Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2017
560 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
An immersive story of female friendship and the self-discoveries that reveal the mysteries of the human heart.
Set immediately after the end of WWII, Freya explores the lives and friendship of two british females at a time where gender roles were changing in England.
It begins on May 8th, 1945. The streets of London are alive with VE-Day celebrations. In the crowd, twenty-year-old Freya Wyley meets eighteen-year-old Nancy Holdaway. Freya's acerbic wit and free-wheeling politics complement Nancy's gentle, less self-confident nature, and what begins on that eventful day in history is the story of a devoted and competitive friendship that spans two decades.
This heralded novel follows the irrepressible lives of these young women. As Freya chooses journalism and Nancy realizes her ambitions as a novelist, their friendship explores the nuances of sexual, emotional and professional rivalries. They are not immune to the sting of betrayal and the tenderness of reconciliation.
Beneath the relentless thrum of changing times are the eternal battles fought by women in pursuit of independence and the search for love. Stretching from the war haunted halls of Oxford and the Nuremburg trials to the cultural transformations of the early 1960s, Freya presents the portraits of extraordinary women taking arms against a sea of political and personal tumult.
"Starred Review. With its busy plot, its drinking and smoking, its crisp wit and contemporary soundtrack...Quinn's novel delivers evocative, high-quality entertainment that may well leave readers hoping for a sequel." - Kirkus
"Starred Review. Fans of Tom Wolfe and Patricia Highsmith will embrace Quinn's swashbuckling Freya." - Publishers Weekly
"Although the scenes occasionally feel overstuffed, on the whole this is a whip-smart and memorable look at a singular woman." - Booklist
"Freya is a nuanced work, combining exciting social history, and acute characterization." - The Spectator (UK)
"Freya and Nancy could use another volume; here's hoping." - The Guardian (UK)
"Here is a modern woman to be celebrated in all her contradictions and complexity." - The Evening Standard (UK)
This information about Freya was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Anthony Quinn is a British film critic and the author of four previous books including The Streets, short-listed for the 2013 Walter Scott Prize, and Curtain Call, a bestseller and pick for the Waterstones Book Club.
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