Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers review – eye-aching, heartbreaking and unmissable
Gathering together 61 of Vincent van Gogh’s masterpieces from around the world, the National Gallery’s once-in-a-lifetime show lets the art speak for itself
Notebook
Is the fizz up to Edith Wharton’s standards? The joys of launching a book
Rachel Cooke
A party supported by pals who made it through rush hour rain was appropriate for an anthology celebrating female friendship
Rachel Cooke on food
The Habitat chicken brick is back – but what’s the best way to roast a bird?
Rachel Cooke
Graphic novel of the month
Final Cut by Charles Burns review – a book to be read and reread
The Shape of Things: Still Life in Britain review – compelling proof that objects do talk…
August 2024
Autumn fiction special 2024
Lord of the Flies at 70: how a classic was reimagined as a graphic novel
Actor Robert Lindsay on his role in Sherwood and growing up in a mining town: ‘There were terrible confrontations between fathers and sons’
Observer book of the week
The Island: WH Auden and the Last of Englishness review – a deep dive into the poet’s early years
Rachel Cooke on food
What makes a neighbourhood restaurant great? Perfection – but in a slightly wonky way
Rachel Cooke
Notebook
Are studies of great authors doomed as fewer students take English literature at university?
Rachel Cooke
Graphic novel of the month
Elena: A Hand Made Life by Miriam Gold review – a beautifully crafted memoir of a beloved grandmother
Beautiful, bruising and complex: what I’ve learned about female friendship
Observer book of the week
The Art of Power by Nancy Pelosi review – politics with principles
Let’s Be Honest by Jess Phillips review – manifesto for a better politics speaks plainly but falls flat
July 2024
Straight to your inbox: meet the journalists shaking up local UK news
Rachel Cooke on food
This changeable weather is playing havoc with my appetite, so I’m eating summer-winter food
Rachel Cooke
Notebook
In Sheffield’s new top foodie destination, something gnaws at me and it isn’t hunger
Rachel Cooke
Graphic novel of the month
The Wendy Award by Walter Scott review – the voice of a bewildered generation
Magazine guru Lindsay Nicholson’s life of turmoil: ‘I could see this world I’d created was crumbling’
Farewell, with regret … Kirsty Wark, Newsnight’s smiling assassin in stripes
