Contemporary fiction titles are those which focus on the present or near past. Stories rooted in the current cultural, social, and political landscape which feature characters we can all recognise.
Contemporary Fiction Books
Headline Publishing Group The Sixpenny Orphan
Book SynopsisReal sagas with female characters right at the heart' Woman's Hour 'In the world of historical saga writers, there's a brand new voice' My Weekly 'Heart-warming, emotional and simply wonderful . . . If you think family sagas aren't for you, you've never read Glenda Young's books - pick one up today and you'll be converted' 5 * reader review If you love Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin, you'll LOVE Glenda Young's 'amazing novels!' (ITV's This Morning presenter Sharon Marshall) .................................................. 'Please, sir, take us both. We only have each other. We don't know how to live apart.' After the death of their parents, sisters Poppy and Rose are taken in by widow Nellie Harper. But whilst they have a roof over their heads, the young orphans are unloved, unwanted, and always hungry, with only one pair of boots between them.Trade ReviewIn the world of historical saga writers, there's a brand new voice * My Weekly *I really enjoyed Glenda's novel. It's well researched and well written and I found myself caring about her characters -- Rosie GoodwinWill resonate with saga readers everywhere...a wonderful, uplifting story -- Nancy RevellAll the ingredients for a perfect saga and I loved Meg; she's such a strong and believable character. A fantastic debut -- Emma HornbyGlenda has an exceptionally keen eye for domestic detail which brings this local community to vivid, colourful life and Meg is a likeable, loving heroine for whom the reader roots from start to finish -- Jenny HolmesI found it difficult to believe that this was a debut novel, as "brilliant" was the word in my mind when I reached the end. I enjoyed it enormously, being totally absorbed from the first page. I found it extremely well written, and having always loved sagas, one of the best I've read -- Margaret Kaine
£7.59
Headline Publishing Group Love for Beginners
Book Synopsis''Perfect, feel-good fiction'' Sarah Morgan''This book is so warm and enveloping like a great big literary hug'' 5* reader review''Blends the author''s trademark offbeat humour with an emotional depth that had me alternately laughing and crying as I read'' 5* reader review''Jill Shalvis has an amazing mind, her books bring her readers to a different level. They are heartwarming, unpredictable and lovable'' reader reviewIf you love Holly Martin, Jill Mansell and Debbie Macomber, you''ll LOVE Jill Shalvis and her irresistible trademark gift for humour, warmth and romance!Jill''s books are guaranteed to make you smile:''You can''t go wrong with a Jill Shalvis book'' 5* reader review''A heartwarming read with all the feels'' 5* reader review''Another winner... I cannot wait for more'' 5* reader review
£10.44
Headline Publishing Group Something Wild Wonderful
Book Synopsis''Brimming with tenderness, hope, humor, and healing, this romance is truly something wild and wonderful'' Ashley Herring Blake''A tender, achingly beautiful journey of love and healing'' Chloe Liese''Kelly never fails to bring the perfect combination of humor, swoons, and grounded emotion'' Timothy Janovsky''I can''t get enough of Anita Kelly''s writing'' Ava WilderFrom the author of Love & Other Disasters, named a ''must-read'' by USA Today, PopSugar, SheReads, and Harper Bazaar, comes a sparkling grumpy-meets-sunshine rom-com featuring two men''s sweeping journey across the Northwestern wilderness..............................This trail could take them anywhere . . . Alexei Lebedev''s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail begins with saving a hot stranger from a snake. Alexei was prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he wasn''t prepared for was outgoing and cha
£9.49
Headline Publishing Group Hate at First Sight The UNMISSABLE
Book SynopsisTHEY SAY IT''S A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND . . . HATE AT FIRST SIGHT.Kate hates feeling out of control. Her incessant need to overprepare has always served her well. Yet nothing could have prepared her for today. Not only is she being evicted from her flat . . . by her best friend, but now her boss has announced cost-cutting measures that will put her job in jeopardy. She may not love the company she works for, but she''s worked too hard for too long to just give up. So she''s ready to prove herself.The catch? If she wants to save her job, she''ll have to work with creative, happy-go-luckyHarry. The one man she''s spent the last five years trying to forget.But what happens when that line you''ve drawn starts to blur?This witty, dizzying, snort-with-laughter enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy is an instantly unputdownable and unmissable treat that will have you falling head over heels in lo
£10.44
Headline Publishing Group Rebellion Eagles of Empire 22
Book Synopsis''Roman discipline clashes with ferocious hordes in Scarrow''s epic mix of sword, sweat and savagery'' THE SUN1st-century Britannia is the setting for an epic and action-packed novel of tribal uprisings, battles to the death and unmatched courage in the Roman army ranks. From Simon Scarrow, author of the bestsellers The Honour of Rome, Centurion and The Gladiator, comes the 22nd Eagles of the Empire novel.AD 60. Britannia is in turmoil. The rebel leader Boudica has tasted victory, against a force of tough veterans in Camulodunum.Alerted to the rapidly spreading uprising, Governor Suetonius leads his army towards endangered Londinium with a mounted escort, led by Prefect Cato. Soon it''s terrifyingly clear that Britannia is slipping into chaos and panic, with ever more tribal warriors swelling Boudica''s ranks. And Cato and Suetonius are grimly aware that little preparation has be
£18.70
Headline Publishing Group Promise Me
Book SynopsisTHE NO. 1 EBOOK BESTSELLERA witty, heartwarming story of love, life and second chances set in the idyllic Cotswolds, from the glorious Jill Mansell.''I completely adored it . . . Brimming with warmth, heart and jolly good fun'' Cathy Bramley''An absolute joy from start to finish'' Veronica Henry''Jill knocks it right out of the park with this fabulous story of love and friendship'' Milly JohnsonOne minute Lou is happily employed, with a perfect flat. The next, her home and job have gone. Suddenly she has to start over.The last thing Lou wants is to move to a tiny Cotswolds village. She certainly doesn''t intend to work for curmudgeonly eighty-year-old Edgar Allsopp. But Edgar is about to make her the kind of promise nobody could ignore. In return, she secretly vows to help him fall in love with life again.Foxwell is also home to Remy, whose charm and charisma are proving hard toTrade ReviewI completely adored it. Jill's characters leap off the page from the get go and you can't help liking even the less pleasant ones. Lovely Edgar and Captain Oates. The story was, as Jill's always are, brimming with warmth, heart and jolly good fun * Cathy Bramley *Rich with wonderful characters, overflowing with heart-warming romance, this is Jill at her very best * Milly Johnson *The absolute definition of "reading for pleasure", it will bring hours of happiness * Veronica Henry *Wonderful characters and full of wit and wisdom. I loved this book! * Katie Fforde *This heartwarming new read from the queen of the feelgood romcom is the perfect thing to curl up with on a wet afternoon * Good Housekeeping *This charming story proves just why Jill Mansell is often hailed as the 'queen of feelgood fiction . . . You'll struggle to leave this enchanting little village in the Cotswolds * Woman's Weekly *With an irresistible setting, this delivers all the feels - and then some * Heat *Gorgeously drawn characters . . . a perfectly witty, wise and uplifting read * Platinum *A real ray of sunshine and - exactly what's needed right now - Jill's books should be on prescription! * Phillipa Ashley *Joyous, uplifting and funny. Just the escape I need. Totally life affirming! Jill at her best! * Jo Thomas *Promise Me is an absolute treat, packed with Jill Mansell's trademark wonderful characters. Her storytelling drew me in from page 1 and held me to the very end * Sue Moorcroft *With this emotional, heartwarming and romantic read, Jill Mansell again proves she deserves her crown as queen of feelgood fiction * Daily Record *
£9.49
Headline Publishing Group You Must Be Sisters
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1978, this is Deborah Moggach''s first novel, newly republished by Tinder Press__________________''Moggach is at the height of her powers'' Sunday Times''She really is the Nora Ephron of North London'' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures''She writes unflinchingly about family life, divorce, children, and the ups and downs of relationships'' Independent''She writes beautifully'' Sunday Telegraph__________________Three sisters, Claire - a model daughter, a teacher, straightforward, happy yet wanting love. Laura, the wild one, a student, a beauty, yearning to break the bounds of family life. And Holly, their little sister, the one they don''t really know, but who watches everything.Leaving home, seduction, coming of age and growing up abound in this delicious novel of sibling rivalry, partnership and love.Trade ReviewA delightful story of young love * Times *Sensitive and humorous * Daily Express *The happiest, saddest, funniest, most perceptive truth about growing up since The Catcher in the Rye * Over 21 *
£10.44
Headline Publishing Group Becoming Ted
Book Synopsis''Full of warmth, humour and courage and I absolutely loved it!'' RUTH HOGANA charming, joyful and surprising story about love, friendship and learning to be true to yourself, Becoming Ted will steal your heart.Ted Ainsworth has always worked at his family''s ice-cream business in the quiet Lancashire town of St Luke''s-on-Sea.But the truth is, he''s never wanted to work for the family firm - he doesn''t even like ice-cream, though he''s never told his parents that.When Ted''s husband suddenly leaves him, the bottom falls out of his world. However, what if from is heartbreak could come an opportunity for Ted to build something new? And to finally put what he wants first.Because Ted has always had another dream. A secret dream. Since childhood he has always wanted to be a Drag Queen.As he starts on his path of self-discovery, he will soon be faced with a choice. Will he take on the responsibilities that others have Trade ReviewBecoming Ted is the story of an ordinary man's journey to fulfil his extraordinary dream. It's full of warmth, humour and courage and I absolutely loved it! Loud, proud and ruddy marvellous! -- Ruth HoganA joyful read; tender, full of courage and irresistibly good-hearted. Lovers of Albert Entwistle have a real treat in store; as do those who haven't met him yet -- Rachel JoyceThis novel is just a bucket of joy. It will make you laugh, might make you teary and may feel like a warm hug . . . this is for anyone that has wanted to follow a long-held dream or has gone through heartbreak * Glamour *Utterly joyful - you will smile your way through this * Sun *With beautifully crafted characters, and a thoughtful, layered plot that explores love, friendship, identity and discovering the things you have to leave behind in order to move on, Becoming Ted reminds us that every dream is worth following -- Julietta HendersonThe most joyful, heart-warming, and beautiful book ever. From heartbreak to following a dream, everyone will relate to Ted. I know it's a good book when I put down my wine to keep reading! -- La VoixMatt Cain writes with energy and compassion about friendship, love and acceptance. This is a life-affirming story about one man's journey to be true to himself -- Fanny BlakeFull of the warm, beautifully drawn characters I've come to expect from Matt's writing . . . so moving and so much fun. This is a book that's going to mean so much to so many people -- Laura KayA witty, heartwarming triumph, about the biggest challenge of all - living for yourself, not just for others, and doing it with gusto! -- Justin Myers, The GuylinerHis journey of self-discovery is a joy to follow . . . a pure comfort read full of friendship, humanity and heart * CultureFly *I ADORED this book, it's so uplifting, original and funny * Daily Mail *Funny, warm, uplifting . . . fabulous! -- Kate EberlenBrave, bold and beautiful . . . the literary equivalent of a big disco banger, like 'I Will Survive'. If you're down, or broken hearted, Ted's story will empower you to dust off your dancing shoes and get back on that dance floor -- Neil AlexanderI loved Becoming Ted . . . as joyful as everyone says, but also really authentic and moving -- Jo CallaghanA glittering, joyful novel about friendship, courage and beautiful new beginnings * Woman's Own *Witty, wonderful and wise . . . everyone needs this book in their lives! -- Alexandra PotterA big warm hug of a novel * Heat *The uplifting book we all need to read right now * Bella *A charming, joyful story -- Adele ParksPositivity seeps from every page * The Times *I felt total empathy for Ted and I couldn't stop reading the book . . . uplifting * Yours *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Mile High With a Vampire
Book SynopsisIn the latest Argeneau novel from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands, an immortal and her mortal pilot are on the run from hungry vampires...and discover they're life mates along the way.
£8.99
Orion Publishing Co Okay Then Thats Great
Book SynopsisFor several months Marnie, a middle-aged poet and mother, has experienced sightings of her long-dead identical twin sister, Perdita, across London. As a consequence, and due to her crippling writer''s block, she has sought the help of octogenarian Harley Street shrink, Schlap, to work through her problems. Not least her repeated dreams of being a man.Schlap has problems of his own though, having recently suffered a silent stroke which has affected his memory. Or is he more aware of reality than Marnie herself?Marnie''s long-suffering partner and their three teenage kids are not helping matters, either. Neither is Marnie''s bohemian Alpha-course attending mum, her diabetic chef dad, nor the inquisitive family dog. Perhaps Marnie''s encounter and blossoming friendship with a woman who she thinks is the living embodiment of long-dead author Katherine Mansfield will provide the key to unlock her mind.Will Marnie''s writing be liberated from its prison? Is she losing her Trade ReviewThe quirky gem ... Witty and weird with shades of Where'd You Go Bernadette * GRAZIA Summer Reads *A brilliant, touching read ... wildly funny * Woman's Own *A runaway train of a novel, taking the reader on a grand tragi-comic ride * Rose Tremain *Absolutely raced through it. Funny, emotional, sad, and so, so honest. It's about love, family, grief, longing, and the crazy turmoil of living with all of them. Highly recommended * Bethany Clift, author of Last One at the Party *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Daughter of Redwinter
Book Synopsis ''A real page-turner, one that kept me guessing, and pulling the rug out from under me'' Novel Notions''A glorious reconfiguration of classic fantasy'' David Wragg, author of The Blackhawks Raine is seventeen-years-old and still on the run. She can see the dead, a secret that could get her killed. Seeking refuge with a deluded cult is her latest bad decision but rescuing an injured woman in the snow is soon revealed to be a horrific mistake. Hazia endangers not just Raine, but the whole world: she''s escaped from Redwinter, fortress-monastery of the Draoihn, the warrior magicians who answer to no king or queen of the land, but to their own Grand Master. They will stop at nothing to retrieve what she''s stolen.Raine must survive by her wits, and her skill with a bow in a world turned upside down. A battle, a betrayal and a horrific revelation finds her herself inside Redwinter, where anyone caught communing with ghosts is put to deTrade ReviewUncommonly vivid and vigorous . . . a superior start to a promising new saga * Publishers Weekly *Daughter of Redwinter has it all: enigmatic characters, shady politics, secret cults, ancient evils, and a young woman grappling with her own shattered identity while navigating a world in which no one is quite what they seem * Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld *Oozes with menace and enthralls with beautifully imperfect characters and its own rich, dark mythology * Grimdark Magazine *The work of an author bursting with confidence, weaving a tale full of magic, mystery and intrigue * Mike Shackle, author of We Are the Dead *Sad, exciting, mysterious and beautifully plotted, with characters who have taken up residence in my head * Catriona Ward, Sunday Times bestselling author of Sundial *A spellbinding piece of fantasy; a unique world with morally grey characters abound, a fascinating magic system, buried history that oozes to the surface, and a young female protagonist you won't soon forget. Highly recommend * FanFiAddict *A fascinating magic system, thoughtful prose, and a truly compelling main character . . . for fans of complicated yet lovable protagonists, twisty, intriguing plots, and fantasy that flirts with the edge of horror * M.J. Kuhn, author of Among Thieves *Raine is my new favourite hero * Roz Kaveny *A glorious reconfiguration of classic fantasy with a fresh, fascinating protagonist . . . a cracking read, full of heart, humour and lyrical prose in a world full of secret histories with the promise of so much more to come * David Wragg, author of The Blackhawks *McDonald's medieval fantasy world feels lived-in, with a robust history, an intricate magic system, and a host of fascinating characters, but Raine herself-vulnerable but fierce, direct, and almost ruthlessly practical-is the heart of this memorable story. * Booklist *Mysterious, honest, and exciting from start to finish, Daughter of Redwinter has the goods. . . . A real page-turner, one that kept me guessing, and pulling the rug out from under me * Novel Notions *A thought-provoking story about a girl caught up in the whirlwind of ancient magic and the threat of war, and how even the smallest choices can affect our lives, perfect for fans of Patrick Rothfuss and the Robert Jordan * The Nerd Daily *The twists and turns are fast-paced and shocking; the conclusion of this installation is satisfying . . . you'll love the unique magic system and incredible cast of characters * Geek Girl Authority *If you like fantasy stories that take you to wondrous places that are also brimming with ghostly beings, this is your book. If you like fantasy stories with characters who are immensely compelling and not perfect, this is your book. If you like fantasy stories that ooze with danger and peril around every corner, this is your book. And finally, if you like fantasy stories that are so expertly written that you can see and feel the action playing out in your head so vividly that you believe it's all totally real, then THIS IS YOUR BOOK! * Out of This World SFF *I'm still thinking about a lot of it days after finishing it . . . an excellent start to a new fantasy series * Biblio Nerd Reflections *This is an incredible fantasy that subverts the reader's expectations every chance it gets, and I can't recommend it strongly enough * Every Book a Doorway *This book builds along solidly, painting in a complex backdrop of culture, magic and characters . . . the final six chapters are a rocket ride, so don't start reading those if you have to get up early the next day * Robin Hobb, bestselling author of the The Realm of the Elderlings series *Daughter of Redwinter is so good . . . I was hooked from the opening line * James Barclay, author of the Queen's Assassin *McDonald's medieval fantasy world feels lived-in, with a robust history, an intricate magic system, and a host of fascinating characters, but Raine herself-vulnerable but fierce, direct, and almost ruthlessly practical-is the heart of this memorable story. * Booklist *
£10.44
Hodder & Stoughton The Gift
Book Synopsis***More information coming soon*** In the meantime, there's an Alan Titchmarsh novel for every mood! If you're looking for . . . An enthralling wartime mystery, head over to THE SCARLET NIGHTINGALE 'A perfect love story' (Katie Fforde), search for THE HAUNTING An uplifting, enchanting novel about second chances, dive into MR GANDY'S GRAND TOUR An absorbing family saga, head over to the page for FOLLY An escapist family mystery, read BRING ME HOME Praise for Alan Titchmarsh: 'The story brims with intrigue' - Daily Express on THE HAUNTING 'A pleasurable read which fans will lap up' - Daily Mail on MR GANDY'S GRAND TOUR 'It's just brilliant - full of poetry' - Jilly CooperTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR ALAN TITCHMARSHIt's just brilliant - full of poetry * Jilly Cooper *A perfect love story * Katie Fforde on THE HAUNTING *A pleasurable read which fans will lap up * Daily Mail *The story brims with intrigue * Daily Express on THE HAUNTING *
£8.54
John Murray Press Our Friends in Beijing
Book SynopsisDECADES OF FRONTLINE EXPERIENCE . . . THE NOVEL OF A LIFETIME
£8.54
Orion Publishing Co White Fur
Book SynopsisA gorgeous, gritty, erotic love story - an urban, edgy Romeo and Juliet set in 1980s New York City. Pretty Woman meets A Little LifeTrade ReviewAmazing . . . Wildly, darkly romantic with one of the best endings ever * Daily Mail *White Fur is glorious: dark, dirty, and sexy, lit up with yearning and raw, young love. Libaire's sentences left me breathless. This is a Roman candle of a novel. I absolutely loved it * Amanda Eyre Ward, author of THE NEARNESS OF YOU and THE SAME SKY *Brilliantly written and deeply felt, White Fur is a love story by turns comic and tragic, but always moving -- PHILIPP MEYER, author of THE SON and AMERICAN RUSTEach page crackles with the intensity, fury, lust, and pure insane pleasure of first love. Jardine Libaire has written a chronicle of one couple's wild romance: its highs and lows, its delights and contractions, its beauty and its messiness. A delight to read -- Nathan Hill, author of THE NIXThis sexy American fairytale about a star-crossed coupled solidifies Jardine Libaire's status as poet laureate of late nights and young love -- Ada Calhoun, author of ST MARKS IS DEADA love story of equal parts grit and glamour, I loved White Fur for its honest portrait of the extremes of American society, and the love that can bloom anywhere, always, despite the odds. Jardine Libaire is an extraordinary talent -- Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERSTwo barely-20-somethings from opposite sides of the tracks fall in frantic love amid the lush grit of New York City in the 1980s in Libaire's new novel.... Libaire's New York is...raw and sweaty and intoxicating.... A page-turning whirlwind steeped in pain and hope * Kirkus Reviews *
£8.54
Orion Publishing Co How to be Nowhere
Book SynopsisLife is finally on the right track for reporter and recovering addict Andrew: he is slowly coming to terms with the murder of his photographer boyfriend Carlos, pursuing sobriety and building a new home with a new partner. Andrew has almost forgotten about the story that ruined his life - but that story hasn''t forgotten about him, and a series of deadly threats forces him into helping the very man whose gang murdered his boyfriend and left him homeless.A literary take on the classic chase movie, HOW TO BE NOWHERE is the sequel to Tim MacGabhann''s genre-busting and critically-acclaimed debut CALL HIM MINE, and a blistering thrill-ride deep into the fog of Central America''s murky present and tragic future.Trade ReviewCall Him Mine, was one of last year's best crime novels. This much anticipated sequel sees the past coming back to haunt Andrew * The i *[A] sharp, lyrical take on Central American violence... Gripping. * Irish Times *
£8.54
Orion Publishing Co We Were Young
Book Synopsis''I love this woman''s writing. Golden sentences'' Diana Evans''Witty, fiery, wistful and even shocking, with engrossing heady prose, Campbell''s style is unique'' Irish Independent''An immensely enjoyable novel, and a great validation of Campbell''s uncanny emotional insight'' Megan Nolan, Sunday IndependentCormac is a photographer. Approaching forty and still single, he suddenly finds himself ''the leftover man''.Through talent and charm, he has escaped small town life and a haunted family. But now his peers are all getting divorced, dying, or buying trampolines in the suburbs. Cormac is dating former students, staying out all night and receiving boilerplate rejection emails for his work, propped up by a constellation of the women and ex-lovers in his life.In the last weeks of the year, Cormac meets Caroline, an ambitious young dancer, and embarks on a miniature odyssey of intimacy. SimultaTrade ReviewCampbell writes beautiful sentences with breath-taking imagery -- Mia Letvin * Irish Times *She appears to digest the world in layers, receiving not only what is there, but what once was, and whatever memory or thought it sparks anew -- Niamh Donnelly * Irish Times *Though its short, and deceptively simple, we are treated to a portrait of an entire life . . . Beguiling . . . with astounding intimacy . . . Effortless . . . There is joy and playfulness here, and the novel is also laugh-out-loud funny in places . . . We become intimate with Cormac's circle because they feel so real . . . A breathtakingly accomplished novel that really gets at the soul of a person -- Emer O'Hanlon * Irish Independent *There is so much to love in this deeply intelligent, insightful book . . . One of the best achievements here is conveying that maddening sense one gets at times on the border of intimacy, unable to break through . . . We Were Young is an immensely enjoyable novel, and a great validation of Campbell's uncanny emotional insight -- Megan Nolan * Sunday Independent *Beguiling and funny . . . such a pleasurable story * Financial Times *What sets We Were Young apart, aside from the calibre of her writing is the point of view. Where most accounts of lopsided relationships with arty age gaps are told, as they are written, by women, this time Campbell has boldly handed the microphone to a man -- Susannah Goldsborough * Daily Telegraph **** *An immensely talented writer * Irish Examiner *Campbell's new novel confirms what an outstanding writer she is . . . What makes the novel so endlessly rich is how patiently and sensitively Campbell evokes a complex depth of feeling and sedimented experience . . . She writes with a deliciously refined sense of irony without ever torpedoing the book's emotional sincerity. Superb -- Anthony Cummins * Daily Mail *A beguiling, remarkable work of art. It renders exquisitely the melancholy of living in an always changing Dublin, and of family sorrow which is always threatening to break through the surface of its silence. It feels like an instant classic of Irish literature -- Megan Nolan, author of ACTS OF DESPERATIONWE WERE YOUNG is a truly exceptional novel, by an exceptional writer -- Adrian Duncan, author of LOVE NOTES FROM A GERMAN BUILDING SITEWE WERE YOUNG captures an Ireland I've never before seen in print, namely the erotic and artistic lives of a generation displaced.It is a stunning book that cracked me open more than once. Campbell's sentences are nothing short of magnificent. -- Sue Rainsford, author of FOLLOW ME TO GROUNDThis is trenchant, lucid writing. Niamh Campbell's novel is somehow both sharp and forgiving, steely and warm.With WE WERE YOUNG, Campbell takes up her place as one of the finest Irish stylists of her generation -- Seán Hewitt, author of TONGUES ON FIRE
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Olympus Texas
Book Synopsis ''The Iliad meets Friday Night Lights in this muscular, captivating debut''Oprah Magazine''A gorgeous debut that conjures one small town and the big emotions of its wealthiest family, the Briscoes, whose saga plays out over six days of pain, rage and love''People, Best of Summer''I read without breathing - OK, maybe I gasped - and I experienced the characters'' grief and regret as if they were my own''New York Times''The novel is based on Greek myths but you don''t need to know your Zeus from your Apollo to enjoy this saga full of deceit and drama''Good Housekeeping''Beautifully written and filled with atmosphere... a hugely accomplished debut''Prima''Secrets, lies and deceptions with Greek myth-like undertones... A literary family saga that spans one week and packs in everything from infidelity to a shooting''High Trade ReviewIn her essay "Notes on Writing a Novel", Elizabeth Bowen declares, "Nothing can happen nowhere." . . . Luckily for Stacey Swann, her appealing debut novel, Olympus, Texas, has plenty of somewhere for its cast of memorable characters to enact their displays of love, lust, rage and resentment . . . Swann's novel is most successful at its violent, surprising turning point. I won't dare to give it away. I read without breathing - OK, maybe I gasped - and I experienced the characters' grief and regret as if they were my own . . . I could have stayed in this particular somewhere for a long while * New York Times *The Iliad meets Friday Night Lights in this muscular, captivating debut * Oprah Daily *A gorgeous debut that conjures one small town and the big emotions of its wealthiest family, the Briscoes, whose saga plays out over six days of pain, rage and love. * People, Best of Summer 2021 *The novel is based on Greek myths but you don't need to know your Zeus from your Apollo to enjoy this saga full of deceit and drama. * Good Housekeeping *Beautifully written and filled with atmosphere... a hugely accomplished debut. * Prima *Secrets, lies and deceptions with Greek myth-like undertones... A literary family saga that spans one week and packs in everything from infidelity to a shooting. * High Life *A boisterous, big-hearted, modern family saga, in which marriages struggle, rivalries flare and secrets explode. There's adultery, betrayal, messy relationships, rage, grace, shocking revelations, addiction, pain and redemption. Perfect for fans of Big Little Lies * Best magazine *A powerful family in a small Texas town is wracked by miseries of its own making... Swann's debut is rich in Texas flavor and full of nods to classical mythology-quotes from Ovid, twins human and canine, and the kind of relentless bad luck that usually means you've offended a deity. A total page-turner. * Kirkus (starred review) *Olympus, Texas is the most wildly entertaining novel I've read in a long time, and Stacey Swann is a writer to watch. * Richard Russo, author of EMPIRE FALLS, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction *In this reimagining of the Greek pantheon along the Brazos river, Stacey Swann reveals the resonating wisdom of the ancients while situating us in a fully realized Texas family. The result is an uncanny twin-myth of modern Texas and ancient Greece that feels familiar and strange, loving and painful-like family itself. Olympus, Texas is an achievement of sustained brilliance, and an audacious opening to Swann's fated journey into the canon of greats. * Smith Henderson, author of FOURTH OF JULY CREEK *The endearing characters of Olympus, Texas gallop through a plot luscious with secrets and scandals. Escape to Olympus for the rollicking fun. Stay for the heartbreakingly lyrical writing and tender message about the enduring gift that is family love. * Sarah Bird, author of DAUGHTER OF A DAUGHTER OF A QUEEN *A remarkable debut. A gripping, big-hearted epic, full of characters you may recognize and will absolutely remember. * Jennifer duBois, author of THE SPECTATORS *A moving and exhilarating debut. With exquisite prose and unerring pace, Swann guides us through the strained-loyalties, love affairs, and violent disasters of a rural Texas town populated by characters as vibrant and compelling as the ancient gods they echo. Swann masterfully crafts both soul-stirring moments of connection and gasp-out-loud action - often on the same page. With the wit of Flannery O'Connor and the emotional scope of Donna Tartt, Swann sings family in all its painful, riveting beauty. I love this novel! * Owen Egerton, author of HOLLOW *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co This Beating Heart
Book Synopsis''Barnett''s well-crafted backlist is big on emotional acuity and this novel is no different, forging from Christina''s grief an insistence that we think more creatively when it comes to happiness, and especially to the shapes that our families might take'' OBSERVERAt forty-three, Christina Lennox thought her future was settled: marriage to Ed, children, a house of their own. But this is not that future: her marriage has ended, fractured by the stress of five rounds of IVF and two miscarriages. Overwhelmed by grief and disappointment, Ed has relocated to San Francisco and Christina''s dream of becoming a mother rests on persuading him to let her go ahead with one final round of IVF, using the last frozen embryo they have stored at the clinic.But when Ed drops a bombshell that threatens to undo everything Christina has strived for, she is forced, once again, to realign her plans: is this the end of her dream, or an opportunity to cTrade ReviewBarnett's well-crafted backlist is big on emotional acuity and this novel is no different, forging from Christina's grief an insistence that we think more creatively when it comes to happiness, and especially to the shapes that our families might take. -- Hephzibah Anderson * THE OBSERVER *A warm, emotional story with brilliant characters. -- Deirdre O'Brien * BEST MAGAZINE *An uplifting tale about new beginnings. -- Maureen Stapleton * HEAT MAGAZINE *I found this beautifully told tale of disappointed motherhood moving, but the best bit for me was the lively South London scene Barnett conjures up. -- Wendy Holden * DAILY MAIL *Barnett writes beautifully about relationships and the possibility of finding a very different happy ever after from the one you were expecting. -- Mernie Gilmore * SUNDAY EXPRESS S MAGAZINE *Laura Barnett weaves an inspiring story about shifting perspective and finding light in the darkness. -- Zoe West * WOMAN'S OWN *A compelling read. * CLOSER *What makes Barnett's novel soappealing is the realistic steps taken by Christina so that she may improve her ownlife - it's not easy but, as Barnett suggests, nothing worth doing ever is. * SUNDAY BUSINESS POST *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Kitchenly 434
Book SynopsisA wistfully charming spin on the classic English Country House novel transposed to the late 70s: comic fiction at its very finest by one of Scotland's most celebrated literary figuresTrade ReviewOne of our finest writers, Warner is an original, a school of fiction all his own. He has never been afraid to take risks with style or subject matter. His themes are as unique and substantial as his methods. You can always trust him for an absorbing story, a beautiful, oddly lyrical style, wonderful, memorable characters and great dialogue. I look forward to every new book from him with high expectations! He never disappoints -- Michael MoorcockAlan Warner is one of our best living writers, six years since his last novel came out and KITCHENLY 434 has the kind of pin-point precision in prose that has an hallucinatory realness to its ways. Stunning.' -- Jenni FaganSet in an electric Eden of an England that briefly allowed guitar heroes to reinvent themselves as aristocrats almost overnight, Kitchenly 434 is as absurd, beguiling, ridiculous, excessive and comical as the pompous rock stars of the 1970s whose planets this unique novel orbits, and the likes of which we may never see again. Few novels about not much have ever been quite so compelling -- Benjamin MyersA delightfully comic tale -- Martin Chilton * INDEPENDENT *A compulsively enjoyable tale centred on the 1970s rock scene...stealthily comic...as well as deeply poignant -- Jude Cook * LITERARY REVIEW *Part farce, part elegy, part tragi-comically belated coming-of-age story, this is a pleasure from beginning to end -- Stephanie Cross * DAILY MAIL *Kitchenly 434 is a biting, relentless and subtle deconstruction of a particularly English sensibility and a particularly masculine delusion. As funny as it is disturbing, this is Warner on top form -- Katie Goh * THE SKINNY *Warner's work has always been intriguing and this, I feel, is his most ambitious and haphazard novel since The Man Who Walks. There is a strange echo of Nabokov, whose novels were similarly unreliable and designed as man-traps of a sort. The voice of Crofton, by turns lyrical, lachrymose and ludicrous, is a peculiar elegy. Flummoxed, yes, but the rose-tinted glasses are both rosy and deceptive in a queasily skilful manner -- Stuart Kelly * THE SCOTSMAN *Sliding from comedy to elegy to a final moment of redemption, this is a lovely, idiosyncratic book, canny and generous and full of life -- Phil Baker * THE SUNDAY TIMES *A gleeful satire about owning and being owned - by places, people, ideas and economic systems . . . a gristly, enjoyably intractable book . . . If you want to know anything, indeed everything, about the general history of the music, Kitchenly 434 is your manual -- M John Harrison * GUARDIAN *A novel in which This is Spinal Tap crashes into The Remains of the Day . . . it's a triumph and a treat * Arts Desk *A beautifully observed, witty account of arrested development that sticks with you -- Jamie Atkins * RECORD COLLECTOR *This very funny, occasionally disturbing, unpredictable novel is as densely layered as any prog-rock organ solo -- Neil Armstrong * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Impressively artful... the novel Kitchenly 434 most brings to mind is Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day - albeit in stranger and ruder form... in best Remains of the Day style, the piercing character study at the book's heart is accompanied by a melancholy sense of an era ending. With the rise of punk, Fear Taker are no longer an all-conquering force - and with the election of Margaret Thatcher the glory days of Seventies bohemianism seem numbered too. -- James Walton * THE TIMES *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Last Resort
Book SynopsisNamed a Best Book of 2022 by the New YorkerNamed a Top 10 Book of the Year by SlateNamed a Best Book of the Year by VultureA New York Times Editors'' ChoiceShortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction ''Talent is rare, which is why I let out a big yippee reading Andrew Lipstein''s Last Resort... Excellent''THE TIMES''You won''t read a more brilliantly executed literary romp this year''GUARDIAN ''A funny, fast-paced literary satire''DAILY TELEGRAPH''Incredibly entertaining''NEW YORK TIMES, Editor''s Choice''Wicked fun... A deliciously absurd comedy''WASHINGTON POST''If Less by Andrew Sean Greer left a hole in your life, good news: Last Resort will fill it''MEG MASON''Caleb Horowitz is exactly the kind Trade ReviewCowardly, avaricious, annoying, territorial, deceitful, opportunistic: there aren't enough shady adjectives in the dictionary to describe the narrator of Andrew Lipstein's Last Resort. What fun! Last Resort is about a novelist who has stolen the plot of his best-selling book from a story relayed to him by an acquaintance. Now, if you read last year's The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz, you'll notice that this novel has a similar, uh, plot as that one... They are both thrillers about, of all things, intellectual property. Korelitz's book was tighter and darker. Lipstein's is funnier. Both are incredibly entertaining... If Lipstein had written a less cunning book, he might have contrasted Caleb with a character who represented artistic purity, whatever that is. But everyone here sits somewhere on the grifter spectrum, including the real people (Avi, doomed woman, repressed married couple) upon whom Caleb's characters are based... In addition to a blithe streak, Caleb has a cruel streak, a petty streak and an intemperate streak, and Lipstein milks the comedy of these traits almost as well as Kingsley Amis did in Lucky Jim. * New York Times, Editor's Choice *If you've ever wondered where writers get their ideas from, Last Resort is wicked fun. If you're a writer, Last Resort is heartburn in print. Splayed across these pages is the dark terror that lurks within any creative person's breast: the embarrassing facts that might demolish the glorious claims made in the name of literary invention... A deliciously absurd comedy about literary fame. * Ron Charles, WASHINGTON POST *Lipstein gleefully scrutinizes the nature of success in an industry that runs as much on vanity as on financial gain... The book's command of contemporary-hipster details is wincingly precise. * New Yorker *Talent is rare, which is why I let out a big yippee reading Andrew Lipstein's Last Resort, one of a trio of excellent new first novels by men... Lipstein doesn't just blast chunks out of the inflated artifice of New York's literary scene, he turns his fire on the city at large too, or at least its hipster quarters, all "friendly, progressive, organic, recyclable"... There is something in Lipstein's novel that is specific to new male novelists - their conscious sensitivity about writing sex. Lipstein takes this head on. In Last Resort the novel-within-the-novel is slated online for its "male gaze". This is culturally astute (it's an accusation any man runs the risk of when he puts pen to paper, especially post #MeToo) and a smart way for Lipstein to say: I get it. * The Times *You won't read a more brilliantly executed literary romp this year... An unsparing satire of a generation of millennials who fear that their lives lack gravitas and emotional depth * The Guardian *A funny, fast-paced literary satire. * Daily Telegraph *A novel of post-collegiate literary ambition, slippery storytelling, and a perfectly Pninian ending. * Vanity Fair *Last Resort, Andrew Lipstein's almost perfectly plotted debut novel on a topic - creative envy and artistic theft - that tastes like catnip to many readers of literary fiction . . . has one of the best endings in recent memory... You'll think about Last Resort for weeks after you read the last pages. * Los Angeles Times *A brilliant morality tale about what happens when a person refuses to learn from their mistakes, all the way down to the final scene, which had me laughing out loud and punching the air. * Vulture *This is a moral drama about ambition and authorship that's as funny and fast-paced as it is sharp and cutting. * Monocle *A blissfully wicked work of art... A lightning-streak of a novel. * Interview *So horribly delicious that the reader (especially the reader who is also a writer) won't even dream of looking away. * LitHub, Most Anticipated Books of 2022 *If Less by Andrew Sean Greer left a hole in your life, good news: Last Resort will fill it. Fast and funny, it feels like a backstage pass to the book world. * Meg Mason, author of SORROW AND BLISS *I loved Last Resort. It takes so many surprising and brilliant turns: it is fun and witty, and rollicks through the pains and joys of writing and having your name on a book jacket (or not). And Caleb Horowitz is exactly the kind of character I love to hate: self-justifying but reflective, self-centred but loving. * Claire Fuller, Costa Novel Award winner of UNSETTLED GROUND *Last Resort is a rare accomplishment, a novel of ideas - about art, authorship, money, ethics - with the momentum of a great thriller. * Rumaan Alam, author of LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND *Last Resort is one of those novels about writing guaranteed to make every novelist who reads it blush with its unsparing portrayal of greed, obsession and smug superiority. Wickedly funny: I loved it. * Patrick Gale, author of MOTHER'S BOY *A brilliant take on what it means to be an artist in a world of endless compromises. Look out, Faust, there's a new sheriff in town. * Gary Shteyngart, author of SUPER SAD TRUE LOVE STORY and LAKE SUCCESS *If there's nothing new under the sun, can anyone be original without lying? Would truth still be stranger than fiction if people were honest in real life? This fast-paced simulacrum of a commercial novel is not out to please the critics. I finished it in a day. * Nell Zink, author of DOXOLOGY *Last Resort is a strange and beguiling book about the contrivances, connivances and mysteries of creation, with an especially visceral depiction of male anxiety and an absolutely blistering end. A terrific debut. * Joshua Ferris, author of THEN WE CAME TO THE END *Sometimes, a character falls in step with you, invades your thoughts, disrupts your dreams and challenges your choices. You don't so much read Caleb Horowitz's story as be beguiled, bothered and bruised by it. This brilliant book is elegant, messy, sharp, blunt, sad and funny all at once. So good! * Janet Ellis, author of THE BUTCHER'S HOOK *Sharp, witty, and gleeful. A wry, brutal dissection of male authorship and ambition at a time of #metoo. Think Salter, but without his cold gaze, and written with such verve and gusto it will leave you holding your breath. Just when you think it can't get worse, it does. And some. Not a romp, more a riot, as Lipstein lays bare the petty jealousy of his protagonist, Caleb Horowitz, and his relentless pursuit of the right to be "known" and to own what is "his". What Caleb creates, he destroys; all that is good, is trampled, in a message that seems to speak beyond the book to question what it is to be male today. Honestly, I can't wait to read what Lipstein writes next. * Guinevere Glasfurd, Costa First Novel shortlisted author of THE WORDS IN MY HAND *With its seductive, chilled intelligence and frictionless style, Last Resort plunged me summarily into a one-sitting read. I came up for air awed by this sophisticated, high-stakes moral drama. * Hermione Hoby, author of NEON IN DAYLIGHT *A propulsive tale of American literary ambition, this novel exposes the status-hunger that motivates plenty of writing-far more than writers like to admit. A keenly observed and sharp-witted debut that's assured from first page to last." * Tom Rachman, author of THE IMPERFECTIONISTS *Lipstein asks the timely question: does one possess sole title to one's own story? A sharply written, headlong romp. * Lionel Shriver, author of WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN *A darkly comical thriller about writers and publishers, emulation and betrayal, written in an excitingly careful, clear, and original prose style. * Tao Lin, author of LEAVE SOCIETY *Last Resort is witty, profound and blisteringly intelligent. Andrew Lipstein asks major questions about ambition and authenticity and artistic ethics, while keeping me frantically turning the pages to see what happens next. A fantastic, fast-paced and deeply funny novel. * Molly Antopol, author of THE UNAMERICANS *A delightfully nightmarish satirical chronicle of one young author's reckoning with the consequences of his own blind ambition. Caleb's journey had me cringing with pure pleasure. * Antoine Wilson, author of MOUTH TO MOUTH and PANORAMA CITY *Last Resort is a witty, propulsive and often mesmerizing novel, a kind of creative-class thriller, full of wry social observation and subtle emotional textures, and it builds beautifully toward a bracing showdown between knowingness and self-knowledge. With its insular milieu and quality lit namechecks, not to mention its quasi-satirical anxiety of auto-fictional influence, Andrew Lipstein plays a risky game, and he plays it superbly, with feeling. * Sam Lipsyte, author of HARK *Authenticity and possession of stories are the surface themes of Last Resort, but it is really about ambition and emptiness, about a callow young man with nothing to say self-destructively looking for shortcuts in literature and life. But the great irony is that Andrew Lipstein's impeccably written debut has quite a lot to say, and, as with the best comic novels, his semi-hero's misadventures have an undertow of real sadness. * Teddy Wayne *Last Resort raises incisive questions about authorship, the tension between art and commerce, and the elusive nature of self-fulfillment, all while unspooling a compelling story with humor and great suspense. I didn't want it to end. * Julia Pierpont, author of AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND THINGS *A darkly comical thriller about editors and agents, friends and acquaintances, lovers and strangers, written in an excitingly careful, attentive, and original prose style. * Tao Lin, author of LEAVE SOCIETY *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Everyone Is Still Alive
Book SynopsisWHAT HAPPENS AFTER HAPPILY EVER AFTER?''I can''t stop thinking about it'' Elizabeth Day''A total triumph'' Nina Stibbe''Beautiful, moving and so funny and well-observed'' Philippa PerryWhen Juliet moves into her late mother''s house, making friends with the neighbouring families is the last thing on her mind. Grief and guilt are weighing her down, and working motherhood is a juggle. But for her husband Liam, the morning coffees and after-school gatherings soon reveal the secret struggles, fears and rivalries playing out behind closed doors - all of which are perfect inspiration for his new novel . . .When the rupture of a marriage sends ripples through the group, painful home truths are brought to light. And then, one sun-drenched afternoon, life overturns in an instant and nothing on Magnolia Road will ever be the same again.The fiction debut from Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink, EvTrade ReviewA total triumph: compelling, compassionate, insightful, funny and moving * Nina Stibbe *Incredibly tender and astonishingly insightful. I cared so deeply for the characters and read in genuine awe. An utter gem * Marian Keyes *Touching, tender and profound in its warmth and stillness - a novel that explores family, friendship, grief and love in true, tactile detail. Beautiful and very real * Daisy Buchanan *A novel of radical empathy and kindness, written with poignancy, wit and immaculate observation. There is something wholeheartedly decent and human about Rentzenbrink's writing, which has a lingering, gentle power. I can't stop thinking about it * Elizabeth Day *Sharply observed and utterly compelling, Everyone Is Still Alive had me cackling on one page and crying the next; Cathy Rentzenbrink's warmth and wisdom are evident in every line * Paula Hawkins *Unputdownable - brilliant, beautiful, moving and so funny and well-observed. If you want to know what Happily Ever After looks like, read this * Philippa Perry *A soothing, tender story with loveable characters who pull you in from the very first pages. In a world of chaos, reading this novel was a reminder to slow down, zoom in and look around * Emma Gannon *An anti-romantic comedy of Lego and disenchantment, shot through with clear-eyed compassion . . . I devoured it * Patrick Gale *I love this book. Funny, wise and clever and full of honesty and kindness. It's a page-turner that makes you look at yourself and your relationships anew. A unique and generous novel about love, loss and friendship * Kit de Waal, author of My Name Is Leon *A wonderful novel . . . I loved it. Gorgeous and tender, fabulous at capturing time, place and atmosphere. An utter treat * Kate Mosse *Such a beautiful, delicate book * Jenny Colgan *Everyone Is Still Alive is a novel filled with quiet compassion about quotidian lives. Cathy writes with incredible insight about marriage, friendship and parenthood, in a book replete with hope. I absolutely loved it * Hannah Beckerman *Very funny but also sharp and poignant . . . I thoroughly enjoyed it * Adele Geras *A beautifully written and exquisitely rendered novel about family and the anxiety of the modern world. Like life, it's both heartbreakingly sad and terribly funny. I devoured it * Wyl Menmuir, author of The Many *Readers will know Rentzenbrink from her moving memoirs The Last Act of Love and A Manual For Heartache. This is her first novel and it sounds equally poignant, warm and wise * Good Housekeeping, Books We're Most Looking Forward To in 2021 *Kind and real, funny and touching. I raced through it * Bookbrunch *Every generation needs its own novels examining how marriage, children, dreams and ambitions can coexist. This one does it beautifully, with warmth, truth, humour and love -- Louisa Young...the characters are sharply drawn and the author has a knack for wry phrases... if you like Motherland, you'll love this funny, tender book. * The Sunday Times *One of the most honest, poignant and well-observed books about family life we've ever read... full of wisdom, you'll be clutching your heart for a long time. * Woman & Home, Book of the Month *One of the most honest, poignant and well-observed books about family life. Rentzenbrink takes you by the hand and reassures you, you're not alone . . . Full of wisdom * Woman *An eloquent, moving, warm and witty exploration of modern life, with the focus on friendship and family it's just gorgeous * Lovereading *We recognise that this is a book about going to new places and the fear of new people, but also about the comfort of community, the way that even a place like Magnolia Road can be a source of the kind of friendship and support that gets you through even the darkest times * Observer *A compassionate and insightful look at relationships and friendships in a wonderfully well-observed novel that is tender, sharp and, at times, very funny * Sunday Express *Told with a gentle touch, this is an honest and emotional look at marriage and parenthood * Sun on Sunday, Fabulous *Warm-hearted and perceptive * The Times *One for fans of the TV show Motherland, this is a touching drama about the minutiae of family life set on a street in west London. An impressive debut from an accomplished memoirist * The i, 40 Best Books for Summer *Brilliantly caustic * Alex Preston, Guardian *
£8.54
Orion Publishing Co Empire of Wild
Book SynopsisA kinetic, imaginative, and sensuous gothic novel inspired by traditional Canadian Métis legends.Trade ReviewDeftly written, gripping and informative. Empire of Wild is a rip-roaring read! * Margaret Atwood *Empire of Wild is doing everything I love in a contemporary novel and more. It is tough, funny, beautiful, honest and propulsive . . . Cherie Dimaline is a voice that feels both inevitable and necessary. * Tommy Orange, author of THERE THERE *Settle in for an utterly compelling blend of propulsive narrative, starkly beautiful writing and passionate, near dysfunctional love, based in the mixed-heritage Métis community of western Canada. * Daily Mail *A blend of close-knit emotional bonds and ambiguous menace... Dimaline's novel is able to take the plot to some unexpectedly phantasmagorical places without losing sight of its emotional core... Stories and their telling run throughout this book, from official histories to tales of uncanny and mythic creatures whispered about late at night... Dimaline here turns an old story into something newly haunting and resonant. * New York Times Review of Books *Empire of Wild is a small book. But it is not a slight book. It is close, tight, stark, beautiful - rich where richness is warranted, but spare where want and sorrow have sharpened every word. And through multiple narrators (including free-floating, disjointed chapters from Victor which haunt every major angle of the plot), disconnected timelines, the strange geographies of memory and storytelling, Dimaline has crafted something both current and timeless, mythic but personal. It is the story of Joan and her love. Joan and her loss. Joan and her family. Joan and her monster. * NPR *Sharp. * New Yorker *Wildly entertaining and profound and essential. * New York Times *Exhilarating. * Lit Hub *Revelatory... Gritty and engaging, this story of a woman and her missing husband is one of candor, wit and tradition." * Ms. Magazine *Dimaline trusts her readers. Her characters reiterate the importance of heritage, culture, and representation to their careless and dismissive youth, but she uses language that compels everyone to take heed - native or not; old or young... Dimaline has written this narrator as if she is moving from room to room, traveling through the pages: yes, she has seen and survived it all and when it comes right down to it, Dimaline makes it clear that when it comes to standing up for her people, she is wildly excited about the choreography of a damn good fight. * Chicago Review of Books *The novel is at times sad, at times humorous, and at times terrifying. Smartly written with believable characters, a tight plot, and breathtaking sentences, this is a must-read literary thriller. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *Canadian writer Cherie Dimaline blends fantasy, monsters and contemporary First Nation struggles in a powerful and inventive novel... Empire of Wild seamlessly mixes realistic characters with the spiritual and supernatural. As much a literary thriller as a testament to Indigenous female empowerment and strength, Empire of Wild will excite readers with its rapid plot and move them with its dedication to the truths of the Métis community. * Book Page (starred review) *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co The Whale at the End of the World
Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER''A gentle and uplifting tale of warding off apocalypse in a remote corner of Cornwall . . . charming'' Financial Times''A tremendously enjoyable book'' Independent on Sunday''Bloody brilliant'' Liz Fenwick, author of The Cornish HouseIt all began with the whale.When a young man washes up on the sands of St Piran in Cornwall, it is clear to the villagers that this is not a regular day. What has brought him here? And what is the crisis only he understands, that threatens not only their community but all of civilisation?With a global pandemic on the horizon, and a whale lurking in the bay, the villagers of St Piran must band together to survive. Intimate, funny and heart-warming, John Ironmonger tells a compelling story about the important things that hold us together, and how hope can be found, even at the end of the world.''A warm-hearted booTrade Reviewa warm-hearted book crammed with interesting ideas. It's a book full of doomsday predictions with a Cityboy in a starring role that makes the world seem like a more hopeful place. It's also very, very good. * EMERALD STREET *This is a tremendously enjoyable book. And as the front pages crowd with headlines that grow ever more grim, Not Forgetting the Whale offers a very welcome alternative. -- Marianne Levy * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *An intriguing and thought-provoking story * CANDIS *An exciting and moving read * ESSENTIALS *The lives of the residents in sleepy St Piran is changed when a man washes up, half drowned, on the shore of the Cornish seaside village. * THE TIMES *It's easy to see this simply as a modern interpretation of the story of Jonah and the whale, but this charming tale by John Ironmonger.. is considerably more complex.. it's a love story of sorts and, above all, it's about hte innate goodness of people and our connections with the wider world * PRESS ASSOCIATION *A gentle and uplifting tale of warding off apocalypse in a remote corner of Cornwall . . . charming * FINANCIAL TIMES *This book achieves what should be impossible: a heart-warming dystopia. Forget everything you know about apocalypses. This novel, set in Cornwall, will restore your faith in humanity. * ELLE UK *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co The Color Purple
Book SynopsisONE OF THE BBC ''100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD''''A lush celebration of all that it means to be a black female''Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie''A story about Black women living in the intersections of racialized and gendered violence, who find liberation through community with each other. A brutal and beautiful novel''Brit Bennett''Every single time I read this book, I walk away as a slightly better person than I was when I picked it up''Tayari Jones''I think that The Color Purple was the first book that made me think that I could try to be a writer - or that made me aware that a young black woman from the South could write about the South''Jesmyn Ward''I got the book and read it, in one day, when it came out. And then I went back, the next day, and bought every copy they had''Oprah WinfreySisters Celie and Nettie share the pain and struggle of growing upTrade ReviewA genuinely mind-expanding book. * GUARDIAN *She is one of the most gifted writers in her countryThe Color Purple is a work to stand beside literature for any time and any place. It needs no category other than the fact that it is superbThe Color Purple is a lush celebration of all that it means to be female, to be a black female and like the best of celebrations, it is an honest one. Alice Walker's honesty in this book is combative, relentless and redemptive. It is from this honesty that bitterness emerges, and yet the bitterness never blights the encompassing humanity of Walker's vision.I love that The Color Purple doesn't try to soften its blows but is also courageous enough to hold on to a wonderfully affirming faith in possibility, in forgiveness and kindness and hope.The great irony about The Color Purple is that it transcends colour. To do that you have to be a magician or a genius. This book works on all levels, the political, the historical, the personal, the emotional, the spiritual . . . Not a word is wasted, every breath accounted for. We all know that this is one of the greatest books of all time.A unique blend of serenity and immediacy that makes your senses acheAlice Walker is a lavishly gifted writer * New York Times *A fable for the modern world * Washington Post *A stunning, brilliantly conceived book . . . a saga filled with joy and pain, humor and bitterness, and an array of characters who live, breathe and illuminate the world of black women * Publishers Weekly *One of the most haunting books you could ever wish to read ... it is stunning - moving, exciting, and wonderful * Lenny Henry *This made Alice Walker the first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize. It's a fascinating but tough read because it deals with the abuse of women and children. Despite the brutality, it's filled with hope and optimism * DAILY EXPRESS *A story about Black women living in the intersections of racialized and gendered violence, who find liberation through community with each other. A brutal and beautiful novel * Brit Bennett, bestselling author of The Vanishing Half *
£17.09
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC French Exit: NOW A MAJOR FILM
Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING MICHELLE PFEIFFER AND LUCAS HEDGES A tragedy of manners from the Man Booker-shortlisted author of The Sisters Brothers ‘My favourite book of his yet’ Maria Semple, author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette 'Pure joy' Mail on Sunday 'Buoyantly insane' New Yorker Frances Price is in dire straits. Scandals swirl around the recently widowed New York socialite, and her adult-aged, toddler-brained son Malcolm is no help. Cutting their losses, they grab their cat, Small Frank, and head for the exit. Paris becomes the backdrop for a giddy drive to self-destruction, helped along by a cast of singularly curious characters. Brimming with pathos, warmth and wit, French Exit is a riotous send-up of high society and a moving story of mothers and sons.Trade ReviewFrench Exit made me so happy ... Brilliant, addictive, funny and wise -- Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'Less'Dazzling … deWitt writes in a gorgeously relaxed, freeform style, dabbing a clause here, a phrase there. The book is studded with tiny pleasures … Sharp and strange … DeWitt’s particular comic genius is to evoke the darkness behind the dazzle ... Whichever style he adopts or genre he inhabits, deWitt remains a true original * Guardian *An accomplished comic novel shot through with DeWitt’s trademark genre defiance and caustic sense of humour * i *Pure joy – think Noël Coward shaken up with Ivy Compton-Burnett and garnished with a twist of Lemony Snicket * Mail on Sunday *DeWitt is in possession of a fresh, lively voice that surprises at every turn -- Kate Atkinson, author of 'Transcription'My favourite book of his yet. The dialogue is dizzyingly good, the world so weird and fresh. A triumph from a writer truly in the zone -- Maria Semple, author of the bestselling 'Where’d You Go, Bernadette'Gloriously, acerbically funny and odd -- Melissa HarrisonA sparkling dark comedy ... DeWitt’s tone is breezy, droll, and blithely transgressive ... These are people you may not want to invite to dinner, but they sure make for fun reading * NPR *A thrilling madcap caper anchored by memorable characters, emotional depth and forensically sharp writing -- Hannah Rothschild, author of 'The Improbability of Love'The first time I read French Exit, I raced through, impatient to know the fates of its characters. Then I turned back to page one to enjoy Patrick deWitt's understated satire and casually brutal wit -- Nell Zink, author of 'Mislaid' and 'The Wallcreeper'A modern story, a satire about an insouciant widow on a quest for refined self-immolation .... DeWitt’s surrealism is cheerful and matter-of-fact, making the novel feel as buoyantly insane as its characters .... DeWitt is a stealth absurdist, with a flair for dressing up rhyme as reason * New Yorker *DeWitt is a promiscuous writer, flirting and subverting a different genre with each new novel. With French Exit he has served up a wry, soufflé-light, European-style comedy … A diverting oddball tale that treads just the right line between bite and whimsy * Metro *A Preston Sturges-esque satire on New York’s moneyed classes and the casual brutality of their emotional lives, with more than a whiff of The Royal Tenenbaums … Think Cary Grant’s uptight paleontologist trading barbs with Katharine Hepburn’s blithe heiress in Bringing Up Baby’ * Telegraph *A breezily enjoyable social comedy … Frances and Malcolm make for a memorable double act, with Frances in particular zinging out waspish one-liners * The Times *Patrick deWitt has taken all of what I usually expect and want from a story, misted it in Chanel No 5, and set to it an immeasurably classy lighter. Love it -- Natasha Pulley, bestselling author of 'The Watchmaker of Filigree Street'Patrick deWitt is an artful ventriloquist: for each of his three novels he has deployed a distinctive and utterly beguiling voice * Metro *DeWitt is a true original, conjuring up dark and hilarious images * The Times *DeWittland is a place of exaggerated, creeping horror; a place populated by unfeeling characters who engage in bouts of baroque violence; above all a place suffused with grim humour. It's also a place in which the limits of genre are explored * Daily Telegraph *Disarmingly funny ... DeWitt can inject so much exposition with a single sentence that the reader seldom feels the need for elaboration … True to the theatrical form deWitt appears to have been inspired by, French Exit includes multiple layers of meaning and social commentary, wrapped up in a whip-smart package that cracks with wit and wordplay * Quill and Quire *From the author of the masterpiece of comic taciturnity The Sisters Brothers, French Exit is a “tragedy of manners” delivered with similar devastating wit and brilliance … Combining Edward St Aubyn levels of social awfulness with a masterclass in understated absurdity, any new deWitt novel should be a cause for a national holiday, this one deserving champagne, fireworks and a marching band besides * Strong Words *If you liked Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple, you’ll love the quirky characters and sharp humour of French Exit * Good Housekeeping *A highly enjoyable read … deWitt’s style is nothing if not idiosyncratic, and his elevated language – played for particular comic effect when it comes to dialogue – is perfectly suited to affectionately chiding upper-class mores … The tenderness between Frances, her son and her old friend Joan is of the real stuff * Esquire *Frances and Malcolm are terrific characters, immediately arresting … The greatest achievement of French Exit however is the glamorous, formidable Frances; eccentric, highly intelligent, cold-blooded in both personal and business relationships, she's as witty as any Evelyn Waugh mother … A terrible tale of self-ruin more akin to Gatsby or Patrick Melrose than the Wodehouse or Mitford stories it initially conjures … Faintly comparable to Waugh's A Handful of Dust * Big Issue *If you like Paris, cats, dark humour and satire this is the book for you … With a unique cast of characters and an unusual relationships the book is both witty and warm * Living France *
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Such a Fun Age: 'The book of the year'
Book Synopsis**GET READY FOR COME AND GET IT - THE EXPLOSIVE NEW NOVEL FROM KILEY REID, AVAILABLE NOW** _______________ ‘Essential. This year’s hit debut' - Guardian ‘A biting tale of race and class’ - Sunday Times 'I couldn't put this down' - Jojo Moyes _______________ The instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Longlisted for the Booker Prize A Times, Guardian, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Mail on Sunday, Red, Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan Book of the Year _______________ When Emira is apprehended at a supermarket for ‘kidnapping’ the white child she’s actually babysitting, it sets off an explosive chain of events. Her employer Alix, a feminist blogger with the best of intentions, resolves to make things right. But Emira herself is aimless, broke and wary of Alix’s desire to help. When a surprising connection emerges between the two women, it sends them on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know – about themselves, each other, and the messy dynamics of privilege. _______________ 'Bites into the zeitgeist then spits it out with gusto. You really should read it, ASAP’ - Stylist ‘About power dynamics, race, social commentary, and also why and how we are the woman we are’ - Pandora Sykes 'An extraordinarily deft debut, written with wisdom, kindness and sharp humour' - Daily Mail 'A beautiful tale of how we live now' - Elizabeth Day _______________ A Reese Witherspoon and Zoella Book Club PickTrade ReviewThis is the calling card of a virtuoso talent ... I had thought of ending this review by predicting that Kiley Reid may be the next Sally Rooney. But Such a Fun Age is so fresh and essential that I predict instead that next year we’ll be anxiously awaiting the next Kiley Reid * Guardian *What a joy to find a debut novel so good that it leaves you looking forward to the rest of its author’s career . . . A tantalisingly plotted tale about the way we live now . . . Such a Fun Age speaks for itself; I suspect it will turn its writer into a star * The Times *Will fire off a million debates . . . The pages sing with charisma and humour * Sunday Times *Razor-sharp . . . Reid writes with a confidence and verve that produce magnetic prose . . . A cracking debut – charming, authentic and every bit as entertaining as it is calmly, intelligently damning * Observer *Smart, fast-paced and beautifully observed, Reid tackles timely themes around race and political correctness with wit and verve * Mail on Sunday *Witty and incisive . . . What Kiley Reid’s debut novel delivers is a more compelling indictment of humans, of how we interact with ourselves and each other, than most writers could muster . . . A dazzlingly clear-eyed study of relationships: between partners, mothers and daughters, peers and friends * Financial Times *I LOVED this extraordinarily deft debut, written with wisdom, kindness and sharp humour . . . Clever, compelling and beautifully written * Daily Mail *Marks the arrival of a serious new talent * i *A voice to watch . . . A smart, witty debut that smuggles sharp points about racial blindness, privilege and the gig economy inside a zesty comedy of manners * Metro *I LOVE THIS BOOK! A modern comedy of manners, so tightly plotted, heading towards a tremendous showdown … But it’s the prose! It bounces, pops and shimmers, it captures the authentic rhythms, drifts and tangents of genuine conversation, studding it with every laugh, sigh, shrug, glance-at-your-phone -- Russell T DaviesOne of the most buzzed-about books of 2020 – and for good reason . . . Brilliant at capturing relationships, as well as the obliviousness of white privilege. Smart, punchy, well-paced and with an irresistible twist * Elle *As a layered and evocative social commentary, Reid makes an excellent job of it, drilling down into the virtue-signalling and motivations of the white liberal elite. She wraps serious messages in chatty prose that is a pleasure to read: dialogue crackles, characters pulse with the tics of modern American specimens . . . It’s witty and subversive and leaves you feeling impressively uncomfortable * Sunday Times *Kiley Reid has written the most provocative page-turner of the year . . . Such a Fun Age nestles a nuanced take on racial biases and class divides into a page-turning saga of betrayals, twists and perfectly awkward relationships . . . Feels bound for book-club glory, due to its sheer readability * Entertainment Weekly *Fun is the operative word in Kiley Reid’s delectably discomfiting debut. The buzzed-about novel takes a thoroughly modern approach to the timeless upstairs-downstairs trope . . . This page-turner goes down like comfort food, but there’s no escaping the heartburn * Vogue *A most perfect start to my 2020 reading adventures -- Sarah Jessica ParkerTouching on race, class and white privilege, Kiley Reid's page-turner keeps you flipping to see what happens next * Marie Claire *A whip-smart, keenly observed and thought-provoking examination of privilege, race and gender * Daily Mail *Grapples with racism and nods to titans of literature . . . A vivid page-turner * Vanity Fair *The first time in a long time that I had a novel glued to my hands for two days. This so seldom happens to me. It is so good! So witty, so apposite to basically EVERYTHING going on right now, so touching and humane, just utterly phenomenal * Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist *A startling, razor-sharp debut. Kiley Reid has written a book with no easy answers, instead filling her story with delicious grey areas and flawed points of view. It's both wildly fun and breathtakingly wise, deftly and confidently confronting issues of race, class, and privilege. I have to admit, I'm in awe * Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones and the Six *I loved this. I think it will have the same impact as Sally Rooney. Wry and intricately observed * Pandora Sykes *Culminates in an unexpected, combustible triangle so ingeniously plotted and observed that my heart pounded as though I was reading a thriller . . . Such a Fun Age is nothing short of brilliant, and Kiley Reid is the writer we need now * Chloe Benjamin, author of The Immortalists *A brilliant debut about race, power and privilege * Prima *I fell headfirst into this book and read it in one weekend. Afterwards, I felt like I’d walked a marathon in each of the characters’ shoes. The kind of writing that changes the way you see yourself and others * Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said *Touching on race, class, privilege, power dynamics and the emotional toll of domestic workers, Reid’s critically acclaimed debut makes for urgent, timely reading * AnOther Magazine *Kiley Reid’s propulsive, page-turning book is full of complex characters and even more complex truths – this is a bullseye of a debut * Emma Straub, author of Modern Lovers *A crisp, wry and insightful novel about class, race and relationships. Kiley Reid is a gifted young writer with a generosity that makes her keen social eye that much funnier and sharper * Jess Walter, author of Beautiful Ruins *Kiley Reid has delivered a poignant novel that could not be more necessary * Lena Waithe *Kiley Reid’s witty debut asks complicated questions around race, domestic work and the transactional nature of each * Nafissa Thompson-Spires, author of Heads of the Colored People *Gripping, substantive, complicated, compelling and just plain true … These characters laid claim to me, and their stories became important to me in the way art does that to its readers, viewers, listeners … Such a fantastic, serious and, I should say, fun read * Paul Harding, author of Tinkers *Reid excels at depicting subtle variations and manifestations of self-doubt, and astutely illustrates how, when coupled with unrecognised white privilege, this emotional and professional insecurity can result in unintended – as well as willfully unseen – consequences. This is an impressive, memorable first outing * Publishers Weekly *This is a deft coming-of-age story for the current American moment, one written so confidently it’s hard to believe it’s a first novel. Kiley Reid explores serious issues – race, class, sex, power, ambition and what it’s like to live in our hyperconnected world – with a light touch and sly humour * Rumaan Alam, author of That Kind of Mother *Reid is a sharp and delightful storyteller, with a keen eye, buoyant prose, and twists that made me gasp out loud. Such a Fun Age is a gripping page-turner with serious things to say about racism, class, gender, parenting, and privilege * Madeline Miller, internationally bestselling author of 'Circe' and 'The Song of Achilles' *Kiley Reid has written a timely novel that asks what we owe to those we care for in this complicated world. With intimate, touching observations, Reid details the lives of two complicated, loving women who are trying to figure out how to live their best lives in a world that does not always make space for them to do so * Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman *Kiley Reid writes with a deceptively easy prose, and a forensic eye for the emotional self-sabotage and hypocrisies that make us human. I couldn’t put this down * Jojo Moyes *In her debut novel, Reid illuminates difficult truths about race, society, and power with a fresh, light hand. We’re all familiar with the phrases white privilege and race relations, but rarely has a book vivified these terms in such a lucid, absorbing, graceful, forceful but unforced way -- Starred Review * Library Journal *Reid is a dialogue genius. Her evenhandedness with her varied cast of characters is impressive. Charming, challenging, and so interesting you can hardly put it down -- Starred Review * Kirkus *
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job
Book Synopsis_______________ 'Surreal and unsettling' - Observer Cultural Highlight ‘Wise, comical and exceptionally relatable’ - Zeba Talkhani ‘Quietly hilarious and deeply attuned to the uncanny rhythms and deadpan absurdity of the daily grind’ - Sharlene Teo _______________ A woman walks into an employment agency and requests a job that requires no reading, no writing – and ideally, very little thinking. She is sent to an office building where she is tasked with watching the hidden-camera feed of an author suspected of storing contraband goods. But observing someone for hours on end isn't so easy. How will she stay awake? When can she take delivery of her favourite brand of tea? And, perhaps more importantly – how did she find herself in this situation in the first place? As she moves from job to job, writing bus adverts for shops that mysteriously disappear, and composing advice for rice cracker wrappers that generate thousands of devoted followers, it becomes increasingly apparent that she’s not searching for the easiest job at all, but something altogether more meaningful... _______________ ‘An irreverent but thoughtful voice, with light echoes of Haruki Murakami ... the book is uncannily timely ... a novel as smart as is quietly funny' - Financial Times 'Polly Barton’s translation skilfully captures the protagonist’s dejected, anxious voice and her deadpan humour ... imaginative and unusual' - Times Literary SupplementTrade ReviewTsumura’s portrait of the daily grind is spot-on, her observations wryly tender. Polly Barton’s translation captures the deadpan absurdity and subtle surrealism in this inventive Japanese novel -- Madeleine Feeny * Mail on Sunday *Ultimately, it is through the winding process of self-repair that we get to share in the character’s journey of self-understanding in this altogether human novel * Irish Times, Best New Translated Novels 2020 *‘An irreverent but thoughtful voice, with light echoes of Haruki Murakami ... the book is uncannily timely ... a novel as smart as is quietly funny * Financial Times *Polly Barton’s translation skilfully captures the protagonist’s dejected, anxious voice and her deadpan humour ... imaginative and unusual * Times Literary Supplement *I have never read such relatable writing about the small stresses of working and how they can feel like disasters at the time. She captures the small apocalypse of an admired colleague leaving, or the sense of powerlessness when a higher-up interferes * i paper *Surreal, wickedly funny … it feels pretty timely, as we consider the workplace and the purpose of work in our lives at a time of cultural and societal upheaval ... We move through absurdist tableaux and moments of deadpan, existential drama, but it’s Tsumura’s incisive eye on the small, everyday office stresses so many will find deeply relatable that kept me captivated. The neo-liberal work-life fantasy is obliterated so beautifully * Dazed *Bringing to mind aspects of the terrific Convenience Store Woman, a surreal exploration of finding meaning in life * i paper *Surreal and unsettling * Observer *Translated in a droll and understated style by Polly Barton, part of the novel’s appeal lies in the narrator’s distinct worldview and her deadpan humor that allows the surreal, metaphysical connections in the novel to bubble beneath the surface of her seemingly dull, day-to-day existence * Japan Times *A fascinating, immersive novel about a young Japanese woman moving from one mundane job to another, searching for employment that doesn’t require her to think too much. But she soon finds out that no matter how simple her set tasks, there are intrigue, magic and the unexpected to each one. Fans of My Year Of Rest And Relaxation will adore this exquisitely deadpan book, adeptly translated by Polly Barton * Red *A surreal employment odyssey ... Recommended for anyone missing time in the office * Monocle *A brilliant riposte ... don't get mad, get even – and then get even better * Saga *A wise, comical and exceptionally relatable novel on finding meaning and purpose in our work lives -- Zeba Talkhani, author of My Past is a Foreign CountryQuietly hilarious and deeply attuned to the uncanny rhythms and deadpan absurdity of the daily grind, Kikuko Tsumara's postmodern existential workplace saga both skewers and celebrates our deeply human need to function in society and keep surviving in an oftentimes senseless-seeming world -- Sharlene Teo, author of PontiRead it before you burn out * Asahi Shimbun Weekly AERA *The fantastical flavour of this book is one of its charms … This is a masterpiece of a book about the working world -- Kentaro Tomoda * Bunshun Toshokan *Spending time in the author’s unique world, which seems so bizarre and random but is in fact artfully designed, I found myself healed and restored -- Kazufumi Watanabe * Asahi Shimbun *Delightful and disturbing in equal measure ... Mesmeric, funny, wry, delightful – this is a novel to help the millennials find their own paths through the world they’ve inherited * Lunate *Tsumura’s novel is a pleasing, quietly enjoyable slice of fiction with a message for those who give themselves entirely to work, no matter how rewarding it may be * A Life In Books *Completely different to anything I’ve read before ... there is an almost dreamlike feeling to the story * Life With All the Books *
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Signature of All Things
Book Synopsis_______________ SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION _______________ 'Quite simply one of the best novels I have read in years' - Elizabeth Day, Observer 'Charming ... extensively researched, compellingly readable' - Jane Shilling, Daily Telegraph 'Sumptuous ... Gilbert's prose is by turns flinty, funny, and incandescent' - New Yorker _______________ A captivating story of botany, exploration and desire, by the multimillion copy bestselling author of Eat Pray Love Everything about life intrigues Alma Whittaker. Her passion for botany leads her far from home, from London to Peru to Tahiti, in pursuit of that rare specimen: knowledge. But as her careful studies draw her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she meets the man who she will come to love – whose perspective, radically different from her own, will transform the way she understands the world. Radiating with all the heart, soul and earthiness as its unforgettable heroine, The Signature of All Things is a captivating celebration of the workings of this world, and the mechanisms behind all life. _______________ 'My own 500-pager of choice? Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things ... just read it ... Hugely enjoyable' - Viv Groskop, Observer Books of the Year 'The story of Alma Whittaker’s journey of discovery has irresistible momentum' - Helen Dunmore, The Times 'Gilbert has written the novel of a lifetime' - O, The Oprah Magazine 'Filled with dazzling storytelling' - Susie Boyt, Financial Times _______________Trade ReviewUnlike anything else she has ever written ... Its prose has the elegant sheen of a 19th-century epic, but its concerns – the intersection of science and faith, the feminine struggle for fulfilment – are especially modern -- Steve Almond * International Herald Tribune *The story of Alma Whittaker’s journey of discovery has irresistible momentum -- Helen Dunmore * The Times *Ms Gilbert has established herself as a straight-up storyteller who dares us into adventures of worldly discovery, and this novel stands as a winning next act ... A bracing homage to the many natures of genius and the inevitable progress of ideas, in a world that reveals its best truths to the uncommonly patient minds -- Barbara Kingsolver * International Herald Tribune *Charming and compelling ... A big novel in all senses – extensively researched, compellingly readable and with a powerful charm that will surely propel it towards the bestseller lists -- Jane Shilling * Daily Telegraph *Gilbert has written the novel of a lifetime * O, The Oprah Magazine *Sumptuous ... Gilbert's prose is by turns flinty, funny, and incandescent * New Yorker *Quite simply one of the best novels I have read in years ... a bejewelled, dazzling novel -- Elizabeth Day * Observer *Readers prepared to enter Gilbert Time will be rewarded: she is an unflaggingly curious writer, prone to delightful touches ... Gilbert's period interests seem boundless - she explores everything from self-sacrifice, to homosexuality, Darwinism and Victorian pornography ... This is a novel to be chewed over, slowly -- Lucy Atkins * Sunday Times *A botanical odyssey through the nineteenth century, global in ambition, revelling in the period's insatiable curiosity about the world ... a tall tale, told with verve and wit * Guardian *Filled with dazzling storytelling -- Susie Boyt * Financial Times *Gilbert writes superbly well -- Wendy Holden * Daily Mail *An intricate, beautifully written historical novel ... A passionate paean to the 19th-century women of science who strove for achievement against the odds -- Anita Sethi * Metro *Gilbert’s observations, of both characters and locations, make this an unexpected joy and in Alma she has created a truly unforgettable heroine -- Anita Chaudhuri * Irish Examiner *Astute and funny ... comes with generous helpings of optimism and romance. Cynics need not apply * Irish Sunday Mirror *Ambitious, boldly imagined and packed with authenticating detail, it engages very boldly with the interaction of art and science * Andrew Motion, Guardian *Gilbert reminds readers she can do, and undo, narratives through impeccably observed and original stories * Independent *Gilbert shows herself to be a writer at the height of her powers * O Magazine *Magnificent ... I was just a few pages into the book when I felt myself relax, aware that I was in the safe hands of a master story-teller -- Anna Carey * The Irish Times *My own 500-pager of choice? Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things ... just read it ... Hugely enjoyable -- Viv Groskop * Observer Books of the Year *
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC No One Is Talking About This: Shortlisted for the
Book Synopsis‘Patricia Lockwood is the voice of a generation’ Namita Gokhale ‘A masterpiece’ Guardian ‘I really admire and love this book’ Sally Rooney ‘An intellectual and emotional rollercoaster’ Daily Mail ‘I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much reading a book’ David Sedaris ‘A rare wonder . . . I was left in bits’ Douglas Stuart * WINNER OF THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2022 * * SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2021 * * SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2021 * * A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK * ______________________________________________ This is a story about a life lived in two halves. It’s about what happens when real life collides with the increasing absurdity of a world accessed through a screen. It’s about living in world that contains both an abundance of proof that there is goodness, empathy, and justice in the universe, and a deluge of evidence to the contrary. It's a meditation on love, language and human connection from one of the most original voices of our time. ______________________________________________ ‘An utterly distinctive mixture of depth, dazzling linguistic richness, anarchic wit and raw emotional candour’ Rowan Williams A 2021 Book of the Year: Sunday Times, Guardian, Daily Mail, Telegraph, Evening Standard, The Times, New Statesman, Red, Observer, Independent, Daily Telegraph Trade ReviewAstonishing and wholly original . . . Patricia Lockwood is the voice of a generation of new writers who grew up under the constant pressures of real-time news and social media -- Namita Gokhale, Chair judge for the Dylan Thomas Prize 2022No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood is a rare wonder. The author is razor-sharp as she takes us through the absurdities of internet living, but when the narrative shifts in the second half, and her family reel from personal tragedy, I was left in bits * Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize-winning author of SHUGGIE BAIN *I have been in headlong love with Patricia Lockwood’s hilarious and subversive mind since her memoir Priestdaddy, but her first novel, No One Is Talking About This, sent me reeling. Everything about this book is testament to her wicked genius * Lauren Groff, Red Magazine, Books of the Year 2021 *I finally read No One Is Talking About This after everyone recommending it to me all year, and I'm so, so happy I did. Please, please read this book -- LordeLockwood is an incontrovertibly gifted writer. Her sentences are routinely surprising, her voice a startling agglomeration of poetic clarity and hectic comedy * Guardian *Often filthy and irreverent, sometimes extremely funny, and ultimately surprisingly poignant, No One Is Talking About This offers more proof of Lockwood’s particular genius * Telegraph *A work that feels intensely relevant to our fractured time . . . Wonderfully intricate * Independent *Lockwood has paid attention more closely than perhaps any other human on earth to what it’s like to be alive right now * Vanity Fair *Astonishing . . . No One Is Talking About This will frighten you, implicate you, and scrape your guts out, in the best way possible * Esquire *Lockwood’s conceit is smart, her prose original, hugely entertaining and witty . . . It is a story, simply, about love, selfless and delighted * New Yorker *A smart and sharp book that is both addictive and deeply unsettling * Sarah Hughes, i *What begins as an ironical story about irony becomes an intimate and moving portrait of love and grief. In this way, a novel that had been toying with the digital surface of modern life finds the tender heart pumping away beneath it all * Wall Street Journal *Reading Patricia Lockwood feels like looking through a kaleidoscope built by a mischievous sorcerer — the world is suddenly rearranged in fragments that are cosmic, wondrous, humiliating, and profane. No One Is Talking About This is a furiously original novel, alive and unstable; the book builds to a reminder of how devastation and connection produce each other, endlessly and surprisingly, both on the internet and in human places that our shared digital consciousness can never reach -- Jia TolentinoLockwood is a phenomenal writer who is a keen observer of . . . the fragility of the human heart -- Roxane GayHilarious, affectionate and deeply-felt. There is nothing that Lockwood – and I don't say this lightly – can’t do -- Nicole Flattery, author of SHOW THEM A GOOD TIMEA delightfully weird look at our service to the internet (fitting in a year that gave us the “doomscroll”) and human connection and intersection * Stylist *A formidably gifted writer who can do pretty much anything she pleases * New York Times Book Review *The first half is a series of unbelievably accurate and funny and insightful takes on what it means to live in the internet of the modern age, and the second half swivels and becomes a kind of personal, family dynamic … It moved me to tears -- Elizabeth DayThe poet and essayist turns her hand to fiction in this fragmentary tale that addresses urgent questions about the absurdity of the digital world * Harper's Bazaar *An eagerly awaited novel . . . about a woman whose life is overwhelmed by the internet * The Times *Set to be one of 2021’s biggest books . . . riveting * Daily Mail *I really admire and love this book. Patricia Lockwood is a completely singular talent and this is her best, funniest, weirdest, most affecting work yet -- Sally Rooney
