The Novel Cure
An A to Z of Literary Remedies
“A good book, read at the right moment, should leave you uplifted, inspired, energized and eager for more. With so many books to choose from, what’s the point of reading even one more that leaves you cold?”
Available as Paperback, eBook
A warm, wise guide to prescribe you a literary remedy for any of life’s ailments
When read at the right moment, a novel can change your life. Bibliotherapists Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin know the power of a good book, and have been prescribing each other literary remedies for all life’s aches and pains for decades. Together, they’ve compiled a medical handbook with a difference: a dictionary of literary cures for any malaise you can imagine.
Whether it’s struggling to find a good cup of tea (Douglas Adams, two sugars) or being in need of a good cry (Thomas Hardy, plus tissues), as well as cures for all kinds of reading ailments - from being a compulsive book buyer to a tendency to give up halfway through a novel - Ella and Susan have the tonic for all ailments, great or small. Written with authority, passion and wit, The Novel Cure is an enchanting reminder of the power and pleasure of forgetting your troubles in a good book.
“Brilliant … A perfect gift”
vogue
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“Witty, engaging and informative, The Novel Cure is for anyone who loves reading. It’s the sort of book you choose for a friend and end up wanting to keep. My advice would be to buy two”
Rachel Joyce
author Of The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry
“Witty, warm and wise, I loved this book within moments of dipping in and know I shall be returning to it for a long time to come. It’s a wonderful reminder of the restorative power of fiction and ideal for anyone who has ever wondered what on earth to read next”
Sj Watson
author Of Before I Go To Sleep
”The Novel Cure is a tonic in itself. It’s tempting to become a hypochondriac just to read more”
Damian Barr
author Of Maggie & Me
“An exuberant pageant of literary fiction and a celebration of the possibilities of the novel”
guardian
Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin met as English Literature students at Cambridge University, where they began giving novels to each other whenever one of them seemed in need of a boost. Ella went on to study fine art and become a painter and art teacher. Susan became a novelist (Sunset Over Chocolate Mountains and The Voices, both Fourth Estate) and in 2003 was listed by Granta as one of the Twenty Best of Young British Novelists. She also teaches creative writing and writes travel pieces and book reviews for various newspapers.
In 2008 they set up a bibliotherapy service through The School of Life in London, and since then have been prescribing books either virtually or in person to clients all over the world. The Novel Cure is their first book together.
www.thenovelcure.co.uk
Discover literary remedies and find out more about bibliotherapy on the official Novel Cure website
