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Book reviews: the best books of 2013

Good Housekeeping’s Books Editor, Joanne Finney, reveals her 20 favourite reads of the year
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1

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

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A new Donna Tartt novel is an event in itself, as she only produces a new book every 10 years. Her third, The Goldfinch, is as brilliant and captivating as her famous debut, The Secret History. It centres on Theo, who is 13 and lives alone with his mother in New York. Together they visit the Metropolitan for an exhibition featuring her favourite painting - a Dutch masterpiece called The Goldfinch. But when a terrorist bomb goes off, Theo's mother is killed and he is left alone, his life divided forever into a Before and After. Spellbinding storytelling. 

2

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty

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A single, reckless decision to start an affair ends with a respected female scientist on trial for murder in Louise Doughty’s terrifically compelling Apple Tree Yard.

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3

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

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In Life After Life, Kate Atkinson asks some interesting questions about fate and destiny. The story begins on a snowy day in 1910 with the death of a baby. In a parallel story the baby lives, and we follow her as she relives the dramatic events of the early 20th century again and again. A beautifully written, compelling and genuinely innovative read. 

4

Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe

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In the early 1980s, Nina Stibbe moved to London to work as a nanny for the editor of a literary magazine. Love, Nina is a collection of her letters home to her family in Leicestershire, full of hilarious stories about her new life and the exploits of the 2 boys she’s looking after. Her brilliant ear for the funny things children say and beady eye for the little details of domestic life make this a must-read.

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5

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

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Over the course of 3 decades, a group of friends who met as teenagers in the 60s share their successes and set-backs in Meg Wolitzer’s sweeping and affecting The Interestings

6

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

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Funny, charming and heart-warming, Graeme Simsion’s debut, The Rosie Project, is a gem of a novel about a rather awkward university professor’s search for love. 

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7

The Silent Wife by ASA Harrison

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The Silent Wife charts the slow, soul-destroying disintegration of a marriage. The debut novel from ASA Harrison – who sadly died, aged 65, before seeing her book published – is an accomplished and stylish thriller. 

8

Instructions For A Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell

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Fans of Maggie O’Farrell’s novels won’t be disappointed by her latest. Long-hidden secrets come to light and family mythologies are dismantled in Instructions For A Heatwave. It’s the summer of 1976, and the country is wilting in a hot spell when Robert Riordan heads to the corner shop and never returns. With their dad missing, 3 estranged siblings are forced back under one roof. O’Farrell is a sensitive and subtle storyteller who brilliantly captures a whole kaleidoscope of emotions. 

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9

City Of Devils by Diana Bretherick

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Over 7,000 entries flooded in to Good Housekeeping’s 2012 novel competition, but as soon as we read the opening chapter of Diana Bretherick’s entry, we knew she was the winner. So we’re very excited that her first book, City Of Devils, is out this month. Set in the shadowy alleys and gloomy squares of 19th-century Turin, it’s a fast-paced, tautly-plotted thriller starring criminologist Cesare Lombroso. When a series of mutilated bodies start appearing, Lombroso is implicated, and must race to find the killer and clear his name. Discover how it feels to be a new novelist in our interview with a delighted Diana.

Find out how you can enter our 2014 novel competition!

10

A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

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If you love Haruki Murakami’s otherworldly style, Ruth Ozeki’s enchanting A Tale For The Time Being is a must-read. On a small island off the Canadian coast, a woman finds a washed-up parcel containing a diary written by a Japanese school girl. Although an ocean divides them Ruth is captivated by Nao’s difficult story, and it begins to have a profound effect on her.

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11

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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From the bestselling author of Half Of A Yellow Sun (look out for the film adaptation in cinemas this spring), comes Americanah. When a woman returns home to Nigeria after years in America, her reunion with her teenage sweetheart is anything but straightforward. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s vivid exploration of love and race is tremendously readable. 

12

Longbourn by Jo Baker

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Pride And Prejudice from the point of view of the servants is the brilliant premise of Longbourn. Jo Baker’s reimagining has just enough Darcy to delight, as well as a fascinating insight into the harsh working conditions of life in a grand house. 

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13

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

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John Green may write for young adults, but his intelligent, sensitive style means The Fault In Our Stars defies categorisation. This swooning romance between 2 teenage cancer sufferers is as funny as it heartbreaking, and we defy you not to fall in love with main characters, Hazel and August. A future classic in the making. 

14

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

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After her mother's death from cancer at the age of 45, Cheryl Strayed fell into an abyss of drugs and dangerous living. It took a 2 month solo trek through the American wilderness to get her life back on track. Wild charts her physical - and emotional - journey back to herself. A moving, inspirational read. 

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15

Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach

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A woman is asked to take on another’s identity after her suicide in Kiss Me First, a captivating debut from Lottie Moggach (her mum is novelist Deborah Moggach).

16

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

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This deeply affecting novel has already won at last year’s US National Book Awards and should deservedly raise Louise Erdrich’s profile in this country. Set on a Native American reservation, The Round House follows 13-year-old Joe as he searches for the man who assaulted his mother. This is a powerful, many layered story about family loyalty, community ties and tribal legacy, with writing so stunning it will give you goose bumps. 

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17

The Twelve Tribes Of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

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Through the trials of Hattie’s children as they fight for a better life, Ayana Mathis reveals a snapshot of American history across 8 decades. Though heartbreaking in places, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is an unexpectedly uplifting reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. 

18

The woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

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A middle-aged woman who feels life has passed her by narrates Claire Messud’s quietly menacing The Woman Upstairs. When a new child starts in teacher Nora’s class, she finds herself falling in love with him and his exotic parents – to devastating effect. 

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19

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

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Told through a cast of memorable characters, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter is a bittersweet romance shot through with moments of real humour. In 1960s Italy, a young man falls hopelessly in love with a gorgeous actress, before the action jumps to present-day Hollywood where an elderly man searches for the mysterious woman he last saw decades ago. 

20

Bedsit Disco Queen by Tracey Thorn

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As one half of pop duo Everything But The Girl, Tracey Thorn was one of the biggest stars of the 80s and 90s. Much more than a memoir about fame, Bedsit Disco Queen is a sensitive, candid portrait of her early days in bands and sometimes bumpy experiences of being in the limelight. 

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