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The Daffodil Days
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Expected 12 Mar 26Win a free print copy of this book!
26 days and 00:07:20
20 copies available
U.S. only
'Beautiful, affecting and deeply impressive' Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses
In the early 1960s, in a small town near Dartmoor, the church bells ring. The people of North Tawton go about their days, catching glimpses of one another's lives.
There's the local GP, who knows more about his patients than he would sometimes prefer. There's the young shop assistant at Kestrels, who understands that the ladies who come there for a new outfit sometimes hope to find a new self. There's the tenant farm labourer who rings the tower bells at the church three times a week, the notes – harmonious and clashing – rippling out across the rooftops of the town.
Amid all these lives, a young couple move into focus. New to the town with their small daughter, they have escaped London for a quieter existence in the thatched house beside the church, Court Green. The life they intend to build here – out of fresh lino tiles, second-hand furniture painted with hearts and flowers, and expertly-cooked suppers for weekend guests – will be a good and happy one.
The Daffodil Days depicts a pivotal year in the marriage of 20th-century literature's most infamous couple, witnessed by the people they lived among. It is a kaleidoscopic portrait of this enigmatic pair, refracted through the rich inner lives of a rural community caught – if only for a moment – in their light.
In the early 1960s, in a small town near Dartmoor, the church bells ring. The people of North Tawton go about their days, catching glimpses of one another's lives.
There's the local GP, who knows more about his patients than he would sometimes prefer. There's the young shop assistant at Kestrels, who understands that the ladies who come there for a new outfit sometimes hope to find a new self. There's the tenant farm labourer who rings the tower bells at the church three times a week, the notes – harmonious and clashing – rippling out across the rooftops of the town.
Amid all these lives, a young couple move into focus. New to the town with their small daughter, they have escaped London for a quieter existence in the thatched house beside the church, Court Green. The life they intend to build here – out of fresh lino tiles, second-hand furniture painted with hearts and flowers, and expertly-cooked suppers for weekend guests – will be a good and happy one.
The Daffodil Days depicts a pivotal year in the marriage of 20th-century literature's most infamous couple, witnessed by the people they lived among. It is a kaleidoscopic portrait of this enigmatic pair, refracted through the rich inner lives of a rural community caught – if only for a moment – in their light.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 12, 2025
I'm not completely sure I understand what point this novel is trying to make: interestingly, the blurb plays down the Plath/Hughes connection but, at the same time, the local characters don't stand up in and of themselves other than through their connection to Plath.
There's the doctor who sews the top of her thumb back after she slices it through; there's the woman who gives her riding lessons on the horse Ariel. We know about these episodes from Plath's life from her writings and poetry and I'm not sure anything is added recounting them obliquely through another consciousness. The riding instructor, for example, still keeps Plath on a rein so the speed and transcendence that the poem 'Ariel' expresses so powerfully is not a part of the story told here.
It's also the case that not all the chapters are told by people in the local community as is suggested by the blurb : there are London visitors like Al Alvarez and the Merwins who were associated with Plath and Hughes and who also comment at a distance on the central relationship. We also follow Plath to London where she is recording some poetry at Broadcasting House, the episode filtered through the consciousness of a young woman planning to put an end to an unwanted pregnancy: it's quite an interesting piece but feels oddly, aimlessly, juxtaposed against Plath.
The one chapter that worked very well for me is where Plath goes into a local shop to buy a new dress for a trip to London. Her relationship with the shop girl reminded me distinctly of the Virginia Woolf short story, 'Mrs Dalloway in Bond Street' (which was the original beginning of Mrs Dalloway but which Woolf re-wrote and treated the off-cut as a story in its own right). The intertext focuses on class, empathy, and the social language of clothing of which both Woolf and Plath were very conscious, knowingly so.
Perhaps if there had been more of this craft in the other chapters this would have been more impactful? As it is, fans of Plath will probably know all these small events anyway; and anyone new to Plath would be better served by one of the many biographies or by reading her own extensive writings. I ended up puzzled by this book and the disconnect between the blurb and what I read.
Thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC via Netgalley
There's the doctor who sews the top of her thumb back after she slices it through; there's the woman who gives her riding lessons on the horse Ariel. We know about these episodes from Plath's life from her writings and poetry and I'm not sure anything is added recounting them obliquely through another consciousness. The riding instructor, for example, still keeps Plath on a rein so the speed and transcendence that the poem 'Ariel' expresses so powerfully is not a part of the story told here.
It's also the case that not all the chapters are told by people in the local community as is suggested by the blurb : there are London visitors like Al Alvarez and the Merwins who were associated with Plath and Hughes and who also comment at a distance on the central relationship. We also follow Plath to London where she is recording some poetry at Broadcasting House, the episode filtered through the consciousness of a young woman planning to put an end to an unwanted pregnancy: it's quite an interesting piece but feels oddly, aimlessly, juxtaposed against Plath.
The one chapter that worked very well for me is where Plath goes into a local shop to buy a new dress for a trip to London. Her relationship with the shop girl reminded me distinctly of the Virginia Woolf short story, 'Mrs Dalloway in Bond Street' (which was the original beginning of Mrs Dalloway but which Woolf re-wrote and treated the off-cut as a story in its own right). The intertext focuses on class, empathy, and the social language of clothing of which both Woolf and Plath were very conscious, knowingly so.
Perhaps if there had been more of this craft in the other chapters this would have been more impactful? As it is, fans of Plath will probably know all these small events anyway; and anyone new to Plath would be better served by one of the many biographies or by reading her own extensive writings. I ended up puzzled by this book and the disconnect between the blurb and what I read.
Thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC via Netgalley
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury publishers for the pre publication digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I loved this novel, have enjoyed it so much I read it in two days. For me it is interesting that it’s based on a small section of the lives of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, however the pleasure is in the details and descriptions of other lives as well, particularly of people from the town whose lives crossed with theirs. Once I’d adjusted to it I liked the way the story weaves backwards in time only, it works really well. It’s my favourite kind of story, woven round some historical facts and then presented with imagination and beautifully written. If you know nothing of the Sylvia Plath/Ted Hughes story (I knew very little), I don’t think it matters, just enjoy a very good read.
I loved this novel, have enjoyed it so much I read it in two days. For me it is interesting that it’s based on a small section of the lives of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, however the pleasure is in the details and descriptions of other lives as well, particularly of people from the town whose lives crossed with theirs. Once I’d adjusted to it I liked the way the story weaves backwards in time only, it works really well. It’s my favourite kind of story, woven round some historical facts and then presented with imagination and beautifully written. If you know nothing of the Sylvia Plath/Ted Hughes story (I knew very little), I don’t think it matters, just enjoy a very good read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A beautifully written novel about Sylvia Plath and her husband Ted. It shares the last year of her life the small town they lived in and the characters that also lived in the town.I really enjoyed getting to know the people of the town their lives and their connection to Sylvia. The people that surrounded Sylvia the friends she made and at times the difficulties in the friendship.Ted& Sylvia’s marriage the problems the issues .This was a truly wonderful story..
February 22, 2026
I did not finish but read about 43% of this title. I do think the writer’s style is good and the concept is great. But there are some a continuity errors.
Additionally, some chapters are stronger than others. The voice of certain characters are crisper than others.
I love Sylvia Plath so this title intrigued me, However at some points it feels like the author doesn’t like Plath. She gives her flaws to humanize her, but there is a line where it starts to feel disrespectful.
Additionally, some chapters are stronger than others. The voice of certain characters are crisper than others.
I love Sylvia Plath so this title intrigued me, However at some points it feels like the author doesn’t like Plath. She gives her flaws to humanize her, but there is a line where it starts to feel disrespectful.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was a vivid literary masterpiece. I so enjoyed the English countryside setting and the cast of characters was interesting and made me feel like I was one of them. As we navigate a single year between Sylvia and her husband, it was like traveling back in time and being a fly on the wall. Such a fun plot and the book had a great flow overall. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received a free copy of, The Daffodil Days, by Helen Bain, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Its the 1960s and Sylvia Plath is still with us. This book has stories from people who knew her at that time. Sylvia Plath has always interested me, such a talented women, with her own demons. This was a fascinating read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews