Contemporary fiction titles are those which focus on the present or near past. Stories rooted in the current cultural, social, and political landscape which feature characters we can all recognise.
Contemporary Fiction Books
Headline Publishing Group Ticktock
Book SynopsisWhen Tommy Phan discovers a mysterious rag doll on his doorstep one day, he''s curious but tries to dismiss it. However, the thing seems ominously foreboding - a feeling borne out when he hears a sound from it that evening. When he picks up the doll, its heart actually appears to be beating. Then the threads of its eyes unravel, and a strange green eye appears - and blinks.Before long, Tommy is forced to flee an adversary that becomes larger, ever more formidable and seemingly indestructible. He must use his journalist''s skills to figure out not only exactly what this thing is and where it has come from, but more importantly why it has been sent after him. And he has just nine hours before the arrival of dawn to do so...
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Touching Spirit Bear
Book SynopsisAfter his anger erupts into violence, Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the Native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life.Trade Review“Mikaelsen’s portrayal of this angry, manipulative, damaged teen is dead on.” — School Library Journal (starred review) "[Cole's] solitary life on the island is just the ticket for Paulsen fans, who will appreciate the survival story." — The Bulletin “Mikaelsen paints a realistic portrait of an unlikable young punk.” — Kirkus Reviews “An excellent companion to Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet and Allan Eckert’s Incident at Hawk’s Hill.” — ALA Booklist “[Cole’s story] will fascinate young and old, and have everyone waiting for the sequel.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
£6.99
Little, Brown Book Group Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
Book SynopsisIn his startling and singular new short story collection, David Foster Wallace nudges at the boundaries of fiction with inimitable wit and seductive intelligence. Among the stories are ''The Depressed Person'', a dazzling and blackly humorous portrayal of a woman''s mental state; ''Adult World'', which reveals a woman''s agonised consideration of her confusing sexual relationship with her husband; and ''Brief Interviews with Hideous Men'', a dark, hilarious series of portraits of men whose fear of women renders them grotesque. Wallace''s stories present a world where the bizarre and the banal are interwoven and where hideous men appear in many different guises. Thought-provoking and playful, this collection confirms David Foster Wallace as one of the most imaginative young writers around. Wallace delights in leftfield observation, mining the ironic, the surprising and the illuminating from every situation. His new collection will delight his growing number of fans, and provide a Trade ReviewHis skills as a literary innovator are immense…this is an entertaining and dazzlingly innovative work…a dizzying gallop actoss the wild frontier of contemporary fiction. * Daily Telegraph *Endlessly inventive * Evening Standard *Exceptionally clever * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *As clever and intriguing as Wallace's past work * The Times *His skills as a literary innovator are immense...this is an entertaining and dazzlingly innovative work...a dizzying gallop actoss the wild frontier of contemporary fiction. * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Endlessly inventive * EVENING STANDARD *As clever and intriguing as Wallace's past work...these strong, sad voices ring powerfully clear * The Time *Wallace's talent is such that you can't help wondering: how good can he get? * Time Out *Contains longish stretches of genius -- Geoff Nicholson * Independent *
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Kaddish For An Unborn Child
Book Synopsis‘A fine and powerful piece of work… Dark, at times cryptic, and hugely energetic’ Irish Times “No!" is the first word of this haunting novel. It is how a middle-aged Hungarian-Jewish writer answers an acquaintance who asks him if he has a child, and it is how he answered his wife years earlier when she told him that she wanted one. The loss, longing and regret that haunt the years between these two 'No!'s give rise to one of the most eloquent meditations ever written on the Holocaust. As Kertész's narrator addresses the child he couldn't bear to bring into the world, he takes readers on a mesmerising, lyrical journey through his life, from his childhood to Auschwitz to his failed marriage.Trade ReviewCondenses a lifetime into a story told in a single night...exhilarating for [its] creative energy * World Literature *Stunning... resembles such other memorably declamatory fictions as Camus' The Fall and Dostoyevsky's Notes from Underground * Kirkus Reviews *While the average reader cannot pretend truly to understand the reality of those who suffered in concentration camps, Kertész draws us one step closer * Observer *For taking us somewhere no other writer has, Kertész fully deserved his Nobel Prize * Independent *Tim Wilkinson is a seriously good translator...I may have given the impression that this is harrowing, and it is; but it has its moments of great, consoling insight, is about far more than just the Holocaust and in its own haunting way provides comfort for the afflicted -- Nicholas Lezard * Guardian *
£8.54
Oneworld Publications Another Brooklyn
Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNING AUTHOR A TIME MAGAZINE TOP 10 NOVEL OF 2016 SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2016 FROM THE WINNER OF THE ASTRID LINDGREN MEMORIAL AWARD 2018 They used to be inseparable. They used to be young, brave and brilliant – amazingly beautiful and terrifyingly alone. August, Sylvia, Angela and Gigi shared everything: songs, secrets, fears and dreams. But 1970s Brooklyn was also a dangerous place, where grown men reached for innocent girls, where mothers disappeared and futures vanished at the turn of a street corner. Another Brooklyn is a heartbreaking and exquisitely written novel about a fleeting friendship that united four young lives, from one of our most gifted novelists.Trade Review‘Beautifully lyrical…a collage of experiences and reflections that intersect geographically, temporally and sexually…Woodson evokes a New York of the 70s seen through the prism of young black females who are least likely to be portrayed in literature or any other art form, at the centre of it.’ * Observer *‘[A] rich, sensitive novel.’ * Big Issue *‘A beautiful coming-of-age novel, heartfelt and true.’ -- Erica Wagner * New Statesman *‘Jacqueline Woodson has such an original vision, such a singular voice. I loved this book. * Ann Patchett, author of State of Wonder *'An impressionistic narrative, told in prose that’s spare but always with an underlying poetry.' * Sunday Herald *‘It is the personal encounters that form the gorgeous center of this intense, moving novel.’ * New York Times Book Review *‘Fine-cadenced prose.’ * Wall Street Journal *‘Woodson manages to remember what cannot be documented, to suggest what cannot be said. Another Brooklyn is another name for poetry.’ * Washington Post *‘The novel reads like a series of prose poems.’ * Los Angeles Times *‘This book about what it’s like to be a girl in America should be required reading.’ * Huffington Post *'This gorgeous novel is a poem. It is a love letter to black girlhood.' * Roxanne Gay, author of Bad Feminist *'Grief and friendship are the hallmarks of this story that leap from the pages in a musical prose that is sparse, exacting, and breathtaking. A remarkable writer, Woodson illustrates the damning invisibility and unrelenting objectification of girls in this tender tale.' * Lauren Francis-Sharma *‘My expectations for this book were high, and still I found myself astounded. Another Brooklyn packs so much work into such a beautiful, poignant narrative. Entirely accessible, it elevates voices too often unheard. This is essential reading.’ * Bookreporter.com *‘In Jacqueline Woodson’s soaring choral poem of a novel…four young friends…navigate the perils of adolescence, mean streets and haunted memory in 1970s Brooklyn, all while dreaming of escape.’ * Vanity Fair *‘[E]ntwined coming-of-age narratives – lost mothers, wounded war vets, nodding junkies, menacing streetscapes – are starkly realistic, yet brim with moments of pure poetry.’ * Elle *'Jacqueline Woodson is a gorgeous writer…lyrical prose, really, really beautiful.' * Emma Straub, New York Times-bestselling author of The Vacationers *‘Another Brooklyn is another kind of book, another kind of beautiful, lyrical, hallucinatory, heartbreaking and powerful novel...This is an incredible and memorable book.’ * Edwidge Danticat, author of Claire of the Sea Light *‘Jacqueline Woodson’s spare, emphatic novel about young women growing up in 1970s Bushwick brings some of our deepest silences-about danger, loss, and black girls’ coming of age-into powerful lyric speech. Another Brooklyn is heartbreaking and restorative, a gorgeous and generous paean to all we must leave behind on the path to becoming ourselves.’ * Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Life on Mars and Ordinary Light *‘In this elegant and moving novel, Jacqueline Woodson explores the beauty and burden of growing up girl in 1970’s Brooklyn through the lens of one unforgettable narrator. The guarded hopes and whispered fears that August and her girlfriends share left me thinking about the limits and rewards of friendship well after the novel’s end. Full of moments of grief, grace, and wonder, Another Brooklyn proves that Jacqueline Woodson is a master storyteller.’ * Angela Flournoy, author of The Turner House, a finalist for the National Book Award *‘Jacqueline Woodson’s Another Brooklyn is a wonder. With a poet’s soul and a poet’s eye for image and ear for lyrical language, Woodson delivers a moving meditation on girlhood, love, loss, hurt, friendship, family, faith, longing, and desire. This novel is a love letter to a place, an era, and a group of young women that we’ve never seen depicted quite this way or this tenderly. Woodson has created an unforgettable, entrancing narrator in August. I’ll go anywhere she leads me.’ * Naomi Jackson, author of The Star Side of Bird Hill *‘The novel’s richness defies its slim page count. In her poet’s prose, Woodson not only shows us backward-glancing August attempting to stave off growing up and the pains that betray youth, she also wonders how we dream of a life parallel to the one we’re living.’ * Booklist (Starred Review) *‘Woodson crafts a haunting coming-of-age story of four best friends in Brooklyn, New York...Here is an exploration of family – both the ones we are born into and the ones we make for ourselves – and all the many ways we try to care for these people we love so much, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing. A stunning achievement from one of the quietly great masters of our time.’ * Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) *‘Woodson…combines grit and beauty in a series of stunning vignettes, painting a vivid mural of what it was like to grow up African-American in Brooklyn during the 1970s…Woodson draws on all the senses to trace the milestones in a woman’s life and how her early experiences shaped her identity.’ * Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) *'Her words like summer lightning get caught in my throat and I draw her up from southern roots to a Brooklyn of a thousand names, where she and her three ‘sisters’ learn to navigate a new season. A new herstory. Everywhere I turn, my dear Sister Jacqueline, I hear your words, a wild sea pausing in the wind.’ * Sister Sonia Sanchez *‘For all the tough lessons she delivers, Woodson also writes with a consistent warmth and compassion.’ * USA Today *'The plot and language of Another Brooklyn are simple, but the themes and emotions are not. This remarkable book is like water. It is deceptively fluid, the languid language and pacing circling back around itself, deepening with each whirl. What begins as a homecoming novel, shifts into a coming-of-age tale until, at the end, the book has turned again and we see that this story is an elegy for both girlhood and a Brooklyn that no longer exists.' * Boston Globe *
£9.49
Canongate Books Dirt Road
Book SynopsisShortlisted for Saltire Fiction Book of the Year 2016'A celebration of what it is to be human' SpectatorMurdo, a teenager obsessed with music, dreams of a life beyond home. His recently widowed dad, Tom, stumbles towards the future, terrified of losing what remains of his family. Both are in search of something as they set out from rural Scotland on a journey to the American South.Trade ReviewDirt Road is brilliant . . . a deeply moving and exciting novel -- RODDY DOYLEA brilliantly understated tale about coming of age, grief and the folk music of the American deep south . . . poignant and beautiful ***** * * Daily Telegraph * *A delight . . . The best thing [Kelman] has written -- ALLAN MASSIE * * Scotsman * *In Dirt Road James Kelman brings alive a human consciousness like no other writer can -- ALAN WARNERAnother masterpiece from one of our best writers -- KIRSTY GUNN * * Guardian * *Kelman in the American South, with a zydeco lilt, proves irresistible - a thrilling return from one of our most essential novelists -- KEVIN BARRYStrange and beautiful . . . Kelman gives us visceral vernacular, Joycean stream of consciousness, wry humor, old resentments and painful memories, all in counterpoint to the music on and off stage . . . A celebration of what it is to be human * * Spectator * *Beautiful. Dirt Road is about coming of age, grief and the folk music of the American deep south * * Daily Telegraph * *Draws you like a magnet * * Herald Scotland * *In writing as pure as this, language becomes the very bones and meat of the characters. I am not transported by these sentences into Murdo's world; I am Murdo -- ROSS RAISIN
£11.07
Profile Books Ltd Ready To Catch Him Should He Fall
Book SynopsisIt is 3 a.m. in The City, and in a dark corner of The Bar, two lovers collide in the beginnings of a passionate and violent affair. Boy: nineteen, beautiful, ready for anyone to take him home, and 'O': the Older Man, cynical, unpredictable, and at the mercy of his personal demons. Their romance is orchestrated and observed by the owner of The Bar, Madame, who looks after her boys and ensures that their haven remains inviolate. At once a joyful celebration of homosexual love and culture, and a devastating evocation of the homophobic climate which stemmed from the 80s AIDS crisis, Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall offers a decisively contemporary recasting of the traditional love story. First published in 1990 and immediately acclaimed as the work of a bold new voice in English fiction, Neil Bartlett's powerful debut continues to shine with an ageless wisdom and wit.Trade ReviewBrilliant,beautiful, mischievous; few men can match Bartlett for the breadth of his exploration of gay sensibility * Independent *Exquisite ... a moving and erotic love story * Observer *Stands head-and-shoulders above any British or American gay novel to have appeared in several years * Gay Times *A triumph both in its execution and in its intent * Sunday Times *A writer who can really change the way people think * Literary Review *Profoundly moving and enriching. Bartlett has achieved what is almost impossible: he has written a novel about successful, happy love * The Glasgow Herald *Sexual, elegiac, imaginative and powerfully written * Time Out *Tender, brutal, explicit, erotic and moving... a fictional debut of staggering assurance and ability * Gay Times *As good a novel as you are likely to read this year * Literary Review *An exuberant individualist... his style is a disconcerting mix of the plush and the confrontational, underpinned by indignation at society's treatment of homosexuals * The Times *Neil Bartlett has grabbed history by the collar and made bitter love to it... At the very moment gay existence is threatened by disease and a renewed puritanism, Bartlett has embraced what was alien and criminal or merely clinical and loved it into poignant life -- Edmund WhiteAn extraordinary book... reveals what it is like to be gay in a city that, for the most part, pretends you don't exist * i-D *
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers The Poor Mouth Paladin Books
Book SynopsisThe classic satire from the renowned comic and acclaimed author of At Swim-Two-Birds' Flann O'Brien.Flann O'Brien's gloriously wicked satire of the traditional Irish peasant novel, The Poor Mouth tells the shamelessly ironic story of Bonaparte O'Coonassa, born in the West of Ireland on a terrible winter's night'.A hymn to the world of potatoes, rain and excellent poverty', this cruelly funny assault on the fashionable Gaelic Revival of the day brought the wrath of the custodians of national sentiment upon O'Brien's head for many years thereafter.Trade Review‘A wonderful romp amongst the unspeakable stereotypes of Irishry’ The Times ‘A Gaelic novel, all footnotes and authenticity, The Poor Mouth is O’Brien’s practical joke. Hugely and unfairly funny’ Observer ‘Anyone who has read the Blasket writers, cocked a pained ear to Peig Sayers or waded through the novels of Maire, will delight in the cruel accuracy of The Poor Mouth’ Literary Review ‘O’Brien’s sense of comedy is an unfailing delight’ Sunday TImes ‘Along with Joyce and Beckett, Flann O’Brien constitutes our trinity of great Irish writers’ Edna O’Brien
£9.49
Granta Books Memoirs of a Polar Bear
Book SynopsisThree bears. The first, a diligent memoirist whose unlikely success forces her to flee Soviet Russia. The second, her daughter, a skilled dancer in an East Berlin circus. The third, Knut, a baby bear born and raised in Berlin Zoo at the beginning of the 21st century. Here, then, is the enchanting story of three extraordinary bears, brought to life by one of Japan's most inventive and dazzling novelists.
£8.54
Hodder & Stoughton The Family Next Door
Book SynopsisHow much do we really know about our neighbours? An unputdownable domestic page-turner about the secrets we all hide - perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Amanda Prowse and Kerry Fisher.Trade ReviewWomen's fiction at its finest * Liane Moriarty, Number One New York Times bestselling author *Reminds us of Big Little Lies and is just as gripping * Good Housekeeping *
£8.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Forensic Records Society
Book Synopsis''The Forensic Records Society is like Animal Farm but with blokes for pigs, and much better songs'' GuardianTwo men with a passion for vinyl create a society for the appreciation of records. Their aim is simple: to elevate the art of listening by doing so in forensic detail. The society enjoys moderate success in the back room of their local pub, The Half Moon, with other enthusiasts drawn to the initial promise of the weekly gathering.However, as the club gains popularity, its founder's uncompromising dogma results in a schism within the movement and soon a counter group forms. Then the arrival of a young woman called Alice further fractures the unity of the vulnerable society. As rifts are forged and gulfs widen, Magnus Mills examines the surreal nature of ordinary lives. The master of the comic deadpan returns for his ninth novel, a spectacularly disingenuous exploration of power, fanaticism and really, really good records.Trade ReviewMills uses his blokes in the back of a pub to tell a massively ambitious story … A story that could be read as a disguised retelling of the Russian revolution, or the Reformation, or the Sunni-Shia schism, or any great human falling out. As soon as you form any kind of “us”, Mills suggests, a “them” will form in response. In this, The Forensic Records Society is like Animal Farm but with blokes for pigs, and much better songs * Guardian *For nearly twenty years Mills has been entertaining and occasionally perplexing readers with his enigmatic tales of thwarted expeditions, projects and schemes … Tremendously funny. Mills is one of Britain’s best comic writers, and this is an excellent introduction to his scrupulously amusing world ... You will love this book. Buy one on Saturday to go with that Toto single -- Andy Miller * Spectator *It doesn’t take long for the veneer of politeness to fall away and for obsession to take hold in this darkly witty novel -- The Best Paperbacks * Mail on Sunday *A demented, deadpan comic wonder -- Thomas PynchonOne of our most idiosyncratic voices ... Deceptively genial, eerily comic ... Mills is extremely good on the way obsessiveness is an end in itself for these barely distinguishable chaps ... It also contains some classic Mills hallmarks, including the unsettling impression something sinister is going on, if only you could work out what it is * Daily Mail *‘One for the pop pickers … There are some wonderful aspects to The Forensic Records Society … Bloomsbury have pushed the boat out with the packaging, which is a wonderful pastiche of the sort of vintage 1960s seven-inch single sleeve collectors covet at record fairs, and will really make you think there must be three minutes of music as well as 180 pages of prose to discover inside * Herald *This, his ninth novel, is as odd, simple and parabolic as the first eight ... The theme is unmistakable and unavoidable – when humans can fall out, they will fall out **** * Metro *Magnus Mills is unique. There is simply no equivalent of his brand of domestic absurdism … The most British of anarchists * Independent *A true original * Mail on Sunday *He’s original, he’s eccentric – and I predict that Magnus Mills will still be fascinating his admirers 100 years from now -- Kate Saunders * Saga *
£9.49
Faber & Faber Dirty Havana Trilogy
Book SynopsisDirty Havana Trilogy tells the story of Pedro Juan, an ex-radio journalist who wanders from one odd job to the next, half-disgusted and half-fascinated by his predicament. Working as a garbage-man, dealing on the black market, selling marijuana, and hustling lady tourists off the streets, Pedro Juan throws himself wholeheartedly into the pleasures of the flesh in his squalid surroundings: drink, sex and more sex. A visceral and unforgettable picaresque, a damning portrait of vice and poverty, and an insane journey into the condemned soul of a sexual deviant, Dirty Havana Trilogy is a Tropic of Cancer for these times.Trade Review"Grotesquely compelling...Pedro Juan Gutierrez appears destined to become a cult writer.' TLS 'A tale of human ingenuity and hidden hopefulness overcoming near-insuperable odds.' Guardian 'One of the sexiest books I have read in a long time.' David Profumo, Literary Review
£10.44
Faber & Faber Our Fathers
Book Synopsis** Pre-order Andrew O''Hagan''s new novel Caledonian Road now **''A beautiful, elegiac work . . . This should be required reading for everybody.'' Ian RankinShortlisted for the Booker Prize, Our Fathers is a powerful reclamation of the past from one of Britain''s most accomplished literary novelists.Hugh Bawn, modern Scottish hero and legendary social reformer, lies dying in one of the high-rise tower blocks he helped establish. His grandson Jamie comes home to watch over him, and it is Jamie who tells the story of their family, of three generations of pride and delusion, of nationality and strong drink, of Catholic faith and the end of the old left. It is a tale of dark hearts and modern houses - of three men in search of Utopia.
£9.49
Faber & Faber The Shrimp and the Anemone
Book SynopsisAn evocative account of a childhood summer spent beside the sea in Norfolk by brother and sister, Eustace and Hilda.
£8.54
Cornerstone Salt Houses
Book SynopsisHala Alyan was born in 1986. After living invarious parts of the Middle East, she completed a doctorate in clinical psychology at NYU and is now in private practice. She has been published in Guernica and other literary journals, and is the award-winning author of three poetry collections.Trade ReviewSalt Houses is a piercingly elegant novel that registers Palestine with deep resonance for what it is: a once beloved home, known, lost, and re-imagined into life. A place where families decide between security and happiness, religion and heritage, where war is constant, yet peace is found. In the exquisite prose of a poet, Hala Alyan shows how we carry our origins in our hearts wherever we may roam, and how that history is calibrated by the places we choose to put down roots. This is a book with the power to both break and mend your heart. -- Ru Freeman, author of On Sal Mal LaneA fiercely-told story of a family fleeing and rebuilding their lives. * Good Housekeeping *Heartbreaking. * Stylist *Hala Alyan's Salt Houses flies like a searchlight between history and fiction, unearthing the life of a single displaced Palestinian family among the rubble and illuminating it so deeply, so brilliantly, we cannot help but connect the story's richly imagined past to our very real present. -- Mira Jacob, author of THE SLEEPWALKER'S GUIDE TO DANCING Upon finishing I was quite overwhelmed by the impact of what was a masterfully written exploration into the mystery of identity rooted in place, family and memory, and the opportunity for redemption and healing through new generations… A moving and skilfully executed novel, Alyan’s debut is well worth discovering. * CultureFly *
£9.49
Transworld Publishers Ltd Mini Shopaholic
Book SynopsisLike mother, like daughter...!Shopaholic Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood)''s two-year-old is ... spirited. She knows what she wants, whether it''s a grown-up Prada handbag or a toy pony (40% off, so a bargain, surely?) When yet another shopping trip turns to mayhem, Becky decides it''s time to give Minnie her own pocket money. Is it a bad sign when Minnie goes instantly overdrawn?Minnie isn''t the only one in financial crisis. As the Bank of London collapses, people are having to Cut Back. Everyone needs cheering up, so what better way to do it than to throw a fabulous surprise party? A thrifty party, of course. Except economising and keeping a secret have never been Becky''s strong points ...Everybody loves Sophie Kinsella:I almost cried with laughter Daily MailHilarious . . . you''ll laugh and gasp on every page Jenny ColganProperly mood-altering . . . funny, fast and farcical. I loved it Jojo MoyesTrade Review"A sure-fire, laugh-out-loud hit" SUN "This fun, frothy tale sees Becky back to her endearing best" BELLA "Kinsella fans will appreciate its charm and humour" CLOSER "A great read" NOW Magazine "High-octane, laugh-a-minute entertainment" WOMAN & HOME
£9.49
Faber & Faber The Wolf Border
Book Synopsis''One of the finest writers at work today.'' Damon Galgut''A writer of show-stopping genius.'' Guardian ''So vivid, so visceral, so vital.'' Val McDermidFor almost a decade Rachel Caine has turned her back on home and worked in Idaho at a reservation for wolves. As one of the few experts in her field she is summoned back to England by the eccentric Earl of Annerdale to help with his plan for re-wilding wolves on his estate in the Lake District. As Rachel attempts a gradual reconciliation with her estranged family, her work with the Earl begins to generate public outrage and the threat of sabotage. Set against a backdrop of Scottish independence and tumultuous power struggles both locally and nationally, The Wolf Border is a novel steeped in wilderness and wildness, both animal and human.
