Which Helen Dunmore book would you recommend starting with?

[NotWavingButReading]

Has anyone read any Helen Dunmore? I have about ten of her books that were given to me on my paperback tbr. Any recommendations which to try first? They all seem to get good reviews.

I enjoyed Exposure.

Not A Spell of Winter. It's a bit icky. I like everything else she's done.

Very icky.

Burning Bright is good or any of her short stories

The Siege and then The Betrayal which is a follow up. Honestly two of the best books I've ever read. Both very tense with huge jeopardy.

Another vote for The Siege. It’s stayed with me for years!

I'll add The Siege too, it is excellent.

Thanks. I've got both the Siege and the Betrayal so I'll start with the Siege.

Mourning Ruby and The siege

Birdcage Walk is brilliant.

The Siege. Fabulous and I've read it a few times. There's a follow on novel which updates on the characters.

Talking to the Dead was the one I started with and got me completely hooked. Absolutely intoxicating.

Don't bother with The Greatcoat, I thought it was terrible.

I'm half way through the Siege. Incredible book. Definitely my book of the year so far.

Glad you’re enjoying it, OP!

Fab! I’ve loaned that many copies of The Siege and then had to buy another - I feel really enthusiastic about recommending it. As @EthanolHawke says, it stays with you.

Came on to say The Siege!

Oooo I've just got in to Heln Dunmore - I'm finding Birdcage Walk quite heavy going but I loved Burning Bright!

I'll have to look for The Siege

Burning bright is great. I don’t know if I like it as it kind of reminds me of my teenage self but is also nostalgic. I hope the Nadine character had a happy ending.

Are your 10 books a matching set? Wondering because years ago, I bought a set of 10 of her novels from TheBookPeople, which used to sell sets of paperbacks at amazing prices, often a set for the same price as one book. I would give away the duplicates. My set was a great bargain but I think it was her first 10 novels for adults (not a YA series, her poetry, short story collections or last few novels, some of which were really good).

The Siege is my favourite of her novels, set during the siege of Leningrad, which lasted about 3 years during the Second World War, and if you like it, I'm sure you'll want to read The Betrayal. I also liked House of Orphans, set in Finland in 1905, and Zennor in Darkness, a historical novel with real people characters, in this case D H Lawrence and his wife, as well as fictional ones.

@elkiedee yes they are! An aunt who died had a huge hoard of books, many unopened sets wrapped in cellophane. There were others I kept but most I got rid of partly because I only really like reading on my kindle.

I read 'Betrayal' which I thought was very good.

This is my favourite too. I love the sensuous descriptions of the food as well as the haunting plot.