Contemporary Fiction Books

Book SynopsisKent Haruf's honours include a Whiting Foundation Award and a special citation from the PEN/Hemingway Foundation. Plainsong won the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the New Yorker Book Award. Haruf's 2013 novel, Benediction, was shortlisted for the Folio prize. He died in 2014 at the age of seventy-one.Trade ReviewHaruf ’s heroes are small people weighed down with big hearts . . .He manages to find magic in the minutiae of ordinary lives. -- Mariella Frostrup on Plainsong * Mail on Sunday *Haruf ’s deceptively artless prose and unsentimental tales are driven by individuals, not incidents, as they choose between decency and cowardice, degradation and rectitude. -- Praise for The Tie That Binds * Times Literary Supplement *Haruf is one of the finest novelists at work today. * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisGallows Drop is Maria Hannah's sixth gripping crime novel featuring DCI Kate Daniels. At dawn on a lonely stretch of road, a body is found hanging from an ancient gallows the morning after a country show. Hours earlier, DCI Kate Daniels had seen the victim alive. With her leave period imminent, she's forced to step aside when DCI James Atkins is called in to investigate. There's bad blood between them. When Kate discovers that Atkins' daughter was an eyewitness to a fight involving the victim, the two detectives lock horns and he's bumped off the case. It's the trigger for a vicious attack on Kate, exposing a secret she's kept hidden for years and unearthing an even darker one. Shaken but undeterred, Kate sets out to solve a case that has shocked a close-knit village community. As suspects emerge, she uncovers a curious historical connection with a hangman, a culture of systematic bullying, a web of deceit and a deep-seateTrade ReviewNobody understands the many faces of cops better than Mari Hannah -- Val McDermidThey're just great reads -- Stephen Fry on the Kate Daniels seriesBrutal and engaging. Mari Hannah writes with a sharp eye and a dark heart -- Peter JamesDCI Kate Daniels: a Northerner to join the roster of top literary detectives * The Times *[A] terrific page-turner that's dark and twisting * Woman and Home *Let's cut to the chase. This is as good as a modern British crime thriller gets * Peterborough Telegraph *Hannah is a clever, gifted writer, treading a fine line between Kate’s complex and compelling private life and unravelling our intrepid detective’s multi-layered murder mysteries, all packed with intrigue, rollercoaster emotions, unpredictable plotlines and down-to-earth realism * Lancashire Evening Post *Mari Hannah has developed her characters to a fine degree, involving the reader in their lives and relationships, which adds much to the clever plotline * Choice Magazine *

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Book SynopsisReturn to Woodbury by Jay Bonansinga is the eighth novel in Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead spin-off series, is based on the award-winning comic books and blockbuster television show.She has weathered over four years of the apocalypse. She has done things that she would not have dreamt of doing in her darkest nightmares. But she has survived. And now, she has staked a claim in the plague-ravaged city of Atlanta. It is a safe haven for her people, rising high above the walker-ridden streets. But for Lilly Caul, something is missing . . . She still dreams of her former home, the little village known as Woodbury - a place of heartache as well as hope. For Lilly, Woodbury has become a symbol of the future, of family, of a return to normal life amidst this hell on earth. The call is so powerful that Lilly decides to risk everything in order to go back . . . Against all odds, Lilly leads a ragtag group of survivors across the impossible Trade ReviewAn excellent companion to The Walking Dead comic books * Examiner *

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Book SynopsisJean-Paul Didierlaurent lives in the Vosges region of France. His short stories have twice won the International Hemingway Award. The Reader on the 6.27 is his first novel. A bestseller in France, it has been sold in over twenty-five territories.Trade ReviewA delightful tale about the kinship of reading . . . Already a bestseller in France, The Reader on the 6.27 looks set to woo British readers and become a book club favourite. * Independent on Sunday *Charming . . . It is a clever, funny, and humane work that champions the power of literature * Sunday Times *This contemporary fable was acquired by more than twenty countries. A beautiful testimony to the universality of the love of books * Livres Hebdo *The humanity of the characters . . . the re-enchantment of everyday life, the power of words and literature, tenderness and humor . . . The Reader on the 6.27 is a must. * L'Express *I read it in one sitting, I couldn't put it down! * Literary Loveliness - Hello Magazine Online *

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Book SynopsisHow far would you go for someone you love?The Lola Quartet: Jack, Daniel, Sasha and Gavin, four talented musicians at the end of their high school careers. On the dream-like night of their last concert, Gavin's girlfriend Anna disappears. Ten years later Gavin sees a photograph of a little girl who looks uncannily like him and who shares Anna's surname, and suddenly he finds himself catapulted back to a secretive past he didn't realize he'd left behind. But that photo has set off a cascade of dangerous consequences and, as one by one the members of the Lola Quartet are reunited, a terrifying story emerges: of innocent mistakes, of secrecy and of a life lived on the run. Filled with love, music and thwarted dreams, Emily St. John Mandel's The Lola Quartet is a thrilling novel about how the errors of the past can threaten the future.Trade ReviewPercolates with suspense * New York Times *Elegant and hypnotic . . . Mandel brilliantly modulates the heightening suspense in a novel that remains, above all, an elegy for lost innocence * Washington Post *The book virtually trumpets the author's talents: her charismatic verbal grace and acuity, the rich atmosphere she creates * Boston Globe *Mandel is an exuberant storyteller * New York Times *Mandel has a beautiful writing style * Independent on Sunday *Mandel (The Singer's Gun) strikes a confident chord in her third novel . . . The author again melds mystery plotting with literary techniques like shifting points-of-view, resulting in both sophistication and suspense ... Mandel's novel excels as a character study that considers the slow degradation of hopes, dreams, and expectations of people who are only in their late 20s but already feel ancient * Publisher's Weekly *This ingeniously structured literary thriller begins in sunlight before slipping deeper and deeper into crime and moral darkness. ... Emily St. John Mandel is so sure-footed in her invention and so good at delineating her cast, that I went along trustingly and with bated breath * Star Tribune *Riveting... Evocative, intriguing, and complex, this novel is as smooth as the underbelly of a deadly, furtive reptile. Mandel's substantial fan base will rejoice; word of mouth will bring new fans on board * Library Journal *

