Overview

[A] double bildungsroman of two British women set against a background of political and cultural upheavals in the direct aftermath of WWII (The New Yorker). It begins on May 8, 1945. The streets of London are alive with VE-Day celebrations. In the crowd, twenty-year-old Freya Wyley meets eighteen-year-old Nancy Holdaway. Freya's acerbic wit and free-wheeling politics complement Nancy's gentle, cautious nature, and what begins on that eventful day in history is the story of a transformative friendship that spans two decades. As Freya chooses journalism and Nancy realizes her ambitions as a novelist, their friendship takes on the nuances of sexual, emotional, and professional rivalries. Beneath the relentless thrum of changing times are the eternal battles fought by women in pursuit of independence and the search for love. Stretching from the war haunted halls of Oxford and Nuremburg to the cultural shifts of the early 1960s, Freya brings to life two extraordinary women facing down an era of political and personal tumult. With this three-dimensional portrait of his headstrong heroine, whose hard-gloss shell conceals a hard-fought vulnerability, Quinn achieves a distinct and unusual creation. --The New York Times

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9781609454159

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Reviews

Praise for Anthony Quinn's Freya Freya is a nuanced work, combining exciting social history, and acute characterization. --The Spectator Freya and Nancy could use another volume; here's hoping. --The Guardian With its busy plot, its drinking and smoking, its crisp wit and contemporary soundtrack [...], Quinn's novel delivers evocative, high-quality entertainment that may well leave readers hoping for a sequel. --Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) Here is a modern woman to be celebrated in all her contradictions and complexity. --The Evening Standard Praise for Anthony Quinn Quinn is the literary equivalent of Houdini, a novelist who has a particular talent for absenting himself and letting his characters come to life. --The Independent Quinn brings the period in question vividly to life: his research is exemplary, and his subject absorbing. --Observer [Quinn] has a thrilling knack for turning familiar periods of history into something surprising and often shocking, and for making the fortunes and misfortunes of his characters matter. --Evening Standard Praise for Anthony Quinn's Freya Freya is a nuanced work, combining exciting social history, and acute characterization. --The Spectator Freya and Nancy could use another volume; here's hoping. --The Guardian Here is a modern woman to be celebrated in all her contradictions and complexity. --The Evening Standard Praise for Anthony Quinn Quinn is the literary equivalent of Houdini, a novelist who has a particular talent for absenting himself and letting his characters come to life. --The Independent Quinn brings the period in question vividly to life: his research is exemplary, and his subject absorbing. --Observer [Quinn] has a thrilling knack for turning familiar periods of history into something surprising and often shocking, and for making the fortunes and misfortunes of his characters matter. --Evening Standard

Praise for Anthony Quinn's Freya Freya is a nuanced work, combining exciting social history, and acute characterization. --The Spectator Freya and Nancy could use another volume; here's hoping. --The Guardian Here is a modern woman to be celebrated in all her contradictions and complexity. --The Evening Standard Praise for Anthony Quinn Quinn is the literary equivalent of Houdini, a novelist who has a particular talent for absenting himself and letting his characters come to life. --The Independent Quinn brings the period in question vividly to life: his research is exemplary, and his subject absorbing. --Observer [Quinn] has a thrilling knack for turning familiar periods of history into something surprising and often shocking, and for making the fortunes and misfortunes of his characters matter. --Evening Standard

Praise for Anthony Quinn's Freya Fantastic [...] [A] testament to women who fought for what they wanted in a time of little personal and professional autonomy. Clever dialogue [...] wonderfully captures the personalities, strengths, and weaknesses of major and minor characters alike. --Publishers Weekly Freya is a nuanced work, combining exciting social history, and acute characterization. --The Spectator Freya and Nancy could use another volume; here's hoping. --The Guardian With its busy plot, its drinking and smoking, its crisp wit and contemporary soundtrack [...], Quinn's novel delivers evocative, high-quality entertainment that may well leave readers hoping for a sequel. --Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) Here is a modern woman to be celebrated in all her contradictions and complexity. --The Evening Standard Praise for Anthony Quinn Quinn is the literary equivalent of Houdini, a novelist who has a particular talent for absenting himself and letting his characters come to life. --The Independent Quinn brings the period in question vividly to life: his research is exemplary, and his subject absorbing. --Observer [Quinn] has a thrilling knack for turning familiar periods of history into something surprising and often shocking, and for making the fortunes and misfortunes of his characters matter. --Evening Standard Praise for Anthony Quinn's Freya Freya is a nuanced work, combining exciting social history, and acute characterization. --The Spectator Freya and Nancy could use another volume; here's hoping. --The Guardian Here is a modern woman to be celebrated in all her contradictions and complexity. --The Evening Standard Praise for Anthony Quinn Quinn is the literary equivalent of Houdini, a novelist who has a particular talent for absenting himself and letting his characters come to life. --The Independent Quinn brings the period in question vividly to life: his research is exemplary, and his subject absorbing. --Observer [Quinn] has a thrilling knack for turning familiar periods of history into something surprising and often shocking, and for making the fortunes and misfortunes of his characters matter. --Evening Standard

Praise for Anthony Quinn's Freya Freya is the very best type of heroine: smart, spirited and determined. --Christine Mangan, author of Tangerine Fantastic [...] [A] testament to women who fought for what they wanted in a time of little personal and professional autonomy. Clever dialogue [...] wonderfully captures the personalities, strengths, and weaknesses of major and minor characters alike. --Publishers Weekly [A] fascinating, luminous story of a decades-long friendship between two women, interrogating gender roles and expectations with a masterly human touch. --Entertainment Weekly This fall's great historical epic may be an import. --New York [A] double bildungsroman set against a background of political and cultural upheavals. --The New Yorker With this three-dimensional portrait of his headstrong heroine, whose hard-gloss shell conceals a hard-fought vulnerability, Quinn achieves a distinct and unusual creation: a leading lady who is likable because of her unlikability. --The New York Times Quinn's devotion to his central character and his gift for bringing myriad scenes and situations to life make these pages a pleasure. --The Boston Globe Freya is a nuanced work, combining exciting social history, and acute characterization. --The Spectator Freya and Nancy could use another volume; here's hoping. --The Guardian With its busy plot, its drinking and smoking, its crisp wit and contemporary soundtrack [...], Quinn's novel delivers evocative, high-quality entertainment that may well leave readers hoping for a sequel. --Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) Here is a modern woman to be celebrated in all her contradictions and complexity. --The Evening Standard Praise for Anthony Quinn Quinn is the literary equivalent of Houdini, a novelist who has a particular talent for absenting himself and letting his characters come to life. --The Independent Quinn brings the period in question vividly to life: his research is exemplary, and his subject absorbing. --Observer [Quinn] has a thrilling knack for turning familiar periods of history into something surprising and often shocking, and for making the fortunes and misfortunes of his characters matter. --Evening Standard

Author Information

Anthony Quinn is a British film critic and the author of four previous books including The Streets, short-listed for the 2013 Walter Scott Prize, and Curtain Call, a bestseller and pick for the Waterstones Book Club.

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