Contemporary fiction titles are those which focus on the present or near past. Stories rooted in the current cultural, social, and political landscape which feature characters we can all recognise.
Contemporary Fiction Books
HarperCollins Publishers A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
Book SynopsisBrilliant and original, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers' introduces a remarkable first collection of stories about China from an author set to become a major literary talent.In this extraordinary first collection, Yiyun Li brings us a modern China facing up to a complex history of repression and guilt. In ''Immortality'', winner of the Paris Review prize, a young man bears a striking resemblance to the dictator, and so finds a strange kind of calling. In ''Extra'', first published in the New Yorker, a Chinese woman, alone in middle age, befriends a young boy who has become an outcast in a remote country school. In their friendship, we see how love can begin to overcome the strictures that dominate their lives.In turn horrifying and breathtakingly lyrical, Yiyun Li, a new and talented young Chinese writer, confronts the silence that dominated the history of her country, and illuminates how mythology, politics, history and culture intersect with personality. She leaves us with an enduriTrade Review‘Li’s writing is beautifully spare and controlled.’ The Times 'Yiyun's confidence as a storyteller lends her fiction a traditional air, but there's nothing old fashioned about her perspective…When I've sampled other recent Chinese writing, I've had a sense of western publishers being seduced by the novelty of it all, snapping up authors with dramatic histories and slim talents. Yiyun is the real deal…Yiyun has the talent, the vision and the respect for life's insoluble mysteries to be a truly fine writer. Michel Faber, Guardian 'Great narrative skill…demonstrates that the best way to learn about people in a foreign culture is through good fiction.’ Irish Times 'Li has a remarkable talent for telling the story of the whole of China through apparently insignificant lives.' New Statesman 'These mesmerising stories present a glimpse of modern China more nuanced than any reporter could ever hop to gleam.' Daily Mail ‘Li's moving, engrossing stories are particular in their place…but universal in their themes and their relevance.’ The Observer 'If you have ever wondered what life is like in modern China, but can't afford the airfare and lessons in Mandarin, you should read this book. In fact if you haven't given China a second thought, this is a collection of stories worth reading.’ Impac News
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Complete McAuslan
Book SynopsisGeorge MacDonald Fraser's hilarious stories of the most disastrous soldier in the British Army collected together for the first time in one volume.Private McAuslan, J., the Dirtiest Soldier in the Word (alias the Tartan Caliban, or the Highland Division's answer to the Pekin Man) first demonstrated his unfitness for service in The General Danced at Dawn. He continued his disorderly advance, losing, soiling or destroying his equipment, through the pages of McAuslan in the Rough. The final volume, The Sheikh and the Dustbin, pursues the career of the great incompetent as he shambles across North African and Scotland, swinging his right arm in time with his right leg and tripping over his untied laces.His admirers know him as court-martial defendant, ghost-catcher, star-crossed lover and golf caddie extraordinary. Whether map-reading his erratic way through the Sahara by night or confronting Arab rioters, McAuslan's talent for catastrophe is guaranteed. Now, for the first time, the inimiTrade Review‘Thanks to Fraser’s passion for history, his rare gift for rattling narrative and his infectious delight in robust, rollicking language, we can rejoice in a work of genius worthy of being ranked with P.G. Wodehouse – there can be no higher accolade’—Daily Telegraph ‘Written with the kind of unaffected vigour which has characterised the greatest British humorists, these stories do for the Scots what Flann O’Brien did for the Irish and P.G. Wodehouse for the English’—Daily Mail ‘The third McAuslan volume should certainly be among the first books you pack this or any other holiday season’—The Times ‘One takes leave of these characters with real and grateful regret’—Sunday Times ‘It’s a while since I enjoyed a book so much, and once I’d finished it, I felt like starting it all over again’—Glasgow Evening Times ‘It’s great fun and rings true: a Highland Fling of a book’—Eric Linklater, author of The Wind on the Moon ‘The greatest book about soldiers since Ian Hay wrote The First Hundred Thousand … MacDonald Fraser is magnificent’—Eric Hiscock, author of Around the World in Wanderer III ‘As well as providing a fine assortment of treats, George MacDonald Fraser is a marvellous reporter and a first-rate historical novelist’—Kingsley Amis, author of Lucky Jim
£13.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Touch Movie Tiein
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Wide Sargasso Sea
Book SynopsisOne of the BBC''s ''100 Novels That Shaped Our World''''Rhys took one of the works of genius of the 19th Century and turned it inside-out to create one of the works of genius of the 20th Century'' Michele RobertsJean Rhys''s masterpiece tells the story of Jane Eyre''s ''madwoman in the attic'', Bertha Rochester.Born into the oppressive, colonialist society of 1930s Jamaica, white Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman who is drawn to her innocent beauty and sensuality. After their marriage, however, disturbing rumours begin to circulate which poison her husband against her. Caught between his demands and her own precarious sense of belonging, Antoinette is inexorably driven towards madness, and her husband into the arms of another novel''s heroine. This classic study of betrayal, a seminal work of postcolonial literature, is Jean Rhys''s brief, beautiful masterpiece. Edited with an introduction and notes by AngTrade ReviewRhys took one of the works of genius of the 19th Century and turned it inside-out to create one of the works of genius of the 20th Century -- Michele RobertsRhys's iconic prequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is rich in motifs and devices both modernist and postmodernist -- Hephzibah AndersonBeautiful and subversive [...] the novel didn't just take inspiration from Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, it illuminated and confronted it, challenged the narrative. -- Danielle McLaughlin * Paris Review *Wide Sargasso Sea is not just a great novel, it is many brilliant books in one * Independent *
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers Web of Dreams
Book SynopsisThe Casteel family saga concludes with this fifth and final book as Annie and Luke return to Farthinggale Manor to finally put her past behind her. But the Manor still holds one final key to the mysteries surrounding her family.GHOSTS FROM THE SHADOWS OF THE PASTOn their return to Farthinggale Manor, the mystery-shrouded luxury home of the Tatterton family, Annie and Luke believe that they will be putting the past finally to rest, and bringing peace to the spirit of Annie's mother, Heaven.But Annie discovers a diary at Farthinggale. There she finds the story of her grandmother, Leigh, and of her great-grandparents. Born into the privileged life of Boston's wealthy classes, Leigh hopes for happiness. Her dreams are shattered, however, when her parents divorce, and her mother Jillian marries Tony Tatterton. The awful shadow cast by the Tatterton family over the lives of the next three generations begins to spreadTrade ReviewPraise for Virginia Andrews: ‘Beautifully written, macabre and thoroughly nasty… it is evocative of the nasty fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood and The Babes in the Wood, with a bit of Victorian Gothic thrown in. … What does shine through is her ability to see the world through a child’s eyes’ Daily Express ‘Makes horror irresistible’ Glasgow Sunday Mail ‘A gruesome saga… the storyline is compelling, many millions have no wish to put this down’ Ms London ‘There is strength in her books – the bizarre plots matched with the pathos of the entrapped’ The Times
£999.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC A Gathering Light
Book SynopsisAn astounding novel about a girls coming-of-age inter-woven with a real life murder that rocked turn-of-the-century America. Winner of the 2004 Carnegie Medal.Trade Review'The wonderfully confident debut by Jennifer Donnelly.' Lindsay Fraser, Sunday Herald 'A GATHERING LIGHT is a remarkable debut, a book that sweeps across the genre boundaries of murder, mystery, romance, and historical fiction - resulting in an original novel that is both gripping and touching.' Scott Turow 'If ever a book deserved to cross over, this is it...this is a wonderfully rich, involving and beautifully written book.' Adele Geras, Guardian 'Part history, part compelling murder mystery, Jennifer Donnelly's A GATHERING LIGHT brings the past to powerful and vivid life.' Celia Rees
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Farmer Giles of Ham
Book SynopsisA commemorative 75th anniversary edition of Tolkien's classic book, including a revised introduction, a map, a copy of Tolkien's unpublished short story which he expanded for publication, his notes for an aborted sequel, and the original first edition illustrations by Pauline Baynes.Farmer Giles of Ham did not look like a hero. He was fat and red-bearded and enjoyed a slow, comfortable life.Then one day a rather deaf and short-sighted giant blundered on to his land. More by luck than skill, Farmer Giles managed to scare him away. The people of the village cheered: Farmer Giles was a hero.His reputation spread far and wide across the kingdom. So it was natural that when the dragon Chrysophylax visited the area it was Farmer Giles who was expected to do battle with it!
