Contemporary Fiction Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisClea's in trouble, and the only thing that will save her life is a leap of faith. But leaping is risky, when you have no place to land. They come from different worlds, yet when fate draws them together, it seems that they hold the keys to each other's destinies. Landing after the jump turns out to be easy. It's the stuff they had planned to leave behind that causes the problems - unrequited love, obsession - and a big, fat secret. This short, fast paced novel will have you hooked from beginning to end.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA whistleblower nervously drops in to share his suspicion about a senior colleague''s involvement in espionage with Jeevnathan, head of the security division of the Agency, India''s External Intelligence Service. An inquiry is promptly launched and Ravi, the suspect is placed under an elaborate regime of surveillance. The investigation subsequently throws up a huge amount of evidence, showing the suspect stealing sensitive data. As panic sets in, investigators acrimoniously debate whether to allow the suspect to walk free or physically force him to own up his crime

Read more less

Book SynopsisDon’t miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+!  NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“A fine legacy series . . .  in the spirit of her late father, Tony.”—Booklist An ancient mystery resurfaces with ramifications for the present day in this gripping chapter in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series from New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman.Sergeant Jim Chee’s vacation to beautiful Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell has a deeper purpose. He’s on a quest to unravel a sacred mystery his mentor, the Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, stumbled across decades earlier. Chee’s journey takes a deadly turn when, after a prayerful visit to the sacred Rainbow Bridge, he spots a body floating in the lake. The dead man, a Navajo with a passion for the canyon’s ancient rock art, lived a life filled with many secrets. Discovering why he died and who was responsible involves Chee in an investigation that puts his own life at risk. Back in Shiprock, Officer Bernadette Manuelito is driving home when she witnesses an expensive sedan purposely kill a hitchhiker. The search to find the killer leads her to uncover a dangerous chain of interconnected revelations involving a Navajo Nation cannabis enterprise. But the evil that is unleashed jeopardizes her mother and sister Darleen, and puts Bernie in the deadliest situation of her law enforcement career. 

Read more less

Book SynopsisJun’ichirō Tanizaki is one of the most prominent Japanese writers of the twentieth century. This book presents three powerful stories of family from the first decade of Tanizaki’s career. Written in different genres, they are united by a focus on mothers and sons and a concern for Japan’s traditional culture in the face of Westernization.Trade ReviewThough Tanizaki was prolific, by now most of his major works have found their way into English. That there are still delights to be uncovered, however, is confirmed by the arrival of Longing and Other Stories . . . the stories are satisfying in themselves and additionally pleasing for their hints of an emergent mastery. -- Brad Leithauser * Wall Street Journal *Tanizaki enthralls with sharp, human(e) observations. -- Terry Hong * Booklist *A kind of master class in voice . . . The world of literature is much richer now that Longing and Other Stories is available for English readers. -- Marissa Moss * New York Journal of Books *This is a beautiful and immaculate Japanese short story collection from one of Japan’s greatest writers. -- Willow Heath * Books and Bao *A fine and nicely varied little sampler of Tanizaki's early writing. -- M.A. Orthofer * Complete Review *These three early works by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki explore family bonds—the mother-son relationship in particular—using different angles and styles: dreamy and lyrical, painfully realistic, tragically fraught. In stories rendered with elegant precision by the veterans Anthony H. Chambers and Paul McCarthy, Tanizaki masterfully probes the complexities of the human heart. -- Juliet Winters Carpenter, translator of Minae Mizumura’s An I-NovelAmong the most original and insightful novelists of twentieth-century world literature, Tanizaki creates richly idiosyncratic characters embodying the paradoxes of modern life. As deftly translated by veteran Tanizaki specialists Chambers and McCarthy, his short fiction will fascinate and delight readers. -- Keiichiro Hirano, award-winning author of A ManChambers and McCarthy capture well distinctly different voices in these early Tanizaki stories exploring three modes of storytelling. Lyrical dream-memory, naturalistic fictionalized self-revelation, and ironic commentary on conventional social morality presage the author’s later writing. The afterword draws on the translators’ deep knowledge of Tanizaki’s work to enhance our understanding. -- Phyllis Lyons, translator of Tanizaki’s In Black and White: A NovelVivid yet hazy, nostalgic and soothing yet disturbing, Tanizaki’s tale of longing for the mother is made available in this beautiful translation, together with two other strikingly different “mother” narratives. This book expands and enriches the Tanizaki corpus in English. -- Tomoko Aoyama, author of Reading Food in Modern Japanese LiteratureIn all of these three very different stories we hear Tanizaki’s distinctive voice and enjoy the products of his overwrought imagination. This translation is a valuable addition to the canon. -- Lesley Downer * Times Literary Supplement *There’s a tremendous sense of loss shared by all three of the stories collected in this volume, with regret lurking close behind. Whether focusing on a dreamer wandering through a mythic landscape or a man becoming acutely aware of his own flaws, Tanizaki creates characters whose psychologies resonate and whose flaws are engaging. -- Tobias Carroll * Words Without Borders *A brilliantly efficient introduction to [Tanizaki’s] work. -- Anna Hollingsworth * Shiny New Books *Longing and Other Stories provides not only three thematically-linked stories to the canon, the afterword also adds an excellent resource of accessible scholarship and close-reading. -- Alison Fincher * Asian Review of Books *Such brilliant storytelling . . . Tanizaki’s luminous and lucid prose forces the reader into an existential dilemma faced by the author and his characters, one of children torn between the old world and the new. -- Ella Kelleher * Asia Media International *A heady accomplishment . . . Longing and Other Stories blends artful translation, gorgeous prose, and round, imperfect human people that are truly terrifying. -- Caren Gussoff Sumption * Locus Magazine *Tanizaki was a master of different styles and voices, a skill in evident display in these new translations by Anthony H. Chambers and Paul McCarthy . . . this short collection really runs the gamut of mother-son relationships, allowing these disparate stories to achieve something close to unity of theme. Authors often return to the same topic over the course of their careers but few have the breadth of talent to take such fresh approaches each time. -- Iain Maloney * Japan Times *The translators … have rendered the English seamlessly. Moreover, by taking all three stories from early in the author’s career, they give us a valuable window on to his development. They also showcase his inventiveness in tackling entirely different modes of narrative. -- Mark Robinson * Mekong Review *This is literature for the soul at its finest. * Asia Media International *Table of Contents1. Longing2. Sorrows of a Heretic3. The Story of an Unhappy MotherTranslators’ AfterwordAcknowledgments

Read more less

Book SynopsisShe was a daughter, a wife, a mother. She was my friend. But what secrets did Eloise take to her grave? Compulsively-readable and haunting, this is the debut novel from Book Club champion, Judy Finnigan.Trade ReviewAtmospheric, creepy and original, Judy has written a blinder of a first novel * Sun *Exudes a deep and soulful sense of place. Romantic and rain-lashed, du Maurier's Cornwall haunts the pages of Eloise as powerfully as the spirit of the elusive heroine herself. A stirring and intriguing read * Louise Candlish *Judy Finnigan's gripping début novel captures the mystery and menace of Cornwall in glorious gothic style * Liz Fenwick *Highly readable, incredibly moving in parts, and with wonderful echoes of Daphne Du Maurier, Eloise had me turning pages late into the night * Dorothy Koomson *A moving meditation on grief, family bonds, motherhood and female friendship * Sunday Express *A haunting, pacy page-turner, with a real ghostly feel - a must read * Fabulous Magazine *Impressive debut * Woman & Home *A great first book from the Queen of the Book Club * Essentials *A creepy ghost story . . . the real star of the book is Judy's beloved Cornwall - a wild beautiful backdrop to the tale that is almost a character in itself * Bella *[Eloise] has a life of its own thanks to Finnigan's lack of pretension, light touch and obvious passion for the Cornish landscape, which is so lovingly described it's almost a character in its own right. A warm and promising debut * Daily Mail *Having run a wildly successful book club, championing new fiction, it was perhaps inevitable that Judy Finnigan should turn her hand to novel-writing. Eloise has nods to Daphne du Maurier and Emily Brontë in its vividly evoked Cornwall setting and story of a woman haunted in her dreams by the best friend who died of cancer. No vanity project this, Judy deserves to be taken seriously as a writer of thoughtful, descriptive fiction * Choice *Haunting thriller * Cornwall Today *An assured first novel * Choice magazine *An absorbing, thought-provoking tale of family skeletons, betrayal and the enduring spirit of friendship * Good Book Guide *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Charming and endearing . . . a moving story about the past and the shadow it forever leaves on the present''Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love''Sublime . . . A fantastic debut from a promising new literary voice''Nick Bradley, author of Four Seasons in JapanDelhi, 1997: It is India''s fiftieth year of independence, the year of Hindu nationalists and atomic bombs. But twelve-year-old Adi has a bigger problem: his Ma has gone missing - again. Left with an ailing grandmother, a raging father and no answers, he finds an unlikely ally: a talking vulture who reveals itself to be a bureaucrat from the ''Department of Historical Adjustment''. The Department holds Adi''s family files, which will take him on a journey through time and memory, through fifty years of India''s history, uncovering the darkest secrets of his Ma''s past. But first, he must unlock them by facing his greatest fearTrade ReviewCharming and endearing . . . There's a lyricism to A.P. Firdaus's writing, and I admire how he blends a touch of lightness with the book's heavier exploration of partition, loss and family tragedy to create a moving story about the past and the shadow it forever leaves on the present -- Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We LoveSublime. A wonderful book that employs playful and magical elements in order to explore the past's hold over the present. A fantastic debut from a promising new literary voice. -- Nick Bradley, author of Four Seasons in Japan

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Russian uses his machine pistol like a scythe. Feldwebel remains standing for a fraction of a second. The rain of bullets pours into him, making him twitch violently. He falls to the floor. The Russian grins. There is no doubt that he is enjoying himself. Sven Hassel and his comrades are ordered to take O.G.P.U. Prison in any way they can, even if it means killing the Russians with their bare hands. Armed with flame-throwers and heavy artillery, the 27th Penal Regiment plan their attack.O.G.P.U. PRISON is one of Sven Hassel's most compulsively readable novels, full of battle scenes, written in the gritty style that Hassel is renowned for.Trade ReviewIn essence this is an expose of the absurdity of war, and a moving plea for peace. As such, it takes its rank with far milder books, such as ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT - NEWSDAYHassel's books of war are the most powerful I have ever readThe story shudders from page to page while the devoted friends live precariously from year to year, until only the one survivor is left to write this book. And a gripping book it is - CHICAGO SUNDAY TRIBUNE

