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A Very Nice Girl

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A Very Nice Girl

By: Imogen Crimp
Narrated by: Olivia Forrest
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Bloomsbury presents A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp, read by Olivia Forrest.

A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
A GRAZIA BOOK OF THE YEAR
SELECTED FOR MALALA'S BOOK CLUB

'Tender, devastating, witty. And deeply true. Sweetbitter meets Normal People' MEG MASON, author of SORROW AND BLISS
'Haunting and bleakly compelling ... A writer of promise' SUNDAY TIMES
'An absorbing debut about sex and power' GUARDIAN
'Elegant and witty ... A precursor to great things' THE TIMES
‘One of the buzziest debut novels this spring’ VOGUE


CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF 2022 BY VOGUE AND ESQUIRE

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A bitingly honest, darkly funny debut about love, sex, power and desire, by a major new British talent

Anna is struggling to afford life in London as she trains to be a singer. During the day, she vies to succeed against her course mates with their discreet but inexhaustible streams of cultural capital and money, and in the evening she sings jazz at a bar in the City to make ends meet.

It’s there that she meets Max, a financier fourteen years older than her. Over the course of one winter, Anna’s intoxication oscillates between her hard-won moments on stage, where she can zip herself into the skin of her characters, and nights spent with Max in his glass-walled flat overlooking the city.

But Anna’s fledgling career demands her undivided attention, and increasingly – whether he necessarily wills it or not – so does Max…

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'Touching on feminism, power, finances and the pleasures and dangers of a new relationship, this book is an assured debut' CLAIRE FULLER, author of the Women's Prize-shortlisted UNSETTLED GROUND

'Imogen Crimp captures the glittering thrill of being young and choosing your own life with a dark, unflinching undercurrent of desire, power and control' JESSICA ANDREWS, author of SALTWATER

‘A blazing, darkly funny debut that captures a young woman’s search to find herself ... It has an honesty and tenderness that will stay with me for a long time' RACHEL JOYCE©2022 Imogen Crimp (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Funny
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Critic reviews

Tender, devastating, witty. And deeply true. Sweetbitter meets Normal People (MEG MASON)
This promising debut charts the edgy relationship of a young woman and older man... Crimp’s prose is elegant and witty... a precursor to great things from an interesting new voice in fiction
This is a haunting, bleakly compelling debut. .. Jean Rhys’s aching Voyage in the Dark is a source for this unflinching study of male-female power dynamics. Things should have moved on more since Rhys’s 1934 novel, yet Anna’s shabby London circumstances and relationship feel grimly plausible. A deftly structured commercial literary debut by a writer of promise
Imogen Crimp's enjoyable debut novel ... is an all-too-real reminder of what it is to be a woman in your 20s, searching for who you are, trying on identities or stuck in a complicated pseudo-relationship even when you know you shouldn’t be. It’s a book about assessing your worth through other people’s eyes - parents, friends, a lover - and about being observed: by an overprotective mother, by men on the tube, by those who assess her auditions, by classmates competing for her slot, and ultimately by the audience
Wonderful ... A beautifully written examination of the psychology of sex, power, ambition and love and it’s particularly brilliant on being insecure about who you are
An absorbing debut about sex and power ... This gripping debut about an opera singer’s relationship with an older man explores issues of financial and sexual inequality
In A Very Nice Girl, Imogen Crimp explores complicated relationships, the creative life, and the challenges of living in London in your twenties, with precision and subtlety. Touching on feminism, power, finances, and the pleasures and dangers of a new relationship, this book is an assured debut (CLAIRE FULLER)
Fans of Fleabag will find lots to like here in this tale of a young woman who needs to get the hell out of her own way
British newcomer Imogen Crimp delivers a witty tale of finance and romance
Meg Mason called it "tender, devastating and witty. And deeply true... Sweetbitter meets Normal People"
Crimp's debut novel will perhaps earn the author comparisons to Sally Rooney, but A Very Nice Girl feels truly distinct ... An alluring romance
Brilliant
Imogen Crimp’s A Very Nice Girl is one of the buzziest debut novels this spring
Imogen Crimp captures the glittering thrill of being young and choosing your own life with a dark, unflinching undercurrent of desire, power and control (JESSICA ANDREWS)
A blazing, darkly funny debut that captures a young woman’s search to find herself both through love and performing opera - and the way one fights to cancel out the other. It has an honesty and tenderness that will stay with me for a long time (RACHEL JOYCE)
All stars
Most relevant
It was entertaining and at-times, gripping. But I was left feeling nothing much happened.

Well written, but no story

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Love a well written story of lust, infatuation & real life uncontrollable emotions that spiral in relationships. Fabulously narrated. Could not stop listening. Especially love an un-predictable ending !

On the edge. Loved it

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Best book I’ve read in a long time and all about the weird relationship with money and the arts - sooo good

Amazing

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I have to admit I am a murder mystery whodunnit Agatha Christie/Daphne Du Maurier stalwart and rarely venture from that genre but I just adored this book and was just as thrilled and swept away by this bewitching story as many the suspense mystery listen I usually go for.

I know or rather knew nothing about Opera and had very little interest but this really opened the door to a fascinating world - and how the twentysomething lifestyle as described took me back on a very sentimental journey.

I very much enjoyed the narration, a few mispronunciations like Figaro and chi-chi and some sloppy diction but all seemed to fit so well and be evocative of the age, background and personality of the character/protagonist.

I adored the beguiling Max and how familiar his style was - I feel like I have met and known many shades of Max myself.

I just really loved the sensitivity and honesty of the writing, the beautifully crafted story, the romance, the evocative painting of living and trying to make it in London. It really spoke to the heart and left me pondering and dreaming about it in between listens.

I won't say anymore except it was captivating and I am longing for the next offering from this truly gifted new talent - the way it ended makes me hope beyond hope there will be a sequel and I can continue to vicariously live this glittering but tough London life with Anna.

This has to be fast tracked to the screen and what a delight that will be.

Bravo ......... a galaxy of stars for this special, compelling, delightful and delicious book

Amazing - enjoyed every moment -spellbinding book!

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Gripping at times. A good insight into being single in your 20s. But no real story line and awful ending.

Okay…

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