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Book Synopsis THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER The twisty and darkly compelling thriller, European bestseller and RICHARD & JUDY BOOKCLUB PICK that will keep you up all night.'The rock cast a sharp, dark shadow over a shape huddled on the ground. Please don’t let it be the boy, Colomba thought. Her silent prayer didn’t go unanswered. The corpse belonged to the mother.'Dante Torre spent eleven young years in captivity - held by a man known only as The Father - before outwitting his abductor. Now working for the police force, Torre's methods are unorthodox but his brilliance is clear. When a young child goes missing in similar circumstances in Rome, Torre must confront the demons of his past to attempt to solve the case. Paired with Deputy Captain Colomba Caselli, a fierce, warrior-like detective still reeling from having survived a bloody catastrophe, all evidence suggests The Father is active after being dormant for decades, and that he’s looking forward to a reunion with Dante ... 'Introduces us to two of the most intriguing detectives to have emerged in recent years… Brutal and frighteningly realistic, it never loses its grip' Daily Mail '[a] fascinatingly complex thriller' i newspaper  'An intelligent thriller… very entertaining' Jake Kerridge, Sunday Express ‘Undoubtedly a gripping read…a deliciously dark journey which provides a genuinely satisfying conclusion’ Crime Scene 'Absolutely electrifying' Jeffery Deaver ‘Police politics and military operations add to the complexity and interest of this unrelenting, adrenaline-fueled novel, with a final twist. Don’t be surprised if Kill the Father becomes the next Big Thing in international crime fiction’ Booklist 'Kill the Father is impeccable, from the build up of characters and place to the crisp narrative…Do not pass this one up; it’s a terrific crime drama' Durango Telegraph ‘A mind-bending, stunningly original page-turner' Jonathan Kellerman

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Book SynopsisThe perfect escapist read from the Sunday Times bestselling author‘The feeling you get when you read a Milly Johnson book should be bottled and made available on the NHS’ Debbie JohnsonNew beginnings, old secrets, and a place to call home - escape to Wildflower Cottage for love, laughter and friendship …Viv arrives at Wildflower Cottage, a tumbledown animal sanctuary, for the summer. Her job is to help with the admin, but the truth is she is here for something much closer to her heart.Geraldine runs the Wildflower Cottage sanctuary. She escaped from her past to find happiness here, but now her place of refuge is about to come under threat. Can she keep her history at bay and her future safe?Two women join forces for one shared cause - with unexpected results ...Praise for Milly Johnson: 'Every time you discover a nTrade Review‘Another gem from Milly Johnson’ * The Sun on Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage *

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Book SynopsisRachel Blum and Andy Landis are eight years old when they meet late one night in an ER waiting room. Born with a congenital heart defect, Rachel is a veteran of hospitals, and she''s intrigued by the boy who shows up all alone with a broken arm. He tells her his name. She tells him a story. After Andy''s taken back to the emergency room and Rachel''s sent back to her bed, they think they''ll never see each other again. Rachel, the beloved, popular, and protected daughter of two doting parents, grows up wanting for nothing in a fancy Florida suburb. Andy grows up poor in Philadelphia with a single mom and a rare talent that will let him become one of the best runners of his generation. Over the course of three decades, through high school and college, marriages and divorces, from the pinnacles of victory and the heartbreak of defeat, Andy and Rachel will find each other again and again, until they are finally given a chance to decide whether love can surmount difference

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Book SynopsisThe plot of Charlotte Smith's autobiographical first novel Emmeline (1788) includes the usual thrills of the eighteenth-century courtship novel: abduction, duels, and a "fairy tale princess." At the same time, the novel satirically reworks such literary conventions by focusing on the dangers of early engagement and marriage, and challenges a social and legal system in which woment are inherently illegitimate subjects.The Broadview edition includes primary source material relating to the novel's reception; women, marriage and work; and landscape in eighteenth-century fiction. Mary Hays's biographical writing on Smith is also included, as is selected correspondence.Trade Review“Emmeline is one of the most delightful, absorbing English novels of the eighteenth century, at turns sentimental and hilariously comic. We are lucky to have Loraine Fletcher’s beautifully contextualized, well-annotated edition in print.” — Adela Pinch, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor“This is an exemplary edition. In her authoritative introduction, Loraine Fletcher contextualizes Emmeline as an early romantic work, influenced by Rousseau, contrasting with Fanny Burney and, surprisingly, repudiated as a bad example by Mary Wollstonecraft. The inclusion of Mary Hays’s account of the desperate but heroic author’s life is especially welcome.” — Sybil Oldfield, University of Sussex“One of the fascinations of Charlotte Smith is the way in which she epitomizes the political, cultural, economic, and literary cross-currents of the later eighteenth century, and Fletcher has done a masterful job of contextualizing Smith in all of these ways. With an introduction that touches upon all of the elements key to understanding the complexity of Smith’s work, and with the copious appendices characteristic of Broadview texts, this edition should prove an invaluable tool for scholars of all levels.” — Judith Davis Miller, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield“Fletcher includes contemporary reviews of the novel, portions of critical treatises on the position of women and marriage, and excerpts from Smith contemporaries such as Mary Collier, Edmund Burke, Hester Chapone, John Gregory, and Mary Wollstonecraft, making this an invaluable introduction to eighteenth-century feminine fiction.” — Mary Anne Schofield, Eighteenth-Century FictionTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionCharlotte Smith: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextEmmelineAppendix A: The Reception of Emmeline Anonymous, The Critical Review, June 1788 Mary Wollstonecraft, The Analytical Review, July 1788 Anonymous, The Monthly Review, September 1788 Anonymous, The European Magazine, November 1788 Jane Austen, “The History of England,” 1791 Walter Scott, The Lives of the Novelists, 1821 Egerton Brydges, “Memoirs of Mrs. Charlotte Smith,” January 1807 Appendix B: Women, Marriage, Work Mary Collier,“The Woman’s Labour: An Epistle to Mr Stephen Duck,” 1731 Edmund Burke,“On Delicacy,” 1757 Hester Chapone,“On Politeness and Accomplishments,” 1773 John Gregory,“Marriage,” 1774 Mary Wollstonecraft,“Matrimony,” 1787 Appendix C: Landscapes Thomas Gray, “Journal in the Lakes,” 8 October 1769 William Gilpin, Observations on the River Wye, 1770 Appendix D: Life Letter from Charlotte Smith to Thomas Cadell, 14 January 1788 Letter from Charlotte Smith to William Hayley, 1788-89 Mary Hays,“Mrs. Charlotte Smith,” British Public Characters, 1800-1801 Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe Distaff Gospels (Les Évangiles des Quenouilles), a fascinating fifteenth-century collection of more than 250 popular beliefs, constitutes a kind of encyclopedia of late medieval women’s wisdom. The women’s beliefs and experiences are recounted within the narrative frame of traditional gatherings where women meet with their spindles and distaffs to spin. They share advice on such important matters as how to control errant husbands, how to predict the gender of future offspring, how to cure common diseases, and ways to deal with evil spirits, providing a rare look into the intimate lives of medieval peasant women.This edition includes a facing-page translation (the first in English since 1510) of the two Old French manuscripts of the text. The critical introduction discusses the literary context, textual history, and cultural significance of The Distaff Gospels, while the rich selection of appendices includes translations of the names of the women storytellers and excerpts from works by Giovanni Boccaccio, Jean de Meun, François Villon, and Christine de Pizan.Trade Review“This first English modern translation of The Distaff Gospels gracefully renders the somewhat recondite late medieval French of the original into elegant and faithful yet contemporary prose. The editors’ introduction frames well and cogently the issues germane to the production of this text, including transgendered expression, the culture of the ‘World Upside Down’ in which women may have their say, archeological information about practices of midwifery in the era, and the folkloric aspect and popular content of short narrative. The book is simultaneously inter-disciplinary, an inventive reconstruction, and a scholarly edition, and succeeds admirably at all three.” — Catharine Randall, Fordham UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionA Note on the TextIllustrationsThe Distaff Gospels (Paris Manuscript: BnF 2151) The Distaff Gospels (Chantilly Manuscript: Musée Condé)The Distaff Gospels: Translations of the Spinsters’ NamesAppendix A: From Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron (ca. 1351)Appendix B: From Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meung, The Romance of the Rose (late 13th century)Appendix C: From The Fifteen Joys of Marriage (anon., early 15th century)Appendix D: From François Villon, Testament (mid 15th century)Appendix E: From Christine de Pizan, Ballad 26 and The Book of the Three Virtues (early 15th century)Appendix F: From Bartholomaeus Anglicus (Bartholomew the Englishman), On the Properties of Things (mid 13th century)Select BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisIn 1750 at the age of twenty-seven Sarah Scott published her first novel, a conventional romance. A year later she left her husband after only a few months of marriage and devoted herself thereafter to writing and to promoting such causes as the creation of secular and separatist female communities. This revolutionary concept was given flesh in Millenium Hall, first published in 1762 and generally thought to be the finest of her six novels.The text may be seen as the manifesto of the 'bluestocking' movement—the protean feminism that arose under eighteenth-century gentry capitalism (originating in 1750, largely under the impetus of Scott's sister Elizabeth Montagu), and that rejected a world which early feminists saw symbolized in the black silk stockings demanded by formal society. It is a comment on Western society as well as on the strengths of Scott's novel that the message of Millenium Hall continues to resonate strongly more than two centuries later.Trade Review“Scott’s novel of a female utopia and of the personal histories of the women who took refuge there is an unrivalled experiment in literary form. With its provocative introduction, this edition is a must for anyone interested in the Enlightenment, in Social Theory, in Women’s history, or in the development of the novel.” — Eve Tavor Bannet, University of Oklahoma“With this splendid edition Gary Kelly has recovered a central document of Enlightenment British feminism. Scott’s compelling utopia depicts a community of women who turn from the folly and vice of the world to create a rational paradise.” — Peter Walmsley, McMaster UniversityTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionList of Sarah Scott’s WorksNote on the TextA Description of Millenium HallFrom The History of Sir George Ellison

