Small Island by Andrea Levy

Hortense Joseph arrives in London from Jamaica in 1948 with her life in her suitcase, her heart broken, her resolve intact. Her husband, Gilbert Joseph, returns from the war expecting to be received as a hero, but finds his status as a black man in Britain to be second class. His white landlady, Queenie, raised as a farmer's daughter, befriends Gilbert, and later Hortense, with innocence and courage, until the unexpected arrival of her husband, Bernard, who returns from combat with issues of his own to resolve.

The 540th greatest fiction book of all time


This book is on the following lists:

  1. - 52nd on The 100 best books of the 21st century (The Guardian)
  2. - 76th on The 100 Greatest British Novels (BBC)
  3. - Costa Book Award - Best Novel (Costa Coffee)
  4. - Books of the Decade (The Guardian)
  5. - 100 Novels That Shaped Our World (BBC)

Buy This Book

Name Binding Sales Rank Lowest New Lowest Used Published
Small Island Audio CD 1981721 $104.56 $31.98
Bookclub-in-a-Box Discusses Small Island, by Andrea Levy: The Complete Package for Readers and Leaders Kindle Edition 736503 $6.59 2012
Small Island Hardcover 2706972 $199.86 $55.17
Small Island Hardcover 698081 $45.99 $2.99 2004
Small Island Hardcover 4157377 $0.01
Small Island: A Novel Kindle Edition 212927 $12.99 2010
Small Island Paperback 2731547 $1.65 $0.01 2004
Small Island : A Novel Paperback 1995713 $4.68 $1.60 2005
Small Island (NHB Modern Plays) 2022 edition Paperback 621509 $10.36 $14.95 2022
Small Island: (Stage Version) Paperback 2568679 $20.95 2020
Small Island Hardcover 9207055 $0.01 2004
Small Island (NHB Modern Plays): (stage version) Kindle Edition 821891 $11.99 2022
Small Island: A Novel Paperback 795862 $2.30 $0.01 2005
Small Island (NHB Modern Plays) Kindle Edition 1274023 $10.99 2019
Bookclub in a Box Discusses the Novel Small Island Paperback 10926511 $13.73 2005
Small Island: A Novel Paperback 131733 $5.95 $2.76 2010