Three acclaimed authors tackle the the pain, awkwardness and strange joy of growing up. Esther Freud has frequently returned to this theme in her novels. Sidura Ludwig’s debut novel, Holding My Breath depicts a young woman’s struggle to find her way in the world. The Rowing Lesson, set in South Africa, is a moving story of a daughter’s wish to keep her father alive by retelling his life story.

Tracy Chevalier and Esther Freud are two of our finest novelists and are both contributors to Reader, I Married Him – a soon-to-be-published anthology of stories inspired by Jane Eyre. They talk about the creative process, their stories, writing historical fiction, and their latest novels, At the Edge of the Orchard and Mr Mac and Me, with documentary maker Olivia Lichtenstein.