Synopsis
'Original, thought-provoking' - Elizabeth Macneal
'a delightful read . . . beautifully observed' - Daily Mail
Mona and Wolfie have lived on Victoria Park for over fifty years. Now, on the eve of their sixty-fifth wedding anniversary, they must decide how to navigate Mona's declining health. Bookended by the touching exploration of their love, Victoria Park follows the disparate lives of twelve people over the course of a single year. Told from their multiple perspectives in episodes which capture feelings of alienation and connection, the lingering memory of an acid attack in the park sends ripples of unease through the community. By the end of the novel, their carefully interwoven tales create a rich tapestry of resilience, love and loss.
With sharply observed insight into contemporary urban life, and characters we take to our hearts, Gemma Reeves has written a moving, uplifting debut which reflects those universal experiences that connect us all.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Atlantic Books
- ISBN: 9781911630784
- Number of pages: 304
- Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 24 mm
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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Amazing
Victoria Park is a beautifully crafted and moving novel about a community over the course of a year. In twelve linked stories, the lives of diverse residen... READ MORE
A beautiful novel
I loved this book. Spanning a year in the lives of twelve Londoners, each month holds up a magnifying glass up to a different character, a different moment... READ MORE
A thoughtful, evocative novel in twelve parts.
A thoughtful, evocative novel in twelve parts that charts the lives of a group of the residents of the Victoria Park area of East London. Each story, for e... READ MORE
I wanted more
The description of Victoria Park really appealed to me, and I looked forward to reading it, ultimately though I found it lacking. Reading some of the other... READ MORE
Good idea but not for me.
Thank you very much @readersfirst for a #gifted copy of Victoria Park!
Let’s say, first of all, that this cover is one of the prettiest ones I have ever s... READ MORE
Loved it
Beautifully written, didn’t want it to end!
Life Goes On
What a fabulous little read!
Victoria Park is about several households situated in and around Victoria Park and the people who live in them. You have Mont... READ MORE
Beautifully crafted debut
This is a beautifully crafted novel, its interconnected stories delving head first into the human condition. It weaves seamlessly in and out of different p... READ MORE
Park Life
Twelve interconnected short stories of love and loss, and community.
Set over the course of a year, in which the passage of time is marked by the natural... READ MORE
enjoyable read
This was a surprising good read for me and I honestly wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did,.
The book is set over the course of a year and each ... READ MORE
Heart-breaking, essential and beautifully written
I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of Victoria Park, and what can I say - this is a cracking debut that builds from tiny observations to... READ MORE
Compassionate reflection on contemporary urban life and twelve loosely linked local citizens.
Gemma Reeves’ novel is a lyrical reflection of contemporary urban life that tells the stories of twelve loosely linked characters that live around an east ... READ MORE
Not for me
The book follows Mona and Wolfie. They have lived on Victoria Park for many years, over 50 to be exact. It also follows a few other neighbours from Victori... READ MORE
A brilliant read!
This is a rich and beautifully written book that immerses you into the lives of the residents of Victoria Park from the outset. The book follows the lives ... READ MORE
Interesting writing style
I enjoyed the writing style of this book, it follows many different peoples story that are all living around the same area of Victoria Park.
The first few ... READ MORE
A beautiful, moving book about a special place in my heart.
I discovered this book by chance, but so glad I did. You don't easily find such beautiful, subtlety rendered literature often, especially not revolving aro... READ MORE
Stunning cover, with emotional themes.
The first thing I would like to say, is wow! This book explored emotional themes, and did it perfectly. It encaptured how family members, and the person wh... READ MORE
A delightful, moving and insightful story.
Whilst there is nothing original about telling the interweaving stories of neighbours living in a tight-knit community, Gemma Reeve’s moving debut novel st... READ MORE
Beautiful
This books gives us an insight into the lives of twelve different people over the course who all live on the same street. We change perspective and see rel... READ MORE
Emotional read
This was my last read of 2020 and it ended up being such a cleverly written story that intrigued me. It has the point of view of twelve people who live wit... READ MORE
loved it
I loved this book and really enjoyed reading it. I am familiar of the area of Victoria Park in London and was intrigued as to the storyline knowing the env... READ MORE
Amazing !
like how you get to see Wolfie's character in the first couple of sentences and then it goes in depth and goes into the backstory of the shed and the house... READ MORE
very good
First of all, I would just like to say that I one hundred percent would reccommend this book to anyone and everyone. Secondly, I would like to say that I a... READ MORE
Uplifting and a great read
In Victoria park the community is rich and varied but Mona and Wolfie an elderly couple are the lynch pin of the story.
