Stacey Halls’ Mrs England has been longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, the prestigious literary prize that rewards writing of exceptional quality set in the past.
Halls’ enthralling portrait of an Edwardian marriage landed on a longlist of thirteen novels drawn up by a judging panel chaired by Katie Grant and featuring broadcaster Kirsty Wark.
The Sunday Times bestseller – recently published by Manilla Press in a paperback edition – has drawn considerable critical acclaim, and was longlisted last year for the Portico Prize. Halls herself was recently shortlisted for the Women’s Prize x Good Housekeeping Futures Award.
Publishing Director Sophie Orme said: “We’re thrilled to see Mrs England on the Walter Scott Prize longlist, among such a wealth of literary riches. Stacey Halls has established herself as one of the most exciting young authors of historical fiction writing today and we are so proud to be her publishers.”
Simmering with slow-burning menace, Mrs England is a captivating tale of men and women, power and control, courage, truth and the very darkest deception. It is Halls’ third novel following the bestselling success of The Familiars and The Foundling.
Honouring the achievements of one of the founding fathers of the historical novel, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been running since 2010. Previous winners include Hilary Mantel, Robert Harris, and Sebastian Barry.
The shortlist will be announced in April, with the winner revealed at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland in June.
