Contemporary Fiction Books

Book SynopsisThe Collected Stories - a stunning volume of William Trevor''s unforgettable short stories William Trevor is one of the most renowned figures in contemporary literature, described as ''the greatest living writer of short stories in the English language'' by the New Yorker and acclaimed for his haunting and profound insights into the human heart. Here is a collection of his short fiction, with dozens of tales spanning his career and ranging from the moving to the macabre, the humorous to the haunting. From the penetrating ''Memories of Youghal'' to the bittersweet ''Bodily Secrets'' and the elegiac ''Two More Gallants'', here are masterpieces of insight, depth, drama and humanity, acutely rendered by a modern master.''A textbook for anyone who ever wanted to write a story, and a treasure for anyone who loves to read them'' Madison Smartt Bell''Extraordinary... Mr. Trevor''s sheer intensity of entry into the lives of his people...proceeds to uncovTrade Review“Extraordinary . . . Mr. Trevor’s sheer intensity of entry into the lives of his people . . . proceeds to uncover new layers of yearning and pain, new angles of vision and credible thought.”—The New York Times Book Review“One of the finest writers now at work in our language . . . No writer practicing the form today moves with nimbler assurances than Trevor across such an impressive gamut of social types and emotional connections.”—The Boston Globe“The indisputable master of twentieth-century fiction . . . Trevor’s carefully chiseled, lyrical prose—at once ironic and elegiac—is addictive, his insights acutely compassionate. The tales are haunting and profound.”—Publishers Weekly“A textbook for anyone who ever wanted to write a story, and a treasure for anyone who loves to read them.”—Madision Smartt Bell, USA Today“The range of characters that Trevor manages to bring onstage is little short of astonishing. . . . A remarkable record of the distinctive imprint that Trevor has left on what is arguably this century’s quintessential art form.”—New York Newsday Table of ContentsThe Collected Stories A Meeting in Middle AgeAccess to the ChildrenThe General's DayMemories of YoughalThe TableA School StoryThe Penthouse ApartmentIn at the BirthThe Introspections of J. P. PowersThe Day We Got Drunk on CakeMiss SmithThe Hotel of the Idle MoonNice Day at SchoolThe Original Sins of Edward TrippThe Forty-seventh SaturdayThe Ballroom of RomanceA Happy FamilyThe Grass WidowsThe Mark-2 WifeAn Evening with John Joe DempseyKinkiesGoing HomeA Choice of ButchersO Fat White WomanRaymond Bamber and Mrs. FitchThe Distant PastIn IsfahanAngels at the RitzThe Death of Peggy MeehanMrs. SillyA Complicated NatureTeresa's WeddingOffice RomancesMr. McNamaraAfternoon DancingLast WishesMrs. Acland's GhostsAnother ChristmasBroken HomesMatilda's England: 1. The Tennis Court; 2. The Summer-house; 3. The Drawing-roomTorridgeDeath in JerusalemLovers of Their TimeThe Raising of Elvira TremlettFlights of FancyAttractaA Dream of ButterfliesThe Bedroom Eyes of Mrs. VansittartDownstairs at Fitzgerald'sMulvihill's MemorialBeyond the PaleThe Blue DressThe Teddy-bears' PicnicThe Time of YearBeing Stolen FromMr TennysonAutumn SunshineSunday DrinksThe Paradise LoungeMagsThe News from IrelandOn the ZattereThe Wedding in the GardenLunch in WinterThe Property of Colette NerviRunning AwayCocktails at Doney'sHer Mother's DaughterBodily SecretsTwo More GallantsThe Smoke Trees of San PietroVirginsMusicEvents at DrimaghleenFamily SinsA TrinityThe Third PartyHoneymoon in TramoreThe PrintmakerIn Love with AriadneA Husband's ReturnCoffee with OliverAugust SaturdayChildren of the HeadmasterKathleen's FieldAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisJanet Evanovich lives in New Hampshire. She has won many awards for the Stephanie Plum series, including the CWA John Creasey and the CWA Silver Dagger.

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Book SynopsisSpiderweb is the twelfth novel by Booker Prize winning author Penelope Lively.Stella Brentwood has led an exotic life for a woman of her time. Her frivolous best friend at Oxford, Nadine, knew early what she wanted: marriage and children. Stella, too, has had her share of passion, but her work as an anthropologist - always the outsider, the observer, was her priority.Now she has decided to root herself in Somerset landscape. But she finds that village society in England us far more chaotic, more unpredictable, and even more cruel, than she has known before. And that she cannot - or will not - conform to its rules.''She is a writer of great subtlety and understanding, and this is her best novel since Moon Tiger, which won the Booker Prize in 1987'' The Scotsman''Evokes an escalating atmosphere of menace . . . Lively at her deceptively easy-to-read best'' Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisA dual-language edition of contemporary stories from throughout the Hispanic world, perfect for learners of either language   This volume of ten short stories, with parallel translations, offers students of Spanish at all levels the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of contemporary literature, without having constantly to refer back to a dictionary.   Richly diverse in themes and styles, the stories are by both new and well-established writers and range from the sharp insights of Gabriel García Márquez’s “María dos Prazeres” and the teasing, deceptive simplicity of Javier Marías’s “On the Honeymoon” to Isabel Allende’s powerful evocation of the oral traditions of the Amerindian and the philosophical speculation of Laura Freixas’s “Absurd Ending.”   Complete with notes, the stories make excellent reading in either language.Table of ContentsShort Stories in Spanish - New Penguin Parallel Text - Edited by John R. King IntroductionEva's IndifferenceSoledad Puértolas (1947- )Translated by John R. KingA Literary Tea PartyJulio Ramón Ribeyro (1929- )Translated by Clive GriffinOn the HoneymoonJavier Marias (1951- )Translated by Eric SouthworthWaliamaiIsabel Allende (1942- )Translated by Margaret Sayers PedenMaria dos PrazeresGabriel García Márquez (1928- )Translated by Edith GrossmanLas AmigasCarlos Fuentes (1928- )Translated by Alfred Mac AdamAbsurd EndingLaura Freixas (1958- )Translated by John R. KingThe PossessedAntonio Muñez Molina (1956- )Translated by John R. KingSecond Time RoundJulio Cortázar (1914-84)Translated by Clive GriffinSyllabusJuan Benet (1927-93)Translated by Eric SouthworthNotes on Spanish TextsAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisThis is an all new version of the popular PARALLEL TEXT series, containing eight pieces of contemporary fiction in the original French and in English translation. Including stories by Bolanger, Cotnoir, Le Clezio and Germain, this volume gives afascinating insight into French culture and literature as well as providing an invaluable educational tool.Table of ContentsIntroductionLearning How to Live / Frederic Fajardie (1947– )All Lights Off / Frederic Fajardie (1947– )David / Jean-Marie-Gustave Le Clezio (1940– )The Occupation of the Ground / Jean Echenoz (1947– )The Third-rate Film / Sylvie Massicotte (1959– )The Objet d'Art / Jean-Paul Daoust (1946– )The Hunters' Cafe / Daniel Boulanger (1922– )Accursed Notebooks (an extract from La Deconvenue) / Louise Cotnoir (1948– )Heloise / Sylvie Germain (1954– )The Character / Gloria Escomel (1941– )Self-destruction / Rene Belletto (1945– )You Never Die / Alain Gerber (1950– )Notes on French TextsAcknowledgements

