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
Penguin Books Ltd Into the War
Book SynopsisSet in Italy in the summer of 1940, this trio of stories explores the relationships between the different generations caught up in the war as well as Calvino''s own experiences as a teenager. In the title story, ''Into the War'', we are given an insight into what life was really like for those too young to be conscripted into Mussolini''s army, while in ''The Avanguardisti in Menton'', Calvino and his friends take a revealingly anti-climactic trip to the garrisoned French town of Menton, the sole Italian conquest of the early months of the conflict. The final story, ''UNPA Nights'', is a touching, comic tale of friendship in a blackout, where the narrator''s imagination wanders as he roams through the seedier parts of the darkened town instead of guarding the school buildings. Into the War is Calvino at his autobiographical best, combining brilliantly recollected memory with compelling wit and perfect prose.Trade ReviewThe greatest Italian writer of the twentieth century * Guardian *
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Mayas Notebook
Book SynopsisThe author of The House of the Spirits' returns with a gritty yet transcendent tale of teenage addiction.Abandoned by her parents as a baby, Maya has been brought up by her tough grandmother Nini and her gentle grandfather Popo. But at school, the teenage Maya finds herself drawn towards the wrong crowd. Before she knows what's happened, Maya's life has turned into one of drug addiction and crime.Things go from bad to worse as Maya disappears into the criminal underworld. To save her from her old associates, Nini sends Maya to a remote island off the coast of Chile.Safe amongst her new neighbours, Maya feels compelled to write her story and slowly she begins to heal. But can she learn to live with her scars, and will her past ever catch up with her?Trade Review‘Another impressive feat with a dazzling cast and bold array of landscapes, woven together with the storytelling prowess that is Allende’s trademark.’ Daily Telegraph, 4 stars ‘Isabel Allende is a mistress storyteller… [her] capacity to surprise keeps her readers page-turning, as do her descriptions of character and place’ Independent ‘Maya is the lightest of narrative guises: wise beyond her 19 years but convincingly coltish.’ Guardian ‘An exciting read, well paced.’ Daily Express
£11.69
Hodder & Stoughton Its Getting Hot in Here
Book Synopsis''To me, a mother of two and a woman of a certain age, it''s so relatable and laugh-out-loud funny! I would definitely want to be friends with Lisa!... Absolutely loved it! Big fat five stars from me'' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''Fabulous, fun and HOT'' Milly JohnsonHER HOT FLUSHES MUST BE THE PERI-MENOPAUSE. THEY SURELY COULDN''T BE... LOVE?Lisa Darling - high-flying TV-exec and twice-divorced mother-of-two - has enough on her plate without having to deal with the handsome New Yorker parachuted in to her best friend''s job at work.She''s already navigating life with a grotty teenage son, organising a PTA cheese and wine event, supporting her oldest friend through breast cancer treatment and, since she hit 47, facing a new perimenopause symptom every day. It''s no wonder she never has time for Pilates or that DIY panelling she keeps seeing on Instagram (though she''d be the first to admit
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Field of Swords Book 3 Emperor Series
Book SynopsisThe ultimate Rome storyJulius Caesar has taken his legions north to battle the Gallic tribes. But as his successes mount, overwhelming ambition and new alliances begin to threaten his one true friendship.Marcus Brutus was instrumental in the conquest of Gaul and so in restoring Caesar's reputation as a hero of Rome. But after decades standing side by side, will they choose to cross the Rubicon together? Are they both willing to take the fight to Rome herself?The third instalment in the bestselling Emperor series.Trade Review‘Iggulden is in a class of his own when it comes to epic, historical fiction’ Daily Mirror ‘Iggulden…tells an absolutely cracking story…the pace is nail-biting and the set dressing magnificent’ The Times ‘Iggulden weaves an entertaining tale of this world of men, swords, bows and the call of war and the plains’ Daily Express ‘I felt as if a blockbuster movie was unfolding before me…read the book before Hollywood takes it over’ Daily Express
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers The Marriage Plot
Book SynopsisThe new novel from the bestselling author of Middlesex and The Virgin Suicides.Brown University, 1982. Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English student and incurable romantic, is writing her thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot authors of the great marriage plots. As Madeleine studies the age-old motivations of the human heart, real life, in the form of two very different men, intervenes.Leonard Bankhead, brilliant scientist and charismatic loner, attracts Madeleine with an intensity that she seems powerless to resist. Meanwhile her old friend Mitchell Grammaticus, a theology student searching for some kind of truth in life, is certain of at least one thing that he and Madeleine are destined to be together.But as all three leave college, they will have to figure out how they want their own marriage plot to end.Trade Review‘If you were ever young and thought you knew what you wanted, if you ever imagined that no one could feel such intensity of emotion as you, if you ever had your dreams dashed and your heart broken, then this is the book for you’ The Times ‘I adored The Marriage Plot … David Nicholls’ One Day with George Eliot thrown in’ Erica Wagner, The Times, Books of the Year ‘I gorged myself on The Marriage Plot’ Geoff Dyer ‘A marvellous, compulsive storyteller; he reminds us that while love may not always triumph, it follows its own wayward course to the end’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Where it excels is in pinpointing human emotions and in capturing the giddy flux of young love. As Mitchell says, “There were some books that reached through the noise of life to grab you by the collar and speak only of the truest things.” Funny, poignant and insightful, this is one of those books’ Sebastian Shakespeare ‘Immensely readable, funny and heartfelt, with instantly beguiling writing that springs effortlessly back and forth over the year’s events… it was indeed worth waiting for’ Daily Telegraph ‘Utterly engrossing … so well depicted – with wit, care and charm – that Eugenides hasn’t just raised his game, he’s changed the fictional goalposts’ Daily Mirror ‘In the generosity and and nuance of his characters and paragraphs you are reminded of the Jonathan Franzen of “The Corrections”’ Observer ‘Moving, human and challenging…subtle, pertinent narrative observations that show the work of a master of fiction at work’ Times
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers The ThirtyNine Steps
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.I snapped the switch, but there was nobody there. Then I saw something in the far corner which made me drop my cigar and fall into a cold sweat.'When Richard Hannay is warned of an assassination plot that has the potential to take Britain into a war, and then a few days later discovers the murdered body of the American that warned him in his flat, he becomes a prime suspect. He flees to the moors of Scotland and a spirited chase begins as he is pursued by the police and the German spies involved with stealing British plans.Buchan's tale unfolds into one of the seminal and most influential ''chase'' books, mimicked by many, yet unrivalled in the tension and mystery created by his writing. Buchan reveres Hannay as an ordinary man who puts his country''s good before his own and the classic themes of the novel influenced many films and subsequent ''man-on-the-run'' novels.
£5.62
HarperCollins Publishers WELL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS A brand new collection of
Book SynopsisFrom one of the greatest living literary imaginations and the celebrated author of FAHRENHEIT 451 comes a collection of never-before-published effortlessly beautiful tales.Recently described in The Times as ''the uncrowned poet laureate of science fiction'' Ray Bradbury has won numerous awards including a Pulitzer Prize special citation in 2007 and an Emmy.In this new volume of never-before-published stories, follow a space shuttle crew as they voyage sixty million miles from home, discover what happens when a writer ''with the future''s eye'' believes his friend to be writing stories aboard a UFO, and listen in on a couple talking themselves backwards through time to the moment when they first held hands.This entertaining and gripping collection is a treasure trove of Bradbury gems eerie and strange, nostalgic and bittersweet, searching and speculative to delight readers of all ages.Trade Review'Let us now praise Ray Bradbury, the uncrowned poet laureate of science fiction.' The Times 'It is impossible not to admire the vigour of his prose, similes and metaphors constantly cascading from his imagination' Spectator ‘Bradbury is an authentic original’ Time Magazine ‘No other writer uses language with greater originality and zest. he seems to be a American Dylan Thomas – with discipline’ Sunday Telegraph PRAISE FOR NOW AND FOREVER:‘A meditation on writing, inspiration, ageing and change, all deep themes lightly handled, both elegiac and suspenseful… There are echos in it not only of Melville, but of Shakespeare, Whitman and Poe … The language sings.’ The Times
