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
Penguin Books Ltd My Uncle Oswald
Book SynopsisMeet Oswald Hendryks Cornelius, Roald Dahl''s most disgraceful and extraordinary character . . . Aside from being thoroughly debauched, strikingly attractive and astonishingly wealthy, Uncle Oswald was the greatest bounder, bon vivant and fornicator of all time. In this instalment of his scorchingly frank memoirs he tells of his early career and erotic education at the hands of a number of enthusiastic teachers, of discovering the invigorating properties of the Sudanese Blister Beetle, and of the gorgeous Yasmin Howcomely, his electrifying partner in a most unusual series of thefts . . .''Raunchy and cheeky entertainment'' Sunday Express''Immense fun'' Daily TelegraphRoald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales Trade ReviewDeliciously sly * Observer *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Fire Ice
Book SynopsisFire Ice is Clive Cussler''s third NUMA Files novel, packed with nerve-shredding suspense. In the Black Sea, Kurt Austin and the NUMA team discover an abandoned submarine base commandeered by a mining tycoon who claims Romanov ancestry. Backed by his incredible wealth, the tycoon has proclaimed himself Czar of Russia. He is determined to overthrow the already shaky Russian government - and he has a terrifying surprise in store for the Americans that will ensure they don''t interfere. But standing in his way are Kurt Austin and the NUMA team . . . Packed with the hair-raising action and dazzling imagination that are his hallmarks, Fire Ice is a stunning thriller from a writer at the top of his game.Clive Cussler, author of the best-selling Dirk Pitt novels Arctic Drift and Crescent Dawn, and co-author Paul Kemprecos unravel a tangled web of ambition and conspiracy in Fire Ice, the third novel of the action-packed N
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Polar Shift
Book SynopsisPolar Shift is the sixth NUMA Files novel by the inimitable Clive Cussler. Giant freak waves send an unsinkable cargo ship to the bottom of the Atlantic and a herd of killer whales attack a party of kayakers in the Pacific - random events, or evidence of polar shift?For Kurt Austin of NUMA these two seemingly unconnected incidents are harbingers of a global phenomenon that will mark the end of civilization! A secret organization aiming to bring down the world''s elite powers have discovered the means to bring about polar shift - a catastrophic event that will cause earthquakes, lava eruptions, tsunami, electrical disruption and giant whirlpools. Austin knows that he and NUMA cannot fail this time. The end of the world is coming unless he and the team can track down the conspirators or reverse the effects of the Earth''s most destructive power: polar shift!Clive Cussler, author of the best-selling Dirk Pitt novels Arctic Drift
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd An Evening of Long Goodbyes
Book SynopsisThe brilliant first novel by the author of The Bee StingAcclaimed as one of the funniest and most assured debuts of recent years, An Evening of Long Goodbyes is the story of Dubliner Charles Hythloday and the heroic squandering of the family inheritance. Featuring drinking, greyhound racing, vanishing furniture, more drinking, old movies, assorted Dublin lowlife, eviction and the perils of community theatre, Paul Murray''s first novel is a tour de force of comedic writing wrapped in an honest-to-goodness tale of a man - and a family - living in denial.''Hilarious, rich and satisfying'' The Times Literary Supplement''Comedy of the highest calibre and a good, fast-paced yarn. An excellent read'' Sunday Tribune''Arguably the funniest debut in years, An Evening of Long Goodbyes ranks with Zadie Smith''s White Teeth as a stunning document of an English-speaking metropolis in flux'' LA TimesTrade ReviewA freewheeling adventure through modern Dublin. Hilarious, rich and satisfying * Times Literary Supplement *A sheer triumph * Ali Smith *Innately entertaining. The plot scuttles along with Wodehouse-like delirium * Time Out *Every joke, every observation, every name reverberates with playful nuance and nervy significance; the end result is a gleeful tweak of the New Ireland's proud nose * LA Times *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Blood Spilt
Book Synopsis''A breath of fresh cold air . . . a dangerous edge to gladden fans of Lisbeth Salander'' Boyd TonkinFrom the million-book bestselling author comes another nail-biting thriller, for fans of Stieg Larsson, The Bridge and The Killing TV series.The murder of a female priest sends shockwaves through the isolated community of Kiruna. A crime that has terrifying echoes of another. Lawyer Rebecka Martinsson returns to Kiruna to help the police, and is soon drawn into the dead woman''s world. A world of hurt and healing, sin and sexuality, and above all, of lethal sacrifice.Can Rebecka find the truth before she is consumed by it?''Among the current batch of Nordic writers, Larsson is one to be followed with the most minute attention'' Barry Forshaw, Independent''A superior example of Scandinavian noir'' Julia Handford, Sunday Telegraph''Larsson''s laid-back style makes her unflinching probing of the icy depths of the hu
£14.39
Penguin Books Ltd The Buddha in the Attic
Book Synopsis''An understated masterpiece'' San Francisco Chronicle''Her wisdom is staggeringly beautiful, implicating each of us'' Irish TimesAfter the First World War, a group of young women is brought by boat from Japan to San Francisco. They are picture brides, promised the American Dream, clutching photographs of the husbands they have yet to meet, imagining uncertain futures on unknown shores.Struggling to master a new language and culture, they experience tremulous first nights as new wives, backbreaking work in the fields and in the homes of white women, and, later, the raising of children who will ultimately reject their heritage and their history.And then war arrives once more.Julie Otsuka tells their extraordinary, heartbreaking story in this spellbinding and poetic account of strangers lost and alone in a new and deeply foreign land.''A tender, nuanced, empathetic exploration of the sorrows and consolations of a whole generation of women'' Daily TelegraphWINNER OF THE PEN FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION 2012SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2011SHORTLISTED FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE 2011Trade ReviewSweeping, symphonic, empathic . . . subtle, infinitely skilful . . . an exhilarating, compulsive read. Otsuka's haunting, heartbreaking conclusion, in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, is faultless * Daily Mail *Paints a poignant, moving portrait of immigration by deftly weaving together a chorus of voices. Fascinating and tragic in equal measure * Easy Living *A tender, nuanced, empathetic exploration of the sorrows and consolations of a whole generation of women * Telegraph *A haunting and heartbreaking look at the immigrant experience . . . Otsuka's keenly observed prose manages to capture whole histories in a sweep of gorgeous incantatory sentences * Marie Claire *Novels written in the first person plural are rare. It's a narrative device that gives The Buddha in the Attic a deliciously melancholy quality . . . Powerful, lyrical and almost unbearably sad * Psychologies *Powerfully moving . . . intensely lyrical . . . verges on the edge of poetry * Independent *The tone is often incantatory, and though the language is direct, unconvoluted, almost without metaphor, its true and very unusual merit lies, I think, in that indefinable quality we call poetry -- Ursula Le Guin * Guardian *A kind of collective memoir that squeezes volumes of experience into a small space . . . more than a history lesson because Otsuka compresses the individual emotions into one haunting story * The Times *Her trick is to sum up a few life story in a few tantalising sentences, moving on to the next at lightning speed. The result is panoramic, each line opening a window on to the world of one woman after another, pinpointing each one's hopes and happiness or misery and pain * Sunday Express *Intriguing . . . fleeting, singular images pile up and reverberate against each other to strange, memorable effect * Metro *Spare but resonant, powerful, evocative * The New York Times Book Review *Spare and stunning . . . Otsuka has created a tableau as intricate as the pen strokes her humble immigrant girls learned to use in letters to loved ones they'd never see again * Oprah Magazine *A delicate, heartbreaking portrait . . . beautifully rendered . . . Otsuka's prose is precise and rich with imagery. [Readers] will finish this exceptional book profoundly moved. * Publishers Weekly *This chorus of narrators speaks in a poetry that is both spare and passionate, sure to haunt even the most coldhearted among us * Chicago Tribune *A stunning feat of empathetic imagination and emotional compression, capturing the experience of thousands of women * Vogue *A lithe stunner * Elle *To watch Emperor catching on with teachers and students in vast numbers is to grasp what must have happened at the outset for novels like Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird * The New York Times on When the Emperor was Divine *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Book SynopsisMuriel Spark was born and educated in Edinburgh. She was active in the field of creative writing since 1950, when she won a short-story writing competition in the Observer, and her many subsequent novels include Memento Mori (1959), The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), The Girls of Slender Means (1963) and Aiding and Abetting (2000). She also wrote plays, poems, children's books and biographies. She became Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1993, and died in 2006.Trade ReviewSpark's most celebrated novel * Independent *There is no question about the quality and distinctiveness of her writing, with its quirky concern with human nature, and its comedy -- William BoydA brilliant psychological figure * Observer *
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Periodic Table
Book SynopsisIn 1919, Primo Levi was born into a Jewish family in Turin, Italy, in 1919. Despite the anti-Semitic laws introduced to Italy by Mussolini's government, he was able to complete his degree in Chemistry at Turin University in 1941. When the Germans invaded northern Italy in 1943, Levi escaped to the mountains to join a group of anti-fascist partisans but was soon captured and eventually deported to Auschwitz. He was liberated in January 1945. After the war he resumed his career as a chemist, retiring only in 1975. His graphic account of his time in Auschwitz, If This is a Man, was published in 1947. Levi went on to write many other books, including The Wrench, If Not Now, When? and The Periodic Table, emerging not only as one of the most profound and haunting commentators on the Holocaust, but as a great writer on many twentieth-century themes, especially science. Primo Levi committed suicide on 11 April 1987.Trade ReviewA book it is necessary to read -- Saul BellowWonderfully daring . . . Its extraordinary shifts of tone, from learned scientific treatise to epic war narrative, reflect Levi's eclectic reading and mesmeric story-telling gifts -- Ian Thomson * Guardian *
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd Dubliners James Joyce Penguin Essentials 28
Book Synopsis''Snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves.''From a child grappling with the death of a fallen priest, to a young woman''s dilemma over whether to elope to Argentina with her lover, to the dance party at which a man discovers just how little he really knows about his wife, these fifteen stories bring the gritty realism of existence in Joyce''s native Dublin to life.Trade ReviewJoyce's early stories remain undimmed in their brilliance * Sunday Times *Joyce celebrates the lives of ordinary men and women -- Anthony Burgess * Observer *In Joyce's eyes Dublin is the whole world -- J.G. Ballard
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd In the Country of Men
Book SynopsisNine-year-old Suleiman is just awakening to the wider world beyond the games on the hot pavement outside his home and beyond the loving embrace of his parents. He becomes the man of the house when his father goes away on business, but then he sees his father, standing in the market square in a pair of dark glasses. Suddenly the wider world becomes a frightening place where parents lie and questions go unanswered. Suleiman turns to his mother, who, under the cover of night, entrusts him with the secret story of her childhood.
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Fascination
Book SynopsisFascination is master storyteller William Boyd''s third volume of short storiesDescribed as the finest storyteller of his generation, and following his acclaimed collections On the Yankee Station and The Destiny of Nathalie X, in Fascination Boyd shows his brilliance of the form as these stories range widely through time and space. In a dazzling array of styles and narratives we move from 1930s Germany to Los Angeles in the Second World War, from contemporary Oxford to 19th century Russia. Whether in London or Amsterdam. Eastbourne or a Normandy village these stories explore and expose the fraught, funny, absurd, poignant and lovelorn lives of their many and varied characters.Fascination will be loved by fans of Any Human Heart, as well as readers of William Trevor, Sebastian Faulks, Nick Hornby and Hilary Mantel.''The stories here are perfect . . . suffused with an understanding of love, desire and eTrade ReviewThe stories here are perfect . . . suffused with an understanding of love, desire and emotional incompetence * Guardian *Perfectly formed snapshots of life at its most mystifying * Daily Mail *Consistently entertaining * Literary Review *Boyd achieves his best writing, observing tiny moments of love, lust and epiphany with extraordinary sensitivity * Spectator *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Wedding Day
Book SynopsisStep into the Cornish sun in this sparkling romantic comedy from the bestselling author of A Cornish Summer and A Rural AffairAnnie O''Harran is getting married . . . all over againA divorced, single mum, Annie is about to tie the knot with David. But there''s a long summer to get through first. A summer where''s she''s retreating to a lonely house in Cornwall, where''s she''s going to finish her book, spend time with her teenage daughter Flora and make any last-minute wedding plans.Annie should be so lucky.For almost as soon as Annie arrives her competitive sister and her wild brood fetch up. While Annie''s louche ex-husband and his latest squeeze are holidaying nearby and insist on dropping in. Plus there''s the surprise American houseguest who can''t help sharing his heartbreak.Suddenly Annie''s big day seems a long, long way off - and if she''s not careful it might never happen at all . . .Step into All
£10.79
Penguin Books Ltd A Crowded Marriage
Book SynopsisHow many is too many? Dive into the hilarious, heartwarming bestseller from the author of A Cornish SummerThere isn''t room in a marriage for three . . .Painter Imogen is happily married to Alex, and together they have a son. But when their finances hit rock bottom, they''re forced to accept Eleanor Latimer''s offer of a rent-free cottage on her large country estate. If it was anyone else, Imogen would be beaming gratitude. Unfortunately, Eleanor just happens to be Alex''s beautiful, rich and flirtatious ex.And from the moment she steps inside Shepherd''s Cottage, Imogen''s life is in chaos. In between coping with rude locals, murderous chickens, a maddening (if handsome) headmaster, mountains of manure, and visits from the infuriating vet, she has to face Eleanor, now a fixture at Alex''s side. Is Imogen losing Alex?Will her precious family be torn apart?And whose fault is it really - Eleanor''s, Alex''s or Imogen''s?
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd A Married Man
Book SynopsisIndulge in this wonderfully warm and witty story of love, loss and laughter from the bestselling author of A Cornish Summer and A Rural Affair''What could be nicer than living in the country?''Lucy Fellowes is in a bind. She''s a widow living in a pokey London flat with two small boys and an erratic income. But when her mother-in-law offers her a converted barn on the family''s estate - she knows it''s a brilliant opportunity for her and the kids.But there''s a problem. The estate is a shrine to Lucy''s dead husband Ned. The whole family has been unable to get over his death. If she''s honest, the whole family is far from normal. And if Lucy is to accept this offer she''ll be putting herself completely in their incapable hands. Which leads to Lucy''s other problem. Charlie - the only man since Ned who she''s had any feelings for - lives nearby. The problem? He''s already married . . .Praise for Catherine Alliott:''A joy . . . you''re in for a treat'' Daily Express''I literally couldn''t put this down. An addictive cocktail of wit, frivolity and madcap romance'' Time Out
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Not That Kind of Girl
Book SynopsisSettle into this intoxicating and tantalising romantic comedy from the bestselling author of A Cornish Summer and A Rural AffairA girl can get into all kinds of trouble just by going back to work . . .Henrietta Tate gave up everything for her husband Marcus and their kids. But now that the children are away at school and she''s rattling round their large country house all day she''s feeling more than a little lost.So when a friend puts her in touch with Laurie, a historian in need of a PA, Henrietta heads for London. Quickly, she throws herself into the job. Marcus is - of course - jealous of her spending so much time with her charming new boss. And soon enough her absence causes cracks to form in their marriage that just can''t be papered over. Then Rupert, a very old flame, reappears, and Henrietta suddenly finds herself torn between three men.How did this happen?She''s not that kind of girl . . . is sh
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Going Too Far
Book SynopsisLaugh out loud with the gorgeously romantic rural comedy from the bestselling author of A Cornish SummerPolly is content and settled in married life, until one comment shakes everything up.''You''ve gone all fat and complacent because you''ve got your man, haven''t you?''Polly Penhalligan is outraged at the suggestion that since getting married to Nick and settling into their beautiful manor farmhouse in Cornwall she has let herself go. But watching a lot of telly and gorging on biscuits, not getting dressed until lunchtime and waiting for pregnancy to strike are not the signs of someone living an active and fulfilled life. So Polly does something rash.She allows her home to be used as a location for a TV advert. Having a glamorous film crew around will certainly put a bomb under the idyllic, rural life. Only perhaps she should have consulted Nick first . . .Because before the cameras have even started to roll - anTrade ReviewAn addictive cocktail of wit, frivolity and madcap romance * Time Out *A joy . . . you're in for a treat * Daily Mail *Hilarious and full of surprises * Daily Telegraph *Alliott has a way of getting you hooked, and making you read on and on * Mirror *Fresh and witty. I couldn't put it down * Sunday Express *Praise for Catherine Alliott * - *Intelligent and sparkling -- Marian KeyesCompulsively readable * Times *Hilarious yet poignant -- Sophie KinsellaWarm, witty and wise * Daily Mail *Classy, wonderfully gossipy and breathless * Red *We defy you not to get caught up in Alliott's life-changing tale * Heat *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd The OldGirl Network
Book SynopsisLose yourself in the twists and turns of love in the hilarious romantic comedy from the bestselling author of A Cornish Summer Finding true love''s a piece of cake - as long as you''re looking for someone else''s true love . . .Polly McLaren is young, scatty and impossibly romantic. She works for an arrogant and demanding boss, and has a gorgeous if never-there-when-you-need-him boyfriend. But the day a handsome stranger recognises her old school scarf, her life is knocked completely off kilter.Adam is American, new to the country and begs Polly''s help in finding his missing fiancé. Over dinner at the Savoy, she agrees - the girls of St Gertrude''s look out for one another. However, the old-girl network turns out to be a spider''s web of complications and deceit in which everyone and everything Polly cares about is soon hopelessly entangled. The course of true love never did run smooth. But no one said anything about ruining y
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Olivias Luck
Book SynopsisCurl up on the sofa with this tantalising rural romantic comedy about taking control of your life from the bestselling author of A Cornish Summer''I don''t care what colour you paint the sodding hall. I''m leaving.''When her husband Johnny suddenly walks out on ten years of marriage, their ten-year-old daughter and the crumbling house they''re up to their eyeballs renovating, Olivia is at first totally devastated. How could he? How could she not have noticed his unhappiness?But she''s not one to weep for long.Not when she''s got three builders camped in her back garden, a neighbour with a never-ending supply of cast-off men she thinks Olivia would be drawn to and a daughter with her own firm views on . . . well, just about everything.Will Johnny ever come back?And if he doesn''t, will Olivia''s luck ever change for the better?Praise for Catherine Alliott:''The writing is both intell
£10.46
Penguin Books Ltd Rosie Meadows Regrets...
