CULTURE CLUB
Book Club CAMBRIDGE EDITION THERE’S NOTHING BETTER ON A LONG, WARM EVENING THAN RELAXING WITH THE TOP NOVELS OF THE SUMMER
WORDS BY CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
In a world where fakes fool even the most eagle-eyed fashionistas, trust nothing: especially not the narrators of this brilliant, heist-like caper. Ava is a high-achieving lawyer who’s recently stepped out of the career race to raise her toddler. A chance encounter leads her to reconnect with an old friend called Winnie, who left Stanford in a disgrace-clouded hurry before completing her course. Yet several years later, Winnie is now the picture of success – especially to Ava, who is beginning to wonder if she’s made the right decision by leaving her job. It’s slowly revealed that Winnie’s lavish lifestyle is funded by questionable business activities, which prove so lucrative that she needs some help managing the tasks – asking her old friend to lend a hand. As expected, Ava proves extremely able at her new career and is soon in deep, but is it what she really wants? And is it too late to get out? Packed with accessories from legendary labels, both fake and not-so- fake, this satisfying novel is an ideal weekend read. COUNTERFEIT BY KIRSTIN CHEN
Lessons in Chemistry The sleeper hit of the summer. If you have made it this far through the season without falling head over heels in love with Elizabeth Zott, her daughter Madeline and their truly superb dog Six-Thirty (named for the time he arrived in her life), then put down Cambridge Edition and order a copy to arrive at your door ASAP. Set in the US in the 60s, our hero Elizabeth is a research chemist trying to change the world, starting with her misogynistic colleagues at the Hastings Research Lab – all except star scientist Calvin Evans, expert grudge-holder and rower who quickly becomes Elizabeth’s adoring lover. Ten years later and now a single parent, Elizabeth has a chance encounter which leads to an unexpected career in television, where she steals the hearts of housewives across the nation, empowering them with no-nonsense recipes, cooking strategies and well-deserved respect. She gives short shrift to those standing in her way, refuses to ‘dumb down’ and constantly questions conventions, baffled whenever required to constrain her vastly superior intellect. And it’s all perfectly rendered by Bonnie Garmus’ atomically precise prose. “Once a research chemist, Elizabeth Zott was a woman with flawless skin and an BY BONNIE GARMUS
unmistakable demeanour of someone who was not average and never would be” gives you a taste of what you’re in for. The extraordinarily well-drawn characters will utterly command your attention and leave you ‘devastated to have finished it’ – as Nigella Lawson proclaimed. And we haven’t even covered the dog! This novel will make you cry, want to take up rowing, reconsider how you cook dinner and stand up to those in your way. It is a completely perfect book, whatever time of year, and I simply cannot wait for the inevitable film. ALL THE RIGHT ELEMENTS This debut novel from copywriter and creative director Bonnie Garmus is filled with humour, fantastic characters and plenty of wry observations
’TIL YOU MAKE IT Get drawn into a world of fakes – as two women embark on a fascinating journey
Put down Cambridge Edition and order a copy to arrive at your door ASAP
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK AUGUST 2022 29
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