The action follows a year in the li... READ MORE
Victoria Park
This is the story of some really interesting, although fictional, characters who live in the Victoria Park area of East London. Starting in the autumn , th... READ MORE
It was okay!
I was looking forward to reading this book, however I can't say it was the most enjoyable to read - I definitely don't think it was bad, but it didn't grab... READ MORE
Nothing Special
This was a very easy read and I liked the writing style of the author, and although not my usual genre I thought I would enjoy it. However, I found that th... READ MORE
A great book focused on the interwoven lives of one community throughout the year
A great book focused on the interwoven lives of one community throughout the year
The story is focused around the people who live around Victoria Park. Al... READ MORE
I liked this for book!
This book was a really enjoyable read and once I had picked it up I didn't want to put it down. The book is written from twelve different perspectives and ... READ MORE
i liked it
Heart breaking. The writing is lyrical and beautiful. I was captavated. Sensitive and thought provoking.
An Absolute Joy
This book follows the residents of a street around Victoria Park in London over the course of a year. Each chapter is month long so only 12 chapter but the... READ MORE
Engaging!
Victoria Park is set across a year, one month at a time, and focuses on different individuals who live around the aforementioned location. Each story links... READ MORE
Old age doesn't come Alone
Victoria Park by Gemma Reeves
This looked to me to be a moving, uplifting debut about the lives of those people with declining health. It follows the diffi... READ MORE
A beautiful debut!
Twelve people, linked by Victoria Park, are explored over twelve months. Mona and Wolfie, an elderly married couple, are long-term home owners in Victoria ... READ MORE
A beautiful, moving debut
In this book, Gemma weaves a subtle, moving story of interconnected characters living in an around Victoria Park. Written with complexity and generosity, G... READ MORE
A heart warming must read!
Rhe first page is a great opener. Beautifully descriptive without overwhelming us with information. Like we often see. I did wonder how much talk of cookin... READ MORE
Visited Victoria Park and came home feeling tearful, hopeful and changed - a beautiful book about connection and community
Victoria Park is a soulful and profound book, subtly interlinking the lives of a community, and threaded through 12 months spent around Victoria Park in Ea... READ MORE
Excellent up to date study of contemporary life
Excellent portrayal of a diverse group of residents living in East London, great characters and I enjoyed the differing relationships between the character... READ MORE
Love
Victoria Park is a beautifully crafted and moving novel about a community over the course of a year. In twelve linked stories, the lives of diverse residen... READ MORE
Interesting
Victoria Park is a beautifully crafted and moving novel about a community over the course of a year. In twelve linked stories, the lives of diverse residen... READ MORE
Omg!!! Wow!!! A snapshot of life in a small villagy type part of London
Wow!!! This book just hits you the moment you open it’s pages. The captured snapshots of life teeming in one part of London with interconnected families an... READ MORE
so enjoyable
I loved this story. I loved getting to know all the characters on a personal level so that by the end of the tale you felt really connected to these fictio... READ MORE
A cleverly written story....
“Victoria Park” by Gemma Reeves is a very cleverly written novel with a unique concept, focusing on twelve residents stories, each one reading like they ar... READ MORE
Sweet tale
This was a slice of life drama about the occupants of a place called Victoria park.
Mona and Wolfie are just about to celebrate their sixty fifth wedding a... READ MORE
Interesting multi perspective of multiple lives
This was harder to get into than I expected it to be. I liked the fact that the author wrote from lots of peoples perspectives and throughout the year. I l... READ MORE
Average
I was really looking forward to this book and I was initially drawn to Mona and Wolfie’s story but as the chapters progressed I lost interest. There are so... READ MORE
Beautiful, moving debut. Loved this!
Highly recommend!
Gentle and thought provoking
I have found Victoria Park to be a really relaxing read during the crazy festive period. I like how we move month to month focusing on different characters... READ MORE
Emotional
First of all, the cover design is absolutely wonderful. I love the simplicity of it and the font was just right for this book.
I'll admit that this book w... READ MORE
Original and beautiful
This book has really left me quite torn with how to rate it. On the one hand it is beautifully original, wonderfully written and quite delightful. On the o... READ MORE
A WOW novel
This easy-to-read yet elegantly written novel has pulled at more than one of my heart strings. Reeves has so carefully intertwined each perspective into a ... READ MORE
Sensitive and Satisfying
Victoria Park is one of those books that stay with you long after you close the book cover, lay the novel on your lap and savour the experience. The writin... READ MORE
Insight and touching debut novel!