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Winner Stands Alone
Book SynopsisThe Winner Stands Alone is an enthralling novel by the incomparable Paulo Coelho.The story is set during the Cannes International Film Festival and the entire action plays out over 24 hours. Igor is a wealthy Russian businessman. His wife Ewa left him two years ago and Igor has never really come to terms with their break up, especially as Ewa is now remarried to a famous fashion designer, Hamid Hussein. Igor is insanely jealous and when Ewa left him he told her that he would destroy ''whole worlds'' in order to get her back and he intends to keep his promiseThe star-studded film festival acts as a backdrop to a maniacal murder spree and we are introduced to various characters along the way, all of whom are desperately trying to get their big break in the shallow world of show business; Gabriela a young and naive actress who is being exploited by her agent and Jasmine a troubled young Rwandan refugee working as a model.The Winner Stands Alone is a gripping, fast-paced thriller and CoelhTrade Review‘…this scintillating parable about shallowness, greed and celebrity worship from international bestseller Coelho (The Alchemist) unsparingly examines the Superclass, the elite's elite…Coelho's trademark mysticism and spiritual messages provide an extra boost to the thriller plot.’Publisher's Weekly Praise for Paulo Coelho: ‘An exceptional writer.' USA Today ‘His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people.’ Times ‘One of the few to deserve the term “Publishing Phenomenon”.’ Independent on Sunday ‘Coelho’s writing is beautifully poetic but his message is what counts…he gives me hope and puts a smile on my face.’ Daily Express ‘The Alchemist is a beautiful book about magic, dreams and the treasures we seek elsewhere and then find on our doorstep.‘ Madonna ‘It’s like music, really, the way he writes, it’s so beautiful. It’s a gift that I envy above all others.’ Julia Roberts
£8.99
Canelo A Snowballs Chance in Hell
Book SynopsisWhich list are you on?When a young man is found frozen to death on a Highland street in mid-December, DCI Jack Logan initially puts it down to a Christmas night out gone tragically wrong.But, when a post mortem reveals something more sinister, Jack discovers he is dealing with a cold, calculating killer with a long line of victims, a talent for torture, and a perverse sense of justice.Half a decade ago, the press dubbed him The Iceman' - a twisted vigilante who successfully evaded capture for two years, before melting away into the night.Now, The Iceman has come back. His naughty list is longer than ever.And it contains some worryingly familiar namesA Snowball's Chance in Hell is the ninth book in the internationally bestselling DCI Jack Logan Scottish crime fiction series. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart Macbride, and Val McDermid.
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The White People and Other Weird Stories Penguin
Book SynopsisClassic tales of the fantastic, creepy and weird, with a foreword from the award-winning director of The Shape of Water Guillermo Del Toro Machen's weird tales of the creepy and fantastic finally come to Penguin Classics. With an introduction from S.T. Joshi, editor of American Supernatural Tales, The White People and Other Weird Stories is the perfect introduction to the father of weird fiction. The title story The White People is an exercise in the bizarre leaving the reader disoriented and on edge. From the first page, Machen turns even fundamental truths upside-down, as his character Ambrose explains, there have been those who have sounded the very depths of sin, who all their lives have never done an 'ill deed' setting the stage for a tale entirely without logic.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin ClaTrade Review"The pleasure of rediscovering these stories or experiencing them for the first time is sure to be amplified by the insightful foreword by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) and the excellent introduction by S. T. Joshi." — Craig Smith"As a selection of 'weird' short stories, The White People is a fine example of the precursor to what has become a popular subgenre of fantasy fiction, as well as a window on to the spiritual concerns of the Welsh author Arthur Machen (1863-1947): the veil separating the phenomenal world and the supernal realm is thin. While we may have forgotten the rituals, spells, charms and wards once used to commune with the spirits, the spirits have not forgotten us." — Times Literary Supplement
