Instructions for a Heatwave
Maggie O'Farrell (author)
Paperback Published on: 29/08/2013
£9.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
An Enjoyable Summer Read
Set during the heatwave of July 1976 and over just three days, this story is about a dysfunctional family. All living their separate lives, in their separa... READ MORE
Enjoyable
I've only ever read one book by Maggie O'Farrell, and I didn't really enjoy it, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I was pleasantly surprised t... READ MORE
A great characeter writer!
I always know that if I read a Maggie O'Farrell story then I will not only get a moving, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, novel, but with a great variety of... READ MORE
A Family in Crisis
During the long hot summer of 1976 the UK is suffering from then heat, with this backdrop the Riordan family suffer their own collapse. With the disappeara... READ MORE
Worth the wait!!
I was unbelievably excited to receive an early reading copy of O'Farrell's new novel. I have read and loved all her novels so I had high expectations. "Ins... READ MORE
Simply beautiful
Set in the heatwave of 1976, this novel is a beautiful portrait of an estranged family coming together when their father vanishes after popping out for a p... READ MORE
Another gem from Maggie O'Farrell!
Meet the Riordan family: Irish Catholic mother, Gretta; ex-bank manager father (recently absconded without trace from the homestead!); son Michael Francis,... READ MORE
Puts Tóibín in the ha'penny place
Maggie O'Farrell was born in Northern Ireland and moved in early childhood to Wales and then Edinburgh, when asked in interviews whether she feels Scottish... READ MORE
Exquisite portrait of a family in crisis
When Robert Riordan disappears, his family must put aside their differences and come together in the search. From Gretta, who never says what she means, to... READ MORE
Simply beautiful
Set in the heatwave of 1976, this novel is a beautiful portrait of an estranged family coming together when their father vanishes after popping out for a p... READ MORE
Synopsis
A story of a dysfunctional but deeply loveable family reunited, set during the legendary summer of 1976, INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE by Maggie O'Farrell was shortlisted for the 2013 Costa Novel Award and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller (2013). It's July 1976. In London, it hasn't rained for months, gardens are filled with aphids, water comes from a standpipe, and Robert Riordan tells his wife Gretta that he's going round the corner to buy a newspaper. He doesn't come back. The search for Robert brings Gretta's children - two estranged sisters and a brother on the brink of divorce - back home, each with different ideas as to where their father might have gone. None of them suspects that their mother might have an explanation that even now she cannot share.
- Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
- ISBN: 9780755358793
- Number of pages: 352
- Weight: 243g
- Dimensions: 196 x 130 x 23 mm
Customer Reviews
View allA little disappointing
I struggled to get into this book, was a little slow for me. Then everbodys taste is different.
Charmed by characterisation
When Gretta's husband fails to return from buying a newspaper, his grown-up children gather to try to solve the mystery of his disappearance. Each of the c... READ MORE
Enjoyable but unsatisfactory ending
A well-written and enjoyable book. It very much focuses on the personal lives of members of the Riordan family, to the point where you're quite attached to... READ MORE
Family Story
This is a lovely story, based in the heatwave of 1976. One day the father of the family goes out to buy a paper and doesnt come back. The story then goes o... READ MORE
Much better than expected
Having never read a Maggie O'Farrell novel, I was intrigued to see what it was like, and from the cover I wasn't expecting much, but it really enjoyed it. ... READ MORE
Her best yet.
Instructions for a Heatwave is set during the heatwave of 1976 and concerns the Riordan family. Gretta and Robert live in Highbury where they have raised t... READ MORE
Family drama at its best
I simply love Maggie O Farrells novels and couldn't wait to read this, her latest.
It was superb. The characters came alive. The plot was excellent and hel... READ MORE
Strong characters
The sense of place and character carries this book, it's beautifully written and the characters really spring off the page. However it is let down by almos... READ MORE
Waiting for the bang but it didn't come
I liked the concept of the story but felt it never really got going. I kept putting it down and I would find other things to do before I picked it up again... READ MORE
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