£9.49
Faber & Faber Headlong
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Man Booker Prize Headlong begins when Martin Clay, a young would-be art historian, believes he has discovered a missing masterpiece. The owner of the painting is oblivious to its potential and asks Martin to help him sell it, leaving Martin with the chance of a lifetime: if he could only separate the painter from its owner, he would be able to perform a great public service, to make his professional reputation, perhaps even rather a lot of money as well. But is the painting really what Martin believes it to be? As Martin is drawn further into this moral and intellectual labyrinth, events start to spiral out of control . . . Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Whitbread Novel Award and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, Headlong is an ingeniously comic thriller that follows a young philosophy lectuerer''s obsessive race through the art world in search of an elusive masterpiece. Michael Frayn''s other novel
£9.49
Faber & Faber Fragrant Harbour
Book Synopsis''It''s Hong Kong,'' she said. ''Heung gong. Fragrant harbour.''Fragrant Harbour is the story of four people whose intertwined lives span Asia''s last seventy years. Tom Stewart leaves England to seek his fortune, and finds it in running Hong Kong''s best hotel. Sister Maria is a beautiful and uncompromising Chinese nun whom Stewart meets on the boat. Dawn Stone is an English journalist who becomes the public face of money and power and big business. Matthew Ho is a young Chinese entrepreneur whose life has been shaped by painful choices made long before his birth.The complacency of colonial life in the 1930s; the horrors of the Japanese occupation during the Second World War; the post-war boom and the handover of the city to the Chinese - all these are present in Fragrant Harbour, an epic novel of one of the world''s great cities.
£9.49
Faber & Faber Black Water
Book SynopsisFROM THE WRITER OF BBC SMASH HIT DRAMA CROSSFIREJohn Harper lies awake at night in an isolated hut on an Indonesian island, listening to the rain on the roof and believing his life may be in danger. But he is less afraid of what is going to happen than of something he''s already done.In a local town, he meets Rita, a woman with her own troubled history. They begin an affair - but can he allow himself to get involved when he knows this might put her at risk?Moving between Europe during the cold war, California and the Civil Rights struggle, and Indonesia during the massacres of 1965 and the decades of military dictatorship that follow, Black Water is an epic novel that explores some of the darkest events of recent world history through the story of one troubled man.Black Water confirms Louise Doughty''s position as one of our most important contemporary novelists. She writes with fierce intelligence and a fine-tuned sense of
£9.49
Faber & Faber Oracle Night
Book SynopsisAuster''s radical modern ghost story from the author of contemporary classic The New York Trilogy: ''a literary voice for the ages'' (Guardian) Several months into his recovery from a near-fatal illness, novelist Sidney Orr enters a stationery shop in Brooklyn and buys a blue notebook. It is September 18, 1982, and for the next nine days Orr will live under the spell of this blank book, trapped inside a world of eerie premonitions and bewildering events that threaten to destroy his marriage and undermine his faith in reality.If The New York Trilogy was Paul Auster''s detective story, his mesmerizing eleventh novel reads like an old-fashioned ghost story. But there are no ghosts in this book - only flesh-and-blood human beings, wandering through the haunted realms of everyday life. Oracle Night is a narrative tour de force that confirms Auster''s reputation as one of the boldest, most original writers at work in America today.
£9.49
Faber & Faber Wounded
Book SynopsisTraining horses is dangerous - a head-to-head confrontation with 1,000 pounds of muscle takes courage. It is these same qualities that allow John and his uncle Gus to live in the beautiful high desert of Wyoming. A black horse trainer is a curiosity, at the very least, but the brutal murder of a young gay man pushes this small community to the teetering edge of intolerance. Highly praised for his storytelling and ability to address the toughest issues of our time with a touching originality, Everett offers a brilliant novel that explores a divided America.Trade Review"'Gripping, moving and quietly powerful.' Jake Kerridge, Telegraph Review"
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Death at Intervals
Book SynopsisIn an unnamed country, on the first day of the New Year, people stop dying. There is great celebration and people dance in the streets. They have achieved the great goal of humanity: eternal life. Soon, though, the residents begin to suffer. Undertakers face bankruptcy, the church is forced to reinvent its doctrine, and local 'maphia' smuggle those on the brink of death over the border where they can expire naturally.Death does return eventually, but with a new, courteous approach – delivering violet warning letters to her victims. But what can death do when a letter is unexpectedly returned?Trade ReviewIn the craft of the sentence, José Saramago is one of the great originals... no one writes quite like Saramago, so solicitous and yet so magnificently free. He works as though cradling a thing of magic * Guardian *Saramago has a light, graceful, ironic touch... the paraphernalia of magical realism -- John BanvilleThe author's eccentric voice is as engaging as ever... a fitting cap to a body of work as playful as it is wise * Financial Times *With characteristic dry wit he proceeds to debunk the rosy romance of eternal life * The Times *A compelling work by a fine writer ... the unique Saramagoan style ... gives the impression of a thought experiment to which the writer is merely a catalyst. That impression is a carefully crafted one: true art conceals its art, wrote Ovid * New Statesman *
£9.49
Faber & Faber The Collected Stories of Lorrie Moore
Book SynopsisOne of the funniest writers alive.' Dave EggersHer stories, her stories, are perfect.' Slate''Such a delight.'' Sunday Telegraph''Poetic, sharp and devastatingly funny.'' GuardianA wonderful collection from one of the most acclaimed and influential writers of her generation.Since the publication of Self-Help, her first collection of stories, Lorrie Moore has been hailed as one of the greatest and most influential voices in American fiction. Her ferociously funny, soulful stories tell of the gulf between men and women, the loneliness of the broken-hearted and the yearned-for, impossible intimacies we crave. Gathered here for the first time in a beautiful hardback edition is the complete stories along with three new and previously unpublished in book form: Paper Losses, The Juniper Tree, Debarking.
