Contemporary Fiction Books

Book SynopsisDrifters in search of work, George and his childlike friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except the clothes on their back - and a dream that one day they will have some land of their own.

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Book Synopsis ⭐ Now in paperback: David Nicholls''s new novel You Are Here ⭐ Starter for Ten: a comedy about love, class, growing up and the all-important difference between knowledge and wisdom''Painfully funny''ELLE''Hugely entertaining''DAILY MAIL''Wincingly good''TIME OUTIt''s 1985 and Brian Jackson has arrived at university with a burning ambition - to make it onto TV''s foremost general knowledge quiz. But no sooner has he embarked on ''The Challenge'' than he finds himself falling hopelessly in love with his teammate, the beautiful and charismatic would-be actress Alice Harbinson.When Alice fails to fall for his slightly over-eager charms, Brian comes up with a foolproof plan to capture her heart once and for all: he''s going to win the game, at any cost. Because - after all - everyone knows that what a woman really wants from a man is a comprehensive grasp of general knowledge . . .ONE OF BRITAIN''S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS''One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now''FINANCIAL TIMES''An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters''DAILY TELEGRAPH''Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love''THE TIMES''No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does''EVENING STANDARD''Genuinely brilliant''NEW STATESMANTrade ReviewClever and well-written . . . Nicholls' portrayal of student affectations is accurate and funny * Independent *Brilliant . . . we would recommend it to anyone -- Richard Madeley and Judy FinniganA funny, touching novel reminiscent of the classic film Gregory's Girl with an authentic 1980s backdrop * Sunday Mirror *Hugely entertaining * Daily Mail *Nicholls delineates the whole university experience . . . But he does the serious bits well, too, and the fatherless teenager pulling himself up by his bootstraps, hopelessly out of his depth, is warmly evoked * Guardian *A bittersweet coming-of-age tale . . . A fine, funny book * Heat *I laughed a lot -- Jeremy PaxmanWincingly good . . . spry, affecting * Time Out *Hilarious . . . you won't be able to put it down * OK *Painfully funny * Elle *I feel for Starter for Ten as I do for the pick'n'mix counter: nostalgic, giddy, happy, sick and then devastated when there is none left. I could not put this book down. I love it. Literally -- Alan CummingWarm and funny . . . hilarious * Daily Mirror *Highly engaging * Irish Independent *Wonderful . . . Nicholls recreates all the cringingly embarrassing moments students endure on the university bandwagon - the wild parties, tentative friendships and romantic interludes - with superb powers of characterisation. It's a fun-filled trip down memory lane for all students, with more than a touch of pathos * Hello *Hugely (and deservedly) hyped . . . Achingly funny * She *I laughed out loud, I cringed in recognition, and more than once I paused in admiration at an observation so wry, so on the money, I wondered why it had never occurred to me before -- Mike Bullen, creator of COLD FEETFor conjuring up all those cringeworthy moments of youth, this read is unrivalled * Glamour *Relentlessly delightful -- Mil Millington, author of THINGS MY GIRLFRIEND AND I HAVE ARGUED ABOUTAbsolutely fabulous . . . brilliantly funny -- Jenny Colgan, author of DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME?Toe-curlingly embarrassing and cleverly observed . . . it'll have you wincing and laughing simultaneously. Fabulous * Company *Wonderfully written . . . This is a lovely look back at a time when you were young enough to think that anything could happen * Word *Starter for Ten is the debut of the year; a recommendation repeated by all who come in contact with it . . . Trust us, you'll love it * Arena *What a delight . . . David Nicholls is enormously talented, he has an exquisite eye for details, humour and the ridiculous -- Anna Maxted, author of GETTING OVER ITI absolutely loved Starter for Ten -- Emily Barr, author of THE ONE MEMORY OF FLORA BANKSMoving, wickedly observed, warm, uplifting and above all blindingly funny, Starter for Ten hits the spot time after time. Read this book * Jack *Brilliant . . . made me blush with remembered agonies [of university life] -- Critics' choice * Northern Echo *This funny tale . . . will have you laughing out loud * Herald *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisWise Blood, Flannery O''Connor''s first novel, is the story of Hazel Motes who, released from the armed services, returns to the evangelical Deep South. There he begins a private battle against the religiosity of the community and in particular against Asa Hawkes, the ''blind'' preacher, and his degenerate fifteen-year-old daughter. In desperation Hazel founds his own religion, ''The Church without Christ'', and this extraordinary narrative moves towards its savage and macabre resolution. ''A literary talent that has about it the uniqueness of greatness.'' Sunday Telegraph''No other major American writer of our century has constructed a fictional world so energetically and forthrightly charged by religious investigation.'' The New Yorker''A genius.'' New York Times

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONTWICE WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTIONTHE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR''Magnificent.'' The Times, ''Books of the Year''''Gripping.'' Grazia''Peerless.'' Daily Mail''Wise.'' Sunday TimesMeet Willa Knox, a woman who stands braced against a world which seems to hold little mercy for her and her family or their old, crumbling house, falling down around them. Willa's two grown-up children, a new-born grandchild, and her ailing father-in-law have all moved in at a time when life seems at its most precarious. But when Willa discovers that a pioneering female scientist lived on the same street in the 1800s, could this historical connection be enough to save their home from ruin? And can Willa, despite the odds, keep her family together?

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Book SynopsisFROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF KITCHEN'Polished, concise, emotionally rewarding.' DAILY MAIL'Exquisite.' MARIE CLAIRE'A timely invitation to explore her unusual, alluring world.' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Casts a delicate spell.' SPECTATOR'Yoshimoto bucks beautifully against convention.' THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOKS REVIEW I had a premonition of setting out on a journey and getting lost inside a distant tide . . . It was the beginning of summer, and I was nineteen years old. Yayoi lives with her perfect, loving family - something 'like you'd see in a Spielberg movie'. But while her parents tell happy stories of her childhood, she is increasingly haunted by the sense that she's forgotten something important about her past.

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Book SynopsisTHE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER THAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUTEVERY GENERATION HAS ONE GREAT LOVE STORY.THIS IS OURS.''Beautifully written. Clever, lively, funny, compelling'' NINA STIBBE''Marian''s most moving, emotive and brilliantly written book yet'' 5***** READER REVIEW''Funny, heartbreaking, achingly real. Gorgeous. I absolutely loved it'' JANE FALLON''A clever and insightful writer. My favourite'' LORRAINE KELLY''Beautifully written, funny, heart-breaking and always wise. A proper treat'' DAILY MAIL''I laughed, I cried, I obsessed. Wonderful'' 5***** READER REVIEW**THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022**______Losing the love of your life once is tragic. TWICE looks like carelessness . . .Rachel Walsh is a survivor: she survived rehab and the loss of her greatest love.These days everything in her life is good - gooTrade ReviewAgain, Rachel has all of Keyes's trademark wit, humour and whip-smart dialogue, but it's also a novel teeming with compassion and redemption * Observer *Delightfully funny * Daily Telegraph *Perceptive, hilarious and moving, it's a captivating roller coaster of a read and it's a joy to be reunited with Rachel and the rest of the Walsh clan. * Daily Record *Again, Rachel is fabulous. Beautifully written, pure 5-star Keyes - clever, lively, funny, compelling -- Nina StibbeFunny, heartbreaking, achingly real - Keyes has done it again. Gorgeous. I absolutely loved it -- Jane FallonIt will break your heart and nourish your soul . . . No one can evoke deep feeling with such a light touch as Marian Keyes. She brings her characters to life with Dickensian brio. I think it might be her finest novel yet -- Nigella LawsonIt's excellent and it's everything. Funny, gorgeous, but a painful, powerful story about addiction, emotions and humanity. Exquisite -- Daisy BuchananA sequel worth the wait . . This garrulous, fast-paced read offers the joy of a reunion with not just Rachel, but the rambunctious Walsh clan. An entertaining, growingly poignant contemporary tale * Sunday Times *No other author marries heartbreak and hilarity so seamlessly * Mail on Sunday *Addictive . . . Marian's mastery of story and character is as impressive as ever, and the whole thing rings totally true from start to finish * Heat, Book of the Year 2022 *This new novel is like slipping into a warm, bubbly bath * Good Housekeeping *Funny, heart-breaking and so wise * Daily Mail *It's beautifully written, funny, heart-breaking and always wise. I was so happy to be reunited with this iconic protagonist and her fabulous family - a proper treat * Daily Mail *Utterly brilliant, wise and funny. So fabulous. I adore it -- Cathy KellyHer particular gift is the ability to settle the reader into a comfortable seat, then carry them to the darkest places; to make serious things funny - and moving. She handles with intelligence and humour the issues that the question of long-term addiction recovery throws up * The Times *A smashing sequel. Keyes delivers punchy home truths with wit and charm as we revisit her best-loved heroine. There is a real genius to the way Keyes brings deep, awful truths to the surface. Keyes has mastered the art of writing books that read like treats, but turn out to be good for you * Telegraph *Brilliant * Stylist *You'll devour this unputdownable tale * OK! *Beautifully moving and funny -- Sinead MoriartyWise and witty, this is destined to be as successful as its forerunner * Woman's Weekly *A welcome return for Keyes' messy heroine. In Rachel, Keyes has created a character that takes her readers through the rough and the smooth - and we are more than happy to go along for the ride * Metro *Warm-hearted, witty and fearless in the face of life's sorrows, Again, Rachel is a celebration of the enduring power of love * Daily Mail *Brilliant. Truly wonderful. Like sinking into a deep, luxurious, bubble bath. Sharply observed, this big-hearted book has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and is a treat of a novel * My Weekly *Keyes has always been an excellent storyteller but here she is at the peak of her powers, her writing even more honest and vulnerable than usual. A profound and smart book that will be enjoyed by die-hard fans and new readers alike. And Luke Costello is sexier than ever. * iNews *Brilliant -- Lucy ManganAssured, wise and witty with superb observational detail, reading Marian Keyes is like being cradled in safe arms. This book is destined to be as successful as its forerunner * Woman & Home *Bereavement, grief, addiction, family, fun, humour, love, romance. It's all there -- Sheila O’ FlanaganWarm, witty and wise - a joy to read * Sun *There's a wisdom to Marian Keyes' iconic Rachel * Sainsbury's Magazine *Keyes is an exceptional storyteller and her ability to blend comedy, high drama and emotional depth is second to none. Empathetic, insightful, romantic and witty, Again, Rachel is again a delight from start to finish. * Daily Express *Again, Rachel is a tour de force. A fearless novel about loving and losing and hoping. It's perfection -- Gillian McAllisterA brilliant reminder of just how comforting it can be to return to characters that once captured our hearts. * Stylist *Set to be one of the biggest books of the year * i *Joyful, wise, empathetic, funny, sexy, and so thoughtful on addiction, too -- Sarah VaughanDarkly comic . . . Just as tender, heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud funny as her first outing * Best *Again, Rachel is like a six hundred page hug and is Marian Keyes at her hilarious yet heartbreaking best -- Sarra Manning * Red Magazine *I loved Again, Rachel. Such a beautiful, wise, powerful book -- Elly GriffithsRachel somehow helps us all to find our better, truer selves. I've still got 100 pages to go, but part of me wishes it was 1,000 * Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, The Week *Keyes is a giant of Irish writing who has not so much defined a genre, as she has created it -- Natasha PoliszczukPerceptive, hilarious and deeply moving, this is a wise and insightful look at modern life * Sunday Express *Switch the phone to silent, banish all distractions: it's time for a book binge * Saga Magazine *Fabulous. I loved becoming reacquainted with the Walsh family * My Weekly Special Series *A masterclass in creating the perfect follow-up story . . . This sequel shone -- Jane Harper * Daily Express *Included in 'Best Paperbacks of April 2023' * THE TIMES *There aren't many books that come along . . . where on one page you can be laughing hysterically, and then you turn the page and you're nearly in tears for the opposite reason. This is that book. Beautifully told. Loads of warmth, loads of humour. -- Phil Williams * Times Radio *She is a genius stylist. Her characters are so vivid, her situations feel so real and authentic. This is my favourite book of hers. -- Hannah Beckerman * Times Radio *Amazing -- Beth O'LearyEnticing * Stylist *There's light and dark in all Keyes' novels, equal measures of hilarity and heartbreak * Scotsman *Hard to put down * Sunday Express *Lovable, funny. Doesn't disappoint * Sunday Life *Keyes at the peak of her powers * Scotsman *Praise for Marian Keyes -- :Messy, tangled complex humans who reminded me that few of us ever really sort out our lives at all -- Jojo MoyesA novel that is warm and witty but never afraid to tackle the big stuff -- Elizabeth Day * Mail on Sunday *Magnificently messy lives, brilliantly untangled. Funny, tender and completely absorbing! -- Graham NortonKeyes knows how to make serious issues relatable - and get a few grownup laughs, too * Guardian *There should be a word to describe the sadness and satisfaction you feel when you read the last page of a Marian Keyes novel: the ending is perfect but you still want more, more, more -- Liane MoriartyCharming, funny and poignant. But also profound, heartbreaking -- Nina StibbeKeyes at her best: capturing everyday voices with humour and empathy with writing that you'll devour in a weekend. Just pure and simple joy * Stylist *Funny, thought-provoking and will get you right in the feels * Red *Sensitive, funny, wonderful, immensely touching -- Nigella LawsonMarian Keyes's gift for storytelling is utterly magnificent -- Liz NugentRachel Walsh is back with a bang. Wickedly shrewd and fun * RTE Guide, 'Top 10 Fiction of 2022' *

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Book SynopsisHandsome, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse delights in interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protégée, Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected.

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Book SynopsisNow an HBO series, book three in theNew York Timesbestselling Neapolitan quartet about two friends in post-war Italy is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted epic by one of today''s most beloved and acclaimed writers, Elena Ferrante, ?one of the great novelists of our time.? (Roxana Robinson,The New York Times)In the third book in the Neapolitan quartet, Elena and Lila, the two girls whom readers first met inMy Brilliant Friend, have become women. Lila married at sixteen and has a young son; she has left her husband and the comforts her marriage brought and now works as a common laborer. Elena has left the neighborhood, earned her college degree, and published a successful novel, all of which has opened the doors to a world of learned interlocutors and richly furnished salons. Both women are pushing against the walls of a prison that would have seen them living a life of misery, ignorance and submission. They are afloat on the great sea of opportunities that opened up during the nineteen-seventies. Yet they are still very much bound to each other by a strong, unbreakable bond.Ferrante is one of the world?s great storytellers. With the Neapolitan quartetshe has given her readers an abundant, generous, and masterfully plotted page-turner that is also a stylish work of literary fiction destined to delight readers for many generations to come.

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Book Synopsis* The fifth novel in the bestselling Outlander series - now a MAJOR TV series *______________1771: the Colony of North Carolina stands in an uneasy balance, with the rich, colonial aristocracy on one side and the struggling pioneers of the backcountry on the other.Between them stands Jamie Fraser, a man of honour, a man of worth. Exiled from his beloved Scotland, he is at last possessed of the land he has longed for. By his side his extraordinary wife, Claire, a woman out of time and out of place, blessed with the uneasy gift of the knowledge of what is to come.In the past, that knowledge has brought both danger and deliverance to Jamie and Claire. Now it could be a flickering torch that will light their way through the perilous years ahead - or might ignite a conflagration that will leave their lives in ashes.______________Readers can't get enough of The Fiery Cross . . .***** 'Love, love, love.'***** 'I absolutely LOVE these books. This installment was no exception.....'***** 'Sigh of contentment: Book Five is one of my favorite installments in one of my all-time favorite series.'***** 'SO. MUCH. AWESOME.'***** 'This is a most excellent novel.'Trade ReviewA story that is both moving and magical * Northern Echo *

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Book SynopsisFar in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress...Trade ReviewA brilliant tour de force, Brave New World may be read as a grave warning of the pitfalls that await uncontrolled scientific advance. Full of barbed wit and malice-spiked frankness. Provoking, stimulating, shocking and dazzling * Observer *One of the most important books to have been published since the war * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisBorn in 1969, Emma Donoghue is an Irish writer who spent eight years in England before moving to Canada. Her fiction includes Slammerkin, Life Mask, Touchy Subjects, The Sealed Letter and Frog Music.Trade ReviewEmma Donoghue's writing is superb alchemy, changing innocence into horror and horror into tenderness. Room is a book to read in one sitting. When it's over you look up: the world looks the same but you are somehow different and that feeling lingers for days -- Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's WifeRoom is one of the most profoundly affecting books I've read in a long time. Jack moved me greatly. His voice, his story, his innocence, his love for Ma combine to create something very unusual and, I think, something very important . . . Room deserves to reach the widest possible audience -- John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped PyjamasI've never read a more heart-burstingly, gut wrenchingly compassionate novel . . . As for sweet, bright, funny Jack, I wanted to scoop him up out of the novel and never let him go * Daily Mail *This is a truly remarkable novel. It presents an utterly unique way to talk about love, all the while giving us a fresh, expansive eye on the world in which we live * New York Times Book Review *Startlingly original and moving . . . Endearing and as utterly compelling as The Lovely Bones * Scotsman *This book will break your heart . . . It is the most vivid, radiant and beautiful expression of maternal love I have ever read * Irish Times *I loved Room. Such incredible imagination, and dazzling use of language. And with all this, an entirely credible, endearing little boy. It's unlike anything I've ever read before -- Anita Shreve

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Book SynopsisThe women of Stepford are not all that they seem... All the beautiful people live in idyllic Stepford, Connecticut, an affluent, suburban Eden populated with successful, satisfied hubbies and beautiful, dutiful wives. For Joanna Eberhart, newly arrived with her husband and two children, it all seems too good to be true - from the sweet Welcome Wagon lady to all those cheerful, friendly faces in the supermarket checkout lines. But just beneath the town''s flawless surface, something is sordid and wrong - something abominable with roots in the local Men''s Association. And it may already be too late for Joanna to save herself from being devoured by Stepford''s hideous perfection.

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Book SynopsisOne millennial woman's journey through our late capitalist hellscape and offers a brilliantly incisive look at the absurdities of modern life....Trade ReviewEtter expertly diverts the novel from neat or didactic tropes...Etter's exquisite prose powers the book. There are also moments when one wishes that Cassie might seek more connection with others, might reflect a bit more deeply about those around her. However, Etter doesn't grant us such easy ways out. Sometimes embracing the darkness is the only way to get through it. -- Alexandra Chang * The New York Times *An absolute must read... Unsettling, tense and funny * A Glamour 'Best New Books for August 2023 *In Sarah Rose Etter's surreal follow-up to her 2019 debut, The Book of X, Cassie's black hole becomes an apt metaphor for depression, growing to the size of a melon or becoming big enough to block out the sun depending on the state of her angst. Etter's prose is so visceral it's hard not to get caught up in Cassie's infinite sadness * TIME (The 100 Must Read Books of 2023) *Etter's work is undoubtedly surreal, but then so is American life today... Ripe hits very close to home -- Jessica Ferri * Los Angeles Times *bold and beautiful * bookshop.org *

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Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree the soaring fifth novel in the bestselling Bone Season series.''A fabulous, epic fantasy thriller ... Lavish, ebullient, escapist'' The TimesSamantha Shannon is a master storyteller and wordsmith' Katherine Webber Blazing a trail for a new generation of feminist fantasy authors' GraziaEverything is about to change. Paige Mahoney is outside the Republic of Scion for the first time in more than a decade but she has no idea how she got to the free world. Half a year has been wiped from her memory. As she makes her way back to the revolution, her journey takes her to Venice, where she learns a dangerous secret one that could change the face of the war between humans and immortals. Before she can return to London, she must help the Domino Programme unravel the sinister Operation Ventriloquist. And it soon bec

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Book Synopsis***THE NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER*** ‘Fans of Cloud Atlas and Never Let Me Go will love The History of Bees’ Good Housekeeping‘Dystopian and electric, this book is set to blow minds everywhere' Stylist'Haunting and poignant ... an important and wonderful book' Dave Goulson, bestselling author of Bee Quest In the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, this dazzling and ambitious literary debut follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, and future, weaving a spellbinding story of their relationship to the bees – and to their children and one another – against the backdrop of an urgent, global crisis.England, 1851. William is a biologist and seed merchant, who sets out to build a new type of beehive—one that will give both him and his children honour and fame.United States, 2007. George is a beekeeper and fights an uphill battle against modern farming, but hopes that his son can be their salvation.China, 2098. Tao hand paints pollen onto the fruit trees now that the bees have long since disappeared. When Tao’s young son is taken away by the authorities after a tragic accident—and is kept in the dark about his whereabouts and condition—she sets out on a grueling journey to find out what happened to him.Haunting, illuminating, and deftly written, The History of Bees joins these three very different narratives into one gripping and thought provoking story that is just as much about the powerful relationships between children and parents as it is about our very relationship to nature and humanity. Praise for The History of Bees: ‘Spectacular and deeply moving. Lunde has elegantly woven together a tale of science and science fiction, dystopia and hope, and the trials of the individual and the strengths of family’ Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author ‘Such is the genius of debut novelist Maja Lunde that her tale of three eras—the long past, the tenuous present and the biologically damned future—is strung on the fragile hope of the survival of bees’ Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author ‘As a lover of honeybees and a fan of speculative fiction, I was doubly smitten by The History of Bees. Maja Lunde’s novel is an urgent reminder of how much our survival depends on those remarkable insects. It is also a gripping account of how—despite the cruelest losses—humanity may abide and individual families can heal’ Jean Hegland, author of Into the Forest ‘By turns devastating and hopeful, The History of Beesresonates powerfully with our most pressing environmental concerns. Following three separate but interconnected timelines, Lunde shows us the past, the present, and a terrifying future in a riveting story as complex as a honeycomb’ Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author‘Here is a story that is sweeping in scope but intimate in detail’ Laura McBride, author of We Are Called to Rise'A brilliant and beautiful novel' Jan Askelund, Stavanger Aftenblad  'She does everything right […] She paints on a broad canvas, the topic is highly important and the language is both comprehensive and precise' Geir Vestad, Hamar Arbeiderblad'One can easily understand the buzz …'  Maria Årolilja Rø, Adresseavisa'The settings portrayed in the novel are impressively visual and each character is perfectly naturally rooted in his or her own era and environment' Janneken Øverland, Klassekampen'Maja Lunde will reach a big audience with The History of Bees. (…) She has written a novel many will read in one go, and then sit down and think, about life, the world and the future. That is unique and it is very well done' Annette Orre, littkritikk.no'The History of Bees is a fascinating and brilliantly written novel that elegantly moves between the various stories and timelines' Oddmund Hagen, Dag og Tid

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2021**From the bestselling author of Homegoing**______________________________________________As a child Gifty would ask her parents to tell the story of their journey from Ghana to Alabama, seeking escape in myths of heroism and romance. When her father and brother succumb to the hard reality of immigrant life in the American South, their family of four becomes two - and the life Gifty dreamed of slips away.Years later, desperate to understand the opioid addiction that destroyed her brother''s life, she turns to science for answers. But when her mother comes to stay, Gifty soon learns that the roots of their tangled traumas reach farther than she ever thought. Tracing her family''s story through continents and generations will take her deep into the dark heart of modern America.Transcendent Kingdom is a searing story of love, loss and redemption, and the myriad ways we try to rebuild our lives from the rubble of our collective pasts.______________________________________________________''Absolutely transcendent. A gorgeously woven narrative . . . not a word or idea out of place'' Roxane Gay''A piercing story of faith, science and the opioid crisis . . . There''s bravery as well as beauty here'' ObserverTrade ReviewA brilliant novel, with not a word out of place -- Caleb Azumah Nelson * Guardian, Best Books of 2021 *A piercing story of faith, science and the opioid crisis . . . Transcendent Kingdom really sings. There's bravery as well as beauty here * Observer *Transcendent Kingdom is a novel for all timesAbsolutely transcendent. A gorgeously woven narrative . . . not a word or idea out of place. I am quite angry this is so good * Roxane Gay *Transcendent Kingdom is a quietly magnificent novel - vivid, touching and beautifully written, and also unafraid to be, and to remain, really very sad. * i *Her equally outstanding second novel, Transcendent Kingdom, smaller in scale, is another graceful exploration of trauma reverberating through a family...introspective and intimate * Sunday Telegraph *This novel is an unflinching account of loss, but it is also a moving tribute to the ability of the human spirit to endure such tragedies * The Times *Gyasi's novel is a thoughtful analysis of a pressing social problem * Mail on Sunday *Among other things [Transcendent Kingdom] is a sharp reckoning with the tensions between race, science and religion...its scope is pared back, its register intimate - not many writers can switch style like this * Sunday Times Culture *A powerful portrayal of love and faith that reminds us how our parents' actions can ripple through generations * Telegraph *[A] mightily enjoyable novel * Daily Mail *Perhaps neither science nor religion alone could capture transcendence, but Gyasi has proved, once again, that a novel can * Guardian *A book of blazing brilliance . . . A double helix of wisdom and rage twists through the quiet lines of this novel. Yaa Gyasi is one of the most enlightening novelists writing today * Washington Post *A compelling look at a woman's struggle to move on from the devastating effects of her family falling apart in front of her eyes * Stylist *The must-read book of the year so far * Elle *A powerful, wholly unsentimental novel about family love, loss, belonging and belief that is more focused but just as daring as its predecessor, and to my mind even more successful * Wall Street Journal *Gyasi's second novel, Transcendent Kingdom, is a very different book, and, I think, a better one - contemporary, personal, acutely focused on a single family, and intensely felt * New Yorker *Exquisitely written with a lightness of touch despite its difficult themes; this novel is a triumph * Red *Raw, powerful storytelling that tackles race, religion, addiction and grief in a thoughtful way * Good Housekeeping *With deft agility and undeniable artistry, Gyasi's latest is an eloquent examination of resilient survival * Booklist *The Ghanaian-American has become a firm literary favour...Transcendent Kingdom is sure to cement her spot further * Stylist *Meticulous, psychologically complex ... At once a vivid evocation of the immigrant experience and a sharp delineation of an individual's inner struggle, the novel brilliantly succeeds on both counts * Publishers Weekly, starred review *Transcendent Kingdom is quiet in the way a wise soul will sit in the corner, clear their throat and when they speak, everyone listens...Transcendent Kingdom is a book always asking this question: how did we get here? * Bad Form Review *The range Gyasi displays in just two books is staggering * USA Today *Remarkable, a devastating account of America . . . explores horror without ever losing sight of humanity or hope * Sunday Times on 'Homegoing' *A stirringly gifted writer. It's impossible not to admire the ambition and scope of Homegoing * New York Times *If you want to know why the world is this way, try this book for starters * Naomi Alderman, author of The Power *I need a book like this to remember what is possible Beautifully written . . . a raw look at the personal destruction caused by the opioid crisis * Scotsman *A poignant story of family love, loss and ambition * Radio Times *Yaa Gyasi's writing is shining even as the tangled traumas of the past come to the surface * Sainsbury's Magazine *'Yaa's depiction of these illnesses; substance addiction and depression and the family's deep-rooted tangled traumas, is skilful . . . Transcendent Kingdom is a story of love, loss and redemption, and holds a mirror up to one version of the first-generation immigrant experience that will sadly seem familiar to many of us * Melan Mag *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A MAN CALLED OVE, NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING TOM HANKSThe number one bestseller: a funny, poignant and uplifting tale of love, community, and second chancesFor as long as anyone can remember, Britt-Marie has been an acquired taste. It''s not that she''s judgemental, or fussy, or difficult - she just expects things to be done in a certain way. A cutlery drawer should be arranged in the right order, for example (forks, knives, then spoons). We''re not animals, are we? But behind the passive-aggressive, socially awkward, absurdly pedantic busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams and a warmer heart than anyone around her realizes.So when Britt-Marie finds herself unemployed, separated from her husband of 20 years, left to fend for herself in the miserable provincial backwater that is Borg - of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it - andTrade ReviewThis is an author who understands people and watches society closely.... An author who specialises in the unforgettable, outdoes himself and in the process overshoots our rating system.... In the end 5*s are all I can offer but I feel that this is a novel that deserves many, many more. * Bookbag *Impressive [and] heart-warming... there are unexpected delights to being stuck with Britt-Marie. * Literary Review *A brilliant mix of belly-laughs, profound insight and captivating events delivered... with Backman's pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature. * Shelf Awareness *The bestselling author of A MAN CALLED OVE returns with this heartwarming story about a woman rediscovering herself after personal crisis. Backman reveals Britt-Marie's need for order....with clear, tight descriptions. Insightful and touching, this is a sweet and inspiring story about truth and transformation. Fans of Backman's will find another winner in these pages. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisINTRODUCED BY JANE GARDAM'A small Gothic masterpiece . . . I have read it many times, and with every re-read I marvel again at its many qualities' SARAH WATERS'It projects its fantastic story with a tangible realness . . . A wonderful and original novel' ALAN HOLLINGHURST'She shows mastery of the structures of a fast-moving narrative and a consistent backdrop to the ecstasies and agonies of the human condition' JANE GARDAM, SPECTATOR Growing up in Edwardian South London, Alice Rowlands longs for romance and excitement, for a release from a life that is dreary, restrictive and lonely. Her father, a vet, is harsh and domineering; his new girlfriend brash and lascivious. Alice seeks refuge in memories and fantasies, in her rapturous longing for Nicholas, a handsome young sailor and in the blossoming of what she perceives as her occult powers. A series of strange events unfolds that leads her, dressed in bridal white to a scene of ecstatic triumph and disaster among the crowds on Clapham Common. The Vet's Daughter is a uniquely vivid, witty and touching story of love and mystery.Trade ReviewA small Gothic masterpieceTold in the first person by a young girl, [The Vet's Daughter] has the vividness and innocence [and] the revelatory intensity of the narrations of Pip or young David Copperfield. It projects its fantastic story with a tangible realness and manages to make public and inevitable a realm of private sensation close to nightmare . . . A wonderful and original novelThe strange offbeat talent of Miss Comyns and that innocent eye which observes with childlike simplicity the most fantastic or the most ominous occurrence, these have never, I think, been more impressively exercised than in The Vet's Daughter -- Graham GreeneThe Vet's Daughter is Barbara Comyns's fourth and most startling novel . . . she shows mastery of the structures of a fast-moving narrative and a consistent backdrop to the ecstasies and agonies of the human condition -- Jane Gardam * Spectator *A small Gothic masterpiece. -- Sarah WatersA wonderful and original novel. -- Alan Hollinghurst

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Book Synopsis''One of the great American authors at work today'' New York TimesONE OF THE NEW YORKER''S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARIt is 1951. The close-knit community of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, does not welcome those who are different.Jacob Hampton''s wealthy parents disinherited him when he married Naomi, an uneducated hotel maid. Now Jacob has been called up to fight in Korea, leaving a pregnant Naomi behind. The only person he can trust to take care of her is his lifelong friend, Blackburn Gant. Blackburn, who tends the local cemetery, is an outsider too, his appearance irrevocably altered by childhood disease.Slowly the two outcasts grow closer and as they await news of Jacob''s return, a terrible, shattering act of deception derails all their lives. But no secret can stay hidden for ever.Tender and luminous with truth, The Caretaker is a riveting story about the bonds of friendship, the contradictions of family and

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Book SynopsisInside a luxury housing complex, two misfit teenagers sneak around and get drunk. Franco Andrade, lonely, overweight, and addicted to porn, obsessively fantasizes about seducing his neighbor – an attractive married woman and mother – while Polo dreams about quitting his gruelling job as a gardener within the gated community and fleeing his overbearing mother and their narco-controlled village. Each facing the impossibility of getting what he thinks he deserves, Franco and Polo hatch a mindless and macabre scheme. Written in a chilling torrent of prose by one of our most thrilling new writers, Paradais explores the explosive fragility of Mexican society – fractured by issues of race, class and violence – and how the myths, desires, and hardships of teenagers can tear life apart at the seams.Trade Review‘Fernanda Melchor explores violence and inequity in this brutal novel. She does it with dazzling technical prowess, a perfect pitch for orality, and a neurosurgeon’s precision for cruelty. Paradais is a short inexorable descent into Hell.’ — Mariana Enríquez, author of Things We Lost in the Fire‘Melchor evokes the stories of Flannery O’Connor, or, more recently, Marlon James’s A Brief History of Seven Killings. Impressive.’ — Julian Lucas, New York Times‘With a nimble command of the novel’s technical resources and an uncanny grasp of the irrational forces at work in society, [Paradais and Hurricane Season] navigate a reality riven by violence, race, class, and sex. And they establish Melchor, who was born in 1982, as the latest of Faulkner’s Latin American inheritors, and among the most formidable.’ — Juan Gabriel Vásquez, New Yorker‘Fernanda Melchor has a powerful voice, and by powerful I mean unsparing, devastating, the voice of someone who writes with rage, and has the skill to pull it off.’ — Samanta Schweblin, author of Fever Dream‘A masterpiece of concision ... Paradais is a labyrinthine monologue on the banal violence of a modern-day teenager.’ — Virginie Despentes, author of Vernon Subutex ‘Melchor uses shock to lay bare issues of classism, misogyny, and the ravages of child abuse. Her prose, ably translated by Hughes, is dizzying but effective; it’s as if she’s holding the reader’s head and daring them to look away from the social problems she brings to light. This might be a deeply disconcerting novel, but it’s also a brave one. A fever dream that's as hard to read as it is brilliant.’ — Kirkus

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Book SynopsisComplete with crackling fast dialogue, an edgy ambivalent plot, and the capacity to make his readers turn the page, this feels like Child''s breakthrough book into the mega-sellers. He is that good. (Daily Mail)Jack Reacher, adrift in the hellish heat of a Texas summer. Looking for a lift through the vast empty landscape. A woman stops, and offers a ride. She is young, rich and beautiful.But her husband''s in jail. When he comes out, he''s going to kill her.Her family''s hostile, she can''t trust the cops, and the lawyers won''t help. She is entangled in a web of lies and prejudice, hatred and murder.Jack Reacher never could resist a lady in distress._________Although the Jack Reacher novels can be read in any order, Echo Burning is 5th in the series.And be sure not to miss Reacher''s newest adventure, No.29, In Too Deep! **PRE-ORDER NOW**Trade ReviewIn the space of less than five years, Child has established himself as one of Britain's most successful commercial novelists...Complete with crackling fast dialogue, an edgy ambivalent plot, and the capacity to make his readers turn the page, this feels like Child's breakthrough book into the mega-sellers. He is that good * Daily Mail *Reacher is a hero in the old Wild West stle: a fearless and capable loner, who lives by his own set of morals and is proud never to have killed a man who didn't deserve it...The author is in complete control of his complicated plot and has produced another real pageturner * Sunday Telegraph *The British émigré Lee Child has become more American than the natives...A well-woven tale of dirt and duplicity with engaging characters...Child's character is a classic hero * The Times *If you like thrillers of the bang-wallop variety, with a nice bit of plotting thrown in, this is the one for you * Irish Times *Big, bruising actioner...Child's great strength lies in spelling out exactly how explosive things are made to happen...Cathartic stuff, expertly delivered * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisJustine is 21 years old and has lived with her grandparents and cousin Jules since the death of her parents. She works as a carer at a retirement home and spends her days listening to her residents' stories.After bonding with Hélène, an almost 100-year-old resident, the two women slowly reveal their stories to one another. Whilst Justine helps Hélène to relive her memories of love and war, Hélène encourages Justine to confront the secrets of her own past, and the loss she has buried deep within.One day, trouble arrives in the form of a mysterious phone call that shakes the retirement home to its core and uncovers a shocking revelation. At once humorous and melancholic, Valérie Perrin's debut novel is a story of how the past can shape our present, and the scars of undeclared love.

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Book SynopsisAddictive writing wrapped up in a compelling page turner that makes you deeply think and feel' YOMI ADEGOKE 'An incisive new voice in fiction' COCO MELLORS We give celebrities a power they don't deserve. Power they haven't earned. What happens when they exploit it?

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Book SynopsisRediscover the ultimate comfort read in the classic story of friendship, loyalty and secrets set in the deep south of America in the 1930s.The day Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison opened the Whistle Stop Cafe, the town took a turn for the better. It was the Depression and that cafe was a home from home for many of us. You could get eggs, grits, bacon, ham, coffee and a smile for 25 cents. Ruth was just the sweetest girl you ever met. And Idgie? She was a character, all right. You never saw anyone so headstrong. But how anybody could have thought she murdered that man is beyond me.Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a mouth-watering tale of love, laughter and mystery. It will lift your spirits and above all it''ll remind you of the secret to life: friends. A richly comic, poignant narrative' Harper LeeTrade ReviewA richly comic, poignant narrative * Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird *It's very good, in fact, just wonderful * Los Angeles Times *A real novel and a good one...from the busy brain of a born storyteller * New York Times *A thoroughly entertaining comic novel * Newsday *A funny and macabre novel * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERTwo men have been enlisted to kill the head of the Gestapo. This is Operation Anthropoid, Prague, 1942: two Czechoslovakian parachutists sent on a daring mission by London to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich - chief of the Nazi secret services, ''the hangman of Prague'', ''the blond beast'', ''the most dangerous man in the Third Reich''. His boss is Heinrich Himmler but everyone in the SS says ''Himmler''s brain is called Heydrich'', which in German spells HHhH. HHhH is a panorama of the Third Reich told through the life of one outstandingly brutal man, a story of unbearable heroism and loyalty, revenge and betrayal. It is a moving and shattering work of fiction.Laurent Binet''s highly anticipated new novel, The Seventh Function of Language, is available for pre-order now...Trade Review[An] extraordinary true story... made still better by the way in which Laurent Binet weaves in his own exploits as researcher and detective to uncover the truth * Week *HHhH is a highly original piece of work, at once charming, moving, and gripping -- Martin AmisHHhH blew me away. Binet’s style fuses it all together: a neutral, journalistic honesty sustained with a fiction writer’s zeal and story-telling instincts. It’s one of the best historical novels I’ve ever come across. -- Brett Easton EllisMagnificent ... unsurpassable ... told with grace and elegance ... exerts a hypnotic sway over the reader ... something of a Greek tragedy and of the splendid thriller ... All the details have such persuasive force that they remain indelibly recorded in the memory of the reader -- Mario Vargas LlosaBy the time I got to the last page of Binet's masterpiece, I had to close my eyes and rethink history. I'm rethinking it still -- Gary Shteyngart

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Book SynopsisBringing into harsh focus the daily struggle for existence in a Soviet gulag, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn''s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is translated by Ralph Parker in Penguin Modern Classics. This brutal, shattering glimpse of the fate of millions of Russians under Stalin shook Russia and shocked the world when it first appeared. Discover the importance of a piece of bread or an extra bowl of soup, the incredible luxury of a book, the ingenious possibilities of a nail, a piece of string or a single match in a world where survival is all. Here safety, warmth and food are the first objectives. Reading it, you enter a world of incarceration, brutality, hard manual labour and freezing cold - and participate in the struggle of men to survive both the terrible rigours of nature and the inhumanity of the system that defines their conditions of life.Though twice-decorated for his service at the front during the Second World War, Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) was arrested in 1945 for making derogatory remarks about Stalin, and sent to a series of brutal Soviet labour camps in the Arctic Circle, where he remained for eight years. Released after Stalin''s death, he worked as a teacher, publishing his novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich with the approval of Nikita Khrushchev in 1962, to huge success. His 1967 novel Cancer Ward, as well as his magnum opus The Gulag Archipelago, were not as well-received by Soviet authorities, and not long after being awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1970, Solzhenitsyn was deported from the USSR. In 1994, after twenty years in exile, Solzhenitsyn made his long-awaited return to Russia.If you enjoyed One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, you might also like Yevgeny Zamyatin''s We, available in Penguin Classics.''It is a blow struck for human freedom all over the world ... and it is gloriously readable''Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisDanny is a paisano, descended from the original Spanish settlers who arrived in Monterey, California, centuries before. He values friendship above money and possessions, so when he suddenly inherits two houses, Danny is quick to offer shelter to his fellow gentlemen of the road.

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Book SynopsisDan Brown is the bestselling author of Digital Fortress, Deception Point, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol and most recently, Inferno. Three of his Robert Langdon novels have been adapted for the screen by Ron Howard, starring Tom Hanks. They have all been international blockbusters.His new Robert Langdon novel, Origin is out now.Dan Brown is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he has taught English and Creative Writing. He lives in New England.Trade ReviewThrilling and entertaining, like the experience on a rollercoaster * Los Angeles Times *So compelling that several times I came close to a cardiac arrest...As perfectly constructed as the Washington architecture it escorts us around * Sunday Express *A narrative that can grip you like a vice... As engaging a hero as you could wish for * Daily Mail *Unputdownable...Gripping...Jaw-dropping...The blockbuster read of the year * News of the World *Impossible to put down...Another mind-blowing Robert Langdon story * The New York Times *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis‘Thrilling, heartfelt, and hugely evocative, Redemption manages to be both intensely exciting and deeply moving. A brilliant achievement’ Alex Michaelides ‘Tense, dark, emotional, and beautifully written, this action-packed gut-punch of a novel is flawless, and one of the best books I’ve read this year’ Andrea Mara THE LATEST PULSE-POUNDING THRILLER FROM MASTER OF THE MORAL DILEMMA AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER JACK JORDANAaron Alexander has just been released from jail after serving eleven years for causing the death of Joshua Moore in a hit-and-run. Now a free man, all he wants to do is stay on the straight and narrow and leave his troubled past behind him. But for Joshua’s mother Evelyn, eleven years in jail isn’t nearly enough. Consumed by grief and rage, she has been waiting for Aaron’s release, counting down the day

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Book SynopsisBirding is a beautiful, witty and powerful story set in an out of season seaside town about two women poised between a past they feel trapped by and a future just beyond reach. Will they both find a way to soar, despite clipped wings?

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Book SynopsisIn 1978, Haruki Murakami was twenty-nine and running a jazz bar in downtown Tokyo. One April day, the impulse to write a novel came to him suddenly while watching a baseball game. That first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, won a new writers' award and was published the following year. More followed, including A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but it was Norwegian Wood, published in 1987, that turned Murakami from a writer into a phenomenon.In works such as The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, 1Q84, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and Men Without Women, Murakami's distinctive blend of the mysterious and the everyday, of melancholy and humour, continues to enchant readers, ensuring his place as one of the world's most acclaimed and well-loved writers.

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Book SynopsisNow includes an exclusive extract of Clare Pooley's new and brilliantly uplifting novel The People On Platform 5 - available nowTreat yourself to the warm, poignant and uplifting Radio 2 Book Club pick, loved by hundreds of thousands of readers... 'The first book which has made me laugh in a long time' 'A charming, funny and uplifting story''Full of optimism ... I defy anyone not to pick it up and be both transported and delighted''This book helped to lift my spirits' 'Well-written, great characters , a charming tale, and packed with feel-good factor' ------------ Six strangers with one thing in common: their lives aren't always what they make them out to be. What would happen if they told the truth instead? Julian Jessop is tired of hiding the deep loneliness he feels. So he begins The Authenticity Project - a small green notebook containing the truth about his life. Leaving the notebook on a table in his friendly neighbourhood café, Julian never expects Monica, the owner, to track him down after finding it. Or that she'll be inspired to write down her own story. Little do they realise that such small acts of honesty hold the power to impact all those who discover the notebook and change their lives completely. --------------Praise for The Authenticity Project: 'A warm and endearing tale about truth, friendship and the power of connection' Mike Gayle'Original, engaging and unforgettable' Sarah Morgan'A joyous, funny read that leaves you all warm inside' Beth Morrey, Sunday Times bestselling author of Saving MissyTrade ReviewThe feel-good story...that we all need to read right now * Woman & Home *A reminder of the importance of friendships * Good Housekeeping *Poignant and uplifting * Daily Mail *'The Authenticity Project is a rich roast of great characters, even better relationships, wonderful entanglements, and a few surprises along the way. If Monica's Cafe were a real place, I'd stop by every day.' * Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is *It's a heartwarming, laughter-and-tears story about the value of friendships and the importance of reaching out to each other. * Mail Online *

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Book SynopsisA gripping and darkly poetic novel, Safe Corridor follows 13-year-old Kamiran as he flees war-torn Afrin, only to experience a surreal transformationhis body turning into chalk. Blending sharp wit with deep sorrow, this prize-winning translation explores trauma, displacement, and the fragile resilience of a child caught in the chaos of war.

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Book SynopsisA totally brilliant, escapist and uplifting read that will break your heart and put it back together again, perfect for fans of Cathy Kelly, Jill Mansell and Debbie Macomber.I always thought I was going to be a girl who did something. I was going to run my own business and find fame and fortune! Fall in love…But here I am. Still waiting for it all to happen, sitting on the floor, surrounded by lilies and roses, trying to do my best friend’s wedding flowers because – in her words – ‘how hard can it be, Frankie?’. The answer is actually ‘very hard’ but it’s not the only thing that’s tough right now. My boyfriend won’t commit, I barely have a job, and once again I have the hangover from hell…What I don’t know is that life’s about to throw me a curveball. A new friend I will make with a beautiful, sad-eyed little boy who is so very tragically ill. I still don’t know about that heartbreak.Even so, in this moment, I know that it’s time for some changes. Maybe it’s time to make my dreams come true? To try to become a marathon-running, healthy-living, wildly-in-love florist-to-the-stars!Because I’m beginning to realise that you only get one chance at life. I don’t yet know how you change everything, all at once, but what I do know is it all starts with me…Previously published as Wildflowers by Debbie Howells.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisSelected for the 2012 Man Booker Prize shortlist. As he arrives with his family at the villa in the hills above Nice, Joe sees a body in the swimming pool. But the girl is very much alive. She is Kitty Finch: a self-proclaimed botanist with green-painted fingernails, walking naked out of the water and into the heart of their holiday. Why is she there? What does she want from them all? And why does Joe's enigmatic wife allow her to remain? Profound and thrilling, Swimming Home reveals how the most devastating secrets are the ones we keep from ourselves.Trade Review'Swimming Home is as sharp as a wasp sting ... Witty and poignant, its pages melt away like an unsettling yet familiar dream.' Sunday Times ----------- 'Deborah Levy has made something strange and new ... spiky and unsettling. In this novel, home is elusive, safety is unlikely, and the reader closes the book both satisfied and unnerved.' The Guardian ----------- 'A stealthily devastating book ... Levy manipulates light and shadow with artfulness. She transfixes the reader: we recognize the thing of darkness in us all. This is an intelligent, pulsating literary beast.' The Telegraph ----------- 'Swimming Home is a beautiful, delicate book underpinned by a complexity that only reveals itself slowly to the reader.' Financial Times ----------- 'This amazing novel is a haunting exploration of loss and longing. It has an epic quality.' The Independent ----------- 'A statement on the power of the unsaid. Magisterial ... Themes, phrases and images recur in rhythmic cycles through this fugal novel. Levy's cinematic clarity and momentum convey confusion with remarkable lucidity.' Times Literary Supplement ----------- 'As the reader is drawn beneath the placid surface of her characters' experiences, Levy reveals a more urgent world humming with symbols.' Literary Review ----------- 'Exquisite ... Levy's sense of dramatic form, as she hastens us toward the grim finale, is unerring, and her prose effortlessly summons people and landscapes.' New Yorker ----------- 'Readers will have to resist the temptation to hurry up in order to find out what happens ... Our reward is the enjoyable, if unsettling, experience of being pitched into the deep waters of Levy's wry, accomplished novel.' New York Times ---------- 'Elegant ... subtle ... uncanny... The seductive pleasure of Levy's prose stems from its layered brilliance.' Washington Post ------------- 'Here is an excellent story, told with the subtlety and menacing tension of a veteran playwright.' Wall Street Journal

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 1973 BOOKER PRIZE''We look on past ages with condescension, as a mere preparation for us... but what if we are a mere after-glow of them?'' Krishnapur, 1857: India is on the brink of a violent and bloody mutiny. In this remote town on the vast North Indian plain, life for the British is still orderly and genteel. But when the sepoys at the nearest military cantonment rise in revolt, the British community retreats with shock into the Residency. They prepare to fight for their lives with what weapons they can muster. As food and ammunition grow short when the British find themselves under actual siege, the true character of their dominion - at once brutal, blundering and wistful - is soon revealed. ''An idiosyncratic masterpiece, wise and richly comic'' Hilary MantelTrade ReviewWhile I can't categorically state it's the best book ever, I find it hard to think of one that I prefer. One that does more as a work of fiction, or that says more about our flawed humanity . . . The Siege of Krishnapur is a superb portrayal of physical horrors and psychological fallout . . . [It] is wonderfully funny, written with devastating wit and rambunctious humanity. I can't praise it enough - and I can't push it enough -- Sam Jordison * Guardian *Inspired, funny but ultimately tragic look at colonialism in India. It has an unusual exuberance -- Mariella FrostrupFor a novel to be witty is one thing, to tell a good story is another, to be serious is yet another, but to be all three is surely enough to make it a masterpiece * New Statesman *A novel of quite outstanding quality * The Times *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2010 ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD Eva never really wanted to be a mother; certainly not the mother of a boy named Kevin who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker and a teacher who had tried to befriend him. Now, two years after her son's horrific rampage, Eva comes to terms with her role as Kevin's mother in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her absent husband Franklyn about their son's upbringing. Fearing that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son has become, she confesses to a deep, long-standing ambivalence about motherhood. How much is her fault? In Lionel Shriver's hands this sensational, chilling and memorable story of a woman who raised a monster becomes a metaphor for the larger tragedy - the tragedy of a country where everything works, nobody starves, and anything can be bought but a sense of purpose.Trade ReviewOnce in a while, a stunningly powerful novel comes along, knocks you sideways and takes your breath away: this is it ... a horrifying, original, witty, brave and deliberately provocative investigation into all the casual assumptions we make about family life, and motherhood in particular * Daily Mail *This startling shocker strips bare motherhood... the most remarkable Orange prize victor so far -- Polly Toynbee * Guardian *An awesomely smart, stylish and pitiless achievement. Franz Kafka wrote that a book should be the ice-pick that breaks open the frozen seas inside us, because the books that make us happy we could have written ourselves. With We Need to Talk About Kevin, Shriver has wielded Kafka's axe with devastating force * Independent *One of the most striking works of fiction to be published this year. It is Desperate Housewives as written by Euripides... A powerful, gripping and original meditation on evil * New Statesman *Shriver keeps up an almost unbearable suspense. It's hard to imagine a more striking demolition job on the American myth of the perfect suburban family * Sunday Telegraph *One of the bravest books I've ever read... We Need to Talk About Kevin is an original, powerful, resonant, witty, fascinating and deeply intelligent work * Sunday Business Post *A study of despair, a book of ideas and a deconstruction of modern American morality -- David Baddiel * The Times *This superb, many-layered novel intelligently weighs the culpability of parental nurture against the nightmarish possibilities of an innately evil child * Daily Telegraph *Urgent, unblinking and articulate * Sunday Times *[A] powerful, painful novel... There are true, terrible things said here about family life * Saga Magazine *A fierce challenge of a novel that forces the reader to confront assumptions about love and parenting, about how and why we apportion blame, about crime and punishment, forgiveness and redemption and, perhaps most significantly, about how we can manage when the answer to the question why? is either too complex for human comprehension, or simply non-existent * Independent *Pitch-perfect, devastating and utterly convincing -- Geoff DyerOne of my favourite novels... the best thing I've read in years -- Jeremy VineWe Need to Talk About Kevin is not a treatise on crime prevention but a meditation on motherhood, and a terribly honest one * Wall Street Journal *What an amazing piece of storytelling. I could not put the book down. -- Shirley Henderson (Bridget Jones & Harry Potter actress) * Daily Express *One of the most powerful books I've read... brilliant -- Boy George * Elle *An original and startling story of family life. A brilliant and thought-provoking read. -- Jackie Brown * Woman's Own *

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of Elena Knows , finalist for the 2022 International Booker Prize20 years after a shocking accident, Mary Lohan returns to the Buenos Aires suburb she escaped in a fugue of guilt and isolation. She is not the same—not her name or voice, not even the color of her eyes. The neighborhood looks different too, but she’s still the same woman and it’s still the same place, and as the past erupts into view, they slowly collide. A Little Luck is the story about the debilitating weight of lies, the messy line between bravery and cowardice, and the tragedies, big and small, that can ripple out from a single decisive event. In a place she had determined to forget forever, both anticipated encounters and unanticipated revelations show her, and us, that sometimes life is neither fate nor chance: perhaps it’s nothing more than a little luck.Trade Review"A striking meditation on loss and the search for home." —Publishers Weekly"A moving story about the courage to face the past and earn a chance at redemption." —Kirkus"An investigation into the limits of narrative, Claudia Piñeiro's latest cements the writer as a giant of Argentine literature. (5 stars)" —The Skinny"A Little Luck is a thrilling read, a page turner, a mystery, a psychological deep dive into character."" —Julia Alvarez , author of HOW THE GARCÍA GIRLS LOST THEIR ACCENTS and IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES"Piñeiro excels at creating poignant, emotive fiction which aims for both heart and head." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's Bookshop"I highly recommend A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro." —Harvard Bookstore"Piñeiro is quickly establishing herself to English readers as a novelist capable of utter devastation, but she consistently offers a little hope in the dark. " —The Big Issue"A must-read." —Morning Star"Piñeiro once again demonstrates her expertise in suspense and intrigue." —Sounds & Colours"Examines the plight of those who, for no fault of their own, are abandoned by the community and shunned by society." —The Arts Fuse"The writing and pacing are superb...there’s not a dull moment to be had." —Tony's Reading List**********Praise for Claudia PiñeiroInternational Booker Prize (Shortlist)Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award - Fiction (Shortlist)LiBeraturpreis (Winner)"Short and stylish…a piercing commentary on mother-daughter relationships, the indignity of bureaucracy, the burdens of caregiving and the impositions of religious dogma on women." —New York Times"A lyrical portrait of a woman unable to grieve...incisive commentary on Catholic society’s control of women’s bodies." —Publishers Weekly"A murder mystery with a twist." —The Globe and Mail"Its true brilliance, though, is in how it flips Elena’s insular daily reality into a much broader commentary on how the hypocrisy of Catholic society manifests in the lives and judgments of ordinary people. A highly accomplished and original novel, translated with great sensitivity to tone and atmosphere by Frances Riddle." —Irish Times"A gloriously taut and haunting tale…astonishingly assured."" —Denise Mina , author of GODS AND BEASTS and THE LONG DROP"A fascinating, twisty tale." —The Listener"Contending with sorrow and illness, as well as the burdens of caregiving, bodily horrors, and forced presumptions in the lives of women, Elena Knows is a bold, visceral work of fiction." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's Bookshop"[Piñeiro's] words work a kind of magic only very masterful literature does." —Lucy Writers"In Elena, Piñeiro has created an uncommon Virgil who reminds readers of the damaging and even deadly effects of imposing one’s convictions on others." —Necessary Fiction"A subtle and skilful exploration of how far women have the right to control their own bodies." —The Conversation"Riveting, revelatory and brilliantly imaginative." —Lonesome Reader"Subverting genre expectations." —The Arts Fuse************"Like fabric, this book is woven from different textualities. Intermittently, a chorus appears who comment, in the style of Ancient Greek theatre, on what is happening. (…) Combined with these voices are texts from well-known figures: Rebecca Solnit, Rita Segato, Judith Butler, Vivian Gornick, Marguerite Duras..." —Infobae"The novel portrays the new life of the main character and the culture shock she experiences on encountering a world that is much more feminist than the one she remembers, when she only knew a single way to be a woman." —elDiarioAR"The intellectual, artistic and creative challenges expressed in Time of the Flies confront us with the destruction of the archetypes of specific periods, where the resistances and oppositions are intense and come from all sides." —Diario Cine y Literatura CL"A detective novel that corroborates this writer’s experience with the genre and her capacity to travel to the darkest corners of the human soul, always from multiple perspectives." —Hermeneuta Revista Cultural"Once inside (as you will find out for yourself) there is no let-up." —El Español"As they try to rebuild their lives on release from prison, Inés and Manca experience ups and downs that show them that love is not always what we call love and that we do not always feel what we really think we feel. In the realm of the emotions, there are no absolute truths either." —Tiempo Argentino"It is a stimulating exercise to imagine the challenges characters who embody a particular period would face in the present day. This is what Piñeiro attempts here, and hits the nail on the head with Inés, who resonates with irreverent questions about the possibility of being contemporary and wholly genuine at the same time." —La Nación"Piñeiro interweaves the stories of Inés and Manca in a kind of suburban Thelma and Louise, with a chorus of women who debate subjects such as the achievements of feminism, inclusive language and abortion, among other matters" —Pagina/12**********

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Book SynopsisAn intimate, stirring portrait of a country at war and a family's battle to surviveTrade Review'[An] absorbing, stirring novel... Que Mai contains her saga with a poet's discipline, crafting spare and unsparing sentences, and uplifts it with a poet's antenna for beauty in the most desolate circumstances. She evokes the landscape hauntingly, as a site of loss so profound it assumes the quality of fable.' -- New York Times Book Review'The Mountains Sing is an epic account of Việt Nam’s painful 20th century history, both vast in scope and intimate in its telling. Through the travails of one family, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai brings us close to the horrors of famine, war, and class struggle. But in this moving and riveting novel, she also shows us a post-war Việt Nam, a country of hope and renewal, home to a people who have never given up.' -- Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of The Sympathizer'Devastating… From the French and Japanese occupations to the Indochina wars, The Great Hunger, land reform and the Vietnam War, it’s a story of resilience, determination, family and hope in a country blighted by pain.' -- Refinery29, 'Best New Books, August 2020''A sweeping story that positions Vietnamese life within the rich and luminous history of national epics like The Tale of Kiều and The Iliad. Expansive in scope and feeling, The Mountains Sing is a feat of hope, an unflinchingly felt inquiry into the past, with the courageous storytelling of the present.' -- Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous'A Vietnamese poet conjures history and fate in a luminous tale that resonates across generations as one family grapples with the psychic residue of war.' -- O, The Oprah Magazine'I learned so much that I needed to know about Vietnam… This book, first and foremost, is one of the most significant contributions to literature.' -- Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen Society'Inspired by the experiences of [Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s] own family, and backed up by extensive research, it's a testament to their endurance; a harrowing novel which finds hope in the author's faith in reconciliation and understanding.' -- Herald, Glasgow'A luminous, complex family narrative... Que Mai [has] an astute and graceful ability to sustain contradictory truths about war, displacement, aesthetic representations, and human nature... The Mountains Sing affirms the individual’s right to think, read, and act according to a code of intuitive civility, borne out of Vietnam's fertile and compassionate cultural heritage.' -- NPR'A sweeping saga... Alternating between lyricism and blunt reality, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai gives us a vivid look at Vietnam from within.' -- People Magazine'Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s sweeping tale proves on every page that despite war-time tragedies and numbing ugliness, the human desire to forgive and thrive soars as high as the mountains.' -- Thanhha Lai, National Book Award-winning author of Inside Out and Back Again'A mesmerizing, devastating, searing and utterly authentic and deeply human novel. Cannot recommend highly enough!' -- Lynn Novick, co-producer of The Vietnam War documentary'A glorious novel which sweeps across land, generations and hearts... A rare gem that I will never forget.' The Write Review'A moving tribute to the author's own family, but also to the people of Việt Nam and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it... If you enjoyed Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, or The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See, this is undoubtedly one for you.' Reads & Reveries'The Mountains Sing is an epic novel weaving together stories of four generations of the fictional Tran family...The novel is poetic, absorbing and illustrative of the enormous sacrifices of the Vietnamese people, particularly the women.' The Green Left, Australia'Epic in scope, and a celebration of the human spirit, The Mountains Sing is a story you won't soon forget.' PopSugar, '25 of the Best New Books to Add to Your Reading List This Spring''A panoramic epic... Like the work of Duong Thu Huong, who deserves the Nobel one day, this book brings to life a crucial part of Vietnamese history from within. Your heart will not leave this book untouched.' Literary Hub'Not since 2017's Pachinko have readers been given a family saga as sumptuous and compelling as The Mountains Sing.' PopMatters, 'Best Fiction Books of 2020''[A] lyrical, sweeping debut novel... Nguyen brilliantly explores the boundary between what a writer shares with the world and what remains between family. This brilliant, unsparing love letter to Vietnam will move readers.' Publishers Weekly, starred review'An engrossing story of family, adversity, war, loss, and triumph... Recalling Min Jin Lee and Lisa See, Nguyen displays a lush and captivating storyteller’s gift as she effortlessly transports readers to another world, leaving them wishing for more.' Library Journal, starred review'This multigenerational tale chronicles the Trần family as a Vietnamese woman visits Hanoi and reflects on the life lessons shared by her late grandmother.' USA Today, 'Five Books Not to Miss''A historical novel that portrays Vietnamese strength in the face of adversity... I came away at the end of the book with a new appreciation for the courage and resourcefulness of the Vietnamese.' Washington Independent Review of Books'Told with poetic economy and intensity, [The Mountains Sing] is dominated by the formidable Dieu Lan and her granddaughter Huong, who find ways to pass on stories from the past.' Sydney Morning Herald'Widely published in Vietnamese, poet, nonfiction writer, and translator Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s first novel in English balances the unrelenting devastation of war with redemptive moments of surprising humanity.' Booklist'In The Mountains Sing, Nguyen Phan Que Mai has found a true and clear voice in English that is rich and compelling the way only those who come to English as a second language can sometimes manage.' Bruce Weigl, author of bestselling memoir The Circle of Hanh'A beautiful evocation of a lost world.' Paris Review of Books'Beautiful, heartbreaking and utterly essential.' Saigoneer Bookshelf'Beautifully and lyrically written... The Mountains Sing is historical fiction at its finest – it highlights the impact and cost of the events that led up to the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese people's perspective.' She Reads, 'Best Historical Fiction Books of 2020''The power of this outstanding novel lies in the gradual revelations of just how many personal challenges this family has had to deal with... Hauntingly beautiful.' NB magazine'A compelling and challenging novel that should be read as an attempt to recognise both the presence of the past and its profound effect on the formation of individual and national identity.' Irish Times'A vast, epic historical novel set against the backdrop of the Viet Nam conflict through the eyes of the people themselves.' -- Ms. Magazine'Quế Mai's first novel in English is lyrical and at once heart-wrenching and hopeful.' NPR, Best Books of 2020'Lyrical, wrenching, sometimes painful to read, but ultimately glorious in affirming the resilience of the human spirit.' Julia Alvarez, author of Afterlife

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Book SynopsisJim Kay’s dazzling depiction of J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world has won legions of fans since the first Illustrated Edition of the Harry Potter novels was published in hardback in 2015, becoming a bestseller around the world. This irresistible smaller-format paperback edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban perfectly pairs J.K. Rowling's storytelling genius with Jim Kay's illustration wizardry, bringing the magic of Harry Potter to new readers with full-colour pictures and a handsome poster pull-out at the back of the book. This edition has been beautifully redesigned with selected illustration highlights, and is packed with breathtaking scenes and unforgettable characters – including Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Professor Trelawney. The fully illustrated edition is still available in hardback. Fizzing with magic and brimming with humour, this inspired reimagining will captivate wizards and Muggles alike, as Harry, now in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, faces Dementors, death omens and – of course – danger.Trade ReviewSeeing Jim Kay’s illustrations moved me profoundly. I love his interpretation of Harry Potter’s world, and I feel honoured and grateful that he has lent his talent to it * J.K. Rowling *One of the greatest literary adventures of modern times * Sunday Telegraph *The Harry Potter stories will join that small group of children’s books which are read and reread into adulthood * Times Literary Supplement *Kay’s illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a triumph – a book so alive it seems to jump, explode and slither out of your hands as you read * Telegraph on HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE ILLUSTRATED EDITION *

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