79 ratings | 34 reviews | avg rating:4.33

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Rowena Macdonald

Goodreads Author

Born

The United Kingdom

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RowenaMacdonald

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Fiction

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November 2020

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https://www.goodreads.com/rowenamarymacdonald

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I was born on the Isle of Wight, grew up in the West Midlands and now live in East London. I've published two books: Smoked Meat (Flambard Press) a collection of interlinked stories set in Montreal, which was shortlisted for the 2012 Edge Hill Prize, and The Threat Level Remains Severe (Gallic Books), which is set in the House of Commons, where I have worked for many years, and was shortlisted for the Guardian's 2017 Not the Booker Prize. ...more

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Rowena Macdonald’s books

Average rating: 3.5 · 237 ratings · 46 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Threat Level Remains Severe 3.43 avg rating — 219 ratings — published 2017 — 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
	Smoked Meat 4.47 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2011 — 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
	Little Roasts liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2008	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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Rowena Macdonald rated a book it was amazing

This is London: Life and Death in the World City

by Ben Judah

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Rowena Macdonald said: " Wow! What a brilliant book. Really immersive reportage of London's immigrant population. Reminded me of Down and Out in Paris and London by Orwell. Judah presents people's stories/views, mainly in their own words with little judgement, leaving you to ...more "

Jan 13, 2026 07:53AM · see review

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Rowena’s Recent Updates

Rowena Macdonald rated a book really liked it Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace	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 read the Lobster one, which was good. And have dipped into a couple of the others but not felt so compelled. It's not such a good collection as the Supposedly Fun one, but it's pretty good. After a while, his footnote schtick got on my nerves becau ...more
Jan 14, 2026 03:06AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rowena Macdonald rated a book it was amazing A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace	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
Really excellent, particularly the title essay, which is a comic masterpiece. Maybe a tragi-comic masterpiece. The one about the state fair is also very good. My only bugbear is that all the tiny footnotes did do my eyes in, as my eyesight has declin ...more
Jan 14, 2026 02:56AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rowena Macdonald rated a book it was amazing The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett	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
Read this to my daughter (aged 10). We both really enjoyed it. I was interested in the various classic Victorian tropes: sickly child, sickness helped by nature and salt of the earth working class nature boy, big spooky house, spooky moorland setting ...more
Jan 13, 2026 08:04AM · like · see review
Rowena Macdonald rated a book really liked it In Gratitude by Jenny Diski	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
Very good. Especially the chapters about her complicated relationship with Doris Lessing, who sounds like an utter nightmare (although obvs we are only getting Diski's take on it). The cancer chapters were good, but somehow it was the stuff about her ...more
Jan 13, 2026 07:55AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of In Gratitude by Jenny Diski. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — In Gratitude by Jenny Diski <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rowena Macdonald rated a book really liked it Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told? by Jenny Diski	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
Overall, really good and very readable.
Jan 13, 2026 07:55AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told? by Jenny Diski. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told? by Jenny Diski <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rowena Macdonald rated a book really liked it Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told? by Jenny Diski	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
Overall, really good and very readable.
Jan 13, 2026 07:54AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told? by Jenny Diski. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told? by Jenny Diski <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rowena Macdonald rated a book it was amazing This is London: Life and Death in the World City by Ben Judah	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
Wow! What a brilliant book. Really immersive reportage of London's immigrant population. Reminded me of Down and Out in Paris and London by Orwell. Judah presents people's stories/views, mainly in their own words with little judgement, leaving you to ...more
Jan 13, 2026 07:54AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of This is London by Ben Judah. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — This is London by Ben Judah <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rowena Macdonald rated a book it was amazing This is London: Life and Death in the World City by Ben Judah	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
Wow! What a brilliant book. Really immersive reportage of London's immigrant population. Reminded me of Down and Out in Paris and London by Orwell. Judah presents people's stories/views, mainly in their own words with little judgement, leaving you to ...more
Jan 13, 2026 07:43AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of This is London by Ben Judah. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — This is London by Ben Judah <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rowena Macdonald rated a book really liked it Barcelona Dreaming by Rupert Thomson	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
Very good fast read. Each of the three novellas has a faintly surreal mood and the setting fitted with the current mini heatwave in England. Very atmospheric. Made me want to be in Barcelona. Elegant prose with some stylish images. The three stories ...more
Jun 25, 2024 12:01PM · like · see review
Rowena Macdonald and 2 other people liked Vicky Unwin's review of Long Time No See: "Very much enjoyed this clever memoir, with fictionalised flashbacks to Hannah's father's Jamaican childhood and card-sharp low-life. Beautifully written, a poignant story of a girl never really feeling able to love her father unconditionally until it" Read more of this review »
Jun 23, 2024 03:45PM · see review