The powerful new novel from the author of Another Life

Oh, Sister

THE LIFE-AFFIRMING NOVEL ABOUT REAL-LIFE RELIGIOUS FANATICISM AND THE COURAGE OF THREE WOMEN WHO CONFRONT IT, FROM AUTHOR OF BBC2 BETWEEN THE COVERS PICK, ANOTHER LIFE 
 
'So movingly told' Good Housekeeping 
 
'A touching novel about female friendship and finding strength when you need it most' Grazia 
 
____________ 
 
HOW DO YOU LEAVE A CULT? 
 
Step into a world that lies behind the ordinary front doors of Britain. 
 
A place of loyal wives, obedient children, of faithful (and occasionally faithless) husbands. 
 
Meet Isobel, Jen and Zelda. They know how to please, and they know their place in this world is precarious. 
 
But what happens when they can longer be the person others want them to be – when they stop lying to themselves? 
 
Will each woman stay quiet and keep pleasing? 
 
Or will they stand up and fight? 
 
____________ 
 
 
Praise for Jodie Chapman: 
 
'Poignant, beautifully written and underpinned with a quiet rage' Julie Owen Moylan 
 
'Beautifully written...I couldn't put it down' Emma Gannon 
 
'An astounding debut about sibling grief, religion and sliding doors love' Pandora Skyes 
 
'Deep, rich, thoughtful' Gillian Mcallister 
 
'With echoes of David Nicholls' One Day and Sally Rooney's novels, it perfectly captures the agony of falling in love and the razor-sharp reality of pain and loss' Daily Mail 
 
'Brilliant. A powerful eye-opening read that will spark discussion - a perfect book-club pick' Prima

A story of hope over adversity . . . What each woman goes through will resonate with many. The characters are brought to life in a way that will leave you rooting for them. A touching tale about female friendship, finding strength when you need it most

Distinct and so movingly told that as a reader you really root for them to thrive

A dark, powerful tale of subservience and rebellion that will have you hooked from the very first page

Brilliant - even better than Chapman's debut . . . A powerful eye-opening read that will spark discussion - a perfect book-club pick

Insightful and shocking. [A] powerful read

Each of their stories is so well written, distinct and movingly told that, as a reader, you really root for them to thrive

Good Housekeeping, Best books to take on holiday 2024

An astounding debut about sibling grief, religion and sliding doors love

A stunning one-that-got-away romance, this is an intricate story of love entwined with loss that will tug on your heartstrings...A beautiful piece of writing

This beautiful tale of love, loss and sacrifice will break your heart...With echoes of David Nicholls' One Day and Sally Rooney's novels

Prepare for all the feels in this heart-breaking must-read

Jodie Chapman spent twelve years working as a photographer before returning to her first love of writing. She lives in Kent with her husband and three sons. Another Life, her debut novel, was a BBC2 Between the Covers pick while her second novel, Oh, Sister was published to critical acclaim. California Gold is her third work of fiction. 
 
www.jodiechapman.co.uk 
@jodiechapman [Twitter icon] 
@jodiechapman [Instagram icon]

Meet Jen, Isobel and Zelda. 
 
JEN 
My body is not my own. Others make life and death decisions on my behalf. 
 
ISOBEL 
My place is to be secondary to the man in my life. 
 
ZELDA 
If I break the rules I will be sorry. 
 
But this is not a dystopia. This is not the future or the past or a fantasy. It is real and it is happening now. 
 
Three women. Three lives. One chance to break free ...

The stunning love story and BBC2 Between the Covers pick

Another Life

THE STUNNING AND DEVASTATING LOVE STORY ABOUT HOPE, SACRIFICE AND BELONGING 
 
'A modern day Atonement meets David Nicholls. Beautifully written - I couldn't put it down' EMMA GANNON 
'Like if One Day had been written by Sally Rooney' 5***** READER REVIEW 
'An intricate story of love . . . A beautiful piece of writing' SUNDAY EXPRESS 
_______ 
 
Do you remember your first love? 
 
Nick and Anna are young. They meet at a cinema, both working summer jobs. They've lived different lives. Carry secret hurts. But they're drawn together by something neither understands. 
 
Fast forward and they've long ago gone their separate ways. Inhabiting different worlds. Shaped by the hurt they bear. Yet neither can quite forget the other. 
 
So when tragedy brings them back together, they find themselves asking . . . 
 
