Category Archives: Fiction

Guide to The Time Traveller’s Wife musical in the West End

Posted on May 16, 2023 by mkmswain

Audrey Niffenegger’s hit novel has already been adapted for screen – now, it comes to the stage. Read my full London Theatre article here

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This tale of Georgian London’s sexual underworld is lurid – but is it true?

Posted on May 14, 2023 by mkmswain

In Neil Blackmore’s latest historical novel, the city drips with forbidden desire, but the line between fact and fiction makes little sense. Read my full Telegraph review here

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A complete guide to The Wizard of Oz in the West End

Posted on May 4, 2023 by mkmswain

From the tale’s origins to its stage adaptations, MGM movie, and this latest Palladium revival. Read my full London Theatre article here

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Eavesdropping, power-games and sexual drama? This novel was written for HBO

Posted on May 2, 2023 by mkmswain

Big Swiss, Jen Beagin’s third novel, features deceit, passion and cruel humour, and it’ll be right up Jodie Comer’s street. Read my full Telegraph review here

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Sam Neill’s memoir delves into cancer, Jurassic Park – and some painful celebrity tales

Posted on March 21, 2023 by mkmswain

Did I Ever Tell You This? ranges from emotional intensity to pithy insider quips, all told in an endearingly earthy style. Read my full Telegraph review here

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The Red Bird Sings: the bizarre true story of how a ghost testified in court

Posted on March 21, 2023 by mkmswain

Aoifa Fitzpatrick draws on an extraordinary 1897 trial in a debut novel that’s a blend of courtroom drama, murder mystery and feminist fable. Read my full Telegraph review here

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From the classroom to the trenches, a gay love story for the ages

Posted on March 2, 2023 by mkmswain

Alice Winn’s heartrending debut novel In Memoriam, set during the First World War, brings history wrenchingly to life. Read my full Telegraph review here

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A Wild and True Relation by Kim Sherwood: George Eliot meets Dickens in a literary treasure hunt

Posted on January 26, 2023 by mkmswain

A novel that begins as a swashbuckling tale about smugglers swerves into a smart study of women sidelined by literary history. Read my full Telegraph review here

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Discover Emma Corrin’s award-winning performances on TV, in films, and on stage

Posted on November 1, 2022 by mkmswain

The actress is starring in a new theatrical version of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando. Read my full London Theatre article here

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BookTok superstar Colleen Hoover has sold 20 million novels – but does she glamourise trauma?

Posted on October 17, 2022 by mkmswain

Her latest novel It Starts With Us is a troubling blend – and pure fan service. Read my full Telegraph review here

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