The Manual for Good Wives
By (Author) Lola Jaye
Pan Macmillan
Macmillan
27th May 2025
20th February 2025
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
823.92
Hardback
384
Width 164mm, Height 244mm, Spine 34mm
600g
Everything about Adeline Copplefield is a lie . . . To the world Mrs Copplefield is the epitome of Victorian propriety: an exemplary society lady who writes a weekly column advising young ladies on how to be better wives. Only Adeline has never been a good wife or mother; she has no claim to the Copplefield name, nor is she an English lady . . . Now a black woman, born in Africa, who dared to pretend to be something she was not, is on trial in the English courts with all of London society baying for her blood. And she is ready to tell her story . . . From the author of The Attic Child, Lola Jaye, comes The Manual for Good Wives, a dual narrative historical novel about love, generational trauma, second chances and hope.
The Manual For Good Wives, a fast-paced tale of courage and resilience is beautifully written and remarkably moving. An absolute masterpiece. -- Mike Gayle, author of All the Lonely People
Poignant, captivating and thoroughly enjoyable * The Yorkshire Times *
Lola has effortlessly embedded an unforgettable voice within a breathtaking story about love, lineage, and the intergenerational effect of bravery in the face of misfortune. I loved it! -- Jessica George, author of Diverse Book Awards winning My Name Is Maame
It's huge and sweeping in scope, yet succinctly written and pacy . . . I was breathless with Temi's adventures! It's a really wonderful, thought-provoking story with a fabulous, memorable heroine at its heart. -- Tracy Rees, author of The Rose Garden
A gripping story of friendship, family, betrayal, loss and survival * Peterborough Telegraph *
I was definitely in tears by the end! There is so much to say about this story. Lola Jaye has given us such a creative way of examining privilege, identity, trauma and whiteness in both eras -- Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish) on The Attic Child
Her writing is on another level, with characters and a story that grab you from the first page and don't let go until the very end. Just brilliant -- Dorothy Koomson, author of My Other Husband on The Attic Child
An incredibly important book giving breath to voices we sadly seldom hear . . . beautifully crafted, [a] compelling story crossing continents and time, which will undoubtedly break your heart but also make it sing -- Mike Gayle, author of Dinner for Two on The Attic Child
Bruising yet hopeful epic novel . . . Emotional and evocative. A powerful tale of trauma, identity and survival * Daily Mail on The Attic Child *
Lola Jaye is an author and registered psychotherapist. She was born and raised in London and has lived in Nigeria and the United States. She has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Psychotherapy and Counselling. She has contributed to the sequel to the bestseller Lean In, penned by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and has also written for the Huffington Post, CNN, Essence, HuffPost and the BBC. She is a member of the Black Writers' Guild and the author of five previous novels. The Attic Child was her first epic historical novel.