The Novel Cure

Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin met as English Literature students at Cambridge University, where they began giving novels to each other whenever one of them seemed in need of a boost. Ella went on to study fine art and become a painter and art teacher. Susan became a novelist and journalist. In 2008 they set up a bibliotherapy service through The School of Life in London, and since then have been prescribing books either virtually or in person to clients all over the world. With four children, two husbands, various cats, dogs, mice and tortoises (some of them imaginary) between them, they created their first book, The Novel Cure, together in 2013.

"The Guardian" (UK)
"An exuberant pageant of literary fiction and a celebration of the possibilities of the novel." --"Guardian" (UK)
"The Economist"
"Astute and often amusing . . . a charming addition to any library. Time spent leafing through its pages is inspiring - even therapeutic."
"Publishers Weekly"
"A delightful reference guide [Berthoud and Elderkin] tackle serious and not-so-serious ailments with equal verve elegant prose and discussions that span the history of 2,000 years of literature will surely make readers seek out these books. Taking two novellas and calling the bibliotherapists in the morning sounds welcome indeed."
"Kirkus"
"A fine remedy for bibliophiles."
"Vogue" (UK)
Brilliant . . . A perfect gift
"Library Journal"
"This appealing and helpful read is guaranteed to double the length of a to-read list and become a go-to reference for those unsure of their reading identities or who are overwhelmed by the sheer number of books in the world.""""