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Nonesuch

The Sunday Times bestseller

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Nonesuch

By: Francis Spufford
Narrated by: Lydia Wilson
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A spell-binding fantasy novel set in the Blitz, from the author of Golden Hill.

'What a joy! A novel with endless ingenuity and enormous heart.' Kaliane Bradley
'Everything that great literature should be.' Sarah Perry
' His Dark Materials meets the Blitz.' Observer
'An all-encompassing masterpiece.' London Standard
'My god can he write.' Richard Osman
'Ripples with literary magic.' The Times

It's the summer of 1939. London is on the brink of catastrophic war. Iris Hawkins, an ambitious young woman in the stuffy world of City finance, has a chance encounter with Geoff, a technical whizz at the BBC's nascent television unit.

What was supposed to be one night of abandon draws her instead into an adventure of otherworldly pursuit - into a reality where time bends, spirits can be summoned, and history hangs by a thread. Soon there are Nazi planes overhead. But Iris has more to contend with than the terrors of the Blitz. Over the rooftops of burning London, in the twisted passages between past and present, a fascist fanatic is travelling with a gun in her hand.

And only Iris can stop her from altering the course of history forever.

Nonesuch was a Sunday Times bestseller w/e 28/2/2026.

©2026 Francis Spufford (P)2026 Faber & Faber Fantasy Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Heartfelt England War
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My first Spufford book and it won’t be my last. This is not even a genre that I usually enjoy but the writing is so good it didn’t matter. There was nothing even remotely resembling a cliche — fresh imagery every sentence. Characters as lumpy and awkward as life. I’m grateful that someone is writing books like this.
Oh and the narrator should be given a medal. The accents, particularly Iris and Lal, did so much work and so well.

What a writer!

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Wonderful blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Feels like Dr Who or Rivers of London if you're into those. Excellent narration, highly enjoyable

Really fun

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The arcane adventure is so much fun, but it is set in a vividly rendered wartime London that Spufford describes brilliantly. The characters are wonderful, complicated, interesting people caught up in a tender and messy love story, and the narration catches all the little nuances. Its wonderful.

An unforgettable trip through magical London

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I cannot, obviously, go into any kind of detail, but this book has left me in a state of incredulous distress.

I feel absolutely misled and miserable

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I was planning on leaving a 5 star review for this book as the story is so original and enthralling- until you get the the end. The ending is rushed, contrived, unsatisfying and not in keeping with the characters or the rest of the narrative. Seemed like the author just ran out of ideas or stamina. I can only hope there will be a sequel that fixes this mess and gives this story the ending it deserves. Story aside, Narrator was outstanding. Hate to leave a bad review, but I was crushed and feel compelled to warn others.

Too bad about the ending

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