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Book Synopsis'A masterly achievement, a work of imaginative grandeur and complete artistic control' Ian McEwan'Brilliant and unputdownable' Salman RushdieHe's a trickster, a player, a jester. His handshake's like a pact with the devil, his smile like a crack in the clouds; he's watching you now and he's gone when you turn. Tyll Ulenspiegel is here!In a village like every other village in Germany, a scrawny boy balances on a rope between two trees. He's practising. He practises by the mill, by the blacksmiths; he practises in the forest at night, where the Cold Woman whispers and goblins roam. When he comes out, he will never be the same.Tyll will escape the ordinary villages. In the mines he will defy death. On the battlefield he will run faster than cannonballs. In the courts he will trick the heads of state. As a travelling entertainer, his journey will take him across the land and into the heart of a never-ending war.A prince's doomed acceptance of the Bohemian throne has European armies lurching brutally for dominion and now the Winter King casts a sunless pall. Between the quests of fat counts, witch-hunters and scheming queens, Tyll dances his mocking fugue; exposing the folly of kings and the wisdom of fools.With macabre humour and moving humanity, Daniel Kehlmann lifts this legend from medieval German folklore and enters him on the stage of the Thirty Years' War. When citizens become the playthings of politics and puppetry, Tyll, in his demonic grace and his thirst for freedom, is the very spirit of rebellion - a cork in water, a laugh in the dark, a hero for all time.Trade ReviewThis is a brilliant and unputdownable novel. Kehlmann is the true inheritor of the German fabulist tradition that stretches back to the Brothers Grimm and even further, and in the legendary prankster figure of Tyll Ulenspiegel he has found his perfect avatar * Salman Rushdie *The best novel Kehlmann has ever written . . . Deeply affecting, lively, brutal, wonderfully unreserved, modern, romantic German epic . . . Tyll is Kehlmann's victory over history, his historic triumph * Der Spiegel *A masterpiece . . . the most extraordinary European novel for many years . . . a brilliant book of stories, of great drama, cinematic and poetic . . . Kehlmann is at the height of his powers * Neue Zürcher Zeitung *Kehlmann's best novel so far . . . amidst the destruction, in the places where nothing reflects the former inhabitants anymore, it is the dead who show themselves . . . we owe it to this novel that we can see the dead more clearly, so clearly that it hurts * Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung *Kehlmann's storytelling is astonishing * Die Welt *Possibly Kehlmann's best novel since Measuring the World * Süddeutsche Zeitung *A delight * Die Zeit *Tyll proves that Kehlmann is literature's jack-of-all trades. He manages to combine meticulous historical research and virtuoso language mimicry with a frightening exploration of our current sense of dystopia. An incredible educational experience and improbably entertaining. -- Michael HanekeKehlmann's imagination runs deep and wild. It travels with the currents of history, in its cycles of brutality and violence, it reaches into our own solitude and silence, summoning us, it soars far and high, and echoes with the power of myth. -- Valeria LuiselliA beautiful, engrossing and fascinatingly structured novel. Lucid, limpid, savage. Tyll quietly intrudes on our present crisis of European identity. Have four centuries made us any wiser? This novel is a masterly achievement, a work of imaginative grandeur and complete artistic control * Ian McEwan *Daniel Kehlmann's Tyll is a laugh-outloud-then-weep-into-your-beer comic novel about a war... Kehlmann is at the top of his game * The Times *The narrative moves from myth to historical novel to ballad and back. and Ross Benjamin's translation follows it faithfully * The Spectator *A romp through the thirty years' war... This energetic historical fiction, featuring a folkloric jester in a violent, superstitious Europe, is the work of an immense talent * Guardian *Tyll is an absorbing and, for a novel about a prankster, remarkably sincere novel * Literary Review *Like a magician, Kehlmann conjures comedy, farce and badinage, even in a blighted time of war * Financial Times *Vivid . . . Kehlmann, a confident magician himself, plays his bright pages like cards. But he has a deeper purpose, which is revealed only gradually, as the grand climacteric of his chosen war steadily justifies its presence in the novel . . . Kehlmann is a gifted and sensitive storyteller . . . Despite the grimness of the surroundings and the lancing interventions of history, the novel's tone remains light, sprightly, enterprising. Kehlmann has an unusual combination of talents and ambitions-he is a playful realist, a rationalist drawn to magical games and tricky performances, a modern who likes to look backward * New Yorker *Profoundly enchanting but never sentimental, Tyll is a magnificent story . . . Kehlmann is a master of economical, devastating description . . . Chilling . . . In this exquisitely crafted novel, Kehlmann moves just as nimbly through the grimmest of human experiences. The result is a spellbinding memorial to the nameless souls lost in Europe's vicious past, whose whispers are best heard in fables. * The New York Times Book Review *Prodigiously imaginative . . . [A] brilliant, blackly sardonic retelling . . . In Mr. Kehlmann's unforgettable joker we have a picture of humankind in all of its madness and strutting pride * The Wall Street Journal *a dazzling, picaresque romp * The Observer *It's typical Kehlmann, a delicious cocktail of philosophy, adventure and earthy humour * Sunday Express *A skilfully written tale that is darkly entertaining and inventive * Sunday Times (Summer Reads) *'[D]arkly funny' Guardian best books of 2020

