Kate Atkinson is one of my favourite authors, so I was eager to read her latest novel OUR NOBLE SELVES (Penguin Random House 2026). This fictional story is very much based on the known facts of the 1951 Festival of Britain, a ‘celebration of the country’s creativity, grit and ingenuity’ held by the government of the time to put away the dark days of World War Two and showcase new technology and innovation. Atkinson relies heavily on primary resources for the setting but has added a layer of fictional narrative to spice up what by many accounts was anything from a lacklustre affair to a downright disaster.
Interestingly, much of the Festival’s preparations, aims and ultimate presentations reminded me a lot of the before and after activity of Expo 88 here in Brisbane: the harried and hurried pre-organisation to get everything ready on time, the pageantry of royals and dignitaries opening and closing the event, the hordes and crowds of ordinary people filing in to see extraordinary things, the never-ending food and drinks outlets, the wandering entertainment, the pavilions, the exhibitions and the drama behind the scenes.
But interspersed with this real-life event, Atkinson has woven a tale of intrigue, murder, double-crossing, spies and government intervention, along with the story of one ordinary man, Harry Flynn, a former foreign correspondent turned war reporter who suffered terribly in the POW camps in the East, and has found coming ‘home’ no easier. He lands a job helping out in the office of the Festival of Britain in the ‘Stock List’ section with a quirky band of misfits attempting to source materials and props for all the different pavilions.
Atkinson creates eccentric and memorable characters and in this book is some of her finest work. Harry is trailed around by his precocious daughter Veronica (13 going on 25) and a scruffy terrier mutt named Mrs Betty. Veronica and another young character ‘the Boy’ are two of my favourites. But Harry’s troubles really begin when his fledgling social life, specifically his attempts at romantic liaisons, becomes unstuck when one of his dates goes missing and he is suspected as the last person to have seen her alive. (But is she even dead? There’s no body.)
So between his attempts to corral the unruly festivities and his mission to track down exactly what happened to his date, and prove his innocence, as well as look after Veronica after her mother takes off on another adventure, Harry is as busy as a bee pulled in all directions.
I’ve read every book Kate Atkinson has written. She’s an amazing ‘chronicler of our times’, she creates unique and quirky characters, and she has a distinct voice for both dialogue and internal thoughts. This book has one of her more unusual settings, even more interesting because it is all (mostly) true. A fascinating insight into an event I’d never heard of before now. This is probably not my favourite Atkinson novel, but it is certainly a dynamic read – witty, sardonic, dry and amusing, dotted with impossible scenarios and unpredictable plot lines and unexpected surprises at every turn. A small thing but there a couple of similar names: Arthur and Archie, and Lydia and Leonora, which I found slightly annoyingly confusing (as there are so many rich characters … a few more dissimilar names might have not gone astray) but that’s a very small criticism.
Every chapter is preceded by a real diagram from the original annals of the Festival of Britain architectural plans and drawings, demonstrating each exhibit and how the flow of people should go in one end and come out the other, adding to the historical interest.
A great read about a fascinating real-life event, accompanied by a superb fictional narrative.