From Malcolm Lowry to Joseph O'Connor, Zadie Smith to Peppa Pig, lots of authors have chosen festivals in which to set memorable scenes.

Main-FestivalsInLiterature.jpg

Reading lists

Mud, music, mayhem: the greatest festival scenes in books

Kirsty Robinson

This is about how hedonism can turn to purgatory; it feels very real

A hip, zeitgeisty read for the festival generation that examines the effects on your sanity of living life on the edge

An impressive debut: snappy, modern and uncompromising

It's all hedonism and heartbreak in Robinson's pacy, poignant debut

Louisa is at a music festival and the sun is blazing down. She is there with her best friends, her charismatic bad-boy boyfriend Dan, and her backstage pass - for a long-weekend of carefree hedonism. <br/>
<br/>
Aged 30 and editor on a style magazine, her life is a parade of free tickets and gigs, openings and all-nighters, drug and alcohol-induced happiness. But cracks have begun to appear beneath the surface. Dan is acting erratically, her family is in the midst of a crisis, and she's missing deadlines at work. <br/>
<br/>
In the surreal micro-climate of fancy dress, pear cider and 48-hour friendships, Louisa has a meltdown. But with a little help from Matt - one of life's good guys - she has one last chance to get her life back on track.

Grass Stains

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

sectionTitle

isEnabled

anchor

anchorLabel

prhuk/featured-book

prhuk/praise-section

maxBooks

showViewMore

prhuk/books-section

hideAuthorAlert

formName

iterableDivision

iterableBrand

buttonText

description

heading

legalText

successHeading

successText

image

alignment

variation

prhuk/email-section

prhuk/series-section

prhuk/biography-section

prhuk/articles-section

prhuk-authors

Penguin Shop: 15% off for a limited time with code PENGUINXMAS2025

Little Black Classics Box Set

White Nights

Frankenstein

Kirsty Robinson

Praise for Grass Stains

Unputdownable

Slick and slinky

This is about how hedonism can turn to purgatory; it feels very real

Unputdownable

Slick and slinky

This is about how hedonism can turn to purgatory; it feels very real

Unputdownable

Slick and slinky

This is about how hedonism can turn to purgatory; it feels very real

Articles featuring Kirsty Robinson

Mud, music, mayhem: the greatest festival scenes in books

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter