Downton Abbey – The Grand Finale (2025), directed by Simon Curtis

It is 1930 and great change is in the air, even among the upper echelons of English society, but possibly not quickly enough for Lady Mary. She and her racing driver husband have divorced, which makes her persona non grata in her social set. At Downton Abbey some of the older generation are struggling to cede control to the next, both upstairs and downstairs. Lady Cora’s American brother has money troubles following the stock market crash, further threatening the family fortunes. Perhaps a visit from Noel Coward can save the day? It’s all pretty low stakes, with the costumes and set design taking centre stage. The actors do their best with a very average and self-indulgent script, but it’s nice to see most of the familiar faces from the TV show one last time.

How to Survive 1985, by Tegan Bennett Daylight

In this sequel to Royals, teen Shannon and her friends once again face a time dilemma as they find themselves in Sydney forty years in the past. It poses the question – were things really better when your parents were your age …or ten times worse? The answer is, of course, both – in different ways for different people. In echoes of Back to the Future, Shannon gets to meet her mother as a teen and has to decide how much to tell her about the future and how much she can influence it. Her previous time loop experience in the shopping centre proves helpful in navigating the past as she looks for her friends so they can work out how to get back to their own time. It’s cleverly done, with warmth and wit, but that’s probably enough now.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, by Juno Dawson

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven is the official advisory body to the British government on magical matters but is largely a secret unknown to ‘mundanes’. The feminine power of witches dominates the magical world and five women who were inducted into the coven together in their teens are among the most powerful. A civil war sparked by a rebellious warlock has divided the five friends in different ways. Eight years later a new dark threat could draw them tighter again or drive them further apart. Ostensibly a dark fantasy tale, it soon becomes clear that this is actually a highly political novel that cleverly tackles the modern culture war over trans rights. It is a gripping story that occasionally tips into overly educational, while trying give an understanding of all points of view. This sometimes comes at the expense of plot – the total ignorance of mundanes to all things magic is hard to swallow, especially given the official government role.

The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

Now in her 70s, Sybil Stone Van Antwerp has been a prolific letter writer for most of her life. Retired from a distinguished career in the law, she now has even more time to correspond with friends, family, neighbours, renowned authors, businesses and garden club rivals. Over a period of several years we discover Sybil’s life and loves, joys and griefs through her letters, notes and emails, and responses to them, as well as in a series of unsent jottings to a mysterious Colt that read more like journal entries. This is a warm and comprehensive portrait of a very real woman, who makes mistakes and makes amends, in a masterly use of the epistolary style.

The Paris Express, by Emma Donoghue

In late 19th century France a train travels from the Brittany coast to Montparnasse. It is crowded with a diverse passenger list across first, second and third classes – women, men and children; politicians, artists, scientists, students, captains of industry and workers of all stripes. The n there is the train crew, working hard to meet their timetable and the unreasonable expectations of their employer. An anarchist is also aboard, zealous in her aim to literally derail the capitalist overlords of France and the world. Donoghue provides a snapshot of everyone’s journey, on the train and in life, at times in rather too much detail. She cleverly builds suspense as the reader gets to know the potential victims of an inevitable tragedy and wonders who might survive. Based on a true event, the author blends the stories of real people who were actually on the train, with some contemporary celebrities who were in the vicinity at the time and could have been there, and some entirely fictional passengers.

The Mars Contingency, by Mary Robinette Kowal

It is 1970, 18 years after the meteor hit the earth and triggered ecological disaster, in this third tale of Lady Astronaut Elma York. She and her husband Nathaniel are among those trying to establish an alternate habitat on Mars to provide a refuge from the dying home planet. There they battle sabotage from the Earth-first terrorism movement and a lack of support from their political masters. Elma is also finding herself on the outer among colleagues who were in the advance expedition to Mars and she starts investigating what happened on that mission and why it is being covered up. There is a lot going on here, but the intriguing plot lines are hampered by the lead character’s annoying persona. Elma’s religion has always been a significant element of the Lady Astronaut story, but in this one it is unnecessarily obtrusive. There are some ludicrous story elements – it’s a strain to believe scientists use the rhythm method of contraception and that, in a 48-year-old woman, a missed period triggers a pregnancy scare rather than suspecting peri-menopause. The politics are always interesting, especially those of race, gender and environment and Kowal does a good job of balancing alt-history with likely projections.

Rise and Shine, by Kimberley Allsopp

Noah and August have been together for 17 years, but their marriage has reached its natural end. They barely communicate; the small things they used to love about each other are now sources of irritation; and there is little joy in life for either of them. August bites the bullet and ends the relationship and they manage the kind of amicable separation that seems rare. Having no children undoubtedly helps. This allows each of them the room and space to evolve and pick up the creative ambitions that had been stifled by an unsatisfying partnership. But can this growth and change make space for a new kind of relationship, where they meet each other’s needs and their own? This is an interesting take on the progress of a marriage between two flawed but likeable characters. There are some nice moments, particularly to do with grieving, male friendship and women balancing creativity and ambition. But the story feels a bit like a fairy tale; all just too good to be true. The voices of the characters don’t come across as authentic, especially towards the rather syrupy end.