2023 Walter Scott Prize for Best Historical Novel
WINNER OF THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION
WINNER OF THE E. M. FORSTER AWARD
AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4s BOOK AT BEDTIME
Two sisters. Four nights. One City.
April, 1941. Belfast has escaped the worst of the war - so far. Following the lives of sisters Emma and Audrey - one engaged to be married, the other in a secret relationship with another woman - as they try to survive the horrors of the Belfast Blitz, These Days is an unforgettable novel about lives lived under duress, about family, and about how we try to stay true to ourselves
'Brilliantly evokes wartime love and heartbreak.' Guardian
'Breathtakingly good. A novel of enormous heart; full of luminous passages of prose.' Observer
'Meticulously researched, perfectly imagined, full of compassion and emotional truth.' CLARE CHAMBERS
Genre: Historical
WINNER OF THE E. M. FORSTER AWARD
AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4s BOOK AT BEDTIME
Two sisters. Four nights. One City.
April, 1941. Belfast has escaped the worst of the war - so far. Following the lives of sisters Emma and Audrey - one engaged to be married, the other in a secret relationship with another woman - as they try to survive the horrors of the Belfast Blitz, These Days is an unforgettable novel about lives lived under duress, about family, and about how we try to stay true to ourselves
'Brilliantly evokes wartime love and heartbreak.' Guardian
'Breathtakingly good. A novel of enormous heart; full of luminous passages of prose.' Observer
'Meticulously researched, perfectly imagined, full of compassion and emotional truth.' CLARE CHAMBERS
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"A captivating novel exploring a lesser known chapter of Northern Ireland's story. Caldwell has managed to capture the spirit and tenacity of the Belfast I know and love. This is a novel which looks suffering straight in the eye and yet will leave you full of hope." - Jan Carson
"Meticulously researched, perfectly imagined, full of compassion and emotional truth." - Clare Chambers
"What a visceral, powerful, authentic novel! It's hard to believe Lucy Caldwell didn't actually live through the Belfast Blitz, it's so accurately depicted. I felt I was there with the bombs, the blood, the chaos, the fear, and the resilience." - Tracy Chevalier
"Meticulously researched and utterly convincing, These Days recovers the lost stories of so many, bringing the past horrors of the Belfast Blitz brilliantly to life like a haunting flare." - Sarah Gilmartin
"Elegant and precise, I loved it. The vivid interiority Caldwell brings to the characters, particularly the three main women, is so impressive. I cared passionately about all of them. These Days is a gem of a novel." - Marian Keyes
"Adroit, precise storytelling, atmospheric and satisfying: this is a novel of real substance." - Hilary Mantel
"Beautiful, lyrical, and deeply moving, These Days is a wonderful novel." - Louise O'Neill
"A novel of enormous heart; full of luminous passages of prose, this tale of the Belfast blitz is breathtakingly good." - Alex Preston
"Caldwell's luminous novel presents a city under siege and a family in anguish. Her sense of life during wartime and her psychological portraiture cannot be faulted; the cumulative force of personal and public crisis will not be forgotten. This is storytelling of a vertiginously high order." - Anthony Quinn
"These Days is a deeply moving story of family, loss, sisterhood and how you can find yourself, even in the darkest of times. A truly gorgeous piece of storytelling, I could see and feel every word. Another absolute triumph for Lucy Caldwell." - Fíona Scarlett
"Meticulously researched, perfectly imagined, full of compassion and emotional truth." - Clare Chambers
"What a visceral, powerful, authentic novel! It's hard to believe Lucy Caldwell didn't actually live through the Belfast Blitz, it's so accurately depicted. I felt I was there with the bombs, the blood, the chaos, the fear, and the resilience." - Tracy Chevalier
"Meticulously researched and utterly convincing, These Days recovers the lost stories of so many, bringing the past horrors of the Belfast Blitz brilliantly to life like a haunting flare." - Sarah Gilmartin
"Elegant and precise, I loved it. The vivid interiority Caldwell brings to the characters, particularly the three main women, is so impressive. I cared passionately about all of them. These Days is a gem of a novel." - Marian Keyes
"Adroit, precise storytelling, atmospheric and satisfying: this is a novel of real substance." - Hilary Mantel
"Beautiful, lyrical, and deeply moving, These Days is a wonderful novel." - Louise O'Neill
"A novel of enormous heart; full of luminous passages of prose, this tale of the Belfast blitz is breathtakingly good." - Alex Preston
"Caldwell's luminous novel presents a city under siege and a family in anguish. Her sense of life during wartime and her psychological portraiture cannot be faulted; the cumulative force of personal and public crisis will not be forgotten. This is storytelling of a vertiginously high order." - Anthony Quinn
"These Days is a deeply moving story of family, loss, sisterhood and how you can find yourself, even in the darkest of times. A truly gorgeous piece of storytelling, I could see and feel every word. Another absolute triumph for Lucy Caldwell." - Fíona Scarlett
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