Daughters

Lucy Fricke
translated by Sinéad Crowe

‘Splendid. Uproariously funny and movingly beautiful.’ Der Spiegel.

Lucy Fricke’s Daughters tells the story of two women, pushing forty, on a road trip across Europe, each of them dealing with difficult fathers along the way. A bestseller and booksellers’ favourite in Germany, Daughters evokes laughter and tears by way of life and death, friendship and family.

‘In this wildly funny novel, women-on-the-edge-of-a-nervous-breakdown Betty and Martha take us on a madcap journey through Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Greece, as they try to resolve their relationships with their all-too frail and human fathers. Sinéad Crowe’s seamless translation captures the humour, self-irony, honesty and wisdom of Betty’s lively narrative.’

Antonia Lloyd-Jones, translator of Olga Tokarczuk

Winner of the 2018 Bavarian Book Prize

Reviews

'Splendid. Uproariously funny and movingly beautiful.'

Der Spiegel

'A light yet ruthless story of women in the middle of their lives: wrestling with their origins, stubbornly longing for a family. What remains of the rest of our lives, in the run-up to the menopause?'

taz

'The tone takes hold of your mind. A captivating novel.'

Der Tagesspiegel

'236 pages and not one line is heavy or melancholy. I’ve said too much about this wonderful book already. Sometimes two words are enough, as I learned from the critic Elke Heidenreich: Read it!'

frauTV

'Lucy Fricke’s novel Daughters is a fantastic road trip.'

Die Zeit

'One of the few German novels that brought tears of laughter to my eyes.'

ARD Druckfrisch

'A skilfully written double quest for fathers with drive, daughters and great depth.'

WDR5

'Lucy Fricke writes on witty and razor-sharp form about two women dealing with their difficult parents.'

Der Stern