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis hilarious collection of short stories from the award-winning humorist Simon Rich includes the story that inspired the Seth Rogen comedy An American Pickle. Having skewered the problems of falling in and out of love in The Last Girlfriend on Earth, Simon Rich's next book is another subject we can all relate to: parents and their kids. From the perils of raising an actual monster in Manhattan - it's pretty hard to find teachers who really understand the talents of a five-year-old with horns and a taste for blood - to Sell Out, the story of Simon's ancestor, returned to life decades after an industrial accident involving pickling brine, these stories are inventive, witty and sometimes a bit too much like real life.Trade ReviewSimon Rich is outrageously, lavishly gifted -- Caitlin MoranRich is seriously funny * GQ *Arguably the wittiest American humourist of his generation * Guardian *A James Thurber for our times, in Borges' suit, wearing Flann O'Brien's hat -- Ian McMillan * BBC Radio 3 The Verb *I lolled - how fabulously funny [on Twitter] -- Lauren LaverneSimon Rich is a comedic shape shifter, adopting the plights of hamsters and hipsters alike, and Spoiled Brats is vividly hilarious in the way Woody Allen and Donald Barthelme are vividly hilarious. Simon Rich is also much taller in real life than you'd think. Like the reverse of an actor. -- Sloane Crosley, author of I Was Told There’d Be Cake and How Did You Get This NumberI can't recommend any Simon Rich book - especially this one - highly enough. From the hyper-competitive rituals of Scrabble players to the laments of a grieving, widowed hamster in an elementary school classroom, each story in Spoiled Brats opens with a brilliant comedic perspective that only gets funnier, more fascinating, more surprising, and more insightful from there. First-rate comedy with a heartbeat, this is one of my favorite books from one of my favorite authors. -- B.J. Novak, author of One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories and star of "The Office"Simon Rich is the funniest writer alive -- Matt Haig * Twitter *If you don't yet know about Simon Rich, you just got lucky. If you do, you'll need no encouragement from me to get hold of his latest collection of short stories ... His sheer invention is captivating. Rich has a wonderful way of making a familiar situation strange and then presenting it in deceptively simple language, within a perfectly lucid, concise structure ... Genius ... He is a Thurber, even a Wodehouse, for today. Who could ask for more? You can give his books to people and just watch them laugh. Only after you've snorted through them yourself, though. -- David Sexton * Evening Standard *I discovered myself reading Spoiled Brats with a broad grin, only interrupted with an equally broad laugh ... A mix of gentle surrealism and smiley satire, the stories are bright, witty and occasionally tart. -- Sam Kitchener * Sunday Telegraph *Simon Rich...is in the 'Blazing Saddles' phase of his writing career... as hilarious a portrait as you'll find of the self-involved, easily outraged, post-post-post-ironic world into which we've dumped the next generation. -- Patton Oswalt * New York Times Book Review *Simon Rich is very much laugh-out-loud funny. He can conjure authentic, from-the-abdomen laughter on almost every page. He stacks surrealism on top of slick satire on top of pure childish silliness in such a brilliant and condensed way, there are sometimes three laugh-out-loud moments within the same paragraph ... He is exactly the right kind of writer for the internet: funny, high-concept, accessible, short, sharable, a James Thurber for the Twitter age ... this collection of stories isn't simply the funniest book of the year. It might just make us think about the spoiled brats we've become. -- Matt Haig * Guardian *Spoiled Brats reads like Kafka with jokes...It bounces from the ridiculous to the sublime: every page bursts with a new gag or three, but despite its seemingly bright, zingy, occasionally (and deservedly) tart tone, you'll be struck by a tender humanity, and like the best satire, a deep sense of morality. -- Sunil Badami * Sydney Morning Herald *The American novelist and screenwriter Simon Rich writes the kind of humorous books you dearly wish that editors on this side of the Atlantic would be more frequently brave enough to commission: loose, chaotic collections of essays, united by the vaguest of themes (in this case, children who are thoroughly oblivious to just how good life in the 21st century is for them) whose point, above all, is to raise as many laughs as possible ... Spoiled Brats cements Rich's reputation as a James Thurber for the iPhone generation. Best of all are two essays where the 30-year-old Rich pokes fun at his own privileged upbringing: one narrated by the neglected hamster at his prep school, another where his ancestor, a pickle-factory worker, wakes up in the modern world, having been preserved in brine, and proceeds to illustrate just how trifling Rich's (and by extension 21st-century New York's) day-to-day problems are. This is the work of a joyous, untrammelled imagination, with a level of self-awareness beyond its years. -- Tom Cox * Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fourth original novel tying into the critically acclaimed and much-missed Firefly series from creator Joss Whedon. On an Outer Rim moon, Captain Malcolm Reynolds ends a card game the lucky winner of an old map covered in mysterious symbols. The former owner insists it's worthless; back on Serenity, River Tam is able to interpret it. River claims the map points the way to one of the Arks: legendary generation ships that brought humans from Earth-That-Was to the 'Verse. The salvage potential alone is staggering. As the crew approach the aged floating ship, they find it isn't quite as dead as it first seemed. The closer they get, the more agitated River becomes. She claims something is waiting on board, something powerful, and very angry...

Read more less

Book SynopsisNAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2018 BY Buzzfeed • Esquire • Bustle • The Millions • The Wall Street Journal • Entertainment Weekly • Nylon • Elle • Dazed • The Irish Times 'Cassara has written a heartbreaking tale of gay men struggling to survive in a world of clubbing and drugs. It is also an unexpected love story.' Graham Norton, Top Five Reads of 2018 'Cassaras’s propulsive and profound first novel, finding one’s home in the world – particularly in a subculture plagued by fear and intolerance from society – comes with tragedy as well as extraordinary personal freedom.' Esquire A gritty and gorgeous debut inspired by the real House of Xtravaganza made famous by the seminal documentary Paris Is Burning New York City, 1980 Nowhere is the city's glamour and energy better reflected than in the burgeoning Harlem dance scene. Angel Just seventeen years old and burnt by her traumatic past, she wants to create a family for those without. Hector When Angel falls in love with him, the two decide to set up the House of Xtravaganza, the first ever all-Latino house on the dance circuit. The Xtravaganzas They are joined by Venus, Juanito and Daniel, all with their own devastating stories to tell, each determined to survive. Told in a voice that brims with wit, rage, tenderness, and fierce yearning, The House of Impossible Beauties is a gritty and gorgeous debut - a tragic story of love, family, and the dynamism of the human spirit.Trade Review'Cassara has written a heartbreaking tale of gay men struggling to survive in a world of clubbing and drugs. It is also an unexpected love story.' -- Graham Norton * Top Five Reads of 2018 *‘The House of Impossible Beauties tells of a search not only for respect but, above all, love in a time and place that seeks to starve its characters of both… From these threads of fact and myth, Cassara runs up a fictional ensemble that craftily stitches glamour and grit.’ * Financial Times *‘Vivid and engaging... The novel feels like an anthropological plunge into another era, enhanced by rhythmic, urban prose littered with slang and Spanglish.’ * The Economist *‘Vibrant… The House of Impossible Beauties is especially strong at detailing the sadness of queer life… This is not a bleak novel, however – far from it. The scenes of love and support between the characters have a kindness that more than matches the sadness, and the dialogue, peppered with early 80s disco or TV references and “Spanglais” dialect, is frequently hilarious… [offering] a convincing insight into the world in which they lived.’ * Guardian *‘Cassara’s “beauties” actually does the impossible. It cuts bone deep into a scene that’s all surface, mines the grit that produces glitter, and finds burning life in this lost generation of beautiful and damned. The novel strikes a flame the way a character strikes a pose – equal parts attitude, intelligence and eyeliner.’ * Marlon James, Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings *‘My favourite book of this year is a fictional imagining of the back stories of the House of Xtravaganza, the subject of Jenny Livingston’s peerless voguing documentary, Paris Is Burning.’ * Paul Flynn, Evening Standard *‘Vividly imagined... Riveted by their stories, you are so struck by the Xtravaganza’s strength and determination, by their vibrant spirits and humour, by their creativity, by their sensitivity to beauty and their capacity to give and receive love.’ * New York Times Book Review *‘Gritty, fiercely impressive... Joseph Cassara has written a lithe, fiery and incredibly authentic story. A future queer classic.’ * Attitude *‘Fabulous...a grand, beautiful tale of art, love and the human spirit.’ * Elle *‘A vibrant and dynamic debut novel.’ * Cosmopolitan Magazine *‘Cassaras’s propulsive and profound first novel, finding one’s home in the world – particularly in a subculture plagued by fear and intolerance from society – comes with tragedy as well as extraordinary personal freedom.’ * Esquire *'A heartbreaking yet uplifting account of one of the most culturally influential yet oppressed groups in modern history.' * Shakespeare & Co Book of the Year *‘A must for fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race, this novel is inspired by the characters who inhabited the dizzying world we first saw in Paris Is Burning, the 1990 documentary.’ * Metro *‘This is a definitive LGBTQ family story, of the sweep and intimacy that’s typical in family sagas while also steeped in the trauma and sass specific to its milieu.’ * Entertainment Weekly *‘A heartbreaking novel that burns brightly.’ * Buzzfeed *‘A marvelously serious, deep, artful, humane read… There’s so much downright gorgeous prose here.’ * Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tinkers *‘Fierce, tender, and heartbreaking.’ * Kirkus *'A fascinating slice of history that looks at a world driven and created by trans women, when those voices have so often been written out of the story.' * Press Association *‘Cassara has done a superb job of reimagining a world that will be foreign and even exotic to many readers, while creating fully developed characters to populate it. The tone is singularly apposite... A compassionate story, which is altogether moving and unforgettable.’ * Booklist *‘Passionate...empathetic and vibrant.’ * Entertainment Weekly *‘An exceptional first novel... The writing is erotically luscious, lyrically intense, forthrightly in your face, and pitch-perfect in the dialog.’ * Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal starred review *‘Cassara writes of a community that glitters in the face of an ugly world. Joy and loss clutch hands in The House of Impossible Beauties. It is a tragic book, a lyrical book, a defiant book, and ultimately a loving book. The heroines and heroes hold fast to love and Cassara clearly has deep love for every character who struts across these pages.’ * Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like You *‘A beautiful and often painful combination of glitter and grit in 1980s New York. I've never read anything like it.’ * Lily’s New Year Reads, London Review Bookshop *‘It’s impossible to not feel utterly transported, to feel the hum of the music in your cells, to vibrate with the energy of the time and place, with all its attendant exhilarating highs and devastating lows.’ * Nylon Magazine *‘Some debut novels are much anticipated... Others seem to come out of nowhere. Who knew Joseph Cassara’s The House of Impossible Beauties would be that good... Either way, debut novels are always a surprise, and therein lies their power.’ * PW First—And Foremost *'...when I need to be transported far away from the here and now, I'll turn to Joseph Cassara's vivid The House of Impossible Beauties, a beautiful and heartbreaking book set in 1980s New York.' * Dazed *'Inspired by the real House of Xtravaganza, made famous by the documentary Paris is Burning, Cassara's novel is a tragic story of love, family, and the dynamism of the human spirit.' * Manchester Evening News *‘Intimate and dazzling…a novel full of desire and suspense and heartbreak.’ * Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy *'Underneath the grime and glitter, The House of Impossible Beauties is quietly about necessity and defiance, about love and death, about characters who ache to be alive and seen in a world that mirrors back nothing but rejection and violence.' * Nami Mun, author of Miles From Nowhere *‘In Joseph Cassara's powerful story about the scene in New York in the 1980s, it is full of vivid characters and wonderfully authentic dialogue that reminded me of the period I spent working in the city during that time. For me, it was especially gratifying to see how important Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey -- those two giants of American Contemporary Dance -- feature in the life of the fabulous Xtravaganzas.’ * Stuart Hopps, choreographer *‘Brilliant! So evocative, so moving, and unfortunately still so current, given all the PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) and chemsex discussions at the moment.’ * Tristan Barber, Consultant Physician (Sexual Health/HIV), Chelsea and Westminster Hospital *

