Freya North
Author of Pillow Talk
About the Author
Image credit: freyanorth.co.uk
Series
Works by Freya North
Associated Works
The Book Lovers' Appreciation Society: Breast Cancer Care Short Story Collection (2009) — Contributor — 97 copies, 1 review
Life's Short, Talk Fast: Fifteen Writers on Why We Can't Stop Watching Gilmore Girls (2024) — Contributor — 36 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- North, Freya
- Birthdate
- 1967-11-21
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- novelist
- Short biography
- Freya North was born on 21 November 1967 in London, England, UK. She gave up a PhD scholarship to write her first novel, Sally. For 4 years she turned deaf ears to parents and friends who pleaded with her to ‘get a proper job’. She went on the dole and did a succession of freelance and temping jobs to support “writing days” every now and then. In 1996 she approached one of the UK’s top literary agents, Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown Ltd. Lloyd took her on and put her work up for auction. 5 publishers enter a bidding war for Freya’s books. A three-book deal for a six figure sum is the result. Published since 1996 to great acclaim. She lives in London with her family. In 2008 Freya won the Romantic Novel of the Year award by the Romantic Novelists' Association with Pillow Talk.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Hertfordshire
- Associated Place (for map)
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
The Unfinished Business of Eadie Browne is an ode to childhood and teenage years and the long-lasting effect they have upon us.
Eadie is an unusual child. We are at first privy to her childhood home in Parkwin, a garden city, where she lives with her parents next door to a cemetery. The dead people it houses become an unlikely kind of support to her as she navigates her school years. Whilst she makes good friends at primary school, she is also bullied and the consequences of this ripple down show more through the story.
We then follow Eadie to university in Manchester. This book is billed as a love letter to youth but it's also very clearly a love letter to Manchester in the heady days of the late 80s. This is a story that takes Eadie full circle, and through sections set ten years after her university days, her unfinished business is finally dealt with.
Much of this story is based around Freya North's own experiences of university life in Manchester, even down to the house she lived in and the settee she sat on. I could tell this was an intensely personal book for her and that the detail mattered because it mattered to her. I found it quite an introspective and brooding kind of read in many ways, and it has a touch of melancholy about it. I loved Eadie's descriptions of her childhood home, her parents scribbling away at their desks, her visits to the cemetery. North describes perfectly the school years and that difficult step from primary to secondary school, and then the bewildering leap into university and being away from home for the first time.
This book flung me headlong back into the 80s and 90s, reminded me what it was like to be young, to not know what you want to do, where or how you want to be. It's about different friendships at different times in your life, and about dealing with the past to fully live in the present. North's writing is thoughtful and perceptive and this is a poignant and nostalgic read. show less
Eadie is an unusual child. We are at first privy to her childhood home in Parkwin, a garden city, where she lives with her parents next door to a cemetery. The dead people it houses become an unlikely kind of support to her as she navigates her school years. Whilst she makes good friends at primary school, she is also bullied and the consequences of this ripple down show more through the story.
We then follow Eadie to university in Manchester. This book is billed as a love letter to youth but it's also very clearly a love letter to Manchester in the heady days of the late 80s. This is a story that takes Eadie full circle, and through sections set ten years after her university days, her unfinished business is finally dealt with.
Much of this story is based around Freya North's own experiences of university life in Manchester, even down to the house she lived in and the settee she sat on. I could tell this was an intensely personal book for her and that the detail mattered because it mattered to her. I found it quite an introspective and brooding kind of read in many ways, and it has a touch of melancholy about it. I loved Eadie's descriptions of her childhood home, her parents scribbling away at their desks, her visits to the cemetery. North describes perfectly the school years and that difficult step from primary to secondary school, and then the bewildering leap into university and being away from home for the first time.
This book flung me headlong back into the 80s and 90s, reminded me what it was like to be young, to not know what you want to do, where or how you want to be. It's about different friendships at different times in your life, and about dealing with the past to fully live in the present. North's writing is thoughtful and perceptive and this is a poignant and nostalgic read. show less
Little Wing is Freya North's first novel in seven years and it is an absolute triumph in every way. It's been far too long since I last read one of her books (I still have my original copies of Sally, Chloe, Cat et al) but after reading Little Wing I've definitely been left wanting to read more from this talented writer.
This is the story, primarily, of three people: Florence, Dougie and Nell. Florence's story takes place in 1969 when she becomes pregnant and is sent to Harris, the remote and show more starkly beautiful island in the Outer Hebrides. Nell's and Dougie's stories take place in 2005 when Nell finds out something that rocks her whole world, and Dougie realises that the path he has chosen in life is taking him further and further from who he really is.
The three stories collide perfectly, bringing together the past and the present. For Nell it's a seismic event, and for Dougie it's more a gradual realisation, but I thought the plotlines were woven together magnificently. This is not a book of surprises for the reader but a tender story of family and finding your true place in the world.
