Rose Tremain – författare

Joseph and Harriet Blackstone emigrate from Norfolk to New Zealand in search of new beginnings and prosperity. But the harsh land near Christchurch threatens to destroy them almost before they begin. When Joseph finds gold in the creek he is seized by a rapturous obsession with the voluptuous riches awaiting him deep in the earth. Abandoning his farm and family, he sets off alone for the new gold-fields over the Southern Alps, a moral wilderness where many others, under the seductive dreams of 'the colour', are violently rushing to their destinies. By turns both moving and terrifying, The Colour is about a quest for the impossible, an attempt to mine the complexities of love and explore the sacrifices to be made in the pursuit of happiness.

In 1629, young English lutenist Peter Claire arrives at the Danish court believing music will secure his future. Instead, he enters a world shaped by suspicion, rivalry and royal power. Set in Denmark and in the shadow of the Thirty Years’ War, Music & Silence follows Peter as he joins King Christian IV’s royal orchestra at Rosenborg Castle. The musicians perform in a freezing cellar beneath the splendour of the court, a stark contrast to the glittering chambers above. Yet although he is favoured by the King and nicknamed his “Angel”, Peter is drawn into a forbidden love affair with Emilia Tilsen, companion to the King’s estranged wife, Kirsten Munk – and further into court intrigue. As King Christian’s authority weakens, loyalties fracture. Letters are intercepted, alliances shift, and both Emilia and Peter are threatened with a separation that might extinguish their fragile happiness. Moving between Copenhagen, Norway and Jutland, Music & Silence tells a story of ambition, political manoeuvring and love tested by exile. ‘The best thing from Denmark since Hamlet.’ John Julius Norwich ‘The best historical novelist of her generation… an unforgettable tapestry of Eros and art.’ A. N. Wilson

A gripping novel about secrets, siblings and devastating revenge from the Sunday Times bestselling author.'THRILLING...a terrific book, accomplished in its poised, imaginative storytelling and its vivid, sensual rendering of landscape and character, emotion and memory' The TimesIn a silent valley in southern France stands an isolated stone farmhouse, the Mas Lunel. Its owner is Aramon Lunel, an alcoholic haunted by his violent past. His sister, Audrun, alone in her bungalow within sight of the Mas Lunel, dreams of exacting retribution for the unspoken betrayals that have blighted her life.Into this closed world comes Anthony Verey, a wealthy but disillusioned antiques dealer from London seeking to remake his life in France. From the moment he arrives at the Mas Lunel, a frightening and unstoppable series of consequences is set in motion...‘Taut ...full of suspense...bewitching’ Ruth Scurr, Observer

'Rose Tremain does not disappoint. As always her writing has a delicious, crunchy precision.' ObserverA wise and witty look at the contemporary migrant experience.Lev is on his way from Eastern Europe to Britain, seeking work. Behind him loom the figures of his dead wife, his beloved young daughter and his outrageous friend Rudi who - dreaming of the wealthy West - lives largely for his battered Chevrolet. Ahead of Lev lies the deep strangeness of the British: their hostile streets, their clannish pubs, their obsession with celebrity. London holds out the alluring possibility of friendship, sex, money and a new career and, if Lev is lucky, a new sense of belonging...'A novel of urgent humanity' Sunday Telegraph

Discover this bestselling classic from the author of The Gustav Sonata, charting Robert Merivel’s rise and fall through glittering seventeenth-century society.When a twist of fate delivers an ambitious young medical student to the court of King Charles II, he is suddenly thrust into a vibrant world of luxury and opulence. Blessed with a quick wit and sparkling charm, Robert Merivel rises quickly, soon finding favour with the King, and privileged with a position as ‘paper groom’ to the youngest of the King’s mistresses.But by falling in love with her, Merivel transgresses the one rule that will cast him out from his new-found paradise…‘A most beautiful and original novel’ Independent‘Triumphant’ Sunday Telegraph‘Dazzling’ New York Review of Books*Rose Tremain has sold over ONE MILLION books. Enter her vivid historical world*

‘One of the great imaginative creations in English literature’ Daily TelegraphA dazzling novel of loyalty and dreams set in Restoration England.The gaudy years of the Restoration are long gone and Robert Merivel, physician and courtier to King Charles II, sets off for the French court in search of a fresh start. But royal life at the Palace of Versailles – all glitter in front and squalor behind – leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with the seductive Madame de Flamanville, allows him to dream of a different future. But will that future ever be his? Summoned home urgently to attend to the ailing King, Merivel finds his loyalty and skill tested to their limits.Rose Tremain has sold over one million copies of her books.PRAISE FOR MERIVEL‘This book is richly marbled with intelligence, compassion and compelling characters’ The Times'Magnificent story-teller' Independent on Sunday‘Wonderfully entertaining’ Michael Holroyd, Guardian Books of the Year

