Our Book of the Month for December is a childhood favourite: Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden. ‘A touching, utterly convincing book’ Jacqueline Wilson ‘I did a dreadful thing, the worst thing of my life, when I was twelve and a half years old, and nothing can change it’ It is wartime and Carrie and her…
Our Book of the Month for October is Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner ‘The novel sharply undercuts its genteel appearance to reveal a dark and visceral heart… An elegantly enchanting tale that transcends its era’ – Observer Lolly Willowes is a twenty-eight-year-old spinster when her adored father dies, leaving her dependent upon her brothers and…
Introducing the Virago Modern Classic Book Club August pick: In A Summer Season by Elizabeth Taylor. A love story for the ages, this August we are reading Elizabeth Taylor’s In A Summer Season. Will you be reading along? “You taste of rain,” he said, kissing her. “People say I married her for her money,” he thought contentedly,…
A childhood favourite that deserves a re-read. ‘Oh, it seems so wonderful that I’m going to live with you and belong to you. I’ve never belonged to anybody’ When a scrawny, freckled girl with bright red hair arrives on Prince Edward Island, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are taken by surprise; they’d asked for a quiet…
With the film starring Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin scheduled for nationwide release next month, May feels like the perfect time to rediscover Daphne du Maurier’s mysterious, thrilling My Cousin Rachel. The Guardian placed this classic firmly ‘In the same category as Rebecca, but an even more consummate piece of storytelling’ while New York Times Book Review found My…
The March VMC book club pick was The Women’s Room, by Marilyn French. As a landmark text in feminist literature, it was an appropriate choice for the month which houses International Women’s Day and the Virago #BooksforChange social media challenge. The Women’s Room was first published in 1977, and is a biting social commentary of a world…
After many requests from readers, in 2017 we’ll be publishing the entire Anne Shirley series by L. M. Montgomery as Virago Modern Classics. The series will have covers illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, who created the much loved covers for the Emily trilogy. Here are the books and covers in order. L. M. Montgomery’s Anne Shirley books in order…
With the film starring Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin scheduled for nationwide release next month, May feels like the perfect time to rediscover Daphne du Maurier’s mysterious, thrilling My Cousin Rachel. The Guardian placed this classic firmly ‘In the same category as Rebecca, but an even more consummate piece of storytelling’ while New York Times Book Review found My…
This year we started the Virago podcast, inviting some of our brilliant authors and friends of Virago to come in and read to us, debate with us, and discuss everything from feminism to erotic teddy bears (have a listen to Margaret Atwood’s interview for that one). Thanks to all the brilliant guests we’ve had this…
“Stories are mysterious things; they have a life of their own”- Joan Aiken In a writing career spanning six decades, Joan Aiken wrote stories of wolves, naughty pet ravens, pirates, necklaces made of raindrops, and much more. This Christmas, we publish a collection of her favourite stories, including The Gift Giving, which you can read exclusively below. The…
