Imprint
- Virago
- Virago
- Virago
London, Greater London, Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)
A darkly funny, surprising, smart novel about sex, power, work and being a young woman in a man's world, by Irish journalist Caroline O'Donoghue, which has had terrific reviews ('So brilliant' - Dolly Alderton, 'I loved it' - Marian Keyes).
'So brilliant . . . It couldn't really be more timely . . . I highly recommend it' Dolly Alderton
'I loved it. The writing is whipsmart and so witty' Marian Keyes
Jane Peters is an adrift twenty-something by day, and a world-weary agony aunt by night. But when an office party goes too far, Jane dissolves into the high-stakes world of being the Other Woman: a role she has the right advice for, but not the smarts to follow through on.
What starts out as a drunken mistake quickly unravels as Jane discovers that sex and power go hand-in-hand, and that it's hard to keep your head when you've become someone else's dirty little secret. And soon, her friendships, her sanity and even her life are put into jeopardy...
'Sharp, pithy and engaging' Irish Times
'Brilliant' Elle
'Deeply relatable and darkly comic . . . It'll have you nodding with familiarity, thinking, laughing - and crying - as you race towards the end' Grazia
'A future classic' Jane Casey
'I loved PROMISING YOUNG WOMEN. It's like Bluebeard crossed with THE YELLOW WALLPAPER neck-deep in zeitgeist. If Angela Carter was stuck in a soulless corporate job this would be the dark, delicious result' Sharlene Teo, author of PONTI
Praise for Promising Young Women
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I loved it. The writing is whipsmart and so witty and what Caroline O'Donoghue says about how women interact with men and work is fascinating. A fabulous and timely novel. - Marian Keyes
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So brilliant ... It couldn't really be more timely ... Compelling and illuminating ... I highly recommend it. - Dolly Alderton, The High Low Podcast
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This debut shows that Caroline O'Donoghue is one of the brightest stars in the current galaxy of young Irish writers. A future classic. - Jane Casey
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Anyone who enjoyed Jami Attenberg's All Grown Up or Sally Rooney's Conversations With Friends will find much to like in Caroline O'Donoghue's darkly funny novel . . . A zippy, astute read - Irish Independent
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This is the cleverest, funniest and most assured debut novel I've ever read. Caroline O'Donoghue is enormously talented, but wears her talent lightly - this book is deceptively, seductively charming and easy, before it turns deliciously dark. It's bold, knowing and so smart - fans of Nancy Mitford or Jay McInerney will adore this, but O'Donoghue's voice is absolutely her own. - Daisy Buchanan, author of How to Be a Grown-Up
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Caroline O'Donoghue
Caroline O'Donoghue is a New York Times best-selling author and the host of the award-winning podcast Sentimental Garbage. She has written two previous novels for adults, Promising Young Women and Scenes of a Graphic Nature. She has also written the best-selling supernatural series for teenagers, All Our Hidden Gifts. She was born in Ireland and currently lives in London.
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