A seductive collection of stories from the 'magnificent story-teller' (Independent on Sunday). Rose Tremain has sold over one million copies of her books.Trapped in a London flat, Beth remembers a transgressive love affair in 1960s Paris. The most famous writer in Russia takes his last breath in a stationmaster’s cottage, miles from Moscow. A father, finally free of his daughter’s demands, embarks on a long swim from his Canadian lakeside retreat. And in the grandest house of all, Danni the Polish housekeeper catches the eye of an enigmatic visitor.‘Superb, each story a perfectly cut jewel’ Irish Times

In 1660s Restoration England, Robert Merivel, an ambitious medical student, enters the glittering and dangerous world of the royal court. Set during the splendid yet fragile reign of King Charles II, this masterly historical novel immerses readers in all the spectacle and instability of London during the seventeenth century.Robert Merivel rises in favour as ‘paper groom’ to one of the King’s mistresses, gaining entry to a court shaped by patronage, power and shifting loyalties. But when Robert’s personal longing clashes with royal authority, his quick wit and charm cannot keep him from court intrigue social downfall and extreme consequences...'For a vivid – and funny – fictional re-creation of the era, Tremain’s Restoration is hard to beat.' The Times

Shortlisted for the Hampshire Illustrated Book Award 2025From an acclaimed voice in literature comes a children's story steeped in magic...Oliver loves birds - watching them soar into the sky and wishing that just sometimes they would stay close.So when he discovers a robin made of iron, he thinks he's found the perfect friend - even if his pet dragon isn't quite so certain! When the robin begins to glimmer and hop, Oliver is overjoyed, but in a terrible turn of events, this new friend is lost. But the magic of Iron Robin and the joy of friendship means that there is wonder and excitement ahead for Oliver...Join Oliver on the start of his adventure, with this lyrical and funny story which explores friendship, loyalty and the power of hope. Iron Robin is the perfect bedtime story to share together.

"Iron Robin combines everyday childhood themes with a pinch of fantasy, all brilliantly visualised by Jones’s expressive artwork" - The GuardianShortlisted for the Hampshire Illustrated Book Award 2025From an acclaimed voice in literature comes a children's story steeped in magic.Oliver loves birds - watching them soar into the sky and wishing that just sometimes they would stay close.So when he discovers a robin made of iron, he thinks he's found the perfect friend - even if his pet dragon isn't quite so certain! When the robin begins to glimmer and hop, Oliver is overjoyed, but in a terrible turn of events, this new friend is lost.But the magic of Iron Robin and the joy of friendship means that there is wonder and excitement ahead for Oliver...This lyrical and funny story is the perfect bedtime story to share together.

Gustav Perle grows up in a small town in Switzerland, where the horrors of the Second World War seem only a distant echo. An only child, he lives alone with Emilie, the mother he adores but who treats him with bitter severity. He begins an intense friendship with a Jewish boy his age, talented and mercurial Anton Zweibel, a budding concert pianist. The novel follows Gustav’s family, tracing the roots of his mother’s anti-Semitism and its impact on her son and his beloved friend. Moving backward to the war years and the painful repercussions of an act of conscience, and forward through the lives and careers of the two men, one who becomes a hotel owner, the other a concert pianist, The Gustav Sonata explores the passionate love of childhood friendship as it is lost, transformed, and regained over a lifetime. It is a powerful and deeply moving addition to the beloved oeuvre of one of our greatest contemporary novelists.

In a silent valley in southern France stands an isolated stone farmhouse. Aramon, the owner, is so haunted by his violent past that he drowns himself in drink. Meanwhile, his sister Audrun dreams of exacting retribution for a lifetime of betrayals. Into this world comes Anthony Verey, a disillusioned antiques dealer from London. When he sets his sights on the house, a frightening series of consequences is set in motion."Rose Tremain's writing is so good, she makes us hear English anew," writes the San Francisco Chronicle. This powerful and unsettling work, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, reveals yet another dimension to Tremain's extraordinary imagination.

