Vendela Vida

Cressida Connolly discusses My Former Heart.; Vendela Vida discusses The Lovers.

Two novelists from either side of the globe. Connolly’s first novel, MY FORMER HEART, has garnered extraordinary critical praise: “sparkling originality… it makes you see the world afresh” – John Preston, the Spectator. Vida’s third novel, THE LOVERS, has been equally well received. Stephanie Merritt wrote in the Observer, “She writes with a clarity and precision and a finely tuned sense of empathy… I defy any reader not to cry at the ending”. Merritt’s review ends, “a thoughtful and evocative story of what it means to love, and go on loving”, a description that could apply equally well to both novels. We would love to see you here, but seating is very limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. All the events cost £5 and include wine. Call or email the bookshop on 020 7229 1010, bookshop@lutyensrubinstein.co.uk to reserve your tickets or email tara@lutyensrubinstein.co.uk for more information. (tmspinks)… (more)

Vendela Vida reads from The Lovers.

endela Vida, author of the critically acclaimed novel And Now You Can Go, founding co-editor of The Believer magazine, and screenplay writer (with husband Dave Eggers) of the film Away We Go, has written an engrossing new novel. "Vida's The Lovers is a spare and haunting meditation on how travel can bring us full circle back to the place from which we have started. I read it over two days and dreamed about it the second night," writes Francine Prose. Bookshop staff backs up Prose's praise all the way, and we're adding this as a "must read" for book groups. The plot follows Yvonne, a middle-aged woman suddenly widowed, as she journeys to Turkey to revisit the place of her honeymoon. In taut and seemingly spare language, Vida brings us hauntingly close to Yvonne's world, where suddenly everything is no longer what it was. When Yvonne befriends a young boy on her travels, the loss of her husband breaks through, and what happens next left us with our hearts pounding. This is a tale that beckons us to wonder if escape is possible in a world where human relationships rest in connection, love, and letting go. We are delighted to welcome Ms. Vida to Bookshop Santa Cruz and hope that you'll join us for this reading and signing. (jennybhatt)… (more)