The Winshaw Legacy books in order

Complete Winshaw Legacy reading order by Jonathan Coe. Both books from What a Carve Up! to Number 11.
Series · Literary Fiction

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 What a Carve Up! / The Winshaw Legacy 1994 Jonathan Coe Buy
2 Number 11 2015 Jonathan Coe Buy

The Winshaw Legacy is a two-book series by Jonathan Coe centered on the fictional Winshaw dynasty, a wealthy and corrupt British family with fingers in every part of national life. The first book is a savage satire of 1980s and 1990s Britain; the second returns to similar themes two decades later.

What a Carve Up! (1994), also published as The Winshaw Legacy, follows a reclusive writer hired to chronicle the Winshaw family. Each branch of the family controls a different sector of British life, from arms manufacturing to tabloid media, and each chapter exposes their greed in darkly comic fashion. The novel won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and remains one of Coe’s most celebrated works. Number 11 (2015) is a looser sequel that follows Rachel and Alison from childhood into their adult lives, with the Winshaw family resurfacing as the story builds toward its conclusion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I read The Winshaw Legacy books?

Read What a Carve Up! / The Winshaw Legacy (1994) first, then Number 11 (2015). Number 11 is a loose sequel that connects back to the Winshaw family later in the story.

What is What a Carve Up! about?

A reclusive writer named Michael Owen is commissioned to write a history of the Winshaw family, a grotesque dynasty with members embedded in arms dealing, factory farming, banking, tabloid journalism, the NHS, and the art world. The novel won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.

Is Number 11 a direct sequel to What a Carve Up!?

Number 11 is described as a ‘sequel of sorts.’ It follows two girls, Rachel and Alison, from age ten into adulthood. The Winshaw connections surface gradually in the later sections, but the book stands on its own for most of its length.

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