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Book SynopsisFrom the MAN BOOKER PRIZE- and WOMEN''S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED author of Swing Time, White Teeth and On Beauty''A pleasure from the first page to the last'' Evening Standard''A glorious concoction by our most beguiling and original prose-wizard'' Independent on Sunday ''Full of humour, the search for love and the fear of death... A touching, thoughtful, deeply felt rite-of-passage novel'' Sunday Telegraph The Autograph Man follows one Alex-Li Tandem: a twenty-something Chinese-Jewish autograph dealer turned on by sex, drugs and organised religion. From London to New York, love to death, fathers to sons, Alex tries to discover how a piece of paper can bring him closer to his heart''s desire. Exposing our misconceptions about our idols - about ourselves - Zadie Smith delivers a brilliant, unforgettable tale about who we are and what we really want to be.

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Book SynopsisMr Maybe is the hilarious romance from star author Jane Green. At twenty-seven, Libby thinks there''s a lot to be said for a rich husband. So when Nick comes along - lovely, funny, handsome Nick, who has no money whatsoever, lives in a grotty bedsit and thinks the perfect night out consists of the pub and his mates - she decides he''s only good for a fling. No strings attached.Following the success of Straight Talking and Jemima J, in Mr Maybe is Jane Green''s third novel with her usual brilliance at writing about love and life. Investment banker Ed, on the other hand, could possibly be the answer. His house in Regent''s Park makes up for his hideous moustache and she can probably overlook his irritating habits, and anyway, he''s crazy about her. But does Libby really know what she needs? Is she just in love with being loved? Or is she loving the lifestyle, rather than the man?Praise for Jane Green:''[Jane Green] is amazing wi

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Book SynopsisDiscover the addictive and uplifting story of reinvention, self-discovery and the meaning of true love from the bestselling author of Life Swap and The Friends We Keep''Inspirational, uplifting, made me laugh and left me feeling very happy'' 5***** Reader Review''Compulsively readable'' Sunday Times''Perfect if you want to feel uplifted . . . So relatable'' 5***** Reader Review_______Jemima Jones is overweight. About seven stone overweight.Treated like a slave by her thin and bitchy flatmates, lorded over at the Kilburn Herald by the beautiful Geraldine (less talented, but better paid), her only consolation is food.What with that and her passion for her charming, sexy colleague Ben, she knows her life needs changing.But can Jemima reinvent herself?And should she?_______''The kind of novel you''ll gobble up in a single sitting'' Cosmopolitan''Green writes with acerbic wit about the law of the dating jungle'' Sunday ExpressReaders ADORE Jemima J:''Truly uplifting and fun'' 5***** Reader Review''I was utterly engrossed'' 5***** Reader Review''A fantastic book that you can''t put down'' 5***** Reader Review''Beautiful and heartwarming'' 5***** Reader Review''Light hearted, warm and funny'' 5***** Reader ReviewTrade ReviewThe kind of novel you'll gobble up at a single sitting * Cosmopolitan *The ultimate makeover novel * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThe hit romance about the havoc an old flame can create, from the bestselling author of I Found You and Then She Was GoneThis blast from the past will knock them off their feet . . . Dig Ryan hasn''t seen Delilah for twelve years, but when she bursts back into his life he can''t help falling for his first love all over again.Nadine has been in love with Dig for fifteen years, so she can''t help feeling cheated when her best friend has his head turned again by her old nemesis Delilah.But how low will Nadine stoop in order to make Delilah go away? And how can she make Dig realize who he really loves?''Will keep you up all night in a sweaty, addicted reading frenzy'' The Times''Very entertaining and very funny'' Heat''Jewell writes with invigorating zest and lashings of emotional intelligence'' Independent''Wary, funny, realistic and imTrade ReviewBubbly and addictive, the best romantic comedy we've read in ages * Company *Will keep you up all night in a sweaty, addicted reading frenzy * The Times *Very entertaining and very funny * Heat *Jewell writes with invigorating zest and lashings of emotional intelligence - pop fiction at its proudest * Independent *Warm, funny, realistic and immensely readable * Cosmopolitan *A lovely book . . . informed with a wholesome desire to please and entertain * Daily Telegraph *This is a gem * Mirror *Stands out from the mass of chick-fic like a poppy in a cornfield . . . Glitters with insight * Nova *Praise for Lisa Jewell * - *Addictively readable * The Times *Terrific * Sunday Times *A joy . . . a fun summer read * Guardian *Tackles serious issues with humour - proving that chick-lit can be intelligent, interesting and huge fun * Sunday Express *A triumph * Hello *Top marks. Fantastic * Heat *Moving and intelligent * Independent *Magnetic, unpretentious and bursting with one-liners * Cosmopolitan *Jewell's readability and emotional intelligence make her the cream of pop fiction * Glamour *Fans of chick-lit will understand when I say that this is a book you simply disappear into * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisA must-read for every woman who's ever been underestimated - especially those of a certain age--Rose Lloyd was the last to suspect that Nathan, her husband of over twenty years, was having an affair, and that he was planning to leave her.But the greatest shock was yet to come: his mistress was Rose''s colleague and friend, Minty.Left alone in their once-happy family home, where she and Nathan had brought up their children, Rose started thinking - about the man she''d married, and how well she really knew him. About the carefree yet studious girl she had been before she met him.Twenty years ago she had to make the choice between two very different lives.Could she now recapture what she nearly chose back then, a life where she put herself first?Revenge of a Middle-Aged Woman is the compelling and heart-warming novel from bestselling author Elizabeth Buchan.--Praise for Elizabeth Buchan:''Gorgeously well-written - funny, sad, sophisticated'' Independent''Beautifully observed, with the insight and humour that one has come to expect from the author'' Times''Compelling, compassionate, and aglow with moments of laugh-or-cry humour'' Mail on Sunday''Buchan is a cut above the rest'' Sunday Mirror

