Press & Critic Reviews for A Net for Small Fishes

Latest Press Reviews from USA Book Launch

"enthralling and moving"

Sandra Sobieraj Westfall

Read review here

"a tour de force… the writing is nothing short of glorious."

Fran Wood

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"The corrupt, licentious court of England’s James I makes a fittingly baroque backdrop for A Net for Small Fishes.... Jago weaves an intricate web of social, sexual and political manoeuvres that entangles all her characters.... [A] narrative stuffed with vividly drawn secondary characters and atmospheric set pieces.... A Net for Small Fishes is also highly satisfying entertainment."

Wendy Smith

Read The Washington Post review here

Top Ten Best Historical Fiction Books of 2021

"shimmers and ripples with sheer literary skill; quite apart from the intriguing historical setting, this is just a beautifully written gem."

Steve Donoghue

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Topping the list of CrimeReads Best Historical Fiction of 2021

‘a psychological thriller set in the past…and should justly be celebrated.’

Molly Odintz

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‘enthralling and moving’ and ‘a gloriously immersive escape from modern times’

Marion Winik

Listen to review here

UK Press Reviews

‘Richly imagined… gloriously immersive’

Justine Jordan

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Amazon has picked A Net for Small Fishes as one of their TOP TEN Books for November!

‘A riveting and immersive tale about the bravery, alliance, and strength of women in the face of oppression and expectation.’

Al Woodworth - Amazon Editor

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The 13 Best New Mystery and Thriller Books of November 2021

‘Ready to try a new kind of twist-filled tale?’

SABIENNA BOWMAN

Read review here

‘Sumptuous … If you’re feeling bereft after finishing The Mirror and the Light, let Jago transport you back to the Jacobean court’

The Observer review of Lucy Jago's novel, A Net for Small Fishes, by Alex Preston

‘Superb exploration of female agency, sexuality and class …
Anne thrums with life all the way through to her tragic, gruesome end, while Frankie is calculating and alluring …
Scintillating novel that plunges you head-first into a darkly compelling chapter of British history’

Read Observer review here

Chosen as the Book of the Month in the round up of Best New Historical Fiction.

‘Riveting … In a narrative that brims over with colour and invention,
Jago summons up Jacobean London with enormous persuasiveness.’

Nick Rennison

Read Sunday Times review here

‘What a tale! Rich in intrigue and incident … A Net For Small Fishes is wonderfully dramatic and movingly tragic.
With a wealth of detail on every atmospheric page, as the charismatic, flawed figures of Anne and Frankie
try to live and love in the “cesspit” of a royal court,
this is historical fiction at its immersive, intriguing best’

‘Dazzling.’

Article about Lucy Jago's new novel in The Bookseller

‘I love it!’

Alice O'Keeffe

Tatler has picked A Net for Small Fishes as one of the 8 'Best Books of the Year So Far'.

‘A magnificent reimagining of a scandal in the Jacobean court …
Masques, machinations and murder ensue, as well as affairs, gorgeously described clothes and a dangerous friendship’

Read article here

Picked as a Fiction Highlight for 2021 on the BBC website.

Read BBC review here

‘Precisely evoked … a complex and intelligent interpretation’

The Times review exract for A Net for Small Fishes

‘A powerful take on a fascinating piece of history’

A net for Small Fishes review in the Daily Mail 12 Feb 21

‘Rich in intrigue and incident, with a cast of vividly drawn characters and a wealth of detail on every atmospheric page, this is a fabulously engaging read’

Eithne Farry

Read Daily Mail review here

‘A sensuous evocation of 17th-century noble shenanigans. Jago offers a timely lens through which to reconsider power dynamics in Jacobean England
… Seamless and stylish … Set in 1609, 69 years after the Mantel trilogy concludes, so those mourning Cromwell may find much to scintillate here.’