What if we took a chance on another life? 
_______ 
 
'I was devastated to finish this book. It broke my heart, and if you're a fan of Sally Rooney, Another Life is something you'll want. The characters are real, the themes of grief, family and loss are so raw. Chapman is a master' Daily Record 
 
'Fans of David Nicholls will adore this complex love story' Prima 
 
'The Romeo and Juliet of our generation' Gillian McAllister 
 
'This book broke me in the best way. A heart wrenching portrait . . . It feels a bit like if One Day had been written by Sally Rooney' 5***** READER REVIEW 
 
'Stunning. Written with such poignancy, full of nostalgia, unspoken longing and the agony of wrong turns' BETH MORREY 
 
'A complex, beautiful, multilayered debut exploring love in all its forms' WOMAN'S WEEKLY 
 
 'I have a feeling that this will be one of my favourite books of 2021! I could not put it down, it's so, so good' 5***** READER REVIEW

A modern day Atonement meets David Nicholls. Beautifully written - I couldn't put it down

Absolutely loved it - thought about it as I went to bed, as I was washing up

I loved it, so glad I read it. Beautifully written, made me think about love and breaking out into a world that is completely different

Really enjoyed the double life aspect of the book. Really good on relationships

A stunning one-that-got-away romance, this is an intricate story of love entwined with loss that will tug on your heartstrings . . . A beautiful piece of writing

Deep, rich, thoughtful. It reminded me of how I felt when I first read David Nicholls and Jodi Picoult. It's the Romeo and Juliet of our generation

I loved the brothers' relationship. Very moving. Fascinating

This is a little bit Sliding Doors, a little bit One Day, a little bit will-they-won't-they - and you're desperate for a happy ending. Jodie Chapman does a brilliant job of describing what happens when life gets in the way of love. A really special book

This beautiful tale of love, loss and sacrifice will break your heart . . . With echoes of David Nicholls' One Day and Sally Rooney's novels, it perfectly captures the agony of falling in love and the razor-sharp reality of pain and loss

Very readable, very enjoyable. We loved it!

This love (in every sense of the word) story will speak to anyone who has felt an enduring, painful, yet wonderfully beautiful love. From first loves that never really leave you to difficult family dynamics we can spend our whole lives trying to cope with, Another Life is astounding

It broke my heart to close the book on this romance . . . Chapman is a master at bringing her story to life on the page

Stunning. Written with such poignancy, full of nostalgia, unspoken longing and the agony of wrong turns

Fans of David Nicholls will adore this complex love story

A complex, beautiful, multilayered debut exploring love in all its forms

If you love sweet, sorrowful coming-of-age tales, you'll love this beautifully written debut

Beautiful. Finished with a lump in my throat. A never-ending daisy chain smoking summer of first love

A beautifully written story of love in all its forms . . . The writing is stunning and intuitive, and the story is one I don't think I will forget

Teeming with acute observations and wired with suspense, this novel explores how we are the architects of our own lives

Do you remember your first love? 
 
Nick and Anna are young. They meet at a cinema working summer jobs. They've lived different lives. Carry secret hurts. But they're drawn together by something neither understands. 
 
Fast forward and they've long ago gone their separate ways. Inhabiting different worlds. Shaped by the hurt they bear. Yet neither can quite forget the other. 
 
And then a tragedy brings them back together. Despite their years apart each finds themselves asking . . . 
 
What if we took a chance on another life?

Jodie Chapman

Stylish, vibrant, romantic and beautifully written, the characters' various realisations that the only thing any of us have is the moment we are living in will stay with me for a very long time

Both a wide-screen romance and a dream that turns into obsession. An epic portrait of a complicated family, ambitious and compelling

Exquisite, evocative and cinematic

If you love Taylor Jenkins Reid you will adore this. The scope of California Gold is breathtaking - English snobbery, the American dream and a dance through the second half of the twentieth century with a jukebox soundtrack. Extraordinary

Exceptional. Britain's response to Ann Pachett

So good, so sharp. A movie-scene beginning and a shattering of love’s young dream

Gorgeous and heartfelt. California Gold shows how both love and tragedy can echo through generations

Frank and Chrissy meet a couple of days into 1970. Frank O’Hara, with his Elvis T-shirt and slicked-back hair, has escaped England for adventure out west. As soon as someone tells him about a house in the desert two hours east of LA where the walls are curved and the glass shimmers, a house where Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned only a few years before, Frank tells himself: I have to see this place. 
 
When Chrissy, all blonde hair and oversized sunglasses, picks him up hitchhiking on the side of the road, it’s love at first sight. Weeks later they elope, setting out to build Mirage, an exact replica of Elvis and Priscilla’s mid-century honeymoon fantasy in a muddy English field. For the next forty years, Mirage will be home to three generations of the O’Hara family. But when your life is a sunny Californian dream raised in Britain, you start to wonder: where exactly do I belong?

California Gold

About us

Jodie Chapman

Praise for California Gold

Stylish, vibrant, romantic and beautifully written, the characters' various realisations that the only thing any of us have is the moment we are living in will stay with me for a v ...

Both a wide-screen romance and a dream that turns into obsession. An epic portrait of a complicated family, ambitious and compelling

Exquisite, evocative and cinematic

Stylish, vibrant, romantic and beautifully written, the characters' various realisations that the only thing any of us have is the moment we are living in will stay with me for a v ...

Both a wide-screen romance and a dream that turns into obsession. An epic portrait of a complicated family, ambitious and compelling

Exquisite, evocative and cinematic

Stylish, vibrant, romantic and beautifully written, the characters' various realisations that the only thing any of us have is the moment we are living in will stay with me for a v ...

Both a wide-screen romance and a dream that turns into obsession. An epic portrait of a complicated family, ambitious and compelling

Exquisite, evocative and cinematic

Books by Jodie Chapman

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