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Book SynopsisAn emotional, uplifting story about sisters, secrets, and second chances, from No. 1 bestselling author of Richard & Judy pick THE FAMILY UPSTAIRSBee Beahorn had it all - a successful music career, fabulous friends, and a glamorous celebrity lifestyle.At least, that''s what her estranged sister, Ana, had always believed.Their lives were worlds apart. Bea was beautiful, extravagant and full of life. Ana was awkward, shy, and destined to live in Bea''s shadow. But when Bea is found dead in her flat, Ana realises that everything she knew about her sister had been a lie. Ana is determined to find out the truth about her sister - and she might just find herself along the way . . ._________''A compelling story packed with intriguing characters'' The Times''Written with intelligence, verve and wit . . . a triumph'' Hello''Inventive and moving, with definite charms and a Trade ReviewSophisticated . . . Jewell can't help but tell a compelling story packed with intriguing characters * The Times *Tackles serious issues with humour - proving that chick-lit can be intelligent, interesting and huge fun * Sunday Express *Written with intelligence, verve and wit . . . a triumph * Hello *Inventive and moving . . . a story with definite charms and a real sense of poignancy * Sunday Times *Top marks. Fantastic * Heat *A perceptive, tears-trickling-down-the-side-of-your-nose-on-the-bus brilliant read * Company *Moving and intelligent * Independent *A poignant tale of life, love and loss * Mirror *Traditional, light-hearted romantic fiction at its best * Literary Review *Poignant and humorous * Now *A buoyant tale that will have you laughing and crying from start to finish * Woman's Journal *The twists and turns in the plot will leave you dizzy * New Woman *The story is original and the suspense is skilfully built. An infuriatingly enjoyable feel-good read * The List *An engaging and original plot * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisThe huge bestseller from the author of Then She Was Gone and The GirlsA stranger in the house can only mean troubleThe London family is in crisis.Newly-divorced Tony is fantasizing about someone he shouldn''t.Prize-winning writer Sean has a hot new girlfriend, and a dose of writer''s block.Their brother Ned has just come back from Australia, leaving his girlfriend behind. And now they have a new lodger - a mysterious stranger. But is he the friend this family needs, or a troublemaker they could do without?''Terrific stuff: touching, funny and sentient'' Sunday Times''Funny and emotionally satisfying'' The Times''A heart-warming page-turner from start to finish'' HeatTrade ReviewThis book shows Jewell coming into her prime - both funny and emotionally satisfying * The Times *Terrific stuff: touching, funny and sentient * Sunday Times *A heart-warming page-turner from start to finish . . . Quite possibly her best yet * Heat *Jewell's readability and emotional intelligence make her the cream of pop fiction * Glamour *The perfect summer read * Marie Claire *Jewell's light style can be deceptive; her anatomisation of twenty and thirty-something urban relationships is at times uncomfortably keen . . . It's a lot of fun * Daily Mail *This novel will make you feel warm inside * New Woman *Praise for Lisa Jewell * - *Addictively readable * The Times *A joy . . . a fun summer read * Guardian *The best romantic comedy we've read in ages * Company *Tackles serious issues with humour - proving that chick-lit can be intelligent, interesting and huge fun * Sunday Express *A triumph * Hello *Top marks. Fantastic * Heat *Lovely * Daily Telegraph *Moving and intelligent * Independent *Magnetic, unpretentious and bursting with one-liners * Cosmopolitan *Fans of chick-lit will understand when I say that this is a book you simply disappear into * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION A masterful, exuberant novel from the Booker Prize-shortlisted, Women''s Prize-winning author of How to be both and the critically acclaimed Seasonal quartet ''Ali Smith has got style, ideas and punch. Read her'' Jeanette Winterson Five people: four are living, three are strangers, two are sisters, one is dead. In her highly acclaimed and ambitious book, the brilliant Scottish writer Ali Smith brings alive five unforgettable characters and traces their intersecting lives. This is a short novel with big themes (time, chance, money, death) but an eye for tiny detail: the taste of dust, the weight of a few coins in the hand, the pleasurable pain of a stone in one''s shoe . . .*****''As infectious as a pop song, the story bursts open from the very first page and demands to be read in one sitting'' The Times

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Book SynopsisFROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF GIRL, WOMAN, OTHERWINNER OF THE NESTA FELLOWSHIP AWARD 2003''Wildly entertaining, deeply affecting'' Ali Smith, author of How to be both and AutumnA coming-of-age tale to make the muses themselves roar with laughter and weep for pity -- sassy, razor-sharp and transformative.Londinium, AD 211. Zuleika is a modern girl living in an ancient world. She''s a back-alley firecracker, a scruffy Nubian babe with tangled hair and bare feet - and she''s just been married off a fat old Roman. Life as a teenage bride is no joke but Zeeks is a born survivor. She knows this city like the back of her hand: its slave girls and drag queens, its shining villas and rotting slums. She knows how to get by. Until one day she catches the eye of the most powerful man on earth, the Roman Emperor, and her trouble really starts . . .Silver-tongued and merry-eyed, this is a sto

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Book SynopsisFROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER ''Evaristo possesses enough ball-busting originality to create whole novels for each of the historical characters she resurrects . . . [she creates] funky yarns so tantalising you want to devour them'' Guardian Meet Stanley Williams: Single, in his thirties, grieving the death of his Jamaican father and wondering if there is more to life than his nine-to-five banking job in a sky-high glass menagerie.Enter Jessie O''Donnell: barmaid, former singer-cum-comedienne, and desperate to get into her rusty old Lady Niva and hit the freeway across Europe. The unlikely pair begin an electrifying odyssey that weaves in and out of history, colliding with the forgotten heroes of Europe''s past. Shakespeare''s mysterious ''Dark Lady of the Sonnet''s, Pushkin and his Ethiopian great-grandfather and the mixed-race Allessandro de'' Medici of Florence are all ready to have their voic

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Book SynopsisCollected with a dozen wonderful stories, all set in classic Updike territory, the short novel ''RABBIT REMEMBERED'' is a major work in its own right - a riveting return to Updike''s most celebrated fictional world. Janice and Nelson Angstrom, plus several other survivors of the irreducible Rabbit, fitfully entertain his memory while pursuing their own happiness over the edge of the millennium, as a number of old strands come together in entirely unexpected ways.

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Book SynopsisCharles Dickens's last complete novel and a glorious satire spanning all levels of Victorian society Our Mutual Friend centres on an inheritance - Old Harmon's profitable dust heaps - and its legatees, young John Harmon, presumed drowned when a body is pulled out of the River Thames, and kindly dustman Mr Boffin, to whom the fortune defaults. With brilliant satire, Dickens portrays a dark, macabre London, inhabited by such disparate characters as Gaffer Hexam, scavenging the river for corpses; enchanting, mercenary Bella Wilfer; the social-climbing Veneerings; and the unscrupulous street-trader Silas Wegg. The novel is richly symbolic in its vision of death and renewal in a city dominated by the fetid Thames, and the corrupting power of money. Our Mutual Friend uses text of the first volume edition of 1865 and includes original illustrations, a chronology and revised further reading. As Adrian Poole writes in his introduction to this new edition, 'In its vast scoTrade Review‘The great poet of the city. He was created by London’ —Peter AckroydAdrian Poole writes in his introduction to this new edition, ‘In its vast scope and perilous ambitions it has much in common with Bleak House and Little Dorrit, but its manner is more stealthy, on edge, enigmatic’.

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Book SynopsisDurtal, a shy, censorious man, is writing a biography of Gilles de Rais, the monstrous fifteenth-century child-murderer thought to be the original for 'Bluebeard'. Bored and disgusted by the vulgarity of everyday life, Durtal seeks spiritual solace by immersing himself in another age.

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Book SynopsisPoet, novelist, painter and musician, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) is the grand master of Bengali culture. Written during the 1890s, the stories in this selection brilliantly recreate vivid images of Bengali life and landscapes in their depiction of peasantry and gentry, casteism, corrupt officialdom and dehumanizing poverty. Yet Tagore is first and foremost India''s supreme Romantic poet, and in these stories he can be seen reaching beyond mere documentary realism towards his own profoundly original vision.

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Book SynopsisThroughout his life Isaac Babel was torn by opposing forces, by the desire both to remain faithful to his Jewish roots and yet to be free of them. This duality of vision infuses his work with a powerful energy from the earliest tales including ''Old Shloyme'' and ''Childhood'', which affirm his Russian-Jewish childhood, to the relatively non-Jewish world of his collection of stories entitled ''Red Cavalry''. Babel''s masterpiece, ''Red Cavalry'' is the most dramatic expression of his dualism and in his simultaneous acceptance and rejection of his heritage heralds the great American-Jewish writers from Henry Roth to Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING NOVELADAPTED INTO A FEATURE FILM WITH ELIJAH WOODFrom the bestselling author of Here I Am, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and We are the Weather - a hilarious, life-affirming and utterly original novel about the search for truth''Gripping, hilariously funny and deeply serious. An astonishing feat of writing'' The Times''One of the most impressive novel debuts of recent years'' Joyce Carol Oates, Times Literary Supplement''A first novel of startling originality'' Jay McInerney, Observer''It seems hard to believe that such a young writer can have such a deep understanding of both comedy and tragedy'' Erica Wagner, The TimesA young man arrives in the Ukraine, clutching in his hand a tattered photograph. He is searching for the woman who fifty years ago saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Unfortunately, he is aided in his quest by Alex, Trade Review'An astonishing feat' The Times

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Book SynopsisA sweeping, colourful adventure from the acclaimed author of White TearsDiscover Hari Kunzru''s smash-hit debut novelThis is the extraordinary story of a child conceived in a wild monsoon night, a boy destined to be an outsider, a man with many names and no name.Born into luxury but disinherited and cast out onto the streets of Agra, Pran Nath must become a chameleon. Chasing his fortune, he will travel from the red light district of Bombay to the green lawns of England to the unmapped African wilderness. He will play many different roles -- a young prize in a brothel, the adopted son of Scottish missionaries, the impeccably educated young Englishman headed for Oxford -- in order to find the role that will finally fit.Daring and riotously inventive, The Impressionist is an odyssey of self-discovery: a tale of the many lives one man can live and of the universal search for true identity.Trade ReviewPublisher's description. Discover an odyssey of self-discovery, as one child born different must find his way and his place in the world. From the streets of Agra to Bombay's red light district, from the pristine, cloistered lawns of Oxford to an expedition in West Africa - Pran Nath is a boy who will have many faces, many names, many lives... * Penguin *

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Book SynopsisRuprecht Van Doren is an overweight genius whose hobbies include very difficult maths and the Search of Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Daniel 'Skippy' Juster is his roommate. In the grand old Dublin institution that is Seabrook College for Boys, nobody pays either of them much attention.Trade ReviewSavagely funny, brimful of wit, energy, poetry and vision, unflaggingly entertaining. A triumph * Sunday Times *One of the most enjoyable, funny and moving reads of this year. A rare tragicomedy that's both genuinely tragic and genuinely comic * Guardian *Darkly comic, dazzles, every line drips ideas for fun. Unputdownably funny, captivating. A masterpiece * Metro *Ambitious, wise, funny, fiercely intelligent. The beauty of this cynical, hopeful, beautifully written book is that it builds a detailed world to explore life, the universe and everything * Sunday Express *Hilarious, heartbreaking, totally engrossing. A triumph * Daily Mail *Novels rarely come as funny and as moving as this utterly brilliant exploration of teenhood and the anticlimax of becoming an adult . . . Skippy Dies is intuitive, truthful and one of the finest comic novels written anywhere. Dies? Never! Skippy lives -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *I loved Skippy Dies . . . three novels fused into one ignited tragicomic tour de force -- Ali Smith * Times Literary Supplement *Skippy Dies is one great high-octane fizz bang of a book -- Patrick McCabe * Irish Times *Extravagantly entertaining * New York Times Book Review *A comic epic. Murray is a brilliant comic writer, but also humane and touching, and he captures the misery and elation, joy and anxiety of teenage life. A brilliant depiction of the heaven and hell of male adolescence -- David Nicholls * Guardian *Murray's writing has earned a place in the contemporary international canon . . . Murray's characters are so three-dimensionally drawn and brought to such vivid life that they may haunt your dreams * Irish Independent *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE COSTA NOVEL OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE SALTIRE AWARD ''Joyous'' The Times The Accidental pans in on the Norfolk holiday home of the Smart family one hot summer. There a beguiling stranger called Amber appears at the door bearing all sorts of unexpected gifts, trampling over family boundaries and sending each of the Smarts scurrying from the dark into the light. A novel about the ways that seemingly chance encounters irrevocably transform our understanding of ourselves, The Accidental explores the nature of truth, the role of fate and the power of storytelling.*****''Brilliant and engaging, frequently hilarious. . . Smith makes one look at the world afresh'' Sunday Telegraph ''Funny, sexy, poignant, bewitching'' Observer''A beguiling page-turner . . . To read The Accidental is to be excit

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Book SynopsisThe architect Klaus Lehmann loves his wife, Elsa, with a passion that continues throughout their married life, despite long periods of separation. Almost half a century after Lehmann''s death in the village of Steerborough, a young woman, Lily, arrives to research his life and work. Poring over Klaus''s letters to Elsa, Lily pieces together the story of their lives. And alone in her rented cottage by the sea, she begins to sense an absence in her own life that may not be filled by simply going home.

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Book SynopsisIn a vase in a closet, a couple of years after his father died in 9/11, nine-year-old Oskar discovers a key... The key belonged to his father, he's sure of that. But which of New York's 162 million locks does it open?

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Book SynopsisHackney, that Rose-Red Empire is Iain Sinclair''s foray into one of London''s most fascinating boroughs''As detailed and as complex as a historical map, taking the reader hither and thither with no care as to which might be the most direct route''ObserverHackney, That Rose-Red Empire is Iain Sinclair''s personal record of his north-east London home in which he has lived for forty years. It is a documentary fiction, seeking to capture the spirit of place, before Hackney succumbs to mendacious green papers, eco boasts, sponsored public art and the Olympic Park gnawing at its edges. It is a message in a bottle, chucked into the flood of the future.''An explosion of literary fireworks''Peter Ackroyd, The Times''Gloriously sprawling, wonderfully congested, one of the finest books about London in recent decades''Daily Telegraph''Sinclair adopts the roles of pedestrian, pilgrim and poet, magnificen

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Book SynopsisWill Self is the author of many novels and books of non-fiction, including Great Apes, The Book of Dave, How the Dead Live, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel of the Year 2002, The Butt, winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction 2008, Umbrella, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2012, and Shark. His most recent novel, Phone, was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize. He lives in south London.

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Book SynopsisDining on Stones is Iain Sinclair''s sharp, edgy mystery of London and its environsAndrew Norton, poet, visionary and hack, is handed a mysterious package that sees him quit London and head out along the A13 on an as yet undefined quest. Holing up in a roadside hotel, unable to make sense of his search, he is haunted by ghosts: of the dead and the not-so dead; demanding wives and ex-wives; East End gangsters; even competing versions of himself. Shifting from Hackney to Hastings and all places in-between, while dissecting a man''s fractured psyche piece by piece, Dining on Stones is a puzzle and a quest - for both writer and reader.''Exhilarating, wonderfully funny, greatly unsettling - Sinclair on top form'' Daily Telegraph''Prose of almost incantatory power, cut with Chandleresque pithiness'' Sunday Times''Spectacular: the work of a man with the power to see things as they are, and magnify that vision with a clarity that

