Print this page
OLIVIA FANE studied Classics at Cambridge, and worked as a probation officer before taking a degree in theology. Fane’s combination of intellectual ideas and clear, involving prose won her a Betty Trask Award for LANDING ON CLOUDS, and drew comparisons with Iris Murdoch.
‘Disturbing, shrewd, funny - a most impressive debut.’ Victoria Glendinning
‘Fane’s debut is the most radiant and least fluffy I have seen this year.’ The Independent
‘Brings to mind comparisons with Shena Mackay, and, in her hero’s philosophical quest with early Iris Murdoch.’ The Times
Glorious, passionate, beautiful, uncontrollable Eve is in her early twenties when she checks herself into a mental institution following a series of dramatic events. There she meets Gibson, the gardener who blossoms in Eve’s presence, and, despite the protestations of parents and social workers, they marry. They have a son, Josiah, and bring him up in an unconventional idyll.
But Eve’s determination to home school him brings her to the attention of social services again and her beloved boy is removed from her, her husband collapsing under the strain. Eve reacts by going on an arson spree and is forced to leave the country. Josiah, in a children’s home in Cambridge, meets a professor of Classics and the two form a close bond. They head off on a blissful trip to Italy, but on their return, the professor is arrested and imprisoned on suspicion of abuse. It is left to Josiah’s mother, the irrepressible Eve, to return from her exile to save her son and his friend – and herself.
A deeply moving, highly entertaining tale of family, love, loss and the limits modern society imposes, ON LOVING JOSIAH is also a brilliant satire, full of wisdom and insight. This is Olivia Fane’s best novel to date and it will win her even more acclaim.
Maia Press, an imprint of Arcadia, World English
Material: edited manuscript.
The third novel by Olivia Fane, who won a Betty Trask award and an Arts Council Award for her first novel, LANDING ON CLOUDS.
Patrick German has achieved all his life's ambitions: a lovely wife, a baby son and a prestigious job in publishing. So when, one day, he walks out on all he knows and loves, he is as perplexed as anyone. He runs away to become a primary school teacher in north Norfolk, where he is mesmerised by a ten-year-old girl in his class, Joanna, who has an otherworldly authority about her. It ends up being down to him to give an eyewitness account of an angelic life on earth.
'A very distinctive novel.' Hilary Mantel
'This extraordinary story is told very readably. There is a good spicing of satire and humour. Besides being a good tale, God’s Apology is something of an essay in natural theology.’ The Tablet
Maia Press UK
Material: finished copies (240pp).
Perdita Tree, the dangerously bored and irresistibly beautiful wife of an MP is kidnapped in Albania. Adored by her kidnapper, Alfred, who believes all things English are perfect, she is persuaded to rescue the Albanians from their dire history, and is vain enough to imagine that she can. The year is 1991, democracy is coming, but are the Albanians ready for it? And are the Albanians ready for Perdita? A beguilingly simple story which considers the nature of love, longing and betrayal, and, above all, the art of being free.
'This book is a delight. I loved it. It is an extremely serious novel, posing as one which is simple and beguiling. It races along at a rate of knots, leaving the reader smiling, satisfied, and impressed.' Fay Weldon
'A captivating book - original, intelligent and very entertaining.’ Isabel Wolff
‘Fane toys with chick-lit conventions, but consistently focuses her smart, fluid prose and sophisticated thought on rendering a thoughtful, sorrowful and often highly amusing novel.’ The Times
Maia Press UK
Material: finished copies (368pp).