Read Irish Times review here

‘Jago’s atmospheric novel vividly evokes the Jacobean seventeenth century in all its stinking sumptuousness …
I couldn’t help thinking of a certain American president when reading about Jacobean power plays and intrigue,
presided over by a capricious head of state’

‘A captivating story of female friendship and solidarity …
Full of intrigue and power play, and holding up a mirror to hierarchical society then and now,
it’s a perfect read for anyone who has devoured Hilary Mantel’s Tudor trilogy and is ready for a time-shift’

Read review and Q&A with Lucy

The Big Issue ‘Top Five Books about Jacobean Life’ column by Lucy Jago to run end February.

‘Our carefully curated list of February’s new books to bring wit, wisdom, joy and comfort to your reading pile …
There’s no messing about in Lucy Jago’s A Net For Small Fishes.
From the first chapter you’re plunged into the dark intrigues, violence, vying for position and cruelty of the 17th century Jacobean court
as society beauty Frances Howard meets Anne Turner, whose way with bodices, stockings and eyelashes is unequalled’

A snapshot of the reader love so far…

‘A brilliant book... I couldn't put it down’

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‘Oh, this is such joy. Strong female characters that are ahead of their times and won't be broken… A sumptuous read that I shall remember for some time’

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‘So beautifully written and well-observed that people who usually eschew historical fiction would find much merit within. Vivid, tangible, evocative. It is as sumptuously rich as embroidered damask… This story is a reminder of how far we have come and yet that some things never change’

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‘A riveting, well-researched novel, with oodles of suspense and tension. She makes the period come alive… This is a terrific and entertaining piece of historical fiction that will appeal to many readers’

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‘A period of history that I love, and the attention to detail is wonderful. A really, really great book so early in 2021’

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‘What an absolutely sumptuous read this was. Rich with vividly depicted characters… The ending was heart rending and I literally felt gutted. The loyalty of both women to each other was beautiful and heart breaking at the same time. The characters stay with you long after the last page has been turned’

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Susan Elderkin

‘Full of colour, intrigue and historical characters we can relate to ... Jago has a great flair for the sensuous image and evokes the heady mix of gaudy glamour and grime that characterises the era with a distinctive, dense poetry. Historical fiction at its scintillating best and most filmic.’

Laurence Norfolk

‘The Thelma and Louise of the 17th century.’

Andrew Miller

‘Not just brilliantly evoked but brilliantly sustained. Lucy Jago doesn't make a single false step’

Influencers

Several waves of influencer mailings have been painting Instagram yellow!

FoxandtheWhale Instagram review of A Net for Small Fishes

Insta Ambassador Ronnieturner8072 A Net for Small Fishes review

Instgram posts for A Net for Small Fishes

26 reviews added to Amazon UK by NetGalley readers – all four & five stars!

Featured in NetGalley’s ‘Best of 2021’ newsletter.

‘Glittering husks of power – how ‘costumes’ find meaning in the best historical fiction’

Lucy has contributed to BBC Radio 4’s Open Book programme on the importance of female clothing in fiction

Broadcast on Sunday 14th March at 4:00 pm and Thursday 18th March at 3:30 pm

Love's Labours Watched podcast interview with Lucy Jago

Lucy has been interviewed by Francesca of Loved Labours Watched. A duo of 20 somethings from the USA who love thought-provoking, women-focused pop-culture.
You can follow their work on Twitter @RealLLW or on Instagram @loveslabourswatched

Listen to the podcast interview with Lucy Jago available on these channels:

Spotify

Soundcloud

Apple Podcasts

Articles written by Lucy Jago

Pages of the Harpers Bazaar feature entitled Protest Dressing by Lucy Jago

Lucy has written a feature article for Harper’s Bazaar about Fashion as Protest.
From the yellow-dyed ruffs of the Jacobean court to Katherine Hamnett and Vivien Westwood.
Read the full article in the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar (out 4th February 2021)

Press & Critic Reviews for A Net for Small Fishes

Latest Press Reviews from USA Book Launch

UK Press Reviews

Love's Labours Watched podcast interview with Lucy Jago

Articles written by Lucy Jago

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