Robert Merivel, son of a glove maker and an aspiring physician, finds his fortunes transformed when he is given a position at the court of King Charles II. Merivel slips easily into a life of luxury and idleness, enthusiastically enjoying the women and wine of the vibrant Restoration age. But when he’s called on to serve the king in an unusual role, he transgresses the one law that he is forbidden to break and is brutally cast out from his newfound paradise. Thus begins Merivel’s journey to self-knowledge, which will take him down into the lowest depths of seventeenth-century society.

From the Orange Prize–winning author Rose Tremain comes a brilliant and picaresque novel of seventeenth-century England. In the wake of the gaudy years of the Restoration, Robert Merivel, physician and courtier to Charles II, faces the agitations and anxieties of middle age. Questions crowd his mind: has he been a good father? Is he a fair master? Is he the King’s friend or the King’s slave? In search of answers, Merivel sets off for the French court of Versailles, where—inevitably—misadventures ensue.

Trapped in a London apartment, Beth remembers a transgressive love affair in 1960s Paris. The most famous writer in Russia takes his last breath in a stationmaster’s cottage, miles from Moscow. A young woman who is about to marry a rich aristocrat instead begins a torrid relationship with a construction worker. A father, finally free of his daughter’s demands, embarks on a long swim from his Canadian lakeside retreat. A middle-aged woman cares for her injured mother at Christmas. And in the grandest house of all, Danni the Polish housekeeper catches the eye of an enigmatic visitor, Daphne du Maurier.Rose Tremain awakens the senses in this magnificent and diverse collection of short stories. In her precise yet sensuous style, she lays bare the soul of her characters—the admirable, the embarrassing, the unfulfilled, the sexy, and the adorable—to uncover a dazzling range of human emotions and desires.

Gustav Perle grows up in a small town in Switzerland, where the horrors of the Second World War seem only a distant echo. An only child, he lives alone with Emilie, the mother he adores but who treats him with bitter severity. He begins an intense friendship with a Jewish boy his age, talented and mercurial Anton Zweibel, a budding concert pianist. The novel follows Gustav’s family, tracing the roots of his mother’s anti-Semitism and its impact on her son and his beloved friend. Moving backward to the war years and the painful repercussions of an act of conscience, and forward through the lives and careers of the two men, one who becomes a hotel owner, the other a concert pianist, The Gustav Sonata explores the passionate love of childhood friendship as it is lost, transformed, and regained over a lifetime. It is a powerful and deeply moving addition to the beloved oeuvre of one of our greatest contemporary novelists.

‘A master class in the art of storytelling’ ObserverThis short story collection demonstrates the enormous range of Tremain’s talent and imagination. The teasing and brilliant title story, Evangelista's Fan, is set in a disturbing dreamlike version of Regency London, where a young italian clockmaker contrives a magical means, not only of repairing time, but also of unlocking the mechanism of sexual happiness.Here is history - Agincourt as seen by the herald who rides between the two camps - alongside such contemporary issues as mortgage debt and medical error. Here are stories set in Cornwall, Corsica, Nashville, Niagara and an unidentified city which conjures up any and every Western European capital. Here are the obstinate dreams of the old and the passionate struggles of the young; here is heartbreak and humour; and here, above all, is love in its many and varied forms.

'A magical invention of page-turning suspense, of sadness, grief and passion' The TimesLewis Little, precocious thirteen-year-old, is spending summer in Paris with his mother, Alice. Alice is translating the latest medieval romance by Valentina Gavrilovich, the bestselling and exotic Russian émigré. Lewis is there to make his first acquaintance with one of the greatest cities in the world; neither can foresee the momentous events that lie in wait for them. Valentina slowly casts a spell over Lewis, but when her past begins to encroach on all their lives and, as this enchanted world is gradually lost, Lewis is driven on a terrifying quest.

In 1865, in the polite drawing rooms of Victorian Bath, Jane Adeane discovers that the heart is rarely obedient. Islands of Mercy follows Jane Adeane, a gifted nurse and the daughter of a respected surgeon, as she confronts the limits placed on her by r male expectations. When she turns down a proposal of marriage and forms a passionate bond with another woman, Jane is torn between security and secrecy. Across the globe, in the jungles of nineteenth-century Borneo, the man Jane rejected pursues his own fraught journey, driven by rivalry, pride and longing. Meanwhile Clorinda Morrissey, newly arrived in Bath, attempts to fashion a life of independence from the fragments of her past. A novel set between nineteenth-century England and the colonial world, Islands of Mercy asks what it costs to follow your heart, and whether you can live with the consequences 'A hell of a read' Sunday Times 'Triumphant and beautifully told...one of the best novelists writing today' Sara Collins, Guardian 'Terrific' The Times 'One of our most accomplished novelists' Observer 'One of my favourite writers' Nina Stibbe