£8.54
Little, Brown Book Group Its Now or Never A feelgood and funny read from
Book SynopsisTHE FEEL-GOOD NOVEL FROM THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY-SELLING AUTHORTwo sisters. One important birthday. A year of taking chances. When twins Annie and Lauren attend their older sister Chelsea''s fortieth birthday party at the Dorchester Hotel, they wonder why their lives are so different. Chelsea''s husband is twirling her round the dance floor, while Annie''s husband has gone fishing and Lauren''s lover is at home with his wife and children. Annie and Lauren decide it''s time to make a change and turn their lives around, it''s time they starting living for again. But have they left it too late? It''s now or never.YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS LOVE CAROLE MATTHEWS:''A life-affirming story full of joy and hope'' CATHY BRAMLEY''A sun-filled, fun-filled wonderful escapist adventure'' MILLY JOHNSON''A wonderful setting where dark clouds part to reveal a happy ending'' KATIE FFORDE''An irresistibly warm-hearted story'' TRITrade ReviewWitty, funny and incredibly touching * Heat *It makes you laugh one minute and cry the next * Prima *They get better every time * Observer *Think Marian Keyes with a splash of Jane Green * Vito magazine *
£8.54
Headline Publishing Group Something Dangerous
Book SynopsisFrom the international bestselling novelist Penny Vincenzi comes SOMETHING DANGEROUS, the second novel in her highly acclaimed SPOILS OF TIME trilogy. ''Reading her is an addictive experience'' Elizabeth BuchanThe dazzling Lytton twins, Adele and Venetia, are born into the great Lytton publishing empire. In 1928, on their eighteenth birthday, they are rich and admired, with a confidence verging on arrogance. But the spectre of Nazi Germany is growing...Gradually their privileged world darkens in unimaginable ways - but it is not just the twins whose lives have been irrevocably changed. Barty Miller, rescued from the London slums in babyhood by Celia Lytton, is clever, ambitious, and a complete contrast to the twins - and she faces temptation of the most unexpected kind...Trade ReviewPenny Vincenzi dazzlingly combines the old-fashioned virtues of gripping storytelling with the up-to-the-minute contemporary feel for emotional depth and insight into the lives of the characters. She is a supreme stylist and clever writer. -- Elizabeth BuchanHighly addictive * Daily Telegraph *Every Penny Vincenzi is a guaranteed bestseller * Grazia *Seductively readable * The Times *
£10.44
Headline Publishing Group Nadia Knows Best A warm and witty tale of love
Book SynopsisNADIA KNOWS BEST is an unputdownable romance from the Sunday Times bestselling Jill Mansell, whose novels are must-reads for fans of Cathy Kelly and Lucy Diamond.When Nadia Kinsella meets Jay Tiernan, and the weather traps them in a remote Cotswold pub, she''s tempted, of course she is. But Nadia''s already met The One. She and Laurie have been together for years - they''re practically childhood sweethearts and she still gets butterflies in her stomach at the sight of him. Okay, so maybe she doesn''t see that much of him these days, but that''s not Laurie''s fault. She can''t betray him. Besides, when you belong to a family like the Kinsellas - bewitchingly glamorous grandmother Miriam, feckless mother Leonie, stop-at-nothing sister Clare - well, someone has to exercise a bit of self-control, don''t they? I mean, you wouldn''t want to do something that you might later regret...What readers are saying about Nadia KnowsTrade Review'Hopelessly romantic' * Heat *'A romp of a read' * Company *
£9.49
Canelo Come Hell or High Water
Book SynopsisWhen a badly burned body is found near the remote Ardnamurchan Lighthouse on the west coast of Scotland, it feels like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team.But the victim's list of enemiesincluding a diminutive loan shark and a powerful local politicianis far longer than Jack was prepared for.And don''t even get him started on the magic psychic sex cult.With political scandal brewing, conspiracy theories running wild, and a team member stuck inside a giant road safety squirrel costume, DCI Logan's latest case might just be his most bizarre to date.
£9.49
Headline Publishing Group When the Eagle Hunts Eagles of the Empire 3
Book SynopsisIF YOU DON''T KNOW SIMON SCARROW, YOU DON''T KNOW ROME!WHEN THE EAGLE HUNTS is the compelling third novel in Simon Scarrow''s bestselling Eagles of the Empire series. For fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden. ''Scarrow''s [novels] rank with the best'' IndependentBritannia, AD 44. Cato, a thoughtful junior officer in the Roman army, and his commanding centurion, Macro, are simply pawns in Rome''s lust to conquer Britain. During the freezing winter, the two men and their legion fight the native savages in hand-to-hand battles that haunt Cato for days after.But in a place full of enemies, the most vicious are the Druids of the Dark Moon; brutal, merciless men who have captured the wife and children of General Plautius himself.So Macro and Cato are given a mission: to travel deep into enemy territory and recover the hostages. If they fail, the fate of the Roman army may just hang in the balance...Trade ReviewPraise for Simon Scarrow's novels: 'I really don't need this kind of competition... It's a great read' -- Bernard CornwellScarrow's [novels] rank with the best * Independent *Gripping and moving * The Times *A satisfyingly bloodthirsty, bawdy romp...perfect for Bernard Cornwell addicts who will relish its historical detail and fast-paced action. Storming stuff * Good Book Guide *Ferocious and compelling * Daily Express *A Rome full of HOUSE OF CARDS treachery... Roman soldiering at its very best - even by Scarrow's high standards - in this winning chunk of historical fiction * Sunday Sport *Rollicking good fun * Mail on Sunday *A fast-moving and exceptionally well-paced historical thriller * BBC History Magazine *
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Seal My Fate
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Another Man in the Street
Book SynopsisThe powerful and evocative story of a young West Indian man''s search for home in 1960s London - by the multi-award-winning author dubbed ''one of the literary giants of our time'' (New York Times)**A Guardian book to look forward to in 2025**A masterful stylist writing at the top of his powers' Anthony JosephAn engrossing, artfully constructed chronicle of lives tragically unfulfilled' Mail on SundayA remarkable achievement' Washington PostA moving, accomplished study of the vulnerabilities carried and concealed by human beings on their journeys throughout the world' Financial Times____________________________________________In the early Sixties, Victor Lucky' Johnson arrives in London from St Kitts, with dreams of becoming a journalist. Lucky soon finds work first at an Irish pub in Notting Hill then as a rent collector for an unscrupulous slum landlord Peter Feldman.Shadowing Lucky from his early struggles in London to the present day, Caryl Phillips paints a striking portrait of a flawed but vividly alive man grappling with the lifelong disillusionments of exile and the uniquely complicated identity of the Windrush generation.Another Man in the Street is an unforgettable story of loss, displacement, belonging, and the triumph of Black resilience - epic in scope and yet profoundly intimate; and a radical and timely portrait of immigrant London.___________________________________________________Praise for Caryl PhillipsOne of Britain''s pre-eminent writers' GuardianOne of the literary giants of our time' New York TimesPhillips is a linguistic and cultural virtuoso' The Times
£15.29
Duckworth Books Closure Limited and other Zombie Tales
Book SynopsisA terrifying collection of short stories from the master of zombie fiction, Max Brooks. Written in his trademark style, these tales combine horror, drama, and socio-political commentary to explore the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse.Trade Review'Brooks infuses his writing with such precise detail and authenticity, one wonders if he knows something we don't' Simon Pegg'When the zombie apocalypse arrives, we'll be at Max Brooks house... As a horror story, its exciting. As a parable, it's terrifying' Empire Magazine (praise for World War Z)'A welcome continuation to the world that Max Brooks created, and subsequently destroyed, in his previous fictional outings. Brooks writes with an intelligence and poise that elevates his work above the rest of the genre. Brooks shows incredible knowledge of a wide variety of topics, including geography, military procedures and socio-political factors, throughout his work. The level of care and detail he puts into settings and characters make for stories that are nothing short of compelling and, perhaps even better, are entirely convincing. If George A. Romero is revered as the king of zombie films then Max Brooks must surely be dubbed the king of zombie fiction' This Is Horror
£5.99
Headline Banners of Hell
Book SynopsisPaul Doherty's twenty-fifth enthralling medieval mystery is sure to appeal to fans of C. J. Sansom, E. M. Powell and Bernard Cornwell.