Read more less

Book SynopsisKate Fordham fled to Spain to start a new life. Amid the sunlit streets of Granada and the earthly paradise of the Alhambra's gardens, towers and courtyards, she's left her past far behind. But fate is about to bring her face-to-face with her greatest fear. Five centuries ago, a message was hidden in the Alhambra's walls. There it has lain, undisturbed by the tides of history – the fall of Granada, the expulsion of its last Sultan – until Kate discovers it. Born of love in a time of desperation and danger, Kate's discovery will be the catalyst that changes her life.Trade ReviewA wonderful blend of the past and the present day making an unputdownable, beautifully written novel -- Katie FfordeJohnson's research is evident here – the twists and turns of Momo's attempts to hang on to his sultanate are compelling. Blessings' tormented love is beautifully written, as is the atmosphere of 15th-century Spain... Page-turning stuff' * The Times *Loyalty and treachery are examined mercilessly as the twin stories unfold. There is history here, examined from a fresh perspective, and humanity injected into a tale that perhaps the reader only knew as names and dates and places. An excellent reminder that weighty events can pivot on the actions of a few determined souls. Highly recommended -- Robin HobbTo so perfectly capture the complex, heady exoticism of the end of an empire, and weave it with such gripping love stories past and present is an astonishing storytelling feat. Beware. You'll read this in one sitting -- Muriel GrayJohnson follows two parallel threads – a double helix if you will, not so much intertwined as touching gently on each other – with points of connection as light yet poignant as a lover's kiss -- TO MunroThe descriptions are lush and detailed... A great personal, book group and definite holiday read!' * Nudge Book *One of my favourite books of the year * The Secret World of a Book Blogger *An enthralling and evocative tale of redemption, renewal and romance from an outstanding storyteller... Having discovered [Jane Johnson's] wonderful books, I shall not only devour her entire backlist, but also wait eagerly for the next magical tale from her talented pen!' * Bookish Jottings *A sensual and emotional delight from beginning to end -- Darcie Boleyn.A mesmerizing book, skillfully weaving together two stories seven centuries apart... A tour de force of writing skill, with the two disparate stories intertwining in a complex tapestry' * My Merri Way. *The book shimmers with heat, beauty, of the palace and its gardens filled with fruit and flowers and fountains and colour and pattern. The scents of the streets are there too, and cooking, always cooking, from couscous to mint tea. This book is a feast for the mind -- Jackie MorrisIt is the dramatisation of the last desolate days of Moorish Spain which provides the heartbeat of the novel... Written with empathy and a flair for the dramatic' * Daily Mail *Johnson richly evokes the last days of what must have seemed an Eden on Earth, the Alhambra, and brings it alive in colour, scents and fountain waters... The most wonderful parts are those which take us within the walls of the Alhambra... we're given a sympathetic, atmospheric and elegant portrait of the Alhambra and its people' * For Winter Nights *Well worth your time and space in your holiday packing... Johnson has crafted a superior tale that grabs you from the off' * Boney Abroad *Solid gold brilliance... This is one of those few and far between novels which affect you on a visceral level so that whilst you may not find it life-changing, you will retain its message of hope, betrayal and redemption' * Breakaway Reviewers *Rich with the scents and sights of the Alhambra's gardens, towers and courtyards, this novel enchants as it moves between past and present * Sunday Express *If you enjoy exquisitely told, superbly researched, epic dual narratives with characters that remain in your mind after the last page is turned, read Court of Lions * Historical Novel Society *

