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Harriet Evans

Goodreads author profile

url

http://www.goodreads.com/HarrietEvans

born

London, The United Kingdom

gender

female

website

http://www.harriet-evans.com/

twitter username

HarrietEvans

member since

June 2011

About this author

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Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/harrietevansb...

I was born in London in 1974 and grew up on the mean streets of Chiswick, where I went to school. I was a completely undistinguished pupil in every way, except I absolutely loved reading and drama. My only achievements from the age of 5 to 18 were, a) winning a doodling competition at primary school (of a witch flying in the sky with balloons in her hand), b) I was head chorister of the church choir, which believe me is not something that wins you cool points with anyone you know apart from your granny.

After school I went to Bristol University and did Classical Studies, which was great, I absolutely loved Bristol and I liked being a student and being with people who didn’t know my shame...more Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/harrietevansb...

I was born in London in 1974 and grew up on the mean streets of Chiswick, where I went to school. I was a completely undistinguished pupil in every way, except I absolutely loved reading and drama. My only achievements from the age of 5 to 18 were, a) winning a doodling competition at primary school (of a witch flying in the sky with balloons in her hand), b) I was head chorister of the church choir, which believe me is not something that wins you cool points with anyone you know apart from your granny.

After school I went to Bristol University and did Classical Studies, which was great, I absolutely loved Bristol and I liked being a student and being with people who didn’t know my shameful head chorister past. I left university and adventurously headed straight back down the motorway to London again.

I wanted to get into magazines, but the only place that would employ me was the Lady magazine, which turned out to be one of those awful first jobs where you think your working life will always be like this: I was wholly unequipped for office life, its politics, its mundanity, its tensions. I did, however, learn how one polishes chandeliers and a lot about interesting road signs in Devon.

A couple of months later I was lucky enough to get into publishing, first at Penguin, where I worked for seven years, progressing from secretary to editorial director, publishing mainly women’s fiction. I left in 2003 and went to another publisher, Headline, where I worked until May 2009.

In the meantime, I started writing in the mornings before work, and in 2003 I sent the first few pages of my book to an agent under a pseudonym. Eventually, to my great joy, this led to a publishing deal with HarperCollins in the UK and Simon and Schuster in the US, who have now published all five of my novels. FIVE books, that’s crazy!

In 2008 I left my job to write full time. I was extremely happy at Headline, working with authors such as Penny Vincenzi, Emily Barr, and Louise Bagshawe, and coming up with initiatives like rejacketing Jane Austen’s novels to appeal to a younger female audience. But it became harder to balance the two jobs, and writing won out, and I know I’m very fortunate to be in a position to write full time, though I missed the office something chronic the first year after I left. It’s awful going to work on a rainy Monday morning, but there’s something great about walking down the road with your iPod in and your coffee in your hand ready to attach another day. When you’re inside all day wearing loose clothing and glasses you don’t feel quite the same…!

I am passionate about commercial fiction, especially commercial women’s fiction, which seems to me to come in for an extraordinary amount of bile and patronising comment, in contrast to the same kind of books by men, which get reviewed, discussed, accepted into the canon with far greater ease. Books about young women’s lives, their jobs, romances, nights out, what they like doing, are seen as frippery and silly; books about young men’s lives covering exactly the same topics are discussed and debated, often accepted as valid and interesting contributions to the current social and media scene.

Last year my boyfriend and I bought a place together in Angel. I am getting used to living in North / East London - it’s strange being able to walk to Brick Lane when I’ve always been no more than 5 minutes from the M4 but I love it round here. I have my own study which is great - previously I was writing in bed or on the sofa, which is not conducive to knuckling down. It is conducive to having a quick nap though… I miss it.

