard to be contradictory, frustrating, funny and wounded, rather than characters neatly shaped to earn our sympathy.' 

'This is a novel about care, ageing, family, regret and the things we carry for far too long … but also about movement, second chances and the possibility that a life which feels closed down might still open onto somewhere unexpected. There are moments of real sadness here: not the easy kind, but the sort found in connection, in being seen, and in discovering that we are never quite as fixed as we imagine.'

Creatures of a brief Season is available in our bookstore with FREE local delivery or in Cornish Bookshops all over the county, Waterstones and Amazon.