Read more less

Book SynopsisJock McLeish, failed husband, lover and businessman is alone in a hotel room, drinking whisky, fantasising about sex and contemplating suicide. As he tries to distance himself from reality, his lonely, alcohol-fuelled fantasies are interrupted by a flood of memories, reminding him of his own shortcomings.An unforgettably imaginative book, deeply experimental in its form and charged with a dark humour, 1982, Janine is a searing portrait of male need and inadequacy. Gray's exploration of politics, religion, powerlessness and pornography has lost none of its power to shock and entertain.Trade ReviewPerhaps the finest artist/writer of his generation . . . Tumultuous, inventive, heart-rending . . . A landmark work -- WILL SELF1982, Janine has a verbal energy, an intensity of vision that has mostly been missing from the English novel since D.H. Lawrence . . . Gray is a natural storyteller and it is the wit and energy of his language that keep the rendering of Jock's lonely, wasted life from being unbearably depressing. The richness of this novel and the pleasures of its language and form are sufficient affirmation, a real message of hope * * New York Times * *Made me realise that contemporary fiction could still be a vivid and vital way of interpreting the world . . . 1982, Janine revived my flagging impetus to continue writing myself -- JONATHAN COEAlasdair Gray is that rather rare bird among contemporary British writers-a genuine experimentalist . . . The influence of James Joyce, and . . . Laurence Stern, is very evident, but Gray does not seem merely derivative from these masters. He is very much his own man -- DAVID LODGE1982, Janine is not pornography but a thoughtful and sad study of the human predicament; to be trapped in a world where the little man, woman or country will always be exploited by the big bullies * * Irish Independent * *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED: EBRD LITERATURE PRIZE 2022 “If you want to get inside the head of modern, young Russia, read Filipenko.”—SVETLANA ALEXIEVICH (Nobel Prize winner, 2015) A heart-wrenching novel exploring both personal and collective memory spanning Russian history from Stalin's terror to the present day. Tatiana Alexeyevna is 90 years old and she’s losing her memory. To find her way in her Soviet-era apartment block, she resorts to painting red crosses on the doors leading back to her apartment. But she still remembers the past in vivid detail. Alexander, a young man whose life has been brutally torn in two, would like nothing better than to forget the tragic events that have brought him to Minsk. When he moves into the flat next door to Tatiana’s, he’s cornered by the loquacious old lady. Reluctant at first, he’s soon drawn into Tatiana’s life story – one told urgently, before her memories of the Russian 20th century and its horrors are wiped out. The two forge an unlikely friendship, a pact against forgetting giving rise to a new sense of hope in the future. Deeply moving, with flashes of humour, Red Crosses is a shining narrative in the tradition of the great Russian novel.Trade Review“I enjoyed the book. I suppose the most interesting thing about it, for me, was to hear the voice of a young writer, from a generation who barely knew the Soviet times, and to see how he grapples with the subject.” * LA Review of Books *“Sasha Filipenko expertly links past and present, building a bridge between intimacy and otherness.” * Kurier (Vienna) *“A tour de force. A book full of sound and fury, but also greatness and gentleness.” * Le Figaro littéraire *“The urgency and misery of Tatiana’s story collides with the apathy of Alexander’s generation towards the past. The result is moving and profound.” * The Times *“The tender story of a 90-year-old woman recalling the horrors she and her fellow Soviets have endured.” * The Independent *“Tatiana Alexeyevna has had a long, hard life. So perhaps it’s just as well she’s losing her memory to Alzheimer’s. Fortunately we can discover her story of the hardships of twentieth century Russia before she goes. Torn from her young daughter and sent to the Gulag, it’s a painful account of state terror, but an important one.” * Annetology *"A moving meditation on memory, forgetfulness, and the thirst for connection." * Oprah Daily *“Tatiana Alexeyevna has had a long, hard life. So perhaps it’s just as well she’s losing her memory to Alzheimer’s. Fortunately we can discover her story of the hardships of twentieth century Russia before she goes. Torn from her young daughter and sent to the Gulag, it’s a painful account of state terror, but an important one.” * Annetology *“Red Crosses’ high point answers the question as to why those who suffer endure to the end. Like the red crosses strewn across the novel, memory is more a symbol than a set of facts.” * PopMatters *“As one would expect Red Crosses isn’t always a comfortable read. It lays bare the inhumanity with which innocent people were treated and how families were divided and destroyed. Knowing that decades later, in 2021, in some countries people are still being imprisoned for their beliefs makes for an harrowing realisation.” * West Words Reviews *“The main thrust of the novel is to show the horrors of the Soviet system.” * The Modern Novel *“A perfectly balanced work.” * Literary Flits *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'If you've ever felt like the only person in the world who isn't perfect . . . this is what you need to read' Daisy BuchananMeet Robin Wilde: mum, newly-appointed official girlfriend, make-up artist extraordinaire and general plate-spinning, life-juggling, balance-seeking badass. Or so she likes to think.Everything seems to be slotting into place, not just for Robin but for her close-knit little world of friends and family too. Yet despite all that, she still feels like she's blagging it.Although things seem pretty great on paper, cracks are beginning to show. Robin's best friend Lacey is struggling to bond with her baby, her Auntie Kath suddenly seems distant and her daughter Lyla is finding it hard to adapt to having a man in their lives. For once everybody is depending on Robin, but the pressure is mounting and she's starting to feel overwhelmed.So, when Robin's asked to go to the States for work, it seems like the getaway they all need. Look out New York, Robin and her girls are on their way! But will the city that never sleeps make or break them? *** This is what you've been saying about the Robin Wilde books:'Amazing''Had me gripped from start to end''I just loved it so much''So real, so relatable, so inspiring''Uplifting, touching and very true to life''Witty and heart-warming'Praise for the Robin Wilde books:'Warm, engaging . . . [Robin Wilde] is a chatty winning yet poignant heroine'SOPHIE KINSELLA'I fell in love with Robin and her family before the end of the first page . . . A fabulous mix of escapism and relatability, this is a hug of a book'DAISY BUCHANAN'Wonderfully written and full of humour. Funny, heartfelt, tender and empowering'GIOVANNA FLETCHER'Hilarious, moving and extremely well written'SUNDAY TIMES STYLE 'If it's great big belly laughs you're after, then meet Robin Wilde'FABULOUS MAGAZINECan't wait to read more from Louise Pentland? Look out for her new non-fiction book, MumLife: What Nobody Ever Tells You About Being A Mum. Search 9781788702928. Trade ReviewHilarious * My Weekly *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Touching, tender . . . filled with wonderful humour' Sarah Haywood'A very special book' Katie FfordeThe Sunday Times bestselling novel, perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Rosie Project.My name is Hope Nicely. Why am I writing this book? That's easy. This book is going to change my life.My boss, Karen, says a friend is a stranger you haven't met yet. I think that's right. Veronica Ptitsky and Danny Flynn are strangers, except I have met them now because they're in my writing class. Karen says friends always have your back. They don't mean your real back, of course. It's called an analogy. But I don't want any friends, actually (only dog ones). I have my mum, Jenny Nicely, who says adopting me was the best thing she ever did, even if my thoughts bounce a bit differently to other people's thoughts. She is proud of me for writing my book which will be a Big Achievement. I tell her that writing my story is going to change my life.Except when my life does change it isn't because of my writing but because something happens to my mum, Jenny Nicely, and she isn't here anymore. And, flip a pancake, this is not what I wanted. I'm not very good at being on my own and I wish she were here to tell me everything will be right as rain again soon. Maybe I do need some human friends after all . . . 'A gorgeous, funny, heartwarming read. Leaves you smiling' Ericka Walker, author of Dog DaysTrade ReviewHope Nicely's Lessons for Life is a sunburst of a story, full of love, kindness and one of the sweetest, most engaging central characters you're likely to meet. I was drawn in from the very first page by Caroline Day's sensitive portrayal of Hope Nicely's inner voice; as I followed Hope on her mission to make sense of the present, to uncover the past and to write her book, I found myself sharing in her triumphs and frustrations, her laughter and tears. It's a touching, tender story, but Hope Nicely's wonderful humour and delicious honesty mean that it's never sentimental. An absolute joy * Sarah Haywood bestselling author of The Cactus *I can't even find words to say how much I adore Hope Nicely's Lessons for Life! A heart-bursting book, full of tears, laughter and hope. Gorgeously written with an incredible protagonist and I cannot recommend it enough, it's FABULOUS * Jessica Ryn, author of The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside *How I wish Hope had been in my writing class. A gorgeous, funny, heartwarming read. Leaves you smiling * Ericka Waller, author of Dog Days *A very special book. Hope is extremely endearing and her rules for life relevant for us all. Really enjoyable * Katie Fforde *Hope is a bit different - she has Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and is on a mission to discover her birth Mum, who she hopes will answer the difficult questions of why she was abandoned as a baby. Her unique experience of the world will warm your heart with Hope's character and dialogue so well crafted by Day. A novel that reads as if Hope is sat with you. A book of acceptance, kindness and ultimately hope * My Weekly *I loved it! A sharply drawn character with beautiful soft edges who has lessons in her for all of us * Anstey Harris *A gorgeous, funny, heartwarming read. Leaves you smiling * Ericka Waller *This touching, uplifting debut novel oozes heart, and you'll fall in love with Hope, sharing in both her success and her sadness. * Daily Mirror *If you loved Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, this book is for you. * Sunday Mirror *Uplifting and touching, if you loved Eleanor Oliphant, this is for you. * Fabulous, The Sun on Sunday *This touching, big-hearted debut is funny, sensitive and has lessons for us all about optimism and perseverance * The Mail on Sunday *A gorgeous tale about love, acceptance, and living your best life no matter what * The Sun, PICK OF THE WEEK *A book full of hope, friendship and acceptance * Woman's Weekly *Captivated from the very first page! Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Hope's story will stay with you long after the final page * NFOP magazine *

Read more less

Book Synopsis40th anniversary edition'Probably the greatest novel of the century' ObserverLanark, a modern vision of hell set in the disintegrating cities of Unthank and Glasgow, tells the interwoven stories of Lanark and Duncan Thaw. A work of extraordinary imagination, its playful narrative conveys a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind's inability to love, and yet our compulsion to go on trying.First published in 1981, Lanark established Alasdair Gray as one of Britain's leading writers and kick-started the modern renaissance of Scottish literature.Trade ReviewProbably the greatest novel of the century . . . It marked the beginning of a new era * * Observer * *One of the landmarks of twentieth-century fiction . . . Lanark changed the landscape of Scottish fiction, opening up the imaginative territory inhabited today by writers such as A.L. Kennedy, James Kelman and Irvine Welsh * * Guardian * *One of the seminal works of Scottish literature, a book credited with kick-starting Scotland's literary renaissance * * Sunday Times * *At times exuberant, at times despairing, always vivid . . . Urban and wholly contemporary, yet suffused with the past . . . Lanark , in common with all great books, is still, and always will be, an act of resistance. It is part of the system of whispers and sedition and direct communion, one voice to another, we call literature -- Janice Galloway * * Guardian * *This extraordinary masterpiece . . . is profoundly perceptive about the ways in which our society is destroying itself. Yet it manages to be funny and is written in a beautifully lucid prose * * Times Literary Supplement * *I was absolutely knocked out by Lanark. I think it's the best in Scottish literature this century -- IAIN BANKSRemarkable . . . Lanark is a work of loving and vivid imagination, yielding copious riches -- William Boyd * * Times Literary Supplement * *It was time Scotland produced a shattering work of fiction in the modern idiom. This is it . . . [Gray is] the best Scottish novelist since Sir Walter Scott -- ANTHONY BURGESSFrom a lesser writer, stygian darkness and baroque structure might see off a mass audience and reduce a book to cult status. In Gray's hands, the simple, direct prose found him a wide readership * * The Times * *Lanark, the first novel and arguably the masterpiece of [Gray] gouges a dwelling place in your imagination and leaves it forever altered . . . Knocks the socks off almost everything written on this little island in the past fifty years . . . It increases the scope of fiction's possibilities * * Independent * *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIntroduced by Benjamin MyersIn the centre of a 1960s hospital ward sits a curtained-off bed, guarded by a policeman. In it lies a murderer, hidden from view and likely to die before he can be hanged for his crime. In the closed, regimented society of the ward, his invisible presence fractures and rebuilds the way the other patients see the world. In the face of someone who has shattered all social covenants, life can no longer continue according to the rules. Upturning conventions from morality to masculinity to class to prejudice, The Foot of Clive is a masterclass on humanity from the Booker Prize-winning author of G.Trade ReviewBerger's early novel puts on display all his painterly skill for description, his flair for metaphor and his powerful social conscience, through the stories and conversations of an ordinary hospital ward. If you admire Berger's later books it's a gem that will deepen your understanding of his work -- GAVIN FRANCISPraise for John Berger: John Berger seems to me peerless -- SUSAN SONTAGJohn Berger has made the world a better place to live in. I do not say this lightly -- ARUNDHATI ROY[He] reminds us of what most contemporary writing would have us forget, which is that great writers are distinguished, ultimately, by the quality of their humanity -- GEOFF DYERThere are a few authors that can change the way you look at the world through their writing and John Berger is one of them -- JARVIS COCKERPraise for A Fortunate Man: In 1967 A Fortunate Man marked the most significant step forward in the collaboration of a writer and photographer since Let us Now Praise Famous Men by Walker Evans and James Agee. Incredibly, it still does . . . A masterpiece -- GEOFF DYERIt's one of my favourite books in the world, an ongoing inspiration as to how books should be written (and photography used) -- ALAIN de BOTTONA genuine tour de force . . . The intimate portrait of one man and his microscopic world reveals the faults and strains of a whole society * * Observer * *I only wish I could do justice in a few words to the richness that makes this book so compelling * * Guardian * *A book about caring that will make you care, and a book about deep healing that may heal your soul. It is also, almost 50 years on, uncannily timely -- SIMON GARFIELD

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe trip of a lifetime turns into the perfect nightmare. THE PERFECT COUPLE is a gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Claire McGowan, Daniel Hurst, Hailey Smith, Shari Lapena and Shalini Boland.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Curious Enlightenment of Professor Caritat is a brilliant fictional journey through Western political philosophy by one of our most original thinkers. Professor Caritat, a middle-aged Candide, walks naively through the neighbouring countries of Utilitaria, Communitaria and Libertaria, in his quest to find the best of all possible worlds. Cut loose from the confines of his ivory tower, this wandering professor is made to confront the perplexed state of modern thinking in this dazzling comedy of ideas.Trade ReviewWritten in a beautifully clear style, full of a keen, serious wit ... Lukes achieves both lightness and weight in a way many novelists might envy. * Independent *This book is a box of delights, often wonderfully funny and always deliciously clever, a contemporary political satire to set among the best. * New Statesman *Steven Lukes's moral fable is in the tradition of tall travellers' tales from Swift and Voltaire to Lewis Carroll and Samuel Butler. * London Review of Books *Knock-out satirical humour. * Times Literary Supplement *Lukes manages to equal the pace and flair of Candide. * New York Times Book Review *Utterly magnetic. * Los Angeles Times Book Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the author of BETWEEN THE STOPS and TOKSVIG'S ALMANAC'Teasing out untold stories of the battlefield . . . follows the footsteps of the likes of Sarah Waters and Pat Barker' Independent London, 1897. A young girl, Valentine Grey, arrives in England. She's been brought up in the remote and sunny climes of India and finds being forced into corsets and skirts in damp and cold country insufferable. The only bright spot: her exciting cousin, Reggie. Reggie, and his lover Frank seek out the adventure the clandestine bars and streets of London offer and are happy to include Valentine in their secret, showing her theatre, gardens - even teaching her how to ride a bicycle. And then comes the Boer War and Reggie's father volunteers him; the empire must be defended. But it won't be Reggie who dons the Volunteer Regiment's garb. Valentine takes her chance, puts on her cousin's uniform, leaving Reggie behind and heads off to war. And for a long while it's glorious and liberating for both of the cousins, but war is not glorious and in Victorian London homosexuality is not liberating . . .Trade ReviewToksvig's warm characterisation drives the narrative, especially when set against her droll yet richly detailed evocation of an unedifying period of modern history . . . Toksvig's shining creation, Valentine Grey, [is] a courageous and captivating character . . . begging for a sequel -- Lucy Beresford * Sunday Telegraph *Teasing out untold stories of the battlefield and of gay history . . . follows in the footsteps of the likes of Sarah Waters and Pat Barker . . . Toksvig's seemingly effortless ability to entertain shines through -- Lucy Scholes * Independent *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAbandoned as an infant and of unknown parentage, Tom Jones is raised in the household of the irreproachable, altruistic Squire Allworthy. Growing up to be a high-spirited, lusty youth, Tom finds himself vulnerable to temptation in the form of a local wench, though his heart is ultimately claimed by the beautiful Sophia Western, the daughter of a neighbouring landowner. When Tom's amorous misadventures compel the squire to expel his young charge from his home, and when Sophia flees from her domineering and boisterous father to avoid an undesired union with the odious Master Blifil, a colourful, picaresque journey through eighteenthcentury England ensues, one punctuated by a parade of unforgettable Hogarthian grotesques and timeless comic set pieces.Characterized by both razor-sharp wit and broad, racy humour, and described by Coleridge as boasting one of the three most perfect plots ever planned, Tom Jones was an instant hit on its publication in 1749, and is widely consi

Read more less

Book SynopsisAnother glorious, escapist read from the bestselling author of The Little Teashop of Lost and Found Watch out for temptation in the Garden of Eden… Fran March's life in the idyllic village of St Ceridwen's Well is coming up roses. Almost. If only daughter Rosie – the result of an uncharacteristic one-night stand 18 years ago – wasn't so curious about her real father, and if only husband Mal spent less time on his hobbies, everything would be bliss. But then a face from the past turns Fran's world upside down. The handsome face of TV gardener Gabriel Weston, currently restoring the village's decrepit stately home. And when Fran's ex-boyfriend Tom appears on her doorstep, it seems that all the ghosts of Fran's romantic past are back to haunt her. Can Fran keep Rosie's paternity under wraps? Why is Mal acting so oddly? And will Fran ever learn that every rose has its thorns…? ‘Trisha Ashley writes with remarkable wit and originality – one of the best writers around!’ Katie Fforde, bestselling author of A Rose Petal Summer Trade ReviewPraise for Trisha Ashley ‘Full of comedy and wit.’ Closer ‘Trisha Ashley writes with remarkable wit and originality-one of the best writers around!’ Katie Fforde ‘Fresh and funny’ Woman’s Own

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe portrayal of Stephen Dedalus's Dublin childhood and youth, his quest for identity through art and his gradual emancipation from the claims of family, religion and Ireland itself, is also an oblique self-portrait of the young James Joyce and a universal testament to the artist's 'eternal imagination'.Joyce expertly encapsulates the development of individual consciousness and the role of the artist in society in what is considered one of his greatest works.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSantiago, Chile. The city is covered in ash. Three children of ex-militants are facing a past they can neither remember nor forget. Felipe sees dead bodies on every corner of the city, counting them up in an obsessive quest to square these figures with the official death toll. He is searching for the perfect zero, a life with no remainder. Iquela and Paloma, too, are searching for a way to live on. When the body of Paloma's mother is lost in transit, the three take a hearse and a bottle of pisco up the cordillera for a road trip with a difference.Intense, intelligent, and extraordinarily sensitive to the shape and weight of words, this remarkable debut presents a new way to count the cost of a pain that stretches across generations.Trade Review`The Remainder controls a remarkable range of registers (it is, by turns, lyrical, elegiac, sensual, funny, tragic) ... The author of The Remainder, like her characters, is obsessed with words, those `cracks in language' that house our particular ways of understanding things; thanks, among other things, to the meticulous, obsessive attention to detail of her language, this novel is sure to endure.' Edmundo Paz Soldan, author and professor of Latin American literature at Cornell University`A triumphant debut.' Antonio Skarmeta, El Mercurio ---- `The Remainder redefines the political novel ... The voices in The Remainder are some of the most powerful to have come out of Latin America in the last year.' Barbara Perez, `Granta en Espanol, 5 years later',Instrucciones de Uso ---- `A Chilean road trip reveals new ways to think about historical memory.' Alba Lara, Iowa Literaria ---- `A fundamental book about what it means to mourn the past, about the remainders of a history that refuses to be forgotten. This is the debut we all wish we had written. A spirited, brave, urgent book, capable of weaving the political and the poetic.' Carlos Fonseca ---- `One of the best publications of 2015.' Patricia Espinosa, Las Ultimas Noticias ---- `[a] darkly comic road trip ... [Trabucco-Zeran's] spring-heeled prose moves lightly from lyrical to demotic, bawdy to elegiac.' The Spectator ---- 'intelligent and immersive ... elegaic' TLS ---- 'In a notable translation by Sophie Hughes, Zeran's lyricism and eye for detail shine on the page ... There is plenty to commend in the book's intentions, and in its elegiac ambitions.' The Irish Times ---- `[The Remainder] tells us ... everything about what it is like to grow up in the shadow of other people's unhappiness.' The Big Issue ---- `Striking ... rendered with impressive fluidity.' Katie Da Cunha Lewin,The White Review ---- `[a] darkly comic road trip ... [Trabucco-Zeran's] spring-heeled prose moves lightly from lyrical to demotic, bawdy to elegiac.' The Spectator ---- 'intelligent and immersive ... elegaic' TLS ----'In a notable translation by Sophie Hughes, Zeran's lyricism and eye for detail shine on the page ... There is plenty to commend in the book's intentions, and in its elegiac ambitions.' The Irish Times ---- `[The Remainder] tells us ... everything about what it is like to grow up in the shadow of other people's unhappiness.' The Big Issue ---- `Sharp and colourful, contrasting well with her characters' furious attempts to come to terms with the past ... The Remainder is well translated, stimulating and grapples skilfully with a complex subject.' Michael Eaude, Literary Review----`Thanatofiction at its best and a debut that leaves the reader wanting more.' Kirkus Reviews

Read more less

Book SynopsisNorthern Britain, c. 300 BC. Former slave, indomitable survivor and now matriarch Rian returns with her daughters to her Celtic homeland. She navigates everything from plundered riches and feuding warlords to betrayals and menacing curses. But when a disaster befalls her older daughter mirroring the cruellest events in Rian's own past, Rian finds herself conflicted. A beautifully written, engrossing tale, The Lyre Dancers takes place in a richly imagined world that, despite its distance from our own times, is peopled with characters whose emotions and circumstances we relate to instantly. This is a powerful narrative that challenges our modern views of family, social roles and our place in the environment. Above all, the storytelling soars as grudges, peril and passions take their turn across the pages of this early Celtic saga.Trade Review"Convincing, provocative … evoked with lyrical detail … triumphantly draws together all the threads … while successfully eluding any simplistic resolution." Margaret Elphinstone, Northwords Now; “A beautifully woven conclusion to a fascinating trilogy of ancient adventures … Haggith has worked to extensive lengths to breathe life into an age that has long been forgotten … she approaches [the] story with eloquence that makes the reading itself an adventure of its own.” Charlie Ceats, Cultured Vultures; Praise for earlier work: "Beautifully written, this novel is a moving and at times, shocking confession of a man tormented by love, loss, guilt and regret, the author's meticulous research shines from every page." Editor's choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2019; "Haggith writes fluently and with the light of her research into this period leading her imagination there is a whole new experience for the reader ... There is much to enjoy and learn in this novel [which] has a universal resonance and draws parallels with modern life." Tony Michaels, The Wee Review; "A compelling tale of endeavour, bravery and human frailty ... The story is visceral and visual, crafted with a lyrical prose." Dundee Courier, Scottish Book of the Week; "Brave and fascinating ... asks questions about the nature of truth, perspective, and the power of the narrator to influence where readers' sympathies lie." Alistair Braidwood, Scots Whay Hae; "An epic tale of adventure, The Amber Seeker is a gem of historical fiction, written with elegant language and telling an emotional story of seeking knowledge in the name of glory." Cultured Vultures; "Exquisite ... The Iron Age landscape comes to life with a colourful brilliance and the long sea voyages are by turns magical and terrifying." Undiscovered Scotland; "Marries great storytelling and convincing research ... Haggith invites the reader to explore a strange world and far-distant time, and the voyage on which she takes the reader is always interesting, sometimes enthralling." Allan Massie, The Scotsman; "Haggith's woman's eye view of the Iron Age feels fresh and distinctive." Sunday Herald; "An ambitious and imaginative novel ... believable and compelling." Jane Bradley, Scotsman; "Vivid, memorable and utterly compelling." Helen Sedgwick; "A gripping, haunting, visceral novel... Lyrical and poetic prose, the author has created a convincing and entirely believable world... One of the best books I have read so far this year." Historical Novels Review (Editors' Choice); "An immersive evocation of ancient folklore and ritual, this novel's characterisation and fast pace make it a real page-turner which will keep you hooked." Scottish Field

Read more less

Book SynopsisAsle is an ageing painter and widower who lives alone on the southwest coast of Norway. In nearby Bjørgvin another Asle, also a painter, is lying in the hospital, consumed by alcoholism. Asle and Asle are doppelgängers – two versions of the same person, two versions of the same life, both grappling with existential questions. In this final instalment of Jon Fosse’s Septology, the major prose work by ‘the Beckett of the twenty-first century’ (Le Monde), we follow the lives of the two Asles as younger adults in flashbacks: the narrator meets his lifelong love, Ales; joins the Catholic Church; and makes a living by trying to paint away all the pictures stuck in his mind. A New Name: Septology VI-VII is a transcendent exploration of the human condition, and a radically other reading experience – incantatory, hypnotic, and utterly unique.Trade Review‘Fosse’s portrait of memory remarkably refuses. It will not be other than: indelible as paint, trivial as nail clippings, wound like damp string. This book reaches out of its frame like a hand.’ — Jesse Ball, author of Census‘Jon Fosse is a major European writer.’ — Karl Ove Knausgaard, author of My Struggle‘Fosse intuitively — and with great artistry — conveys ... a sense of wonder at the unfathomable miracle of life, even in its bleakest and loneliest moments. In this fine conclusion to Septology, the religious subtexts of the project’s companion pieces at last draw into focus. The link between Asle’s art and his faith finds subtle expression in the parallels between the haunting oil painting of two crossed lines, which the narrator contemplates at the beginning of each section, and the cross made with anointing oil as he is accepted into the Catholic faith.... As the final pages draw to their profound and breath-snatching close, Septology also attains that original ambition: it imbues the very enigma of life, which can seem at times so terrifyingly dark, with a light that is almost beatific.’ — Bryan Karetnyk, Financial Times‘The entire septet seems to take place in a state of limbo...Though Fosse has largely done away with punctuation altogether, opting instead for sudden line breaks, his dense, sinuous prose is never convoluted, and its effect is mesmerizing.’ — Johanna Elster Hanson, TLS

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Jewish woman has been having unnatural thoughts about the softness of another woman's skin. A feminist arranges to meet her online troll. A woman worries, under her duvet, whether she should sit content in a marriage that has turned comfortable...that is, until she falls in love with a tree... Short stories of midnight musings, of women itching to be heard and of delightful insanities.Trade Review"These eerie short stories themed around mental health, grief, and dysfunctional relationships are a strange delight to read. Victoria Richards' prose is artful, ethereal, and thrilling." - Golnoosh Nour; "If there is a better way to spend an evening than curled up on an armchair with this beautiful book, then I don't know about it and I don't want to. Richards is a master storyteller and a generous god - always tempting you further into the myriad worlds she creates. These are stories which demand to be read and then read again. They are stories which stay with you long after you've had to put the book down and get up from the chair. They are stories about love and womanhood and faith and loss and longing; about drowning and breathing; about being alive and what we can do about it." - Amelia Loulli, Poet

Read more less

Book SynopsisRosa, midway through life, is alone. Her husband passed away long ago, and her cosmopolitan daughter is already out the door, keen to marry and move to the city. At loose ends, Rosa decides to transplant herself to the flat, foggy Lombardy provinces from her native Naples and there finds a way to renew herself-by opening a restaurant, and in the process coming to a new appreciation of the myriad relationships possible between women, from friendship to caregiving to collaboration to emotional and physical love. Unconventional in style and yet rivetingly accessible, The Hunger of Women is a novel infused with the pleasures of the body and the little shocks of daily life. Made up of Rosa's observations, reflections, and recipes, it tracks her mental journey back to reconnect with her own embattled mother's age-old wisdom, forward to her daughter's inconceivable future, and laterally to the world of Rosa's new community of lovers and customers. A tribute not only to the tradition of women's writing on hearth and home but to the legacy of such boundary-breaking feminist writers as Gertrude Stein, Virginia Woolf, and Helene Cixous, The Hunger of Women is nothing less than a literary feast.Trade Review‘Exquisitely rendered in a poetic stream-of-consciousness that brims with lush descriptions of Rosa’s recipes, Castaldi’s novel is an ode to pleasure, culinary and otherwise. Stirring and vulnerable, this is not to be missed.’ Publishers Weekly, starred review ---- 'Rosa is sick with anxiety and abandonment . . . Not uncommon if you're a widow and have an elusive daughter. To fill the void [Rosa] begins to cook all sorts of dishes . . . Flavours meant to be handed down from mothers to daughters and which can be shared only with other women, grandiose in their fragility. The Neapolitan-Milanese Castaldi does not use punctuation, lets thought flow unchained, because life flows like water, and the search for one's identity, always painful, always exhausting, manifests even in our food, the passions in our mouths and hearts.' Rolling Stone (Italy) ---- 'Marosia Castaldi's project would seem to be precisely that of revealing the wealth that resides in a woman's domestic microcosm, and the wisdom and passions that can be read among the ingredients of her kitchen.' Lorenzo Licciardi, Roma Cultura ---- 'A hypnotic theatre of cruelty and tenderness in which the protagonist and narrator Rosa and her friends make vacuum cleaners buzz, exhibit the most lavish forms of desire, desire each other, and desperately, and above all make food, the food which is really the nourishment of the book itself, an obsession formalized here in something like a hundred recipes spread over just under two hundred pages.' Francesco Durante, Corriere del Mezzogiorno

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Anyone can see darkness. It takes courage to look for light.' Across the small town of Henford, families are preparing for the holiday season. A teacher, pulled in every direction by family and work, forms an unexpected friendship following a collision; a mother and daughter unexpectedly forced to stay with the in-laws open themselves to new family; a carer on New Year's Eve brings something more than her nursing skills when she visits the client no one wants to see. Meanwhile, in nearby Ashdown House, an elderly woman hopes to bring her family and community together as they never have been before. Told through a series of heart-warming and uplifting short stories, 'Winter Lights' explores the complexities, struggles and joys of everyday life, showing that light can still bloom even in the darkest places.Trade Review'Beautifully and sensitively written...This is a brilliant book, and made me fall in love with short stories again' -Anne Booth, author of 'Small Miracles'; 'Delightful and surprising... funny and sharp' -Fran Hill, author of 'Cuckoo in the Nest'; 'Beautifully observed, warm-hearted and generous' -Sarah Jane Butler

Read more less

Book SynopsisA young woman starts experiencing terrifying premonitions of people dying, as it becomes clear that a family curse known only as The Murmurs has begun, and a long-forgotten crime is about to be unearthed… ‘Malone is the master of twists, turns and the unexpected … a master of his craft’ Herald Scotland ‘A fine, atmospheric chiller couched in Malone’s customary elegant prose’ Douglas Skelton ‘A master storyteller at the very top of his game, Michael J. Malone weaves the most exquisite tale … mesmeric and suspenseful’ Marion Todd ________________ In the beginning there was fear. White-hot, nerve-shredding fear. Terrifying premonitions of deaths. And then they started…The Murmurs… On the first morning of her new job at Heartfield House, a care home for the elderly, Annie Jackson wakens from a terrifying dream. And when she arrives at the home, she knows that the first old man she meets is going to die. How she knows this is a terrifying mystery, but it is the start of horrifying premonitions … a rekindling of the curse that has trickled through generations of women in her family – a wicked gift known only as 'the murmurs'… With its reappearance comes an old, forgotten fear that is about to grip Annie Jackson. And this time, it will never let go… A compulsive gothic thriller and a spellbinding supernatural mystery about secrets and small communities, about faith, courage and self-preservation, The Murmurs is a startling and compulsive read from one of Scotland’s finest authors… ________________ ‘Poetic and beautifully crafted, this is a chilling and compelling read’ Caro Ramsay Praise for Michael J Malone 'Vivid, visceral and compulsive' Ian Rankin ‘A gothic ghost story and psychological thriller all rolled into one. Brilliantly creepy … a spine-tingling treat' Daily Record ‘Prepare to have your marrow well and truly chilled by this deeply creepy Scottish horror … A complex and multi-layered story' Sunday Mirror ‘A beautifully written tale, original, engrossing and scary… a dark joy' The Times 'A deeply satisfying read' Sunday Times 'A fine, page-turning thriller' Daily Mail ‘Unsettling, multi-layered and expertly paced’ CultureFly

Read more less

Book SynopsisMother doesn’t always know best in this atmospheric and twisty novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic series and Landry series—now popular Lifetime movies.When former teacher Paula Eden adopts Faith and Trevor, she is astounded by their natural intelligence and decides to homeschool them to nurture their brilliance. But as the years go on, Faith and Trevor itch for more independence. When Faith sets her sights on a handsome young man visiting from out of town, Paula grows increasingly desperate to preserve her small family and her plans for the children to carry on her legacy. Luckily, she has a cohort in loyal Trevor, who will do anything to please his mother, even at the risk of hurting his sister and potentially changing their lives forever.

Read more less

Book Synopsis**Josie Lloyd's heart-warming and joyful new novel, Lifesaving for Beginners, is available for pre-order now!*****Amazing, heartbreaking and inspiring' Jenny ColganA love letter to the power of friendship, honest and uplifting' Jill MansellA fiercely positive story, about the power of hope' Mike Gayle***Sometimes we need our friends to help us find our feetWhen Keira first receives her breast cancer diagnosis, she doesn't want to have to tell her family, or step back from work. She doesn't want to sit in a hospital, or be part of a group of fellow cancer patients. Cancer is not her club.But as she accepts that her health is no longer something she can rely on, Keira finds herself embracing running. And running in the company of a group of brilliant, funny women each going through treatment unexpectedly gives Keira the hope she needs.Because the C-word is not going to define Keira's identity. And with the Cancer Ladies' Running Club cheering her on, she's going to reclaim her life.One sTrade Review ‘Uplifting… an inspiring read’ Good Housekeeping ‘Extraordinary’ Metro ‘An amazing, heart-breaking, inspiring treat – read this book’ Jenny Colgan, Five Hundred Miles from You ‘You’ll fall in love with Keira and her running buddies’ The Sun, Pick of the Week ‘Hugely hopeful’ Yours 'An incredibly special book. I cried and laughed and fell in love with the characters, I learnt about love, humility, honesty, kindness and compassion, and to cherish every day’ Alex Brown, A Postcard from Paris ‘Heartfelt. A beautiful, uplifting story about the determination of women, female friendships and taking life’s toughest challenges one step at a time’ Woman’s Own ‘Heart-wrenching – you will need tissues – yet full of warmth, wit and joy. I was cheering on The Cancer Ladies' Running Club right to the finish line.’ Eve Chase, The Glass House ‘A moving and inspiring story’ Bella ‘This heartfelt story shows how friendship, kindness and the understanding of others can help us to face the toughest of times’ Candis ‘A moving and hearty story inundated with emotional heart and weight’ Magic Radio Book Club ‘Beautifully written with honesty, humour and fabulous characters – an inspiring story that’s not afraid to tell the truth’ Jessica Ryn, The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside ‘An honest, funny and emotional story’ My Weekly ‘This life-affirming book will make you weep – and jump for joy. A heart-warming story about bravery and compassion, friendship and family’ Freya North, The Turning Point ‘A beautiful story of deep friendship, brave, funny and uplifting to its core. I absolutely loved it’ Celia Anderson, 59 Memory Lane

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE WORLD''S FAVOURITE AUTHOR ONE BILLION COPIES SOLDThe ring sealed their fate for ever . . .In the turbulent days of Germany in the thirties, Kassandra von Gotthard met the man who would change her life: Dolff Sterne. She was the beautiful wife of a wealthy Berlin banker. He was a famous Jewish writer. Together they shared a love that happens only once in a lifetime. But theirs was a love fated to end in tragedy.The terrible day came when Dolff was wrenched from Kassandra''s arms by Nazi soldiers - leaving her heartbroken and humiliated. And Kassandra decided that her life was no longer worth living. All that she leaves for her descendents is her memory of pain and a diamond signet ring. A ring that will carry the destiny of the von Gotthards to new lives and new loves.An epic and romantic tale from one of the best-loved writers of all time. Perfect for fans of Penny Vincenzi, Lucinda Riley and Maeve BinchyPRAISE FOR DANIELLE STEEL:''Emotional and gripping . . . I was left in no doubt as to the reasons behind Steel''s multi-million sales around the world'' DAILY MAIL''Danielle Steel is undeniably an expert'' NEW YORK TIMES

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE RIOTOUSLY FUNNY NEW NOVEL FROM KING OF THE MODERN ROM-COM JUSTIN MYERS''Hugely entertaining'' VERONICA HENRY''Snappy, sharp, perceptive, and brim-full of wit and heart'' JULIE COHEN''Ferociously funny'' DAISY BUCHANANLeo''s content to be in the background, letting his louder, more charismatic best friends shine. For a thirty-something gay people pleaser it''s always been safer that way.But, suddenly, a gorgeous love interest from the past steps out of the wings, Leo''s pushed to his limits by his overenthusiastic new boss and - strangest of all - he begins to question whether the friends he loves so dearly have been holding him back.For the first time ever, the spotlight is on Leo. But a spotlight reveals everything. And now all the things Leo has hidden away in darkness are in full focus. If he''s to get everything he''s ever wanted, Leo will need to face his past, and the fu

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe captivating new historical novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Anne O'Brien, perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir.   England. 1469.   A fortunate marriage will change history. A scandal could destroy everything...  Margaret Paston, matriarch of the Paston family, knows that a favourable match for one of her unruly daughters is the only way to survive the loss of their recently acquired Caister Castle. But as the War of the Roses rages on, dangerous enemies will threaten even her best laid plans.  Margery Paston, her eldest daughter, has always strived to uphold the Paston name and do her mother proud. But when she loses her heart to a man below her station, she must make a terrible choice: will she betray her family and risk everything for a chance at true love?  Anne Haute, first cousin to the Queen, is embroiled in a longstanding betrothal to Trade ReviewAnne O'Brien gets right inside the heads of her medieval characters! * JOANNA HICKSON *A compelling tale of a family caught up in the turmoil of the Wars of the Roses . . . Be warned: it's dangerously addictive * TRACY BORMAN *A magnificently researched book, which brings the Paston family and the Wars of the Roses to life in an enthralling story of strong women and advantageous marriages * CLARE HOLLINGWORTH *

Read more less

Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION''Utterly absorbing, cleverly constructed and beautifully written'' The Times''Moving and exhilarating'' Spectator''Evokes the messiness and fragility of everyday life in the nineteenth century'' Daily MailAlmost two hundred years ago, Abraham, an illiterate urchin, scavenges on a Suffolk beach and dreams of running away to sea ... Naomi, a seventeen-year-old seamstress, imagines a new life in the big city ... George, a private soldier of the 50th Regiment of Food, marries his Irish bride, Annie, in the cathedral in Manchester and together they face married life under arms. Now these people exist only in the bare bones of registers and census lists but they were once real enough.Simon Mawer puts flesh on our ancestors'' bones to bring them to life and give them voice. There is birth and death; there is love, both open and legal but also hidden and illicit. Trade ReviewUtterly absorbing... so cleverly constructed and beautifully written * The Times *Moving and exhilarating * Spectator *Gripping... an intriguing blend of archival research and fictionalised accounts of the life histories of his own forebears... I won't forget these women whose DNA he is so proud of inheriting, or the voices he conjures for them... They were anything but ordinary * Financial Times *Mawer writes movingly about the privations of military life and the hardships endured by women in the Victorian era... His prose is measured and elegant * Sunday Times *Told with brio, the gutsy narrative evokes the messiness and fragility of everyday life in the nineteenth century... I was moved by Mawer's defense of storytelling as a vital tool of historical recovery * Daily Mail *An astonishing blend of historical fiction and imaginative non-fiction, Ancestry is a book that will stay with me forever... A beautiful, haunting and extremely moving testament to what men and women without means or agency must endure to keep their families together and what we owe - and can learn from them - in turn * Natalie Jenner *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LAST ORDERS AND MOTHERING SUNDAY, reissued for the first time in Scribner For forty years, Willy Chapman has struck a strange but steadfast bargain between the two poles of his life: his beautiful but emotionally damaged wife and the sweet shop he runs on a south London high street. Devoted to each, he has maintained a delicate, precarious balance. Now, on a hot summer’s day, he attempts to settle his final accounts and reach an understanding with a third, disruptive element in his reckoning: his angry, unforgiving daughter. Spanning five decades and intricately exploring a doomed family triangle, Graham Swift’s first novel already shows the historical scope combined with intense intimacy that will characterise his work.‘A marvellous first novel’ New Statesman‘Brilliantly chronicled’ The Spectator

Read more less

Book Synopsis''About half way through this beautiful, expertly-stitched novel, I thought to myself, Every woman needs to read this book; by the end, I thought, every human. Moving, thought-provoking and profound, it''s one of my favourite reads of the last few years'' Louise Candlish, author of Our HouseFifteen years ago, Kate walked out on her family. Moving across the world, from the suburbs of England to glamorous LA, she cut all ties to her former existence and started afresh. Her ex-husband Andrew was left to pick up the pieces, caring for their disabled daughter and angry, confused son. But Kate''s past has finally caught up with her. Now, she must return to the life she abandoned and reckon with what she did. Following a fractured family over a period of twenty years, This Could Be Us is an extraordinarily moving story of family, guilt, love and hope.''Brave, brilliantly structured, and beautifully written'' - Laura Barnett, author