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Borderlines Michela Wrong
Book SynopsisThe debut novel by a British writer with nearly two decades of African experience – a compelling courtroom drama and a gritty, aromatic evocation of place, inspired by recent events.Trade Review‘Few other writers could make a border dispute in the Hague have readers sitting on the edges of their chairs. And no other writer I know of is capable of making Africa seem just as accessibly screwed up as our own messy political back yards. BORDERLINES is beautifully written and tautly told. It helps to explain why refugees from the Horn are queuing for boats in Libya, and portrays the searing disappointment of fighting a liberation war for years only to be betrayed by your own side. That disappointment isn't African; it's universal.’ Lionel Shriver, author of WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN ‘I read Borderlines in a single sitting. Paula Shackleton is an anti-heroine for our times: clever, spiky, complex and flawed. Michela Wrong has gained a reputation as a fluid, perceptive writer of non-fiction – now she has added a twist of imagination to create a gripping novel.’ Lindsey Hilsum ‘A gripping debut thriller … like all good thrillers, the opening of Michela Wrong’s Borderlines reads like a climax … an ambitious, multi-layered mystery … In Wrong’s expert hands, the worlds that the novel travels through – government backrooms, refugee camps, the privileged world of expats in “hardship postings” – are sketched with a natural, attractive intimacy.’ Guardian ‘Fascinating’ Laura James, TLS 'Gripping and complex' New Statesman ‘In its Graham Greene-like exploration of human failings, Borderlines discourses brilliantly on the politics of cartography … A first-class legal thriller, written with narrative verve and a reporter’s eye for detail’ Financial Times 'Beautifully judged & elegantly written … delivers on every level … thoroughly recommend' Spectator
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Coming Home An uplifting feel good novel with
Book SynopsisFrom Sunday Times bestselling author Fern Britton comes an epic tale. Three generations of women, their lives, their loves and their longing to come home to Cornwall.A heartfelt novel about family secrets and atonement' Fanny Blake, Woman & HomeThree women.A lifetime of secrets. The only place to be is home.Ella comes back to the beautiful Cornish coast to heal her heart after the death of her beloved grandmother, Adela. There she finds her home again and discovers a new life, but she also opens a treasure trove of secrets.Twenty years ago Ella's mother Sennen ran away from Cornwall. Sennen had been a young single mum and, unable to cope, had left their children with her mother Adelaand a part of her with them. She's spent the years since hiding from her past, hiding from herself.Now it's time to come back to Cornwall. To face her mistakes. To pray for forgiveness. And to hope for a future with her long-lost daughter and son. Will she be welcomed back with open hearts?They say home is Trade Review‘Coming Home will give you the warmest of glows; with love at its heart, this is a story of family secrets, forgiveness and fresh starts. I adored every word!’ Cathy Bramley, Sunday Times Bestseller ‘Incredibly atmospheric’ Sun More praise for Fern Britton: ‘Warm and intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable’ Sunday Times bestseller, Katie Fforde ‘Another ripping good read’ Good Housekeeping ‘Charming and fun read’ OK ‘A light-hearted, fun read…’ Daily Mail ‘Complicated friendships and tales of a chaotic love life make this a must-read’ Woman ‘A light-hearted, fun read that perfectly captures the sights and smells of village life’ Heat ‘Fern Britton has transferred her fun and friendly charm to the page’ Good Housekeeping
£8.54
Amazon Publishing Beautiful Broken Love
Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestselling author Shanora Williams comes an emotional page-turner about two people still reeling from tragedy who look to each other for the strength to move forward.It’s been months since her dreams of forever were brutally shattered. Seven long months since her husband and soulmate, Lew, died in her arms, leaving her to carry on. Alone. And Davina Klein-Roberts still isn’t sure how to move forward.To escape her anguish, Davina throws everything into work, pushing Golden Oil Co., her self-built skin care line, to become a viral success. Now she’s poised to clinch a major endorsement deal too. But it’s bittersweet without Lew by her side.A meeting with Deke Bishop, the hot NBA star she’s courting for her brand, leaves Davina flustered. With his dimpled smile and warm handshake, Deke’s a natural pitchman. And he’s clearly interested—not only in her lotions.Davina soon discov