£19.54
HarperCollins Publishers Theos Odyssey
Book SynopsisDoes for spirituality what Sophie's World did for philosophy.Theo is fourteen, very clever, reads a lot, loves computer games and the Greek myths. But then, suddenly, he falls ill. His rich aunt Martha decides that they must roam the world to find a cure for his malaise.What follows is a tour of the world's religions and religious sites, with the sceptical, quizzical Theo being shown the varieties and depths of faith that exist in other places, other cultures.All this is handled with real style, pace, wit and clarity. The book is a thoroughly enjoyable introduction to why and how people believe in their God even Dave Allen would have liked it.Trade Review‘A wonderful book that both adults and adolescents like Theo will find richly rewarding.’Le Populaire ‘With its fluent and alert prose, this encyclopaedic novel will entrance any smart reader keen to extend their spiritual understanding.’Madame Figaro ‘Clement has written her great book of questions. The reader needs to dive into it as they would plunge into crystal-clear waters: it will open their heart and refresh their spirit.’Magazine Litteraire
£999.99
Faber & Faber August is a Wicked Month
Book SynopsisLose yourself in the legendary Edna O''Brien''s simmering romantic tale of a woman rediscovering herself on the French Riviera ...''The taboo-breaking, the fabulous prose there''s no one like Edna O''Brien.'' Anne Enright''Novels of heart-breaking empathy, rigorous honesty and peerless beauty.'' Eimear McBride''Surprising and beautiful and courageous .. A beacon.'' Megan Nolan''''Glittering energy.'' Colm Tóibín ''Brilliant and brave.'' Ann Patchett Separated from her husband and young son, Ellen leaves behind the loneliness of London for a new life of excitement and sexual freedom:a ''jaunt into iniquity'' on the gorgeous French Riviera. However, she soon discovers that independence blurs into loneliness, especially when she receives some heart-breaking news ...Banned in several countries on first publication, August is a Wicked Month is a shimmering, sensual tale of a woman rediscovering
£9.49
Faber & Faber In the Country of Last Things
Book SynopsisPaul Auster''s dystopian future from the author of contemporary classic The New York Trilogy: ''a literary voice for the ages'' (Guardian) ''That is how it works in the City. Every time you think you know the answer to a question, you discover that the question makes no sense . . .''This is the story of Anna Blume and her journey to find her lost brother, William, in the unnamed City. Like the City itself, however, it is a journey that is doomed, and so all that is left is Anna''s unwritten account of what happened.Paul Auster takes us to an unspecified and devastated world in which the self disappears amidst the horrors that surround us. But this is not just an imaginary, futuristic world: like the settings of Kafka stories, it is one that echoes our own, and in doing so addresses some of our darker legacies. In the Country of Last Things is a tense, psychological take on the dystopian novel. It continues Auster''s deep
£9.49
Faber & Faber Strangers
Book Synopsis**NOW A MAJOR FILM - ALL OF US STRANGERS - STARRING PAUL MESCAL, CLAIRE FOY, ANDREW SCOTT AND JAMIE BELL** ''Deeply satisfying. . . a wonderful study of grief and isolation.'' Daily Mail''A sharp, chilling contemporary ghost story.' The Scotsman''Powerful.'' Guardian''Sexy, insightful and frequently funny.'' Irish ExaminerMiddle-aged, jaded and divorced, TV scriptwriter Harada returns one night to the dilapidated downtown district of Tokyo where he grew up. There, at the theatre, he meets a likable man who looks exactly like his long-dead father. And so begins Harada''s ordeal, as he''s thrust into a reality where his parents appear to be alive at the exact age they had been when they had died so many years before.Trade Review"'A cerebral and haunting ghost story... Highly recommended.' David Mitchell 'A memorably uncanny tapestry... The powerful mood of Strangers lingers long after its graceful, downbeat ending has passed.' Guardian 'A disconcerting, yet deeply satisfying novel: a wonderful study of grief and isolation, a moving expression of our longing for things we have lost and are unable to have again.' Daily Mail 'Quickly paced, intelligent and haunting.' Bret Easton Ellis"
£9.49
Pilot Productions Ltd Don Camillo & His Flock: No. 2 in the Don Camillo
Book SynopsisSet against the post-war backdrop of a village in the Emilia-Romagna, this is the second of the newly translated Don Camillo series with sales of more than 23 million copies worldwide. As ever, the townsfolk, divided by their respective allegiances to the hot-headed Catholic priest and his equally pugnacious adversary Peppone, the communist mayor, are relieved of their prejudices by the gentle humour and insights emanating form the crucifix high above the altar of the village church...Trade Review'Inimitable, delicious, full of pure fun' The Observer 'Charming and enchanting ... witty and wise' Edinburgh Evening News
£9.49
Faber & Faber Collected Stories
Book SynopsisA landmark event: the collected stories of ''one of the greatest writers of our era'' (Hilary Mantel) and ''the Irish novelist everyone should read'' (Colm Tóibín).''Wise and compelling ... Elegiac and graceful.'' David Mitchell''I have admired, even loved, John McGahern''s work since his first novel.'' Melvyn Bragg''Gentle, lyrical, an amorist of language, a natural historian of the soul.'' Irish Times''Exquisite stories . . . Here is a Dublin of tatty dancehalls and uneasy courtships, of kisses in damp doorways and unfulfilled hungerings . . . Writing of extraordinary beauty.'' Guardian
£11.69
Faber & Faber The Free
Book SynopsisSeverely wounded in the Iraq war, Leroy has lived a half-life in a group home for eight years. Unable to bear it any longer, he commits a desperate act which helps him to disappear to another place. Freddie is the night porter at the home, who works two jobs yet can''t make ends meet. Buried in debt from his younger daughter''s medical bills, he''s forced to consider a criminal proposition. Pauline is the nurse who tends Leroy, who lives her life in an uncomplicated way, emotionally removed, until she meets a young runaway. An extraordinary portrait of contemporary America, and a testament to the resilience of the human heart, The Free is Willy Vlautin''s most moving and affecting novel to date.
£9.49
Sort of Books The True Deceiver
Book SynopsisIn the deep winter snows of a Swedish hamlet, a strange young woman fakes a break-in at the house of an elderly artist in order to persuade her that she needs companionship. But what does she hope to gain by doing this? And who ultimately is deceiving whom? In this portrayal of two women grappling with truth and lies, nothing can be taken for granted. By the time the snow thaws, both their lives will have changed irrevocably.Trade ReviewI loved this book. It's cool in both senses of the word, understated yet exciting. When I finished it I read it all over again. The characters still haunt me. -- Ruth RendellThe True Deceiver glitters with the kind of sharpness that might just cut you... It is one of Jansson's most deceptively quiet, most astonishing compositions. -- Ali SmithTove Jansson was a genius -- Philip PulmanThe True Deceiver is a quiet masterpiece...the novel is haunting, complex and mysterious * The Age, Melbourne *
£9.49
Pan Macmillan How to Walk Away
Book SynopsisIf your life fell apart, could you start again?The New York Times bestseller.Maggie Jacobsen is just about to step into the bright future she’s worked so hard and so long for: her dream job, a fiancé she adores and the promise of a perfect life just around the corner. But on what should have been the happiest day of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in a single catastrophic moment. In hospital Maggie is forced to confront the unthinkable. First there is her fiancé, Charlie, wallowing in self-pity while demanding forgiveness. Then there’s her sister Kit, who shows up after pulling a three-year vanishing act. Finally there’s Iain, her physical therapist, the one the nurses said was too tough for her. Iain, who won’t let her give in to her despair, who makes her cry, but also manages to make her laugh . . . Maggie’s new life is nothing like she expected. But could it be more than she had ever dared hope for? How to Walk Away by Katherine Center is an uplifting story of learning to live – and love – again.'If you read just one book this year, read How to Walk Away' Nina George, author of The Little Paris Bookshop.Trade ReviewI can't think of a blurb good enough for this novel . . . poignant, funny, heartbreaking. -- Jenny Lawson, bestselling author of Furiously HappyA story about survival that is heartbreakingly honest and wryly funny, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes * Kirkus *If you just read one book this year, read How to Walk Away -- Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop
£9.25
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Secret Speech
Book SynopsisThe Soviet Union 1956: after Stalin''s death, a violent regime is beginning to fracture. Stalin''s successor Khrushchev pledges reform. But there are forces at work that are unable to forgive or forget the past. Leo Demidov, former MGB officer, is facing his own turmoil. His adopted daughters have yet to forgive him for his part in the brutal murder of their parents. They are not alone. Leo, his wife, and their family are in grave danger from someone with a grudge. Someone transformed beyond recognition into the perfect model of vengeance. Leo''s desperate mission to save his family will take him from the harsh Siberian Gulags, to the depths of the criminal underworld, to the centre of the Hungarian uprising - and into a hell where redemption is as brittle as glass.Trade Review'TOM ROB SMITH, 30 His first novel, Child 44, appeared on last year's Booker longlist. Worked his magic again with The Secret Speech this year' LONDON'S BEST YOUNG WRITER'S, Evening Standard 30/4 'An epic journey across the blasted Siberian landscape to the dreaded Gulag 57. As with Child 44, Smith's historiography is exact and his early career as a scriptwriter shows in his feel for the necessary rhythms of plot. The feints, bluggs and reveals keep it all rattling along' The Herald, 25/4 'The follow-up to smash-hit Child 44 is also set in post-war Russia and follows investigator Leo Demidov from that book as he attempts to protect his family from someone with a grudge against him. VERDICT: As good as Child 44 *****' Heat 16/5 'This second outing for the conflicted former Soviet law enforcer Leo Demidov shows that the proposed trilogy of novels will be something special... Smith has spoken of his admiration for Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim, in which the protagonist has to atone for collusion with evil. That book is a template for Leo's ordeal in The Secret Speech, and if the comparison seems grandiose, one has to admire Smith's ambition. The moral conflicts just about keep pace with the tension in a narrative packed with a dizzying mass of incident' Barry Forshaw, Independent 13/5 'The central Leo-Fraera-Zoya triangle, interdependent though enemies, is brilliantly conceived and the scenes featuring them are invariably vivid' Sunday Times 8/6 'Riots, plane crashes and a steadily building body count make this one very packed and chilly ride' Book of the Week, Mirror 10/4 'Violent actions follow relentlessly on every page. This is a tragic portrait of Russia's brutality. The novel is good, and it's good for you too - educational and informative. But you need a strong stomach for it' Literary Review April issue 'Following his debut child 44, The Secret Speech follows former war hero Leo Demidov and his family as they try to survive the collapse of society in post-Stalinist Russia. A powerful page-turner' GQ, May issue 'A relentless cold-war thriller set during Stalin's dying days, Child 44 focused on the efforts of officer Leo Demidov to track down a serial killer despite a state ideologically insistent that crime couldn't exist in a utopian society. Avowedly commercial, feverishly executed and soaked in the violent paranoia of Soviet Russia, it won readers acclaim and a place on the Booker longlist...he's just published the follow-up, The Secret Speech. Stalin is dead, Krushchev is in power and Leo and his wife Raisa are struggling to bring up the two orphaned girls they adopted at the end of Child 44. Krushchev's reform and rapprochement policies provided Smith with a ready-made historical backdrop for examining ideas of guilt and repercussions' Interview, Metro 9/4 'In a market saturated by production-line thrillers, Child 44 stood out like Hannibal Lecter at a serial killers' convention... its sequel maintains the momentum . .. If it's thrills you are after, this book delivers. It's a great piledriver of a read' Charlie Higson, Guardian 4/5 'Tom Rob Smith is patently a talented writer with a rich and complex period to explore' Louise France, Observer 5/5 'As a study of betrayal at every level The Secret Speech is masterly. It brilliantly portrays a society stripped of every element of love, trust and respect; compassion is a weakness to be exploited and denunciation is accepted with resignation...Read this and shiver' Sunday Telegraph 5/5 'This is a fast-paced...action thriller set in an exciting period' Peter Millar, The Times 28/3 'Smith paints a chilling picture of post-Stalinist Russia, and never lets the pace flag as Demidov tries to save his family from foes out for vengeance' TheLondonPaper 7/4 "Remarkable... In Smith's hands [the] scenes attain a pulse of exhilaration worthy of Dickens by way of Conrad...a broadening of moral scope and thematic richness...rendered with passionate and indelible precision." Dennis Lehane 'Former secret police officer Leo Dormidov goes from hunter to hunted. He knows what to do to save his family, but is it possible? Ace' The Sun 12/3
£9.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Dovekeepers
Book SynopsisOne of the most dramatic stories in ancient history told through the eyes of four remarkable women - a tour de force from an extraordinary writerTrade Review‘What is it that makes American authors excel at depicting marriage? Alice Hoffman’s The Marriage of Opposites is one of the best novels on the subject . . . not least because the opposites of its title embrace not just gender but race, class and religion . . . Hoffman’s sensuous prose is ideally suited to describing the landscape . . . As intoxicating as the finest island rum’ * Independent on The Marriage of Opposites *‘Hoffman is a master of evocatively described places . . . This captivating novel transports the reader to a sensual world of lush tropical landscapes, colonial opulence and conflicted passions’ * The Lady on The Marriage of Opposites *‘Alice Hoffman’s fictionalised biography of Rachel Pizzarro’s life is an evocative, sensitive and historically rich portrayal of a woman living ahead of her time’ * The Observer on The Marriage of Opposites *
£10.44
Simon & Schuster Ltd Chasing Daisy
Book SynopsisLove blossoms on the Formula 1 track in this “laugh-out-loud funny and touchingly honest” (Company) novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Sun in Her Eyes and Thirteen Weddings. “You don’t have to worry about me. I have no intention of getting my heart broken again. Of course, I’m lying. I feel like Will is chipping a little piece of it away, day by day. It’s killing me… Daisy has been dumped, unceremoniously jilted. Not by any ordinary guy, no...Daisy has a secret in her past that she won’t even tell her best friend, Holly. She’s given up on men—and on her own family. But life still has to be lived and where better to recover than as far away from home as possible. Grabbing a chance to see the world, Daisy packs her bags and joins the team catering to the world’s highest-paid, supercharged racing drivers on the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit.Trade ReviewPraise for Paige Toon ‘You’ll love it, cry buckets and be uplifted’ MARIAN KEYES ‘Tender, heartbreaking and magical’ GIOVANNA FLETCHER ‘Heart-warming, wistful and full of joy’ LINDSEY KELK ‘Poignant and lovely, warm and wise’ MILLY JOHNSON ‘Family secrets, new horizons and a gorgeous continent-crossing romance... prepare to be swept away!’ LUCY DIAMOND ‘Warm, inspiring, like a holiday mood in book form’ MHAIRI MCFARLANE ‘For smart, romantic fiction, look no further than the new book from bestselling Paige Toon’ RED ‘Achingly romantic and brilliantly written... Five Stars!’ HEAT ‘Simply gorgeous’ SUN ‘You won’t be able to put down this emotional read’ CLOSER ‘Paige Toon is the queen of will-they/won't-they romance, setting up an ending that will leave you in bits’ SUNDAY EXPRESS ‘Full of living-in-the-moment and what-might-have-been contrasts, this tender read pulls at the heart strings’ FABULOUS
£9.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd Thirteen Weddings
Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOREscape to the summer and feel the warmth of Paige Toon's storytelling A year ago, Bronte left Sydney for a wedding in England, where she met newly single Alex. After one amazing night together they parted ways. Now working on the picture desk for a glossy magazine in London, Bronte is about to meet a new colleague - who turns out to be all too familiar. Alex is now engaged, but the memory of the spark they felt when they met hasn't died. As Alex's wedding day looms, it is clear that he and Bronte have unfinished business...THE ONE WE FELL IN LOVE WITH was selected for the Zoella Book Club and Paige Toon's novels have been published across the world.Praise for Paige Toon's novels: 'You'll love it, cry buckets and be uplifted' MARIAN KEYES 'I blubbed, Trade ReviewPraise for Paige Toon ‘You’ll love it, cry buckets and be uplifted’ MARIAN KEYES ‘Tender, heartbreaking and magical’ GIOVANNA FLETCHER ‘Heart-warming, wistful and full of joy’ LINDSEY KELK ‘Poignant and lovely, warm and wise’ MILLY JOHNSON ‘Family secrets, new horizons and a gorgeous continent-crossing romance... prepare to be swept away!’ LUCY DIAMOND ‘Warm, inspiring, like a holiday mood in book form’ MHAIRI MCFARLANE ‘For smart, romantic fiction, look no further than the new book from bestselling Paige Toon’ RED ‘Achingly romantic and brilliantly written... Five Stars!’ HEAT ‘Simply gorgeous’ SUN ‘You won’t be able to put down this emotional read’ CLOSER ‘Paige Toon is the queen of will-they/won't-they romance, setting up an ending that will leave you in bits’ SUNDAY EXPRESS ‘Full of living-in-the-moment and what-might-have-been contrasts, this tender read pulls at the heart strings’ FABULOUS
£8.54
Pan Macmillan Shelter
Book SynopsisA powerful domestic drama, Shelter reveals the secrets and troubles of two generations of a Korean-American family.You never know what goes on behind closed doors. Kyung Cho owns a house that he can't afford. Despite his promising career as a tenure-track professor, he and his wife, Gillian, have always lived beyond their means. Now their bad decisions are catching up with them, and Kyung is anxious for his family's future.A few miles away, his parents, Jin and Mae, live in the town's most exclusive neighbourhood. Growing up, they gave Kyung every possible advantage – expensive hobbies, private tutors – but they never showed him kindness. Kyung can hardly bear to see them now, much less ask for their help. Yet when an act of violence leaves Jin and Mae unable to live on their own, the dynamic suddenly changes, and he decides to take them in. For the first time in years, the Chos find themselves under the same roof where tensions quickly mount and old resentments rise to the surface.As Shelter veers swiftly towards its startling conclusion, Jung Yun leads us through dark and violent territory, where, unexpectedly, the Chos discover hope. In the tradition of House of Sand and Fog and The Ice Storm, Shelter is a masterfully crafted first novel that asks what it means to provide for one's family and, in answer, delivers a story as riveting as it is profound.Trade ReviewGripping . . . Yun shows how, although shelter doesn't guarantee safety and blood doesn't guarantee love, there's something inextricable about the relationship between a child and a parent . . . We may each respond in our own way, but I'll go ahead and assume that a good amount of folks, regardless of the pain they may have experienced from bad mothers and fathers, and regardless of cultural traditions, will feel the pull to help save their parents. "Shelter" is captivating in chronicling this story. * New York Times *Yun's debut may be a family drama, but it has all the tension of a thriller. It's a sharp knife of a novel - powerful and damaging, and so structurally elegant that it slides right in . . . Yun has written the rare novel that starts with a strong premise and gets better and richer with every page, each scene perfectly selected, building on the last. The language, at first blush plain and functional, reveals itself as the right medium for a story of unusual urgency - not simple but bony, spare and precise . . . Shelter is a marvel of skill and execution, tautly constructed and played without mercy. * Los Angeles Times *A fluidly written debut novel that explores violence and its effects on one immigrant family . . . [A] layered, sometimes surprising debut . . . A diverse and nuanced cast of characters seeks shelter from pain and loneliness in this valiant portrayal of contemporary American life. * Kirkus Reviews *The combination of grisly James Patterson thriller and melancholic suburban drama shouldn't work at all. Yet Ms. Yun pulls it off. Kyung is petulant and unlikeable, but he's also psychologically unstable. The proximity of his parents and the atmosphere of grief and panic launch him on a spiral of self-destruction that's impossible to turn away from. The novel grows darker and darker, until all its internal contradictions are eclipsed by an ending as disturbing and bereft as anything you'll read this year. * Wall Street Journal *This work should find itself on best-of lists, among major award nominations, and in eager readers' hands everywhere. * Library Journal, Starred Review *In her intense debut, Yun explores the powerful legacy of familial violence and the difficulty of finding the strength and grace to forgive . . . This family drama [is] rife with tension and unexpected ironies. * Publishers Weekly *Jung Yun keeps it together through pitch-perfect but flawed narrator Kyung and a high-tension storyline. Such a thoughtful, emotional literary work is an unexpected page-turner. * Globe and Mail *A powerful debut, full of thrills, secrets waiting to be discovered, and lies unwrapped * Los Angeles Review of Books *It seems as though every year a novel - and its author - appears out of nowhere and gets readers everywhere talking. This year that book is Shelter, by Korean American writer Jung Yun. * South China Morning Post *A history of violence lurks behind the walls of the Korean-American family in Jung Yun's Shelter. Kyung Cho is a biology professor who lives in the suburbs with his wife Gillian and young child. Haunted by spiralling debt, the family risks losing their house. Meanwhile his ageing parents are rich beyond anything their son could hope for, but they cared more about money than love, and Kyung grew up desperately unhappy. When Kyung's mother turns up naked and battered in the backyard, and his parents are no longer able to live on their own, he reluctantly takes them in. The reversal of fortune leads to dramatic and surprising revelations, dissecting questions of familial duty, betrayal and forgiveness. Jung Yun's Shelter weaves an intricately plotted intergenerational drama, delivered in cool spare prose. * Sydney Morning Herald *This stunning literary novel is a page turner about family, belonging and making commitments you can live by * Reader's Digest *
£8.54
Alma Books Ltd Journey to the End of the Night
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1932, Journey to the End of the Night was immediately acclaimed as a masterpiece and a turning point in French literature. Told in the first person by Celine's fictional alter ego Bardamu, the novel is loosely based on the author's own experiences during the First World War, in French colonial Africa, in the USA and, later, as a young doctor in a working-class suburb in Paris. Celine's disgust with human folly, malice, greed and the chaotic state in which man has left society lies behind the bitterness that distinguishes his idiosyncratic, colloquial and visionary writing and gives it its force.Trade ReviewJourney to the End of the Night, first published in 1932, is one of the greatest novels of the 20th century... It could be said that without Celine there would have been no Henry Miller, no Jack Kerouac, no Charles Bukowski, no Beat poets. -- John Banville The blackest comedies can baffle readers not trained, or just unwilling, to recognise the comic in human extremis. It's obscene, rock-bottom laughter, disabused of all idealism, that provides the tonic Celine speaks of. -- Howard Jacobson * The Guardian * My favourite French classic has to be Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine. It's an epic that takes you all around the world, but the centre of the world is Paris, or Celine's delirious, slightly hallucinatory, incredibly poetic vision of it. -- Andrew Hussey * The Guardian * Celine's expletive-laden, first-person narration influenced Henry Miller, Charles Bukowski and Beat poetry. But the influences do not stop there: one cannot help but appreciate the palpable influence that the author's anti-war invective and defence of cowardice had on Joseph Heller's Yossarian and Kurt Vonnegut's Billy Pilgrim respectively. But, the interest of those he influenced aside, Celine's novel remains as readable and vital today as it was in the 1930s. * TLS * Born in the shadow of entrenched realism and naturalism, Celine ripped up the textbook. He wasn't the first French writer to use a colloquial style, but he was the first to use it so relentlessly and powerfully, to create a brand, the rant, whether it was delirious, lyrical or raging. -- Tibor Fischer * The Guardian *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Truly Madly Guilty
Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author behind the addictive, EMMY and GOLDEN GLOBE-winning HBO sensation BIG LITTLE LIES comes a cocktail of family, friendship, and the fear of what could have been . . .''Perfect summer read'' REESE WITHERSPOON______________Six responsible adults. One day that changes everything.''This is a story which begins with a barbecue in the suburbs . . .''In just one evening, a lifelong friendship will be in tatters, a marriage on the rocks and an innocent bystander dead.In just one evening, six lives will change for ever.______________''Filled with so many twists and turns. Keeps you guessing until the very end. Perfect summer read'' Reese Witherspoon''You must clear a reading slot for this novel . . . Truly Madly Guilty is as brilliantly accomplished as it is dark, twisty and compulsive. No wonder Reese Witherspoon is such a huge Moriarty fan''Trade ReviewA drama that will keep you on your toes the whole time * Grazia *Every single one of her books is a great read * E! Online *** From the bestselling author of Big Little Lies, now a gripping HBO series, comes Liane Moriarty's new novel Truly Madly Guilty. Voted by Amazon reviewers as a 4 STAR read ** Truly, Madly, Guilty is a cocktail of friendship and modern love spiked with a little deception. * from the publisher's description *** From the bestselling author of Big Little Lies, now a gripping HBO series, comes Liane Moriarty's new novel Truly Madly Guilty. Voted by Amazon reviewers as a 4 STAR read **Six responsible adults, two best friends and one day that changes everything. Truly, Madly, Guilty is a cocktail of friendship and modern love spiked with a little deception. * from the publisher's description *Every single one of her books is a great read * E! Online *If, like us, you've been obsessively enjoying Big Little Lies, then you must clear a reading slot for this novel by the same author... Truly Madly Guilty is as brilliantly accomplished as it is dark, twisty and compulsive. No wonder Reese Witherspoon is such a huge Moriarty fan * Heat *Wise, honest, beautifully observed. One of the few writers I'll drop anything for * Me Before You *Straight-from-life characters, knife-sharp insight and almost unbearable suspense will have you racing through it * Good Housekeeping *If, like us, you've been obsessively enjoying Big Little Lies, then you must clear a reading slot for this novel by the same author . . . Truly Madly Guilty is as brilliantly accomplished as it is dark, twisty and compulsive. No wonder Reese Witherspoon is such a huge Moriarty fan * Heat *A riveting drama packed with suspense and secrets * Woman & Home *If you liked The Husband's Secret, or Big Little Lies, you will love Truly Madly GuiltySomething truly terrible goes down. By the time you find out exactly what, your nerves will have been shredded * Glamour *A friendly neighbourhood barbecue spirals out of control in Liane Moriarty's gripping domestic drama. This is an assured summer hit * Sunday Express *This book, about the tiny moments that can change your life, is perfect poolside fare * Hello Magazine *Liane Moriarty has done it again. Truly Madly Guilty has it all: suspense, drama, humour and a cracking story cleverly told * Fabulous *Moriarty is at her finest. . . You will not soon forget this cast of troubled yet very likable characters, and the relationships that both bind and nearly destroy them * Huffington Post *A masterclass in teasing, drip-feed storytelling, this tale of three recognizably flesh-and-blood couples navigating the fallout of a disastrous social gathering is another triumph for Liane Moriarty. I loved every line of itPraise for Liane Moriarty * - *Brilliant, stand-out, superbly clever. Moriarty writes vividly, wittily and wickedly * Sunday Express *A hell of a good book. Funny and scary * Stephen King *Reading one [of Liane Moriarty's novels] is a bit like drinking a pink cosmo laced with arsenic . . . a fun, engaging and sometimes disturbing read * USA Today *A staggeringly brilliant novel. It is literally unputdownable * Sophie Hannah *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Bellman Black
Book SynopsisA haunting Victorian ghost story of love, loss and the mystery of death from the bestselling author of THE THIRTEENTH TALE and ONCE UPON A RIVER''Fabulous'' THE TIMES''This is a ghost story and while it is dark, atmospheric and full of death, what I loved was its life and colour. Setterfield is brilliant at character and setting and can make even a woollen mill fascinating and utterly riveting. A rags -to-riches tale with a spooky twist'' Wendy Holden, DAILY MAILAs a boy, William Bellman commits one small cruel act that appears to have unforeseen and terrible consequences. The killing of a rook with his catapult is soon forgotten amidst the riot of boyhood games. And by the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, he seems indeed, to be a man blessed by fortune. Until tragedy strikes, and the stranger in black comes, and William Bellman starts to wonder if all his happiness is about to be eclipsed. DesTrade ReviewFabulous * THE TIMES *Having read and loved Diane Setterfield's first novel, THE THIRTEENTH TALE, I had high expectations for BELLMAN & BLACK- expectations that Diane Setterfield more than exceeded! BELLMAN & BLACK is the sort of story that you can't put down once you start and yet you don't want it to end either... BELLMAN & BLACK is nothing short of mesmerizing! * FRESH FICTION *This is a ghost story and while it is dark, atmospheric and full of death, what I loved was its life and colour. Setterfield is brilliant at character and setting and can make even a woollen mill fascinating and utterly riveting. A rags -to-riches tale with a spooky twist * DAILY MAIL *BELLMAN & BLACK: A Ghost Story is the second book by Diane Setterfield, and what a talented writer she is. This is an extraordinary book that defies genre. Part of the beauty of it derives from the fact you're unsure whether it is a ghost story or not... The research is meticulous and yet the many facts are blended so easily into the narrative that the reader hardly notices just how much authentic information Setterfield manages to impart, a talent she shares with Hilary Mantel * IRISH INDEPENDENT *A book that lingers after the last page is turned * EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS *Deftly written with gorgeous language and phrasing, Diane Setterfield's newest novel, BELLMAN & BLACK, is sure to resonate with readers... Setterfield is a powerful storyteller who leads readers with a light hand to thoughts and feelings... BELLMAN & BLACK is not to be missed. * THE HIDING SPOT *She's [Setterfield] come through with a corker, a second book arguably better than her first... If you loved her first book you should consider pre-ordering - or putting on hold at the library - Bellman & Black. Did this book take so long because she was going over it with a fine-toothed comb? Certainly seems like it. And it was worth the wait.You will love it. YOU WILL. Easily one of the best books I've read this year. * BLUE STOCKING JOURNAL *Fabulous * THE TIMES *Having read and loved Diane Setterfield's first novel, THE THIRTEENTH TALE, I had high expectations for BELLMAN & BLACK- expectations that Diane Setterfield more than exceeded! BELLMAN & BLACK is the sort of story that you can't put down once you start and yet you don't want it to end either... BELLMAN & BLACK is nothing short of mesmerizing! * FRESH FICTION *This is a ghost story and while it is dark, atmospheric and full of death, what I loved was its life and colour. Setterfield is brilliant at character and setting and can make even a woollen mill fascinating and utterly riveting. A rags -to-riches tale with a spooky twist * DAILY MAIL *BELLMAN & BLACK: A Ghost Story is the second book by Diane Setterfield, and what a talented writer she is. This is an extraordinary book that defies genre. Part of the beauty of it derives from the fact you're unsure whether it is a ghost story or not... The research is meticulous and yet the many facts are blended so easily into the narrative that the reader hardly notices just how much authentic information Setterfield manages to impart, a talent she shares with Hilary Mantel * IRISH INDEPENDENT *A book that lingers after the last page is turned * EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS *Deftly written with gorgeous language and phrasing, Diane Setterfield's newest novel, Bellman & Black, is sure to resonate with readers... Setterfield is a powerful storyteller who leads readers with a light hand to thoughts and feelings... Bellman & Black is not to be missed. * THE HIDING SPOT *She's [Setterfield] come through with a corker, a second book arguably better than her first... If you loved her first book you should consider pre-ordering - or putting on hold at the library - BELLMAN & BLACK. Did this book take so long because she was going over it with a fine-toothed comb? Certainly seems like it. And it was worth the wait.You will love it. YOU WILL. Easily one of the best books I've read this year. * BLUE STOCKING JOURNAL *
£9.49
Soho Press Quotients
Book Synopsis
£8.54
Hodder & Stoughton From a Buick 8
Book SynopsisCome close, children, and see the living crocodile. A vintage ''54 Buick Roadmaster. At least, that''s what it looks like . . .There is a secret hidden in Shed B in the state police barracks in Statler, Pennsylvania. A secret that has drawn troopers for twenty years - terrified yet irresistibly tempted to look at its chrome fenders, silver grille and exotic exhaust system.Young Ned Wilcox has started coming by the barracks: mowing the lawn, washing the windows, shovelling snow; it''s a boy''s way of holding on to his father - recently killed in a strange road accident by another Buick.And one day Ned peers through the windows of Shed B and discovers the family secret. Like his father, Ned wants answers. He deserves answers. And the secret begins to stir . . .Trade ReviewOne of his freshest and most original books...a beautiful excursion into new narrative territory, showing an accomplished storyteller...a portal into King's incredible imagination * Independent on Sunday *A fabulous teller of stories * Express *
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Nightwoods
Book SynopsisThe new novel by the bestselling author of the classic COLD MOUNTAIN is a beautifully written, atmospheric novel of love and suspense.Trade ReviewHis best book to date . . . Frazier's exquisitely efficient style is matched by some finely tuned suspense . . . And the climactic pursuit through the darkened forest of the book's title proves to be gripping without ever descending into gothic melodrama. * The Sunday Times *Charles Frazier's third novel is as accomplished as his first two . . . In anyone else's hands, this might turn out to be a gripping but ultimately forgettable thriller. Frazier, however, is a writer whose spare prose paradoxically oozes atmosphere - you can almost smell the verdant pine trees and hear the crack of the twigs underfoot . . . Beneath the chilling, photogenic story, the writing remains beautiful. * Independent *Frazier's taut prose, superb sense of place and timing and suspense-inducing skills save this from being just another thriller. * Daily Mail *Its dazzling sentences are so meticulously constructed that you find yourself rereading them, trying to unpack their magic . . . By the book's climactic scenes in the shadowy mountain forest that gives NIGHTWOODS its title, the unhurried, poetic suspense is both difficult to bear and impossible to shake. * Entertainment Weekly *There's an almost rarefied atmosphere to this novel . . . mostly the breathless delight comes from Frazier's poetic sensibility towards the brutality and beauty of nature. My advice on NIGHTWOODS is to soak up the purity of Frazier's prose before Hollywood gets a look in. * Sunday Telegraph *Frazier expertly evokes the languor and menace of the North Carolina mountains, and his exquisitely efficient style is matched by finely tuned suspense - there is enough knife-play here to make Cormac McCarthy proud * Sunday Times Culture *Frazier is very good at the slow and nuanced process by which emotionally thwarted, and justifiably suspicious, characters come together, meeting always against a backdrop of violence and upheaval * Guardian *a beautiful tale of suspense . . . there is a classic film noir feel to it...Frank and Dolores are fascinatingly real . . . The dialogue is witty and the depiction of the Appalachians so sumptuous that I minded not one jot that the denouement, in trying to be understated, almost vanished from the page . . . * The Times, Book Club *The book . . . matches Frazier's style: all stripped-down dialogue and an acoustic approach to narrative. This is a land where not much happens, where characters communicate only when necessary. The book's slow pace is entirely fitting for the vast, empty land in which it is set. That is its glory * The Times, Book Club *This gripping account of a woman under threat in rural Carolina is the finest novel to date from the author of COLD MOUNTAIN * The Sunday Times *
£9.49
Headline Publishing Group The Wedding of the Year
Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES HARDBACK BESTSELLERThe irresistible, romantic, heart-warming new novel from the beloved author of Promise Me. 14 million Jill Mansell books sold worldwide!Love, friendship and secrets revealed as the sun beats down on dazzling blue Cornish seas . . .It''s set to be the perfect wedding - till the chauffeur is asked to keep driving the bride round the church. This wedding is not going as planned.Lottie is a guest at the wedding when she sees Max for the first time in fifteen years. No kiss since has matched their last kiss together. They were on the brink of a beautiful love story. Then something shocking happened that tore them apart. Now here he is, handsome as ever, teasing Lottie in the old way - and that tingling electric attraction is back. But Max is out of bounds.Ruby has been the perfect vicar''s wife. But when she finds out the truth about her husband Peter, outrage and di
£9.49
Kodansha America, Inc Taiko: An Epic Novel Of War And Glory In Feudal
Book SynopsisIn the tempestuous closing decades of the sixteenth century, the Empire of Japan writhes in chaos as the shogunate crumbles and rival warlords battle for supremacy. Warrior monks in their armed citadels block the road to the capital; castles are destroyed, villages plundered, fields put to the torch. Amid this devastation, three men dream of uniting the nation. At one extreme is the charismatic but brutal Nobunaga, whose ruthless ambition crushes all before him. At the opposite pole is the cold, deliberate Ieyasu, wise in counsel, brave in battle, mature beyond his years.Trade Review"Taiko is simply too good to ignore…Packed with action, intrigue and heartbreak…[it] proves conclusively that Americans aren’t the only ones who root for the underdog." —Detroit Free Press"Something for everyone—history, romance, acts of great loyalty and treachery, monumental battle scenes…highly recommended." —San Francisco Chronicle"Eiji Yoshikawa’s epic is the real thing, the insider’s guide to one of the most periods in Japanese history." —New York Newsday"A unique opportunity for Western readers to explore a time, a man and the creation of modern Japan from a genuinely Japanese perspective." —The Washington Times"A vibrant tale of heroic deeds and black villainy that brings to life distant times and people" —Library Journal
£28.00
Simon & Schuster Ltd Cold People
Book Synopsis'An ambitious, cinematic thriller' Observer'A talented storyteller' The Times'A cinematic epic' Daily MailWhat if our only hope of survival becomes our greatest threat? From the brilliant, bestselling author of Child 44 comes a suspenseful and fast-paced novel about a colony of global apocalypse survivors seeking to reinvent civilisation under the most extreme conditions imaginable. The world has fallen. Without warning, a mysterious and omnipotent force has claimed the planet for their own. There are no negotiations, no demands, no reasons given for their actions. All they have is a message: humanity has thirty days to reach the one place on Earth where they will be allowed to exist… Antarctica.Cold People follows the journeys of a handful of those who endure the frantic exodus to the most extreme enviro
£9.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Teashop on the Corner
Book SynopsisThe magical and feel-good novel from the Sunday Times bestseller‘The feeling you get when you read a Milly Johnson book should be bottled and made available on the NHS’ Debbie JohnsonLife is full of second chances, if only you keep your heart open for them. Spring Hill Square is a pretty sanctuary away from the bustle of everyday life. And at its centre is Leni Merryman's Teashop on the Corner, specialising in cake, bookish stationery and compassion. And for three people, all in need of a little TLC, it is somewhere to find a friend to lean on.Carla Pride has just discovered that her late husband Martin was not who she thought he was. And now she must learn to put her marriage behind her and move forward.Molly Jones's ex-husband Harvey has reappeared in her life after many years, wanting to put right the wrongs of the past before it is too lateTrade Review‘Another gem from Milly Johnson’ * The Sun on Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage *
£9.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd The Marriage of Opposites
Book Synopsis 'As intoxicating as the finest island rum’ Independent From the bestselling author of The Dovekeepers comes a love story about one of history's most captivating 'invisible' women: Rachel, the mother of Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. Growing up on the idyllic island of St Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel's mother, a pillar of their tight-knit refugee community of Jews who escaped the European Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for refusing to live by the rules. But Rachel's fate is not in her own hands: in order to secure the future of her father's business, she is married off to a widower with three children. When her husband dies suddenly and his handsome nephew Frédéric arrives from France to settle the estate, Rachel seizes control of her life, beginning a defiant, passionate love affair that sparks a scandal affecting hTrade Review‘What is it that makes American authors excel at depicting marriage? Alice Hoffman’s The Marriage of Opposites is one of the best novels on the subject . . . not least because the opposites of its title embrace not just gender but race, class and religion . . . Hoffman’s sensuous prose is ideally suited to describing the landscape . . . As intoxicating as the finest island rum’ * Independent on The Marriage of Opposites *‘Hoffman is a master of evocatively described places . . . This captivating novel transports the reader to a sensual world of lush tropical landscapes, colonial opulence and conflicted passions’ * The Lady on The Marriage of Opposites *‘Alice Hoffman’s fictionalised biography of Rachel Pizzarro’s life is an evocative, sensitive and historically rich portrayal of a woman living ahead of her time’ * The Observer on The Marriage of Opposites *
£8.54
Hodder & Stoughton The Punch
Book SynopsisFrom the author of the Richard & Judy bestseller THE GOOD FATHER and the writer of the television series, Fargo.Trade Review[Hawley's] portrait of a dysfunctional family is at once insane, tender and hilarious. * People *Like an American Martin Amis, Noah Hawley expertly rides the line between hilarity and horror. * Tom Barbash *Brotherly love never hurt so good. * Kirkus Reviews *
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Last Night in Montreal
Book SynopsisFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Station ElevenLilia has been leaving people behind her entire life. Haunted by her inability to remember her early childhood, and by a mysterious shadow that seems to dog her wherever she goes, Lilia moves restlessly from city to city, abandoning lovers and friends along the way. But then she meets Eli, and he's not ready to let her go, not without a fight.Gorgeously written, charged with tension and foreboding, Emily St. John Mandel's Last Night in Montreal is the story of a life spent at the centre of a criminal investigation. It is a novel about identity, love and amnesia, the depths and limits of family bonds and - ultimately - about the nature of obsession.Trade ReviewLast Night in Montreal is literary crime fiction of the highest order. It is unusual to encounter a novel that so vividly creates a sense of life on the run . . . Intense and lyrical, the novel asks unsettling questions about who is the real victim of the tragedy that looms over the characters. * The Sunday Times *Mandel is an exuberant storyteller * New York Times *Finely wrought . . . What we're made to ponder is the mystery of human connection: how it is born, how it fades and dies and revives, how love defines us or leaves us undone * Globe and Mail *Taut, gripping . . . elegantly compelling * Booklist *Mandel has a beautiful writing style * Independent on Sunday *Mandel tells an utterly absorbing story, pulling readers down the rabbit hole and keeping them racing through its long, strange warrens. The writing is vibrant, and Lilia is a vivid and haunting character . . . Last Night in Montreal is an exciting debut: a thriller, a love story, and a quiet ballad about life's fleeting connections * Quill & Quire *Highly recommended for all contemporary fiction collections * Library Journal *The debut of a lyrical voice, singing its heart out . . . a beautiful work -- Darin Strauss, author of CHANG & ENG
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Players
Book SynopsisScandal and intrigue among the rich and famous, Players is the glamorous debut novel from the bestselling author of The Paris Secret, Karen Swan.Harry Hunter is the new golden boy of the literary scene. With his books selling by the millions, the paparazzi on his tail, and a supermodel on each arm, he seems to have the world at his feet. Women all over the globe adore him but few suspect that his angelic looks hide a darker side, a side that conceals a lifetime of lies and deceit. Tor, Cress and Kate have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Through all the challenges of marriage, raising children and maintaining their high-flying careers, they have stuck together as a powerful and loyal force to be reckoned with - living proof that twenty-first-century women can have it all, and do. It is only when the captivating Harry comes into their lives that things begin to get complicated, as Tor, Cress and Kate
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Simon & Schuster Ltd Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage
Book SynopsisFrom the bestelling author of Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market and The Cherry Tree Café comes a glorious summer treat of glamping, vintage tearooms and love ... When Lottie Foster’s grandmother’s best friend Gwen dies, she leaves Lottie her lovely home, Cuckoo Cottage. Lottie loves the cottage but Matt, a charming local builder, points out that beneath its charm it is falling apart. Luckily he is always on hand to help with the problems that somehow seem to keep cropping up. But is he just a bit too good to be true? Certainly Will, Lottie’s closest neighbour, seems to think so. Lottie plans to set up her own business renovating vintage caravans. She hasn’t told anyone about the project she has cooked up with Jemma from The Cherry Tree Café to repurpose Gwen’s old caravan and turn it into a gorgeous
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Little, Brown Book Group Deathless
Book SynopsisA handsome young man arrives in St Petersburg at the house of Marya Morevna. He is Koschei, the Tsar of Life, and he is Marya''s fate. For years she follows him in love and in war, and bears the scars. But eventually Marya returns to her birthplace - only to discover a starveling city, haunted by death. Deathless is a fierce story of life and death, love and power, old memories, deep myth and dark magic, set against the history of Russia in the twentieth century. It is, quite simply, unforgettable.Trade ReviewRomantic and blood-streaked, and infused with magic so real you can feel it on your fingertips - Deathless is beautiful. Cory Doctorow Valente's invention and ambition are extraordinary. The Times Cat Valente is the Ray Bradbury of her generation. Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians Swept away to the icy wastes of the Russian steppes and the frigid streets of Stalinist St Petersburg I felt I'd happened upon a forgotten classic. A spine-tingling mix of magic and darkness, it echoes both The Master and Margarita and Angela Carter's The Company of Wolves. The prose is perfect, the imagery - houses made of living skin, birds that turn into husbands and, oh, so much blood - is spectacular and the story totally absorbing. This book is not just good, it is genuinely extraordinary. -- Laura Kelly Big Issue Stories, unlike people ... can live again ... They must be revived by the miraculous touch of a very rare class of being, a kind of multi-classed genius/scholar/saint, who can restore them to life. Catherynne Valente is such a being. Lev Grossman A remarkable piece of speculative fiction - a collision of myth, magic, folklore and actual history (almost incidentally describing the story of Russia across the twentieth century) ... Bold, subversive, genre-defying. BookOxygen Writers such as Brockmeier, Mieville and Valente are returning to fantasy for the many ways it can unlock the truth. Perhaps it is a consequence of living in an era of such radical change, but the fantasic seems once again to play a part in expressing the truth of our time. Guardian Koschei the Deathless is by far by the most interesting and charismatic monster I have ever met, and I can't help but feel that I was changed more by that meeting than by most of my meetings with fellow humans. In Deathless, Catherynne M. Valente brings traditional Russian folklore together with a frighteningly real portrayal of Russia in 1920-1940. The story that is created is full of monsters, creatures and communist radicals, and it is also achingly poignant. -- Alyssa Cooper
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Simon & Schuster Ltd The Sisterhood
Book Synopsis‘Frightening and timely, Bradley’s The Sisterhood is the book everyone should read this year. If you thought it ended with Orwell, think again . . .' CHRISTINA DALCHERVox meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this feminist reimagining of 1984 In Oceania, whoever you are, Big Brother is always watching you and trust is a luxury that no one has. Julia is the seemingly perfect example of what women in Oceania should be: dutiful, useful, subservient, meek. But Julia hides a secret. A secret that would lead to her death if it is discovered. For Julia is part of the underground movement called The Sisterhood, whose main goal is to find members of The Brotherhood, the anti-Party vigilante group, and help them to overthrow Big Brother. Only then can everyone be truly free. When Julia thinks she’s found a potential member of The Brotherhood, it seems like their goal might fin
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Vintage Publishing A Concise ChineseEnglish Dictionary for Lovers
Book SynopsisXiaolu Guo was born in China. She published six books before moving to Britain in 2002. Her books include: Village of Stone, shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize; A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, shortlisted for the Orange Prize; and I Am China. Her recent memoir, Once Upon a Time in the East, won the National Book Critics Circle Award, was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award and the Rathbones Folio Prize 2018. It was a Sunday Times Book of the Year. Her most recent novel A Lover's Discourse was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize 2020. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a visiting professor at the Free University in Berlin.Trade ReviewWritten in deliberately bad English, this is a wonderful comic romance -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *An utterly captivating, and disorientating, journey both through language and through love * Independent *Guo uses her minimalist messed-up prose not just to tell an affecting coming-of-age story but to ask deep questions about the real differences between Chinese and British culture and language * Independent on Sunday *Funny and charming...more than a love story; its psychology is politically acute, and things noted lightly in it linger in the mind * Guardian *It is impossible not to be charmed by her matter-of-factness. As the story grows in complexity with Z's growing vocabulary - the narration acquires fluency and tenses almost imperceptibly - it is equally hard not to be impressed by Guo's vivacious talent * Sunday Times *
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