Join Marlborough’s Big Town Read

Get ready to join Marlborough’s biggest book club! Marlborough LitFest has announced this year’s Big Town Read: The Best of Everything, the acclaimed new novel by bestselling author Kit de Waal.

The Big Town Read invites people across Marlborough and the surrounding area to read the same book, sparking conversations, debates and a shared love of reading. Whether you’re an avid bookworm or an occasional reader, everyone is invited to pick up a copy, dive into the story and join in.

The Best of Everything is Kit de Waal’s sixth novel – a heartwarming and unforgettable story about found family, resilience and the unexpected love that changes lives. The Times praised it as “affecting … a story of loneliness and sacrifice that navigates great sorrow with a remarkable lightness of touch”.

De Waal’s own story is just as fascinating. Before becoming an award-winning author, she spent 15 years working in criminal and family law and later served as a magistrate. In 2025, she chaired the Women’s Prize for Fiction. This autumn, she’ll be at Marlborough LitFest to discuss her latest novel and answer questions from readers – save the date for Sunday 27 September.

So start reading now and come along ready to put your questions to the author. To help fuel discussion, reading group questions will be available on the LitFest website in July – but no peeking until you’ve finished the book!

Thanks to the support of Wiltshire Libraries, multiple copies of The Best of Everything will be available to order from Marlborough Library from mid-June. People will be encouraged to return their copy quickly so that others can read it. 

Keep your eyes peeled when you’re out and about in Marlborough High Street – LitFest has placed a number of free copies of the book in cafes and coffee shops for people to pick up and read. They only ask you put them back for other people to find or pass the book on to someone else.

The 2026 LitFest programme is now available from The White Horse Bookshop in Marlborough or to view online. Priority booking for Friends of LitFest opened on Monday 29 June; general booking opens on Friday 10 July. For more information, click here.