Christie Watson is a British novelist and pediatric nurse. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she won the Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Bursary, and has since published short fiction and other writings in numerous publications including Wasafiri, Mslexia, Index on Censorship, The Guardian, and The Telegraph. Watson teaches creative writing at various institutions including Birkbeck University, the Groucho Club, and Cambridge University. She has won the Costa First Novel Award and Waverton Good Read Award for her first novel, Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away, and was named one of Red’s Hot Women of the Year in 2012. She lives in London.
Selected as one of CNN.com’s 12 Good Summer Reads
“A sure-footed debut narrated by 12-year-old Blessing, a girl
growing up too fast in the troubled Niger Delta.” —People
Magazine
“[An] assured, absorbing first novel…Watson’s cleanly told
coming-of-age story generates real narrative momentum.” —Cleveland
Plain Dealer
“Watson is generous in her assessment of human nature, and her
novel surprises even as its sense of danger is never truly at
bay…[An] ultimately triumphant book.”—Miami Herald
“[An] impressive debut…Watson’s nuanced portrayal of daily life in
Nigeria is peopled with flawed but tenacious characters who fight
not only for survival but for dignity. Blessing is a wonderful
narrator whose vivid impressions enliven Watson’s sensual prose.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“[An] absorbing first novel, told through the eyes of the bright
and observant Blessing…a memorable debut novel about a Nigerian
girl’s coming of age.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Confronting issues of race, class, and religion, this work ponders
idealistic ignorance in a way that is reminiscent of Chinua
Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. Watson’s story will appeal to readers
of African and literary fiction.” — Library Journal
“Through the lens of young girl’s coming-of-age, this breakthrough
novel views the politics of contemporary Nigeria, portraying the
clash between traditional and modern as it affects one extended
family.” —Booklist
“A first novel that knows how to tell a story, concocting a voice
that lures us. Perfect pitch is not reserved for musicians; some
novelists have it, too. From the very first page of her very first
book, Christie Watson proves she possesses it, creating a voice
that tells a tale we can’t put down.” —Barnes and Noble Review
“An excellent novel. It takes the reader deep into the reality of
ordinary life in Nigeria and is also funny, moving and politically
alert.” —Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland
“Christie Watson’s debut novel, set in the troubled Niger Delta,
does what fiction does best, it captures place and characters so
well that you feel you are also there. It is sincere, it is
powerfully written, and it deserves to be read.” —Helon Habila,
author of Oil on Water, winner of the Commonwealth Prize
“Watson has written an immensely absorbing novel. It is both heart
wrenching and consoling.” —Chika Unigwe, author of On Black
Sisters’ Street
“A fascinating, poignant story that had me laughing in places and
deeply moved in others.” —Ike Anya
“Lyrical and beautifully drawn, a poignant coming-of-age tale, set
in an Africa few readers will have experienced. A must-read.”
—Lesley Lokko, author of Sundowners, Saffron Skies, and Bitter
Chocolate
“The gripping, triumphant tale of a girl who chooses life over
loss, in a sweet but savage world where oil is bled from the
earth.” —Lola Shoneyin, author of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s
Wives
Ask a Question About this Product More... |