A tender story about finding your place in the world, about ordinary lives, belonging and being brave. <b>The kind of book that gives you hope and courage</b>.<b> I loved it</b>.
Kit de Waal
In this <b>insightful, thoughtful</b> novel about a farrier and a butcher, Franklin explores the meaning of home and the importance of belonging. It's replete with <b>gorgeous descriptions of forest life</b>
Carys Bray
Sarah writes intimately about the forest and the lives it sustains, exploring the human condition with <b>forensic tenderness</b>; we feel every step of Tessa and Jo's journeys. It's <b>a big-hearted novel </b>about how we learn to belong despite ourselves, and <b>I relished every word</b>
Shelley Harris, author of Jubilee
This novel is perfect for anyone who has left home, returned, and found that they are a little out of place everywhere. Sarah Franklin deals <b>sensitively and thoughtfully</b> with her subject matter - two women adrift in places that used to be their homes - and creates <b>an involving, thought-provoking story</b>
Stephanie Butland
This set up - the farrier and the butcher - is <b>so unusual, and so engaging</b>. I was VERY curious to see how this relationship between Jo and Tessa would unfold, and Sarah Franklin's skilful weaving of their backstories into the captivating present keeps up a constant, subtle tug of intrigue, as well as thematic poignancy. It's <b>thoughtful, and fresh</b>, and <b>such a vibrant setting</b>. The place feels completely alive - I can walk through it and practically smell those horses, that forest, the butcher's shop, the woodsmoke. And the wider community is also <b>wonderfully colourful and alive</b>. It's just a pleasure to read!
Lucy Atkins
<i>How to Belong </i>is set in the Forest of Dean and is<b> steeped in the spirit of the place</b>. Such a <b>warm and touching</b> novel
Lissa Evans
Life-affirming and compelling . . . <b>Sarah Franklin is a breath of fresh air</b>
Clare Mackintosh, on Shelter
Its characters pulse with<b> life</b> and <b>energy</b>
Daily Mail, on Shelter
This <b>beautifully crafted tale</b> of survival and solace reveals that you can find a home in the most unusual places
Sunday Express, on Shelter
An accomplished debut from Sarah Franklin . . . with <b>humour, warmth and a real sense of place</b>
Daily Record, on Shelter
Beautiful
Adele Parks, on Shelter
Powerful and moving
Essie Fox, on Shelter
A wonderful, affecting debut novel about the redemptive power of nature
Red, on Shelter
<b>Beautifully written</b> and filled with complex, real characters, it's about hope, loss, family and dreams. <b>Deeply profound and moving</b>, it was also laugh-out-loud funny
Bridget Christie, on Shelter
This atmospheric read is simply beautiful
Woman and Home