Anne Youngson

The Observer Promising first-time British novelists 2018: 'A novel about self-discovery and second chances' 'Warm-hearted, clear-minded, and unexpectedly spellbinding, Meet Me at the Museum is a novel to savour' ANNIE BARROWS, co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 'A quirky, wise and tender novel. Proof that the richest fruits come on the edge of autumn' SARAH DUNANT 'Quietly intriguing, beautifully observed, full of powerful emotions' RUTH HOGAN, Author of The Keeper of Lost Things 'Tender, wise and moving, Meet Me at the Museum is a novel to cherish.' JOHN BOYNE 'A moving tribute to friendship and love, to the courage of the ordinary, and to starting again' RACHEL JOYCE 'I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that makes you think and wonder and quietly hope. I loved it' TAMMY COHEN 'Insightful, emotionally acute and absorbing' Daily Express 'The loveliest short novel of late love you'll ever read. Whenever I talk about it, I simply cry with joy' JAMES HAWES 'Meet Me at the Museum starts so quiet and small like a bud tightly closed against the winter then it unfurls into something so alive and truly beautiful. I was immensely moved by it' TOR UDALL, author of A Thousand Paper Birds Sometimes it takes a stranger to really know who you are When Tina Hopgood writes a letter of regret to a man she has never met, she doesn't expect a reply. When Anders Larsen, a lonely museum curator, answers it, nor does he. They're both searching for something, they just don't know it yet. Anders has lost his wife, along with his hopes and dreams for the future. Tina is trapped in a marriage she doesn't remember choosing. Slowly their correspondence blossoms as they bare their souls to each other with stories of joy, anguish and discovery. But then Tina's letters suddenly cease, and Anders is thrown into despair. Can their unexpected friendship survive?

Meet Me at the Museum

From the author of Meet Me at the Museum, a charming novel of second chances, about three women, one dog, and the narrowboat that brings them together Eve expected Sally to come festooned with suitcases and overnight bags packed with everything she owned, but she was wrong. She arrived on foot, with a rucksack and a carrier bag. “I just walked away,” she said, climbing on to the boat. Eve knew what she meant. Meet Eve, who has left her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia, a defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, who is suddenly landlocked and vulnerable. Before they quite know what they’ve done, Sally and Eve agree to drive Anastasia’s narrowboat on a journey through the canals of England, as she awaits a life-saving operation. As they glide gently – and not so gently – through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of narrowboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds. At summer’s end, all three women must decide whether to return to the lives they left behind, or forge a new path forward. Candid, hilarious, and uplifting, Anne Youngson's The Narrowboat Summer is a celebration of the power of friendship and new experiences to change one’s life, at any age.

The Narrowboat Summer

'An extraordinary new writer' NINA STIBBE Six short stories full of colourful suspects and complicated motives by the winner of the Paul Torday Memorial prize for debut authors over sixty - perfect for fans of grisly mysteries set in the English countryside The village cleaning lady who holds everyone's house-keys opens a boot to find some unexpected baggage; a vengeful dinner party host serves more than just a roast to her six guests; hairdresser chat is not just idle gossip as an old man with a history gets a trim; driven to distraction by his new young wife, a man resorts to two grisly acts, in a gripping re-imagining of a famous Irish ballad. Ripping away the polite façade of small communities, these stories reveal the roiling emotions and frustration that can lead seemingly ordinary people to do bad things. Rich in compassion, pathos and humour, Anne Youngson offers us her dark take on human foibles, pettiness and rivalry in this sparkling, unputdownable collection.

Stories by Costa Award Shortlisted author of MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM

The Six Who Came to Dinner

Vi möts på museet

Shortlist Costa First Novel Award 2018 Tina und Anders hatten früher große Träume. Doch das Leben zog vorbei, und der eine Moment, sich diese zu erfüllen, kam nie. Jetzt haben beide jemanden verloren, der ihnen sehr nahesteht und der eine Lücke hinterlässt, die zu füllen ihnen unmöglich scheint. Tina und Anders sind sich noch nie begegnet. Zufällig beginnen sie einen Briefwechsel und teilen ihre Trauer miteinander, aber auch ihre Lust am Leben. Durch ihre Freundschaft entwickeln sie einen Hunger nach Veränderung. Mit Anfang sechzig stehen sie beide vor einer Frage, die viele Menschen umtreibt: Haben wir das Leben geführt, das wir führen wollten? »eine Liebesgeschichte, die jedoch keinen Kitsch braucht, um anrührend zu sein. Das Debüt (...) entfaltet in einem Briefwechsel eine emotionale Wucht, die an Glattauers ‚Gut gegen Nordwind‘ erinnert.« Brigitte Woman »Ergreifend.« bella »Das Versprechen, dich zu finden ist ein berührendes Debüt von Anne Youngson, die sich getraut hat, sich einen Traum zu erfüllen.« Leserin »Der Engländerin Youngson ist ein berührendes Werk gelungen, das große Fragen aufgreift und zum Aufbruch ermutigt.« Coopzeitung »Mit 70 Jahren hat die Britin Anne Youngson ein einfühlsames Debüt über Selbsterkenntnis und die Kraft von neuen Anfängen geschrieben (...).« Generation 55+ »Purer Lesegenuss!« belletristik-couch.de »Einfühlsam, sehr ergreifend und faszinierend.« Daily Express »Positiv-nachdenklich stimmend auch durch die bildreiche Sprache ein Genuss. Dringende Empfehlung für die Generation Plus und Jüngere, die sich an ganz besondere Brieffreundschaften erinnern.« ekz Bibliotheksservice

Roman

Das Versprechen, dich zu finden

A hugely charming, genuinely uplifting story that shows it's never too late for new adventures and unexpected friendship - for fans of HAROLD FRY, DEAR MRS BIRD and THE LIBRARIAN. Meet Eve, who has departed from her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia: defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, suddenly vulnerable as she awaits a life-saving operation. Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Sally and Eve embark upon a journey through the canals of England, guided by the remote and unsympathetic Anastasia. As they glide gently - and not so gently - through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of canalboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds. Disarmingly truthful and narrated with a rare, surprising wit, THREE WOMEN AND A BOAT is a journey over the glorious waterways of England and into the unfathomable depths of the human heart.

Anne Youngson

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