£12.34
Profile Books Ltd All Grown Up
Book Synopsis'Hilarious, courageous and mesmerising' Maria Semple 'Think BBC's Fleabag set in Brooklyn' Stylist 'I'm alone. I'm a drinker. I'm a former artist. I'm a shrieker in bed. I'm the captain of the sinking ship that is my flesh.' Andrea is a single, childless 39-year-old woman who tries to navigate family, sexuality, friendships and a career she never wanted, but battles with thoughts and desires that few people would want to face up to. Gut-wrenchingly honest and shimmering with rage and intimacy, All Grown Up questions what it means to be a 21st century woman: - What if I don't want to hold your baby? - Can I date you without ever hearing about your divorce? - What can I demand of my mother now that I am an adult? - Is therapy pointless? - At what point does drinking a lot become a drinking problem? - Why does everyone keep asking me why I am not married? Powerfully intelligent and wickedly funny, All Grown Up delves into the psyche of a flawed but mesmerising character. Readers will recognise themselves in Jami Attenberg's truthful account of womanhood, though they might not always want to admit it.Trade ReviewHilarious, courageous and mesmerizing from page one, ALL GROWN UP is a little gem that packs a devastating wallop. It's that rare book I'm dying to give all my friends so we can discuss it deep into the night. I'm in awe of Jami Attenberg. -- Maria Semple, author of Where'd You Go BernadetteOne of the smartest and truest novels I've read about being a single woman -- Hadley Freeman * Guardian *Jami Attenberg has written her frankest, funniest, and most riveting and heartbreaking book yet. In Andrea, she has created a character women will be talking about for years; she has opened the door for us to see ourselves in literature in a new way, writing with skill and fearlessness few others can match -- Emily Gould, author of FriendshipIs all life junk - sparkly and seductive and devastating - just waiting to be told correctly by someone who will hold our hand and walk with us a while confirming that what we're living is true. This is a good proud urban book, a sad and specific blast for the fearless to read. Thank you Jami. -- Eileen Myles, author of Chelsea GirlsWhat a voice. Honest and hilarious, unflinching and unapologetic, Jami Attenberg writes what it is to be single, sexual, and childfree by choice. I read the first page of ALL GROWN UP and knew the novelist was going to outdo herself. I am happy to report that she most certainly did -- Helen Ellis, author of American HousewifeThe literature of sex and the single woman has been in the doldrums since Carrie got married and Bridget had her baby, so three cheers for this warts-and-all portrait of a woman trying to find her place in the world and in her own nuclear family now she is all grown up ... This is a novel about how to step up when your smug married friend suddenly gets divorced, or when your annoying mum really needs you; about "being there" for people when you don't even know where "there" is. It has hope, in spades. -- Katy Guest * Guardian *Think BBC's Fleabag set in Brooklyn ... Attenberg has a compassionate eye for the gulfs that open between people, and how they can be bridged. * Stylist *Expect to see a copy on every sunlounger this summer. * Vogue *I have never in my life finished the last page of a book and wanted to open to page one and start all over again. Jami Attenberg, this book is outstanding -- Attica LockeJami Attenberg's Andrea is the most addicting female protagonist voice I have read in years, with her cutting observations on human relationships. This witty journey through a mess of men, female friendships, family and boozy urban existence positions the single girl not as object to be fixed but as contemporary sage and seer: the ultimate witness of truth in love today -- Melissa Broder, author of So Sad Today"All Grown Up is one of those rare books -even the greatest writers often only get one or two in their careers- in which an author's unique sensibility meets with the story she was born to tell. This fractured, soulful portrait of a determinedly independent woman -a woman whose radical independence often puts her at odds with a misunderstanding society- is vital reading for women and men alike." -- Stefan Merrill Block, author of The Story of Forgetting and The Storm at the DoorJami Attenberg's sharply drawn protagonist, Andrea, has such a riveting, propulsive voice that ALL GROWN UP is hard to put down, but I urge you to resist reading it in one sitting. Both the prose and the author's knowing excavation of one woman's desires, compromises, strengths and fears deserve closer attention. Like Andrea herself, this novel is beautiful and brutal, intelligent and funny, frank and sexy -- Cynthia D'Aprix McSweeney, author of New York Times bestselling The NestJami Attenberg's ALL GROWN UP is one part Denis Johnson, one part Grace Paley, but all her. Every sentence pulls taut and glows--electric, gossipy, searing fun that is also a map to how to be more human. -- Alexander Chee, author of The Queen of the NightAndrea, 39, is totally single. No kids, no men, nothing keeping her from living her life to its full potential, which she does. Until her niece is born with a tragic illness, and Andrea's whole family is forced to confront their values, their lifestyles, and their choices. Told in vignettes, All Grown Up asks what happens after you've got the whole "adult" thing under control. * Glamour, 'Best Books to Read in 2017' *Smart, heartfelt, and really freakin' funny. -- Sara Novic * Elle.com, '25 Most Anticipated Books by Women for 2017' *Deeply perceptive and dryly hilarious, Attenberg's latest novel follows Andrea Bern: on the cusp of 40, single, child-free by choice, and reasonably content, she's living a life that still, even now, bucks societal conventions. . . . Structured as a series of addictive vignettes-they fly by if you let them, though they deserve to be savored-the novel is a study not only of Andrea, but of her entire ecosystem. . . .Wry, sharp, and profoundly kind; a necessary pleasure. * Kirkus Reviews (Starred) *Andrea's story is stinging, sweet, and remarkably fleshed out in relatively few pages. Attenberg follows her best-selling family novel, The Middlesteins (2012) with a creative, vivid tableau of one woman's whole life, which almost can't help but be a comment on all the things women ought to be and to want, which Attenberg conveys with immense, aching charm * Booklist (Starred) *Attenberg is one of our finest contemporary storytellers, and here, with her trademark clever, witty voice, she tackles the age-old question plaguing people of all ages: When do we know if we're actually all grown up? * Nylon *Attenberg knows how to make a reader laugh and feel. This novel takes a hard look at what it means to be a woman living on her own terms. * Martha Stewart Living 'Page-Turners For 2017' *Positively bristles with energy and newness ... Attenberg has created a tangle of characters with flesh on their bones, and Andrea is the most multifaceted of them all ... a delight and a superb character study. -- Tanya Sweeney * Sunday Business Post *Sharply funny ... I didn't want Andrea as a best friend, but I felt enriched by her take on the world. * Financial Times *If you ever feel like you're howling into the abyss and would prefer to howl with laughter instead, you should befriend Andrea Bern of All Grown Up, as she certainly shares your pain. * Evening Standard *Attenberg writes with a scalpel, and has presented one of the finest, and most unexpected, character studies you're likely to read all year. -- Tanya Sweeney * Irish Independent *Jami Attenberg's fifth novel is her best yet... super smart, often extremely funny.. as angry, sad, and raw as it is astute, hilarious and hopeful. All Grown Up puts other novels in this vein to shame. -- Lucy Scholes * The Observer *This raw, raunchily honest story strikes a universal chord * Sainsbury's magazine *
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Great Cornish Getaway Quick Reads 2018
Book SynopsisAs the sun sits high in the sky over Cornwall, and the sea breeze brings a welcome relief to the residents of the seaside village of Trevay, a stranger arrives in need of a safe haven.The fact that the stranger is a Hollywood heartthrob makes villagers Penny and Dorrie even more keen to help. They both know what it's like to feel that you need a break from life, and they bring the village together to keep their stranger's secret. It's not long before he's helping some of the villagers find the answers to their own problems. In return, they find a place for him in their hearts.Pendruggan: A Cornish village with secrets at its heartThis delightful Quick Read from Sunday Times bestselling novelist Fern Britton is full of her usual warmth and wit. It is the perfect way to treat yourself to a gorgeous escape to Cornwall.Trade Review‘Incredibly atmospheric’ Sun More praise for Fern Britton: ‘Warm and intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable’ Sunday Times bestseller, Katie Fforde ‘Another ripping good read’ Good Housekeeping ‘Charming and fun read’ OK ‘A light-hearted, fun read…’ Daily Mail ‘Complicated friendships and tales of a chaotic love life make this a must-read’ Woman ‘A light-hearted, fun read that perfectly captures the sights and smells of village life’ Heat ‘Fern Britton has transferred her fun and friendly charm to the page’ Good Housekeeping