Book SynopsisSink into the uplifting and brilliantly romantic tale of a woman putting her mistakes behind her, from the bestselling author of A Cornish Summer''Tell me, Alice, how does a girl go about getting a divorce these days?''Three years ago Rosie walked blindly into marriage with Harry. They have precisely nothing in common except perhaps their little boy Ivo. Not that Harry pays him much attention, preferring to spend his time with his braying upper class friends.But the night that Harry drunkenly does something unspeakable, Rosie decides he''s got to go. In between fantasizing how she might bump him off, she takes the much more practical step of divorcing this blight on her and Ivo''s lives.However, when reality catches up with her darkest fantasies, Rosie realizes, at long last, that it is time she took charge of her life.There''ll be no more regrets, and time, perhaps, for a little love . . .Praise for Catherine AllioTrade ReviewAlliott is quick, observant and on top form * Daily Mail *Praise for Catherine Alliott * - *Intelligent and sparkling -- Marian KeyesCompulsively readable * Times *Hilarious and full of surprises * Daily Telegraph *Warm, witty and wise * Daily Mail *Hilarious yet poignant -- Sophie KinsellaClassy, wonderfully gossipy and breathless * Red *We defy you not to get caught up in Alliott's life-changing tale * Heat *
£9.99
Penguin Books Ltd Number Ten
Book SynopsisNumber Ten is the brilliantly funny political satire by Sue Townsend, bestselling author of the Adrian Mole series''Wickedly entertaining. There is a gem on nearly every page. Nothing escapes Townsend''s withering pen. Satirical, witty, observant'' Observer____________Behind the doors of the most famous address in the country, all is not well.Edward Clare was voted into Number Ten after a landslide election victory. But a few years later and it is all going wrong.The love of the people is gone. The nation is turning against him.Panicking, Prime Minister Clare enlists the help of Jack Sprat, the policeman on the door of No 10, and sets out to discover what the country really thinks of him. In disguise, they venture into the great unknown: the mean streets of Great Britain.And for the first time in years, the Prime Minister experiences everything life in this country has to offer - anTrade ReviewA wickedly entertaining and passionate swipe at New Labour * The Times *There is a gem on nearly every page. Nothing escapes Townsend's withering pen. Satirical, witty, observant . . . a clever book * Observer *Poignant, hilarious, heart-rending, devastating * New Statesman *A delight. Genuinely funny . . . compassion shines through the unashamedly ironic social commentary * Guardian *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Queen Camilla
Book SynopsisTHE BRILLIANTLY FUNNY SEQUEL TO THE QUEEN AND I FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE ADRIAN MOLE SERIESWhat if being Royal was a crime?The UK has come over all republican. The Royal Family exiled to an Exclusion Zone with the other villains and spongers. And to cap it all, the Queen has threatened to abdicate.Yet Prince Charles is more interested in root vegetables than reigning ... unless his wife Camilla can be Queen in a newly restored monarchy. But when a scoundrel who claims to be the couple''s secret love-child offers to take the crown off their hands, the stage is set for a right Royal show down.And the question for Camilla (and rest of the country) will be: Queen of the vegetable patch or Queen of England?_____________''Brilliantly satirical'' Evening Standard''One of our finest living comic writers'' The Times''Brilliantly funny'' CloserTrade Review[Townsend's] political fantasies achieve satire's difficult double aim of being credibly realistic and preposterously funny * Sunday Times *A brilliantly satirical story - just the kind of book, one imagines, Camilla would keep in her loo * Evening Standard *One of our finest living comic writers * The Times *Brilliantly funny * Closer *Another fantastic read from Townsend * OK! *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Ghost Children
Book SynopsisGhost Children is a compassionate and gritty examination of love and loss from one of Britain''s most-loved writers, Sue TownsendHow can she leave the past behind when he won''t let her? Seventeen years ago Angela Carr aborted an unwanted child. The child''s father, Christopher Moore, was devastated by the loss and he retreated from the world. Unable to accept what had happened between them both went their separate ways. However, when Christopher makes a horrifying discovery whilst out walking his dog on the heath he finds that he is compelled to confront Angela about the past. As they start seeing each another again can they avoid the mistakes of the past? And will their future together be eclipsed by those mistakes of yesterday? ''Gripping and disturbing. Utterly absorbing'' Independent ''Bleak, tender and deeply affecting. Seldom have I rooted so hard for a set of fictional individuals''
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Angels
Book Synopsis*** CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022***Discover this hilarious, heart-warming story about how far one woman will go to find herself, from the No. 1 bestselling author of Grown Ups''Keyes writes brilliantly, as always, about love, grief, jealousy and friendship'' Daily Mail''Funny, compassionate, well-observed and irreverent'' Time Out_________Meet Maggie Walsh.Unlike the rest of her family, Maggie has always done everything right. At thirty-three she has a proper job, is happily married to Garv and never puts a foot wrong.So when she makes a break for Hollywood with her best friend, Emily, her family and friends don''t know what to think.In the City of Angels, Maggie gets to do things she''s never done before: mixing with film stars, pitching scripts, partying non-stop.No one ever expected predictable Maggie to do something so unpredictable. And in LA, Maggie can be whoever she wants to be. But sooner or later, Maggie must face the life - and the people - she left behind, and discover whether finding herself, means losing the people she loves . . .Love the Walsh sisters? Don''t miss out on the eagerly awaited sequel to Rachel''s Holiday: AGAIN, RACHEL . . ._________''Witty, wicked, yet moving. A novel to both laugh and cry over'' Ireland on SundayFAMOUS FANS AND WHY THEY LOVE MARIAN KEYES''Marian''s writing is the truth. With big laughs'' Dawn French''A giant of Irish writing'' Naoise Dolan''Will make you laugh and make you cry, but will also reveal the truth of who you really are'' Louise O''Neill''Keyes weaves the joy and pain of life in a unique and magical way'' Cathy Rentzenbrink''One of the most honest writers writing today'' Pandora Sykes''Compassionate, tender, incisive writing'' Lucy Foley''Her talent for tackling serious issues with such humanity and wit is balm for the soul'' Nigella Lawson''Marian Keyes is a brilliant writer. No one is better at making terrifically funny jokes while telling such important, perceptive and agonizing stories of the heart. She is a genius'' Sali Hughes''Irresistible, profound. Keyes''s comic gift is always evident'' Independent''Joyful. Keyes'' clever way with words and extraordinary wit. People stared at me as I laughed to myself'' C.L. Taylor''A born storyteller'' Independent on SundayTrade ReviewMaggie Walsh is supposed to be the sensible one - the white sheep of the family. She lives less than a mile from Mum and Dad and married middle-of-the-road Garv. But that is about to change . . .'I'd always lived a fairly blameless life . . . up until the day I left my husband and ran away to Hollywood . . .' * from the publisher's description *Praise for Marian Keyes * - *Brilliantly satisfying, unputdownable * Company *Filled with wonderful warm characters and dialogue that leaps off the pages. Keyes is a superior storyteller * Irish Independent *Gloriously funny * The Sunday Times *A total triumph * Daily Mail *Not only is it a great story with funny, loveable characters, it made me laugh out loud * Stylist *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Keyes M Last Chance Saloon
Book Synopsis*** CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022***Discover the gorgeously funny and heartwarming bestseller about final chances from the No 1. bestselling author of Grown Ups''Moving, relatable and infinitely tender'' INDEPENDENT''Plenty of heart, lots of laughs, and a fantastic twist in the tail'' COSMOPOLITAN___________''Love is blind, there was no doubt about it. In Tara''s case it was also deaf, dumb, dyslexic, had a bad hip and the beginnings of Alzheimer''s . . .''Tara, Katherine and Fintan have been best friends since they were teenagers. Now in their early thirties, they''ve been living it up in London for ten years.But what have they to show for a decade of hedonism?Sure, Tara''s got a boyfriend - but only because she''s terrified of spending five minutes alone. Katherine, on the other hand, has a neatness fetish that won''t let anyone too close to mess up her life.And Fintan? Well, he has everything. Until he learns that without your health, you''ve got nothing . . .All three are drinking in the last chance saloon and they''re about to discover that if you don''t change your life, life has a way of changing you . . .''A comforting doorstopper of a read that''s as addictive as solitaire'' Daily Mail___________Praise for Marian Keyes''An outstanding writer and chronicler of our times'' Independent on Sunday''Mercilessly funny'' Times''The voice of a generation'' Daily MirrorTrade ReviewMoving, relatable and infinitely tender, Keyes takes the most uncomfortable human experiences and treats them with real dignity. But of course, because it's Marian, it's still very, very funny * Independent *In Marian Keyes' BESTSELLING Last Chance Saloon, three great friends discover that despite their best-laid plans, life can unravel in the most unexpected ways. 'Love is blind, there was no doubt about it. In Tara's case it was also deaf, dumb, dyslexic, had a bad hip and the beginnings of Alzheimer's . . .' * from the publisher's description *Plenty of heart, lots of laughs, and a fantastic twist in the tail * Cosmopolitan *A comforting doorstopper of a read that's as addictive as solitaire * Daily Mail *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Infatuations
Book SynopsisThe Infatuations is a critically acclaimed novel by the great Spanish writer Javier Marías.Every day, Maria Dolz stops for breakfast at the same café. And every day she enjoys watching a handsome couple who follow the same routine. Then one day they aren''t there, and she feels obscurely bereft.It is only later, when she comes across a newspaper photograph of the man, lying stabbed in the street, his shirt half off, that she discovers who the couple are. Some time afterwards, when the woman returns to the café with her children, who are then collected by a different man, and Maria approaches her to offer her condolences, an entanglement begins which sheds new light on this apparently random, pointless death.With The Infatuations, Javier Marías brilliantly reimagines the murder novel as a metaphysical enquiry, addressing existential questions of life, death, love and morality.Praise for The Infatuations:''MesmerisingTrade ReviewMesmerising . . . At this very fine and disturbing novel's core is a compelling meditation on love in all its ramifications * Herald *The real pleasure is in the strange things his narrators do to the business of narration. Marías has discovered a unique form -- Adam Thirlwell * TLS *Plotted with tremendous skill and elegance, this cerebral tale is entirely absorbing * Daily Mail *The classical themes of love, death and fate are explored with elegant intelligence by Marías in what is perhaps his best novel so far' -- Alberto Manguel * Guardian *Marías at his most haunting * Financial Times *No one else, anywhere, is writing quite like this -- Tim Martin * Daily Telegraph *Absorbing and unnerving . . . powered by the pressure of good old-fashioned suspense * Sunday Times *A murder mystery that's also a brilliant meditation on life, love and death -- Robert McCrum * Observer *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton
Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors and A Cornish Summer comes a funny and heart-warming look at what happens when your whole world is turned upside-down . . .''Like a breath of fresh air. Warm, funny and has a lovely storyline'' 5***** Reader Review''Giggle out loud funny. Well written and very entertaining'' 5***** Reader Review''Funny and unpredictable. Like listening to a friend tell a good story'' 5***** Reader Review___________Evie Hamilton''s biggest worry in life is whether or not she can fit in a manicure on her way to fetch her daughter from clarinet lessons.Little does she know that her charmed and happy life is about to be turned upside-down . . .For one sunny morning a letter lands on Evie''s immaculate doormat. It''s a bombshell, knocking her carefully arranged and managed world completely askew as it threatens to sabotage all she holds dear. What will be left aTrade ReviewPraise for Catherine Alliott * - *Frothy, perceptive and a lot of fun * Daily Mail *Chick-lit at its finest . . . a real winner * Express *You're in for a treat * Daily Express *Intelligent and sparkling -- Marian KeyesAn addictive cocktail of wit, frivolity and madcap romance * Time Out *Compulsively readable * Times *Hilarious yet poignant -- Sophie KinsellaWarm, witty and wise * Daily Mail *Hilarious and full of surprises * Daily Telegraph *Classy, wonderfully gossipy and breathless * Red *We defy you not to get caught up in Alliott's life-changing tale * Heat *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Adrian Mole and The Weapons of Mass Destruction
Book Synopsis''The funniest person in the world'' Caitlin Moran''My comfort read. The best diaries ever written - with apologies to Samuel Pepys, Bridget Jones and me'' ADAM KAYThe hilarious SEVENTH BOOK in Sue Townsend''s bestselling series, sees Adrian fall in love, be inconvenienced by the war and face his new nemesis: a swan from the local canal . . . _____________ Wednesday April 2nd My birthday. I am thirty-five today. I am officially middle-aged. It is all downhill from now. A pathetic slide towards gum disease, wheelchair ramps and death. Adrian Mole is middle-aged but still scribbling. Working as a bookseller and living in Leicester''s Rat Wharf; finding time to write letters of advice to Tim Henman and Tony Blair; locked in mortal combat with a vicious swan called Gielgud; measuring his expanding bald spot; and trying to win-over the voluptuous Daisy . . . Adrian yearns Trade ReviewCelebrate Adrian Mole's 50th Birthday with this new edition of the seventh book in his diaries where Adrian falls in love, is inconvenienced by the war and faces his new nemesis: a swan from the local canal * from the publisher's description *As funny as anything Townsend has written, in which the loft-dwelling Mole wrestles with credit-card debt, WMD and where to find a dentist * Sunday Times *The funniest book of the year. I can think of no more comical read -- Jeremy Paxman * Sunday Telegraph *He will be remembered some day as one of England's great diarists * Evening Standard *The funniest person in the world * Caitlin Moran *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Peripheral
Book SynopsisFlynne Fisher lives in rural near-future America where jobs are scarce and veterans from the wars are finding it hard to recover. She scrapes a living doing some freelance online game-playing, participating in some pretty weird stuff. Wilf Netherton lives in London, seventy-some years later, on the far side of decades of slow-motion apocalypse.Trade ReviewSuperb . . . frantic with imagination and frantic with the appetite to see what happens next -- Ned Beauman, ObserverWhat a glorious ride! Like the woman said: brain 'splode -- Sam Leith * Guardian *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Forgive Me
Book SynopsisDiscover the intense and gripping story of a daughter uncovering her mother''s secret past from the international bestseller Lesley PearseEva''s life was secure, until the death of her mother changed everything.For when Flora leaves Eva a London artist''s studio in her will, she finds her mother had a secret past.In the studio''s attic are Flora''s paintings and diaries, and Eva learns her mother was a popular artist in the swinging sixties. Eva''s hunt for answers uncovers clues to a shocking crime which led Flora to hide her past.But will discovering the truth destroy Eva''s belief in everything she holds dear?And will this journey lead her and those she loves into danger?___________''Engrossing and emotional, it''s another winner from Lesley Pearse'' Woman''s Own''I absolutely loved this book. The characters are likeable and the writing is always brilliant'' SunTrade ReviewLesley Pearse, No. 1 UK bestselling author of Dead to Me and The Woman in the Wood, brings Forgive Me, a compelling story of a daughter uncovering her mother's secret past.Eva Patterson's life is forever altered by the devastating discovery of her mother, Flora, dead in the bath leaving only a note: 'Forgive Me'. * from the publisher's description *Storytelling at its very best * Daily Mail *I absolutely loved it. The characters are likeable and the writing is always brilliant * Sun *Intriguing, heart-tugging, beautifully written * Closer *Engrossing and emotional, it's another winner from Lesley Pearse * Woman's Own *An addictive tear-jerker with characters you'll adore, laugh with and cry for * Bella *Evocative, compelling, told from the heart * Sunday Express *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Survivor
Book SynopsisDiscover the captivating story of courage, daring and love from the No. 1 international bestseller Lesley Pearse''Evocative, compelling, told from the heart'' Sunday ExpressWith her reputation in tatters, 17-year-old Mari needs to get away from the gossip of her small town.So the chance to leave for London seems like the perfect fresh start.But war is brewing . . .And when London is overwhelmed by the Blitz, Mari''s glamorous new life is blown apart.Lost and alone, she must learn what it means to survive . . .____________''Utterly riveting, brilliant'' Closer''Characters it is impossible not to care about'' Daily Mail''Full of love, passion and heartbreak'' Best''Glorious, heartwarming'' Woman & HomeTrade ReviewLesley Pearse, No.1 bestselling author of The Promise and Belle is back with Survivor, the story of Mariette, a born fighter. * from the publisher's description *Evocative, compelling, told from the heart * Sunday Express *Utterly riveting, brilliant * Closer *Full of love, passion and heartbreak * Best *Glorious, heartwarming * Woman & Home *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Without a Trace
Book SynopsisDiscover the compelling story of courage, friendship and love from the bestselling author of You''ll Never See Me Again, Lesley Pearse''A heart-warming and evocative tale . . . a real delight to read'' SunCoronation Day, 1953.Molly Heywood slips away from the celebrations and makes a shocking discovery: her friend Cassie is dead and her six-year-old daughter Petal has vanished without a trace.The only clue is a letter from London, where Cassie once lived. Now it is up to Molly to head there and uncover the past that her friend kept so well hidden.The closer Molly gets to the truth, the more perilous her journey becomes.She has given up everything - her home, happiness and a chance at love - all to find Petal . . .But is she also risking her life?________''Epic romantic drama set in post-war London'' Heat Magazine''A narrative that gallops along, this is quiTrade ReviewInternational number one bestselling author Lesley Pearse brings a compelling story of courage, friendship and love in her brand new novel Without a Trace. * from the publisher's description *Epic romantic drama set in post-war London * Heat Magazine *A heart-warming and evocative tale that is a real delight to read * Sun *A narrative that gallops along, this is quintessential Pearse that will delight her army of readers * Daily Mail *Must have * Sunday Express *Yet another great Lesley Pearse novel * Woman Magazine *Evocative, compelling, told from the heart * Sunday Express *Utterly riveting, brilliant * Closer *Full of love, passion and heartbreak * Best *Glorious, heartwarming * Woman & Home *
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
Book SynopsisTHE AWARD-WINNING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLERA hilarious, lively, moving and compassionate debut about one Ukrainian-British family''s tumultuous relationship and the history they never knew. ''Delightful, funny, touching'' Spectator*****As Romeo and Juliet found to their cost, marriage is never just about two people falling in love, it is about families.Sisters Vera and Nadezhda must aside a lifetime of feuding to save their widowed, tractor-obsessed Ukrainian father from the voluptuous, wealth-obsessed Valentina. With her proclivity for green satin underwear and boil-in-the-bag cuisine, she outmanoeuvres the sisters at every turn. But their campaign to oust Valentina unearths family secrets, uncovers fifty years of European and Ukrainian history, and sends them back to roots they''d much rather forget . . .***** ''Hugely enjoyable . . . yields a golden harvest of family truths'' Daily Telegraph ''Captures the peculiar flavour of Eastern European immigrant life . . . a very rich mixture indeed'' Daily Express''It''s rare to find a first novel that gets so much right . . . Lewycka is a seriously talented comic writer'' Time OutTrade ReviewMore than just a jolly romp with political undertones is the way it captures the peculiar flavour of Eastern European immigrant life ... a very rich mixture indeed, as well as very enjoyable reading The Times A delightful first novel ... an understanding of history, a profundity, and yet a lightness of touch, that are a joy ... funny, touching and completely convincing The Spectator
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd THE COURSE OF LOVE
Book SynopsisSUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER From one of our great thinkers on modern life and the human condition - an unforgettable story of love and marriage from the author of bestselling novel Essays in Love as well as The Consolations of Philosophy, Religion for Atheists and The School of Life'The Course of Love probes the very heart of marriage, its shifts and squalls, its great adventure, with such forensic tenderness. I laughed a lot, too' Deborah MoggachModern love is never easy. Society is obsessed with stories of romance, but what comes after happily ever after? This is a love story with a difference. From dating to marriage, from having kids to having affairs, it follows the progress of a single ordinary relationship: tender, messy, hilarious, painful, and entirely un-Romantic. It is a love story for the modern world, chronicling the daily intimacies, the blazing rows, the endless tiny gestures thatTrade ReviewPublisher's description. Rabih and Kirsten meet, fall in love, get married. Think this is the end of the story? It's only the beginning. With his trademark warmth and wit, Alain de Botton explores modern relationships with a novel that asks what it truly means to love and to be loved. * Penguin *He's completely on the money with the minutiae of marital life and every note rings uncomfortably true. The story is told with great wit and affection... de Botton knows his stuff and the book builds into a truly wonderful and positive analysis of a successful lifelong partnership. It should be compulsory reading for anyone contemplating tying the knot. * Daily Mail *Engaging, meticulous, acutely perceptive... There's a refreshing honesty in what De Botton has to say * Guardian *One passage was so spot-on that I read it aloud to my husband... De Botton appreciates, as few writers do, the miracle and subtlety of the so-called ordinary * The Times *Well-observed and imbued with a tenderness that feels authentic and uncynical... It may even save some marriages. * Evening Standard *[A] worldly wise romance * Mail on Sunday *A complete delight -- Amy Bloom, author of 'Lucky us'
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Dogs of Littlefield
Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Baileys Women''s Prize for Fiction 2014Littlefield, Massachusetts: home to psychologists, college professors and their over-achieving children, and recently lauded as one of the Ten Best Places to Live in America. If happiness had a home it would be here.Then the first dog is poisoned. At first, there is shock and disbelief: who would commit such a cruel act - and why? As more dogs die, residents notice other signs that something''s not right in their home: the appearance of menacing grafitti, the persistent triggering of fire alarms at the middle school and the haunted looks neighbours begin exchanging.For the Downings, Margaret, Bill and daughter Julia, Littlefield''s gathering darkness hints at flaws in their own lives. What is wrong? What can save them?''Well-observed shrewd satire . . . sharp, funny and painful. Berne takes the domestic and turns it into the majestic'' Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewBerne takes the domestic and turns it into the majestic * Sunday Telegraph *A very well-written novel: clean, delicate, both devastating and funny in its well-chosen detail . . . it's insightful, too, with a clearly original mind behind it. Highly recommended * Daily Mail *As astute in her observations of contemporary culture as she is in capturing the minutiae of longing, disappointment and loss * Sunday Times *Fans of Anne Tyler and Alison Lurie will enjoy this peek behind the white picket fences * The Times *This funny novels explores the flaws of a perfect neighbourhood with a bizarre killer on the loose * Psychologies *A compelling novel that examines life, love and loss with a cynical but insightful world view. Original and brilliant * Sunday Mirror *
£14.39
Penguin Books Ltd When The Emperor Was Divine
Book Synopsis''A compelling, powerful portrait of a terrible endurance. Terrific'' The TimesFour months after Pearl Harbor, signs begin appearing up and down the West Coast instructing all persons of Japanese ancestry to report to ''assembly centers''. For one family - reclassified, virtually overnight, as unwelcome enemies - it is the beginning of a nightmare of oppression and alienation that will alter their lives forever.There is the mother, reeling from the order to ''evacuate'', and the daughter, travelling on the long train journey away from freedom. There is the son, who struggles to adapt to their new life in the dust of the Utah desert, and the father, who, after four bitter years in captivity, returns to his family a stranger.Based on a true story, Julie Otsuka''s powerful, deeply humane first novel tells of a forgotten generation who found themselves imprisoned in their own country, and evokes an unjustly overlooked episode in America''s wartime hTrade ReviewA remarkable, beautifully written story of panic, prejudice and shame ... outstandingly accomplished and moving * Sunday Telegraph *An intense jewel of a book written with clarity and beauty * Marie Claire *Vindicates the suffering of the Japanese in America . . . a blistering first novel * The Times Literary Supplement *A compelling, powerful portrait of a terrible endurance. Terrific * The Times *Exceptional * New Yorker *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Spark M Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie
Book Synopsis''One of the greatest books about growing up'' James Wood, Guardian''You girls are my vocation . . . I am dedicated to you in my prime''Miss Jean Brodie is a schoolmistress with a difference. She is proud, cultured and romantic but her educational ideas are highly progressive and even deeply shocking. So when she decides to transform a group of ''special girls'' into the crème de la crème at Marcia Blaine School they are soon known, perhaps suspiciously, as the Brodie set.Introduced to an unsettling world of adult games and curious intrigues, the Brodie Set know that they are privileged. Yet there is a price to pay - they must give Miss Brodie their undivided loyalty . . .''The most gifted and innovative British novelist of her generation'' David Lodge, The New York Times''Spark''s novels linger in the mind as brilliant shards'' John Updike, New YorkerTrade ReviewThe most gifted and innovative British novelist of her generation -- David Lodge * The New York Times *Spark's most celebrated novel. This ruthlessly and destructively romantic school ma'am is one of the giants of post-war fiction * Independent *Spark's novels linger in the mind as brilliant shards -- John Updike * New Yorker *One of the greatest books about growing up -- James Wood * Guardian *"Clever and elegant" is very acute as a catch-all description of Muriel Spark's appeal -- William Boyd * Telegraph *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd All That is Solid Melts into Air
Book SynopsisAll That is Solid Melts into Air is an exceptionally moving novel of interwoven lives, set amidst one of the most iconic disasters in living memory: Chernobyl. ''Daring, ambitious, epic, moving'' Colm TóibínColoured sheets of paper fall from the sky. This is their first indication that something serious has happened. Each sheet bears a message: you have three hours to evacuate, bring only one suitcase. From their balconies they can see a dark column of smoke rising above the nuclear plant. For the people of Pripyat, these are the last moments they will spend in their homes. For a child piano prodigy, a dissident factory worker, a broken-hearted surgeon and unknowing others, this disaster will change their lives forever . . .''Shocking, vivid . . . sweeps with epic confidence across lives'' Sunday Independent''Astonishing . . . A page-turner'' Irish Times''A stunning debut'' GuardianTrade ReviewThis daring and ambitious novel blends historical epic and love story with a moving description of the Chernobyl disaster and the fall of the Soviet Union. A book rich with resonance far beyond its historical moment -- Colm TóibínBrilliantly imagined, exhilarating in its sweep; McKeon creates a thrilling appearance of ease, while he delves deep and forges new territory for the contemporary novel. Daring, generous and beautifully written, All That is Solid Melts into Air marks the beginning of a truly significant career. I cannot say it loud enough: McKeon is here to stay -- Colum McCannPowerful and moving ... a supremely accomplished social novel ... What makes McKeon's vision so compelling is that the system this novel describes is not merely Russian, nor communist, but universal -- John Burnside * Guardian *His description of the explosion at the Ukrainian nuclear plant is a stylistic high point ... recalls Don DeLillo's Underworld ... disturbing ... convincing ... a tense denouement * Independent *An outstanding debut novel ... portraying inconceivable horrors and acts of incredible beauty in luminously understated prose ... McKeon makes us care ... skilfully drawing us into their worlds before and after the explosion ... devastating * Metro *A book to be devoured, tragic and funny and sad and beautiful and sensual and shocking and, ultimately, utterly transcendent ... crackles with the whip-smart propulsion of a thriller, while immersing its reader in the rich inner turmoils of its characters * Image *Fascinating, with ... the ferocious grip of a rollercoaster thriller ... this book is beautifully written ... generous with elegantly turned phrases ... Skilfully crafted, thoughtful, poetic, well-judged ... [a] flawless pearl * Irish Independent *
£14.39
Penguin Books Ltd Funny Girl
Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER SOON TO BE A TV SERIES STARRING GEMMA ARTERTON AND RUPERT EVERETT''Simply unputdownable'' Guardian''Hilarious'' Daily Telegraph''Highly entertaining'' Sunday Times _________________Make them laugh, and they''re yours forever . . .Barbara Parker is Miss Blackpool of 1964, but she doesn''t want to be a beauty queen. She wants to make people laugh.So she leaves her hometown behind, takes herself to London, and overnight she becomes the lead in a new BBC comedy, Sophie Straw: charming, gorgeous, destined to win the nation''s hearts.Funny Girl is the story of a smash-hit TV show and the people behind the scenes. But when life starts imitating art, they all face a choice. How long can they keep going before it''s time to change the channel? ______________''Warm, funny, touching . . . winningly perceptive about human relationshiTrade ReviewSo simple, so easy to read and yet so sensitive and profound at the same time. This is a world that feels real and one you don't want to leave * Independent on Sunday *Like all Hornby's best work, it is both hugely enjoyable and deceptively artful * Spectator *Everything Hornby writes is addictively readable and clever, but with Funny Girl he has surpassed himself * Red *Hornby's sunniest novel * Metro *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Great Gatsby
Book SynopsisA beautiful new edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald''s classic novel The Great Gatsby to coincide with the release of Baz Luhrmann''s film.''There was music from my neighbour''s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.''Everybody who is anybody is seen at the glittering parties held in millionaire Jay Gatsby''s mansion in West Egg, east of New York. The riotous throng congregates in his sumptuous garden, coolly debating Gatsby''s origins and mysterious past. None of the frivolous socialites understands him and among various rumours is the conviction that ''he killed a man''. A detached onlooker, Gatsby is oblivious to the speculation he creates, but always seems to be watching and waiting, though no one knows what for.As writer Nick Carraway is drawn into this decadent orbit, Gatsby''s destructive dreams and passions are revealed, leading to disturbing and tragic consequences.''Not only a page turner and heartbreaker, it''s one of the most quintessentially American novels ever written'' TimeF. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St Paul, Minnesota in 1896. He studied at Princeton University before joining the army in 1917. In 1920 he married Zelda Sayre. Their traumatic relationship and subsequent breakdowns became a major influence on his writing. Among his publications were five novels, This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, The Beautiful and the Damned, Tender is the Night and The Last Tycoon (his last and unfinished work); six volumes of short stories and The Crack-Up, a selection of autobiographical pieces. F. Scott Fitzgerald died suddenly in 1940.
