History without tears — except for the enjoyable sort. Philippa Gregory, author of the hugely popular The Other Boleyn Girl, brings the turbulent Tudors to glorious, soapy life. In this final chunk of the saga, Anne of Cleves is having her portrait painted by Holbein. Henry VIII is looking for another bride, and, amazingly, there are still some who that think this a desirable position. Meanwhile, the clapped-out old king is capitivated by a sexy little minx named Katherine Howard. And Jane Boleyn (sister-in-law of the late Anne) comes back to court to weave a cautious path through the web of intrigue. Delicious.

THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS
by Kiran Desai
Hamish Hamilton, £16.99

I shouldn’t be reviewing this — it’s far too good for the likes of me. Kiran Desai’s second novel has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and might even be the outsider that goes the whole distance. It is set in the Indian Himalayas, and also in the underbelly of New York. A retired judge lives in a damp-reeking house in the clouds, with his orphaned granddaughter and his devoted old servant. Biju, the son of the servant, scrapes a living in America as one of the paperless drones condemned to the worst jobs. Desai’s writing is poised, elegant and assured, and often breaks out into extraordinary beauty.

ONLY REVOLUTIONS
by Mark Z. Danielewski
Doubleday, £20

Oh corks. Confession time. This reviewer doesn’t really do experimental fiction, and could not cope with this loony enterprise at all. Apparently, it is about a couple of teenagers on some sort of journey, but I had to get this information from the cover. Inside it is a mess of footnotes, different-sized fonts and gnomic gobbledegook. Part of it is printed upside down, because you can also read it backwards — if you haven’t got anything better to do with your life. Think of the bricks at the Tate. If you thought that was a great work of art, you might like this — it’s a free country.

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