Never Greener by Ruth Jones

The Sunday Times number one bestselling debut from screenwriter and actress Ruth Jones. A warm, witty and wise story of life's second chances and the dangers of taking them.

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, PICKED FOR THE ZOE BALL TV BOOK CLUB

‘Ruth Jones is excellent on human nature and why we make the mistakes we do. I felt for every character. Unputdownable.’ Jojo Moyes
*****
In her unmissable debut, actress and screenwriter Ruth Jones shows us the dangers of trying to recapture that which was once lost and failing to realise the beauty of what we already have.
*****
‘We spend most of our lives wishing we were somewhere else or someone else, or looking forward or harping back. Always thinking the grass is greener on the other side. But it never is. It’s still grass. Just a different patch of it, that’s all.’
*****
The past has a habit of tracking us down. And tripping us up.

When Kate was twenty-two, she had an intense and passionate affair with a married man, Callum, which ended in heartbreak. Kate thought she’d never get over it.

Seventeen years later, life has moved on – Kate, now a successful actress, is living in London, married to Matt and mother to little Tallulah. Meanwhile Callum and his wife Belinda are happy together, living in Edinburgh and watching their kids grow up. The past, it would seem, is well and truly behind them all.

But then Kate meets Callum again.

And they are faced with a choice: to walk away from each other . . . or to risk finding out what might have been.

Second chances are a rare gift in life. But that doesn’t mean they should always be taken . . .
*****
'I love books about gnarly, messy relationships and this one kept me gripped from the beginning. A great read.’ Jane Fallon

‘Heart-rending, provocative and astutely written, Never Greener is a love story about getting what you want and losing everything you need. Ruth’s characters will stay with me for a long time.’ Cathy Bramley

Ruth Jones

Reviews

“ Ruth Jones is excellent on human nature and why we make the mistakes we do. I felt for every character. Unputdownable. ”

Jojo Moyes, bestselling author of ME BEFORE YOU

“ Heart-rending, provocative and astutely written, Never Greener is a love story about getting what you want and losing everything you need. Ruth's characters will stay with me for a long time. ”

Cathy Bramley, bestselling author of THE LEMON TREE CAFE

“ I love books about gnarly, messy relationships and this one kept me gripped from the beginning. A great read. ”

Jane Fallon, bestselling author of MY SWEET REVENGE and STRICTLY BETWEEN US

“ Easy to read and full of laughter - and truth ”

Daily Mail

“ A great debut ”

Bella

“ Thought-provoking, compelling and ultimately redemptive, Never Greener is a captivating modern morality tale ”

Sunday Express

“ ‘A gripping, grown-up romance’ ”

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Formats & editions

Paperback

9781784162221

May 21, 2019

Black Swan

528 pages

RRP $19.99

Online retailers

Or

Find your local bookstore at booksellers.org.au

Hardback

9780593078068

May 15, 2018

Bantam Press

416 pages

RRP $27.99

Online retailers

Or

Find your local bookstore at booksellers.org.au

Trade Paperback

9780593078075

April 16, 2018

Bantam Press

416 pages

RRP $32.99

Online retailers

Or

Find your local bookstore at booksellers.org.au

Extract

1985
Fergus was getting tetchy. The new girl should’ve been there at six. And now it was twenty past. A Saturday night at the height of the summer season was not a time to be short-staffed. He’d already roped poor Callum in to help. And obviously he’d rather be elsewhere. He looked over at him serving behind the bar and thought, as he often did, how good he looked for his age, definitely younger than his thirty-eight years. Fergus’s kid brother, Callum. Funny he still thought of him as the baby. Even though he was a towering six foot four. He watched him now, chatting easily to a couple of the locals. That was the thing about Callum. He was easy. With absolutely everyone. Whoever he was talking to – no matter who they were, their background, their age – he had this way of sounding interested. It’s what made him such a good teacher. And such a good dad. Fergus envied his brother’s enduring patience.
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