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Separation Discover the perfect escapist read
Book SynopsisFROM THE NUMBER 1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE TEA PLANTER''S WIFE The Separation, Dinah Jefferies'' stunning debut novel, is the heartbreaking tale of a family fractured by lies and one mother''s love reaching across the distance of years and continents.A country at war with itself,a family divided and betrayed,a bond that can never be broken...Malaya, 1955. Lydia Cartwright returns from visiting a sick friend to an empty house. The servants are gone. The phone is dead. Where is her husband Alec? Her young daughters, Emma and Fleur? Fearful and desperate, she contacts the British District Officer and learns that Alec has been posted up country. But why didn''t he wait? Why did he leave no message? Lydia''s search takes her on a hazardous journey through war-torn jungle. Forced to turn to Jack Harding, a man she''d vowed to leave in her past, she sacrifices everything to be reunited with her familTrade ReviewAn utterly captivating story of love and loss. Thrilling, gripping and intelligent -- Kate Furnivall * Author of 'The Russian Concubine' and 'The Concubine's Secret' *A tense and steamy 1950s Malaya, beautifully described. I loved it -- Lucinda Riley * Author of 'Hothouse Flower' and 'The Girl on the Cliff' *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Here I Am
Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom the bestselling author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Everything is Illuminated and We are the Weather - a rich and moving novel about modern family lives and the ties that bind''Towering and glorious: a tale of social, familial and marital breakdown and the End of the World. The funniest literary novel I have ever read'' The Times''A rich, beautifully written, ambitious and grandly moving novel, which looks both at the world at large and at the deepest concerns of individual lives'' Evening Standard ''Lays bare the interior of a marriage with such intelligence and deep feeling and pitiless clarity, it''s impossible to read it and not re-examine your own family'' Time''Astonishing. So sad and so funny and so wry'' Scotland on Sunday Jacob and Julia Bloch are about to be tested . . .By Jacob''s grandfather, who won''t go quietly into a retirement home.By the family reunion, that everyone is dreading.By their son''s heroic attempts to get expelled.And by the sexting affair that will rock their marriage.A typical modern American family, the Blochs cling together even as they are torn apart. Which is when catastrophe decides to strike . . . Confronting the enduring question of what it means to be human with inventiveness, playfulness and compassion, Here I Am is a great American family novel for our times, an unmissable read for fans of Jonathan Franzen and Michael Chabon, a masterpiece about how we live now.Trade ReviewPublisher's description. The New York Times bestselling new novel from the author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Wildly exhilarating and profoundly moving, this is the story of a man in crisis, a family imploding, a planet on the brink of disaster. Here I Am is a great American novel for our times, a masterpiece about how we live now. * Penguin *Towering and glorious: a tale of social, familial and marital breakdown . . . and the End of the World. The funniest literary novel I have ever read * The Times *An ambitious platter of intellection and emotion. Its observations are crisp; its intimations of doom resonate; its jokes are funny. Foer's best and most caustic novel, filled with so much pain and regret that your heart sometimes struggles to hold it all. Has more teeming life in it than several hundred well-meaning and well-reviewed books of midlist fiction put together * New York Times *Foer writes like a dream. . . big-hearted, courageous and jaw-droppingly clever -- Deborah MoggachA darkly hilarious mile-a-minute novel * Guardian *Foer has stretched and expanded the possibilities of the novel without losing either intellectual integrity or emotional honesty. Here I Am is not just bold, it is brave... It will be remembered when all the dinner party novels are long forgotten * Scotsman *Highly enjoyable and extremely funny... Foer is an absolute master of his fictional universe * Times Literary Supplement *Emotional depth and dramatic maturity... Unarguably Foer's most substantial and impressive work yet * Herald *Lays bare the interior of a marriage with such intelligence and deep feeling and pitiless clarity, it's impossible to read it and not re-examine your own family. * TIME *A brilliantly acrobatic imagination * Sunday Times *Provocative . . . very, very funny. Dialogue pings, as animated and inventive as an Aaron Sorkin script. * Sunday Times *Terrific, truthful, extremely funny and heartbreaking. * New Statesman *A rich, beautifully written, ambitious and grandly moving novel, which looks both at the world at large and at the deepest concerns of individual lives. * Evening Standard *Astonishing. So sad and so funny and so wry. The book that The Corrections ought to have been * Scotland on Sunday *Brilliant, masterly, always original * New York Times Book Review *
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Expo 58
Book SynopsisExpo 58 by Jonathan Coe - Spies, girls and an Englishman abroad. Trust no one.London, 1958: unassuming civil servant Thomas Foley is plucked from his desk job and sent on a six-month trip to Brussels. His task: to keep an eye on The Britannia, a brand new pub which will form the heart of the British presence at Expo 58 - the biggest World''s Fair of the century.As soon as he arrives, Thomas is equally bewitched by the surreal, gigantic Atomium, which stands at the heart of this brave new world, and by Anneke, a lovely Flemish hostess. But Thomas''s new-found sense of freedom comes at a price: two British spies are following him.For fans of Jonathan Coe''s classic comic bestsellers What a Carve Up! and The Rotters'' Club, this hilarious new novel, which is set in the Mad Men period of the mid 50s, will also be loved by readers of Nick Hornby, William Boyd and Ian McEwan.''Clever and funny, enthralling and moving. Wonderful!'' <
£999.99
Penguin Books Ltd Number 11
Book SynopsisThis is a novel about the hundreds of tiny connections between the public and private worlds and how they affect us all.It''s about the legacy of war and the end of innocence.It''s about how comedy and politics are battling it out and comedy might have won.It''s about how 140 characters can make fools of us all.It''s about living in a city where bankers need cinemas in their basements and others need food banks down the street.It is Jonathan Coe doing what he does best - showing us how we live now.''Coe is among the handful of novelists who can tell us something about the temper of our times'' ObserverWritten with his signature wit, Jonathan Coe''s unmissable new novel, The Proof of My Innocence, is available to order now!Trade ReviewCoe is back doing what he does best. Number 11 is a baroquely plotted, densely allusive, heart-on-his-sleeve, state-of-the-nation satire, an angry and exuberant book....Coe is not just back, but back on top form * Sunday Times *You can't stop reading....I was haunted for days * The Independent *Coe's prose is always a delight...hugely enjoyable * Daily Mail *Jonathan Coe has established himself as one of the most entertaining chroniclers of our times. . . He has an enviable lightness of touch and is brilliant at portraying the lunacy of our time, when bankers need iceberg houses and their neighbours need food banks. He is often satirical, always compassionate. * Tatler *He brings us the usual high quotient of jokes, emotional engagement with the characters and commitment to old-school storytelling, complete with narrative twists and thrilling set pieces * The Daily Telegraph *An incredibly Dickensian novel...it articulates all kinds of themes that will make the reader feel very angry...I enjoyed it hugely and read it pretty much in a single sitting. Whenever there was an interruption I felt really angry and you can't really ask more from a novel than that...Really satisfying -- Tom Holland, BBC Radio 4Jonathan Coe rips into modern celebrity culture and the decadent lives of the super-rich in hs latest satire * Good Housekeeping *A restlessness would overtake me when I was separated from the book -- Kit Davis, BBC Radio 4No modern novelist is better at charting the precariousness of middle-class life * The Observer *Coe creeps up stealthily, delivering a book bursting with narrative coups and delicious ironies. Presenting a picture of an ailing country close to collapse, despite the apparent health suggested by its millionaires' mansions and its confidently callous politicians, the book scares rather than laughs us into calling for reform * Literary Review *Coe intriguingly depicts the social grievances of modern Britain * Metro *My first Jonathan Coe book but it won't be the last...gloriously insane...It takes you into another space and time....Very beautiful -- Kerry Shale, BBC Radio 4It's dispiriting that, for a country that prides itself on its sense of humour, Coe has not been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.....Read Number 11 to see what an odd country Britain has become * T2 *[Coe] has a fine ear for dialogue and mastery of comic plot: this is first-class entertainment * Evening Standard *The country needs Number 11....[Coe's] take-down of modern Britain proves he's still the UK's premiere national lampoon * Stylist *Number 11 is undoubtedly a political novel. It is also an interrogation of the purposes and efficacy of humour in exposing society's ills * Guardian *A richly enjoyable, densely textured and thought-provoking entertainment, Number 11 might not feature in many Kensington mansions, Swiss bolt-holes or private jets this winter. But perhaps it should' * Financial Times *What Victorians called "a condition of England" novel...This sequel is a very good book indeed - let's hope that Coe goes for a trilogy * The Times *Richly textured * Esquire *Undoubtedly a political novel. It is also an interrogation of the purposes and efficacy of humour in exposing society's ills * Guardian *[A] state-of-the-nation address * Independent on Sunday *Jonathan Coe has taken aim at the absurdity of modern life * Sport *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Accidental Woman
