Fans of magical realism will love this; it reminded me of Japanese novels which are quirky and playful and don’t shy away from fantasy elements. However, this isn’t a genre I am particularly fond of so while I appreciated the excellent writing and a lot of the beautiful description, ultimately I’m not the target audience for this type of novel. I picked it because it was long listed for the women’s prize and I knew it would be quality writing.

Well this book certainly isn't what I was expecting at all!. I found the storyline hard to follow at times, however I can appreciate the writing style and detail given to the characters by the author.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I started this one and I just couldn't get into it at all. Feels all a bit too abstract and that doesn't really work for me. Not for me I'm afraid.

I was provided with a paper copy of this proof and therefore did not access the ebook. The novel was marvellous, I have bought two copies of it as gifts since and the recipients loved it also. I would recommend it to anyone.

A delightful and sprawling story, set in a world that feels full of life and vitality. This One Sky Day is essentially a slice of life novel, but it's Ross' characters that really bring this story to life. Well and truly magical realism at its finest

Magical realism with beautiful writing and a sense of timelessness, though hard to follow in places!

What a strange book, I don’t know what I was expecting, but I really wasn’t expecting this story, which often makes no sense at all.
Despite its wildness the writing was good, and I look forward to more from the author now knowing how creative and out there their mind is.

Everyone in Popisho was born with a bit of magic or cors. As the sun rises on a new day on the archipelago, macaenus Xavier Redchoose must fulfill his god-given duty to cook each Popisho resident the perfect meal, exactly when they need it. Anise is learning to tackle her healing powers while the governor's daughter Sonteine is getting ready to marry her lover. But there is unrest in Popisho as mysterious graffiti starts asking questions and there seems to be a storm on the horizon.

I was completely taken in by the world of Popisho and the strange phenomenon that occurs in that book. Full of gender politics and thought-provoking women’s issues, I was fully immersed in this intriguing, imaginative place and emerged from it in a haze, having drawn multiple parallels with the world I know.

What a gorgeous book. Leone Ross writes incredibly lush description peppered with the sights, smells and tastes of a fictional archipelago, rich with magic realism. I read this during one of our many lockdowns in the UK and found it the perfect escapist fiction I needed. Carry me away to Popisho, stat. With huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

On Popisho, an imaginary archipelago in the Caribbean, dawn breaks. In dreamy prose, the author introduces magic little by little, taking the reader on a journey across one sensual, magnetic day. Realism and mysticism go hand in hand with a feminist lens. Unusual and tasty, I won't forget the vibrance of this one for a long time.

I loved this novel so much that I also bought it in hardback so I could keep it on my shelf! Magical and riveting. I loved it.

Magical realism pulled me in my late 20s. Being a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's writing, it wasn't a big leap to those South American writers who developed the genre - Márquez, Borges, Rulfo, etc. The One Sky Day by Leone Ross is a welcome returned to a style that I've missed!

The book is based in Popisho, a fictional island with a very Caribbean feel. All it's inhabitants are born with a cors, a special gift that can heal, or give strength, or in the case of Xavier, one of the island's revered macaenus, allows him to cook a meal unique for each visitor to his restaurant.

Many themes in the book work, such as the shunned indigent population, Xavier's craving for moth, Anise's search for the truth, the ghost of Xavier's wife; but some just seemed to be plopped in without any reference, such as when the women's pum-pums fell out! Another curiosity was that Popisho appeared timeless, there's no reference to technology, not until the beauty contest near the end where huge big screens projected the hosts - it seemed oddly out of place with the rest of the book.

Some gorgeous writing, particularly the capturing of the local dialect, makes this a very solid 4!

I am shamefully late with this one, but in my defense... I didn't want to read it. This is one of those books where I can see its merits, and I can objectively admire how vivid and viscerally this is written, the characters coming alive in Leone Ross' brilliant writing. I also thought I'd like it because it was a magical realism literary fiction, which is something I absolutely love reading, but I just did not click with it at all. I am not able to articulate exactly why, but something about the storytelling did not grasp me, and even when I enjoyed the writing, I could not enjoy the story itself. This is a slow-paced novel, which made the chore of finishing this drag on even more. It just never seemed to really pick up steam and then the Big Event that happens around half or two-thirds in was just so weird and absurd. It just really put me off.