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Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Animal: The ‘compulsive’ (Guardian) new novel
Book Synopsis'Joan is an unforgettable anti-heroine. I don't think I'll ever stop thinking about her’ ELIZABETH DAY 'So insanely good and true and twisted it’ll make your teeth sweat' OLIVIA WILDE 'One of my favourite writers of all time' DUA LIPA 'Like a series of grenades exploding' MARIAN KEYES I drove myself out of New York City where a man shot himself in front of me. He was a gluttonous man and when his blood came out it looked like the blood of a pig. That’s a cruel thing to think, I know. He did it in a restaurant where I was having dinner with another man, another married man. Do you see how this is going? But I wasn’t always that way. I am depraved. I hope you like me. ------------ A FINALIST FOR THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE 2022 A 2021 Highlight for: Guardian - Sunday Express - Independent - New Statesman - Evening Standard - Cosmopolitan - Red - Grazia - Daily Mail - Daily Express - The Week - Irish Times - i - The SunTrade ReviewOne of my favourite authors of all time -- Dua LipaFew writers can match Taddeo’s swagger on sentence-level. She has a knack for the unexpected, shocking phrase that feels nonchalantly tossed, like dynamite to a fire * The Globe and Mail *A compulsive read. Taddeo’s prose glitters with all the dark wit and flashes of insight that readers and critics admired in Three Women . . . Like Coel’s I May Destroy You, Animal is unafraid to wrestle with big questions about sexual empowerment and consent, and doesn’t pretend to have found neat answers * Guardian *American Psycho for the #MeToo generation * The Times *Propulsive, fiercely confident . . . Joan’s voice is so sharp and magnetic that the reader will follow her anywhere * New York Times *Joan’s fury feels fitting, in a new age of righteous rage and brave honesty in female-driven and female-penned art, from Promising Young Women and I May Destroy You, to Raven Leilani’s Luster * Harper's Bazaar *An explosive, visceral story about childhood trauma, sexual violence, sisterhood and grief. In vivid, unforgiving prose, Taddeo charts the fate of its unforgettable antiheroine, Joan * i *A raging, funny and fierce thriller with a protagonist whose life force, against extraordinary odds — always in the gaze and sometimes the grasp of predatory, abusive men — is a thing of wonder * Financial Times *This summer’s most-hyped book and more than lives up to the buzz . . . A dark, disturbing masterpiece, full of righteous female rage – every word roars right off the page * Red *A fever dream of a read . . . Intense, disturbing and provoking, it’s also a book that’s filled with humanity, sensuality and, in the end, love and hope . . . Read, give to your friends and discuss at length * Stylist *Wow. Dark, hypnotic and horrifying, with a central protagonist in Joan who demands your deepest empathy despite every transgression, it’s brilliantly written and expertly done. I loved it -- Harriet Tyce, bestselling author of Blood Orange and The Lies You ToldAn outstanding novel, unnerving but brilliant -- Samira Ahmed, BBC Radio 4 Front RowI don’t think there is a writer alive who writes about the interior lives of women with the raw truth and intensity [Taddeo] does . . . Fearless, sexy, brutal and just forensically observed. She is extraordinary -- Jojo MoyesRaging, hilarious and utterly addictive * Daily Mail *Scorching, unforgettable, stunningly beautiful, Animal blew my mind and has left me reeling -- Clover Stroud[An] audacious debut novel * Evening Standard *Reeling. Stunned. It is ablaze with rage and beauty. You’ve captured all the rage every woman has been suppressing her entire life. Mary Gaitskill eat your heart out -- Sam BakerRiveting . . . Propulsive, erotic, emotional . . . Joan is almost impossible to look away from on every page * Kirkus Reviews *The best way I can think to describe Lisa Taddeo’s first novel is “like if Joan Didion got into hard drugs and carried a switchblade everywhere.” Sun-parched, sinewy, and hostile (in a good way) * Harper’s Bazaar *A riveting, visceral examination of trauma and rage told by a writer whose prose lights a match and burns up the page. Joan is an unforgettable antiheroine. I don't think I'll ever stop thinking about her. -- Elizabeth Day
£8.54
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Nightcrawling: Longlisted for the Booker Prize
Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2022 – THE YOUNGEST EVER BOOKER NOMINEE THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER _______________ ‘Mottley attempts to do for Oakland something of what The Wire did for Baltimore' THE TIMES 'A soul-searching portrait of survival and hope' OPRAH WINFREY _______________ We’ll laugh because we can, until the sun disintegrates and nighttime threatens to set us free just to capture us again, back into the things we can’t escape. Kiara does not know what it is to live as a normal seventeen-year-old. With her mother in a halfway house, she fends for herself – and for nine-year-old Trevor, whose own mother disappears for days at a time. But as the pressures of rent to pay and mouths to feed increase, Kiara finds herself walking the streets after dark, determined to survive in a world that refuses to protect her. Nightcrawling is an unforgettable novel about young people navigating the darkest corners of an adult world, told with a humanity that is at once agonising and utterly mesmerising. _______________ 'UNFORGETTABLE' GUARDIAN 'A MAGNIFICENT DEBUT' RUTH OZEKI, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022 _______________ READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF NIGHTCRAWLING 'Nightcrawling is a lyrical masterpiece' ***** 'This book ripped my heart out' ***** 'Unputdownable . . . From the first page I was hooked' ***** 'This is a heart-achingly necessary book which will carve a hole in your soul and stay with you forever' ***** 'It is rare to read a first novel so perfectly crafted' ***** 'This is an absolute must-read. Five stars out of five' ***** 'Completely gripping . . . This is going to be a huge bestseller' *****Trade ReviewUncompromising yet exhilaratingly charged by Mottley’s deep feeling and stylistic flair * Daily Mail, Books of the Year *Nineteen-year-old poet Leila Mottley has been hailed as the ‘voice of a generation’, a claim that seems less hyperbolic the more you read of her assured, moving and powerful fiction debut . . . Freighted with sentences of tough lyricism, it feels like an immense achievement * Daily Mail *A rare and compelling meditation on the powerless . . . Not only a fearless investigation of justice, guilt and prejudice, but an allegory of the potential power of speech, narrative and fiction itself . . . Nightcrawling marks the dazzling arrival of a young writer with a voice and vision you won’t easily get out of your head * Guardian *She whips through the plot, packing poetic punch after punch . . . Now that Mottley has found her own voice, America – and readers in the UK – will be watching * i paper *Both a searing depiction of sexual exploitation and a gripping account of a struggle for survival… Grimly captivating … Rich and inventive * Economist *An uncommonly assured debut . . . Nightcrawling is written with a poet’s ear and a novelist’s sense of character, structure and ambience * Observer *Mottley’s fluid, instinctive writing soars . . . This feels like a remarkable debut, one that holds an illuminating if unflattering mirror to modern America. It is exciting to wonder what might lie ahead for this writer * Sunday Times *Kiara is as virtuous and put-upon as any heroine in Dickens. But she is always a lively presence on the page even at her most downtrodden, thanks to her expressive narrative voice … the risks she takes generally pay off so well that one finishes the book grumbling: nobody who has just turned twenty has any business writing this well * Sunday Telegraph *Leila Mottley has a poet’s delicate touch when she tells us the most brutal, heart-crushing truths. This is an electrifying debut -- Dave EggersThis book proves its author is a literary star in the making * Elle *Unflinching, poetic and deeply resonant, this stunning debut from Oakland teen Leila Mottley marks the arrival of an extraordinary new voice * Woman's Own *With its powerful poetry and courageous, unsparing vision, Nightcrawling is more than just a magnificent debut novel. It is a bid, by this prodigiously gifted young writer, to heal a broken world -- Ruth Ozeki, Women's Prize-winning author of THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESSThe writing in Leila Mottley's Nightcrawling erupts and flows like lava, makes hot bright an Oakland that runs the city's uncontrollable brilliance, its destructive and generative veins the same, Mottley's energetic writing here too, bursts at the seams of every page, pushing you deeper into a story you can't help but continue swallowing, stay thirsty for, while it swallows you whole -- Tommy Orange, finalist for the Pulitzer PrizeLeila Mottley has an extraordinary gift. She writes with the humility and sparkle of a child, but with the skill and deft touch of a wizened, seasoned storyteller -- James McBrideLeila Mottley’s commanding debut, inspired by the life events of one woman’s struggle for body and soul against crushing exploitation, is fierce and devastating, rendered with electrifying urgency by this colossal young talent -- Ayana MathisNightcrawling is a scorching, incredibly readable book that takes seriously the task of readerly provocation on every page. Get ready. Or don’t. It doesn’t matter. Leila Mottley is here -- Kiese Laymon, author of HEAVYA blistering exploration of power * Stylist Loves *
£8.54
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC How to Gut a Fish: LONGLISTED FOR THE EDGE HILL
Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE EDGE HILL PRIZE 2022 SHORTLISTED FOR SHORT STORY OF THE YEAR AT THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2022 SHORTLISTED FOR ALCS TOM-GALLON TRUST AWARD 'Unsettling, unpredictable, and brilliant' Roddy Doyle 'In sumptuous and evocative prose, Sheila Armstrong writes stories that are unnerving and unsettling. Stories which make you go, wait, wait, what was that? ' Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground On a boat offshore, a fisherman guts a mackerel as he anxiously awaits a midnight rendezvous. Villagers, one by one, disappear into a sinkhole beneath a yew tree. A nameless girl is taped, bound and put on display in a countryside market. A dazzling and disquieting collection of stories, how to gut a fish places the bizarre beside the everyday and then elegantly and expertly blurs the lines. An exciting new Irish writer whose sharp and lyrical prose unsettles and astounds in equal measure, Sheila Armstrong’s exquisitely provocative stories carve their way into your mind and take hold. 'Dark, devilishly well written and full of atmosphere, How to Gut a Fish is one of the most original and affecting short story collections I’ve read in years' Jan Carson, author of The Fire StartersTrade ReviewThe stories in this collection are unsettling, unpredictable, and brilliant -- Roddy DoyleIn sumptuous and evocative prose, Sheila Armstrong writes stories that are unnerving and unsettling. Stories which make you go, wait, wait, what was that? * Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground *Armstrong’s short stories make tremendously good company, each one transported me to a place I’d never been before. Dark, devilishly well written and full of atmosphere, How to Gut a Fish is one of the most original and affecting short story collections I’ve read in years. * Jan Carson, author of Malcolm Orange Disappears *Do you know when you read a sentence that is so good, it does weird things to your insides? You kind of shudder with satisfaction and hope for more. Well, I am addicted to good sentences, and Sheila Armstrong is my dealer. The stories in How to Gut a Fish are gorgeously weird, inspiring curiosity both on and off the page. If you’re anything like me, they will send you into a fit of ferocious googling: What is star jelly? How old is the moon? The story titles are works of art in themselves. This is the good stuff. Hook it to my veins. * Louise Nealon, author of Snowflake *This exquisitely wrought collection made me feel as if I were inhabiting another realm: sensuous, tactile, beautiful and disturbing. Sheila Armstrong's hypnotic prose has a haunting, lingering, dreamlike effect. * Lisa Harding, author of Bright Burning Things *It’s not often I open a book to find prose this exciting, original and frankly envy-inducing. Line by line, these stories set a series of small fires in my head, and they’re still burning * Zoe Gilbert, author of Folk *I loved it. I found the stories completely hypnotic and strange. (Armstrong) has a meditative and mesmerising voice, and her description of everyday life is perceptive and profound. * Megan Bradbury, author of Everyone is Watching *
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC What You Can See From Here: 'A clear-eyed tonic
Book Synopsis 'Manages something only a few books achieve: it makes you happy' Munich Mercury 'A clear-eyed tonic in troubled times' Guardian On a beautiful spring day, a small village in Western Germany wakes up to an omen: Selma has dreamed of an okapi. Someone is about to die. But who? As the residents of the village begin acting strangely (despite protestations that they are not superstitious), Selma's granddaughter Luise looks on as the imminent threat brings long carried secrets to the surface. And when death comes, it comes in a way none of them could have predicted... A story about the absurdity of life and death, a bittersweet portrait of village life and the wider world that beckons beyond, What You Can See from Here is a story about the way loss and love shape not just a person, but a community. The international bestseller which sold over 600,000 copies in Germany Trade ReviewLeky’s international bestseller – beautifully translated by Tess Lewis – is witty, generous and optimistic … Leky’s vision of the world might sound whimsical but there’s something bigger, more bittersweet at play here * Observer *In her optimism and her playfulness, Leky aligns herself with other folklore enthusiasts like Helen Oyeyemi and Ali Smith … There is a satisfying spark to her short, declarative sentences; they induce reflection, and maybe even learning, like the folk tales and Buddhist koans that inform her work * New York Times Book Review *I loved this novel truly, madly, deeply … I am jealous of all the new readers who will have the chance to discover Mariana Leky’s exciting new voice and the joy of meeting the fabulous ensemble she has conjured -- Nina George, author of THE BOOK OF DREAMS and THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOPAs in life, What You Can See from Here reveals its significant players and their startling joys and losses, in patient, unexpected ways. A profound and beautiful novel -- Marie Helene-Bertino, author of PARAKEETEffervescent, tender and realistically absurd – an utterly charming depiction of life, death, love, and the people who help us through it all. Exactly the kind of novel I am ever hoping to discover -- Juliet Grames, author of THE SEVEN OR EIGHT DEATHS OF STELLA FORTUNAOn finishing What You Can See from Here, I was bereft. Central to the story is the idea of how much of the world to let into our lives, how much each of us can actually manage. Well, I implore you to let this book into your life. It's a wonder you won't forget -- Jessica Francis Kane, author of RULES FOR VISITINGWhat You Can See from Here is both funny and intensely moving, capturing the town’s memorable cast of characters, from superstitious Elsbeth to the lovesick, anxious optician. Leky’s novel is about the small phrases, moments, and memories that stick with us throughout our lives, and about finding despair, joy, and love in the smallest moments * BookRiot *Leky’s rewarding novel keeps staring at the same spot, and uncovers sorrow, humour and companionship, a clear-eyed tonic in troubled times. -- James Smart * Guardian *It’s impossible to escape [Leky’s] spell. And why would you want to escape such an entertaining diversion, anyway? ... Leky’s bemused affection for her characters is apparent on every page, and it’s infectious ... A generous and funny novel ... We leave Leky’s world knowing that every ordinary day holds the potential for something wonderful * KIRKUS *Leky is not just a gifted storyteller, she is a compassionate one, and her ability to draw readers deep into the core of human existence and share with them the knowledge that everything really is alright, is a gift to be savoured * Lunate *Manages something only a few books achieve: it makes you happy * MÜNCHENER MERKUR *A gorgeous novel about life, love, death and hope * Style *A little of the magic of Gabriel García Márquez -- Denis Scheck * Hot Off the Press *Full of wise, warm-hearted thoughts on the difficult subject of death and loss. A book to get you through dark days -- Volker Königkrämer * Stern *One of those books you gaze at in amazement for hours and days after reading it - and actually, always want to carry with you -- Barbara Weitzel * Welt Am Sonntag *A wonderful, clever, amusing, profound book -- Manuela Reichart * Deutschlandfunk Kultur *On each page there are at least three sentences that you want to highlight, copy or read to someone -- Judith Liere * Stern *What You Can See From Here compiles seemingly simple sentences into profound feeling ... by the end of [this] honest, loving novel I was shedding tears -- Marie Helene-Bertino * Book Marks *
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Mrs Harris Goes to Paris & Mrs Harris Goes to New
Book Synopsis***A BOOK CLUB PICK FROM THE QUEEN CONSORT'S READING ROOM*** Now a major film, starring Leslie Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs and Lucas Bravo 'Mrs Harris is one of the great creations of fiction - so real that you feel you know her, yet truly magical as well. I can never have enough of her' Justine Picardie 'It is almost impossible not to succumb to Gallico's spell' Times Literary Supplement Mrs Harris is a salt-of-the-earth London charlady who cheerfully cleans the houses of the rich. One day, when tidying Lady Dant's wardrobe, she comes across the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life - a Dior dress. In all the years of her drab and humble existence, she's never seen anything as magical as the dress before her and she's never wanted anything as much before. Determined to make her dream come true, Mrs Harris scrimps, saves and slaves away until one day, after three long, uncomplaining years, she finally has enough money to go to Paris. When she arrives at the House of Dior, Mrs Harris has little idea of how her life is about to be turned upside down and how many other lives she will transform forever. Always kind, always cheery and always winsome, the indomitable Mrs Harris takes Paris by storm and learns one of life's greatest lessons along the way.Trade ReviewMrs Harris is one of the great creations of fiction - so real that you feel you know her, yet truly magical as well. I can never have enough of her -- JUSTINE PICARDIEIt is almost impossible not to succumb to Gallico's spell * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *'Wherever she goes Mrs. Harris seems to sprinkle fairy dust over those she meets. YET she's very realistically drawn and the book is fraught with painful setbacks ... In the end Mrs. Harris' yearning for the dress is secondary. The friendships that are made because of her quest are what change her life forever. This book was a delight from start to finish' * Worthwhilebooks.blogspot *‘A heartwarming, engaging novelette' * Bookmark *
