Watching Women & Girls

By Danielle Pender

‘A moving collection’ GRAZIA

‘Danielle is a sharp new talent.’ SIRIN KALE

‘Vibrant, intense and darkly comic’ ABIGAIL BERGSTROM

‘Danielle Pender explores that impact on women’s exterior and interior lives with brevity, depth and wry humour.’ THE FACE

When you look at a woman, who do you see?

From lost friendships to infidelity and complex romances, to motherhood and family dynamics, Watching Women & Girls is a sharp and moving exploration into complexities of the female experience.

Told through twelve powerful short stories, Danielle Pender offers an expansive lens into the ways in which the world watches women and how we very rarely see the truth that is right in front of us.

Format: Paperback
Release Date: 11 May 2023
Pages: 272
ISBN: 978-0-00-847250-4
Born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Danielle gained her BA in History of Modern Art, Design & Film at Northumbria University and MA in Creative Writing at Newcastle University. In 2013 she founded Riposte, a bi-annual print publication that offers a diverse and nuanced reflection on the lives of modern women. She has written for other publications including Refinery 29, Vogue and Metro, amongst others. She currently lives in London with her husband and daughter.

‘Watching Women and Girls is a searing meditation on the moments that make, and break, us. As canny as they are entertaining, these stories are packed with emotional intelligence, capturing the dark and the light of the female experience in a series of vignettes that every one of us will in some way relate to. I loved it.’CHARLOTTE PHILBY, AUTHOR OF THE SECOND WOMAN -

Vibrant, intense and darkly comic this is a powerful and thoughtful collection told through closely observed, spellbinding characters that stay with you.’ABIGAIL BERGSTROM, AUTHOR OF WHAT A SHAME -

‘A page-flipping joy of a read. Pender is a generous writer and observer of society who incisively captures what it is to be a woman in our times.’CHARLOTTE JANSEN, AUTHOR OF GIRL ON GIRL -

‘Smart and astute, funny and wry; a catalogue of the modern conditions of dating, working and being. It encouraged me to pay more attention to the world around me and the secret lives of those in it.’AMELIA ABRAHAM, AUTHOR OF QUEER INTENTIONS -

‘To see, be seen and know that you are, always, being watched. That is the experience of being a woman today. This thoughtful, meditative and, at times, absurdly funny collection is a reminder that someone is, always, looking right back.’VICKY SPRATT, AUTHOR OF TENANTS -

‘A beautifully written exploration of woman and girlhood, with all of its contradictions and quirks. Danielle is a sharp new talent.’SIRIN KALE -

Chosen as one of the ‘best new book releases’ by COSMOPOLITANA ‘best summer read’ by ELLE MAGAZINE -