Another World by Melvyn Bragg review – portrait of the broadcaster as a young man
Leaving behind Cumbria for Oxford in the late 1950s, Bragg navigates class and culture in a world on the brink of change
Old Songs by Amy Jeffs and Gwen Burns review – ancient tales of murder, maidens and magic
These interconnected short stories of love and death, inspired by traditional ballads from the British Isles, are narrated with immediacy and warmth
Bird Deity by John Morrissey review – darkly satirical science fiction about the cost of empire
In his debut novel, the Kalkadoon writer uses the cosmic distance of an alien planet to illuminate our own
Trip to the Moon by John Yorke review – a storytelling handbook in dire need of an edit
A producer shares his tips for tight storylines, but they’re marred by verbal incontinence and hyperbole
The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara review – into Tibet’s ‘Forbidden Kingdom’
The follow-up to Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line explores the history of colonial exploration through a perilous 19th-century odyssey
The Disappearing Act by Maria Stepanova review – a poetic exploration of Russian guilt
Written from exile after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this autofictional blend of memory and fable tracks a changing sense of self
On Morrison by Namwali Serpell review – a landmark appraisal of the great novelist’s work
Serpell leaves no stone unturned in her deep and enriching portrait of the Nobel laureate’s oeuvre
My Sister’s Bones review – drab adaptation doesn’t deliver the dark punch of the bestselling novel
Despite the best efforts of the fine cast this psychological thriller about a war correspondent returning to her home town falls short of exploring the full scope of family trauma
Our Better Natures by Sophie Ward review – reimagining Andrea Dworkin
Three women, two real and one fictional, seek social justice in an ambitious novel that explores power in 1970s America
A Hymn to Life by Gisèle Pelicot review – a unique memoir by a figure of astonishing power
Pelicot’s riveting account of her ordeal refuses to conform to any agenda but her own
O’Romeo review – Bollywood Shakespeare takes dive into grisly mafia queens territory
After hit takes on Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet, Vishal Bhardwaj’s Romeo and Juliet adaptation sees dead-eyed lovers drag one another to gutter and grave
Every generation gets the Wuthering Heights it deserves. And Emerald Fennell’s is for the always-online
Packed cinemas testify to the allure of Emily Brontë’s tale, even if this latest retelling is not to everyone’s taste, says Guardian arts and culture correspondent Nadia Khomami
Frogs for Watchdogs by Seán Farrell review – about a boy
A charming child’s-eye view of rural Ireland
A World Appears by Michael Pollan review – a kaleidoscopic exploration of consciousness
The journalist and polymath probes the mysteries of the mind in this unsettling yet life-affirming investigation
A Prayer for the Dying review – pestilent western feels like a short stretched too long
Johnny Flynn and John C Reilly offer casting heft, but this moody, technically sound tale of an unfolding epidemic in 1870s Wisconsin lacks emotional substance