Our Writers Recommend...(1/3/21)

TV SHOW: Tiny Pretty Things

Available on Netflix.


Tiny Pretty Things centres around the students of the prestigious Archer School of Ballet. Following a suspicious accident which results in one of the students in a coma, new girl Neveah arrives on a full scholarship and with every intention to prove herself. However, she soon discovers that life at the school isn’t as perfect and poised as it seems from the outside, and the level of competition she faces heightens the drastic measures some of her fellow students will go to to get noticed by Headmistress DuBois and world-renowned choreographer Ramon Costa.

TW - contains content about eating disorders and sexual assault.

Abby Gilchrist

BOOK/TV SHOW: Any Human Heart by William Boyd

Through the deeply personal journals of the protagonist, Logan Mountstuart, you are taken through a journey of life - Logan’s life, but also anyone’s life. Logan experiences some of the most interesting parts of the 20th century as he tussles with Woolf, Picasso, Hemingway and Joyce as well as becoming involved with the Duke of Windsor and Mrs Simpson in the famous Harry Oakes murder. Logan is a spy, an art-dealer and a writer. But he’s also just a human. He goes through love, loss and liberation and he experiences friendship, marriage and fatherhood. Logan’s experiences are both extremely relatable and completely extraordinary. Boyd’s novel is too powerful to ignore, but if Keira Knightly’s Mr Darcy and Sam Claflin are more up your street then watch the 6-part series instead!

Georgie Beddows

PODCAST: ME Time (Episode 2: Growing Up & Childhood Nostalgia)

ME Time has been set up by two Edinburgh students, Maya and Emma. The podcast explores life in your twenties, navigating university, friendship and identity. Episode two looks at growing up and Maya and Emma’s experiences of moving schools and exploring family relationships and friendships. The girls speak honestly and in a light-hearted manner about their personal experiences and this podcast will definitely put the anxieties we all feel at ease.

Amy Knowles

BOOK: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

In a year where we have not been able to travel, Aravind Adiga’s book allows the escapism that is so needed. The book transports you to modern India, however it is a painful reminder of the working class realities of modern India – not based on a true story but inspired by working class lives. It is completely gripping and I couldn’t put it down - it has you falling for the protagonist then leaves you shocked you were capable of doing that. Also, it’s just come out on Netflix, and we all know how popular Tiger stories are on Netflix!

Ella Salmon