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Book SynopsisWith an introduction by Alan MooreIt was always the same nightmare. Cross saw them lined up in rows, in stretches of city wasteland - those derelict spaces once described to him by a child as the blank bits where things had been before they'd got blown up.It is 1985 and a killer moves through Belfast's blighted streets. In a time and place ruled and divided by political and religious differences, this series of crimes cuts across all those boundaries. Detective Inspector Cross, together with Westerby, a young policewoman, enters a maze of conspiracy and paranoia, and, as the investigation draws closer to the truth, they find themselves in a nightmare world, with little hope of escape.The Psalm Killer is Chris Petit's epic thriller set during the Irish Troubles. Masterfully written, disturbing and exciting, it is a book of immense intelligence and a real classic of its genre.Trade ReviewOne of the most compelling, haunting and original thrillers I have ever read, by one of Britain's most visionary writers and film-makers. -- David PeaceIn the tradition of Silence of the Lambs . . . a deeply satisfying and sophisticated thriller which approaches the Northern Ireland conflict with the intelligence it deserves * Financial Times *An example of the genre near its best. Gorky Park with something to spare; well worth anyone's weekend * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisUp there with the best of themA big, fat five stars from me' Sue MoorcroftAn irresistible slice of escapism' Phillipa AshleyGrab your passport and escape to a land of dazzling skyscrapers, steaming bowls of comforting noodles, and a page-turning love story that will make you swoon!For travel blogger Fiona, Japan has always been top of her bucket list so when she wins an all-expenses paid trip, it looks like her dreams are coming true.Until she arrives in vibrant, bustling Tokyo and comes face-to-face with the man who broke her heart ten years ago, gorgeous photographer Gabe.Fiona can't help but remember the heartache of their last meeting but amidst the temples and clouds of soft pink cherry blossoms, can Fiona and Gabe start to see life and each other differently?Readers ADORE this book!:Well, wow, I adored this storya wonderful, engaging read, transporting me to a country I''ve always wanted to visit' JeannieHonestly, words cannot describe how much I have loved every single book in this series' HollyI love these books. They are utterly stunning and this is another that I haven't been able to put down.I love this author and this has been a perfect escape' VickiThe perfect read to take you away during the lockdown!' SineadThis is not my usual genre, I'm more of a crime/thriller reader however this story intrigued me. I absolutely loved it, truly one of the best books I have read' JacquelineA gorgeous read which left me longing to visit Japan' SarahA wonderful mood booster' JennI love Julie Caplin''s writingthis afforded me to armchair travel to Tokyo.and have a taste of Japanese culture' AmyTrade Review‘A fantastic, huggable, hilarious and addictive read’ The Writing Garnet ‘It’s all about the feels…I absolutely loved it’ The Cosiest Corner ‘Sweet, funny and deliciously heart-warming’ Frankly, My Dear… ‘I've already read it again since I finished it… a true sign of how much I enjoyed it’ Life Appears

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Book Synopsis When a young woman faces unimaginable heartache, she vows to make a difference... A moving saga of anguish, hope and never-ceasing fortitude, The Empty Cradle is a spell-binding and unforgettable tale from bestselling author of No One''s Girl, Mothering Sunday and The Little Angel, Rosie Goodwin. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Dilly Court.''Goodwin uses her deft touch, natural warmth and superb storytelling skills in a spellbinding story of love, loss and redemption'' - Lancashire Evening PostTo the outside world, Charlotte is the privileged daughter of the local vicar. Behind closed doors, however, she is the prisoner of her controlling father. As she grows up, Charlotte longs for freedom, but her captivating innocence leads her into trouble. Sent to Ireland to hide a shameful pregnancy, she discovers that once again her father has deceived her. She is forced into a convent''s harsh and humiliaTrade ReviewPraise for Rosie's first novel, THE BAD APPLE: 'Rosie Goodwin is a born storyteller - she'll make you cry, she'll make you laugh, but most of all you'll care for her characters and lose yourself in her story. An author destined for the top * Jeannie Johnson, author of THE REST OF OUR DAYS *Rosie deserves all her success. She is a talented storyteller and will go all the way to the top * Dee Williams *The tearjerker of the season...[a] heart-rending tale * Western Mail *A promising and well-drawn debut * Lancashire Evening Post *A good tearjerker...compelling * Reading Evening Post *A gifted writer... Not only is Goodwin's characterisation and dialogue compelling, but her descriptive writing is a joy * Nottingham Evening Post *A heart-throbber of a story from Goodwin that puts many other so-called emotional blockbusters in the shade * Northern Echo *Goodwin is a fabulous writer...she reels the reader in surprisingly quickly and her style involves lots of twists and turns that are in no way predictable * Worcester Evening News *A touching and powerful new novel from a wonderful writer * Bookseller *

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of the number one New York Times bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie comes this long-awaited follow-up.Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It s a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie s five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his meaningless life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: Why was I here?A moving and profound contemporary fable, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is an important reminder of the interconnectedness of us all.

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Book SynopsisWhat advice would you give the younger you...and would you listen?As far as time machines go, a magic telephone is pretty useless. TV writer Georgie McCool can''t actually visit the past; all she can do is call it, and hope it picks up. Is she going crazy or is this a chance to make things right with her husband, Neal?Maybe she can fix the things in their past that seem unfixable in the present. Maybe this stupid phone is giving her a chance to start over...if that''s what she wants...A heart-wrenching - and hilarious - take on fate, time, television and true love, Landline asks if two people are ever really on the same path, or whether love just means finding someone who will keep meeting you halfway.Trade ReviewBest for a romantic break ... Rom-com fans will lap it up. * GRAZIA *I was completely knocked sideway by how good Landline is. -- Alison Flood * THE BOOKSELLER *This clever romantic comedy is perfect company for a stretch on the beach. * GLAMOUR *This is a great journey book, as Georgie fumbles about finding herself and what she and Neal need to stay together. I recommend this to anybody for a fun summer read (even though it is set at Christmas!), and I really enjoyed the ups and downs of Georgie's Christmas turmoil. * THE GUARDIAN ONLINE *Landline's premise is fairly simple: given the chance to change a small aspect of the past, would you? But there's so much more. Rowell's way with dialogue is amazing (and useful, given that most of the book consists of telephone conversations). Neal's mother, only ever a presence on the other end of the line, is as well realised as any of the characters we get to 'see'. Landline is great on the complexities of adult relationships too, showing how a search for balance can be what love is made of and how a thousand tiny compromises mean more than the grandest romantic gesture * EMERALD STREET *If you could talk to someone in the past in order to influence the future, would you? That's the idea behind Rainbow Rowell's clever new book. * WOMAN *

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Book SynopsisA Literary Hub Best Book of Year • A Crime Reads Best Debut of the Year • A Newsweek 25 Best Fall Books • A Philadelphia Inquirer 10 Big Books for the Fall • An O Magazine.com LGBTQ Books That Are Changing the Literary Landscape • An Electric Lit Most Anticipated Debut • A Paperback Paris Best New LGBTQ+ Books To Read This Year Selection • A Passport Best Book of the MonthThe Secret History meets Lie with Me in Micah Nemerever''s compulsively readable debut novel—a feverishly taut Hitchcockian story about two college students, each with his own troubled past, whose escalating obsession with one another leads to an act of unspeakable violence.When Paul enters university in early 1970s Pittsburgh, it’s with the hope of moving past the recent death of his father. Sensitive, insecure, and incomprehensible to his grieving family, Paul feels isolated and alone. When he meets the worldly Julian in his freshman ethics class, Paul is immediately drawn to his classmate’s effortless charm.Paul sees Julian as his sole intellectual equal—an ally against the conventional world he finds so suffocating. Paul will stop at nothing to prove himself worthy of their friendship, because with Julian life is more invigorating than Paul could ever have imagined. But as charismatic as he can choose to be, Julian is also volatile and capriciously cruel, and Paul becomes increasingly afraid that he can never live up to what Julian expects of him.As their friendship spirals into all-consuming intimacy, they each learn the lengths to which the other will go in order to stay together, their obsession ultimately hurtling them toward an act of irrevocable violence.Unfolding with a propulsive ferocity, These Violent Delights is an exquisitely plotted excavation of the depths of human desire and the darkness it can bring forth in us.

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Book SynopsisStunningly-designed new editions of Toni Morrison's best-known novels, published by Vintage Classics in celebration of her life and work.WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY BOOKER PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR MARLON JAMESSoon after a local eccentric leaps from a rooftop in a vain attempt at flight, Macon 'Milkman' Dead III is born. Brought up by his well-off black family to revere the white world around him, Milkman strives to make sense of his conflicting identities. Always seeking flight in some way, he leaves his Michigan home for the South, retracing the steps of his forebears in search of his own buried heritage and is introduced to an entire cast of strivers and seeresses, liars and assassins; the inhabitants of a fully realised black world.Evocative and kaleidoscopic, Song of Solomon is a brilliantly imagined coming-of-age tale.Trade ReviewToni Morrison makes me believe in God. She makes me believe in a divine being, because luck and genetics don’t seem to come close to explaining her * Guardian *The poetry of the language. The vernacular and the rhythms of speech... It's eavesdropping on a slice of life. You care for every character. You love them, you bleed for them. It's a masterclass in narrative fiction. It's a book that not only makes me want to be a better writer, but a better person as well -- Sarah Winman * Good Housekeeping *Stunningly beautiful... Full of magnificent people... They are still haunting my house. I suspect they will be with me forever * Washington Post *Song of Solomon…profoundly changed my life * Guardian *A rhapsodic work... Intricate and inventive * New Yorker *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA stunning addition to the literature of eccentricity * The New York Times *A spellbinder from beginning to end, an edgy masterpiece * Chicago Sun-Times *Like Kafka, Abe's work reveals an astonishing ability to create dreamlike events * Chicago Tribune *

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Book SynopsisLose yourself in bestselling author Lawrence Durrell''s sublime novel about a group of English tourists trapped in the minotaur''s labyrinth on Crete ... ''Spellbinding ... A fine storyteller.'' Guardian''Superb ... Quite simply a lovely work of art.'' New York TimesA group of English tourists have come ashore from their cruise ship to explore the island of Crete. This motley crew - including a painter, spiritualist, spinster, soldier, convalescent, and elderly couple - are holidaying to seek respite from a broken post-war world. But their journey reaches a disastrous climax when they visit a cave reputed to be the legendary labyrinth of the minotaur, and become trapped within ...Set in the glorious Mediterranean landscapes which Lawrence Durrell so famously evoked in his travel writing and novels, The Dark Labyrinth is a morality tale unlike any other. Artfully blending horror and humour, comedy

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Book SynopsisA story of two passionate people who share a shameful past and a tenuous present, this remarkable narrative follows headmistress Mohumagadi—of the elite Sekolo sa Ditlhora school for talented black children—and Father Bill, a disgraced preacher, as they are brought together again decades after a childhood love affair expelled them from their communities. Much to the dismay of her students, Mohumagadi hires Father Bill as a teacher, resulting in a battle of wills and wits for the hearts and minds of the children living in the shadow of revolution and change. Entertaining and thought-provoking, this unique account offers insight into the workings of African culture.

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Book SynopsisCosy up in front of a fire and discover Christmas the Norwegian wayfull of romance, cosy traditions and hygge!In the bleak midwinterA really frosty wind is making Holly's life absolutely miserableAfter all the years of hard work it took Londoner Holly Greene to become a doctor, now it could all be taken away and she only has herself to blame. She's retreating to her brother's rustic home on an island off the coast of Norway to lick her wounds. Only, it's the middle of winter and icy slush plus endless darkness isn't exactly the cheery, festive getaway she had imagined.Nearly stumbling off the edge of a cliff in the dark, Holly is saved by Frøy, a yellow-eyed cat of fearsome but fluffy proportions, and his owner grouchy, bearded recluse, Tor. Tor has his own problems to face but the inexplicable desire to leave a bag of freshly baked gingerbread men on Holly's doorstep is seriously getting in the way of his hermit routine.Call it kindness, call it Christmas, but Holly's arrival means m

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Book SynopsisIn 2012, Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend introduced readers to the unforgettable Elena and Lila, whose lifelong friendship provides the backbone for the Neapolitan Novels.The Story of a New Name is the second book in this series. With these books, which the New Yorker's James Wood described as large, captivating, amiably peopled...a beautiful and delicate tale of confluence and reversal, Ferrante proves herself to be one of Italy's most accomplished storytellers. She writes vividly about a specific neighborhood of Naples from the late-1950s through to the current day and about two remarkable young women who are very much the products of that place and time. Yet in doing so she has created a world in which readers will recognize themselves and has drawn a marvelously nuanced portrait of friendship.In The Story of a New Name, Lila has recently married and made her entrée into the family business; Elena, meanwhile, continues her studies and her exploration of the world beyond the neighborhood that she so often finds stifling. Love, jealousy, family, freedom, commitment, and above all friendship: these are signs under which both women live out this phase in their stories. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila, and the pressure to excel is at times too much for Elena. Yet the two young women share a complex and evolving bond that is central to their emotional lives and is a source of strength in the face of life's challenges. In these Neapolitan Novels, Elena Ferrante, the acclaimed author of The Days of Abandonment, gives readers a poignant and universal story about friendship and belonging.

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Book SynopsisA festive collection of short stories by No. 1 bestseller, Cathy Kelly. The perfect stocking filler!Lose yourself in this warm and wonderful collection of short stories from bestselling Irish storyteller Cathy Kelly.From weddings and summer holidays to Christmas with uninvited family or long-lost friends returning, this anthology captures the hopes, tears, laughter and loves of all kinds of women and their families and friends with Cathy' s inimitable warmth.The holiday season comes but once a year, so curl up by a roaring fire and let the magic reel you inThis is perfect!' EssentialsFunny and touching Kelly's witty writing will warm you up' Woman's OwnTrade Review‘The perfect way to take time out from Christmas shopping. Five stars’ Star Magazine ‘Funny and touching … Kelly’s witty writing will warm you up’ Woman’s Own ‘This is perfect!’ Essentials Magazine

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Book Synopsis**As read on BBC Radio Four**Uplifting, joyous, hopeful - a novel about late love and second chances, shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and winner of the Paul Torday Memorial Prize'A moving tribute to friendship and love, to the courage of the ordinary, and to starting again' RACHEL JOYCE, author of Miss Benson's Beetle'Full of grace and humanity' Sunday Times________________________This story begins with a letterFrom a housewifeto the gentle curatorOf an extraordinary museumWhere lies peacefullyAn ancient exhibitThat holds the keyTo EverythingWe are.Meet Me at the Museum tells of a connection made across oceans and against all the odds. Through intimate stories of joy, despair, and discovery, two people are drawn inexorably towards each other, until a shattering revelation pushes their friendship to the very edge.This deeply affecting debut novel by seventy-three year-old Anne Youngson won the Paul Torday Memorial Prize and was dramatized on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour*******************************'Tender, wise and moving, Meet Me at the Museum is a novel to cherish.' JOHN BOYNE'Insightful, emotionally acute and absorbing' DAILY EXPRESS'Beautiful and affecting' NINA STIBBEWhat readers are saying:'I loved this book. It was so different from anything else I have read'*****'I just loved this book and read it in one sitting. There were times when I felt like underlining the sentences that resonated with me'*****'I read this book one letter at a time, just to let the contents sink in. Tears came to my eyes'*****Trade ReviewExquisite. Its characters somehow resist following their story and reverse themselves into a new one. A beautiful lasting read. * JAMES HANNAH, author of THE A TO Z OF YOU AND ME *Insightful, emotionally acute and absorbing * Daily Express Literary highlights 2018 *A moving tribute to friendship and love, to the courage of the ordinary, and to starting again. * RACHEL JOYCE *‘Tender, wise and moving, Meet Me at the Museum is a novel to cherish.’ * JOHN BOYNE *Full of grace and humanity * Sunday Times *A thoughtful and gentle meditation on buried passions, regrets, love, grief and loneliness . . . Youngson’s debut offers hope for change in its tender exploration of what it means to have experienced a life well-lived. * Guardian *The loveliest short novel of late love you'll ever read. Whenever I talk about it, I simply cry with joy * JAMES HAWES *Quietly intriguing, beautifully observed, full of powerful emotions * RUTH HOGAN, Author of The Keeper of Lost Things *I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that makes you think and wonder and quietly hope. Loved it. * Tammy Cohen *A quirky, wise and tender novel. Proof that the richest fruits come on the edge of autumn * SARAH DUNANT *Warm-hearted, clear-minded, and unexpectedly spellbinding, Meet Me at the Museum is a novel to savour * ANNIE BARROWS, co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society *A beautiful, affecting novel of late love, by an extraordinary new writer * NINA STIBBE *Precise, clear, funny, poignant and truthful. This is a work of art, dear readers. Revel in its beauty * ADRIANI TRIGIANI *Intriguing and compelling, Meet Me at the Museum invites you into the meeting place between two people, imparting wisdom, thought, and endless charm. * JENNIFER RYAN, author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir *A correspondence that begins with a search for clarity becomes something much deeper and richer - both for the two main characters, and for the reader.Anne Youngson peels away the layers that prevent us from living the lives we ought to be leading, and her book is both tender and absorbing. * LISSA EVANS, author of Their Finest Hour and a Half *Intriguing, tender, unexpectedly moving * Woman and Home *Full of emotion, wisdom and honesty, the story envelops the reader in a celebration of true friendship and an appreciation of the opportunities that life can unexpectedly present. This book makes you realise that life is too short and that the future can be more hopeful than we anticipate.If you only read one book this year, read this. Highly recommended * Mature Times *An insightful and emotional debut … tenderly hints at second chances and rejuvenation * Sunday Express *Full of funny, wise perceptions. The author is 70. This lovely novel is her debut. When's the next? * Saga Magazine *Absolutely beautiful, about loss and the life choices we make -- Liz Hoggard * Daily Mail *I thought the author wrote the content of the letters absolutely beautifully, making the characters jump off the page. * The Writing Garnet *I love books like this, that you can immerse yourself in and enjoy as a treat – books that just hold you in their spell. * On The Shelf Book Blog *Tina and Anders will capture your heart and you will root for them all the way. A very accomplished debut by Anne Youngson. * Novel Deelights *There is a sensitivity and warmth throughout that I found utterly charming. * Reflections of a Reader *It was beautifully crafted and once I had the book open I didn't close it until I had read the last page. * Books And Me *This book touched me to the heart – quite beautiful and exceptionally moving, and one of the very best books I’ve read this year. * Being Anne *When the book finished, I felt an immense sadness that I had to say goodbye to these two people. * My Reading Corner *I loved the setting and the characters were great, it was a pleasure to read. * Donna's Book Blog *Few books ever have that much impact on me and I feel this is something that everyone needs to experience. * Book Lover Worm *A beautiful, lyrical love story, played out with words and paper. * My Weekly *