Book SynopsisThe Accidental Woman is a wickedly funny novel from bestseller Jonathan CoeFor Maria, nothing is certain. Her life is a chain of accidents. Untouched by friendship, unimpressed by devoted Ronny and his endless marriage proposals, she lives in a world of her own, but not of her own making. Even as she stumbled on through university, work, marriage and motherhood, Maria finds it hard to see what all the fuss is about.Will our heroine ever be able to control the direction of her life, or will it end, as it began, by accident? What does chance next have in store for her?From the author of the award-winning The Rotters'' Club and What a Carve Up!, The Accidental Woman will be enjoyed by readers of Nick Hornby and William Boyd and centres on a quirky and highly individual woman who is still struggling to find her place in life. ''The Accidental Woman has a cocky individual voice of its own. . . here''s precocious, rebellious talent''
£999.99
Penguin Books Ltd Coe J Rain Before it Falls
Book SynopsisThe Rain Before it Falls - Jonathan Coe''s heartbreaking novel of family secretsDeeply moving and compelling, The Rain Before it Falls is the story of three generations of one family riven by tragedy. When Rosamund, a reluctant bearer of family secrets, dies suddenly, a mystery is left for her niece Gill to unravel. Some photograph albums and tapes point towards a blind girl named Imogen whom no one has seen in twenty years. The search for Imogen and the truth of her inheritance becomes a shocking story of mothers and daughters and of how sadness, like a musical refrain, may haunt us down the years.''Spectacular, heartbreaking, beautifully written. Rosamund''s story is one of the most extraordinary and compelling you will ever read. Impossible to put down, I loved every minute of it'' Sunday Express''A sad, often very moving story of mothers and daughters'' Guardian''Entirely compelling...the plot will keep you rapt...reminiscent of Ian McEwan at his most effective'' New Statesman Jonathan Coe''s novels are filled with moving, astute observations of life and love, and are written with a revealing honesty that has captivated a generation of readers. His other titles, The Accidental Woman, The Rotters'' Club (winner of the Everyman Wodehouse prize), The Closed Circle, The Dwarves of Death, The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim, The House of Sleep (winner of the 1998 Prix Médicis Étranger), A Touch of Love, What a Carve Up! (winner of the 1995 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize), Middle England (Costa Novel Award), Mr Wilder and Me and Bournville are all available in Penguin paperback. Written with his signature wit, Jonathan Coe''s unmissable new novel, The Proof of My Innocence, is available to order now!Trade ReviewSpectacular, heartbreaking, beautifully written. Rosamund's story is one of the most extraordinary and compelling you will ever read. Impossible to put down, I loved every minute of it * Sunday Express *Entirely compelling . . . the plot will keep you rapt . . . reminiscent of Ian McEwan at his most effective * New Statesman *A sad, often very moving story of mothers and daughters * Guardian *A hauntingly melancholy tale of love and loss...a moving exploration of the inheritance of unhappiness, and the devestating consequences it can have for future generations * Daily Mail *Potent and melancholy, like a short, sad song * Guardian *A male writer who can enter such traditionally female territory and aquit himself with such aplomb * Sunday Telegraph *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Man at the Helm
Book SynopsisThe very start of Lizzie Vogel''s story. From the much-loved author of Love, Nina, discover a wildly comic, brilliantly sharp-eyed novel about one family''s fall from grace.''All hail a book that''s funny!'' Barbara Trapido***** Meet Lizzie Vogel, 9. Lizzie is concerned about her newly divorced mother; thirty-one years old and trapped in a hostile village in the English countryside with only three young children and a Labrador for company. It isn''t that having a husband is good, but in 1970s rural Leicestershire, not having one is bad. The women in the village think Lizzie''s mother is after their husbands - and no one will let the children into the Brownies!Worried about their mother''s drinking, her (bad) playwriting and social workers sending them off to the infamous Crescent Home for Children, Lizzie and her sister embark on a misguided campaign to find their mother a new husband.LIZZIETrade ReviewI can't remember a book that made me laugh more . . . Man at the Helm is a winner - it even trumps Love, Nina * Observer *A wicked anatomising of a dysfunctional family . . . Buoyantly comic: farcical yet tender, rude with a forgiving sweetness * Spectator *Read it and be charmed. Just the right mixture of childhood innocence and incredulity for the necessary deadpan delivery of Stibbe's particular brand of comedy * Independent *All hail a book that's funny! -- Barbara Trapido[A] joyous read, full of wit and charm . . . I am already longing for Nina Stibbe's next book * Express *A beguilingly comic blend of naivety and precociousness * Sunday Times *Within a few pages I was completely caught up in the lives of Lizzie and her family . . . I couldn't have loved it more -- Lisa JewellFantastic. Comical, moving and brilliantly evocative of British childhood * Glamour *This book is very, very funny. Stibbe has a fine eye for absurdity, and her writing has an unforced charm. [And] there is real darkness here, which makes the humour shimmer all the more * Independent on Sunday *Lizzie's voice is convincingly childlike but also confidently witty . . . What is most moving here - and what makes the book most similar to Love, Nina - is its celebration of the happiness possible within the family. Stibbe's feat is to remain unsentimentally barbed while subtly and triumphantly demonstrating the value of the kind of understated love found within the strangest and least obviously functional families * Telegraph *Fans of Love, Nina will not be disappointed. Amusing, the writing is never less than accomplished * Daily Mail *This densely populated coming-of-age story (for both mother and children) has retained and even expanded on Stibbe's signature antic charm ... The appeal of Stibbe's novel lies less in plotting than in the way she shades a sequence of comic vignettes with seriously sad undertones. It's not too much of a stretch to conclude that Man at the Helm, with its jauntily matter-of-fact social satire, wouldn't be out of place on the same shelf as Cold Comfort Farm and I Capture the Castle * New York Times *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Cant and Wont
Book SynopsisCan''t and Won''t is the new collection from Lydia Davis, one of the greatest short story writers alive.WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2013Lydia Davis has been universally acclaimed for the wit, insight and genre-defying formal inventiveness of her sparkling stories.With titles like ''A Story of Stolen Salamis'', ''Letters to a Frozen Pea Manufacturer'', ''A Small Story About a Small Box of Chocolates'', and ''Can''t and Won''t'', the stories in this new collection illuminate particular moments in ordinary lives and find in them the humorous, the ironic and the surprising.Above all the stories revel in and grapple with the joys and constraints of language - achieving always the extraordinary, unmatched precision which makes Lydia Davis one of the greatest contemporary writers on the international stage.Praise for Lydia Davis: ''What stories. Precise and piercing, extremely funny. Nearly all are unlTrade ReviewThe most revolutionary collection of stories by an American in twenty-five years -- John Freeman * Boston Globe *Profound, beautiful, moving. You will go back to a little gem that has wormed its way into your mind and stuck there, and discover that it is indeed a little gem, which sparkles a different way each time and flashes with a brief beauty or hidden meaning -- Susan Hill * Spectator *Davis hints insistently at how abundant nothingness can be when we bother to look at it -- Joshua Cohen * Times Literary Supplement *Among my most favourite writers. Read her now! -- A. M. HomesCan't and Won't shows Davis using precise language to articulate the kind of ideas and impressions which are usually left to float around the subconscious -- Max Liu * Independent *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Man in the High Castle
Book SynopsisPhilip K. Dick was born in Chicago in 1928, but lived most of his life in California, briefly attending the University of California at Berkeley in 1947. Among the most prolific and eccentric of science fiction writers, Dick's many novels and stories all blend a sharp and quirky imagination with a strong sense of the surreal. By the time of his death in 1982 he had written 36 science fiction novels and 112 short stories. Notable titles amongst the novels include The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968, later used as the basis for the film Blade Runner), Ubik (1969) and A Scanner Darkly (1977). The Man in the High Castle, perhaps his most painstakingly constructed and chilling novel, won a Hugo Award in 1963.Trade ReviewThe most brilliant sci-fi mind on any planet * Rolling Stone *California's own William Blake. Visionary and prophet. Novelist of ideas * Daily Telegraph *
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