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers The Worm Ouroboros
Book SynopsisThe lost classic masterpiece of magical realms, admired by Tolkien and the great prototype for The Lord of the Rings and modern fantasy fiction.On the far side of darkness lies a world where two mighty forces are making ready for a war of kingdom against kingdom, warrior against witch, and honour against treachery. It is a world that beckons Edward Lessingham and is totally at odds with his Edwardian background. Torn by greater passions than mere mortals can know, the adventure-loving lords of Demonland are pitted against the cruel enchantments of the witch-king Gorice XII. As swords cross with clash of steel, they begin their odyssey in glory and terror.E.R. Eddison's masterpiece stands as one of the great prototypes of modern fantasy fiction. The intricately woven themes of high adventure, sorcery and the conflict between good and evil transport the reader to epic worlds beyond imagination.Trade Review‘The greatest and most convincing writer of invented worlds that I have read.’ – J.R.R. Tolkien ‘A new literary species, a new rhetoric, a new climate of the imagination. Every episode, every speech, helps to incarnate what the author is imagining.’ – C.S. Lewis ‘An eccentric masterpiece. Eddison is unequalled in the vigour, the vividness, the passionate intensity of his imagining, the brooding sadness that underlies it, and the cockeyed magnificence of his language.’ – Ursula K. Le Guin ‘A fantasy epic written in a lush, thick, cod-Elizabethan style that started off irritating and then became part of the fun.’ – Neil Gaiman ‘The greatest high fantasy of them all.’ – Robert Silverberg ‘A grand fantasy adventure.’ – Piers Anthony ‘Authentic dream, fantastic far beyond invention and natural beyond all possibility of unbelief.’ – Arthur Ransome ‘A romance of a world that never was … its landscapes are magnificent. One lives in it.’ – Hilaire Belloc
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers Autumn Rose The Dark Heroine 2 The highly
Book SynopsisThe highly anticipated sequel to online sensation The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a VampireHer fate is set in stoneAutumn Rose lives in a sleepy seaside town in the south-west of England, but buried deep under the surface of her quiet life are dark secrets. Swirling marks on her skin mark her out as having extraordinary power, but at school she is shunned and condemned by the very people she is sworn to protect.But the appearance of a handsome young man at her school who has the same curious markings as Autumn Rose sends her world into turmoil. Plus, there is the fact that Autumn keeps dreaming of a human girl who is about to be seduced by a very dark Prince and Autumn must figure out how to save her before it is too late.The exhilarating sequel to The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire, the incredible online sensation.Trade Review‘Abigail Gibbs will make you fall in love with vampires all over again… but look out: these vampires will bite’ Meg Cabot, author of Insatiable and The Princess Diaries ‘The freshest voice in this genre… a treasure…’ Romantic Times ‘Twilight writer Stephenie Meyer has a rival in British writer Abigail Gibbs’ Sky News ‘Takes bloodlust to a whole new level’ Sugarscape
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers The Tolkien Quiz Book
Book SynopsisA revised and expanded reissue containing over 1,200 brain-teasing questions on the legendary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, published to coincide with the release of the third and final The Lord of The Rings movie.How many Hobbits joined the Fellowship of the Ring?What colour is the Orcs' skin?Why did Gandalf have difficulty in opening the West-door of Khazad-dum?Who betrayed Berien and Luthien to Thingol?What was Farmer Giles' full name?The worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, from the saga of Middle-earth to a brief visit to Wootton Major, are so rich and varied that they inspire legions of followers of different ages. This peerless revised and expanded quiz book offers over 1,200 questions and answers, including easy starter questions and more difficult tie-breakers, to test the range and depth of your knowledge. And whereas every right answer will confirm your mastery over your subject, every wrong answer will be a learning experience all of its own!
