71 ratings | 21 reviews | avg rating:4.56

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Katharine Quarmby

Goodreads Author

Born

Leeds, The United Kingdom

Website

https://www.facebook.com/Katharine-Quarmby-Writ...

Twitter

katharineq

Genre

Nonfiction, Fiction, Children's

Influences

Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Masefield, J ...more

Member Since

October 2009

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Award-winning writer, editor and journalist with extensive knowledge of writing and editing across print, TV, radio and online.

Katharine’s latest books include her debut, prize listed novel, The Low Road, which was published in hardback in June 2023 and in paperback by Eye Lightning in November 2025. Set in rural Norfolk, London and Australia in the early nineteenth century, it is based on a true story that Katharine uncovered in her Norfolk hometown, of a Norfolk woman, Mary Tyrell, who was staked through the heart after death in 1813. She had been questioned repeatedly about a suspected infanticide.

An older daughter, known only by the initials A.T., had survived. Katharine traced her to the Refuge for the Destitute in Hackney. She had met ...more

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Katharine Quarmby’s books

Average rating: 3.84 · 577 ratings · 143 reviews · 18 distinct works • Similar authors

	Scapegoat: Why We Are Failing Disabled People 4.29 avg rating — 89 ratings — published 2011 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Low Road 4.27 avg rating — 83 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Place to Call Home: Inside the Real Lives of Gypsies and Travellers 3.51 avg rating — 51 ratings — published 2013 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Aftermath 3.74 avg rating — 42 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fussy Freya by Katharine Quarmby (Goodreads Author), Piet Grobler (Illustrator) 3.15 avg rating — 47 ratings — published 2008 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Blood and Water: An Anglo-Iranian Love Story 3.71 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Off Pitch really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Just Breathe 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Scent of Home really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Counted Out 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Katharine Quarmby's Blog

New books out

I've got two new picture books out with Child's Play International, both folk tales from the Romani and Traveller tradition, co-written with a Traveller story-teller, Richard O'Neill. One, Ossiri and the Bala Mengro, is illustrated by Hannah Tolson and the other, Yokki and the Parno Gry, by Marieke Nelissen - both are beautiful.

The first is about a Traveller girl who wants to be a musician but co Read more of this blog post »

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Published on August 24, 2016 06:13 • Tags: child-s-play, folk-tales, gypsies, katharine-quarmby, richard-o-neill, romanies, travellers

Katharine is Currently Reading

Katharine Quarmby is currently reading

Tasmania's Convicts: How felons built a free society

by Alison Alexander

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Jun 28, 2018 01:14AM

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Katharine Quarmby rated a book it was amazing The Ha-Ha by Tom Shakespeare	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this comic novel, redolent of Jeeves and Wooster but with a very modern twist. For those of us who like our crime on the cosy side but with heft as well. Highly recommended.
Nov 04, 2025 07:50AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Ha-Ha by Tom Shakespeare. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Ha-Ha by Tom Shakespeare <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Katharine Quarmby rated a book it was amazing Viking's Royal Marriage Bargain by Michelle Styles (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I received this as an ARC and am glad I did, as I read it alongside Georgette Heyer, being in a historical romance state of mind. Michelle Styles is an expert story-teller, and knows how to conjure a historical setting, build a romance, craft likeabl ...more
Oct 19, 2025 10:47AM · 1 like · like · see review
Katharine Quarmby rated a book it was amazing Tempted by Her Forbidden Warrior (Harlequin Historical) by Michelle Styles (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
From Georgette Heyer onwards I've always enjoyed reading historical romances, which at their best fuse a well observed historical setting with a love story. This did not disappoint. Michelle Styles is a well known historical writer, and her knowledge ...more
Oct 08, 2024 07:30AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Tempted by Her Forbidden Warrior by Michelle Styles. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Tempted by Her Forbidden Warrior by Michelle Styles <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Katharine Quarmby joined the group Goodreads Librarians Group
Sep 19, 2024 09:08AM · like
Katharine Quarmby liked Samantha Gruskin's review of The Low Road: "I loved every second of The Low Road and read it cover to cover. It is truly an enthralling story, which Quarmby chronicles expertly, taking us from 19th century rural Norfolk to the refuges for the poor in London and all the way to Botany Bay. It is" Read more of this review »
May 21, 2024 12:41AM · see review
Katharine Quarmby liked Tripfiction's review of The Low Road: "An epic tale of life of early 19th Century life set in set in Norfolk, London, and New South Wales The Low Road is a fictionalised rendering of largely true events set in the early 19th Century. Hannah was born in rural Norfolk. While she was still yo" Read more of this review »
May 21, 2024 12:41AM · see review
Katharine Quarmby liked Cathie's review of The Low Road: "When I first came across The Low Road, I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this novel, based on a true story: two young women thrown together by circumstance, with a strong will to survive in a society where where the fight for everyday sur" Read more of this review »
May 21, 2024 12:41AM · see review
Katharine Quarmby made a comment on Rosie Lee’s review of The Low Road " Thank you so much for reading - and for this fabulous review "
Mar 05, 2024 01:11AM · see review
Katharine Quarmby made a comment on Fiona Forsyth’s review of The Low Road " Thank you so much for reviewing! "
Feb 27, 2024 11:35AM · see review
Katharine Quarmby made a comment on Merissa (Archaeolibrarian)’s review of The Low Road " Thank you so much for eading and reviewing:) "
Feb 27, 2024 10:44AM · see review

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