The rest, as they say, isn’t history. How might things have turned out for them, for America, for the world itself, if Hillary Rodham had really turned down Bill Clinton?

Rodham is Curtis Sittenfeld’s sixth novel, echoing her 2008 novel American Wife in which she imagined the life of a first lady like Laura Bush. Full of lively conversation, deep politics, and a lot of sex, it’s a pacy novel that follows the life of a firey woman who could hold her own against anyone in political office.

Sittenfield is clearly a Clinton fan, and whilst you don’t have to be to read the novel, it certainly helps if you have some interest in their life. It begins with the famous speech at her 1969 Wellesley graduation ceremony where Hillary told off the conservative senator who spoke before her, which sets the tone for the energy of the main protagonist. Women in the pubic eye are often held to ludicrously high standards, and the author challenges this at the same time as creating warmth and empathy to a woman who is not at all cold and calculating.

Even though she doesn’t stay with him, and leaves at the first sign of infidelity, Hillary does truly love Bill – and it wasn’t just sexual. ‘I knew plenty of smart people, but I’d never before encountered a person whose intelligence sharpened mine the way his did,’ she says. There’s a certain thrill that comes with seeing her in emotional and domestic settings, so far removed from the reputation that has been built up over the last few years. But she’s also a political powerhouse, and Sittenfeld draws the conclusion that without Hillary Bill’s political career would never have happened.

Most women in the public eye are full of contradictions. Is there any value in imagining an alternate life for them and seeing where those layers take us? Maybe not, but Sittenfield is a good writer and tells a story with emotion and empathy.

How different the world could have been.

How did you discover the power of walking?

When I was sixteen, I came home from school one day in a terrible mood and my dad took one look at me and said “go for a walk and then we’ll talk.” I took his advice and vividly recall the way my mood had shifted by the time I got home 20 minutes later. Since then, walking has always been part of my personal practice.

How does walking help us?

Walking is a simple, but incredibly powerful practice. The research around all of the things walking does for us is truly remarkable. For our bodies, a regular walking practice reduces our risk of many diseases, from high blood pressure to dementia to several types of cancer. For our mood, walking has been shown to be an effective tool in the arsenal against depression and, as I often say, walking is a great antidote to a crappy day. And walking is good for our minds by improving our decision making, increasing our focus and fueling our creativity.

What does ‘better’ mean for you?

Oh, that’s such a good question — no one has asked me that. By better, I mean happier and working our way towards living a life that is more closely aligned with our true personal goals, priorities and purpose.

What has been the biggest ‘a ha’ moment you’ve had whilst walking?

I really can’t point to one “lightning bolt” moment. Walking is more of a process for me. A time in my day when I sort through what’s on my mind and untangle my thoughts.

What for you is the link between stories and walking?

I feel that we are all running so fast and doing so much that what’s missing for many of us is the chance to let our minds wander and process and percolate and create. It’s no surprise to me that the research shows a very significant increase in our ability to generate creative ideas following a walk. All of those things come together to make working and stories — whether creating stories or contemplating them — closely connected.

Atmospheric prose and vivid descriptions captivate throughout, even though at times the characters and plot gets a bit saggy. But the language and writing hooks you in and makes you imagine the blue skies and bluer seas that we all want to be near. It is a classic coming-of-age story, beautifully executed.

It’s perfect summer reading, transporting us far away whilst we’re all trying to remember what holidays look like.

Olive, the protagonist of Emma Gannon’s new novel by the same name is independent, loyal, and knows her own mind. She’s trying to figure life out, and doing it with the support of her three friends from university. But then their paths start to diverge, as they choose marriage and motherhood, and Olive wonders whether her choices are the right ones. Life according to Olive looks different.

Olive is a pacy novel that explores our own explorations – how we approach life, and what it means to live a good one. The journalist and author has long been praised for acute commentary on society and life, and weaves in her observations subtley. Olive is a journalist, which means she can ask questions as a character, allowing us to see more than just her own life.

At times I worried that the cliché of Olive being a bit of a party girl undermined her decision not to have children. A woman can be child free without being irrational or hysterical, without loving wine more than they love family, or being an obsessive career woman.

Whatever path you choose to take, it’s always worth being mindful of the fact that there are other options out there.  Even if your life is a good life, it doesn’t mean that someone else’s is bad. You do you. Olive does Olive.

I caught up with Valerie to find out more.

The collection was written over 15 years, which is a long time. What made you stick with it?