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Sands of Time
Book SynopsisA spine-tingling collection of haunting tales, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lady of Hay.Sands of Time features two intriguing stories that pick up the fortunes of characters from Whispers in the Sand, Barbara Erskine''s captivating Egyptian novel. Still haunted by ancient mysteries, and the subject of dark intentions, Anna and Louisa must once more do battle with the past in order to survive the present.Alongside these are a host of other tales, all with a touch of the unexpected. A happily married woman has an affair with a man who died in the First World War. Who is the little girl on the swing in the garden and why does only Charlotte see her? And how does a traveller find herself transported suddenly from her airplane seat to the snowy Canadian wasteland below?Suspense, romance, passion, unexpected echoes of the past vintage Barbara Erskine, and storytelling at its most compelling.Readers LOVE Barbara Erskine:Atmospheric' ?????Enthralling' ?????Spellbinding' ?????Another fabulous read from the mistress of the genre' ?????Immensely and deeply immersive fiction' ?????I loved every minute' ?????An exceptional writer of great books' ?????You can rely on this author to keep you wanting more' ?????A joy to read' ?????Captivating and engrossing' ?????Trade ReviewPraise for Barbara Erskine: ‘Her forte is mood, atmosphere and the toe-curling frisson’ Elizabeth Buchan, Sunday Times ‘Barbara Erskine’s storytelling talent is undeniable’ The Times ‘Marvellous, escapist stuff’ Woman and Home
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All
Book SynopsisThe bestselling novel from the author of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and The Girl Who Saved the King of SwedenIT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START AGAIN. AND AGAIN.It's always awkward when five thousand kronor goes missing. When it happens at a certain grotty hotel in south Stockholm, it's particularly awkward because the money belongs to the hitman currently staying in room seven. Per Persson, the hotel receptionist, just wants to mind his own business, and preferably not get murdered. Johanna Kjellander, temporarily resident in room eight, is a priest without a vocation, and, as of last week, without a parish. But right now she has two things at her disposal: an envelope containing five thousand kronor, and an excellent idea . . .Featuring one violent killer, two shrewd business brains and many crates of Moldovan red wine, Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All is an outrageously zany story with as many laughs as Jonasson's multimillion-copy bestseller The HundredTrade Review‘Enormous fun … The subversive charm of it lies in the hints that God, or the Universe or whatever, is smarter and funnier than any of us’ Kate Saunders, The Times ‘Jonasson matches the irreverence of his debut The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared … It’s a thrilling ride’ Financial Times ‘Should carry a health warning for spouses or partners easily irritated by the sounds of helpless chortling’ Irish Times (on The Hundred-Year-Old Man) ‘A mordantly funny and loopily freewheeling novel about ageing disgracefully’ Sunday Times (on The Hundred-Year-Old Man) ‘Fast-moving and relentlessly sunny’ Guardian on The Hundred-Year-Old Man) ‘Pure, ingenious fantasy . . . it’s “feel-good” set to stun level’ Guardian (on The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden) ‘A comic delight of love, luck and mathematics’ Daily Express (on The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden) ‘Fast-paced, likable, refreshing . . . As unlikely and funny as The Hundred-Year-Old Man’ Observer (on The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden)
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Reader I Married Him stories inspired by Jane
Book SynopsisThis collection is stormy, romantic, strong the Full Brontë' The TimesA collection of short stories celebrating Charlotte Brontë, published in the year of her bicentenary and stemming from the now immortal words from her great work Jane Eyre.The twenty-one stories in Reader, I Married Him one of the most celebrated lines in fiction are inspired by Jane Eyre and shaped by its perennially fascinating themes of love, compromise and self-determination.A bohemian wedding party takes an unexpected turn for the bride and her daughter; a family trip to a Texan waterpark prompts a life-changing decision; Grace Poole defends Bertha Mason and calls the general opinion of Jane Eyre into question. Mr Rochester reveals a long-kept secret in Reader, She Married Me, and The Mirror boldly imagines Jane's married life after the novel ends. A new mother encounters an old lover after her daily swim and inexplicably lies to him, and a fitness instructor teaches teenage boys how to handle a pit bull terrTrade Review‘Dazzling’ DAILY MAIL ‘The success of this book owes much to [Chevalier’s] enthusiasm … it’s quite amazing to see the quality of work on show’ EVENING STANDARD ‘These stories will enrich and complicate future readings of Jane Eyre, as the best fan fiction should … If Brontë was going to drop in on any of the celebrations for her bicentenary, I can’t help but think she would get a kick out of this collection’ GUARDIAN ‘A terrific