'Few novelists would have dared to tackle the theme of salley Vickers's third novel; fewer still would pull it off so triumphantly. I am speechless with admiration.'

JOHN JULIUS NORWICH

'A treat: fun, reflective and quietly jubliant.'

Helen Osborne, BOOK OF THE YEAR, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

'A compulsively readable novel from the word-of-mouth bestseller.... Salley Vickers' latest is much more than a slightly eccentric and humorous tale about the small things in life. In fact, it gradually becomes apparent that its significance couldn't be greater....
Magnificent, understated and clever'

OBSERVER

'Written in elegant understated prose, her work probes the human condition, while encompassing myth, metaphysics and spirituality, and embracing the big themes of life and death, good and evil along the way.'

Christie Hickman, DAILY TELEGRAPH

'Vickers writes quietly and confidently about the relationship between nature, humanity and the numinous.

MR GOLIGHTLY'S HOLIDAY is simultaneously funny, sad and surprising, as fresh and hopeful as one of Shakespeare's comedies and for similar reasons. Vickers is never less than original and, when conveying her understanding of human frailty and potential, she can be sublime... Her characters find solace in the countryside from the pains of existence and Vickers depicts its glories with a painter's eye. ...As Mr Golightly discovers, grace still survives in the human world. Salley Vickers's splendid novel is ample proof of that.'

Pamela Norris, LITERARY REVIEW

'Vickers's distinctiveness lies in her ability to temper her prose with almost savage insight as she daringly pursues answers to life's biggest questions'

Hephzibar Anderson, DAILY MAIL

'Vickers is smart, her touch is light and comedic, and both the philosophical questions she raises and the characters she brings to life to symbolise these questions, are stimulating and convincing... MR GOLIGHTLY'S HOLIDAY is full of charm.'

Lesley McDowell, INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

'This novel is an extraordinary find and one that is incredibly difficult to review because to reveal exactly why it is so good would be to ruin any reading of it. Salley Vickers is deservedly something of a phenomenon in publishing circles - with MR GOLIGHTLY'S HOLIDAY she proves herself once more as an original and inspiring talent. MR GOLIGHTLY'S HOLIDAY is as beautifully eccentric and English as its central character.'

Viv Groskop, DAILY EXPRESS

'Extraordinarily accomplished'

Sue Leonard, IRISH EXAMINER

'An intriguing and daring story about love, loss and loneliness, woven together with skill and confidence. Big question of life, love and death vibrate throughout the novel, culminating in a surprise ending in which Mr Golightly's true identity is revealed.'

Lily Dunn, TIME OUT

'I liked Vickers's first two novels very much; I like this one even better. Like MISS GARNET it combines the everyday and mythic. Like INSTANCES OF THE NUMBER THREE it is untroubled by excessive cleverness. Its message, if it has one, is inscribed in the Robert Orage epigraph: "Take hold tightly, let go lightly..."'

Brian Morton, SUNDAY HERALD

'Vickers has produced a novel that is witty, engaging, complex and profoundly moving. It's simply her best yet.'

Fanny Blake, WOMAN & HOME

'Vickers's third novel contains all the elements of humour and expert story telling but the author is far too subtle and intelligent to announce outright what she is really about to do; that is to deal with the intricacies of human emotion and answer some of humanity's fundamental questions. It is a testimony to Vickers' skill as a narrator that she manages to produce a hugely readable and uplifting piece of prose out of such difficult and delicate themes. It would seem she takes a certain delight in selecting deliberately weighty subject matter and simplifying it into light-hearted witty prose.'

Clare Sawers, SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY

'Salley Vickers is a writer who, once read, gets into your system. She conveys an inspiring belief in kindness and an understanding of the quality of mercy'.

Emma Garrow, ENGLAND ON SUNDAY

'MR GOLIGHTLYS HOLIDAY is as profound as it is immensely readable.'

Mariella Frostrup, BBC Radio 4 Open Book, 27th July 2003

'Salley's third and to my mind best novel to date. A wonderful exploration of life's great themes written with the deft, thoughtful trademark Vicker's touch. This is flawless literary fiction at it's contemporary best."

Paul Blezard, Oneword Radio, September 2003

'Fans of Vickers previous novels, Miss Garnets Angel and Instances of the Number 3, will love this tale of love, loss and restless natives.'

Alex Clark, Red, September 2003

'A gentle, funny and at times heart-rending book, ending in an audacious relevation.'

Gemma Champ, Eve, September 2003

'Audacious and entertaining.'

Fanny Blake, Woman & Home, August 2003

'A perfect, and unpredictable, holiday read.'

Word, August issue

She has produced three novels to date and each one is a gem. MR GOLIGHTLYS HOLIDAY is a charming, entertaining and extremely thought-provoking work, and which may also be the most effective allegorical novel since George Orwells Animal Farm. O ye of little boredom threshold, look upon her works and rejoice!

Richard Shephard, waterstones.co.uk, August 2003

'A profound and satisfyiNg read: the charcters are likeable, the whole hangs together.'

KIRKUS REVIEW

'With understated humour and intelligence, her first two novels both gently explored those tantalisingly areas in which psychologists and novelists alike love to prod - human relationships and religion. ... Salley Vickers' novels display a growing confidence and this latest is very much the best of them.'

THE ECONOMIST

BESTSELLER LISTINGS:

EVENING STANDARD No. 3 (1st September)

SUNDAY EXPRESS No.7 (24th August)

INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY No. 8 (24th August)

THE TIMES (PLAY) No. 6 (23th August)

SUNDAY TIMES No. 10 (17th August)

THE TIMES (PLAY) No. 5 (16th-22nd August)

SUNDAY EXPRESS No. 4 (17th August)