Scarlett Cayford

Scarlett Cayford lives in London and works for a digital advertising agency, heading up their content team. She enjoys eating patatas bravas in Spain and dying her hair. Scarlett was born in London in 1987, and emigrated to Auckland when she was three years old.

Books
Jan 28, 2020

The particular joy of barrelling into a bountiful back-catalogue

Scarlett Cayford stumbles, ravenous, into a glorious new world

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Books
Jun 25, 2019

'She knits her books of her bones and her blood.' An appreciation of Marian Keyes

Novelist Marian Keyes is a stone-cold legend who deserves all the prizes. In lieu of that, here's a heartfelt piece by Scarlett Cayford, who grew up steeped in Keyes' stories and sensibilities. 

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Books
Jun 20, 2019

After Eat, Pray, Love: a flamboyant new novel by Elizabeth Gilbert

City of Girls is not a cautionary tale, but rather a celebration of what happens when women cease to be cautious.

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Books
May 22, 2019

Who should win the Women’s Prize for Fiction: An authoritative ranking

Petition for superfreak Scarlett Cayford to judge the Women's Prize for Fiction next year: she read her way through the entire 2019 longlist, for fun. Here are her reckons on the top six. 

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Books
Apr 23, 2019

“Fuck a duck!” The new EL James, reviewed

The author of Fifty Shades is back, with more unintentionally hilarious catchphrases and "linguistically bankrupt fondling of a clitoris".

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Books
Oct 11, 2018

Man Booker Prize Fight Week, third and final round: Anna Burns vs Daisy Johnson

The 2019 Man Booker prize is announced next week. Scarlett Cayford reviews two of the shortlisted novels, Milkman by Anna Burns and Everything Under by Daisy Johnson.

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Books
Dec 26, 2017

Summer Reissue: The hot, tumultuous genius of Alex and other NZ young adult fiction

'Now I’m old and introspective and critical,' writes Scarlett Cayford, 'let me tell you why the young adult fiction penned by New Zealand women in the 90s is some of the best in the world.'

Read on.

Books
Dec 19, 2017

The third best book of 2017: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

All week this Christmas week we countdown the best six books of 2017. Number three: the first book in Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy, La Belle Sauvage.

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Books
Sep 28, 2017

Movie of the book of the week: Scarlett Cayford on the genius of Margaret Mahy

The hotly-anticipated film version of Margaret Mahy's novel The Changeover opens in cinemas today. Scarlett Cayford examines the peculiar genius of Mahy, and compares the film with the book.

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Books
Sep 6, 2017

The real reason why women go to book clubs

'The book is the catalyst, the key.' An essay by Scarlett Cayford about the secret society of book clubs.

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Books
Jun 21, 2017

‘A lot of it comes down to sex’: on the hot, tumultuous genius of Alex and other NZ young adult fiction

'Now I’m old and introspective and critical,' writes Scarlett Cayford, 'let me tell you why the young adult fiction penned by New Zealand women in the 90s is some of the best in the world.'

Read on.

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