Will I love Harvest?

The voice is what drives this book. It's a masterclass in historical ventriloquism. Crace weaves iambic pentameter and rural metaphor through his prose to embroider Early Modern textures out of simple language. The result is beautifully readable, while still conjuring a strangeness that reminds us we are in a different, past world.

The story blends fable with naturalism, bringing to life the rhythms of a village frozen in medieval time, hostile to outsiders, terrified of their way of life being stolen or encroached upon. Crace uses the closed community setting to probe into the muddy, private vengeances that bubble up… show more.

Another perfectly realised novel, in which the ancient traditions of an isolated English village are lovingly resurrected and described – before being savagely undermined by enclosure. Harvest has both a murder and plenty of mystery but it’s really about desperation in the face of unstoppable, inhuman change. Crace writes prose as if it's poetry, most movingly about the villagers’ bewilderment and fury in the face of incomprehensible threats – and the sheer speed at which an entire way of life can disappear. It’s enough to make you wonder what, if anything, will remain of our most cherished traditions.