£5.99
Faber & Faber Amrita
Book SynopsisA celebrated actress who has died in mysterious and shocking circumstances leaves behind an unconventional extended family that includes an older sister, a woman in her twenties through whose eyes the story unfolds; a young brother who possesses mystical powers; and a fiancé who is writing a novel with uncanny parallels to his own story.''Her novels can have the effect of addictive drugs . . . Pathos, nostalgia, the sense of exquisite sadness at the fleetingness of life are key elements of beauty in Japanese aesthetics, and all are themes central to Yoshimoto''s books.'' The Times
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Cows The Bold Brilliant and Hilarious Sunday
Book Synopsis*Dawn O'Porter's brand new novel, HONEYBEE, is available to pre-order now!*______________________________________________THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, shortlisted for best audiobook in the Specsavers National Book Awards 2018Fearlessly frank and funny, the debut adult novel from Dawn O'Porter is the book that everybody needs to read right now.COW [n.]/ka?/A piece of meat; born to breed; past its sell-by-date; one of the herd.Three women. A whole world of judgement.Tara, Cam and Stella are very different women. Yet in a society that sets the agenda, there's something about being a woman that ties invisible bonds between us.When one extraordinary event rockets Tara to online infamy, their three worlds collide in ways they could never imagine and they discover that one woman's catastrophe might just be another's inspiration.Through friendship and conflict, difference and likeness, they'll learn to find their own voices.Because sometimes it's OK not to follow the herd.Trade Review‘A funny, smart, kind, incredibly truthful book about women . . . all the shame, judgement, envy and love that being alive and female entails’ Polly Vernon ‘Fierce and funny’ Bryony Gordon, DAILY TELEGRAPH ‘Smart and insightful’ RED ‘Dawn's writing is addictive – fearless, beyond feisty and seriously funny’ Mel Giedroyc ‘O’Porter’s wise and witty narrative has many thought-provoking situations and concepts. Different, poignant and smart – I loved it’ Sara Lawrence, DAILY MAIL ‘Compulsive… I can't wait for the next one’ Shappi Khorsandi ‘Feisty characters and fearless prose, THE COWS is totally addictive’ HEAT ‘Sometimes hilarious and sometimes poignant, but always rollicking and fast-paced . . . A feel-good read which will resonate with any woman’ DAILY EXPRESS ‘Entertaining and thought-provoking’ IRISH TIMES ‘A zippy and hilarious book… tackles some of the most serious issues that affect modern women today’ THE POOL ‘Fearless, frank and excruciatingly funny’ OK ‘A whirlwind of a story about three women finding their voice amid societal pressures . . . Excellent, funny, and decidedly unpatronising – as candid as Dawn’ METRO ‘An amazing book about choices and being yourself’ PRIMA ‘Funny and excruciating. You'll think about it for weeks!’ Kristen Wiig ‘I loved it. Funny, moving, twisty . . . Wow! I couldn’t stop reading it’ Jill Mansell ‘A terrifically fun read’ YOU magazine ‘Fast, fun and fearless… a warning bell about social media and the damage it can cause’ S Magazine ‘The Cows looks at motherhood and female friendship through a frank and funny prism that reminds me of the TV show Catastrophe. Smart, fresh and really readable – I loved it’ Tasmina Perry ‘Fast and funny’ WOMAN & HOME ‘We’ve had Bridget Jones now THE COWS is setting the agenda for a new generation of readers’ No 1 Magazine
£8.54
Transworld Publishers Ltd Steel D Safe Harbour
Book SynopsisBut on a chilly July afternoon in San Francisco, Pip meets artist Matt Bowles, who offers to teach the girl to draw – and can’t help but notice her beautiful, lonely mother.
£9.49
Transworld Publishers Ltd Undercover
Book SynopsisDanielle Steel is one of the world's most popular and highly acclaimed authors, with over ninety international bestselling novels in print and more than 600 million copies of her novels sold. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; and Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved.To discover more about Danielle Steel and her books visit her website at www.daniellesteel.comYou can also connect with Danielle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial or on Twitter: @daniellesteel
£10.44
Transworld Publishers Ltd Red Notice
Book SynopsisDeep beneath the English Channel, a small army of vicious terrorists has seized control of the Eurostar to Paris, taken 400 hostages at gunpoint and declared war on a government that has more than its own fair share of secrets to keep. One man stands in their way. An off-duty SAS soldier is hiding somewhere inside the train. Alone and injured, he's the only chance the passengers and crew have of getting out alive. Meet Andy McNab''s explosive new creation, Sergeant Tom Buckingham, as he unleashes a whirlwind of intrigue and retribution in his attempt to stop the terrorists and save everyone on board including Delphine, the beautiful woman he loves. Hurtling us at breakneck speed between the Regiment's crack assault teams, Whitehall's corridors of power and the heart of the Eurotunnel action, RED NOTICE is McNab at his devastatingly authentic, pulse pounding best.RED NOTICE: You have been warned
£8.09
Granta Books The Patriots
Book Synopsis'A sweeping, colourful read' Mail on Sunday Lose yourself in the irresistable story of one woman's journey through 20th-century Russia. Growing up in 1930s Brooklyn, Florence Fein will do anything to escape the confining values of her family and her city, and create a life of meaning and consequence. When a new job and a love affair lead her to Moscow, she doesn't think twice about abandoning America - only to discover, years later, that America has abandoned her. Now, as her son Julian travels back to Moscow - entrusted to stitch together a murky transcontinental oil deal - he must dig into Florence's past to discover who his mother really was and what she became. He must also persuade his own son, Lenny, to abandon his risky quest for prosperity in the cut-throat Russian marketplace. As he traces a thread from Depression-era America, through the collective housing and work camps of Stalin's USSR, to the glittering, oil-rich world of New Russia, Julian finally begins to understand the role he has played - as a father, and as a son. Epic in sweep and intimate in detail, The Patriots is both a compelling portrait of the entangled relationship between America and Russia, and a beautifully crafted story of three generations of one family caught between the forces of history and the consequences of past choices.
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers The Seven
Book SynopsisAn exciting new writer sharp, compelling and original' Mark LawrenceYears have passed since the Vagrant journeyed to the Shining City, Vesper in arm and Gamma's sword in hand.Since then the world has changed. Vesper, following the footsteps of her father, journeyed to the breach and closed the tear between worlds, protecting the last of humanity, but also trapping the infernal horde and all those that fell to its corruptions: willing or otherwise.In this new age it is Vesper who leads the charge towards unity and peace, with seemingly nothing standing between the world and a bright new future.That is until eyes open.And The Seven awaken.Trade Review★★★★★ 'For fans of classic science-fiction literature, this is a must-read.' – SciFi Now ★★★★ 'Come visit this brilliantly imaginative land of winged swords and broken solar cells.' – SFX 'A story that grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and refused to let go…' Fantasy Faction
£9.49
Transworld Publishers Ltd A Widow For One Year
Book Synopsis''One night when she was four and sleeping in the bottom bunk of her bunk bed, Ruth Cole awoke to the sound of lovemaking - it was coming from her parents'' bedroom.''This is the story of Ruth Cole. It is told in three parts: on Long Island, in the summer of 1958, when she is only four; in 1990, when she is an unmarried woman whose personal life is not nearly as successful as her literary career; and in the autumn of 1995, when Ruth Cole is a forty-one-year-old widow and mother. She''s also about to fall in love for the first time...Trade ReviewWickedly knowing, mischievously post-modern and magical realist along the lines of Gunter Grass, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Robertson Davies * Time Out *Gripping, full of horror and humour * Literary Review *A compelling chronicle of love and loss... His most intricate and fully imagined novel * San Francisco Chronicle *Irving's storytelling has never been better * New York Times *His best since Garp * Time *
£11.69
Transworld Publishers Ltd Long Road Home
Book SynopsisA novel of courage, hope and love...From her secret perch at the top of the stairs, seven-year-old Gabriella watches the guests arrive at her parents'' lavish Manhattan home. The click, click click of her mother''s high heels strikes terror into her heart, as she has been told that she is to blame for her mother''s rage - and her father''s failure to protect her. Her world is a confusing blend of terror, betrayal and pain, and Gabriella knows that there is no safe place for her to hide.When her parents'' marriage collapses, her father disappears and her mother abandons her to a convent, where Gabriella''s battered body and soul begin to mend amid the quiet safety and hushed rituals of the nuns. And when she grows into womanhood, young Father Joe Connors comes into her life. Like Gabriella, Joe is haunted by the pain of his childhood, and with her he takes the first steps towards healing. But their relationship leads to disaster as Joe must choose between the prie
