"Natural, flowing language used with incredible imagination, and understated power"
THEY SAY
England,1976.
Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly decide to take matters into their own hands.
And as the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives will find much more than they imagined…
I SAY
Sometimes you hear people raving about a book, and after you’ve read it, you think: what were they on about? Well, I decided to read The Truth About Goats and Sheep after hearing so many wonderful things about it…and they were absolutely spot on. This is a gentle crime novel that will make you smile as you savour – and fall in love with - every word.
Firstly, I’ll hold my hands up and admit there are standout details from the 1970s that make this novel extra special to me. I was born in 1973 (yes, I’m THAT old) so this was the era of my childhood.
But there is far more to this novel that nostalgic appeal.
Above all, The Trouble With Goats And Sheep is beautifully written. It is the kind of writing that pushes me as an author to try harder and strive to improve. Joanna Cannon has such a clever way of making vivid sketches with simple sentences. Natural, flowing language used with incredible imagination, and understated power; wow, this is an author with a brilliant future ahead of her.
Each character has a strong, unique voice, too, and the conversations are so realistic that they come alive - and often made me chuckle.
The Trouble With Goats And Sheep is a fabulous book for so many reasons. But don’t take my word for it – read it and find out for yourself. Please.