Danielle, a junior television producer, is on the hunt for the documentary idea that will make her reputation; Marina, the beautiful daughter of a famous and wealthy liberal journalist and intellectual, is desperate to prove her worth - while unsure exactly of how this is to be achieved; Julius, a freelance writer of devastating book reviews, is determined to live a fabulous Manhattan lifestyle on a budget of nothing at all. The Emperor's Children follows these three friends - and their overlapping social and family circles - through their day-to-day lives, their perceived struggles and successes and their constant search for meaning and authenticity. Sweeping in scope, minutely perceptive about the nuances of Manhattan life, with richly drawn characters and vivid prose, The Emperor's Children is a finely textured portrait of a particular place at a particular moment - and a haunting illustration how the events of a single day can change everything, for ever. It reveals Claire Messud as a novelist in bloom, writing at the height of her powers. 'Messud is an expert storyteller. Her style is precise and illuminating . . . dazzling' Observer 'Messud's ability to filter her rich imagination through brilliantly precise prose allows her to show the kernel of redemption in even the most unlikely of human alliances' Sunday Times
Praise for The Hunters –
‘Poised, subtle and perfect... This is masterly prose – modest, authentic, compassionate, interested and majestically complete... a work of tremendous scope and significance. I can think of few writers capable of such thrilling seriousness expressed with so lavish a gift’
Evening Standard
‘Messud is an expert storyteller. Her style is precise and illuminating, transforming the mundane into the unusual...dazzling’
Observer
Praise for The Last Life –
‘A joy to read. Messud’s prose is lush, incantatory...her observations are funnily astute, brimming with wit and imagination...as elegant and precise as geometry’
Independent