£10.79
Transworld Publishers Ltd A Wanted Man
Book Synopsis'A fascinating, swaggeringly confident performance' Sunday TimesWhen you're as big and rough as Jack Reacher - and you have a badly set, freshly busted nose - it isn't easy to hitch a ride in Nebraska.Trade ReviewI love him. It's said that a Jack Reacher novel is bought every four seconds somewhere in the world. He is to crime fiction what Clint Eastwood's 'man with no name' was to the western. Lee Child's genius in 17 novels has been to create a tough guy hero that men will envy and women will adore. * Daily Express *Pure escapism...He has redefined the thriller for the 21st century...Reacher is a knight errant every bit as much as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe was. ...stunningly good. -- Henry Sutton * Daily Mirror *I am no longer (if I ever was) an unbiased critic. I am more of a Lee Child fan. I am pro-Reacher, his massive but benevolent brute of a drifter, vigilante hero....I'll definitely barrel through the next one too. -- Andy Martin * Independent *Smart, breathless...more ingenious than other Reacher books have been about the underground activities Reacher is thwarting. -- Janet Maslin * New York Times *A fascinating, swaggeringly confident performance * Sunday Times *
£9.49
Ebury Publishing The Complete Yes Prime Minister
Book Synopsisat its frequent bestYes Prime Minister exhibits the classical perfection of a Mozart sonata' - Richard Last in The Times'Its closely observed portrayal of what goes on in thecorridors of power has given me hours of pure joy'- Rt Hon.Trade ReviewScalpel-sharp in observation, deceptively simple in construction... at its frequent bestYes Prime Minister exhibits the classical perfection of a Mozart sonata -- Richard Last * The Times *Its closely observed portrayal of what goes on in thecorridors of power has given me hours of pure joy -- Rt Hon. Margaret Thatcher MPYes Prime Minister is a comedy in a class of its own -- Celia Brayfield * The Times *Yes Prime Minister... is not only a continuing marvel ofediting by Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay but also a collector's must -- John Coldstream * Daily Telegraph *
£14.39
Transworld Publishers Ltd The Congress of Rough Riders
Book SynopsisWilliam Cody grows up surrounded by his father''s tales of Buffalo Bill, to whom he is distantly related, and his fantasies of the Wild West.Though he escapes his heritage by fleeing abroad and starting a new life for himself, he finds that he is always drawn back to England and to his ancestry.When his father proposes that together they should recreate Buffalo Bill''s stage show, The Congress of Rough Riders of the World for a contemporary audience, William refuses to have any part of it. When tragedy strikes, however, it is to his father that he must eventually return.Trade Review"Boyne's story has echoes of John Irving's sprawling family epics. This is an entertaining campfire story" Time "A total blast... clever, provocative stuff. A formidable achievement" Independent "A rollicking ride...Compelling" The Scotsman "The charm of history in this book lies in imagining how exciting it would have been to live there" Observer "Boyne is an engaging writer who succeeds in making his readers care about the confused and rather selfish William" Daily Telegraph
£10.44
Transworld Publishers Ltd Crippen
Book SynopsisJuly 1910: The grisly remains of Cora Crippen, music hall singer and wife of Dr Hawley Crippen, are discovered in the cellar of 39 Hilldrop Crescent, Camden. But the Doctor and his mistress, Ethel Le Neve, have vanished, much to the frustration of Scotland Yard and the outrage of a horrified London.Across the Channel in Antwerp, the SS Montrose sets sail on its two week voyage to Canada. Amongst its passengers are the overbearing Antonia Drake and her daughter Victoria, who is hell-bent on romance, the enigmatic Mathieu Zela and the modest Martha Hayes. Also on board are the unassuming Mr John Robinson and his seventeen-year-old son Edmund. But all is not as it seems...Trade ReviewEngaging * The Irish Times *Compelling * Philadelphia Inquirer *Well-crafted narrative... plenty of thrills, chills, ironies and surprises * Washington Post *Addictive * People Magazine *
£10.44
Transworld Publishers Ltd Gentlemen Players
Book SynopsisPerfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Susan Hill, Nicci French and Val McDermid, this is an astute and intelligent psychological thriller centring around obsession and rage from international multi-million copy seller Joanne Harris. Fast paced with unexpected twists and turns, it will get right under the skin...''[A] gripping psychological thriller... Harris is one of our most accomplished novelists and Gentlemen & Players, with its pace, wit and acute observation, shows her at the top of her form'' -- DAILY EXPRESS''[A] delicious black comedy ... the plot is so cleverly constructed, the tension so unflagging, you''d think she''d been writing thrillers all her life'' -- DAILY MAIL''It kept me on the edge of my seat and I was thinking about it long after I turned the last page'' -- ***** Reader review''An intricate, engrossing novel'' -- ***** ReadeTrade Review[A] gripping psychological thriller... Harris is one of our most accomplished novelists and Gentlemen & Players, with its pace, wit and acute observation, shows her at the top of her form * DAILY EXPRESS *[A] delicious black comedy ... the plot is so cleverly constructed, the tension so unflagging, you'd think she'd been writing thrillers all her life * DAILY MAIL *With a lightness of touch, Harris illuminates just how resentment of privilege and exclusion can lead to violent resolutions... Marvellously mischievous * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *[A] clever story of obsession and revenge... Ms Harris has scored another success * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *A classic whodunnit with the characters carefully crafted and the tension at a knife edge * SUNDAY EXPRESS (TOP TEN FICTION 2005) *
£9.49
Transworld Publishers Ltd Q and A
Book SynopsisThe bestselling book behind the Oscar-winning film SLUMDOG MILLLIONAIRE directed by Danny Boyle''An absorbing and richly entertaining read'' TimesFormer tiffinboy Ram Mohammad Thomas has just got twelve questions correct on a TV quiz-show to win a cool one billion rupees. But he is brutally slung in prison on suspicion of cheating. Because how can a kid from the slums know who Shakespeare was, unless he is cheating?In the order of the questions on the show, Ram tells us which incredible adventures in his life on the streets gave him the answers. From orphanages to brothels, gangsters to beggar-masters, and into the homes of Bollywood''s rich and famous, Ram''s story is brimming with the chaotic comedy, heart-stopping tragedy and joyousness of modern India.''Popular fiction at its best and brightest'' Guardian''Colourful'' Sunday Telegraph''Poignant, funny, rich'' MEG ROSOFF, besTrade ReviewThis brilliant story, as colossal, vibrant and chaotic as India itself... is not to be missed * Observer *Poignant, funny, rich... with an utterly orignal and brilliant structure at its heart -- Meg Rosoff, author of HOW I LIVE NOWMingling broad humour with incisive social comment, Q&A is absorbing and richly entertaining reading * The Times *This lively picaresque novel has an original and telling premise... a colourful portrait of Indian society is painted with remarkable lightness and wit * Sunday Telegraph *A hugely successful mixture of satire and intrigue * Independent on Sunday *Swarup is an accomplished storyteller * Daily Mail *An engaging and surprisingly informative read * Telegraph *This novel is part homage to the larger-than-life Bollywood film industry, and the characters and story are so engaging that you really have to read on to find out how it all comes together in the end * Derby Evening Telegraph *One of the most delightful reads i've enjoyed in years * Shashi Tharoor *Q&A is popular fiction at its best and brightest. The prose is efficient and the characters are briskly drawn in strong, sharp colours. Swarup clearly understands his job. As an exercise in genre, the novel is a triumph and that was before the movie-makers got to work -- Robert McCrum * Guardian *
£9.49
Transworld Publishers Ltd Until I Find You
