Two award-winning novelists Sally Gardner and Francis Spufford talk about their latest works, The Bride Stone, the story of a late 18th-century marriage of convenience, and Nonesuch, the story of an ambitious woman who must thwart an occult plot. Gardner’s debut novel, I Coriander, won the Nestle Gold Award. She is also author of The Weather Woman and aContinue reading “Join Sally at The Oxford Literary Festival – 23rd March 2026”
Category Archives: Sally Gardner
Lily Allen’s Songs Expose Myths of Modern Non-Monogamy
By Sally Gardner – author of historical novels and social commentator Lily Allen’s new album tears the veil from so-called “ethical non-monogamy,” exposing how easily the promise of freedom still hides the oldest power imbalance of all. Lily Allen’s new album is brilliant, as startling as it is brave. It is the voice ofContinue reading “Lily Allen’s Songs Expose Myths of Modern Non-Monogamy”
Wife Sales existed – and thanks to Channel 4 – is still going strong
The other night, while watching Married at First Sight, I felt an unexpected jolt of recognition. I’ve just published a novel, The Bride Stone, in which a wife sale is pivotal to the story. That cruel custom where a woman, often with a halter around her neck, was led to market and sold likeContinue reading “Wife Sales existed – and thanks to Channel 4 – is still going strong”
Mass immigration – Fear is always the louder voice — in pamphlets then, in headlines now.
Sally Gardner Podcast Sally Gardner’s latest book – The Bridestone – is set in the time of the French Revolution – a time when 150,000 migrants fled France’s tyranny for the ‘safer’ shores of Britain. But history provides us with a perspective on the present. At a time of mass immigration [again from France] Sally asksContinue reading “Mass immigration – Fear is always the louder voice — in pamphlets then, in headlines now.”
It’s Time to Call Out the Baby Food Industry’s Sweet Deception
By Dr Sarah Schenker It’s time to call for change: mandatory sugar limits in baby foods, front-of-pack warning labels, and a clampdown on marketing to babies under six months. Brands must stop masquerading high-sugar pouches as nutritious first foods. Parents deserve clarity, not spin. Babies deserve nourishment, not a sugar trap. For most parents,Continue reading “It’s Time to Call Out the Baby Food Industry’s Sweet Deception”