I really didn’t have a choice. It was how I would deal with the realities of my life. I would be deep in a thought or an emotion, and then this pattern would form and then these words would come, and the only way to stop thinking about it was to write it down and release it.

Your career has been as a ghostwriter – are there any similarities in each craft?

Ghostwriting is a lot of fun. If you do it right, you essentially write as another person. You take on his character. You listen intently to his word choice and his manner of speaking. You hear this other person in your head, and  you write the words you think he would say. It’s a bit like acting. For my poetry, it’s entirely me. It’s my voice, my thoughts, my experiences.

Is poetry the most natural way to explore the theme of love?

I think love is such a complicated human emotion and concept that it can be explored in many ways. There are romance novels, paintings, movies, plays, etc.  Poetry is just how I explore it. It’s my way of expression.

How do you stop yourself from being cliched?

I just try hard to be authentic and true to myself, and then my craft follows.

Your book explores the relationship between the natural elements with the emotions of love – can you explain this?

There are many poems throughout the book that reference the ocean, the moon, the wind, etc. These are parts of nature that I gravitate towards. And so when you read the poems, you’ll see me talk about nature,  sometimes in a joyful way and other times to represent loss.

Do you now call yourself a poet?

This is a very fair question, as I’ve been struggling with this label quite a bit. I supposed publishing a book of poetry that, knock wood, so far, is well received makes me a poet. I think of myself more of a storyteller. I’m just telling a story with each poem using a limited number of words and hoping it resonates. But, I suppose I could try on the word for a little bit and see how it fits.

Liane Moriarty’s latest novel Nine Perfect Strangers is a funny read with acute observation and fast paced plot. There are thinly veiled barbs at the wellness industry, selfie culture, and the pressure of modern society are delivered through witty dialogue and clever characterisation. All of the characters are flawed, in entirely relatable ways, and it’s easy to warm to them as you roll your eyes at them. New lottery winners, a grieving family, middle aged women – a whole human range is there, and the experience holds a mirror up to the misfits and makes them see things about their lives, even if it wasn’t what they expected.

Moriarty is the Australian author of seven best-selling novels. Big Little Lies shot to fame as a television show featuring Nicole Kidman. Nine Perfect Strangers will also be hitting the screens, with Kidman’s production company Blossom Films and Big Little Lies producer, Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories having signed a deal for the TV and film rights.

Nine Perfect Strangers is an excellently executed book with a catchy and thrilling storyline and sensitively crafted characters. Definitely worth a read.

Lucy Foley’s Last Letter From Istanbul is a fascinating and engaging read. Told in chapters from the perspectives of each character, she builds up the story like a rich tapestry, each individual adding depth and detail to the novel.  

This is a story about people, but also about place. Foley’s description of the city (Istanbul can be traced to mean ‘the city’) is sumptuous and sensual, with the sights, sounds and smells richly described. Myth, secrets and history all combine in this sweeping novel of a fascinating time.  

In eighteenth century Venice we meet Anastasia, desperate to escape her controlling father and utterly enraptured with her childhood sweetheart. An elopement doesn’t go to plan, and she finds herself trapped as the wife of a silk weaver to whom her father betrothed her at an early age. Female friendships are her savior, as well as the painting she finds on the wall. It’s this same painting that Millie discovers in 2017. Seeking solace after the end of an affair, she embarks on a feature writing trip to Italy. Here she falls in love with villa owner Lorenzo, and discovers the story of the silk weavers. That story, and the one of a woman in a portrait.

The two stories are interspersed throughout, each enhancing the other, subtly. At times we’re introduced to a third strand, following the fate of Anastasia’s mother and her younger sister Marietta, left behind and trying to find a way to rescue their loved one. Easy to read, the two stories weave together beautifully, becoming more immersed in one another as the novel progresses.

Like her previous books, The Girl with Emerald Eyes (2015) and Daughters of the Silk Road (2016) it mixes fiction with fact, introducing the reader to the silk industry and its history. It’s clear that Debbie is not only passionate about your subject, but a newsgatherer and journalist at heart. The novel is densely packed with historic detail that reveals the social and political character of the time, but Rix ensures that it is her characters who drive the plot. As a journalist inquisitive about the house she is staying in Millie acts as an excellent device for this, but the love story that unfolds ensures that she is far more than just a plot aid. Rix captures the essence of both periods through her rich images and descriptions of both the landscapes and places and the customs and personal lives of her characters.

You can hear more about Debbie’s process here, in this interview at Margate Bookie.