This book is divided into months of the year. Each month provides an insight into a number of different people/lives that all share a common connection - l... READ MORE
Very good read
This not my usual book but it was heart-warming and thought-provoking. Victoria Park's front cover is simple and appealing and that is what drew me in to r... READ MORE
Beautiful
The colouring and cover of this book is very soft and gentle, just like this book. It is both beautiful on the inside and on the outside. The story starts ... READ MORE
Effortlessly engaging
Victoria Park by Gemma Reeves begins with the story of Mona and Wolfie: married for 65 years and living in London’s Victoria Park for over 50, they are the... READ MORE
A very poignant reaf
Gemma’s characters are so well written and observed that I found myself identifying with and recognising at least one or two of them!
I particularly lik... READ MORE
A beautiful and intimate portrayal of everyday life
Victoria Park is a wonderfully crafted novel told from the perspective of an interconnected group of people in a community. The format has been used before... READ MORE
A nice debut, sad but also uplifting
This was a well written and moving novel about a small community of people living around Vicotoria Park in Hackney, London. I enjoyed the perspectives of t... READ MORE
Good
In Victoria park the community is rich and varied but Mona and Wolfie an elderly couple are the lynch pin of the story.
The action follows a year in the li... READ MORE
Victoria Park
I really enjoyed this lovely book and was engaged from page 1. An interesting and beautifully written glimpse into a small community. I feel like I know th... READ MORE
Evocative, unforgettable debut
Heartfelt, evocative prose. Twelve vivid, indelible stories about contemporary life and its inherently unpredictable nature. A character-rich intertwining ... READ MORE
A must read
The depth of the characters within this book provides deep intimacy and variety. The poetic and visual writing style is matched with unpretentious and purp... READ MORE
Quietly beautiful, moving read
This book made me long for post pandemic walks in the park, I absolutely loved how the setting was almost an additional character. Such a moving, easy to r... READ MORE
Enjoyable!
Very interesting book!
Mona and Wolfie have lived on Victoria Park for over fifty years. Now, on the eve of their sixtyfifth wedding anniversary, they mus... READ MORE
ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED
I am absolutely in love with this book and all the characters having only read a small sneak peek!! I am so excited to read this rest.
You straight away l... READ MORE
A beautiful window into different lives
I loved every page of this book. It beautifully describes the small and large details of human experiences, weaving the lives of people around Victoria Par... READ MORE
East End life
This is a contemporary fiction that centres around several characters namely Wolfie and his wife for almost 65 years, Mona.
Set in Hackney, East London, W... READ MORE
I really enjoyed it
I really like the book and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I found each story in the book to be interesting and each story grabbed me and ma... READ MORE
Community Life
This is a lovely gentle book about the residents and visitors to the area near Victoria Park. Starting with long time resident Wolfie, who ran the local de... READ MORE
Nice concept
Firstly thank you to Readers First for my copy of this book and for the opportunity to read it.
This book had a nice concept and appeared a little unusua... READ MORE
Raw
I only ended up reading 2/3 of this book. I hate to leave a review like this but it was getting too difficult for me to read with everything that was going... READ MORE
Uplifting urban slice of life
This is such a well written novel about twelve people living around Victoria Park in London over the space of a year. This all takes place against the back... READ MORE
I loved it!
I loved this book! The writing style is absolutely beautiful- it's easy to read but paints a lovely picture. The characters are dynamic and despite the lar... READ MORE
Interlinked stories - compelling and easy to read
Reeves has written twelve interlinked short stories about the residents of Victoria Park in East London.
The stories start and finish with Mona and Wolfe,... READ MORE
Victoria Park by Gemma Reeves
Victoria Park is a beautifully crafted and moving novel about a community over the course of a year. In twelve linked stories, the lives of diverse residen... READ MORE
Sensuous and thoughtful literary debut
I loved this book. A clever mediation on community and time set in a recognisable contemporary pocket of north-east London but with a universality to it th... READ MORE
A remarkable debut
Victoria Park is a difficult book to review as it is just so different to anything I’ve read. It takes place over the course of a year, focusing on a diffe... READ MORE
Such a wonderful book
I don’t often write reviews, but this book was such a wonderful read. I loved how there were links between each story, the threads running through and the ... READ MORE
Novel set in EAST LONDON
Set over twelve months, Gemma Reeves’ debut novel Victoria Park offers a multi-perspective narrative, focusing on different characters for each month and c... READ MORE
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