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On Hampstead Heath: A delightfully sharp and witty comedy of errors Hardcover – May 13, 2021

by Marika Cobbold (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 210 ratings
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"A mystery and an elegy for the death of old-fashioned journalism, it's a book that will warm your heart" The Observer

"Splendid . . . Funny, poignant, perceptive and plenty of sharp elbows along the way" Val McDermid

Thorn Marsh was raised in a house of whispers, of meaningful glances and half- finished sentences. Now she's a journalist with a passion for truth, more devoted to her work at the London Journal than she ever was to her ex-husband.

When the newspaper is bought by media giant The Goring Group, who value sales figures over fact-checking, Thorn openly questions their methods, and promptly finds herself moved from the news desk to the midweek supplement, reporting heart-warming stories for their new segment, The Bright Side, a job to which she is spectacularly unsuited.

On a final warning and with no heart-warming news in sight, a desperate Thorn fabricates a good-news story of her own. The story, centred on an angelic apparition on Hampstead Heath, goes viral. Caught between her principles and her ambitions, Thorn goes in search of the truth behind her creation, only to find the answers locked away in the unconscious mind of a stranger.

Marika Cobbold returns with her eighth novel, On Hampstead Heath. Sharp, poignant, and infused with dark humour, On Hampstead Heath is an homage to storytelling and to truth; to the tales we tell ourselves, and the stories that save us.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Arcadia Books
  4. Publication date
    May 13, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1911350927
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1911350927
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

On Hampstead Heath is a deliciously romantic comedy of misunderstandings and misbehaviour - I loved it―author of SMALL PLEASURES

On Hampstead Heath is a deliciously romantic comedy of misunderstandings and misbehaviour - I loved it―author of SMALL PLEASURES

With On Hampstead Heath, Marika Cobbold has rebooted the Hampstead Novel for the 21st century. A delightful novel

With On Hampstead Heath, Marika Cobbold has rebooted the Hampstead Novel for the 21st century. A delightful novel

A heart-warming and at times hilarious tale about truth and honesty in this treacherous age of social media

A heart-warming and at times hilarious tale about truth and honesty in this treacherous age of social media

A brilliant and brave take on fake news and its fallout

A brilliant and brave take on fake news and its fallout

Clever and funny with a splinter of melancholy running through it. It's a superb read―author of THE SMALLEST MAN

Clever and funny with a splinter of melancholy running through it. It's a superb read―author of THE SMALLEST MAN

Few writers balance darkness and light as well as Cobbold―i paper

Few writers balance darkness and light as well as Cobbold―i paper

On Hampstead Heath was so refreshing and unexpectedly needed, like feeling the sun on your face in winter. Funny, astute, and aching in all the right ways, I was utterly charmed.―author of A THOUSAND PAPER BIRDS

On Hampstead Heath was so refreshing and unexpectedly needed, like feeling the sun on your face in winter. Funny, astute, and aching in all the right ways, I was utterly charmed.―author of A THOUSAND PAPER BIRDS

Marika Cobbold's look on life is unique

Marika Cobbold's look on life is unique

On Hampstead Heath is exactly what is needed at this time. A romantic story tempered with a sharp wit and written with knowledge and love of place in which it's set

On Hampstead Heath is exactly what is needed at this time. A romantic story tempered with a sharp wit and written with knowledge and love of place in which it's set

An absolute little gem of a book, On Hampstead Heath is entertaining, thought-provoking and extremely witty―The Book Magnet

An absolute little gem of a book, On Hampstead Heath is entertaining, thought-provoking and extremely witty―The Book Magnet

A fabulous read. It's wise and perceptive, honest and witty―Short Book and Scribes

A fabulous read. It's wise and perceptive, honest and witty―Short Book and Scribes

Brilliant and funny and darkly surprising

Brilliant and funny and darkly surprising

About the Author

Marika Cobbold was born with newspaper ink flowing through her veins. She used to visit her father and grandfather at their offices at the Gothenburg-Post, the Swedish broadsheet her grandfather had rescued from oblivion decades earlier.

At home, when Marika wasn't reading, she listened as the grown-ups around her discussed the issues of the day, and to the stories told by her mother and great aunt, who was a writer.

She left Sweden for England when she was nineteen, with vague plans of studying law, but eventually what her grandfather called "the family curse" caught up with her, and some years later she wrote her first novel, Guppies For Tea. She has been writing ever since.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arcadia Books (May 13, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1911350927
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1911350927
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 210 ratings

About the author

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Marika Cobbold

Marika Cobbold

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
210 global ratings

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There are 0 reviews and 9 ratings from the United States

Top reviews from other countries

Lady Dahrendorf
5.0 out of 5 stars A joy to read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
Marika Cobbold has done it again. On Hampstead Heath is very different in plot and structure from any of her previous novels, but her very characteristic wit and humour(sometimes darkish, always spot on), shine through the text.

It is a whimsical story with characters who turn out to be surprising in their complexity, as humans generally are. What is real and what is an apparition? The heroine Thorn, a journalist devoted to truth, finds herself caught up in a chance event – although an inner voice tells her that “chance does not do irony” – that leads her almost inexorably into a situation where her values and livelihood are both under threat. Her inner reflections and conversations with others several times had this reader laughing out loud.

Yet this is a very serious novel. When her beloved paper is bought by a large profit seeking corporation, Thorn finds herself up against the cynical world of tabloid editors which is vividly described. Many of the dark shadows of our current existence are there and recognisable. It also is a work that is touching in its humanity: human frailty under beautiful surfaces, bewilderment, a capacity for forgiveness and love.

It was a treat to read it!
3 people found this helpful
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Sabina
3.0 out of 5 stars Partly enjoyable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Thorn is a journalist committed to truth and battling against the pressure towards sensationalist fake news. Yet, while under the influence of alcohol she posts a fraudulent story of a kind of angelic apparition and rescue on Hampsted Heath, and then has to live with the fear of being found out. This is a sort of romantic comedy cum exposition of the evils of a cynical media industry. What I enjoyed was the author's witty, robust, quirky, sometimes dark voice. What I wasn't convinced by was the plot and the 'angelic' hero. I did like the depiction of Thorn's relationship with her wise, elderly Hampstead friend and the caustic Mira Chaterjee. So a mixed response from me, like consuming a meal consisting of some tasty and some unsatisfying courses.
4 people found this helpful
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Michelle Styles
5.0 out of 5 stars A book which might make you miss your tube stop or boil a kettle dry
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
Sometimes, you encounter a book which perfectly suits your mood and restores your faith in life. Marika Cobbold’s On Hampstead Heath was that sort of book for me. Thorn, the heroine is truly a character with attitude and a never say die spirit. Cobbold is completely on point with her tale of journalism gone bad and how little stories can take on a life of their own. Also how sometimes what initially appears to be a white lie becomes an important truth when looked at from another angle. It was an exquisite jewel box of a book with many pen portraits which instantly gave the reader a sense of the character. For example, the hard-bitten and somewhat terrifying Mira who was forced to edit London Living and decided to fight back against management with posters of kittens and an electronic ‘Virgin Mary’ (all gifts from ‘readers’). And Cobbold made me want to visit Hampstead Heath and the Viaduct Bridge where certain miracles can happen. Thoroughly recommend for anyone who wants to escape into a book.
One person found this helpful
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Julie-Ann
5.0 out of 5 stars Sharp, searing and clever
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2023
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What a find. I adore books like this - clever, wise and perceptive. A diamond of a story. Perfectly formed and three-dimensional characters, beautifully written, and quietly explosive.
One person found this helpful
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D. C. A. Price
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
I just didn’t want this book to end. It made me think of my favourite film “While You Were Sleeping” but is different in many ways - darker and more witty. Definitely not twee! Many themes running through it - the manipulation of the media, the hurts of childhood, but the writer’s style is, for me, a joy. I’ve loved all her books, though I think there’s been rather a gap since her last one. Please, Marika Cobbald …. more please!!
2 people found this helpful
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