Contemporary fiction titles are those which focus on the present or near past. Stories rooted in the current cultural, social, and political landscape which feature characters we can all recognise.
Contemporary fiction titles are those which focus on the present or near past. Stories rooted in the current cultural, social, and political landscape which feature characters we can all recognise.
Book SynopsisPerfect for fans of Coco Mellors, R. F. Kuang and Yomi Adegoke, this electrifying debut and TikTok sensation charts the unlikely relationship between a pregnant teenage pizza delivery driver and a stressed-out, middle-aged mum.Eighteen years old, pregnant, and working as a pizza delivery girl, our dysfunctional heroine is deeply lost and in complete denial about it all. She's grieving the death of her father, avoiding her loving boyfriend, and flagrantly ignoring her future.Her world is further upended when she becomes obsessed with Jenny, a stay-at-home mother new to the neighbourhood, who comes to depend on weekly deliveries of pickle-covered pizzas for her son's happiness.As one woman looks toward motherhood and the other toward middle age, the relationship between the two begins to blur in strange, complicated, and ultimately heartbreaking ways.Bold, tender, and unexpected, Pizza Girl is a moving and funny portrait of a flawed, unforgettable young woman as she tries to find her plaTrade Review‘Utterly moving’ Stylist ‘A bold and unusual novel’ Vogue ‘This story is both heartbreaking and hysterical, so buckle in for a wild emotional ride’ Good Housekeeping ‘A thought provoking debut … so compelling … I loved it’ Daily Mail ‘Bold, funny and quick … a unique, satisfying read that can be devoured in one sitting’ Vice ‘Exactly the sort of read I’m looking for at the moment’ Refinery29 ‘A fine debut’ Independent ‘A punchy and riveting story about struggling to take control of your life’BuzzFeed ‘Pacy and unexpected, this is a read you'll find refreshing if you've been stuck in a rut’ Cosmopolitan ‘By turns witty and moving, this is a sharp shock of a novel … Frazier is a stylish writer who wears her skills lightly … Her debut is a blistering slice of life with all the toppings’ The Irish Times ‘Short and sweet, this is a wry and understated tale of finding your place and identity’ Heat ‘A really remarkable debut’ The Nerd Daily ‘Messy, funny, dark, with characters who feel so real you’d swear you know them already. A truly original coming-of-age tale that feels both fresh and familiar’ Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City ‘A sublime ode to obsessive outcasts and lovable screw-ups everywhere, Pizza Girl is irresistible and bold, brutal and sweet, with an ending that will thrash your heart’ Kimberly King Parsons ‘Riotously funny’ Elle ’Fresh, funny, bittersweet’ New York Times ‘This quirky, moody novel delivers in unexpected ways’ People ‘Jean Kyoung Frazier brings a flawless ear for language, great inventiveness, unfailing intelligence and empathy, and best of all a rare and shimmering wit.’ Richard Ford ‘Luminous, brooding, and, frankly, awe-inspiring’ Bryan Washington
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Book Synopsis ‘A charming, unforgettable story.’ Harper’s Bazaar 40 years of marriage. 8 golden charms. One man’s journey of discovery. Having been married for over 40 years, 69-year-old Arthur Pepper is mourning the loss of his wife. On the anniversary of her death, he finally musters the courage to go through her possessions, and happens upon a charm bracelet that he has never seen before. What follows is a surprising adventure that takes Arthur from London to Paris and India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife’s secret life before they met, a journey that leads him to find healing, self-discovery, and love in the most unexpected of places. ‘Charming by name, charming by nature, this book is a balm for the soul and heart.’ The Sun Readers have fallen in love with The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper: 'I enjoyed this lovely book so much. Recommended if you want to read a poignant, warm-hearted story' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A lovely book and very well written with gentle humour and charm'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A little gem of a book peppered with humour'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Will leave you feeling warm and content by the end'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Absolutely the best book I have read in a long time. The story was lovely'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I truly loved every page! The most beautiful story that I've ever read!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A delightful read. I adored it'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Don't miss The Library of Lost and Found, another unforgettable tale from Phaedra Patrick.Trade ReviewPraise for Phaedra Patrick: ‘A feel-good story with oodles of charm that had me rooting for Arthur all the way.’ The Daily Mail ‘Charming by name, charming by nature, this book is a balm for the soul and the heart.’ The Sun ‘With many poignant as well as laugh-out-loud moments, in the vein of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, this is a lovely feel-good read.’ Compass ‘We love this sweet story about self-discovery.’ Take A Break ‘As charming and witty as the title suggests.’ My Weekly ‘A gorgeous journey told through charms’ Heat ‘Eccentric, charming and wise, this will illuminate your heart’ Nina George, author of The Little Paris Bookshop ‘If you liked The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, you’ll love this’ Townswoman Reading Groups are loving Arthur Pepper! ‘A lovely tale with beautifully crafted characters, warmth, humour and poignancy. I romped through this perfectly delightful story.’ Sarah Harper, Lovereading ‘A lovely novel which is a sheer delight to read from beginning to end.’ Catherine Bryce, Lovereading ‘A well written and very charming story. It is a feel good read, very satisfying and a lovely ending.’ Sue Pledger, Lovereading ‘Funny, warm and loving … I took Arthur Pepper with me everywhere. I smiled a lot and couldn’t stop guessing what this secret was?’ Shriya Khambhaita, Lovereading
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Book SynopsisFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone who gave us A Merry Little Meet Cute comes a new festive romcom 'tis the season for second chances!Sunny Palmer has returned to Christmas Notch in search of some festive inspiration for her screenplay.Isaac Kelly, former boy band heartthrob and the saddest boy in the music biz, is the latest owner of the town's historic mansion. What better place to attempt his first holiday album than a snow-covered mansion where he can become a hermit in peace?But after they wake up together in Sunny's dilapidated motel room after a wild night, Isaac takes a chance and asks her to stay at his place and they make a deal: they will both try to get the other's creative juices flowing again.With these two opposites under one roof, there's no way this jingle bell mingle could go off scriptright?????? READERS LOVE CHRISTMAS NOTCH ?????''I adored this book. It was cute, funny, sexy and festive, what more could you want?''''This is the book I didn''t realise I needed in my life the heat level in this is off the charts''''If you're looking for a spicy holiday read this is the one for you!''''The story has everything you need main characters to fall in love with and root for until the end, a multitude of diverse side characters that are genuinely there to drive the plot (and fall in love with)''''One of my all time favourite Christmas reads''
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Book SynopsisThe #1 New York Times bestselling novel, now a major Sky Atlantic drama starring Mark Ruffalo as two identical twins, Thomas and Dominick.Dominick Birdsey's whole existence is coloured by the knowledge that his twin brother can never be fully responsible for his frightening behaviour, while he himself has beaten the biochemical odds to remain sane. But at what cost?This powerful, heartwrenching drama draws on the deepest human emotions: the need to know oneself, responsibility to family, the influence of hidden history. The result is a highly acclaimed novel of survival, written with great sensitivity.Trade Review‘A triumph of simple beauty’Time ‘I Know This Much Is True never grapples with anything less than life’s biggest questions… a modern-day Dostoyevsky’New York Times ‘Every now and then a book comes along that sets new standards for writers and readers alike. Wally Lamb’s latest novel is stunning – and even that might be an understatement’Associated Press ‘Lamb creates a nuanced picture of a flawed but decent man. And the questions that permeate the novel… contribute to a fully developed and triumphantly resolved exploration of one man’s suffering and redemption’Publishers Weekly ‘A modern Greek tragedy… [Lamb’s] success is to present this with terrific readability, tenderness, optimism and, most surprisingly, wit… The hallmark of the book is fine writing and a commendable depth of characterisation’The Times ‘Wally Lamb’s achievement is to force you to feel Dominick’s pain… the events in Dominick’s everyday nightmare are presented with a sneaky simplicity which generates emotional tension’Daily Telegraph
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Book SynopsisLike Lorna Sage''s Bad Blood A masterpiece' RACHEL CUSKGiving up the Ghost' is award-winning novelist Hilary Mantel''s uniquely unusual five-part autobiography.Opening in 1995 with ''A Second Home'', Mantel describes the death of her stepfather which leaves her deeply troubled by the unresolved events of her childhood. In ''Now Geoffrey Don''t Torment Her'' Mantel takes the reader into the muffled consciousness of her early childhood, culminating in the birth of a younger brother and the strange candlelight ceremony of her mother''s ''churching''. In ''Smile'', an account of teenage perplexity, Mantel describes a household where the keeping of secrets has become a way of life. Finally, at the memoir''s conclusion, Mantel explains how through a series of medical misunderstandings and neglect she came to be childless and how the ghosts of the unborn like chances missed or pages unturned, have come to haunt her life as a writer.Trade Review'She is by turns facetious, matter-of-fact, visionary and comical but always totally riveting.' Daily Telegraph 'Simply astonishing - clear and true.' Guardian 'An extraordinary story, sometimes comic, often grim, but most importantly it is a story of survival.' Spectator 'A masterpiece of wit…[the] past, so thoroughly vanished, is made to live again here.' Rachel Cusk ‘What a remarkable writer she is. She is piercingly, even laceratingly observant … a very startling and daring memoir; the more I read it the more unsettling it becomes.’ Helen Dunmore ‘I was riveted. It’s raw, it’s distressing and it’s full of piercing insights into a first-rate novelist’s mind.’ Margaret Forster ‘A stunning evocation of an ill-fitting childhood and a womanhood blighted by medical ineptitude. Hilary Mantel’s frank and beautiful memoir is impossible to put down and impossible to forget.’ Clare Boylan
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Book SynopsisA voyage of discovery into the life of a remote aboriginal community in the Siberian Arctic, where the reindeer has been a part of daily life since Palaeolithic times.The Reindeer People is the first in a series of reissues of Megan Lindholm's (Robin Hobb) classic backlist titles. It is set in the harsh wilderness of a prehistoric North America, and tells the story of a tribe of nomads and hunters as they try to survive, battling against enemy tribes, marauding packs of wolves and the very land itself.Living on the outskirts of the tribe Tillu was happy spending her time tending her strange, slow dreamy child Kerlew and comunning with the spirits to heal the sick and bring blessing on new births.However Carp, the Shaman, an ugly wizened old man whose magic smelled foul to Tillu desired both mother and child. Tillu knew Carp's magic would steal her son and her soul. Death waited in the snows of the Tundra, but Tillu knew which she would preferGritty and realistic, it's reminiscent of JeTrade ReviewPraise for Megan Lindholm:‘A bright new talent in the fantasy field’Charles de Lint‘Lindholm has created a refreshingly different magic’Locus‘Fascinating, absorbing and well written’Fantasy Review
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Book SynopsisBorn in Chicago in 1942, Michael Crichton first trained as a doctor before going on to become one of the most successful writers in the world. In 1994 he achieved a feat unmatched by any other writer: by having simultaneously a number one TV series, book and movie with, respectively, ER (which he created), Disclosure and Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, on its release the highest-grossing film of all time. He also directed several movies, including The Great Railway Robbery with Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland. His high-concept thrillers were international bestsellers, and in total his books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. He died in 2008.Trade ReviewIngenious, imaginative * Los Angeles Times *Thrilling * New York Times Book Review *Fascinating * The Washington Post *Dazzling * People *
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Book Synopsis
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Book SynopsisWe all have our little secrets...When the remains of a brutally murdered young woman are left hanging from the Glenfinnan Monument in the Highlands of Scotland, DCI Jack Logan and his Major Investigations Team are dispatched to investigate.At first, the case appears to be fairly open and shut. But, as evidence mounts, Jack uncovers some shocking truths about the victim that risk turning the investigation into a potentially explosive international incident.With a billionaire baying for his blood, a former FBI agent breathing down his neck, and half the world''s press watching his every move, it isn''t the murderer that Jack''s afraid might be the end of him.It''s the stress.And don''t get him started on the bloody tourists...A Death Most Monumental is the eighth book from internationally bestselling author, JD Kirk, and is perfect for fans of Stuart Macbride, Ian Rankin, Chris Brookmyre, and Val McDermid.
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Book SynopsisBertie''s respite from his overbearing mother, Irene, is over. She has returned from the middle-east, only to discover that her son has been exposed to the worst evils of cartoons, movies and Irn Bru, and her wrath falls upon her unfortunate husband, Stuart. Meanwhile, Bruce has fallen in love with someone other than himself; Big Lou wants to adopt her beloved Finlay; Matthew and Elspeth host the Duke of Johannesburg for supper and Bertie decides he wants to move out of Scotland Street altogether and live with his grandmother, Nicola.Can Irene and Stuart''s marriage survive? Will Bruce''s newfound love last? And will Bertie really leave Scotland Street? Find out in the next instalment of this charming, beloved series.
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Book SynopsisIn the vein of Memoirs of a Geisha and Empress Orchid, a mesmerizing novel about two young girls growing up in feudal ChinaTrade Review'Lisa See has written her best book yet ... achingly beautiful, a marvel of imagination of a real and secret world that has only recently disappeared' Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club 'Only the best novelists can do what Lisa See has done, to bring to life not only a character but an entire culture, and a sensibility so strikingly different from our own ... engrossing and completely convincing' Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha 'The wonder of this book is that it takes readers to a place at once foreign and familiar ... Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a triumph on every level, a beautiful, heartbreaking story' Washington Post 'You can relish See's extraordinary novel as a meticulously researched account of women's lives in nineteenth-century China. But you can also savour See's marvellous narrative as a timeless portrait of a contentious, full-blooded female friendship, one that includes, over several decades, envy, betrayal, erotic love, and deep-seated loyalty' Entertainment Weekly
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Book SynopsisTHE NO.1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, AND COMPANION NOVEL TO AMERICAN GODS.HIGHLY ANTICIPATED TELEVISION SERIES JUST ANNOUNCED - COMING ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO.''Neil could never have known that he was writing for a confused Jamaican kid who, without even knowing it, was still staggering from centuries of erasure of his own gods and monsters'' MARLON JAMES''A warm, funny, immensely entertaining story about the impossibility of putting up with your relations - especially if they happen to be Gods'' SUSANNA CLARKE ''It''s virtually impossible to read more than ten words by Neil Gaiman and not wish he would tell you the rest of the story'' OBSERVER---''People think that funny and serious are mutually exclusives. They think they''re opposites, and that''s not actually true'' NEIL GAIMAN---Everything changes for Fat Charlie Nancy, the South London boy so called by his father, the Trade ReviewTo give him his full title: Neil Gaiman, Architect of Worlds, Svengali of Plot, Shaman of Character, Exploder of Cliche, Master Craftsman of Style, Dreamer, Laureate of the Republic of Letters -- David MitchellBeyond all the borders that divide us, there is a place of infinite possibilities and pure magic. I think of Neil Gaiman as a writer who wears the key to that land around his neck - the key to Storyland -- Elif ShafakGaiman is, simply put, a treasure-house of story -- Stephen KingA god in the universe of story -- Stephen FryA tonic for these turbulent times * Irish Times *Much too clever to be caught in the net of a single interpretation -- Philip PullmanIntimate, erudite and illuminating -- Guillermo del ToroWhile we might come to his writing for gods and monsters, actually all human life is here * Independent *A very fine and imaginative writer * The Times *'Gaiman has a rich imagination...and an ability to tackle large themes' * Philip Pullman *
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Book SynopsisIn this addictive novel, from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Just My Luck, a marriage crumbles, cultures clash and love affairs begin in in glorious sun-drenched Italy.Don''t miss Adele''s latest gripping novel, Both of You, out now! And look for One Last Secret, coming soon. Acclaim for Adele''s compelling, twisty and acutely observed novels:''Tightly plotted, brilliantly conceived and totally gripping'' Lisa Jewell''Twisty, unputdownable and utterly engrossing'' Jenny Colgan''Brilliant storyline, great characters, very clever, loved it!'' B A Paris''Addictive and perceptive'' Lucy Atkins......................................WILL THE ITALIAN DREAM BE WHAT SHE''S ALWAYS IMAGINED?Elizabeth has two goals in life. Once she fulfils the first - finding a sexy Italian husband - she thinks the second will come easy. But getting pregnant is proving difficult.So when thTrade Review'When it comes to fiction reflecting feminine issues, Adele Parks has her finger on the pulse' * Glamour *'Wonderfully plotted, moving and insightful...shot through with funny, tender and observant moments' * Daily Mail *'Full of emotional set-pieces and real insight into relationships between men and women' * Heat *'A fabulous mix of comedy, real life and emotional depth' * Daily Express *'A wicked pleasure' * Woman & Home *'She is a particularly acute observer of relationship ups and downs, and her stories are always as insightful as they are entertaining' * Daily Mirror *'Guaranteed to keep you hooked until the end' * She magazine *'Parks writes with wit and a keen eye for detail' * Guardian *'Deliciously down to earth' * The Times *'Entertaining and sophisticated' * Marie Claire *'Observant, sensitive and funny' * Closer *'Dark, funny and observant' * Cosmopolitan *'Compulsively addictive' * Elle *
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Book SynopsisThe story of an independent young woman whose life is changed forever by a chance encounter with a childhood friend. A magical blend of compelling action, exotic locations and intriguing characters, told with Paulo's characteristic power and insight.Pilar is an independent and practical young woman who is feeling bored and frustrated by the daily grind of her university life. Looking for a deeper meaning to her existence, she happens to meet an old childhood friend, now a handsome, mesmerizing spiritual teacher and a rumoured miracle worker. As he leads her on a magical journey through the Fench Pyrenees, Pilar begins to realize that this chance encounter is going to transform her life forever.With Paulo's trademark blend of mysticism, magical realism and folklore, Pilar's story is a poignant and deeply inspiring taleTrade Review‘One of the few to deserve the term“Publishing Phenomenon”’INDEPENDENT OF SUNDAY ‘His books have had a life-enancing impact on millions of people.’THE TIMES ‘this (is an) exceptional novel.’Laura Esquivel, author of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE
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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Folio Prize'Unforgettable' - Anne Tyler'Stunningly original' - GuardianOne long last summer for Dad Lewis in his beloved town, Holt, Colorado. As old friends pass in and out to voice their farewells and good wishes, Dad's wife and daughter work to make his final days as comfortable as possible, knowing all is tainted by the heart-break of an absent son. Next door, a little girl with a troubled past moves in with her grandmother, and down town another new arrival, the Reverend Rob Lyle, attempts to mend strained relationships of his own.Utterly beautiful, and devastating yet affirming, Kent Haruf's Benediction explores the pain, the compassion and the humanity of ordinary people.Trade Review"The precious ordinary," is the central concern of this remarkable book. Benediction is quiet and nearly uneventful, but it is also unforgettable . . . In the very best sense, it is an old-fashioned novel-virtuous and kind-hearted, dealing with issues that are timeless -- Anne TylerIn Benediction, a fine contender for the inaugural Folio Prize, Kent Haruf's beautifully spare prose charts the events of that summer with unpretentious aplomb . . . Sensual descriptions of landscape and weather create an impression of timelessness * Daily Telegraph ***** *Haruf handles human relationships with fierce, reticent delicacy, exploring rage, fidelity, pity, honour, timidity, the sense of obligation . . . his courage and achievement in exploring ordinary forms of love - the enduring frustration, the long cost of loyalty, the comfort of daily affection - are unsurpassed by anything I know in contemporary fiction . . . A stunningly original writer in a great many ways . . . He's careful to get the story right. And it is right, it's just right; it rings true * Guardian *I wrote to Kent Haruf to tell him how much I liked his novels, for the precision of his vocabulary, for the grace that runs through his books, and for the realism . . . I thought, I wrote, of Laura Ingalls Wilder overlaid with Cormac McCarthy. American Wild implies loss, as well as exhilaration, and danger. All of that is there in Haruf, along with a measure of grace and peace of mind -- Sigrid Rausing * Independent *A brilliant end to his brilliant Plainsong trilogy. -- Lucy Mangan * Stylist *Kent Haruf describes Dad Lewis's last summer with beautiful simplicity . . . Haruf's existing fans have been waiting patiently for Benediction for years. They won't be surprised by how fine this book is, but newcomers to his writing will be reaching for his previous novels to catch up. * Sunday Express *In spare, Cormac McCarthy-like prose, Kent Haruf writes about facing death in modern America. * Independent on Sunday *Haruf is the master of what one of his characters calls "the precious ordinary". . . . With understated language and startling emotional insight, he makes you feel awe at even the most basic of human gestures. -- Ben Goldstein * Esquire *Benediction is as richly laced with metaphysics as its title suggests . . . The most affecting moments of this supremely graceful novel are conjured by farewells to the quotidian. * Times Literary Supplement *Benediction suggests there’s no end to the stories Haruf can tell about Holt or to the tough, gorgeous language he can summon in the process. * New York Times *Truly showcases the novel as an art form. * Psychologies *We’ve waited a long time for an invitation back to Holt, home to Kent Haruf’s novels. . . He may be the most muted master in American fiction [and] Benediction seems designed to catch the sound of those fleeting good moments [with] scenes Hemingway might have written had he survived. -- Ron Charles * Washington Post *His finest-tuned tale yet. . . . There is a deep, satisfying music to this book, as Haruf weaves between such a large cast of characters in so small a space. . . . Strangely, wonderfully, the moment of a man's passing can be a blessing in the way it brings people together. Benediction recreates this powerful moment so gracefully it is easy to forget that, like [the town of] Holt, it is a world created by one man. -- John Freeman * The Boston Globe *Reverberant… From the terroir and populace of his native American West, the author of Plainsong and Eventide again draws a story elegant in its simple telling and remarkable in its authentic capture of universal human emotions. -- Brad Hooper * Booklist *Haruf is maguslike in his gifts. . . to illuminate the inevitable ways in which tributary lives meander toward confluence. . . . Perhaps not since Hemingway has an American author triggered such reader empathy with so little reliance on the subjectivity of his characters. . . . [This] is a modestly wrought wonder from one of our finest living writers. -- Bruce Machart * The Houston Chronicle *Grace and restraint are abiding virtues in Haruf's fiction, and they resume their place of privilege in his new work. . . . For readers looking for the rewards of an intimate, meditative story, it is indeed a blessing.' -- Karen R. Long * The Cleveland Plain Dealer *As Haruf's precise details accrue, a reader gains perspective: This is the story of a man's life, and the town where he spent it, and the people who try to ease its end. . . . His sentences have the elegance of Hemingway's early work [and his] determined realism, which admits that not all of our past actions or the reasons behind them are knowable, even to ourselves, is one of the book's satisfactions.' -- John Reimringer * The Minneapolis Star-Tribune *There's something of the tone of Joyce's Dubliners in Haruf's simply-told tale of elderly Dad Lewis, diagnosed with cancer and living out his last summer. An elegiac tone, of someone who has already gone, gives Haruf's prose its extraordinary dignity and humanity. * Sunday Herald *
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Book SynopsisNow a major film starring Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Odessa Young and Josh O’Connor (The Crown), scripted by Alice Birch (Normal People)'Exquisite . . . Mothering Sunday shows love, lust and ordinary decency straining against the bars of an unjust English caste system' Kazuo Ishiguro It is March 30th 1924. It is Mothering Sunday.How will Jane Fairchild, orphan and housemaid, occupy her time when she has no mother to visit? How, shaped by the events of this never to be forgotten day, will her future unfold?Beginning with an intimate assignation and opening to embrace decades, Mothering Sunday has at its heart both the story of a life and the life that stories can magically contain. Constantly surprising, joyously sensual and deeply moving, it is Graham Swift at his thrilling best.Praise for Mothering Sunday:‘Mothering Sunday i
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Book Synopsis An original story from the creator and writer of the hit BBC One TV series, Death in Paradise, featuring on-screen favourite detective, DI Richard Poole. Enhance your enjoyment of the series as, for the first time, Robert Thorogood brings the characters to life on the page in an all-new locked-room mystery. Aslan Kennedy has an idyllic life: leader of a spiritual retreat for wealthy holidaymakers on one of the Caribbean's most unspoilt islands, Saint Marie. Until he's murdered, that is. The case seems open and shut: when Aslan was killed he was inside a locked room with only five other people, one of whom has already confessed to the murder. Detective Inspector Richard Poole is hot, bothered, and fed up with talking to witnesses who'd rather discuss his 'aura' than their whereabouts at the time of the murder. But he also knows that the facts of the case don't quite stack up. In fact, he's convinced that the person who's just confessed to the murder is the one person who couldn't have done it. Determined to track down the real killer, DI Poole is soon on the trail, and no stone will be left unturned. A must read for fans of the TV series and Agatha Christie crime classics featuring Marple and Poirot. Praise for Robert Thorogood: ‘Very funny and dark with great pace. I love Robert Thorogood’s writing’Peter James ‘This second DEATH IN PARADISE NOVEL is a gem’DAILY EXPRESS‘Deftly entertaining … satisfyingly pushes all the requisite Agatha Christie-style buttons’Barry Forshaw, THE INDEPENDENT ‘For fans of Agatha Christie’MAIL ON SUNDAY ‘A treat.’RADIO TIMES‘This brilliantly crafted, hugely enjoyable and suitably goosebump-inducing novel is an utter delight from start to finish’HEAT ‘Plenty of red herrings and twists to keep readers guessing’ DAILY EXPRESS 'Fans will enjoy returning to DI Richard Poole… just switch off and relax'LOVE READINGTrade ReviewPraise for Death in Paradise 'Thorogood's classic crime novel is laced with tongue-in-cheek humour and outlandish plot twists. Readers will love this gentle, quirky crime thriller' – Lincolnshire Echo 'Fans of the series will relish… plenty of red herrings and twists to keep readers guessing until the Agatha Christie style showdown' – Daily Express 'Fans of the Agatha Christie style BBC drama Death in Paradise will enjoy' – Mail on Sunday 'Sun, sea and suspense: If you like a classic whodunnit, and tropical settings, you won't want to miss Death in Paradise' – Daily Mail 'Death in Paradise feels like a little ray of sunshine' – Mirror 'Fans will enjoy returning to DI Richard Poole… just switch off and relax' – Love Reading'Death In Paradise fans rejoice! Detective Inspector Richard Poole is making a comeback….just not on television.' – TV Wise 'Fans of the show who are missing DI Richard Poole have another chance to spend some quality time with him thanks to “A Meditation on Murder”. It was an absolute delight from start to finish.' – Entertainment Outlook 'A treat'- Radio Times '‘This brilliant whodunnit is based on the BBC One drama Death in Paradise’ – Woman
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Book SynopsisThe showstopping debut from the author of the #1 Sunday Times bestseller ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEEA blind man spends his days roaming the beaches of Kenya collecting shells, classifying them by feeling their whorls, spines and folds in his fingers. A young woman discovers that she can explore the inner world of an animal's mind by touching its freshly dead body. A refugee from Liberia, who cannot escape the horrors that he has witnessed, finds salvation in the clandesitne act of burying the hearts of beached whales.In The Shell Collector Antony Doerr illuminates both the riotous dangers of the natural world and the rocky terrain of the human heart.Trade Review‘Extraordinary’ Guardian ‘Exquisite’ The Times ‘A show-stopping debut, as close to faultless as any writer could wish for’ L A Times ‘I can think of very few authors who can put together a sentence with such ecstasy, whose words sing with music and such sheer rapture at what they embody’ The Times ‘Doerr’s prose dazzles from the very beginning’ New York Times ‘Unforgettable – not so much a book of short stories as a book of short myths’ Elizabeth Gilbert (author of EAT, PRAY, LOVE)
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Book SynopsisThe addictive, enthralling debut by online sensation Abigail Gibbs. The sexiest romance you'll read this year.One moment can change your life foreverFor Violet Lee, a chance encounter on a darkened street draws her into a world beyond her wildest imaginings, a timeless place of vast elegance and immeasurable wealth of beautiful mansions and lavish parties where a decadent group of friends live for pleasure alone. A place from which there is no escape no matter how hard Violet tries.Yet all the riches in the world can't mask the darkness that lies beneath the gilded surface, embodied in the charismatic but dangerous Kaspar Varn.Violet and Kaspar surrender to a passion that transcends their separate worlds but it's a passion that comes at a price.As featured on BBC Breakfast, Sky News, Sunday Times, Guardian, Mail Online, Huffington Post and Sugarscape.Trade Review‘Abigail Gibbs will make you fall in love with vampires all over again… but look out: these vampires will bite’ Meg Cabot, author of Insatiable and The Princess Diaries ‘The Dark Heroine is an epic sexy vampire story set in London with afflicting characters and non-stop action (literally). I cannot wait for this book to be published because it will be HUGE! Bigger than it already is!’ Dark Reader ‘Romance, action and an impossibly sexy (yet possibly deadly) male character! Do I need to say more?’ I Want to Read That ‘The Dark Heroine is a dark and seductive paranormal romance that had me completely intrigued. Abigail Gibbs gives us a dangerous, sexy and sometimes disturbing set of vampires and a heroine who quite frankly would wipe the floor with the likes of Bella Swan.’ One More Page
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Book SynopsisPaul Auster''s enthralling adventure story from the author of contemporary classic The New York Trilogy: ''a literary voice for the ages'' (Guardian) It was the summer that men first walked on the moon. I was very young back then, but did not believe there would ever be a future. I wanted to live dangerously, to push myself as far as I could go, and then see what happened when I got there.''So begins the mesmerising narrative of Marco Stanley Fogg - orphan, child of the 1960s, a quester by nature. Moon Palace is his story - a novel that spans three generations, from the early years of this century to the first lunar landings, and moves from the canyons of Manhattan to the cruelly beautiful landscape of the American West. Filled with suspense, unlikely coincidences, wrenching tragedies and marvellous flights of lyricism and erudition, the novel carries the reader effortlessly along with Marco''s search - for love, for his unknown fa
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Book Synopsis 'Ugandan literature can boast of an international superstar in Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi' Economist An award-winning debut that vividly reimagines Uganda’s troubled history through the cursed bloodline of the Kintu clan In this epic tale of fate, fortune and legacy, Jennifer Makumbi vibrantly brings to life this corner of Africa and this colourful family as she reimagines the history of Uganda through the cursed bloodline of the Kintu clan. The year is 1750. Kintu Kidda sets out for the capital to pledge allegiance to the new leader of the Buganda kingdom. Along the way he unleashes a curse that will plague his family for generations. Blending oral tradition, myth, folktale and history, Makumbi weaves together the stories of Kintu’s descendants as they seek to break free from the burden of their past to produce a majestic tale of clan and country – a modern classic.Trade Review'It seethes with energy and teems with memorable characters.' * Sunday Times, Best Books of the Year *‘Kintu is an important book. It is also a very good one...inventive in scope, masterful in execution, [Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi] does for Ugandan literature what Chinua Achebe did for Nigerian writing.’ * Guardian *‘Ugandan literature can boast of an international superstar in Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, whose debut novel Kintu is a multi-generational saga that ties oral myth to a recognisable present.’ * Economist *‘A highly ambitious, dense and tightly written narrative… Makumbi succeeds in making us feel the emotional importance of uncovering family history. Often faced with agonisingly difficult legacies and situations, her characters don’t just want but need explanations.’ * Times Literary Supplement *‘Immediately engaging…as gruelling vignettes of gender injustice jostle with hallucinatory dream sequences.’ * Observer *‘Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's Kintu has been called a Ugandan One Hundred Years of Solitude.’ * Salman Rushdie, New York Times *‘Kintu is a triumph of east African literature and one that delights in the pliant nature of storytelling itself, the ways in which family lore is passed down and the impact of variations on it... This rich drama examines the power of such legacies, and the potential for even the most far-flung, estranged families to unite in the face of ages-old evil.’ * Financial Times *‘Epic both in intention and execution, Kintu contains a vast number of characters, avenging ghosts and portentous visions...the final coming together of the entire Kintu clan, arrived at with precision and intricacy, makes for a satisfying and thoughtful denouement.’ * Spectator *'A Ugandan masterpiece that traces a family curse across the generations.' * TLS, 'Looking back: 2010-2019' *‘A soaring and sublime epic. One of those great stories that was just waiting to be told.’ * Marlon James, Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings *‘Kintu is an entertaining, engrossing, and, crucially, intimate read... an extraordinary novel that is unafraid and beautifully unashamed to examine Uganda’s rich culture. It is a novel that is proudly Ugandan; it is a novel that deserves to be widely read.’ * Irish Times *‘A family saga that reaches back into that country’s history with an assurance and readability that makes its historical depth feel light as water.’ * LA Review of Books *‘A multi-character epic that emphatically lives up to its ambition.’ * Sunday Times *'[Makumbi writes] with the assurance and wry omniscience of an easygoing deity...' * New York Times *‘The most important book to come out of Uganda for half a century.’ * Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland *‘Magisterial…epic... The great Africanstein novel.’ * New York Review of Books *‘A great, big, roaring Ugandan epic.’ * Jackie Kay, Observer *‘I recommend Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s Kintu, a sprawling, striking epic...It reminded me of some of my favorite long novels from the past few years, including Marlon James’s A Brief History of Seven Killings, Eka Kurniawan’s Beauty Is a Wound, and Annie Proulx’s Barkskins.’ * Gabe Habash, author of Stephen Florida *‘With crisp details and precise prose, Makumbi draws us into the dynamic and vast world of Uganda – its rich history, its people’s intricate beliefs, and the collective weight of their steadfast customs.’ * World Literature Today *'Two books that immediately come to mind, in trying to make sense of Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's ambitious new novel Kintu, are Christos Tsiolkas's The Slap and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart... That said, the overwhelming scale and sweep of Makumbi's effort stands in dramatic contrast with these novels.' -- Randy Boyagoda * New Statesman *‘Kintu is a masterpiece, an absolute gem, the great Ugandan novel you didn't know you were waiting for.’ * The New Inquiry *‘Epic in every sense of the word.’ * Emerald Street *‘A lush and epic story.’ * Los Angeles Times *‘A masterpiece of cultural memory, Kintu is elegantly poised on the crossroads of tradition and modernity.’ * Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) *‘Impressive... Reminiscent of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, this work will appeal to lovers of African literature.’ * Library Journal (Starred Review) *‘Kintu got me through many a quiet evening... It’s an epic read, best taken at a steady pace, which begins in 1750 and culminates in the present day, simultaneously exploring the role of family bonds, ancestral legacies, and the state of modern Uganda. It deserves hefty British sales when it comes out here in January.’ * Michela Wrong, journalist and author *‘In this captivating multigenerational family saga, Makumbi has gifted us with an exquisite and powerful debut. Written in delightful prose, bold and ambitious, Kintu is easily one of the best novels I have read this year.’ * Chika Unigwe, author of On Black Sisters' Street *‘A bold, sweeping epic, ambitious and very well crafted. The kind of book you hope everyone will read.’ * Tendai Huchu, author of The Hairdresser of Harare *‘A work of bold imagination and clear talent.’ * Ellah Wakatama Allfrey, editor of Africa39 *‘This is an extraordinary novel about a family bound together by love, betrayal, and an age-old curse, told in gripping language that continually surprises. A literary triumph.’ * Maaza Mengiste, author of Beneath the Lion's Gaze *‘Makumbi takes a sniper’s aim at the themes of virility and power across time. Over the course of six rich sections, she fires not a single gratuitous shot.’ * Public Books *‘Powerful, vibrant and deeply engrossing, this is a thoroughly rewarding read – and we’re sure, a worthy new entry to the African literature canon.’ * Pride *‘Passionate, original, and sharply observed... This critically acclaimed modern classic is expansive in its scope and range. A bold and multilayered novel which is at once Uganda’s national narrative as well as a compelling tale of family and blood ties.’ * Book Riot *‘History in the form of an unrelenting curse pervades the present in this epic novel that questions if we can ever fully recover from the wounds of the past.’ * Bookbag *‘Makumbi’s characters are compelling as individuals, but it is their shared past and journey toward a shared future that elevate the novel to an epic and enigmatic masterpiece.’ * The Riveter *‘Some authors set the bar high with their debut work. Then there are authors like Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi whose first novel succeeds on such a stratospheric level it’s nearly impossible to imagine – or wait for – what she’ll write next.’ * Iowa Gazette *‘Kintu is by far my favorite book of the year (perhaps of the past several)…absolutely unforgettable.’ * BookBrowse *‘Makumbi is clearly a creative genius.’ * Tope Salaudeen-Adegoke, Wawa Book Review *‘An ambitious modern epic that takes in family saga and the history of Uganda, fusing the urgency of the present with the timelessness of myth.’ * Jamal Mahjoub, author of The Drift Latitudes *‘Kintu is not just the story of a family, but a story of Uganda, a country whose history begins before colonization and encompasses far more than just that chapter.’ * Mary Pappalardo, New Delta Review *‘Our histories and our names have stories that we cannot afford to keep quiet about.’ * Nyana Kakoma, Africa In Words *‘Postcolonial literature is often thought of as a conversation between a native culture and a Western power that sought to dominate it... Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s marvellous Ugandan epic, Kintu, explodes such chauvinism.’ * Guernica *‘Jennifer Makumbi’s Kintu is a charming fable, a wide-ranging historical fiction, and a critical historiography...fresh, intelligent, critical, and ambitious.’ * Bookwitty *
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Book Synopsis 'It's Mona's ballsy, kickass voice that makes this novel tick. Unreliable, sharply observant and funny, she recounts her journey of self-discovery in a way that is immediate and intriguing.' Daily Mail Mary Karr meets Miranda July in this hilarious debut about a young woman’s quest for self-acceptance and belonging Mona is twenty-three, emotionally adrift and cleaning houses to get by. While handing out clean needles to drug addicts, she falls for a man she calls Mr Disgusting, who proceeds to break her heart in unimaginable ways. In search of healing, she decamps to New Mexico for a fresh start, but always lurking just beneath the surface are the ghosts of her past, and the crushing legacy of a chaotic, destructive childhood. It seems running further away from her problems could just leave more inventive ways for them to find her. Trade Review‘I am rollicking through Pretend I’m Dead by Jen Beagin, which is one of the funniest, most twisted and freshest things I’ve read in a long time. It follows the fortunes of Mona, who cleans houses and falls for a man she calls Mr Disgusting. Beagin combines deep compassion and irreverent humour to create characters with nasty, wonderful, human flaws.’ * Jess Kidd, Observer *‘Remarkable…unflinching...by turns laugh-out-loud funny and deeply affecting... Wiping the floor with other, more hyped debuts this year, Pretend I’m Dead should clean up with readers and awards lists alike.’ * Irish Times *‘It's Mona's ballsy, kickass voice that makes this novel tick. Unreliable, sharply observant and funny, she recounts her journey of self-discovery in a way that is immediate and intriguing.’ * Daily Mail *'Pretend I’m Dead by Jen Beagin is a dark, twisted and hilarious novel about a young woman slumming about the American West, hiding from her life as best she can, while working as a cleaning lady. I barked aloud with laughter throughout the entire story.' * Elizabeth Gilbert, Guardian *‘Rib-ticklingly funny-sad... [Beagin] works magic in the space between hilarity and heartbreak... Absurdly affecting.’ * O Magazine Best Books of 2018 *‘This novel had me rooting for its protagonist, Mona, 23 and cleaning houses to get by as she tries to figure her life out, from the very beginning…one of the most moving novels I’ve read all year.’ * Elle *‘With her droll humor and hilarious (but also earnest) observations, the 24-year-old narrator of Pretend I’m Dead had us hooked from page one... Glide through Mona's series of bad decisions with her - she's a good companion.’ * Refinery29,Best Books of 2018 *‘Frank and unflinching... This book invaded my dreams, took over my conversation, and otherwise seduced me totally.’ * Joshua Ferris, author of Then We Came to the End *'A bright, brittle achievement.' * The Spectator *‘Sharp but empathetic... Clear-eyed and funny... What gives this novel its heart is Beagin's capacity for seeing... Beagin makes [her theme] fresh with her sly, funny, compassionate voice. This is a terrific debut. Singularly enjoyable.’ * Kirkus (starred review) *‘How can you resist a love story in which the object of desire is named Mr. Disgusting? Like Denis Johnson, Jen Beagin is able to find humanity and wonder (and yes, love) in some of the most forlorn and hopeless corners of our world.’ * Tom Perrotta, author of Little Children *‘A dark and quirky account of heartbroken Mona, who finds her place among New Mexico's off-beat misfits.’ * Stylist Magazine *‘Beagin's work has been compared to Denis Johnson, which is high praise indeed, and totally deserved based on this smart, funny, darkly profound debut.’ * Nylon *‘Pretend I'm Dead is a funny, smart and surprisingly deep novel that lures the reader – through humour and sharp, off-beat observation – to follow a character to rock bottom. Beagin's uncanny characters and wise voice lend a cushion for taking a seat on that rock, providing the company of a good friend so that readers will be glad to stay.’ * Caoilinn Hughes, author of Orchid & the Wasp *‘Mona is one of the best characters I have read recently. She's damaged for sure but hilarious and forthright and fascinating. I loved this book and can't wait to read more from the author, highly recommend this. A completely fresh voice.’ * Lesley Scott, Waterstones bookseller *‘At once a vivid portrait of outcasts’ lives and messy attempts to lay ghosts to rest, this is an outrageous, funny, moving debut... Like Mona, the writing speaks on its own terms – it's sparky, irreverent, switchblade-sharp and punch-packingly original. * LoveReading *‘One of the most anticipated literary debuts of the year... Pretend I’m Dead traces a cleaning woman’s journey to self-acceptance in alternately warm, sharp, and deeply wise fashion.’ * Entertainment Weekly *‘Eat, Pray, Love meets Beauty And The Beast.’ * Cosmopolitan *‘Jen Beagin has one of the freshest voices I've read in years—funny, wise, whip-smart and compassionate. I tore through Pretend I'm Dead with a deep sense of affection for all of its beautifully flawed characters and their bittersweet lives.’ * Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins *‘This book is Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine on acid. Odd, funny... Just excellent!’ * Sara Wingfield, Goodreads *‘Beagin's debut is grungy and ribald, melancholic and funny. Throw in a little wisdom, schmaltz and a few useful housekeeping tips, and Pretend I'm Dead delivers a real bang for the buck.’ * Shelf Awareness *‘If nuanced, funny, dark, utterly unpretentious literature is your drug of choice, Jen Beagin's Pretend I'm Dead constitutes an epic score. Please enjoy responsibly.’ * Elisa Albert, author of After Birth *‘Pretend I'm Dead is utterly engaging, laugh-out-loud funny, and always compelling. Each sentence is alive, vibrant and quaking...fearless and bold.’ * Jessica Anya Blau, author of The Wonder Bread Summer *‘Funny, supremely candid, this debut hurt me perfectly on every page.’ * Ron Carlson, author of Return to Oakpine *‘Sharp and witty.’ * Strong Words *‘Pretend I’m Dead is funny, weird, disturbing, and just a touch magical. Jen Beagin’s novel will stare you down, mesmerize you, and dare you to laugh.’ * Annie Hartnett, author of Rabbit Cake *
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Book SynopsisESCAPE TO ITALY WITH THE PERFECT UPLIFTING AND EMOTIONAL SUMMER READ 'An impossibly seductive love story, underpinned by a heart-breaking secret' ROSIE WALSH ‘What a stunning novel. That hot, sultry setting - Allie's refreshing straightforwardness, Ed's absolute swooniness - I loved it’ BETH O'LEARY‘An emotional and uplifting book about secrets, family and identity. Such a joy! So rich and engaging, 5 stars’ ADELE PARKSIn late 1983, a letter arrives from Italy, containing secrets so unthinkable that it is hidden away, apparently forever. More than three decades later, it is found . . . by the last person who was ever supposed to see it. When Allie opens an envelope in her grandmother’s house, it changes everything she knows about her family - and herself. With the truth liable to hurt those she loves most, she hires
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Book Synopsis‘Without doubt one of the best writers working today’ KARIN SLAUGHTERA thrilling sequel to the ground-breaking Widows from the bestselling screenwriter and author of The Dirty Dozen, Lynda La Plante. After serving a lengthy sentence for the murder of her husband, Dolly Rawlins is set free from prison, with only one thing on her mind - the six million in diamonds she stashed prior to her imprisonment. Waiting for Dolly is a group of women who all served time with her. They know about the diamonds and they want a cut. Also waiting is a detective sergeant in the Metropolitan Police. He holds her personally responsible for the death of his sister in the diamond raid ten years earlier. And now he wants her back inside. Dolly Rawlins has other plans: to realise the dream that kept her going for years in prison. But against such determined opposition, the fantasy soon turns into
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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AND MODERN CLASSIC: NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES 'A phenomenon, a prodigy, a marvel' Evening Standard ONE OF THE BBC'S 100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD A modern classic, this epic tale of families, romance and political intrigue, set in India, never loses its power to delight and enchant readers.At its core, A Suitable Boy is a love story: the tale of Lata - and her mother's - attempts to find her a suitable husband, through love or through exacting maternal appraisal. At the same time, it is the story of India, newly independent and struggling through a time of crisis as a sixth of the world's population faces its first great general election and the chance to map its own destiny.'Seth is the best writer of his generation' The Times 'Fiction on a grand scale. By the time you reach the last page you will have absorbed a splendid story, full of the tangle and perfume of India' Sunday Telegraph 'The greatness of the novel, its unassailable truthfulness, owes less to research than to imagination, an instinctive knowledge of the human heart' Observer 'You should make time for it. It will keep you company for the rest of your life' The TimesTrade ReviewThe best writer of his generation * The Times *This novel, so vast and so amiably peopled, is a long, sweet, sleepless pilgrimage to life . . . His novel deserves thousands of long marriages and suitable readers * Guardian *No one, surely, could wish this novel shorter . . . the greatness of the novel, its unassailable truthfulness, owes less to research than to imagination, an instinctive knowledge of the human heart * Observer *Not merely one of the longest novels in English; it may also prove to be the most fecund as well as the most prodigious work of the latter half of [the twentieth] century * The TImes *A quietly monumental novel . . . [Seth] has given that unlikeliest of hybrids, a modest tour de force * TLS *An immensely enjoyable novel which describes with unhurried pace the panorama of India . . . Everything appears familiar to us, yet in fact it is newly minted by a master artist * Hindustan Times *Conceived on a grand scale of the great 19th century novels - War and Peace, Middlemarch - A Suitable Boy grows to match them in breadth and depth . . . [A] massive and magnificent book * Sunday Times *A phenomenon, a prodigy, a marvel of 19th century storytelling in the language of today . . . It is hard to believe that Seth is only one man. He writes with the omniscience and authority of a large, orderly committee of experts on Indian politics, law, medicine, crowd psychology, urban and rural social customs, dress, cuisine, horticulture, funerary rites, cricket and even the technicalities of shoe manufacture * Evening Standard *Twentieth anniversary-edition of Seth's masterly hymn to life and love set against the backdrop of an independent India. * THE OBSERVER *
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Book SynopsisWinner of the Edward Stanford Prize for Fiction with a Sense of Place, 2019Shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, 2019Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize, 2019Longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, 2019__________'Easily the best debut I've read this year, Tshuma's novel is both hilarious and horrifying, filled with compassion, anger and despair. [Her] unreliable narrator [is] of the kind that deserves to be remembered up there with Humbert Humbert' Kim Evans, Culturefly__________Bukhosi has gone missing. His father, Abed, and his mother, Agnes, cling to the hope that he has run away, rather than been murdered by government thugs. Only the lodger seems to have any idea... Zamani has lived in the spare room for years now. Quiet, polite, well-read and well-heeled, he's almost part of the family - but almost isn't quite good enough for Zamani. Cajoling, coaxing and coercing Abed and Agnes into revealing their sometimes tender, often brutal life stories, Zamani aims to steep himself in borrowed family history, so that he can fully inherit and inhabit its uncertain future.Trade ReviewAn extraordinary achievement * Helon Habila, Guardian *Remarkable... Brilliant... Wise and demanding... Stunning... A remarkable feat... Ingenious * New York Times *Epic... Beautiful * Panashe Chigumadzi, Guardian *A towering and multi-layered gem. One of the greatest-ever novels about Zimbabwe * NoViolet Bulawayo, author of 'We Need New Names' *Hilarious and horrifying... Easily the best debut I've read this year * Culturefly *Astounding * The Skinny *One of the most brilliant writers I know * Garth Greenwell, author of 'What Belongs to You' *Stunning * Bookriot *Captivating * Emerald Street *Are we on the cusp of a new age of African literature?... A courageous and probing work * Los Angeles Review of Books *Smart, original, feisty, brutal and gorgeous * Chika Unigwe, author of 'On Black Sisters' Street' *Enthralling... Audacious... A huge talent. * Brian Chikwava, author of 'Harare North' *A truly original work of art... Utterly stunning. * author of 'The Hairdresser of Harare' *House of Stone is the novel devastated Zimbabwe needed to have written. Now Novuyo Tshuma has written it. Bayethe to her scintillating talent! In the most original and fearless prose I've read in years, Tshuma's scheming narrator, Zamani, reveals the personal and political disintegration that was Zimbabwe's undoing. * Tsitsi Dangarembga *With luminous language, Novuyo Rosa Tshuma explores the treacherous terrain of colonization and decolonization, remembering and forgetting, and love and betrayal. The result is a gripping account of revolution and its aftermath, both for a country and for one man -- Viet Thanh Nguyen * Pulitzer Prize–winning author of 'The Sympathizer' *
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Book SynopsisThe incredible bestselling first novel from Pulitzer Prize- winning author, Jhumpa Lahiri.The kind of writer who makes you want to grab the next person and say Read this!'' Amy Tan''When her grandmother learned of Ashima''s pregnancy, she was particularly thrilled at the prospect of naming the family''s first sahib. And so Ashima and Ashoke have agreed to put off the decision of what to name the baby until a letter comes''For now, the label on his hospital cot reads simply BABY BOY GANGULI. But as time passes and still no letter arrives from India, American bureaucracy takes over and demands that ''baby boy Ganguli'' be given a name. In a panic, his father decides to nickname him ''Gogol'' after his favourite writer.Brought up as an Indian in suburban America, Gogol Ganguli soon finds himself itching to cast off his awkward name, just as he longs to leave behind the inherited values of his Bengali parents. And so he sets off on his own path through life, a path strewn with conflictingTrade Review'Quietly dazzling… The Namesake is that rare thing: an intimate, closely observed family portrait that effortlessly and discreetly unfolds to disclose a capacious social vision… Jhumpa Lahiri has taken the haunting chamber music of her first collection of stories and reorchestrated its themes of exile and identity to create a symphonic work, a debut novel that is as assured and eloquent as the work of a longtime master of the craft.' Michiko Kakutani, New York Times ‘Extraordinary…a book that spins gold out of the straw of ordinary lives. The calm, pellucid grace of her prose, the sustained stretch of crystal clear writing, its elegant pianissimo tone, pulls the reader from beginning to end in one neat arc. Every detail, every observation, every sentence rings with the clarity of truth. The Namesake is a novel that makes its reader feel privileged to be allowed access to its immensely empathetic world.' The Times ‘The kind of writer who makes you want to grab the next person and say "Read this!"' Amy Tan 'Impeccably written' Daily Mail 'Gracious….in refined, empathetic prose…each of Lahiri's characters patches together their own identity, making this resonant fable neither uniquely Asian nor uniquely American, but tenderly, wryly human.' Hephzibah Anderson, Observer ‘A story for our times.’ Rachel Cusk, Evening Standard ‘A joy to read.’ Sunday Telegraph
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Book Synopsis
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Book SynopsisA DISTINCTLY KOREAN TAKE ON GREAT EXPECTATIONS. Financial TimesA woman sells her daughter to a passing beekeeper for two jars of honey. A baby weighing fifteen pounds is born in the depths of winter but named Girl of Spring. A storm brings down the roof of a ramshackle restaurant to reveal a hidden fortune. These are just some of the events that set Myeong-Kwan''s beautifully crafted, wild world in motion.Set in a remote village in South Korea, Whale follows the lives of its linked characters: Geumbok, who has been chasing an indescribable thrill ever since she first saw a whale crest in the ocean; her mute daughter, Chunhui, who communicates with elephants; and a one-eyed woman who controls honeybees with a whistle.Brimming with surprises and wicked humour, Whale is an adventure-satire of epic proportions, by one of international literature's the most original voices.
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Book SynopsisInsurance mathematician Henri has his life under control, when a man from the past appears and a shady trio take over the adventure park’s equipment supply company. Things are messier than ever in the absurdly funny, heart-stoppingly tense second instalment in Antti Tuomainen’s bestselling series. ‘In these uncertain times, what better hero than an actuary?' Chris Brookmyre ‘One of those rare writers who manages to deftly balance intrigue, noir and a deliciously ironic sense of humour … a delight’ Vaseem Khan ‘What a book! Antti has managed to put the fun into funerals and take it out of fun fairs in a gripping nail-biter … a thrilling and hilarious read’ Liz Nugent**Soon to be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell** _______________________________ Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen has finally restored order both to his life and to YouMeFun, the adventure park he now owns, when a man from the past appears – and turns everything upside down again. More problems arise when the park’s equipment supplier is taken over by a shady trio, with confusing demands. Why won’t Toy of Finland Ltd sell the new Moose Chute to Henri when he needs it as the park’s main attraction? Meanwhile, Henri’s relationship with artist Laura has reached breaking point, and, in order to survive this new chaotic world, he must push every calculation to its limits, before it’s too late… Absurdly funny, heart-stoppingly poignant and full of nail-biting suspense, The Moose Paradox is the second instalment in the critically acclaimed, pitch-perfect Rabbit Factor Trilogy and things are messier than ever… ________________________________ ‘Finnish crime maestro Antti Tuomainen is unique in the Scandi-crime genre, infusing his crime narratives with the darkest humour … [his] often hilarious, chaotic narrative never vitiates the novel’s nicely tuned tension’ Financial Times ‘Enter hitmen, serendipity, offbeat comedy and the reappearance of literally the last person Henri expects to see … unlike anything else out there’ The Times ‘A thriller with black comedy worthy of Nabokov’ Telegraph Book of the YearPraise for The Rabbit Factor Trilogy**Shortlisted for the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger** **Shortlisted for the Last Laugh Award** ‘The antic novels of Antti Tuomainen prove that comedy is not lost in translation … Tuomainen, like Carl Hiaasen before him, has the knack of combining slapstick with genuine emotion’ The Times 'The funniest writer in Europe, and one of the very finest … original and brilliant story-telling' Helen FitzGerald ‘British readers might think they know what to expect from Nordic noir: a tortured detective, a bleak setting, a brutal crime that shakes a small community. Finnish crime novelist Tuomainen turns all of this on its head … The ear of a giant plastic rabbit becomes a key weapon. It only gets darker and funnier’ Guardian ‘Dark, gripping and hilarious … Tuomainen is the Carl Hiaasen of the fjords' Martyn Waites ‘A triumph, a joyous, feel-good antidote to troubled times' Kevin Wignall ‘Finland's greatest export’ M.J. Arlidge 'You don’t expect to laugh when you’re reading about terrible crimes, but that’s what you’ll do when you pick up one of Tuomainen’s decidedly quirky thrillers' New York Times ‘Tuomainen is the funniest writer in Europe’ The Times ‘Right up there with the best’ Times Literary Supplement ‘Tuomainen continues to carve out his own niche in the chilly tundras of northern’ Daily Express
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Book SynopsisNATIONAL BESTSELLER“Engrossing...studded with wisdom about long-held bonds.” —People, Book of the Week“Enthralling, masterfully written...rich with social and psychological insights.” —The New York Times Book Review“A magnificent storytelling feat.” —The Boston GlobeThe “utterly engrossing, sweeping” (Time) story of a lifelong friendship between two very different “superbly depicted” (The Wall Street Journal) women with shared histories, divisive loyalties, hidden sorrows, and eighty years of summers on a pristine point of land on the coast of Maine, set across the arc of the 20th century. Celebrated children’s book author Agnes Lee is determined to secure her legacy—to complete what she knows will be the final volume of her pseudonymously written Franklin Square novels; and even more consuming, to permanently protect the peninsula of majestic coast in Maine known as Fellowship Point. To donate the land to a trust, Agnes must convince shareholders to dissolve a generations-old partnership. And one of those shareholders is her best friend, Polly. Polly Wister has led a different kind of life than Agnes: that of a well-off married woman with children, defined by her devotion to her husband, a philosophy professor with an inflated sense of stature. She strives to create beauty and harmony in her home, in her friendships, and in her family. Polly soon finds her loyalties torn between the wishes of her best friend and the wishes of her three sons—but what is it that Polly wants herself? Agnes’s designs are further muddied when an enterprising young book editor named Maud Silver sets out to convince Agnes to write her memoirs. Agnes’s resistance cannot prevent long-buried memories and secrets from coming to light with far-reaching repercussions for all. “An ambitious and satisfying tale” (The Washington Post), Fellowship Point reads like a 19th-century epic, but it is entirely contemporary in its “reflections on aging, writing, stewardship, legacies, independence, and responsibility. At its heart, Fellowship Point is about caring for the places and people we love...This magnificent novel affirms that change and growth are possible at any age” (The Christian Science Monitor).Trade Review"It is very much an epic read, a book for readers who want to settle in for a story at a near whopping 600 pages by the author of one of my favorite short stories ever, 'In the Gloaming.'" —John Searles, NYTimes-Bestselling Author of Strange but True, via The Today Show "5 Summer Reads You Won't Want to Put Down""A sweeping story of lifelong best friends...you will surely want to read this book. Elegantly structured, beautifully written, and altogether diverting, with a powerful message about land ownership in America." —Kirkus (Starred Review)“Dark (Think of England) celebrates women’s friendships and artistic mentorship in this expansive yet intimate novel. The families and their grudges and grievances fill a broad canvas, and within it Dark delves deeply into the relationships between Agnes and her work, humans and the land, mothers and children, and, most indelibly, the sustenance and joy provided by a long-held female friendship. It’s a remarkable achievement.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Fellowship Point is a marvel. Intricately constructed, utterly unique, this novel set on the coast of Maine is filled with insights about writing, about the perils and freedoms of aging, about the great mysteries, as well as the pleasures, of life. The story about the relationships between three women unfolds, as life does, through joys and losses, confrontations and confessions, with twists along the way that change your perception of all that came before. This is a world is so closely and acutely observed that I felt I lived in it. I was sorry to leave." —Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author"I can’t remember the last time I’ve fallen so hard for a book. Fellowship Point is about many things: friendship, secrets, legacy, love, family—but the true magic here is in the writing. Alice Elliott Dark has conjured a world so immersive I can still feel it in my bones. I mourned the finish, when I would have to leave behind the characters I grew to love. This captivating, unforgettable novel is thrillingly good.” — Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of Nest and Good Company"Fellowship Point is deeply relevant in its concerns—about the land, the creatures who inhabit it, and the legacies of ownership, stewardship, and friendship—but it’s also just a great, absorbing, and transformative read. Like a Maine glade, Dark’s book is filled with light." —Jo Ann Beard, author of Festival Days and In Zanesville"I positively inhaled this novel--and then stingily meted out the last few pages, not wanting it to end. FELLOWSHIP POINT is a marvel--masterfully executed, beautifully layered, huge-hearted and sharp-witted--and Alice Elliott Dark is a writer of great empathy and incredible skill." —Claire Lombardo, New York Times Bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had“I fell into Fellowship Point--fell in step and in love with its characters, with its landscape, with its ideas about art and marriage and, above all, friendship. It's a beautifully passionate book about what it means to love a place and to love all the people of your life, and how life itself is a riveting plot and deep mystery.” —Elizabeth McCracken, New York Times bestselling author of Bowlaway and The Giant’s House "Alice Elliott Dark is a writer I’ve long admired. With the splendid, engrossing Fellowship Point she has written a novel that is both sweeping and intimate as it deftly explores friendship, class, and the tricky nature of time." —Meg Wolitzer, New York Times bestselling author of The Female Persuasion and The Interestings“This is a virtuosic performance, indisputably a work of genius, but even fervent adjectives can’t capture the almost numinous effect of reading these pages. In Fellowship Point, one feels oneself in the rare presence of the truly sublime. Every exactingly described gesture, every bit of inspired characterization, every gorgeous sentence is run through an obsessive mind grappling indefatigably with the weightiest materials: the powerful gravity of enduring relationships and the psychic costs of managing them; the sometimes-crushing conflict between duty to self and responsibility to others; and the desperate urge to conserve a small corner of a stressed-out planet and defend a worthy way of life from extinction. The equal manner in which the past and present, like overlaid supersaturated transparencies, come so vividly to bloom in one book recalls the bottomless ambitions of the timeless greats—which is fitting, as Alice Elliott Dark is one of the best writers working in English today.” —Matthew Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of We Are Not Ourselves “I loved Fellowship Point so intensely and so tremendously, I’m struggling to find words that capture its brilliance. At once a rich, deeply felt investigation of female friendship and a bold novel of ideas, Fellowship Point offers the most profound pleasures. It reminded me of my favorite novels—those I return to, over and over—Great Expectations, Howards End, Middlemarch. I wanted to live inside it forever.” —Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year “I've just sat up nearly all night finishing Alice Dark's Fellowship Point. Dark took over a decade to craft this magnificent novel, and the result is an instant classic: an epic tale of love, family, friendship, literature, and the American landscape, laid out on the capacious scale of a nineteenth-century classic, yet effortlessly contemporary in its voice. Tracing her story over decades and generations, Dark offers a portrayal of the complex inner worlds of three extraordinary women with an unerring insight that rivals that of Edith Wharton, or Elena Ferrante. Replete with humor, irony, gimlet-eyed observation of social mores, and a deep underlying spirituality, it's a novel so immersive you don't just read it, but practically move into it, like one of the rambling, shingled summer "cottages" that come to life in its pages. We readers emerge at the end with a deep nostalgia for the wind-battered pines, lingering ghosts, and imperiled eagles' nests of Dark's unforgettable Maine coast.” —Andrea Lee, author of Red Island House
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Book SynopsisA moving portrayal of a troubled motherdaughter relationship, shortlisted for Japan's prestigious Akutagawa Prize. In 2008, the unnamed narrator of Gifted is working as a hostess and living in Tokyo's nightlife district. One day, her estranged mother, who is seriously ill, suddenly turns up at her door. As the mother approaches the end of her life, the two women must navigate their strained relationship, while the narrator also reckons with events happening in her own life, including the death of a close friend all under the bright lights of Tokyos sleepless town', Kabukicho. In sharp, elegant prose, and based on the author's own experiences as a sex worker, Gifted heralds the breakthrough of an exciting new literary talent.
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Book SynopsisFilled with completely relatable yearning and achingly beautifully written, Evil Eye is a wonderful, moving and absorbing story of identity and belonging and learning to love yourself. I thought it was excellent' Reader review ?????I loved this book, Yara's bravery and courage are inspirational. I found myself rooting her on. Yara's story gave me a deeper understanding of the plight of the Palestinian people or any people forced from their homeland Cheers to Etaf Rum' Reader review ?????Thought-provoking and emotionally rich storytelling. Etaf Rum''s ability to navigate the depths of trauma, prejudice, and cultural identity with sensitivity and grace is truly commendable. This novel will leave you with a profound understanding of the human experience and a renewed sense of empathy' Reader review ?????* * *The powerful and poignant novel from the author of the much-loved A Woman is No Man.Raised in a conservative Palestinian family in Brooklyn, Yara thought she would finally feel free
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Book Synopsis''A sequence of unalloyed delight'' The GuardianThis is where the dragons went. They lie . . . not dead, not asleep, but . . . dormant. And although the space they occupy isn''t like normal space, nevertheless they are packed in tightly. They could put you in mind of a can of sardines, if you thought sardines were huge and scaly. And presumably, somewhere, there''s a key to let them out.Captain Sam Vimes of the Night Watch is going to have a doozy of a night when they are.This edition features ten glorious full-colour illustrations and further pencil drawings by Terry Pratchett''s artist of choice, Paul Kidby.''One of Pratchett''s best books. Hilarious and highly recommended'' The TimesTrade ReviewThis is one of Pratchett's best books. Hilarious and highly recommended - The TimesA sequence of unalloyed delight - GuardianHe is screamingly funny. He is wise. He has style - Daily Telegraph[Pratchett's] spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction - Mail on SundayPratchett has a subject and a style that is very much his own - Sunday TimesTo say that Terry Pratchett is popular is a bit like saying the Arctic Circle is a bit nippy - Sunday Express
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Book Synopsis** A MAJOR TIM BURTON FILM starring Ewan Mcgregor and Jessica Lange ** ** COMING SOON AS A MUSICAL starring Kelsey Grammer **Do you ever really know your father? Like many sons, William Bloom never really knew his father. Edward told him stories too incredible to believe about his exploits as a younger man, but any attempt to find out serious truths have been met with laughter and brush-offs. And that never mattered. But now Edward is dying, suddenly it matters a great deal. So William sets out to tell his father's story, as he imagines it. He tames a giant, is dragged by an enormous fish through a lake and escapes a purgatory of lost dreams. Through legends and myths, William makes Edward into a true Big Fish. The much beloved book by Daniel Wallace is soon to be a Christmas musical at The Other Palace in
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Book SynopsisNow an HBO series, book four 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)Here is the dazzling saga of two women, the brilliant, bookish Elena and the fiery uncontainable Lila. In this book, life?s great discoveries have been made, its vagaries and losses have been suffered. Through it all, the women?s friendship, examined in its every detail over the course of four books, remains the gravitational center of their lives. Both women once fought to escape the neighborhood in which they grew up. Elena married, moved to Florence, started a family, and published several well-received books. But now, she has returned to Naples to be with the man she has always loved. Lila, on the other hand, never succeeded in freeing herself from Naples. She has become a successful entrepreneur, but her success draws her into closer proximity with the nepotism, chauvinism, and criminal violence that infect her neighborhood. Yet somehow this proximity to a world she has always rejected only brings her role as unacknowledged leader of that world into relief.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 SynopsisThis beautiful page-turner kept me reading all night. Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris LibraryThis one's an absolute gem. Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen QueenWhen a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures. Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, is meticulously dedicated to the century's worth of inventory housed in her beloved Beaux Art building. She loves the calm and order in the shelves of books and walls of art. But Tildy's life takes an unexpected turn when she, first, learns the library is on the verge of bankruptcy and, second, discovers two exquisite never-before-seen dollhouses. After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses, aiming to salvage her cherished library in the process. Her journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle ÉpoqueParis, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney's bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only inspiring, hidden history, but also a future for herselfand an astonishing familial revelation. Spanning the course of a century,The Library of Lost Dollhousesis a warm, bright, and captivating story of secrets and love that embraces the importance of illuminating overlooked women.
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Book SynopsisA REESE''S BOOK CLUB JULY PICKA deeply satisfying and enjoyable novel about family, secrets, ghosts and homecoming''Entrancing ... filled with mystery'' Reese Witherspoon, Reese''s Book Club July Picks''I could not put this book down'' Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful''Compulsively readable ... funny, heartbreaking'' Oprah DailyOn a secluded cliff overlooking the ocean sits a Victorian house that contains a century''s worth of secrets. By the time Jane Flanagan discovers the house as a teenager, it has long been abandoned - yet there are still clothes in the closets, marbles rolling across the floors, and dishes in the cupboards. The place is an irresistible mystery to Jane, and becomes a hideaway for her, a place to escape her troubled, volatile mother.Twenty years later, now a Harvard archivist, she returns home to Maine following a terrible mistake that threatens both her career and her marriage. Jane is horrified to find the Victorian is now barely recognizable. The new owner, Genevieve, a summer person from Beacon Hill, has gutted it, transforming the house into a glossy white monstrosity straight out of a magazine. Convinced that the house is haunted, Genevieve hires Jane to research the history of the place and the women who lived there. The story Jane uncovers - of lovers lost at sea, romantic longing, shattering loss, artistic awakening, historical artefacts stolen and sold, and the long shadow of colonialism - is even older than Maine itself ...
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Book SynopsisPREORDER DENIED ACCESS, THE NEWEST PULSE-POUNDING THRILLER IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING MITCH RAPP SERIES, COMING THIS SEPTEMBER.As war looms in the Middle East, only Mitch Rapp can deliver truth and justice. 2011. On a remote mountaintop overlooking the remains of the Iranian nuclear weapons programme, Azad Ashani witnesses a Quds Force demonstration of a capability meant to upend America’s war in the Middle East. Ashani, director of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security and Irene Kennedy’s former back channel to the Iranian government, recognises the demonstration’s true significance and the nation-ending conflict it will provoke. In Washington, DC, CIA director Irene Kennedy briefs the president that the operational window to kill or capture Osama bin Laden is rapidly closing. But before he’ll authorise a commando raid on Pakistani soil, the president demands irrefutable proof of bin Laden’s presence. Proof he trusts just one man to provide. Praise for the Mitch Rapp series ‘Grabs you by the scruff of the neck on page one and doesn’t let you go until the end’ Stephen Leather ‘Sizzles with inside information and CIA secrets’ Dan Brown ‘A cracking, uncompromising yarn that literally takes no prisoners’ The Times ‘Vince Flynn clearly has one eye on Lee Child's action thriller throne with this twist-laden story . . . instantly gripping’ Shortlist ‘Action-packed, in-your-face, adrenalin-pumped super-hero macho escapist fiction that does exactly what it says on the label’ Irish Independent ‘Mitch Rapp is a great character who always leaves the bad guys either very sorry for themselves or very dead’ Guardian
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Book SynopsisIt begins with the discovery of a tattered photo, a letter and a tiny leather shoe...''Fans of The Nightingale and Lilac Girls will adore The Things We Cannot Say'' PAM JENOFF⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''A truly life changing book''⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''Inspirational. A must read''⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''Amazing and absolutely devastatingly beautiful''This beloved New York Times bestseller is a soaring page-turner of hope, family secrets and a love to defy all odds, inspired by the author''s own family history. World War Two, Poland. Alina and Tomasz are childhood sweethearts. The night before he leaves for college, Tomasz proposes marriage. But when their village falls to the Nazis, Alina doesn''t know if Tomasz is alive or dead.2019. Life changed beyond recognition for Alice when her son, Eddie, was born with autism spectrum disorder. She must do everything to support him, but at what cost to her family? When her cherished grandmother is hospitalised, a hidden box of mementoes reveals a tattered photo of a young man, a tiny leather shoe and a letter. Her grandmother begs Alice to return to Poland to see what became of those she held dearest. In Poland, separated from her family, Alice begins to uncover the story her grandmother is so desperate to tell, and discovers a love that bloomed in the winter of 1942. As a painful family history comes to light, will the struggles of the past and present finally reach a heartbreaking resolution?With over a million copies sold, The Things We Cannot Say is for everyone moved by All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz:''Alina and Tomasz''s story is one of bravery, resilience, and the lengths we will go to for the ones we love'' Sally Hepworth⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''Simply amazing book, so moving I couldn''t put it down. A book that will remain in my heart for many years to come''⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''Captivating. I am in awe of this story''⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''I have never ever been so deeply moved by a book...the most amazing love story of hope and survival during the Nazi occupation of Poland... I just didn''t want it to end''More praise for the heart-tugging novels of Kelly Rimmer:''Kelly Rimmer serves up a heart-pounding dilemma for fans of Jodi Picoult'' Marie Claire ''A heartbreaking story... Her characters are captivating'' Daily Telegraph''Kelly Rimmer tears at the heartstrings'' Herald SunTrade ReviewPraise for Kelly Rimmer * - *I couldn't put it down ... I got teary eyed quite a few times. It's a beautiful story * One Hopeless Romantic’s Booklandia Blog on When I Lost You *A celebration of love ...I was devastated when it ended * Big Little Sister on When I Lost You *I loved When I Lost You, it was full of deep raw emotion and had me hooked until the end * That Thing She Reads on When I Lost You *I fell in love with this amazing book after the first sentence and would read it all over again. A wonderful mixture of emotions, real love, secrets, laughter and sadness * Sky’s Book Corner *I was hooked right from the start, and it was just the most beautiful portrayal of falling in love I've ever read. It's the type of love you dream of and want for yourself... Kelly Rimmer has done an outstanding job with Me Without You, it's engaging, it warmed my heart to the very core, and then tore it out and stomped all over it. ... Me Without You is an unforgettable tale that I couldn't recommend more. 5/5 * GirlsLovetoRead.com *Me Without You is the beautiful, moving story of Callum and Lilah and they turned me into a complete emotional wreck. I loved the banter and the chemistry between them both right from the first, brilliant chapter and then as the book went on, it warmed and broke my heart all at the same time... It's an incredible novel * Reviewed the Book *It's been a while since I've read a book that made me 'ugly cry'. You know what I mean... big, fat tears rolling down your cheeks leaving you with eyes so puffy you look like you've had an allergic reaction. Think Claire Danes in... well... pretty much any role she's ever been in. Kelly Rimmer's Me Without You certainly broke that dry spell... a heartbreaker of a book that has great characters and a gut-wrenching ending that left me feeling a weird mix of bereft and yet hopeful * JudgingCovers.co.uk *There's not much I can say without giving the story away, other than how much I adore Callum and Lilah. Their love story is so genuine and heartfelt... This book is beautifully written, and I found myself highlighting like crazy throughout. I highly recommend this book, but I must warn you, it's one that will make you cry * Mrs Leif’s Blog *
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Book Synopsis
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Book SynopsisHow far will a man go in the name of revenge, honour, love or simple survival?Far from familiar seas, Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew must test themselves to the very limits of human endurance.Following a daring rescue, Jack Aubrey accepts a new command and a new commission to a far-flung destination. Ahead of him and his crew are the new sights and smells of the Indian subcontinent, and the terrifying hazards of an archipelago of islands in the East Indies, where their French enemies have near overwhelming superiority.Combines adventure and the art of the novel with an astonishing finesse.'FRANCIS SPUFFORDFew, very few, books have made my heart thump with excitement. HMS Surprise managed it.'HELEN LUCY BURKE, Irish TimesTrade Review‘If O’Brian’s novels have become a cult, this is because they are truly addictive. . . They are, quite magnificently, adventure yarns whose superb authenticity never distracts from the sheer thrill of the action.’Caroline Moore, Sunday Telegraph ‘The Aubrey–Maturin novels, by Patrick O’Brian, are so addictive that after I finish one I have to hide the next from myself for a little while in order to do anything else but read.’Louise Erdrich ‘In Aubrey and Maturin, Patrick O’Brian has created two of the most enjoyable characters in twentieth-century fiction. Their relationship sustains an absorbing and thrilling sequence of naval stories, unrivalled in their complexity, full of impeccable detail and psychological insight. O’Brian switches from the intimate to the epic with equal assurance. One of the greatest authors to sail with.’Michael Palin ‘My hero is Patrick O’Brian. It’s basically impossible to write that well.’David Mamet ‘One of the most compelling and brilliant novelists of his time . . . Beyond his superbly elegant writing, wit and originality, Patrick O’Brian showed an understanding of the nature of a floating world at the mercy of the wind and the sea which has never been surpassed.’Max Hastings, Evening Standard ‘I devoured Patrick O’Brian’s twenty-volume masterpiece as if it had been so many tots of Jamaica grog.’Christopher Hitchens ‘Written with most engaging enthusiasm that can’t fail to give pleasure to anybody who enjoys historical adventure flavoured with more than a dash of realism.’The Sunday Times ‘One of the most brilliantly sustained pieces of historical fictional writing this century.’James Teacher, Spectator ‘Patrick O’Brian brings depth to his sea-stories with outstanding dialogue, characterisation, humour and a golden thread of romance. You don’t have to love books about naval battles to become entranced.’Katie Fforde
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Book Synopsis
£17.00
Book SynopsisThe brilliant new novel from the Queen of royal-rom-coms''Refreshingly vulnerable and timelessly romantic' BONNIE WOODSAll Lady Alice Walpole wants is to be swept off her feet, but she keeps finding herself on one bad date after another. And when she's caught partying too hard with her latest royal beau, her father banishes her to Balmoral to clean up her act.Fraser Bell just wants to do his job as Piper to the Sovereign at Balmoral. He prefers tartan to tuxedos, and spends his days with horses rather than dealing with people, so when he's assigned to wake Alice up to the sound of bagpipes every morning, he's less than pleased.But as her time in Scotland stretches on, Alice finds herself falling for the rugged landscape and maybe even Fraser, too. Soon, returning to her glittering but empty life in London sounds less like an escape, and more like a punishment.She wears tiaras, and he wears tartan, but for this unlikely couple, can romance ever reign?Praise for Kilted Lovers:''Romance, friendship, and soul-searching!'' A. T. QURESHI''Refreshingly vulnerable and timelessly romantic' BONNIE WOODS''A perfect mix of humour and heartbreak. I came for the royals, and stayed for the romance.' ELEANOR GOYMERLoved every moment' NetGalley review ?????An absolute joy to read.' ?????Read this in one sitting.' ?????I can't wait to read more by this author.' ?????
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Book SynopsisFourth in a series of hardcover boxed sets celebrating the literary achievement of Christopher Tolkien, featuring double-sided dustjackets. Set 4 contains Morgoth''s Ring, The War of the Jewels, The Peoples of Middle-earth and The History of Middle-earth Index.Morgoth''s Ring is the first of two companion volumes documenting the later writing of The Silmarillion. The text of the Annals of Aman, the Blessed Land' in the far West, is given in full; while further writings reveal the nature of the problems that Tolkien explored in his later years, as new and radical ideas, portending upheaval in the old narratives, emerged at the heart of the mythology.The War of the Jewels continues the account of the later history of The Silmarillion, as the story returns to Middle-earth, and the ruinous conflict of the High Elves and the Men who were their allies with the power of the Dark Lord.The Peoples of Middle-earth is this capstone to Tolkien''s history of Middle-earth, presenting a chronology of
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Book Synopsis***Thrillers that race from the very first page***'Felix Francis' novels gallop along splendidly' Jilly Cooper‘From winning post to top of the bestseller lists’ Sunday TimesIt is said that everyone over a certain age can remember distinctly what they were doing when they heard that President Kennedy had been assassinated, or that Princess Diana had been killed in a Paris car crash, but I, for one, could recall all too clearly where I was standing when a policeman told me that my wife had been murdered. Bill Russell is acting as a volunteer steward at Warwick races when he confronts his worst nightmare – the violent death of his much-loved wife. But worse is to come when he is accused of killing her and hounded mercilessly by the media. His life begins to unravel completely as he loses his job and his home. Even his best friends turn against him, believing him guilty
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Book SynopsisWho, after the girls have fallen asleep, will turn the handle of the unlocked back door. When their parents return, they will find Olivia's bed empty.
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Book Synopsis'What will you do?' 'Oh, hell, I'll write a novel about writing the screenplay and making the movie.' 'What are you going to call it?' 'Hollywood.' Henry Chinaski has a penchant for booze, women and horse-racing. On his precarious journey from poet to screenwriter he encounters a host of well-known stars and lays bare the absurdity and egotism of the film industry. Poetic, sharp and dangerous, Hollywood - Bukowski's fictionalisation of his experiences making the film Barfly - explores the many dark shadows to be found in the neon-soaked glare of Hollywood's limelight.Trade ReviewNo other book gets as close to the corrupt heart of American movie-making * * Guardian * *A literary immortal * * Time * *Bukowski's voice is insistent and affirming but it also has the humble durability of someone who won't stay down . . . His stories help keep people alive * * Independent * *A laureate of American low life * * Time * *Full of entertaining vignettes of celebrities * * The Times * *
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