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Book Synopsis**FROM THE AUTHOR OF INSIDE THE WAVE, THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017**Finland, 1902, and the Russian Empire enforces a brutal policy to destroy Finland''s freedom and force its people into submission.Eeva, orphaned daughter of a failed revolutionary, also battles to find her independence and identity. Destitute when her father dies, she is sent away to a country orphanage, and then employed as servant to a widowed doctor, Thomas Eklund. Slowly, Thomas falls in love with Eeva . . . but she has committed herself long ago to a boy from her childhood, Lauri, who is now caught up in Helsinki''s turmoil of resistance to Russian rule.Set in dangerous, unfamiliar times which strangely echo our own, the story reveals how terrorism lies hidden within ordinary life, as rulers struggle to hold on to power. House of Orphans is a rich, brilliant story of love, history and change.House of Orphans is bestselling author HeTrade ReviewOutstanding, a sheer pleasure to read. Dunmore is a remarkable storyteller * Daily Mail *Part love story, part tragedy . . . Dunmore on dazzling form. Everyone should read her work * Independent on Sunday *Every character is richly drawn and makes for compelling reading ... top-quality fiction * Daily Express *Richly ambitious . . . there isn't a dull page. A remarkable achievement * Scotsman *Extraordinary . . . combines a luminous delicacy of observation with raw emotional power to haunting effect * Sunday Telegraph *Vivid and exciting . . . Dunmore creates a beautiful sense of stillness . . . she conveys a passion for Finland's icy landscape * Observer *Beautifully written . . . a story about us all * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisFrom the Booker Prize-winning and Women''s Prize-shortlisted author of The Silence of the Girls The first novel in Pat Barker''s acclaimed ''Life Class'' trilogy - an unforgettable story of art and war, from one of our greatest writers on war and the human heart''Triumphant, inspiring, shattering'' The Times''Barker writes as brilliantly as ever... With great tenderness and insight she conveys a wartime world turned upside down'' Independent on Sunday''Masterly, gripping'' Penelope Lively''Extraordinarily powerful'' Sunday Telegraph Spring, 1914. The students at the Slade School of Art gather in Henry Tonks''s studio for his life-drawing class. But for Paul Tarrant the class is troubling, underscoring his own uncertainty about making a mark on the world. When war breaks out and the army won''t take Paul, he enlists in the Belgian Red Cross just as he and fellow student Elinor Brooke admit their feeliTrade ReviewSharply written and elegantly constructed...breathtaking * Guardian *A compelling read * Literary Review *Thoughtful, ambiguous and powerful * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisThe joyously funny, heartwarming and uplifting novel of two women swapping their lives for a month, from No. 1 bestseller Jane Green ''Compelling, funny, like sitting down with a good friend who is telling you a story'' 5***** Reader Review ''One of the best books I have read'' 5***** Reader Review ''A fantastic novel! I couldn''t help but devour every page'' 5***** Reader Review ______ Vicky Townsley, a magazine Features Director, lives in London alone, single, and seriously successful. But she''d give it all up in a heartbeat for marriage, children, and a house in the country. Amber Winslow has exactly what Vicky wants; a huge stone mansion in Highfield Connecticut, children, and a busy charitable commitment for the local Women''s League. But Amber isn''t happy either.So when she spots a double page spread in Poise! magazine asking married readers to life swap with a glamorous, single jour

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Book SynopsisJane Green is the Number One bestselling author of nineteen novels including: Straight Talking, Jemima J, Mr Maybe, Bookends, Babyville, Spellbound, The Other Woman, Life Swap, Second Chance, The Beach House, Girl Friday, The Love Verb, The Patchwork Marriage, The Accidental Husband and Tempting Fate. Jane and her husband live in Connecticut with their blended family of six children.Trade ReviewA corker of a story, sharply and elegantly told * Heat *Fizzing with fast-and-furious dialogue, this is vintage Green * Eve *

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Book SynopsisLose yourself in the perfect heart-warming read for summer, for fans of Jill Mansell, Katie Fforde, and Carole Matthews, from number one bestseller Jane GreenNan, a widow whose family has flown the nest, is an independent, free-spirited woman who couldn''t care less what people think about her living alone in her beloved beach house.But when money starts running out and she might lose her home, she knows it''s time for a drastic change.Nan decides to rent out rooms for the summer, filling the house with noise, laughter and tears.Among the visitors is Daniel, a recently divorced father, who''s struggling to find out who he really is, and Daff, the single mother of a truculent teenager who blames her mother unreservedly for her parents'' divorce.But as the house comes to life again, Nan finds her family growing . . .Her son comes home for the summer and an unexpected visitor turns up, turning all their lives upside down.FroTrade ReviewA corker of a story, sharply and elegantly told * Heat *A delicious treat confirming that Green is still queen of chick lit * In Style *Fizzing with fast-and-furious dialogue, this is vintage Green * Eve *

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Book SynopsisThe Testament of Gideon Mack is James Robertson''s acclaimed novel exploring faith and belief.For Gideon Mack, faithless minister, unfaithful husband and troubled soul, the existence of God, let alone the Devil, is no more credible than that of ghosts or fairies. Until the day he falls into a gorge and is rescued by someone who might just be Satan himself.Mack''s testament - a compelling blend of memoir, legend, history, and, quite probably, madness - recounts one man''s emotional crisis, disappearance, resurrection and death. It also transports you into an utterly mesmerising exploration of the very nature of belief.''Fascinating, extraordinary, strange, rich'' Sunday Telegraph''Overwhelmingly compassionate and thought-provoking. Demands another read'' Irvine Welsh, Guardian''Hugely enjoyable, very funny, deeply refreshing . . . its touch of devilry makes it even more of a joy'' Herald''Fabulous . . . a work of the highest literary quality'' Scotland on Sunday''Astonishingly accomplished, utterly compelling from start to finish . . . could well be the best novel published anywhere this year'' Big Issue''James Robertson is a brilliant novelist. It''s a long time since I read a novel in which the contemporary notions of faith and belief were so frankly tested'' Ali SmithJames Robertson is the author of the novels The Fanatic, Joseph Knight, The Testament of Gideon Mack, And the Land Lay Still and The Professor of Truth. The Testament of Gideon Mack was longlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize, picked by Richard and Judy''s Book Club, and shortlisted for the Saltire Book of the Year award, and And the Land Lay Still was the winner of the Saltire Book of the Year Award 2010.Trade ReviewOverwhelmingly compassionate and thought-provoking . . . In the hands of great writers the unlikeliest stories are generally the most rewarding -- Irvine Welsh * The Guardian *Robertson is a true descendant of James Hogg – this is a superb piece of Scottish Gothic * The Times *A rich novel of ideas about faith, Scotland and the ways in which fictions shape our lives * Sunday Telegraph *Artful and lyrical . . . you are under the influence of a master storyteller . . . this book promises to become a Scottish masterpiece * Sunday Herald *Robertson is a true descendant of James Hogg – this is a superb piece of Scottish Gothic * The Times *

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Book SynopsisMarisha Pessl''s Special Topics in Calamity Physics is an unforgettable debut novel that combines the storytelling gifts of Donna Tartt and the suspense of Alfred Hitchcock: a darkly hilarious coming-of-age tale and a richly plotted suspense story, told with dazzling intelligence and wit.''I wrote this account one year after I''d found Hannah Dead.I thought I''d managed to erase all traces of that night within myself.But I was wrong.Every night when I tried to sleep, I''d close my eyes and see her again, exactly as I found her, hanging from a pine tree by an orange electrical cord, her neck twisted like a tulip stem, her eyes seeing nothing. Or else that was the problem. They''d seen everything.''Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a mesmerizing debut. As teenager Blue van Meer tells her story we are hurled into a dizzying world of murder and butterflies, womanizing and wandering, American McCulture, The Western CanonTrade ReviewBeneath the foam of this exuberant debut is a dark, strong drink -- Jonathan Franzen, author of * The Corrections *

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Zoë Heller''s darkly comic third novel, The Believers explores a family pushed to its limits. When Audrey makes a devastating discovery about her husband, New York radial lawyer Joel Litvinoff, she is forced to re-examine everything she thought she knew about their forty-year marriage. Joel''s children will soon have to come to terms with this unsettling secret themselves, but for the meantime, they are trying tot cope with their own dilemmas.Rosa, a disillusioned revolutionary, is grappling with a new found attachment to Orthodox Judaism. Karla, an unhappily married social worker, is falling in love with an unlikely suitor at the hospital where she works. Adopted brother Lenny is back on drugs again.In the course of battling their own demons and each other, every member of the family is called upon to decide what - if anything - they still believe in.''Profoundly satisfying. No other novel would readily stand in its stead . . . pulses w

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Book SynopsisA sparkling satire from the Booker Prize-shortlisted, Women''s Prize-winning author of How to be both and the critically acclaimed Seasonal quartet ''Playful, humorous, serious, profoundly clever and profoundly affecting'' Guardian ''There once was a man who, one night between the main course and the sweet at a dinner party, went upstairs and locked himself in one of the bedrooms of the house of the people who were giving the dinner party . . .'' As time passes by and the consequences of this stranger''s actions ripple outwards, touching the owners, the guests, the neighbours and the whole country, so Ali Smith draws us into a beautiful, strange place where everyone is so much more than they first appear...*****''Adventurous, intoxicating, dazzling. This is a novel with serious ambitions that remains huge fun to read'' Literary Review ''Smith can make anything happen, which is why she iTrade ReviewWhimsically devastating. Playful, humorous, serious, profoundly clever and profoundly affecting * Guardian *Remarkable. A brilliant novel: funny, serious, always surprising, always true * The Times *I take my hat off to Ali Smith. Her writing lifts the soul * Evening Standard *A playfully serious or seriously playful novel full of wit and pleasure. Wonderful * Observer *Eccentric, adventurous, intoxicating, dazzling. This is a novel with serious ambitions that remains huge fun to read. The writing dances along * Literary Review *Poignant, empathetic, funny. A book full of kindness and compassion * Time Out *Fizzying, affectionate, sparkling. Smith presents her world view in words as fresh as lemons. A joyful read * Herald *A tour de force -- Lionel Shriver * Financial Times *A virtuoso piece of writing, both funny and gripping . . . Smith is a writer with a rich array of conventional strengths * Times Literary Supplement *A must read * Toronto NOW *

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of The Power, winner of the Women''s Prize for Fiction''Sharp, funny and poignant'' - Hilary Mantel Ronit has left London and transformed her life. She has become a cigarette-smoking, wise-cracking, New York career woman, who is in love with a married man.But when Ronit''s father dies she is called back into the very different world of her childhood, a world she thought she had left far behind. The orthodox Jewish suburb of Hendon, north London is outraged by Ronit and her provocative ways. But Ronit is shocked too by the confrontation with her past. And when she meets up with her childhood girlfriend Esti, she is forced to think again about what she has left behind.Funny, tender and insightful - GuardianTrade ReviewFunny, tender and insightful * Guardian *A wonderful novel . . . rich and fresh and fascinating * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisJohn Updike was born in 1932 in Shillington, Pennsylvania. He is the author of over fifty books, including The Poorhouse Fair; the Rabbit series (Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit Is Rich; Rabbit At Rest); Marry Me; The Witches of Eastwick, which was made into a major feature film; Memories of the Ford Administration; Brazil; In the Beauty of the Lilies; Toward the End of Time; Gertrude and Claudius; and Seek My Face. He has written a number of collections of short stories, including The Afterlife and Other Stories and Licks of Love, which includes a final Rabbit story, Rabbit Remembered. His essays and criticism first appeared in publications such as the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books, and are now collected into numerous volumes. Collected Poems 1953-1993 brings together almost all of his verse, and a new edition of his Selected Poems is forthcoming fr

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Book SynopsisAnd the Land Lay Still is the sweeping Scottish epic by James RobertsonAnd the Land Lay Still is nothing less than the story of a nation. James Robertson''s breathtaking novel is a portrait of modern Scotland as seen through the eyes of natives and immigrants, journalists and politicians, drop-outs and spooks, all trying to make their way through a country in the throes of great and rapid change. It is a moving, sweeping story of family, friendship, struggle and hope - epic in every sense.The winner of the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award 2010, And the Land Lay Still is a masterful insight into Scotland''s history in the twentieth century and a moving, beautifully written novel of intertwined stories.''Toweringly ambitious, virtually flawlessly realized, a masterpiece and, without a doubt, my book of the year'' Daily Mail''A jam-packed, dizzying piece of fiction'' Scotland on Sunday''GTrade ReviewWonderful, brilliant, panoramic, illuminating. A joy to read -- Irvine Welsh * Guardian *Gripping, vivid, beautifully realized * The Times *Powerful and moving. A brilliant and multifaceted saga of Scottish life in the second half of the twentieth century * Sunday Times *Toweringly ambitious, virtually flawlessly realized, a masterpiece and, without a doubt, my book of the year * Daily Mail *Big, ambitious, intricately organised . . . it's some achievement * New Statesman *Dizzying . . . subtle and profound . . . And The Land Lay Still reads like an alternative history of Scotland told by its everyday people instead of its movers and shakers . . . eminently readable * Independent on Sunday *Both epic and domestic, it delivers a wonderful lifelikeness * Scotsman *A hugely ambitious and compassionate novel . . . a jam-packed, dizzying piece of fiction . . . already it's being spoken of as the most important novel about Scotland since Lanark * Scotland on Sunday *

