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Queenie

Pre-order QUEENIE IS WORKING ON IT, the follow-up to the bestselling phenomenon, now

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Queenie

By: Candice Carty-Williams
Narrated by: Shvorne Marks
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 Pre-order QUEENIE IS WORKING ON IT, the brand new book from Candice Carty-Williams, now

NOW WITH EXCLUSIVE QUEENIE IS WORKING ON IT EXTRACT!

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

'Brilliant, timely, funny, heartbreaking' Jojo Moyes

'A must-read novel about sex, selfhood, and the best friendships that get us through it all' Candace Bushnell, author of Sex and the City

Queenie is a twenty-five-year-old Black woman living in south London, straddling Jamaican and British culture whilst slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper where she's constantly forced to compare herself to her white, middle-class peers, and beg to write about Black Lives Matter. After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie finds herself seeking comfort in all the wrong places.

As Queenie veers from one regrettable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be? - the questions that every woman today must face in a world that keeps trying to provide the answers for them.

A darkly comic and bitingly subversive take on life, love, race and family, Queenie will have you nodding in recognition, crying in solidarity and rooting for this unforgettable character every step of the way. A disarmingly honest, boldly political and truly inclusive tale that will speak to anyone who has gone looking for love and acceptance and found something very different in its place.©2019 Candice Carty-Williams Caribbean Creators Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Love, Dating & Attraction Multicultural Relationships Urban Biography Funny Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Witty Inspiring

Critic reviews

Hilarious, compelling, painful, enlightening, honest. I loved it. (Dolly Alderton)
Queenie is a masterclass in how to write accessible political fiction about race and gender. Funny, relatable, sad, and hopeful; Candice Carty-Williams is a writer to watch. (Christie Watson)
Brilliant, timely, funny, heartbreaking (Jojo Moyes)
Funny, wise and of the moment, this book and this writer are the ones to watch (Kit de Waal)
Queenie has all the things you want in a debut novel - a startlingly fresh voice, characters you fall in love with from the very first page, and a joyous turn of phrase that makes this book almost impossible to put down. In turns hilariously funny and quietly devastating, Queenie is an important, timely story. (Louise O'Neill)
Adorable, funny, heartbreaking
Queenie is the sort of novel you just can't stop talking about and want everyone you know to read. Snort your tea out funny one moment and utterly heart-breaking the next ... I absolutely loved it
Hilarious and off the wall and tender
Candice gives so generously with her joy, pain and humour ... a beautiful and compelling book
I ate this up in one greedy, joyous gulp. I loved Queenie and was cheering her on all the way
I was engrossed and loved Queenie - her humour, her pain, her politics, her friends, her family!
A really special book with much to say about black female identity, sexual politics, group chats & emotional becoming in a way that feels totally unforced. Filthy, funny & profound
Queenie is the best mate we all want - funny, sharp and more than a little vulnerable. I loved climbing inside her mind and wish I could have stayed longer. I adored this novel
Candice Carty Williams is my new favourite writer and she will be yours, too...I needed this book in my early twenties. I have never felt so seen in fiction. My heart is full.
I enjoyed Queenie a lot; sharp, relatable, and incredibly evocative
This smart, funny, and tender debut embraces a modern woman's messiness.
A black Bridget Jones, perfectly of the moment.
One of the buzziest debuts of 2019
This year welcomes Candice Carty-Williams to the literary scene. In 2016, best-selling author Jojo Moyes offered the use of her rural cottage to a wannabe novelist trying to finish a book; she selected Candice from more than 600 applicants.
perfect for anyone who loved Fleabag
Incredibly funny, this is the book that everyone will be talking about.
This debut is original, heart-breaking, funny and clever, and also carries many important messages... [this] book blew my mind in all the best ways. I'm still rooting for Queenie long after turning the final page.
We are irresistibly drawn into Queenie's world by a romcom which is wry and often hilarious.
A candid and funny, no-holds-barred exploration of a young black Woman's life... Carty- Williams is a talented writer with a fresh perspective that the publishing industry desperately needs. Joyous, memorable and necessary.
All stars
Most relevant
Once I got used to jumping from current day to past linking memories (don’t let that put you off ) I was fully emerged into Queenies story. Feeling like a friend the the Corgi whatsapp group the feelings of this book came alive. I loved the varied characters and how brilliantly they were voiced. This book would be great for all women and notably young men using dating apps as an educational tool on emotion and relationships!!

Real, empathetic and culture rich

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I cannot recommend this book enough! Fantastic storyline and characters: I laughed, I cried, I was fully immersed in Queenie’s life and didn’t want the book to end. The narration was perfect. Shvorne did a fantastic job with the voices, really bringing the characters to life. It’s going to be hard to follow this one!

A fantastic book and listen

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I honestly cannot express how much I didn't want this book to end. Brilliantly written and fabulously narrated. Since I finished it I have been trying to find another book to fill the gaping hole it has left in my life, and i cannot!! I intend on buying my mum, and two sisters a copy each for Xmas as I feel it's a must read for everyone but especially if you are black and British.

Brilliant

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I have spent the last week disapearing at any opportunity to listen to Queenie's story unfold. This book has made me think a lot about the experiences of black women living in the UK and for this reason I am very glad I listened. I fell in love with the character of Queenie as well as many of the other minor characters. Themes of mental health, childhood trauma and the pressures faced by young adults are dealt with
with sensitively and I was moves to tears several times. There was plenty of humour too though, mostly coming from the Grandparents and Queenie's friendship circle. The narration from Shvorne Marks is fantastic, she brought all the characters to life for me and has been the best narrator I have experienced. I miss Queenie already!

My kind of book!

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I couldn't stop listening. I found myself listening at any given opportunity & walking around the house with earphones in & thinking about the next time I could tune in again!

definitely worth a listen and performed so well.

I couldn't stop listening!

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