Book jacket image for Pearl by Sian Hughes

Knopf

9780593802564

STARRED REVIEW

Pearl

Poet Sian Hughes brings vibrant language and a droll sensibility to her debut novel, Pearl, which explores a woman’s grief after losing her mother at 8 years old, set against the gentle landscape of English village life.

Share this Article:

Review of ‘Pearl’

Sian Hughes’ debut novel, Pearl, offers a coming-of-age story set in rural England, one that reverberates with grief and longing, but also a wry humor.

As the novel opens, narrator Marianne and her teenage daughter, Susannah, are taking part in an ancient mourning ceremony and fair called the Wakes, in Marianne’s home village in Cheshire.…

Featuring ‘Pearl’

Find something new in these 5 debuts
These vibrant novels from first-time fiction writers grabbed our attention right from the opening lines.

Sign Up

Stay on top of new releases: Sign up for our newsletter to receive reading recommendations in your favorite genres.