Rory MacLean, Guardian
‘Light, frank and tremendous fun. Like all good writers, Catherine’s work enables us to appreciate the diversity, possibilities, trials and beauty of life.’
Simon Kuper, The Financial Times
‘Sanderson has a novelist’s gift for capturing certain eternal situations. This book could have been called Madame Bovary on the Metro to the Childminder’s …’
Gerry Feehily, The Independent
‘The book offers back-story unseen in the blog, and novelistic fluency’
You Magazine, Mail on Sunday
‘..Petite Anglaise is an addictively readable account of the highs and lows of life behind her alter ego’
Daily Express
‘..Written with breathtaking candour, it will appeal to existing fans and new readers alike’
In Style UK
‘..A wonderful train journey read.’
Women’s Wear Daily – Scoop
‘A fresh twist on the classic story of reinvention abroad. The theme is as old yet fresh as Henry James.’
Booklist
‘Hard to put down.’
Publishers Weekly
‘Compulsively readable.’
NPR
‘[Sanderson’s] prose is infectious…a delight for the reader.’
Published:
Netherlands/Belgium (Dutch) – De Bezige Bij
UK – Michael Joseph (hardback) and Penguin (paperback)
UK audio book – BBC
US – Spiegel & Grau (hardback) and Random House (paperback)
Canada – Doubleday
Germany – Goldmann
Poland – Albatros
Finland – Tammi
Israel (Hebrew) – Miskal
Iceland – JPV
Brazil – Editora Globo
Lithuania – Vaga
Background
In July 2006, several publishers contacted me to see if I wanted to publish this blog as a book. I didn’t. No way. Or not by copying and pasting a selection of dated entries and slipping them between pretty covers, at least.
I wanted to write a memoir based on events covered in this blog, which would read like a novel, and fill in many of the gaps I voluntarily left at the time. This blog has always been about fleeting insights, slices of life and snippets of conversation but now the time seemed ripe to do more. To try my hand at writing a whole book, instead of making lots of excuses not to. It was terrifying, the learning curve was steep, but I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forgive myself if I didn’t give it a try…
For those who have read the book and are asking me where to start reading in the blog in order to find out what happened next, you need to start around April 2006.
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