Book Synopsis''According to his mother, Jack Burns was an actor before he was an actor, but Jack''s most vivid memories of childhood were those moments when he felt compelled to hold his mother''s hand. He wasn''t acting then.'' Jack Burns'' mother, Alice, is a tattoo artist in search of the boy''s father, a virtuoso organist named William who has fled America to Europe. To fund her journey, she plies her trade in the seaports of the Baltic coast. But her four-year-old son''s errant father can''t be found, and soon even Jack''s memories of that perplexing time are called into question. It is only when he becomes a Hollywood actor in later life that what he has experienced in the past comes into telling play in his present......Trade ReviewJohn Irving has been compared to Kurt Vonnegut and J.D. Salinger, but is arguably more inventive than either. Wry, laconic, he sketches his characters with an economy that springs from a feeling for words and a mastery of his craft * The Times *Irving writes with a lapidary directness that is unsurpassed by any living writer * Sunday Telegraph *It is very satisfying to read a book that is hard to put down, and if this were a more valued criterion, Irving would no doubt by now have received the official accolades he deserves * Financial Times *Vivid, eccentric, memorable * Independent *Irving's popularity is not too difficult to understand. His world really is the world according to everyone * Time *
£13.49
Transworld Publishers Ltd DaughtersinLaw
Book SynopsisCan a mother ever hand over her son to another woman?In this emotional and thought-provoking novel, multi-million copy bestselling author Joanna Trollope expertly weaves a study of familial relationships with a lightness of tone and real sense of compassion. Fans of Elizabeth Noble, Erica James and Amanda Prowse will love it!''Trollope writes about family life with wit, intelligence and verve'' - Guardian''Wonderfully observed and readable'' - THE TIMES''Infallibly elegant...Look more closely and something as grim as Greek tragedy is played out around the cosy family dining table'' - Daily Telegraph''I found it hard to put this book down'' -- ***** Reader review''A brilliant book'' -- ***** Reader review''Always an enjoyable read - Joanna Trollope is the mistress of family emotions'' -- ***** Reader review''I read it last week and have sTrade ReviewWe love Trollope's novels and await each new one with excitement * HEAT *Supremely sure of her material and purpose, compassionate but never sentimental * THE SUNDAY TIMES *Wonderfully observed and readable * THE TIMES *Infallibly elegant... All this lies beneath the sparkling, well groomed surface of a novel which could quite easily be read as a light diversion for an idle afternoon. But look more closely and something as grim as Greek tragedy is played out around the cosy family dinner table -- Jane Shilling * DAILY TELEGRAPH *As ever, Trollope writes about family life with wit, intelligence and verve * GUARDIAN *
£10.44
Transworld Publishers Ltd The Tennis Party
Book SynopsisIt was Patrick''s idea that they should have the tennis party. After all, he has the perfect setting - the White House, bought out of his bonuses as an investment banker. He hasn''t actually told Caroline, his brash and beautiful wife, what the real reason for the party is. She is glad to welcome Stephen and Annie, their impoverished former neighbours, less glad to see newly wealthy Charles and his aristocratic wife Cressida, and barely able to tolerate the deadly competitive Don and Valerie.But as the first ball is served over the net it signals the start of two days of tempers, shocks, revelations, the arrival of an uninvited guest, and the realization that the weekend is about anything but tennis.Trade ReviewIt's exactly the sort of bright, hilarious novel you want to read while flopping on a sun-lounger with a chilled spritzer to hand * Daily Mail *Sharply observed first novel...light but lethal * Mail on Sunday *
£11.04
Transworld Publishers Ltd Sleeping Arrangements
Book SynopsisChloe needs a holiday. She''s sick of making wedding dresses and her partner is having trouble at work. Her wealthy friend Gerard has offered the loan of his luxury villa in Spain - perfect.Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate wife seems more interested in the granite for the new kitchen than in him, and he works so hard to pay for it all, he barely has time to see their children. But his old schoolfriend Gerard has lent them a luxury villa in Spain - perfect.Both families arrive at the villa and get a shock: Gerard has double-booked. An uneasy week of sharing begins, and tensions soon mount in the soaring heat. But there''s also a secret history between the families - and as tempers fray, an old passion begins to resurface...Trade ReviewLightness of touch and witty observation make this a perfect holiday read * Sunday Mirror *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co The Name of the Wind
Book Synopsis''I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. My name is Kvothe.You may have heard of me''So begins the tale of Kvothe - currently known as Kote, the unassuming innkeepter - from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, through his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages you will come to know Kvothe the notorious magician, the accomplished thief, the masterful musician, the dragon-slayer, the legend-hunter, the lover, the thief and the infamous assassin.The Name ofTrade ReviewThe best epic fantasy I read last year...He's bloody good, this Rothfuss guy -- George R R MartinPatrick Rothfuss' debut is set in an unnamed but fully realised fantasy world, and his characters are detailed and convincing. * WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY *Patrick Rothfuss has real talent, and his tale of Kvothe is deep and intricate and wondrous -- Terry BrooksThis is a magnificent book -- Anne McCaffreyThe Name of the Wind has everything: magic and mysteries and ancient evil, but it's also humorous and terrifying and completely believable -- Tad WilliamsAs absorbing on a second reading as it is on the first, this is the type of assured, rich first novel most writers can only dream of producing * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *It is a rare and great pleasure to find a fantasist writing ... with true music in the words -- Ursula K Le GuinThe characters are real and the magic is true -- robin Hobb, New York Times-bestselling author of Assassin’s ApprenticeMasterful ... There is a beauty to Pat's writing that defies description -- Brandon Sanderson, New York Times-bestselling author of Mistborn[Makes] you think he's inventing the genre, instead of reinventing it -- Lev Grossman, New York Times-bestselling author of The MagiciansHail Patrick Rothfuss! A new giant is striding the land -- Robert J. Sawyer, award-winning author of WakeI was reminded of Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and J. R. R. Tolkein, but never felt that Rothfuss was imitating anyone * THE TIMES *This fast-moving, vivid, and unpretentious debut roots its coming-of-age fantasy in convincing mythology * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY *This breathtakingly epic story is heartrending in its intimacy and masterful in its narrative essence * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY starred review *Reminiscent in scope of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series ... this masterpiece of storytelling will appeal to lovers of fantasy on a grand scale * LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred) *Shelve The Name of the Wind beside The Lord of the Rings...and look forward to the day when it's mentioned in the same breath, perhaps as first among equals * The A.V. Club *"Patrick Rothfuss' debut is set in an unnamed but fully realised fantasy world, and his characters are detailed and convincing." * WATERSTONE'S BOOKS QUARTERLY *
£17.09
Faber & Faber The Way to Paradise
Book SynopsisThe Way to Paradise interweaves the story of the painter Paul Gauguin with that of his grandmother, Flora Tristan. In 1844, Flora embarked on a tour of France to campaign for workers'' and women''s rights. In 1891, her grandson set sail for Tahiti, determined to escape civilisation and seek out inspiration to paint his primitive masterpieces. Flora died before her grandson was born, but their travels and obsessions unravel side by side in this absorbing novel.A rare study of passion, ambition and the determined pursuit of greatness in the face of illness, death and conservative forces, The Way to Paradise shows Mario Vargas Llosa at the peak of his powers.Trade Review"'It is riveting stuff, beautifully written, wild, exact and visually stunning.' Independent; 'A tender and gripping storyteller... his evocations of Gauguin's work are amongst the best that I have read.' Daily Mail"
£10.44
Faber & Faber Timbuktu
Book SynopsisAuster''s tragicomic tale of one unforgettable dog from the author of contemporary classic The New York Trilogy: ''a literary voice for the ages'' (Guardian) Meet Mr Bones, the canine hero of Paul Auster''s remarkable novel. Bones is the sidekick of Willy G. Christmas, a brilliant but troubled poet-saint from Brooklyn. Together they sally forth across America to Baltimore, Maryland, on one last great adventure, searching for Willy''s old teacher, Bea Swanson. Years have passed since Willy last saw his beloved mentor, who used to know him as William Gurevitch, son of Polish war refugees. But is Mrs Swanson still alive? And if not, what will prevent Willy from vanishing into that other world known as Timbuktu?''In this brilliant novel, Auster writes with economy, precision and the quirky pathos of noir, addressing the pernicious ubiquity of American consumerism, the nature of love and the core riddles of ontology. Above all, though, this is the afTrade Review"'A howling success.' Mail on Sunday 'Few novels are as delightful as this... this joy of a book... is as sensitive as it is daring.' Irish Times"
£9.49