£8.54
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Ghost Lover: The electrifying short story
Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author of Three Women and Animal comes an electric masterclass in short fiction 'Fearless . . . This summer's must-read literary thriller' EVENING STANDARD 'Showcases Taddeo’s dark imagination, confronting prose and vodka-dry humour' RED ---------------- Behind anonymous screens, an army of cool and beautiful girls manage the dating service Ghost Lover, a forwarding system for text messages that promises to spare you the anguish of trying to stay composed while communicating with your crush. At a star-studded political fundraiser in a Los Angeles mansion, a trio of women compete to win the heart of the slick guest of honour. In a tense hospital waiting room, an inseparable pair of hard-partying friends crash into life’s responsibilities, but the magic of their glory days comes alive again at the moment they least expect it. In these nine riveting stories, Lisa Taddeo brings to life the fever of obsession, the blindness of love and the mania of grief. Featuring Taddeo’s arresting prose that continues to thrill her legions of fans, Ghost Lover dares you to look away. ---------------- PRAISE FOR LISA TADDEO: 'One of my favourite writers of all time' DUA LIPA ‘A pre-eminent channeller of women's interior lives’ FINANCIAL TIMES 'A brilliant writer, and a storyteller possessed of almost supernatural humanity' ELIZABETH GILBERTTrade ReviewFearless . . . This summer’s must-read literary thriller. The writer’s skilful depiction of female rage amid a world of predatory men will have you laughing, crying . . . and unable to put it down * Evening Standard *Showcases Taddeo’s dark imagination, confronting prose and vodka-dry humour . . . Taddeo is at her best when she’s writing about female friendship, with all its fraught nuances * Red *Taddeo can deliver turns of phrase so perfect, they feel like they’ve been on the tip of your tongue for ever . . . When it comes to describing some of femininity’s ugliest double binds, Taddeo is as brutal as the best of them. She is funny, too * i *Explores female desire and sexual power dynamics in a collection of stories that often feel shockingly true . . . Some readers will feel a shock of recognition – Taddeo has a knack for saying what women often feel they can’t say aloud * Guardian *These nine stories from the bestselling author of Three Women and Animal simmer with poisonous energy . . . Candid and caustic, these portraits are bold, bleak and entirely believable * Daily Mail *Dizzying, dripping and highly addictive * Tatler *Devastating stories of women’s pain, loss and compensatory behaviour. Taddeo is the 21st century’s more excoriating Edna O’Brien * Spectator *I’d be jealous of Lisa Taddeo if I didn’t love her so damn much * Refinery 29 *
£8.54
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Woman from Uruguay
Book Synopsis'A searing tale of seduction and betrayal, both wryly comic and deeply serious' Sigrid Nunez, National Book Award-winning author of The Friend 'Intimate, irreverent, fast-paced and raw' Sunday Times Lucas Pereyra, an unemployed writer in his forties, embarks on a day trip from Buenos Aires to Montevideo to pick up a fifteen thousand dollar advance in cash. This small fortune might solve his problems, most importantly the unbearable tension in his marriage. While his wife spends her days at work and her nights out on the town – with a lover, perhaps – Lucas is stuck at home all day staring at the blank page, caring for his son Maiko and fantasizing about the one thing that keeps him going: the Uruguayan woman he recently met at a conference and who he longs to see on this trip. The Woman from Uruguay is the surprising and moving story of one transformative day in Lucas’ life. An international bestseller, it is the masterpiece of one of Latin America’s most beloved writers, translated by Man Booker International winner Jennifer Croft. 'At once a picaresque comedy and a penetrating study of a man on the verge of middle age' Colm ToibinTrade Review'This story of lust and middle-aged angst resonates long after the novel has ended ... Intimate, irreverent, fast-paced and raw ... Reminiscent of Geoff Dyer in elegiac mode, or the angry, funny, rueful work of Luke Brown ... A deeply unconventional love letter' * Sunday Times *The Woman from Uruguay is at once a picaresque comedy and a penetrating study of a man on the verge of middle age who is trying to deal with fatherhood, money, marriage and love. Lucas's vivid presence in this book is created by his rich way of observing the world. As he travels from Buenos Aires to Montevideo, over seventeen hours, a whole world comes into being, a complex sensibility gets dramatized -- Colm ToibinBeautifully written and translated, The Woman from Uruguay is a work of exquisite style, shrewd philosophical insight, and deftly controlled suspense. A searing tale of seduction and betrayal, both wryly comic and deeply serious. * Sigrid Nunez, author of THE FRIEND and WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH *The Woman from Uruguay is a gem; as perfectly formed as a tide-washed pebble, brimming with astute observations and insight into the foibles of masculinity. I loved it * Graeme Macrae Burnet *Shrewd, funny and involving .. Unfolding over the course of one day, this slim, witty and wryly heart-warming book is both a comic treat and a deftly insightful piece of literary fiction * Daunt, Books of the Week *A tender meditation on desire and the fragility of the human heart, translated elegantly by Man Booker International winner Jennifer Croft … [a] profound novel * Chicago Review of Books *A perfect novel. A triumph from beginning to end. The novel’s style, that carries the soft irony of a writer in command of his narrative voice, its extension, its verbal prowess, its impeccably paced rhythm and, of course, the theme: a marital crisis written from the perspective of an Argentine man in his mid forties who is facing an existential crisis. * El Pais (Spain) *[Pedro Mairal] displays his full talent in a wisely structured novel, outstanding in its narrative rhythm and in the twists and turns of the plot, where humor emerges at the same time a tragedy takes shape surrounding an enigma . . . A story about love and its imponderables. * Página 12 (Argentina) *Eminently readable ... Witty ... Mairal gives his character the gift of frankness, and in his uncomfortable admissions and meandering reflections, Lucas, too, comes to accept the limits of his agency and the ineluctable force of reality * Claie Messud, Harper's *I wasn’t able to put the book down. * María Dueñas *A perfect novel. * Edmundo Paz Soldan *A bittersweet meditation on love, desire and ageing ... A psychologically astute novella … Pitch-perfect * Guardian *Mairal shines a fresh light into the cave of being middle aged. Hidden inside a mountain of adult responsibilities, Mairal's narrator revolts in known ways, with infidelity and travel, and yet Mairel's acute insights and the lyrical precision of Jennifer Croft's translation, cast a new glow on the unexpected pleasures to be found in the middle of life. An absolute delight of a novel -- Idra Novey, author of Those Who KnewThe loss and recovery of desire, the ambition of everlasting adventures, the earthquake of becoming a father, the flight forward . . . all these things occur in a single day (. . .), interwoven in the brilliant prose of Pedro Mairal, one of the best Latin American writers of our time. * Leila Guerriero *
£8.54
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC They're Going to Love You: A captivating drama of
Book Synopsis'A luminous chronicle of betrayal, sacrifice and creative ambition' The Observer ‘Lush and enjoyable… a glossy, fast-paced family drama’ The Times 'My idea of a perfect book' Jami Attenberg ‘By the book’s close, readers will be clamouring for an extra curtain call’ Guardian Once a year, ballet-obsessed Carlisle Martin spends a few precious weeks with her father Robert and his partner James at their enchanted apartment in Greenwich Village. Time spent with them is impossibly glamorous, filled with art, dance, beauty, books, and grown-ups who take her seriously as they battle the AIDs crisis and Then, one summer, a devastating betrayal sees her exiled from their world. Now in her 40s, Carlisle has forged a successful career as a choreographer, and hasn’t seen Robert or James in nearly twenty years, when James calls to summon her to her dying father’s bedside… They're Going to Love You, with its masterfully revealed secret at its heart, asks what it takes to be an artist, and the price of forgiveness, of ambition, and of love. ‘In this finger-trap puzzle of a plot, the pull of the past meets the pressures of the present’ New York TimesTrade ReviewHowrey deftly jumps through decades and lives to write a taut, moving evocation of the love and hurt contained within families and the difficulty of forgiveness. * Mail on Sunday *Filled with painful and astute self-reflections … Howrey is also often very funny, a deeply felt (late) coming-of-age tale about purpose and love * The i Paper *Howrey’s prose invites readers to feel the emotion of each dance, beautifully translating physical and visual art onto the page. [Her] incisive character studies create a heart-wrenching story of love and loss. * Booklist *A poignant family story of alienation, regret, and desire. Howrey expertly builds tension, leading the reader to feel alongside Carlisle both the draw of ballet and her anxiety about her reunion with her father. It’s a breathtaking performance. * Publishers Weekly *They’re Going to Love You is a devastating and revealing look behind the scenes at the true cost of art—creating it, quitting it, making a life of it. Howrey's moving, taut prose has captured the sacredness and profanity of ballet, family, and of life itself. * Chloe Angyal, author of Turning Pointe *Howrey takes the purity of expression in dance and imbues it with all the messy subtleties of great writing to create something new and exquisite. An elegant and deeply affecting tale. * Steven Rowley, author of The Guncle *Howrey goes back and forth between Carlisle’s present and her past…landing, like a flawless jeté, on the side of pitch-perfect poignancy. Howrey, a former dancer who joined the Joffrey Ballet when she was just a teenager, writes as movingly about the world of dance as any living author. Even better is her incisive and effortless writing about relationships—between parent and child, between queer lovers—in all their complex mess and beauty. ‘Agony is ordinary,’ thinks Carlisle—this novel is anything but. * Kirkus *Swift and sinewy and intense—like the ballet dancers who populate it. It’s about vocation, longing, and complicated family love, and it’s guaranteed to make you weep. * Maile Meloy *A gripping, deftly constructed drama. * The Bookseller *‘In this finger-trap puzzle of a plot, the pull of the past meets the pressures of the present’ * New York Times *They’re Going to Love You is my idea of a perfect book. It is about art, life, death, love, and family and it is beautifully and sharply written. I cried several times while reading it, and was sorry to let it go when I was done. I cannot recommend it enough. * Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins *A stirring coming-of-age tale. Howrey’s writing is precise and eloquent, like finely tuned ballet, but above all, this soul-stirring novel is about love, loyalty and one’s lifelong relationship to art. * The Seattle Times *‘Lush and enjoyable… a glossy, fast-paced family drama’ * The Times *Rooted in authenticity, nuance, and honesty…. By addressing issues like lack of recognition and pay for choreographers, the lack of female choreographers in ballet, and ballet’s body biases, Howrey not only weaves a poignant story, she makes a statement about the way things are and the ways things need to change. * Fjord Review *Reading this potent novel, I kept thinking of the Elvis Costello quote: ‘Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.’ In much the same way, dramatizing the dance world is no easy feat, and Meg Howrey has stuck the landing. They’re Going to Love You is a portrait of passion and beauty at its most electric and unflinching. You’re going to love this book. * Lauren Mechling, author of How Could She *A deeply beautiful book. A lot of writers dream of achieving something like this novel, where art and life and love all seem to be addressed in a way we haven’t read before. Writing about dance and making it feel present, alive, and important must be among the trickiest of writerly skills! Meg Howrey choreographs fragile wisdom, passing time, parents and children and lovers and regrets and ambition elegantly and movingly. * Arthur Phillips, author of The Tragedy of Arthur *A luminous chronicle of betrayal, sacrifice and creative ambition * The Observer *Muscular and graceful in equal measure, They’re Going to Love You, like the best fiction, contains everything on every page—a new story, constantly surprising, that in its specificity touches the universal line by line. Howrey’s writing is remarkable, and this novel is a soaring achievement and a total success. * Lacy Crawford, author of Notes on a Silencing *As elegant, refined and layered as the best of ballets, this novel is a luminous, immersive reading experience. I was fully transported into a world of beauty, rigour, aesthetic and personal challenges. Compelling and captivating, I was unable to put it down. * Lisa Harding, author of Bright Burning Things *I adored They’re Going to Love You so much that a part of me is convinced that Meg Howrey wrote it for me, specifically. This is such a gorgeous novel about being an artist in the modern world, the sacrifices we make and the people we hurt. When I hit the last page, I didn’t want to let these characters go—I adored every word. * Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books *'Howrey is a stylish writer, sometimes funny and sometimes touching... Lose yourself in the dance' * The Times *‘By the book’s close, readers will be clamouring for an extra curtain call’ * Guardian *
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Kite Runner
Book SynopsisTHE SPECIAL 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ‘Devastating’ Daily Telegraph ‘Heartbreaking’ The Times ‘Unforgettable’ Isabel Allende ‘Haunting’ Independent Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.
£17.00
Pan Macmillan Witness
Book SynopsisDark and gritty, Witness is a heart-pounding thriller set in Manchester by bestselling author Mandasue Heller.Teenager Holly Evans and her over-protective mother, Josie, are living a hand-to-mouth existence, moving constantly from one squalid dump to the next. When they move into an illegally sub-let council flat in Manchester, Holly feels settled for the first time in her life – even if she is forbidden to go out, or even open the front door when her mum’s at work. What exactly are they hiding from?Then Holly has a falling out with her best friend, and suddenly finds herself becoming increasingly isolated and alone in the world. But she is about to make a new friend in Suzie – the glamorous woman who lives directly across the road, who Holly witnesses being beaten up by her violent boyfriend.But whoever Holly and Josie have been running from is about to find them, and nothing will ever be the same again.You can only run for so long. And some will kill for your silence . . .'Heller doesn’t mince words, her gritty plots create a Manchester underworld to rival Martina Cole’s raw and rough East End' – Peterborough Evening TelegraphTrade ReviewCaptivating from first page to last -- Jeffery Deaver, author of the Lincoln Rhyme series, on Lost AngelMandasue has played a real blinder with this fantastic novel -- Martina Cole, author of Loyalty, on Forget Me NotHeller doesn’t mince words, her gritty plots create a Manchester underworld to rival Martina Cole’s raw and rough East End * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Kololo Hill
Book Synopsis'A novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still resonates' - Irish TimesUganda, 1972. A devastating decree is issued: all Ugandan Asians must leave the country in ninety days. They must take only what they can carry, give up their money and never return.For Asha and Pran, married a matter of months, it means abandoning the family business that Pran has worked so hard to save. For his mother, Jaya, it means saying goodbye to the house that has been her home for decades. But violence is escalating in Kampala, and people are disappearing. Will they all make it to safety in Britain and will they be given refuge if they do?And all the while, a terrible secret about the expulsion hangs over them, threatening to tear the family apart.From the green hilltops of Kampala, to the terraced houses of London, Neema Shah’s extraordinarily moving debut Kololo Hill explores what it means to leave your home behind, what it takes to start again, and the lengths some will go to protect their loved ones.‘[An] incredible debut’ - StylistTrade ReviewAn impressive, confident debut about family and survival, against the backdrop of a history that is not written about often enough. -- Nikesh ShuklaDevastatingly beautiful . . . every sentence is a revelation. -- Nikita Gill, author of The Girl and the GoddessShah is excellent on the theme of home . . . an absorbing storyteller. * Daily Mail *This is a novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still resonates. * Irish Times *Shah explores the chaos and fear of ordinary people’s lives during Amin’s rule, weaving personal stories of love and betrayal into heightening tension and violence . . . nail-biting. * Independent *Utterly heartbreaking and so moving . . . a thoughtful reflection on what home and belonging mean. -- Haleh Agar, author of Out of TouchA moving portrayal of a family uprooted from a life they have worked so hard for. At times devastating, I found myself gripped to this story rooted in our history yet scarily still relevant. -- Louise Hare, author of This Lovely CityKololo Hill offers a glimpse into a terrifying and fascinating period of history. Neema Shah evokes Amin’s Uganda and early 1970s suburban England with both nuance and a fresh and wonderful vivacity. This is a book with a huge amount of heart; I was entirely captured by the stories of Asha, Jaya and Vijay. Their dreams and dilemmas resonate with many of today’s key questions around culture, identity and the places – and people – we can each call ‘home’. -- Joanne Sefton, author of The Guilty FriendA searing, timely, and beautifully written tale of displacement, the meaning of home, and developing identity across generations. I loved it. -- Stephanie Scott, author of What’s Left Of Me Is Yours
£8.54
Pan Macmillan Things to Come and Go
