The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival is bringing back The Big Read this July 2025, after a 10-year break.
Designed to get the whole communuity reading and sharing a story, Cheltenham Festivals is giving away free books for the next three months in the lead-up to Cheltenham Literature Festival 2025 – including distributing copies to book clubs and leaving surprise book drops on trains and in cafes and coffee shops around Cheltenham for readers to 'find, read and pass on'.
This year's pick is The Ministry of Time, the number one bestselling debut novel from British-Cambodian author, Kaliane Bradley.
Set in the near future, The Ministry of Time follows a government project which brings people from the past into the present day and pairs them up with civil servants called 'bridges' to help them adjust to modern life.
Cheltenham Festivals describes the book as 'a gripping, genre-defying tale that blends history, science fiction and romance to invite readers to consider what it means to rewrite history and fall in love while doing it'.
Head of programming at Cheltenham Literature Festival, Nicola Tuxworth, said: 'We are thrilled to bring The Big Read back in 2025 and even more excited to spotlight a brilliant new voice in British fiction.
'Kaliane Bradley’s debut offers everything we want in The Big Read: ambition, originality and deep emotional resonance. This project is about joy, discovery and reading together and we can't wait for people to get involved.'
Kaliane added: 'I’m incredibly honoured that The Ministry of Time has been chosen for the official relaunch of The Big Read.
'The idea of thousands of people coming together to share a story means so much to me as an author. This book was born out of questions about home, history and who we become when the past walks into our present.
'To see it become part of a community reading journey feels deeply fitting and I’m excited to be part of the conversations it sparks.'
The Big Read was initially launched in 2015 to bring festival audiences together around a landmark work of classic literature, aiming to 'strengthen community connections' and celebrate the 'transformative power of reading'.
After its 10-year hiatus, The Big Read's 2025 relaunch puts the spotlight on emerging talent instead – and gives book lovers a glimpse of what to expect from this year's festival, which has an emphasis on 'nurturing new and talented voices' and celebrating up-and-coming writers, thinkers and poets.
Kaliane is just one of the authors set to appear at Cheltenham Literature Festival 2025, with the full lineup being announced on Wednesday 13 August 2025.