Lily Mortimer is left in a London park in 1850, a nameless child carrying a secret she does not yet understand. Raised in the Foundling Hospital, Lily grows up under strict discipline and constant uncertainty, learning early that survival depends on resilience rather than kindness. After years of suffering brutal hardship, Lily is released into the world of Victorian London and the truth about her past begins to surface. What begins as a search for belonging becomes something darker when Lily is reunited with policeman who first left her at the Foundling Hospital. Determined to confront those who have wronged her, Lily risks everything to claim control of her own life. ‘Enthralling… Tremain evokes Victorian London with visceral intensity in a gripping and deeply humane novel exploring themes of rejection, poverty, guilt and redemption’ Observer 'A heartbreaking story set in Victorian England from the pitch-perfect pen of Rose Tremain' The Times, BOOKS OF THE YEAR

‘Gorgeous’ Observer * ‘Profoundly moving’ Financial Times * 'Electrifying' Daily MailHow do you find the courage to make your own life? An unputdownable novel about first love set in 1960s London from Sunday Times bestselling Rose TremainMarianne is fifteen when she falls helplessly and absolutely in love with Simon. Simon owns a Morris Minor, is in his final year at school and has a dazzling future ahead of him. Desperate to escape the stifling 1950s suburbs she has been raised in, Marianne feels sure she will be able to find true happiness with him.However a twist of fate sees Simon’s glittering future dashed, and with it, Marianne’s dreams. He flees the country and Marianne, realising she will now have to make a life of her own, moves to London determined to reinvent herself. But Marianne cannot let go of that first all-encompassing love and all the while Simon is in Paris, nursing a secret that will alter everything.‘A perfect Tremain novel… English, dark and yearning… Remarkable… Tremain shows us the things that make every human life extraordinary’ The Times‘A complex tale of becoming that’s moving, evocative and mesmerising in its acuity’ Mail on Sunday*A Sunday Times Book of the Year** Shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction *READERS LOVE ABSOLUTELY AND FOREVER:'Heartrending, funny, unputdownable' 5*****'An undoubted modern classic' 5*****'Marianne will remain with me as a friend' 5*****'A masterclass in character and world building ... the writing is just sublime' 5*****

Gustav Perle grows up lonely and watchful in post-war Switzerland, aching for a closeness his own mother cannot give him. In a small Swiss town still marked by the moral compromises of the Second World War, Gustav finds the companionship he longs for in Anton Zwiebel, a brilliant, fragile boy whose music expresses what neither of them can say aloud. Their bond, forged in childhood in the late 1940s, deepens into an intense attachment that neither fully understands. The Gustav Sonata follows Gustav and Anton through love, disappointment, and the slow realisation of what they have lost as a result of fear and restraint. Set between the 1940s and early 2000s, The Gustav Sonata is a twentieth-century historical novel that asks what it means to love someone you cannot fully claim, and whether tenderness can survive decades of silence. ‘A perfect novel about life's imperfection... Tremain is writing at the height of her inimitable powers’ Kate Kellaway, Observer ‘Tremain has the painterly genius of an Old Master, and she uses it to stunning effect... Glorious’ The Times

From the author of The Gustav SonataAt the age of six, Mary Ward, the child of a poor farming family in Suffolk, has a revelation: 'I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I'm a boy.' So begins a heroic struggle to change gender, while around her others also strive to find a place of safety and fulfilment in a savage and confusing world.Over a million Rose Tremain books sold'A writer of exceptional talent ... Tremain is a writer who understands every emotion' Independent I'There are few writers out there with the dexterity or emotional intelligence to rival that of the great Rose Tremain' Irish Times'Tremain has the painterly genius of an Old Master, and she uses it to stunning effect' The Times'Rose Tremain is one of the very finest British novelists' Salman Rushdie'Tremain is a writer of exemplary vision and particularity. The fictional world is rendered with extraordinary vividness' Marcel Theroux, Guardian

*The Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller*Rose Tremain (or Rosie as she was then) grew up in post-war London – a city still partly in ruins, where both food and affection were fiercely rationed. But when she is ten years old, everything changes. She loses her father, her house, her school, her friends and is dispatched to a freezing boarding-school in Hertfordshire. Slowly though, the teenage Rosie escapes from the cold world of the Fifties, into a place of inspiration and friendship, where a young writer is suddenly ready to be born.‘An evocative, unflinching memoir...electric’ Mail on Sunday