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Such an uncomfortable, skin-irritating but also wildly engrossing book

A very interesting world to get immersed in, and a great length to read over a couple of days.

Well written from multiple perspectives

A page of description to create an atmosphere where a look says so much! She's an exquisite writer - I am transported to the time and place. In the scene with the tiger I can feel and smell the environment - just beautiful. The descriptions, storytelling, tension, emotion - its all there.

Urgh. The perfect story. Strong protagonist, rags to riches, an incredibly suave mentor character… I love it so much.

This is a historical murder mystery set in Schongau, Bavaria, in the mid-1600s. Jakob is the village hangman, and his daughter, Magdalena, is headstrong and determined to control her own life. The book is clever, and the characters are believable, particularly as the hangman is based on the author's ancestor.

A dive into what freedom means for women of a certain age and for people with Afro-Caribbean heritage, the scars and humiliations of centuries of slavery, the question of reparations. I still puzzle over the motivations of Andrew Bogle but I admire the way that Zadie brings him alive and articulate. A great novel much maligned or misunderstood in other reviews.

I have never read anything else like it. The sense of exploration and scientific wonder - and isolation from the world - is incredibly appealing!