Laura Barnett

Through tragedy, triumphs, the settling of old scores and the blossoming of love, the nuances of their friendship are beautifully portrayed. A perfect, can't-put-down summer read!

Full of life's ups and downs . . . There'll be a lot of head nodding as you read this; it will bring you back to house sharing with friends and memories of being a student and feeling invincible.

Immersive ... It's so good at capturing the feeling many of us have that life hasn't quite worked out as planned - so relatable.

A beautifully written story about second chances. We couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

Laura Barnett skilfully handles a large cast of characters, who we come to adore and champion, as she weaves a compelling tale about love and friendship in all its guises. Her exquisite line by line writing and astute character observations held me rapt. A novel to be devoured.

Lucy Clarke, author of The Castaways and One of the Girls

I loved Births, Deaths and Marriages. Laura’s ability to jump between so many different lives and to keep those strands alive in the reader’s mind reminded me of Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.

Georgina Moore, author of The Garnett Girls

Wonderful . . . beautifully written, superbly characterized and so truthful

Elizabeth Buchan, author of Two Women in Rome

A book to sink into... a nuanced, compelling and comforting read that reminds us about the power, support and importance of found family

Kate Sawyer, author of This Family and The Stranding

Births, Deaths and Marriages is my first read by Laura Barnett and it won’t be my last. About family, friendship, love and grief it follows the lives of a group of friends and their gloriously imperfect lives. Richly written and so moving.

Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

This measured, quietly poignant book will make you examine your own friendships, the ones you have clung to and those that have fallen away, as well as the choices you make as an adult, and how they might have sat with your 20-year old self.

From the author of the Sunday Times Number One Bestseller, The Versions of Us. A novel about six lifelong friends and one unforgettable year. 
 
‘Four Weddings and a Funeral meets One Day...I couldn't put it down.’ 5-star reader review 
 
'I haven't read a book this delightful in a long time.' 5-star reader review 
 
Zoe, Al, Rachel, Rob, Yas and Indie. Six friends who were inseparable at university, who have all had their secret or not so secret passions for each other, their hopes and fears. 
 
Over the years, they have gone their separate ways. Rob is a history teacher, with a string of broken relationships behind him. Yas is a surgeon and very much her own woman. Indie is married and a successful coffee entrepreneur. Rachel is a stay at home mum with two children. Al, widowed young, is about to take over his father's funeral business. 
 
When Rob's engagement party throws the gang together once more, some passions are reignited, old connections and resentments resurface. Over the next twelve months, there will, among the friends, be a birth, a marriage, and a death – but whose? 
 
BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES is an era-spanning, globe-trotting novel about love, friendship, and how to stay at least relatively sane in an ever crazier world. It’s about a group of friends growing older, the possibility of second chances, about kindness and joy. It’s about births, deaths, marriages... and everything in between. 
 
________ 
 
PRAISE for BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES: 
‘I loved Births, Deaths and Marriages. Laura’s ability to jump between so many different lives and to keep those strands alive in the reader’s mind reminded me of Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors’ Georgina Moore'Wonderful...beautifully written, superbly characterized and so truthful' Elizabeth Buchan'A book to sink into... a nuanced, compelling and comforting read that reminds us about the power, support and importance of found family' Kate Sawyer'A compelling tale about love and friendship in all its guises. Her exquisite line by line writing and astute character observations held me rapt' Lucy Clarke 
READERS LOVE BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES: 
 
'An emotional, heartfelt book about the joys and sorrows of life. It is about love in all its forms, the friendships that shape us, and the quiet moments that define who we become.' 
 
'Relatable, funny, moving and hopeful. Births, Deaths and Marriages is a fantastic read that reminded me of Cold Feet and deals with the themes of feeling unsure in your life, grief and moving forward beautifully.' 
 
‘Wow! Just wow! A book for anyone who has loved, for anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one, for anyone who has contemplated or been married, for every parent, indeed, for anyone who has lived.’ 
 
‘A hugely enjoyable novel which celebrates the durability of friendships that have weathered the storm of growing up.’ 
 
'Reminiscent of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Notting Hill' 
 
'Immersive and thought-provoking . . . captures the nuances of human relationships—the tension, the tenderness, the misunderstandings, and the unbreakable bonds that endure despite time and distance.' 
 
'With its perfect blend of humour, poignancy, and authenticity, this novel will resonate with anyone who's ever experienced the joys and challenges of close relationships.' 
 
'Highly addictive and incredibly comforting. Exquisite storytelling written in a way that gives you all the feels from incredible sadness to raucous laughter. These are a bunch of friends I won’t forget in a hurry!'

Laura Barnett

Praise for Births, Deaths and Marriages

A luminous life-affirming read.

Through tragedy, triumphs, the settling of old scores and the blossoming of love, the nuances of their friendship are beautifully portrayed. A perfect, can't-put-down summer read!

A must-read.

A luminous life-affirming read.

Through tragedy, triumphs, the settling of old scores and the blossoming of love, the nuances of their friendship are beautifully portrayed. A perfect, can't-put-down summer read!

A must-read.

A luminous life-affirming read.

Through tragedy, triumphs, the settling of old scores and the blossoming of love, the nuances of their friendship are beautifully portrayed. A perfect, can't-put-down summer read!

A must-read.

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter