Charlotte Mendelson – författare

'Crackles with female fire and fury' – The Guardian'A bravura portrait of a marriage in meltdown' – The Observer'Fast and furious' – The Sunday TimesWife, the gripping novel from the prize-winning author of The Exhibitionist, is a nail-biting portrait of the beginning – and the end – of a rollercoaster marriage.When Zoe Stamper first catches the eye of the sophisticated Dr Penny Cartwright, she thinks her life has changed for the better. Entering into a relationship with an older woman introduces Zoe to a world she previously thought unreachable. Their love story begins.Now married with two children, Zoe is sick of living a lie. On the outside she's a loving and beloved wife, but inside she's a nervous wreck. She knows she must escape this secret darkness, but how?Moving between the beginning and the end of Zoe's marriage, Wife brilliantly conveys the horror, humour and suspense of a midlife bid for freedom.'A terrific panic attack of a novel' – i newspaper'Lacerating' – Financial Times'Unbearably brilliant' – Nigella Lawson'A gift to the reader . . . Irresistible' – Amy Bloom, bestselling author of In Love'Compelling' – Glamour'Truly radical' – The Spectator

‘I loved it. The evocation of ennui and loneliness rings very true . . . great unexpected observations . . . very funny’Lesley GlaisterAnna Raine is desperate: to escape Somerset, to evade her mother, and above all to find a model of adulthood on whom to base her future self. When Stella, her mother's reckless younger sister, offers her London flat, Anna’s buried curiosity about Stella quickly becomes fascination: dark secrets, she is certain, lie within her reach.While by day Anna feigns efficient adulthood, by night she sinks into an increasingly heated world of discovery. As secrets rise to the surface she tries to focus on London – on anything other than her aunt. But the truth has its own momentum, and when Stella returns from Paris, something, or everything, is going to give . . .‘With her gift for light humour, Mendelson seems to be skipping across the surface. Then she’ll suddenly dive into a world of obsession’ Independent on Sunday‘A strange, stealthy, headily scented seethe of a book’ Ali Smith, Glasgow Herald

'Excellent book.' Nigella Lawson'Charming, inspiring, uplifting... pure lovely.' Marian Keyes'Read Rhapsody in Green. A novelist's beautiful, useful essays about her tiny garden.' India Knight 'Glorious...for anyone who loves fruit, vegetables, herbs and language. It makes you see them with new eyes.' Diana Henry'A witty account of 'extreme allotmenteering' for all obsessive gardeners' Mail on Sunday'An extremely entertaining and inspiring story of one woman's passionate transformation of a small, irregular shaped urban garden into a bountiful source of food.' Woman & Home'A gardening book like no other, this is the author's 'love letter' to her garden. She relays warm and witty stories about the trials and tribulations throughout her gardening year.' Garden News'...this inspirational, funny book, written by someone who hankers after a homesteader's lifestyle, will make you look at even your window box in a new, more productive light.' The Simple Things'Gardening is not a hobby but a passion: a mess of excitement and compulsion and urgency and desire. Those who practise it are botanists, evangelists, freedom fighters, midwives and saboteurs; we kill; we bleed. No, I can't drop everything to come in for dinner; it's a matter of life and death out here.'Novelist Charlotte Mendelson has a secret life. Despite owning only six square metres of urban soil and a few pots, she is an extreme gardener; the creator of a tiny but bountiful edible jungle. And like all enthusiasts, she will not rest until you share her obsession.This is the story of an amateur gardener's journey to addiction: her attempts to buy lion dung from London Zoo and to build her own cold frame; her disinhibited composting and creative approach to design; her prejudices (roses, purple flowers, people with orchards); and her passions: quinces, salad-leaves, herbs, Japanese greens and ancient British apples. It is a story of where fantasy meets reality, of the slow onset of a consuming love and, most of all, of how gardening, however peculiar, can save your life.

‘The multi award-winning Charlotte Mendelson is famous for whipping up the hottest, messiest family dramas a writer of literary fiction can . . . This is late Shakespeare meets Modern Family and it’s irresistible’ – The TimesIn a tiny flat in West London, sixteen-year-old Marina lives with her emotionally delicate mother and three ancient Hungarian relatives. Imprisoned by her family’s crushing expectations and their traditions, she knows she must escape.At Combe Abbey, a traditional English private boarding school in the Dorset countryside, Marina realizes she’s made a terrible mistake. Here, among the boathouses, chapel services and unspoken social hierarchy, she is the awkward half-foreign girl who doesn’t know how to fit in, flirt, or even exist.Meanwhile, her mother has her own painful secrets to deal with – especially the surprising return of the very last man she’d expect to see. And Marina’s disastrous spiral at Combe Abbey is going unnoticed . . .‘A deliciously funny tale of dysfunctional families. . . Reading Mendelson’s easy, assured prose is like sinking into something soft and velvety’ – Telegraph‘I read and adored Almost English . . . and now I will read everything she’s ever written. Charlotte Mendelson is a fiendishly gifted writer’ – Marian Keyes

Beautifully written and bitingly funny, Charlotte Mendelson's prize-winning Daughters of Jerusalem is a gripping novel of hidden love and hate, of the desire to belong, and the need for escape.Amidst the crumbling yellow stone of Oxford and its prestigious university, secrets are stirring within the Lux family home . . .Jean, the constrained and guilt-ridden wife of an academic, is waiting for excitement – and it will come from an unexpected source.Eve, Jean's intelligent eldest daughter, luxuriates in wounded murderous jealousy of her younger sister and is on the brink of snapping.Raymond, the loathed rival of Jean's husband, begins to show interest in Eve.And Helena, Jean's best friend, has a confession, the revelation of which may just alter everyone's lives forever.'Brilliant and witty . . . Mendelson's second bewitchingly erotic and darkly dramatic novel confirms her as a stylish, perceptive chronicler of the heart's hidden desires' - Daily Mail'Superb . . . funny, exciting, lyrical, poignant, redemptive' - Guardian

When We Were Bad is a spellbinding, witty and poignant portrayal of a family in crisis, in love, and in denial.'As intelligent as it is funny. A beautifully observed literary comedy as well as a painfully accurate description of one big old family mess. A joy' – The ObserverIn North London, Claudia Rubin is in her heyday. Wife, mother, rabbi – and sometimes moral voice of the nation – everyone wants to be with her at her son Leo's glorious wedding. That is, until Leo jilts his bride, and the gleaming bubble surrounding the Rubins threatens to burst.Frances – Claudia's calm, mature, married daughter – tries to hold the nucleus of the family together, but the stress forces her to re-examine her own life, leading her to make a decision as shocking as Leo's choice to bolt.And Claudia's husband, Norman, has an uncharacteristic secret. And, whether he likes it or not, he is powerless to stop it coming out . . .'A comedy with the warmest of hearts and the most deliciously subversive of agendas' - Marie Claire'Fast-paced and engaging. Brilliant, touching and true' - Naomi Alderman, bestselling author of The Power

THE TIMES NOVEL OF THE YEARA GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2022A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BOOK OF THE YEAR'It takes the most ferocious intelligence, skill, and a deep reservoir of sadness to write a novel as funny as this. I adored it' - Meg Mason, author of Sorrow & Bliss'A devastating treat of a novel: funny, furious, dark and delicious' - Sarah Waters, author of FingersmithMeet the Hanrahan family, gathering for a momentous weekend as famous artist and notorious egoist Ray Hanrahan prepares for a new exhibition of his art – the first in many decades – and one he is sure will burnish his reputation for good.His three children will be there: beautiful Leah, always her father’s biggest champion; sensitive Patrick, who has finally decided to strike out on his own; and insecure Jess, the youngest, who has her own momentous decision to make . . .And what of Lucia, Ray’s steadfast and selfless wife? She is an artist, too, but has always had to put her roles as wife and mother first. What will happen if she decides to change? For Lucia is hiding secrets of her own, and as the weekend unfolds and the exhibition approaches, she must finally make a choice.The longer the marriage, the harder truth becomes . . .The Exhibitionist is the extraordinary fifth novel from Charlotte Mendelson, a dazzling exploration of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire, and personal freedom. 'Delicious, heartbreaking . . . Fabulously written and utterly compelling' - Marian Keyes, author of Grown-Ups

THE TIMES NOVEL OF THE YEARA GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2022A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BOOK OF THE YEAR'It takes the most ferocious intelligence, skill, and a deep reservoir of sadness to write a novel as funny as this. I adored it' - Meg Mason, author of Sorrow & Bliss'A devastating treat of a novel: funny, furious, dark and delicious' - Sarah Waters, author of FingersmithMeet the Hanrahan family, gathering for a momentous weekend as famous artist and notorious egoist Ray Hanrahan prepares for a new exhibition of his art – the first in many decades – and one he is sure will burnish his reputation for good.His three children will be there: beautiful Leah, always her father’s biggest champion; sensitive Patrick, who has finally decided to strike out on his own; and insecure Jess, the youngest, who has her own momentous decision to make . . .And what of Lucia, Ray’s steadfast and selfless wife? She is an artist, too, but has always had to put her roles as wife and mother first. What will happen if she decides to change? For Lucia is hiding secrets of her own, and as the weekend unfolds and the exhibition approaches, she must finally make a choice.The longer the marriage, the harder truth becomes . . .The Exhibitionist is the extraordinary fifth novel from Charlotte Mendelson, a dazzling exploration of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire, and personal freedom. 'Delicious, heartbreaking . . . Fabulously written and utterly compelling' - Marian Keyes, author of Grown-Ups

A Times, Guardian, and Good Housekeeping Book of the Year'Utterly compelling' - Marian Keyes'I adored it' - Meg Mason, bestselling author of Sorrow & Bliss'One of the funniest writers in Britain' - The GuardianThe extraordinary fifth novel from Charlotte Mendelson, The Exhibitionist is a dazzling exploration of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire and personal freedom.Meet the Hanrahan family.Ray, the father. Acclaimed artist and notorious narcissist, who is obsessed with his own reputation.Lucia, his long-suffering wife. A lauded sculptor yet terrified of what recognition could bring. And she has a secret of her own which could tear the family apart.Leah, the eldest daughter, devoted to her father and convinced of his genius.Patrick, Lucia’s sensitive son, who has finally decided to strike out by himself.Jess, the youngest daughter, insecure and facing a daunting decision.As they gather for a momentous weekend – the first exhibition of Ray’s artwork in many decades – each member of the family must finally make a choice. And when they do, once tensions have boiled over and the guests have departed, what will be left of the Hanrahans?Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. As heard on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime.'Funny, furious, dark and delicious' - Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Fingersmith

'Crackles with female fire and fury' – The Guardian'A bravura portrait of a marriage in meltdown' – The Observer'Fast and furious' – The Sunday TimesDiscover the bitingly witty novel from the prize-winning author of The Exhibitionist, Charlotte Mendelson.Dr Penny Cartwright is everything that Zoe Stamper is not: glamorous, sophisticated and openly gay. When they begin a passionate affair, a lifetime of wedded bliss seems within Zoe’s grasp. But this is not a love story. It’s the story of how love can bring about disaster . . .'A terrific panic attack of a novel' – i newspaper'Lacerating' – Financial Times'Unbearably brilliant' – Nigella Lawson'A gift to the reader . . . Irresistible' – Amy Bloom, bestselling author of In Love'Compelling' – Glamour'Truly radical' – The Spectator