Staying put in the Capital this summer? There’s nowhere we’d rather be. Sit back, relax and delve into one of our holiday reading recommendations – all with a London link.
Crooked Heart | by Lissa Evans
This story of two eccentric, flawed characters is funny and moving. Set in wartime Hampstead, it tells the tale of a young boy evacuated to live with the unscrupulous Vera. Their relationship is bittersweet and shaped by their past experiences. By the end of the book you’ll be rooting for them both. BP
£7.99 (penguin.co.uk)
The Lido | by Libby Page
When their local lido is threatened with closure, octogenarian Rosemary and twenty-something rookie reporter Kate – both lonely in different ways – unite in the fight to save it. Forming the most unlikely of friendships, they inadvertently help to save one another, too. A joyous celebration of the power of community and friendship in London. LSJ
£7.99 (orionbooks.co.uk)
Another Planet | by Tracey Thorn
Thorn delves into her teenage diaries to create a richly evocative portrait of life in a ’70s satellite town. The world she describes will be instantly recognisable to anyone who grew up in suburbia dreaming of the Big Smoke – a short train ride and a whole other planet away. KJH
£14.99 (canongate.co.uk)
Love Falls | by Esther Freud
Illustrious North Londoner Esther Freud takes us back to the summer of 1981 in this sizzling holiday read. Just as the Capital is swept up in royal wedding romance, 17-year-old Lara swaps Kensington for the scorching Tuscan countryside – where she discovers her own irresistible story of a dark and dangerous first love. AH
£7.99 (bloomsbury.com)
The Long View | by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Originally published in 1956 and recently reissued, The Long View is a portrait of a turbulent marriage. Antonia and Conrad’s story moves backwards through time, from a Kensington dinner party in 1950, to a chance encounter in a Sussex garden 25 years earlier. It’s beautifully written, rich in period detail and full of emotional truths – a book to lose yourself in. KTH
£8.99 (panmacmillan.com)