A Long Way from Verona

"Gardam is the best kind of literary escape: serious, mesmerizing, and deeply satisfying. Who, in these times, doesn't need this kind of palliative?" Los Angeles Review of Books

"Far more than just another coming-of-age story." Bustle

In A Long Way from Verona, Jessica Vye introduces herself with an enigmatic pronouncement: "I ought to tell you at the beginning that I am not quite normal, having had a violent experience at the age of nine." Jessica has always known that her destiny would be shaped by her refusal to conform, her compulsion to tell the absolute truth, and her dedication to observing the strange wartime world that surrounds her.

Told with grace and inimitable wit, A Long Way from Verona is a wise and vivid portrait of adolescent discovery and impending adulthood.

"Jane Gardam is a wonderful writer. Her understanding of character and use of language are both remarkable."

The Times