‘Pandora! I adore ya!’: the best descriptions of first love in literature
The last word, our series about emotions in books, looks at early flutters of the heart this month, from Adrian Mole and Malorie Blackman to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah
October 2019
Further reading
House rules: Jess Phillips on the best books to decode the language of politics
The MP picks the best books about parliament and the life of working politicians – and Adrian Mole
June 2019
'If you feel awkward, you've got it right': the actors playing Adrian Mole
Discos, homework and endless rehearsals … the four stars in the lead role in the West End musical share their diaries
April 2019
What’s cultural appropriation for people of dual heritage?
Letters: Jo Fisher says the debate should return to power and exploitation, Rebecca Linton welcomes openness to the influence of other cultures, and Anne Gould says Adrian Mole faced the issue nearly 40 years ago
December 2018
Further reading
From Aesop to Adrian: books to inspire a love of reading
Tom Gates writer and illustrator Liz Pichon enjoys drama in the jungle, Milligan’s silly verse and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole
July 2017
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ review – Townsend's gawky icon rescues the British musical
With a vibrant ensemble, Luke Sheppard tells the earnest diarist’s much-loved story with wit and craft – and points the way forward for the British musical
April 2017
David Nicholls: Adrian Mole and me at 50
Happy 50th birthday Adrian Mole
December 2016
Christmas chaos in literature, from Emma to Adrian Mole
Forget Dickensian happy endings, the real Christmas classics tell stories of fraught family gatherings, orgies of consumption and festivities for one, writes John Mullan
May 2016
The week in books
Literary Leicester laughs it up
Not only is the East Midlands city the proud holder of the Premier League title, it can boast the likes of Graham Chapman, Sue Townsend and Anne Fine as natives
April 2015
Books blog
Open thread: which children's books defined their decade?
Was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone the defining children’s book of the 1990s? And how central was Adrian Mole to the 1980s?
March 2015
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾: the Musical review – impeccable performances, hamfisted script
Sue Townsend’s sly writing is pummelled to fit narrative arcs of love triumphant and ambition realised in this musical adaptation
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ review – quaint, charming musical
Sue Townsend’s tormented teenage hero makes a jaunty appearance in this smart, low-key musical adaptation
Children's books
10 things you didn’t know about Adrian Mole
Did you know Adrian Mole’s name was nearly Nigel? Jake Brunger, writer of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ - the musical, reveals 10 lesser known facts about Sue Townsend’s most famous creation
December 2014
Obituaries of 2014
Sue Townsend remembered by Nicci Gerrard
Nicci Gerrard, who conducted the Adrian Mole author’s funeral, on ‘a radical and a partygoer, a grandmother, a woman of the people, a writer, a dreamer’
July 2014
Adrian Mole musical to premiere in Leicester next year
Musical version of Sue Townsend's Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 will be staged in fictional character's city of birth
April 2014
Sue Townsend: a rare voice
Sue Townsend appreciation
Sue Townsend: how the welfare state left me and my kids scouring the streets for pennies
Adrian Mole and me: how this 1980s icon nailed the politics of the era
