Now We Shall Be Entirely Free

£10.99

One rain-swept February night in 1809, an unconscious man is carried into a house in Somerset. He is Captain John Lacroix, home from Britain’s disastrous campaign against Napoleon’s forces in Spain. Gradually Lacroix recovers his health, but not his peace of mind – he cannot talk about the war or face the memory of what happened in a village on the gruelling retreat to Corunna. After the command comes to return to his regiment, he sets out instead for the Hebrides, with the vague intent of reviving his musical interests and collecting local folksongs. Lacroix sails north incognito, unaware that he has far worse to fear than being dragged back to the army: a vicious English corporal and a Spanish officer are on his trail, with orders to kill. The haven he finds on a remote island with a family of free-thinkers and the sister he falls for are not safe, at all.

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Description

? Out now: The Land in Winter, longlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 ?

Now We Shall Be Entirely Free: a stunning historical novel with the grip of a thriller

One of The Times‘ Best Novels of the 21st Century

A book of the year: Guardian, New Statesman, Spectator, BBC History Magazine

‘Excellent’ Observer

‘This is fiction – storytelling – at its best’ Spectator

‘That rarest of treats – propulsive storytelling in sensuous prose’ Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures and Shy Creatures

When Captain John Lacroix returns to England after fighting Napoleon’s forces in Spain, he is not the man he was. A survivor of the British arm’s infamous retreat to Corunna, he carries with him a shameful secret, one he will travel to the outer reaches of Scotland to forget.

Lacroix’s journey to the Hebrides leads to encounters with thieves and free thinkers, to unexpected friendships, even love. But as the short northern summer reaches its zenith, the shadow of the enemy is creeping closer – unbeknownst to Lacroix, a vicious English corporal and a Spanish officer are on his trail. Freedom, for John Lacroix, will come at a high price.

Winner of the Highland Book Prize | Shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize

Praise for Andrew Miller

‘Andrew Miller’s writing is a source of wonder and delight’ Hilary Mantel

‘One of our most skilful chroniclers of the human heart and mind’ Sunday Times

‘Unique, visionary, a master at unmasking humanity’ Sarah Hall

‘A wonderful storyteller’ Spectator

‘One of those rare novelists who can rock up in any time and place and convincingly inhabit that particular historical moment’ The Times

Additional information

Weight 0.36 kg
Dimensions 19.6 × 12.8 × 3 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

422

Language

English

Edition

1st paperback ed

Dewey

823.92 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K