The settings are vividly portrayed. Nell works in a café with wonderful staff and it felt like a place I'd love to visit. She also calls regularly on a man in his 80s called Frank and her friendship with him felt so warm. But the setting that jumps off the page at the reader is that of Harris. It's clear the author has a love of the island as this book is almost a love letter to it and I was completely captivated by its rugged charm throughout the whole book. It's as good as a character in its own right and is such an integral part of the story. I want to go there right away!
The writing in Little Wing is absolutely exquisite and the story is stunning. It's a lump in the throat read and I did properly cry once or twice. There is so much empathy and emotion in the writing that I truly felt what Florence, Nell and Dougie were feeling. This touching story of home and family, and what it really means, should not be missed. show less
This is the story, primarily, of three people: Florence, Dougie and Nell. Florence's story takes place in 1969 when she becomes pregnant and is sent to Harris, the remote and show more starkly beautiful island in the Outer Hebrides. Nell's and Dougie's stories take place in 2005 when Nell finds out something that rocks her whole world, and Dougie realises that the path he has chosen in life is taking him further and further from who he really is.
The three stories collide perfectly, bringing together the past and the present. For Nell it's a seismic event, and for Dougie it's more a gradual realisation, but I thought the plotlines were woven together magnificently. This is not a book of surprises for the reader but a tender story of family and finding your true place in the world.
The settings are vividly portrayed. Nell works in a café with wonderful staff and it felt like a place I'd love to visit. She also calls regularly on a man in his 80s called Frank and her friendship with him felt so warm. But the setting that jumps off the page at the reader is that of Harris. It's clear the author has a love of the island as this book is almost a love letter to it and I was completely captivated by its rugged charm throughout the whole book. It's as good as a character in its own right and is such an integral part of the story. I want to go there right away!
The writing in Little Wing is absolutely exquisite and the story is stunning. It's a lump in the throat read and I did properly cry once or twice. There is so much empathy and emotion in the writing that I truly felt what Florence, Nell and Dougie were feeling. This touching story of home and family, and what it really means, should not be missed. show less
Set in Colchester, Camden and the Isle of Harris, this is is a story of two strangely connected families. It’s told by way of Nell and Dougie, a couple of misplaced people, beginning in 1969 and spanning nearly four decades. It’s beautifully and lyrically written. The vivid descriptions of Harris really made me want to visit, they are so evocative and atmospheric. It’s an emotional read and really tugs at your heartstrings. It’s a tale about love, friendship, acceptance, forgiveness show more and finding out where you belong in the world. I have one negative viewpoint - although I really enjoyed Little Wing, for me it did drag a little in the middle but, ultimately, it is heartwarming and poignant. It’s the first time I’ve read a book by Freya North for quite a few years so it was lovely to revisit this author’s writing via the Pigeonhole app. I look forward to seeing what else she has in store! show less
Christmas at Flora's House, a novella: an uplifting, heartwarming island Christmas story from one of the UK's best loved authors by Freya North
Christmas at Flora’s House is the first in four planned novellas from Freya North. If you’ve read Little Wing then some of the characters and settings will be familiar but if not then this works perfectly well as a standalone, although I highly recommend reading Little Wing too.
Maggie Birch and her husband Roger will be spending Christmas at Flora’s House, a holiday rental on the Isle of Harris. It’s a big change for them as all their previous Christmases have been spent at home in show more Alderley Edge, but they’ve brought their own Christmas decorations with them to make them feel more comfortable. Maggie soon finds the community run shop and stocks up with all manner of gorgeous-sounding items but Roger is a bit more distant and keeps taking himself off for walks on his own.
To say anymore about the story itself might mean spoilers but what I can say is that this is a beautifully written and poignant story of community spirit, especially at Christmas, and the power of love and healing. As with Little Wing, this is a love letter to Harris and its windswept and wild beauty and I now want to go and stay at Flora’s House and visit Shona at the shop to buy Scottish tablet and Talisker whiskey from across the water on Skye, both buildings feeling so real to me.
Emotional yet hopeful, Christmas at Flora’s House is an absolute delight to read and I can’t wait for the next novella to see who the inhabitants spending Spring at Flora’s House will be. show less
Maggie Birch and her husband Roger will be spending Christmas at Flora’s House, a holiday rental on the Isle of Harris. It’s a big change for them as all their previous Christmases have been spent at home in show more Alderley Edge, but they’ve brought their own Christmas decorations with them to make them feel more comfortable. Maggie soon finds the community run shop and stocks up with all manner of gorgeous-sounding items but Roger is a bit more distant and keeps taking himself off for walks on his own.
To say anymore about the story itself might mean spoilers but what I can say is that this is a beautifully written and poignant story of community spirit, especially at Christmas, and the power of love and healing. As with Little Wing, this is a love letter to Harris and its windswept and wild beauty and I now want to go and stay at Flora’s House and visit Shona at the shop to buy Scottish tablet and Talisker whiskey from across the water on Skye, both buildings feeling so real to me.
Emotional yet hopeful, Christmas at Flora’s House is an absolute delight to read and I can’t wait for the next novella to see who the inhabitants spending Spring at Flora’s House will be. show less
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