The Guardian reviews 'The Finery' by Rachel Grosvenor!
- Daisy Simpson-Talmer
- Aug 14, 2023
- 2 min read
Fly on the Wall Press are scheduled to release Rachel Grosvenor's debut fantasy epic, The Finery, on the 25th August, and we were thrilled to see it reviewed by Lisa Tuttle for The Guardian on Friday!
'Dr Wendowleen Cripcot, 100 years old, recently retired from the university, lives alone – unless you count her support wolf. She’s no criminal but keeps being harassed by the law enforcement body known as the Finery, as petty new laws come into force to govern every aspect of life in Finer Bay. The mayor used to take her side, but when the Finery’s director becomes the new mayor, she must flee to maintain her freedom, if not her life. There’s an underground protest movement, whose members live, literally, under the ground, so can’t do much – but maybe she knows something that could help them prevail … if she could just remember what it is. The elderly heroine and her wolf make a refreshing change in this whimsical, gently satirical fantasy debut about how
easily a police state might evolve.'
- Lisa Tuttle, The Guardian
Other praise for The Finery:
'With wry humour and vicious imagination, Grosvenor's debut compels us not to allow her nightmarish fantasy of a totalitarian police state to become reality.'
- Joe Bedford, Author of 'A Bad Decade for Good People'
'[The Finery] strikes a fine balance between keeping elements of comedy, character development and tragedies to produce a engaging highly readable narrative.
Those looking for a dystopian tale that won’t leave you depressed a the end, look no further!'
- Dean Cook, Waterstones bookseller
You can hear Rachel Grosvenor discuss The Finery, the writing process, and the fantasy genre - in addition to a live reading and signings of The Finery - on the 18th August at House of Books and Friends in Manchester. Tickets are available here!
The Finery releases on the 25th August, and is available to pre-order now!
Very helpful post The explanation made the topic easy to follow I recently came across a trentonjonesmd https://trentonjonesmd.com/ blog that offered related information.
you’ve captured the mood and themes of the book so well, and your reflections on the characters’ journeys felt thoughtful and honest. I also came across an https://www.inspereza.com/ blog where someone shared their personal take on fantasy novels and how they resonate emotionally — it resonated with some of your own observations here. Thanks for such a relatable and engaging review.