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Books by Harriet Evans

Average rating: 3.64 · 4,829 ratings · 602 reviews · 11 distinct works

	A Hopeless Romantic 3.72 avg rating — 1,821 ratings — published 2006 — 10 editions	My rating:
	The Love Of Her Life 3.76 avg rating — 1,066 ratings — published 2009 — 13 editions	My rating:
	Going Home 3.53 avg rating — 895 ratings — published 2005 — 8 editions	My rating:
	I Remember You 3.36 avg rating — 678 ratings — published 2009 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Love Always 3.72 avg rating — 324 ratings — published 2011 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Happily Ever After 3.60 avg rating — 55 ratings — published 2012 — 6 editions	My rating:
	The Subject of Gender: Daughters and Mothers in Urban China 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2007 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Harriet Evans Boxed Set: Going Home, A Hopeless Romantic, The Love of Her Life, and an excerpt from Love Always 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2011	My rating:
	Gender in Flux: Agency and Its Limits in Contemporary China by Harriet Evans (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Julia Strauss (Editor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2011	My rating:
	Picturing Power in the People's Republic of China: Posters of the Cultural Revolution 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 1999	My rating:

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Interviews

October 2009, Harriet Evans
" Quick Start SS: How would you describe your life in only 8 words? HE: Coffee, sunshine, London, flowers, books, too much TV... SS: What is your motto or maxim? HE: Do some work, you lazy cow. Get more on Harriet Evans at SimonandSchuster.com..." ...More

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Harriet is Currently Reading

Harriet Evans gave

to:

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

by Rob Lowe

bookshelves: currently-reading

My rating:

Jun 15, 2011 02:56pm

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Harriet's Recent Updates

Harriet Evans gave to: Death In A White Tie by Ngaio Marsh	My rating:
I love a bit of 30s high society crime a la Dorothy L Sayers and I hadn't read Ngaio Marsh for ages. Found a battered old green penguin in a 2nd hand bookshop and devoured it over a weekend. Brilliant, very much of its time, a beautiful, sinister and...more
May 12, 2012 01:47am · see review
Harriet Evans gave to: The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye read in April, 2012	My rating:
I had a baby two weeks ago. I read the Far Pavs years ago but it seemed like a great time for a reread when you're up all night feeding! It's totally absorbing. Massive in scope. A brilliant big juicy sinister rich epic. I'm only 200 p in and already...more
Apr 24, 2012 07:50am · see review
Harriet Evans liked Callie's review of Love Always: " I want to start with the cover of this book... its beautiful! Its a piece of art in its self, love it. As for the inside of the book... well I know if you read this book you will love it. It's a story that slowly unfolds giving you small pieces of... " Read more of this review »
Aug 21, 2011 10:09am · see review
Harriet Evans gave to: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Goodreads Author) read in August, 2011	My rating:
Totally raced through this but was dazzled by it rather than completely falling for it. Touch too purple in places but it's hugely enjoyable, accomplished and gripping. Would highly recommend.
Aug 21, 2011 01:09am · see review
Harriet Evans gave to: Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson read in August, 2011	My rating:
My father in law gave me this book to read. 'It's a children's book,' I said. 'Just read it', he said. (he's a very wise man.) WHAT A GREAT BOOK. I really can't recommend it enough. It is totally gripping, beautifully written, and so richly rendered...more
Aug 11, 2011 10:47am · see review
Harriet Evans gave to: The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe	My rating:
I absolutely freaking LOVED this book. I read it while I was writing my new book which is also about girls making their way in the big city and kept wincing as I realised how totally brilliant this is and how, as a novel about growing up, finding you...more
Jul 04, 2011 06:28am · see review
Harriet Evans marked as to-read: The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O'Hagan	My rating:
Haven't read this but my dad raved about it and he has vg taste. Anyone else read?
Jun 19, 2011 03:15pm · see review
Harriet Evans added the Goodreads iPhone app
Jun 18, 2011 04:04pm
Harriet Evans made a comment on the video: Harriet Evans: The Love of Her Life "Can I comment on my own video by apologising for the fact you can see the camera reflected in my face, it's so shiny. It was hot and I was late. Apply...more "
Jun 15, 2011 03:02pm
Harriet Evans gave to: Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe	My rating:
Jun 15, 2011 02:56pm

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Quotes by Harriet Evans

“You don't fall in love with someone because it's convenient.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

tags: love , timing , truth

17 people liked it

“Darling, you fall in love all the time. You can't run away just because it doesn't fit into your exact romantic dreamworld, you know.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

9 people liked it

“It was dreadful, when she thought about it with the tiniest bit of hindsight, to admit this was the case. That a small part of herself was such a masochist, so enjoyed putting herself through all of this, that she liked hearing sad songs on the radio and staring gloomily out the window late at night. The tears in her eyes as she walked home of an evening, thinking about how much she loved him and how great they were together. It was so adolescent.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

8 people liked it

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