Read more less

Book SynopsisSOON TO BE A MAJOR BBC ONE DRAMA'Vivid, cinematic and exciting' Red'Conjures a great picture of Soho's early-Sixties jazz-and-caffeine buzz' Emerald Street'Thought-provoking' Independent on SundayA TALE OF LOVE AND MORALITY SET IN THE DARK SIDE OF THE SWINGING SIXTIESSUMMER, 1962. Twenty-year-old Vivien Epstein, a Jewish hairdresser from Manchester, arrives in London following the death of her father. She has travelled to the city to make a new start, and quickly finds herself swept up in a city buzzing with life. Landing a job at Oscar's salon, she thrives amid the vibrant café culture of Soho and the warm camaraderie of the other hairdressers. But beneath the surface, Vivien is desperate to find Jack Fox, a man she had a brief but intense romance with some months before. Her search leads to confront the dark resurgence of fascism, countered by the Jewish community in street battles around Ridley Road in the East End of London. Amid the growing tensions, can her love survive? AN EXPLOSIVE, HEART-BREAKING NOVEL FOR FANS OF MAGGIE O'FARRELL AND ZOE HELLERReaders LOVE Ridley Road:'Enthralling and captivating' Mrs T.'I read it in one sitting' Rebecca'Did not want to put it down' Eva'Fantastic!' Mrs STrade ReviewBloom has uncovered an episode in London's history that deserves to be better known, and her research has thrown up some appalling events...the subject matter alone makes for a thought-provoking read -- Shirley Whiteside * THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *A vivid, cinematic and exciting debut * RED magazine 'Book of the Month' *Well-researched, convincingly evocative of an exciting era and covers events of which most people will have little awareness. It's also a timely warning against the dangers of the insidious rhetoric against people of a different race or nationality, which is rearing its ugly head again -- John Harding * DAILY MAIL *A stirring story of the darker side of the 60s -- Deidre O'Brien * SUNDAY MIRROR *The 62 Group were a real organisation, as were the two fascist groups mentioned in the novel. It's a little-known aspect of Britain's history and it brings a great deal of drama to Bloom's story, as well as social interest. These are unpleasant and shocking politics to explore, but they are handled well. At the lighter end of the social history scale, Ridley Road also conjures a great picture of Soho's early-Sixties jazz-and-caffeine buzz * EMERALD STREET *The tumultuous 1960s is the setting for Jo Bloom's insightful novel Ridley Road - an exploration into an important, interesting and crucial narrative in British history, the Jewish community and fascism that hasn't yet received due attention in fiction... Readers too are likely to have their eyes opened by this fascinating novel, which although fictitious, obviously takes inspiration from real contexts and situations. While the love story draws readers into the novel, it is the growing tension and drama of the political and social contexts that make this a really gripping read * WE LOVE THIS BOOK *This is a superb debut from Jo Bloom. Brilliantly researched, informative, shocking and extremely moving I can't recommend this novel enough * BookaholicConfessions.wordpress.com *The contrast between the innocence of Vivien and the hatred and evil of the fascists, combined with the strength of feeling and bravery of those who fought against it is startling and makes for compelling, and enlightening reading. Ridley Road contains an important story, very well told by an excellent author who writes so well. Her characters are rounded and well developed, the sense of place and era are very real and the plot is full of surprising and shocking twists and turns. A great novel, I enjoyed this one very much * Randomthingsthroughmyletterbox.blogspot.co.uk *An exploration of a fascinating slice of British history all wrapped up in a thriller and a love story. Bloom handles the tensions within her story well but what lifts her book above the crowd is its context. Her novel grew out of a lift given to an elderly man she'd met at a funeral she'd attended. Listening to her father and Monty talking about their memories of the 62 Group, she became fascinated by what they were saying, researching it for several years before writing Ridley Road. It's a tribute to Bloom's lightness of touch that her story is so absorbing -- Susan Osborne * alifeinbooks.co.uk *Bloom captures the vibrant '60s London scene brilliantly: the music, the clubs and the fashions... Bloom blends the facts with the fiction to create a fast-paced story which is part-romance and part-thriller * THE JEWISH CHRONICLE * Ridley Road is a really interesting and thought-provoking read. It is a work of fiction but it is inspired by true events - fascists really did try to make a comeback less than 20 years after the end of the Second World War. If you like books set in the sixties, this is definitely worth a look; there are a lot of novels set in London in this period, but Ridley Road felt like a story I hadn't come across before. I'll be looking out to see what Jo Bloom writes about next. * NOVELICIOUS *A tale of love and morality set in the dark side of the Swinging Sixties -- Lilly Cox * THE LADY *The novel presents a vivid portrait of London in 1962 ... this heartening picture of ordinary, bustling life acts as a foil to the dark seam of the National Social Movement's fascist activity, whose horrors are increasingly exposed throughout the novel ... a compelling, worthwhile read, as well as a fitting homage to the bravery of the 62 Group -- Natasha Blumenthal * JEWISH QUARTERLY *The many twist and turns made for a real page-turner and I found the book difficult to put down. * NEWBOOKS MAGAZINE *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen gay, pleasure-seeking Stefano Cartwright is almost killed by a wave while at the beach, his journey up a tunnel of light convinces him that God exists after all, and he may need to change his ways if he is not to end up in hell. When God happens to look down his celestial telescope and see Stefano, he is obliged to pay unprecedented attention to an obscure planet in a distant galaxy, and ends up on the greatest adventure of his multi-eon existence. The Hurtle of Hell combines a tender, human story of rejection and reconnection with an utterly original and often very funny theological thought-experiment, in an entrancing fable that is both mischievous and big-hearted.Trade Review`A clever and enchanting fable' - The Lady; `An interesting and funny theological thought-experiment' - Attitude; `This light-hearted thought experiment delves into the religious unknown and gives a voice to God that combines a human flair with hilarious detachment' - Buzz magazine; `Wonderful... frequently hilarious... a story which will both make you laugh and think' - NB magazine; `A warm-hearted narrative of redemption that's never judgemental but is inclusive, funny and undoubtedly heretical' - GScene

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen Mark Darling is fifteen years old, he is the golden boy, captain of the school football team, admired by all who know him. Until he kills his best friend in a freak accident. He spends the next decade drifting between the therapy couch and dead-end pursuits. Then along comes Sadie. A mender by nature, she tries her best to fix him, and has enough energy to carry them both through the next few years. One evening, Mark bumps into an old schoolfriend, Ruby. She saw the accident first hand. He is pulled towards her by a force stronger than logic: the universal need to reconcile one's childhood wounds. This is his chance to, once again, feel the enveloping warmth of unconditional love. But can he leave behind the woman who rescued him from the pit of despair, the wife he loves? His unborn child? This is a story about how childhood experience can profoundly impact how we behave as adults. It's a story about betrayal, infidelity and how we often blinker ourselves to see a version of the truth that is more palatable to us.Trade Review‘Eccentric…compelling...subtle… A dark, humorous novel, led by domestic scenes and keen observations, in which a troubled man’s crises have clear consequences’ - Foreword Reviews, ‘This gem of a book perfectly captures the complexity of an affair. Angela Jackson writes with precision, empathy and humour’ - Caroline Copeland, Outwith Festival

Read more less

Book SynopsisFOR FANS OF SHARON BOLTON AND PETER SWANSON COMES ANOTHER GRIPPING READ FROM THE AUTHOR OF EYES LIKE MINE. Nora Watts is being hunted . . . When Nora Watts is approached by a man claiming to know her late father, she is thrown into turmoil. Struggling with the imminent death, from cancer, of her friend and mentor Sebastian Crow, she is unprepared for the memories that this encounter brings back. What happened to her father that made him kill himself and abandon Nora and her sister?Heading to Detroit to try and find some answers about his life there, Nora expects to discover a reason behind his suicide. Instead, she finds more questions than answers.But trouble always follows Nora, and it's found her in Detroit, a city that is as broken as she is.'Suspenseful, atmospheric' ALISON GAYLIN'A brave, unflinching heroine' LEE CHILD'The next Gillian Flynn' IRISH INDEPENDENTTrade ReviewSheena Kamal's writing is as fearless as her protagonist, Nora Watts. It has a dynamite premise that reminded me of Michael Connelly's Blood Work, in which the hero is asked to solve the murder of the woman whose heart ended up in his chest. Kamal has an equally devious starting point . . . Kamal uses the conventions of the crime novel to cast a critical eye on Vancouver's societal dysfunction, racism and poverty * LINWOOD BARCLAY on Eyes Like Mine *Private investigator Nora Watts is troubled to say the least. In Kamal's first novel, Eyes Like Mine, Nora searched for the missing daughter she had to give up for adoption when she was herself a teenager; whereas here, she attempts to uncover the secrets of her dead father's past. The search takes Nora from Vancouver to Detroit and via some very dark places along the way - but Nora's bone-dry, understated wit and casual fearlessness carry her, and us, through the novel with an irresistible momentum. Highly recommended * W. C. RYAN *Sheena Kamal writes with urgency and authority. I read this book in huge gulps, and in Nora Watts, Kamal has created a fresh and compelling heroine that readers will love. Outstanding * ROD REYNOLDS *Intricately plotted. A tense, taut thriller with a flawed, compelling heroine. I want to read more about Nora Watts * ANDREA CARTER *A brave, unflinching heroine and brave, unflinching writing adds up to an extraordinary debut - highly recommended * LEE CHILD *Utterly compelling, rich with voice and psychological insight, populated with heartbreakingly real characters, Eyes Like Mine will stay with you for a long, long time. Perhaps forever * JEFFERY DEAVER *Suspenseful, atmospheric and often deeply moving . . . one of the most complicated and fascinating protagonists I've come across in a long time. I'd follow Nora Watts (and her dog) anywhere * ALISON GAYLIN *A fresh and original character who grips the reader with her grit and courage. We're rooting for Nora Watts from the outset and I can't wait to read more of her story * SARAH WARD, Crimepieces *A thoroughly compelling new series... a dark and powerful read * Mail on Sunday *A heady blend of a familial mystery and drug-infused gang revenge. And Kamal certainly knows how to paint a vivid backdrop * Crime Review *Nora retains a youthful freshness and frankness... flawed and very real, she'll make you root for her * Sunday Times Crime Club *It All Falls Down is well written with strong tension and a good plot. Strong and uncompromising, it packs a really strong punch and is worth reading for that alone * Live and Deadly *An intricately plotted and even paced mystery. Interwoven into the storyline are true to life events that add a compelling layer to this complex and fascinating story * Book Reviews by Kathy *Kamal's affinity for the unusual, character-driven mystery excels in "It All Falls Down... A sense of sadness permeates the novel, from Kamal's gritty look at Detroit and unflinching look at Vancouver's neighborhoods to the flawed characters. Yet Kamal also injects a sense of hope and closure for Nora, and Whisper, and makes readers root for their future * Mail Online *There are writers who tell you a story and then there are those that can transport you to the world they have created; telling a story so realistically that the reader feels like they're there in the thick of it. Kamal is in the latter category * Mystery Playground *There are writers who tell you a story and then there are those that can transport you to the world they have created; telling a story so realistically that the reader feels like they're there in the thick of it. Kamal is in the latter category * Mystery Playground *A great read featuring a really fresh and original heroine and a compelling storyline * Nudge Books *Vivid and evocative * Nudge Books *A lot of issues pop up in this novel - from gang crime to politics and everything in-between. It's not the kind of book I'm used to reading but I did enjoy it very much. In fact, I want more! * Silvia Reads *I liked the author's writing style and that combined with the suspenseful plot and the intriguing characters made the story flow smoothly * Haja Reads *Well written and well researched this is an old-fashioned thriller brought way up to date. A great read * Breakaway Reviewers *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFight for your country. Fight for your king. Fight for your life... Gripping adventure in the Tudor Navy. Jack Stannard has spent his whole life at sea, enduring savage beatings from his father and the furious aggression of whip-cracking storms. But a more cruel and dangerous foe is on the horizon. When Henry VIII dissolves the monasteries and wages war against France and Scotland simultaneously, Jack must take up his family destiny at the head of the Dunwich fleet.But enemy blades may be the least of his problems. Aging ships, treacherous rivals and ghosts from the past all threaten to interfere with the war effort. The only man he can trust is Thomas Ryman, a former warrior turned monk. As the English fleet descends on Edinburgh, the dangerous game of politics and war reaches a shattering climax aboard the pride of Henry’s navy – the Mary Rose. Stannard and Ryman know that it is not just their lives that are at stake, but the future of England herself...Stuffed to the gunwales with gripping naval combat and adventure, Destiny’s Tide is the first in a thrilling new series set amidst the rise of the Tudor Navy, perfect for fans of Julian Stockwin, C. S. Forester’s Hornblower, and Patrick O’Brian

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less