Book Synopsis‘Reminiscent of Edna O’Brien, with shades too of Jean Rhys.’ – The Irish TimesThings to Come and Go showcases the incomparable talent of Bette Howland in three novellas of stunning power, beauty, and sustaining humour.‘Birds of a Feather’ is a daughter’s story of her extended, first-generation family, the ‘big, brassy yak-yakking Abarbanels’. Esti, a merciless, astute observer, recalls growing up amid (the confusions and difficulties of) their history, quarrels, judgements, noisy love and inescapable bonds of blood.In ‘The Old Wheeze’ a single mother in her twenties returns to her sunless apartment after a date at the ballet. Shifting between four viewpoints – the young woman, the older professor who took her out, her son, and her son’s babysitter – the story masterfully captures the impossibility of liberating ourselves from the self.In ‘The Life You Gave Me’, a woman at the midpoint of life is called to her father’s sickbed. A lament for all that is forever unsaid and unsayable, the story is ‘an anguished meditation on growing up, growing old and being left behind, a complaint against time.’ (The New York Times)First published in 1984, Things to Come and Go, Bette Howland’s final book, is a collection of haunting urgency about arrivals and departures, and the private, insoluble dramas in the lives of three women.With an introduction by Rumaan Alam, bestselling author of Leave the World Behind.Trade ReviewHowland's striking prose breathes life into the everyday, the domestic world sung with a lyrical note . . . reminiscent of Edna O'Brien, with shades too of Jea Rhys. -- Sarah Gilmartin * Irish Times *Beneath the bright patter and eye-catching descriptions, each story has sadness at its core . . . a flood of energetic storytelling. -- Marion Winik * Washington Post *A writer of unusual talent, power and intelligence . . . A vigorous, original voice, an incisive mind and an uncompromised lyrical vision . . . Stunning power and beauty abound in this book; it is a trove of lyric riches. -- Johanna Kaplan * New York Times *The three novellas that constitute Things to Come and Go feel, at moments, like thinly disguised autobiography. With her flexible stance toward reality, her eye for the amusing, curious minutiae of existence, and her tonal range . . . Howland recalls the short-story writer Lucia Berlin. -- Abigail Deutsch * Harper's Magazine *There is being seen, and then there is seeing. There is no seeing like Bette Howland's. On every page, catching the narrator's every glance, are observations rich in detail and delight—honest, acerbic, alert, and always dazzling in their inventiveness and wry, hard-edged wisdom. -- Amitava KumarOne of the significant writers of her generation -- Saul BellowThere’s no more interesting tale of neglect and rediscovery than that of Bette Howland. -- Lucy Scholes * Paris Review *[Howland's] rhythmic sentences and striving characters resonate as much today as they did when first written in the 1970s and early 80s . . . one of American literature’s rising stars. -- Sarah Hughes * iNews *Howland’s great theme is the shared ache of human existence, a commonality that sometimes unites us, but more often divides and isolates. She captures this paradoxical push-pull between the longing and the resistance to connect -- Diane Cole * New York Jewish Week *
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Eden
Book Synopsis‘No one is better . . . Eden sees Crace at the top of his game’ - TelegraphTrouble has come to the garden. Its inhabitants live an eternal and unblemished life, tending to the bountiful fields, orchards and lakes, and serving their angelic masters. But now one of the gardeners has escaped, breaching the walls and making her way into the world beyond; a land of poverty, sickness and death - as well as liberty. The angels know there are those who would go to the ends of the earth to find her. Perhaps another fall is coming . . .‘Vivid and poetic . . . Crace writes with great flair and inimitable imagination’ - Financial Times‘Since announcing his retirement in 2013, Jim Crace has had more comebacks than Kanye West, something for which we should all be thankful’ - SpectatorTrade ReviewNo one is better at lending imaginative life to archetypes like this; he remains one of the most pleasurable stylists alive . . . [Eden] sees him at the top of his game * Telegraph *One of our most original and inventive novelists * Observer *A fabulist, an open heart, an imagination in full flight . . . Crace is, quite simply, one of the great writers of our time -- Colum McCann, author of ApeirogonCrace's world-building is rigorous - he blends his talents as a fabulist with his love of writing about a natural world * Financial Times *Exquisite . . . Much of the book's pleasure lies in the sheer vigour with which he conveys the physicality of its ethereal elements * Daily Mail *Powerful . . . the world-buidling in eden is impressive . . . Acclaimed for his stylish writing, Crace does not disappoint in his new book. The rhythmic, limpid prose, the easy cadence, seem particularly well suited to depictions of paradise * Irish Times *Since announcing his retirement in 2013, Jim Crace has had more comebacks than Kanye West, something for which we should all be thankful * Spectator *Crace exults in the art of storytelling * Guardian *Jim Crace writes with great flair and inimitable imagination * Financial Times *
£9.49
Pan Macmillan The Women Could Fly
Book SynopsisMegan Giddings is the author of the novel Lakewood; a features editor at The Rumpus, a channel of the Los Angeles Review of Books; and a contributing editor at Boulevard. She is a recipient of a Barbara Deming memorial fund grant for feminist fiction. Her short stories have been published in Black Warrior Review, Gulf Coast, and The Iowa Review. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Indiana University. She lives in Michigan.Trade ReviewFor fans of Margaret Atwood * Elle Magazine *Thoughtful novel, written in a wry, magical realist tone reminiscent of Kelly Link and Carmen Maria Machado * Guardian *Megan Giddings's prose is brimming with wonder. The Women Could Fly is a candid appraisal of grief, inheritance, and the merits of unruliness. -- Raven Leilani, Bestselling author of LusterThis novel put me in the mind of the works of Margaret Atwood. An extraordinary concept * Platinum *The relationship at the heart of this novel — between Jo and her mercurial mother — is much closer to timeless. * The New York Times *Perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power. * Stylist *The Women Could Fly is an absolute triumph. Giddings conjures up a world that feels familiar, despite the increasingly creepy hints of dystopia. And along the way, she shows what the anti-witch crusaders really fear most: our ability to create a better world if we work together. * Washington Post *One of the most exhilarating and fulfilling books I've read in years. It's wildly imaginative, funny, deep, radical, and full of suspense. -- Jamie Attenberg, author of The MiddlesteinsProfound, daring, wondrous, and utterly original. A feminist dystopian epic . . . a hypnotic blend of enchantment and outrage. I could not love this novel more. -- Jessamine Chan, author of The School for Good MothersThis is a gem of a book about womanhood, lineage, and defiance. -- C Pam Zhang, author of How Much of These Hills Is GoldReading this book is like putting on an old winter coat and discovering a magical talisman in the pocket: it’s full of warmth, comfort, and a whole new world of possibility. -- Adrienne Celt, author of End of the World HouseThe Women Could Fly recalls legendary works of dystopian fiction but casts a spell all its own. -- Alexandra Kleeman, author of Something New Under the SunMegan Giddings has a knack for taking her readers on a wild, suspenseful and thrilling ride. With descriptive setting and peculiar character development, I'm sure this novel is about to give us Dune meets The Salem Witch Trials realness. * Buzzfeed *A book with echoes of Octavia Butler and Shirley Jackson. * Electric Lit *Megan Giddings is a young writer to watch. * Kirkus Reviews *Buzzes with hot-button issues * Daily Mail *
£9.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Sisterhood
Book Synopsis‘Frightening and timely, Bradley’s The Sisterhood is the book everyone should read this year. If you thought it ended with Orwell, think again . . .' CHRISTINA DALCHERVox meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this feminist reimagining of 1984 In Oceania, whoever you are, Big Brother is always watching you and trust is a luxury that no one has. Julia is the seemingly perfect example of what women in Oceania should be: dutiful, useful, subservient, meek. But Julia hides a secret. A secret that would lead to her death if it is discovered. For Julia is part of the underground movement called The Sisterhood, whose main goal is to find members of The Brotherhood, the anti-Party vigilante group, and help them to overthrow Big Brother. Only then can everyone be truly free. When Julia thinks she’s found a potential member of The Brotherhood, it seems like their goal might finTrade Review'Though set in a dystopian world replete with endless horrors, The Sisterhood ultimately tackles a much more universal story, that of a woman on a quest to seek identity and purpose in a society which denies her access to both. Where any passion beyond the all-encompassing authority of Big Brother is forbidden, much love simmers beneath the surface of Katherine Bradley's fast-paced and suspenseful work. The Sisterhood's greatest gift, however, may be in its message of hope, capable of surmounting even the most formidable of odds and the most uncertain of futures' KATHERINE J. CHEN, author of Joan 'A gut-wrenching, heart-breaking journey through the looking glass of 1984. Compulsively written, Julia’s is a story begging to be told' FREYA BERRY, author of The Dictator's Wife '1984’s Julia gets the spotlight in this reimagining of Orwell’s classic, where she presents as a dutiful Outer Party member, but is working with a small band of rebel women. A heart-pounding look into a secondary character’s legacy' Grazia 'A compelling tale of love and sacrifice, a worthy companion to the original novel' My Weekly 'Sinister, chilling and heart-breaking, it’s a worthy successor to Orwell’s dystopian classic, allowing readers to explore a new version of Julia’s story' Culturefly 'A dazzling retelling of the classic dystopian novel, which raises profound questions about how society works, and whether or not woman have political agency. I found it memorable, deeply moving, and at times, terrifying' KATE RHODES, author of the Ben Kitto series 'Katherine Bradley has delivered a worthy counterpart to George Orwell's 1984 in this chilling, taut book. It's as claustrophobic as it needs to be; particularly frightening as one looks around and sees that we are voluntarily moving towards Orwell's nightmare. It is nothing short of a triumph' MARA TIMON, author of City of Spies ‘In this highly original take on Orwell’s 1984 – the Big Brother of all dystopian classics – Bradley weaves a complex and engaging plot around the idea of a female resistance to oppressive overlords. Oppressive and creepy, but with real heart’ A. K. TURNER, author of the Cassie Raven series
£15.29
Headline Publishing Group Psalms For The End Of The World
Book Synopsis'Ingenious and compelling' THE TIMES, BOOKS OF THE MONTH 'Mind-bendingly clever and utterly gripping' DAILY MAIL It's 1962 and physics student Grace Pulansky believes she has met the man of her dreams, Robert Jones, while serving up slices of pecan pie at the local diner. But then the FBI shows up, with their fedoras and off-the-rack business suits, and accuses him of being a bomb-planting mass-murderer. Finding herself on the run with Jones across America's Southwest, the discoveries awaiting Gracie will undermine everything she knows about the universe. Her story will reveal how scores of lives - an identity-swapping rock star, a mourning lover in ancient China, Nazi hunters in pursuit of a terrible secret, a crazed artist in pre-revolutionary France, an astronaut struggling with a turbulent interplanetary future, and many more - are interconnected across space and time by love, grief, and quantum entanglement. SpanninTrade ReviewMind-bendingly clever and utterly gripping * DAILY MAIL *Ingenious and compelling * THE TIMES, BOOKS OF THE MONTH *A fascinating and assured debut * THE GUARDIAN *A book designed to be more than the sum of its parts, and one that achieves that because love is the thing that binds it together. Vitally fresh. * DOMINIC NOLAN *With strong echoes of David Mitchell, Haruki Murakami or Emily St John Mandel...this is a madcap ride to somewhere new with thrills to spare and a gallery of truly fascinating characters. One for the ages. * CRIME TIME *A trans-dimensional, kaleidoscopic mystery-box of a novel.... wholly and riotously original. Haddon is a mad scientist of genre and his epic is a tour de force -- PETER HO DAVIES
£10.44
Headline Publishing Group The Birdcage Library
Book SynopsisDear Reader, the man I love is trying to kill me...A diary hidden. A crime buried. A secret to be freed...A spellbinding tale of secrets, entrapment and obsession from the author of the BBC2 Between the Covers pick The Dictator''s Wife.''A delicious page-turning mystery within a mystery'' LIZ HYDER''A twisty treasure hunt of a novel... Utterly beguiling'' LIZZIE POOK ''It glistens with a hint of the danger that lurks within'' CHARLOTTE PHILBY''Claustrophobic and clever storytelling'' JANE SHEMILT_________1932. Emily Blackwood, a young adventuress and plant hunter, travels north for a curious new commission. A gentleman has written to request she catalogue his vast collection of taxidermied creatures before sale.On arrival, Emily finds a ruined castle, its owner haunted by the memory of a woman who disappeared fivTrade ReviewA brave adventuress, a looming castle and an entire menagerie of the wild and exotic - this is a gothic, gorgeous and vividly atmospheric novel, an immersive literary page-turner to be swept up in -- Ellery Lloyd
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Monogamy
Book Synopsis‘Penetrating, intelligent, humane, funny too ... Smart and powerfully alive’ Tessa Hadley ‘Superb’ Daily Mail ‘A poignant page-turner, delving deep into our most intimate relationships’ Evening Standard Annie is the great love of Graham’s life. Here they are in late middle-age, the photographer and the bookseller, so mismatched and yet so well-matched. Theirs is a happy marriage of nearly thirty years – and even the happiest of marriages, Graham tells himself, have their secrets. Then the unthinkable happens, and suddenly Annie is alone, stumbling in the dark. How much can we ever know the people who love us? ‘With what exquisite truth Sue Miller writes … I was completely wrapped up in the beautifully, and often so tenderly observed rollercoaster of grief. An invaluably moving book’ Juliet Nicolson 'It's absolutely wonderful - detailed, precise emotions that Miller gets down in such a tender moving way ... Devasting. Brilliant' Claire FullerTrade ReviewIt was such a pleasure to read the work of someone so talented at the very peak of their powers - it is elegant, assured, captivating and devastating, and it’s one of the most emotionally truthful novels I have ever read. Annie filled my head and my heart - this book will stay with me forever -- Daisy BuchananSue Miller’s engrossing novel is infused with generosity and the complicated kind of love readers will recognize from real life * New York Times, 100 Notable Books of 2020 *Miller writes with tremendous subtlety and perception * Daily Mail *With humour and humanity, Miller crafts a revelatory tale of the complexities – and the absurdities – of love, infidelity, and grief * O, The Oprah Magazine *Subtle, luxurious pleasure. Bliss -- Cressida ConnollyPenetrating, intelligent, humane, funny too ... Smart and powerfully alive -- Tessa HadleySo many books are written about the early days of marriage but few authors capture what it is to see it through to the bitter end ... One to read first for the story and then to re-read at leisure and marvel at how real these people feel -- Erin KellyOh my goodness with what exquisite truth Sue Miller writes. The intimacies and doubts and emotion-swerving relationship that IS marriage, that emotional snakes and ladders, tamed during the day but unleashed in the middle of the night ,were skewered with such perfect insight. I was completely wrapped up in the beautifully, and often so tenderly observed rollercoaster of grief. An invaluably moving book -- Juliet NicolsonMiller is concerned with deeper mysteries of human motivation … A writer with an uncanny compass for the contrary * Sunday Telegraph *Miller’s thoughtful, searching prose fills in all the background details, and her vivid characters are utterly believable. Brilliant * The Times *An eloquent chronicler of the complexities of ordinary relationships, whose informal language belies the depths of her insights … Miller nails the contradictory emotions and desires that are responsible for people so often bypassing the seemingly easy road to happiness * Independent *Miller writes with grace and poise, crafting an examination of love and loss that is both understated and emotionally charged * Guardian *Full of Ms. Miller’s signature intelligence about people caught between moral responsibility and a hunger for self-realisation * New York Times *Sue Miller's writing, while never showy, builds an honest, elegant world around the reader -- Sadie JonesFiction so rich, so thoughtful, so absorbing that reading it is like experiencing the passage in our own lives * Los Angeles Times *Sue Miller's beautifully written novel is a rich and captivating account of love, grief and the emotional ebb and flow of a marriage that endures for decades -- Jane Shilling * Daily Mail *Why have I only just heard of Sue Miller? At least now I have her seven previous novels to go and read ... It's absolutely wonderful - detailed, precise emotions that Miller gets down in such a tender moving way ... Devastating. Brilliant -- Claire Fuller
£8.54
Pan Macmillan How I Won A Nobel Prize
Book SynopsisJulius Taranto's writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Chronicle of Higher Education, and phoebe. He attended Yale Law School and Pomona College. He lives in New York.Trade ReviewTaranto’s hilarious, provocative debut novel, is at once bracingly contemporary and reassuringly familiar . . . The novel’s peculiar genius lies in how you’re never entirely sure where Taranto’s sympathies lie. * The Times *A punchy and very funny campus novel which manages to satirise the culture wars without ever making too clear which side of the cancel-culture v anti-woke divide the author stands on * Nicola Sturgeon *A hit, a very palpable hit * The Spectator *Outstanding * The Wall Street Journal *Razor sharp . . . bracingly clever . . . a viciously funny page-turner with plenty of surprises up its sleeve * Vogue *A gleefully irreverent satire of so-called cancel culture, virtue signaling, and early-21st-century hypocrisy. * The Atlantic *Witty and provocative . . . Taranto understands the appeal of bad-man geniuses, and he understands their dangers, too. -- Vox, 'Best Books of 2023'Very funny. Very good -- B.J. NovakWith How I Won A Nobel Prize Julius Taranto achieves the near-impossible: a literary comedy about cancel culture that is neither priggish nor self-satisfiedly transgressive, less about culture wars than the neverending battle of being human. A novel of ideas in the tradition of Norman Rush's Mating, How I Won A Nobel Prize is one of the best new novels I've read in years. -- Tara Isabella Burton, author of Social CreatureA wildly original debut . . . Can a high-powered male lawyer write a propulsive, smart, funny novel about science, cancel culture, and #MeToo with a female protagonist? Absolutely. It’s exactly what Julius Taranto has done in his debut, How I Won A Nobel Prize. * Publishers Weekly *A high-wire act, balancing savvy political satire with brilliant character development and prose that sings and guffaws with nuance * Shelf Awareness *Julius Taranto does an incredible job crafting an ambitious and nuanced narrative abut "cancel culture" that'll keep you laughing from start to finish. * Coveteur *
£15.29