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Book Synopsis*** CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022***Delve into the lives, loves and hopes of the residents of Star Street, and the mysterious visitor waiting to emerge from the shadows in the No. 1 bestseller from author of Grown Ups''Gripping from the start . . . the master at her best'' DAILY TELEGRAPH________''June the first, a bright summer''s evening, a Monday . . .''And into the busy, bustling homes at 66 Star Street slips, unseen, a mysterious visitor.As the couples, flatmates and repentant singletons of No. 66 fall in and out of love, clutch at and drop secrets, laugh, cry and simply try to live, no one suspects the visitor patiently waiting in the wings.For soon, as the light slowly fades to dark, everything is going to change . . .________''Our very favourite Keyes novel yet'' Heat''An expert storyteller who can makeTrade ReviewMarian Keyes' The Brightest Star in the Sky will draw you deep into the lives, loves and hopes of the residents of Star Street . . . And who or what exactly is the mysterious visitor waiting to emerge from the shadows? * from the publisher's description *Gripping from the start . . . the master at her best * Daily Telegraph *Our very favourite Keyes novel yet * Heat *

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Book SynopsisElizabeth Noble lives in Surrey with her husband and two daughters. Her previous Sunday Times bestsellers include: The Reading Group, which reached Number One, The Friendship Test (formerly published as The Tenko Club), Alphabet Weekends, Things I Want My Daughters to Know, The Girl Next Door, The Way We Were, Between a Mother and her Child, Love, Iris and The Family Holiday. Between a Mother and her Child and Love, Iris were both Richard & Judy Book Club picks. Other People's Husbands is her tenth novel.Trade ReviewA wonderfully well written book, full of emotion * Daily Mail *We loved it . . . we were totally hooked wondering what twists were coming next * Heat *This emotional read is full of fascinating characters you'll miss once the final page is turned * Bella *Praise for Elizabeth Noble * - *Noble is the mistress of the tearjerking message of love * Express *Incredibly thought-provoking and poignant * Sun *Impossible to finish without tears streaming down your face * Daily Express *Witty, affectionate and unashamedly tear-jerking * Red *Honest and beautifully written * Woman & Home *Witty, pacy and immediately engaging * Glamour *Enchantingly clever -- Penny VincenziSo fluid, the pages turn themselves * Daily Mirror *Irresistible comfort read * Glamour *It would be a hard heart indeed that remained unmoved . . . the tender feelings that Noble engenders in her readers are to be cherished * Daily Express *Tissues are essential. You'll ricochet between delicately watering eyes at the romance of it all and howling sobs at the unbearable tenderness * Heat *

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Book SynopsisGamrah's faith in her new husband is not exactly returned Sadeem is a little too willing to please her fiancé Michelle is half-American and the wrong class for her boyfriend's family While Lamees works hard with little time for love.The girls of Riyadh are young, attractive and living by Saudi Arabia's strict cultural traditions. Well, not quite. In-between sneaking out behind their parents' backs, dating, shopping, watching American TV and having fun, they're still trying to be good little Muslim girls. That is, pleasing their families and their men.But can you be a twenty-first century girl and a Saudi girl?Trade ReviewRaises important questions about self-respect, tolerance and emotional maturity…lifts the veil of an obscured world * Telegraph Magazine *Brave and surprisingly informative * Guardian *'Highly readable…wonderfully vivid' New StatesmanIrresistible and thought-provoking…an entertaining read: revealing, hilarious and chilling in turn * The Independent *

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Book SynopsisThe brilliantly witty novel from the Top Ten Sunday Times bestselling author of Getting Rid of Matthew.A husband. A wife. A mistress. And the ultimate plan for revenge . . .The husbandJames never intended to lead a double life - with a wife in London and a mistress in the country, it''s exhausting. But that''s all about to change . . .The wifeStephanie isn''t really snooping when she finds a text message from a strange woman on her husband''s mobile. But now she''s found it, how can she ignore it? It''s time to track the woman down and find out what''s going on . . . The mistressKatie has no reason to believe her boyfriend, James, is cheating until someone claiming to be his wife gets in touch. Now she''s been cast in the role of mistress. Not one she''s happy with . . . Once Stephanie and Katie know about each other, they must decide what to do. They could both just throTrade ReviewPraise for Jane Fallon * - *Sparkling and unpredictable * Elle *Chick lit with an edge * Guardian *Compulsively readable * Daily Mail *Deliciously devious . . . A darkly comic and addictive read * Daily Express *Fun and feisty women's fiction at its very best * Heat *Jane Fallon injects a smart edge into the chick-lit genre * In Style *Gripping stuff . . . A great, intelligent read * Daily Mail *Witty, well observed * Heat *Brilliant and original * Sun *Absolutely brilliant * Closer *A hilarious page-turner * Yours *

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Book SynopsisFoursome is the brilliantly witty novel from Jane Fallon, bestselling author of Getting Rid of Matthew. Rebecca, Daniel, Alex and Isabel have been best friends since university. Rebecca married Daniel, Alex married Isabel and, for twenty years, they have been inseparable. But all that is about to change...When Alex walks out on Isabel, Rebecca thinks things can''t get any worse. But then she finds out the reason why and she''s left harbouring a secret she''d rather forget...And there''s more upheaval to come in Rebecca''s life as her emaciated, neurotic, self-obsessed colleague, Lorna - her arch nemesis at work - suddenly becomes a regular feature in her social life.Rebecca''s once-happy foursome is now a distant memory and with hearts broken and friendships fractured, it seems that change is never a good thing. Or is it?Praise for Jane Fallon:''Intelligent, edgy and witty'' Glamour''ATrade ReviewSparkling and unpredictable * Elle *Chick lit with an edge * Guardian *It's gripping stuff... it's no surprise that her (Fallon's) characterisation is spot-on, or that her plots are intricate and involved. This is a great, intelligent read and I can't recommend it highly enough. * Daily Mail *Witty, well observed and free from chick-lit clichés, Foursome will have loved-up couples everywhere questioning just how close they really are. * Heat *Hardcore Jane Fallon fans can breathe a sigh of relief that she's penned yet another juicy novel ... this friend-cestuous love quadrangle might leave you a bit dizzy- from turning the pages so quickly! * Now *This witty, grown up and well observed story about marriage, friendship and office politics is absolutely brilliant. * Closer! *

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