Books by Yael van der Wouden
“Readers can expect to be shocked, disturbed, conflicted, haunted even, by this story. They’ll also find the book stays with them after they’ve put it down. But if it’s a story of past hates, it’s much more a love story, written with all the power of love that’s unexpected, in many ways unwelcome, yet can’t be denied.” Read more...
The Best Historical Fiction of 2025
Katharine Grant, Historical Novelist
Interviews where books by Yael van der Wouden were recommended
The Best Historical Fiction of 2025, recommended by Katharine Grant
Every year, the judges of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction highlight the very best new books published in that genre over the past twelve months. In 2025, the six book shortlist features historical novels set as widely apart as ancient Sicily, 16th-century England, and 20th century Holland. Here, judge Katharine Grant talks us through their selection.
The Best Novels: The 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction, recommended by Kit de Waal
The 2025 shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction features a family saga about formerly rich Iranian refugees, a surprisingly funny tale of ISIS brides and a “weird” midlife crisis adventure in suburban California. We asked the bestselling novelist—chair of this year’s judging panel—to talk us through the six finalists.
The Best Novels of 2024: The Booker Prize Shortlist, recommended by Nitin Sawhney
Every year, the £50,000 Booker Prize is awarded to a work of fiction newly published in English. We spoke to the composer Nitin Sawhney, one of this year’s judges, about their search for a shortlist, and why these six books—including the winning title, Samantha Harvey’s space station novel Orbital—are the best novels of 2024.
