This is a real treat of a novel; a gorgeous, immersive story which manages to be both epic and intimate, funny and wise. It is, among many things, a beautiful portrait of Dublin, and a story about difficult love, the lure of ambition and finding your creative voice. Tender and unexpected, the story of Frida Slattery and John Reddan will stay with me for a very long time’

– Roisin O’Donnell, author of NESTING

‘I inhaled this consuming and addictive novel about love, artistic agency, and the charged complexities of creation, collaboration and power. Frida Slattery and John Reddan will stay with you long after you close the pages of this utterly absorbing debut’

– Francesca Reece, author of GLASS HOUSES

‘An expansive, deeply felt love letter to artistic expression, Frida Slattery As Herself is as compelling and ambitious as it is beautifully written. Ana Kinsella handles big themes – power, desire, success – with great subtlety and skill. I loved it’

– Lisa Owens, author of NOT WORKING and NATURAL DISASTER

‘Sublime'

– Jessica Stanley, author of CONSIDER YOURSELF KISSED

‘Frida Slattery As Herself is a deft, profound, and seemingly effortless portrayal of how a series of artworks – as well as the personal and professional lives of the artists – take shape over fifteen years, spanning the 2008 financial crisis, MeToo, and COVID. Ana Kinsella manages to deliver all the pleasures of a comic-romantic novel, while thinking through a satisfying number of big themes: gender politics and financial precarity, the mysteries of artistic collaboration, and the relentless tug-of-war between freedom and security. Moving, thought-provoking, and utterly delightful’

– Elif Batuman, author of THE IDIOT and EITHER/OR

‘Ana Kinsella writes so well on how the galloping excitement of your twenties makes way for the weighty expectation of your thirties and how relationships that you assumed defined you might, possibly, become a trap you keep falling into. She doesn't shy away from her characters’ spikier tendencies, treating them always as real, deliciously flawed people (which is a thing I love!). It's an absorbing, wise and honest read and I'll be recommending it to everyone!’

– Lizzy Stewart, author of ALISON and THE WRECK

‘An epic tale of love, ambition and artistic freedom… Kinsella paints an intoxicating picture in this standout debut’

– Stylist

‘A great holiday read’

– Kathy Burke

‘A virtuosic and assured journey through two entwined lives – I was so wholly and breathtakingly invested in each character that I felt genuinely bereft when I was finished. It has such heart and vibrancy, and an abundance of style'

– Sophie Mackintosh, author of THE WATER CURE and PERMANENCE

‘Kinsella is particularly alert to the seductions of what might be called a work romance: the thrill of building ideas together, of being seen not just as a person but as potential, material, muse… What sustains Frida Slattery As Herself for 500 pages is its commitment to emotional complexity. Kinsella is interested not only in the drama of the relationship but in its subtler recalibrations as well as the way artistic collaborations can illuminate and obscure emotional truth’

– Johanna Thomas-Corr, Sunday Times

‘Inside the reliable pull of a well-written love story, Frida Slattery As Herself is a skilful, unusual novel – clever, lucid and unexpected in the way of good theatre’

 

– Anjali Joseph, Guardian, Book of the Day

‘A tale of modern romance forged against the vagaries of a brave new world… In so far as the book is about leaving and being elsewhere, it is a parable of modern Ireland… Kinsella’s players are beautifully portrayed’

– Will Fleming, Literary Review

‘Kinsella’s fascinating tale of the struggle for self-determinism in art and life offers a sharp, beautifully nuanced insight into inspiration, the push and pull of the long ties that bind, and who owes whom what in pursuit of personal and creative freedom’

– Marie Claire

‘A will-they-won’t-they plot propels immersive plotting but they also share a deeper artistic connection, allowing Kinsella to muse with tenderness and wit on ambition, desire and power dynamics’

– Hephzibah Anderson, Mail on Sunday