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Book SynopsisFaber Stories, a landmark series of individual volumes, presents masters of the short story form at work in a range of genres and styles. Adrienne is living in a puritanical age, when the best compliment a childless woman can get is: You'd make a terrific mother'. That's when she goes to her friends' Labor Day picnic and accidentally kills their baby.The shock of this scene is expertly packed into two brief paragraphs. What follows is Adrienne's retreat from life and her attempt to return to it.Her sharp scepticism about the people around her is achingly funny. Yet beyond derision there is forgiveness and something along the lines of love.Bringing together past, present and future in our ninetieth year, Faber Stories is a celebratory compendium of collectable work.

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Book SynopsisAn Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller. In an unforgettable love story, a woman’s impossible journey through the ages could change everything… Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time. The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own. As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?

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Book SynopsisNow a major film, starring Dennis Quaid.From W. Bruce Cameron, the author of A Dog's Purpose, the phenomenal New York Times Number One bestseller about the unbreakable bond between a dog and their human.Buddy is a good dog. He thought he had found and fulfilled his purpose, over the course of several lives, in helping his beloved boy Ethan. On the farm, Buddy watches over Ethan’s granddaughter, curious baby Clarity, trying to keep her out of mischief. He begins to realize that this is a little girl very much in need of a dog of her own.Buddy realizes that he has a new destiny. Reborn once more, he's overjoyed when he is adopted by Clarity, now a vibrant but troubled teenager. When they are suddenly separated, Buddy despairs – who will take care of his girl? With her selfish mother determined to keep them apart, and an unpredictable, obsessive boyfriend, Clarity's life threatens to spiral out of control – she needs help more than ever, but can Buddy find his way back to her in time?A charming and heartwarming story of hope, love, and unending devotion, A Dog's Journey asks the question: Do we really take care of our pets, or do they take care of us? This is a moving story of unwavering loyalty and a love that crosses all barriers.Trade ReviewReaders will devour this wonderful story and cry from beginning to end. Sweet and heartfelt, Cameron likely has another bestseller on his hands -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

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Book SynopsisA Richard and Judy Book Club pick, set in Paris and Italy, The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton is a beautiful and uplifting exploration of love, loss and hope   ‘The real truth and triumph of this gem of a story is simple: it is one of the best and most gripping descriptions of heartbreak that either of us have ever read’ Richard and Judy’s review   Grace Atherton, a talented cellist, is in love with David. Together in their apartment in Paris, Grace and David are happy until an unexpected event changes everything. Nadia is seventeen and furious. She knows that love will only let her down: if she is going to succeed it will be on her own terms. At eighty-six Maurice Williams has discovered a lot about love in his long life, and even more about people. And yet he keeps secrets. When Grace’s life falls apart in the most shocking of ways Maurice and Nadia come to

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Book Synopsis ‘Sarah Morgan is back in style with a perfect snow-filled read’ Woman & Home ‘A sparkling winter romance with a lively family at the centre of it all’ Woman ‘As always, Sarah Morgan takes us to a glamorous setting and throws in a whole heap of drama. Such fun!’ Heat ‘An emotional, uplifting and heart-warming winter novel that’s perfect for those chilly nights in’ OK! * * * * * In the snowy perfection of Aspen, the White family gathers for youngest daughter Rosie's whirlwind Christmas wedding. First to arrive are the bride’s parents, Maggie and Nick. Their daughter’s marriage is a milestone they are determined to celebrate wholeheartedly, but they are hiding a huge secret about their own: they are on the brink of divorce. After living apart for the last six months, the last thing they need is to be trapped together in an irresistibly romantic winter wonderland. Rosie’s older sister Katie is also dreading the wedding. Worried that impulsive, sweet-hearted Rosie is making a mistake, Katie is determined to save her sister from herself. If only the irritatingly good-looking best man, Jordan, would stop interfering with her plans… Bride-to-be Rosie loves her fiance but is having serious second thoughts. Except everyone has arrived – how can she tell them she's not sure? As the big day gets closer, and emotions run even higher, this is one White family Christmas none of them will ever forget. * * * * * A Wedding in December is everyone’s favourite read this Christmas: ‘Blissful escapism, vicarious luxury and enough romance to warm your heart…a must-read item on your pre-festive To-Do list’ Penny Parkes, author of the bestselling Practice Makes Perfect ‘A Wedding in December was just the tonic needed . . . Put your feet up, relax and unwind in front of the fire with a glass of mulled wine and this gorgeous tale, you won't be disappointed’ Amazon 5* ‘It sucks you right in, leaving you desperate to see how everything comes together’ Amazon 5* ‘Best read this year’ Amazon 5*Trade Review PRAISE FOR A WEDDING IN DECEMBER ‘You can always rely on Sarah Morgan to deliver blissful escapism, vicarious luxury and enough romance to warm your heart no matter how frosty your winter. A Wedding in December has to be a must-read item on your pre-festive To Do list’ Penny Parkes, author of the bestselling Practice Makes Perfect ‘I raced through the wonderful A Wedding in December, unable to put down this deliriously romantic story of a family forced to confront its secrets amidst the snowy peaks and crackling frosts of Aspen, Colorado. This is escapist fiction at its absolute best, full of warmth, humour and heart – with everything a romantic reader could want. Irresistible, joyful and a celebration of family love’ Katie Marsh, author of My Everything ‘A sparkling winter romance with a lively family at the centre of it all’ Woman ‘Sarah Morgan is back in style with a perfect snow-filled read’Woman & Home ‘An emotional, uplifting and heart-warming winter novel that’s perfect for those chilly nights in’ OK! ‘As always, Sarah Morgan takes us to a glamorous setting and throws in a whole heap of drama. Such fun!’ Heat ‘The perfect light-hearted read for that Boxing Day food coma’Living North

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Book SynopsisNewly discovered collection of unpublished stories by key figure and Nobel Prize winner in literature, these fable-like stories carry Mahfouz's signature observations of the human character, taking the reader deep into the beating heart of CairoTrade Review`A master of both detailed realism and fabulous storytelling' The Guardian; `A towering literary figure, and the joyous chronicler of a turbulent Egyptian century' The Economist; `Egypt's greatest living writer ... one of the world's most humane literary figures' Laila Lalami, The Nation; `The Arab Tolstoy' Simon Sebag Montefiore; `Adds yet another essential chapter to the oeuvre of a literary figure of greatness.' The National; `Smooth reading ... a compelling experiment in sound and echo.' Qantara; `This new folio of interconnected stories is very much part of Mahfouz's late experiments.' ArabLit; `A glimpse into a world that seems both ancient and distant ... [Mahfouz's] "simple" characters reveal to the reader not just the brutality of everyday life but also its distorted beauty. They show the complexities and uniqueness of their world and in doing so offer lessons for all of humanity to draw on ... a teasing glimpse of Mahfouz's work ... seek it out.' Socialist Review; `Masterly ... Unmistakably Cairene ... translated with practised clarity by Roger Allen.' TLS; `Naguib Mahfouz's legacy as Egypt's greatest novelist is sustained with these engaging short stories ... their themes are timeless.' New Statesman

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Book Synopsis____________________ The inspiration for the BBC TV series, directed by Shane Meadows and starring Tom Burke, George MacKay and Thomas Turgoose WINNER OF THE 2018 WALTER SCOTT PRIZE ____________________ ‘Powerful, visceral writing, historical fiction at its best. Benjamin Myers is one to watch’ - Pat Barker ‘Phenomenal’ - Sebastian Barry ‘Superb’ - The Times ____________________ From his remote moorland home, David Hartley assembles a gang of weavers and land-workers to embark upon a criminal enterprise that will capsize the economy and become the biggest fraud in British history. They are the Cragg Vale Coiners and their business is ‘clipping’ – the forging of coins, a treasonous offence punishable by death. When an excise officer vows to bring them down and with the industrial age set to change the face of England forever, Hartley’s empire begins to crumble. Forensically assembled, The Gallows Pole is a true story of resistance and a rarely told alternative history of the North. ____________________ 'One of my books of the year … It’s the best thing Myers has done' - Robert Macfarlane, Big Issue Books of the YearTrade ReviewOne of my books of the year … It’s the best thing Myers has done * Robert Macfarlane, Big Issue Books of the Year *A windswept, brutal tale of eighteenth-century Yorkshire told in starkly beautiful prose * Guardian *A brutal tale told with an original, muscular voice * The Times, summer reads picks 2018 *Powerful, visceral writing, historical fiction at its best. Benjamin Myers is one to watch * Pat Barker, Guardian *A phenomenal and highly energised novel * Sebastian Barry *

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Book SynopsisMARKUS ZUSAK is the bestselling author of six novels, including THE BOOK THIEF. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, to both popular and critical acclaim. He lives in Sydney with his wife and two children.Find Markus on his blog www.zusakbooks.comFacebook /markuszusakInstagram @markuszusak.Trade Review[Zusak] flings his readers straight into the deep end of his new vast, teeming novel . . . Warm and heartfelt . . . This is a tale of love, art and redemption; rowdy and joyous, with flashes of wit and insight, and ultimately moving. -- Kate Saunders * Times *If The Book Thief was a novel that allowed Death to steal the show... [its] brilliantly illuminated follow-up is affirmatively full of life. -- Alfred Hickling * Guardian *The wait is over. * New York Times *This vast novel is a feast of language and irony. There is sly wit on every page... it is hard not to fall a bit in love with it. -- Michael McGirr * Sydney Morning Herald *Bridge of Clay has been more than a decade in the making, and it shows: The characters are clearly loved, and the artistry of language will leave you gasping at times. * New York Times *Devastating, demanding and deeply moving, Bridge of Clay unspools like a kind of magic act in reverse -- Meghan Cox Gurdon * Wall Street Journal *Eleven years after his multi-million selling hit The Book Thief, Zusak has returned with this sweeping and compelling family tale... Give it your time and you'll be repaid with a moving and epic read. * Stylist *Bridge of Clay is one of those monumental books that can draw you across space and time into another family's experience in the most profound way. -- Ron Charles * Washington Post *Exquisitely written ... A sensitively rendered tale of loss, grief, and guilt's manifestations * Publisher's Weekly US *This book BLEW ME AWAY * Jodi Picoult *A captivating book with a mighty, fearless heart, Bridge of Clay is filled with characters to believe in and care about ... achingly moving, delightfully funny, and thoroughly uplifting. * M L STEDMAN, bestselling author of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS *Unusual, boisterous and playful * Good Housekeeping *This epic family saga is a sweeping reflection on love and loss etched in vibrant writing, vivid characterisations and heartfelt emotion . . . A book to lose yourself in on long autumn nights. -- Charlotte Heathcote * Sunday Express *Markus Zusak crafts an unforgettable saga. * US Weekly *In a complex narrative that leaps through time and place and across oceans, Zusak paints a vivid portrait of the brothers trying to regain their balance by keeping their family’s story alive. * Time *If The Book Thief is his most famous book, Bridge of Clay is his magnum opus. -- Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore * Guardian *[A] journey in a unique circumnavigatory style, blending past and present until we reach its heart-wrenching conclusion… The prose sings with spunky originality. * Irish Independent *A sweeping story following the five Dunbar brothers through times of grief, love, and anger, Bridge of Clay is a time-jumping, dreamlike exploration of family. * Entertainment Weekly *

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Book SynopsisThe second book in the bestselling Chronicles of St Mary''s series which follows a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets as they hurtle their way around History. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won''t be able to resist Jodi Taylor.Wherever the historians go, chaos is sure to follow...Dispatched to Victorian London to seek out Jack the Ripper, things go badly wrong when he finds the St Mary''s historians first. Stalked through the fog-shrouded streets of Whitechapel, Max is soon running for her life. Again.And that''s just the start. Max finds herself in a race against time when an old enemy is intent on destroying St Mary''s. An enemy willing, if necessary, to destroy History itself.From the Hanging Gardens of Nineveh to the murder of Thomas a Becket, via an unscheduled dodo rescue mission, join the historians of St Mary''s as they hurtle around History on more hilarious, hair-raising escapades Trade ReviewTakes readers on a carnival ride through laughter and tears with a bit of time travel thrown in for spice - Publishers Weekly Starred ReviewA true page-turner - SF RevuI've never seen time travel handled this way. I like it - Wethenerdy.com[An] appealing cast of characters... [with] with plenty of humour, lots of action, and even a touch of romance - Library Journal

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