I had initially DNF-ed Popisho but after seeing so many reviewers I trust say this is brilliant and a 5-star read for them, I gave it another chance. It just did not work for me, I was simply not the right audience - so I guess it will be a better match for other readers, perhaps if you enjoy absurd humor and magical realism. Don't let me my uninspired review stop you from reading it if this book interested you.

This enjoyable novel was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize in 2021.



Featuring magic realism, social commentary and fantasy, this tale of unrequited love is charming and distinctive, but won't be for everyone.

An interesting read - the kind of book I was really interested in. I have already recommended this book to some friends.

A dreamlike and magical work of pure imagination


On the mystical archipelago of Popisho, every citizen is born with a special type of magic – known as ‘cors’ – that is unique to them and gifted by the gods. Xavier Redchoose is the island’s macaenus, an honoured title appointed only once each generation. His role is to cook every person on Popisho one perfect meal, which he can do using his unique cors of being able to flavour food with a touch of his hands. When the governor’s daughter Sonteine is due to be married, governor Intiasar seeks out Xavier and asks him to prepare her wedding feast. However, Xavier is still haunted by the death of his wife Nya a year ago and is also mourning the loss many years before of his true love, the healer Anise. Meanwhile, a strange storm is brewing on the islands and unrest is developing among its people. Across one single day, the stories of Xavier, Anise, Sonteine and her estranged brother Romanza are told and culminate in an event that will change Popisho forever.


This was a unique, highly imaginative, and beautifully written fantasy novel set in a colourful and vibrant tropical world layered with strange magic. It isn’t often as a reader that you come across a setting that feels completely original and Popisho was unlike any other fictional location I have encountered before. The vibrant islands are so vividly described that you feel as if you are there, experiencing the sights, sounds and smells that are being described to you. The idea of the magical ‘cors’ was brilliantly executed, so that the idea of everyone having this strange, personal type of magic was simultaneously fascinating to the reader but also felt completely normal in the context of the world. Using fantastical, whimsical, and sometimes outright bizarre storytelling, the author touches subtly on themes such as feminism, sexuality, politics and every imaginable aspect of human emotion and nature, in a way that never feels heavy-handed or forced and using a host of multi-layered and engaging characters, each of which feels both real and unique. The story itself builds up to its dramatic conclusion and brings together its main players to leave a firm lasting impression in the mind of the reader.


It is difficult for me to criticise this book as I enjoyed it so much, but it is fair to say that due to its very nature it will not be for everyone – it is fantastical, even absurd, and some of the situations and events may be too outrageous for some more conservative readers. Additionally, as the entire story is set across just one day and the writing is quite heavy on description, the plot moves a little slowly at times.


In conclusion, this was a wonderful book, and I will seek out more from this highly talented author. I would recommend this to anyone looking to escape the everyday and travel to somewhere a bit more magical.


Daenerys


Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

It took me a little while to get into this story, but once I did I was hooked on the strange island of Popisho and its equally strange inhabitants. Xavier, the island's macaenus (chef with an innate knowledge for what people like to eat), is struggling to recover from his wife's suicide and to find the inspiration to prepare a wedding feast for the Governer's daughter. As he wanders the islands, he finds his thoughts drawn back to his first love Anise, who is having quite an eventful day of her own.
With flashbacks to their pasts, and intricate magical details about life on the islands, you find yourself swept up in their story right to the very end.

This was a great love story with masterful writing. I enjoyed it very much. It's slow-moving with a lot of depth, and with a touch of magical realism.
I definitely recommend if you like literary fiction and magical realism.

Unfortunately I could not get into this book, and ultimately did not finish it. Other readers may enjoy it more