set of stories by some of our leading novelists, each of whom engages with a chosen aspect of Jane Eyre’ THE NEW STATESMAN ‘This collection is stormy, romantic, strong – the Full Brontë’ The Times ‘A clever idea well-executed; a treat for fans of short fiction and for Brontë's many ardent fans’ KIRKUS REVIEWS ‘Exemplary…written by some of today's best female writers’ THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE ‘Absorbing and entertaining, READER, I MARRIED HIM is an inventive and a satisfying tribute to a great novel’ Book Reporter ‘These pieces create a beguiling picture of women and men and desire, in which everyone is searching, like Jane, for happiness and wondering whether marriage is really an answer. The book acts as a prism spreading all kinds of literary and historical refractions, and it’s a reminder that Charlotte Brontë, too, has many sides’ GLOBE AND MAIL
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Jacobs Room Virginia Woolf Classic 20thCentury
Book SynopsisJacob Flanders is a young man passing from adolescence to adulthood in a hazy rite of passage. From his boyhood on the windswept shores of Cornwall to his days as a student at Cambridge, his elusive, chameleon-like character is gradually revealed in a stream of loosely related incidents and impressions: whether through his mother's letters, his friend's conversations, or the thoughts of the women who adore him. Then we glimpse him as a young man, caught under the glare of a London streetlamp. It is 1914, he is twenty-six, and Europe is on the brink of war... This tantalizing novel heralded Woolf's bold departure from the traditional methods of the novel, with its experimental play between time and reality, memory and desire.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres a
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd Selected Stories
Book SynopsisEighty short stories by a master of the genre O. Henry's comic eye and unique, ironic approach to life's realities are unmatched. These stories—about con men and tricksters and innocent deceivers, about fate, luck, and coincidence—have delighted generations of readers. Set in New York and the West, in Central America and the South, they demonstrate O. Henry's mastery of speech and place, and highlight his appreciation of life's quirks.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Table of ContentsSelected StoriesIntroductionSuggestions for Further ReadingFrom The Four Million (1906)The Coming-Out of MaggieA Service of LoveBetween RoundsAn Unfinished StoryAfter Twenty YearsBy CourierFrom The Trimmed Lamp (1907)The PendulumThe Buyer from Cactus CityBrickdust RowThe Foreign Policy of Company 99The Count and the Wedding GuestThe Country of ElusionFrom Heart of the West (1907)The Ransom of MackThe Higher AbdicationA Call LoanThe Princess and the PumaThe Indian Summer of Dry Valley JohnsonThe Reformation of CalliopeFrom The Voice of the City (1908)The Complete Life of Johns HopkinsDoughtery's Eye-OpenerWhile the Auto WaitsThe Defeat of the CityThe Plutonian FireSquaring the CircleThe Fool-KillerTransients in ArcadiaExtradited from BohemiaFrom Each According to His AbilityThe MementoFrom The Gentle Grafter (1908)Jeff Peters as a Personal MagnetModern Rural SportsThe Man Higher UpHostages to MomusFrom Roads of Destiny (1909)The Guardian of the AccoladePhoebeA Double-Dyed DeceiverA Retrieved ReformationFriends in San RosarioThe Emancipation of BillyA Departmental CaseThe Renaissance at CharleroiTwo RenegadesFrom Options (1909)"The Rose of Dixie"Schools and SchoolsThimble, ThimbleThe Moment of VictoryNo StoryFrom Strictly Business (1910)The Gold That GlitteredThe Day ResurgentThe Thing's the PlayA Municipal ReportProof of the PuddingThe VenturersFrom Whirligigs (1910)The Theory and the HoundThe Ransom of Red ChiefThe Whirligig of LifeThe Roads We TakeA Blackjack BargainerOne Dollar's WorthMadame Bo-Peep, of the RanchesFrom Sixes and Sevens (1911)Witches' LoavesThe Duplicity of HargravesOctober and JuneThe Church with an Overshot-WheelFrom Rolling Stones (1912)The Atavism of John Tom Little BearThe Marquis and Miss SallyFrom Waifs and Strays (1917)Out of NazarethHearts and Hands
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd Admiral Hornblower
Book SynopsisStep into C.S. Forester''s classic seafaring tales about Horatio Hornblower from the author of The Good Shepherd, now a major-motion picture starring Tom Hanks''A joyous creation, a perfection in words. Young Hornblower is, simply, one of the most complete creations of character in fiction'' Conn Iggulden, The IndependentJoin Horatio Hornblower and as he sets sail on a world of adventure, fighting against the ruthless Napoleonic France, taking command in the West Indies, and leading his squadron through the vicious seas.Hornblower shows his relentless courage time and time again in the face of battle, tackling times of trouble with his signature strength, resourcefulness, and with his squadron by his side.This omnibus edition contains: Flying Colours The Commodore Lord Hornblower Hornblower in the West Indies
£14.39
Allison & Busby The House at the End of Hope Street
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Oxford University Press Typhoon and Other Tales
Book SynopsisThe four tales in this volume share autobiographical origins in Conrad's experience at sea and his exile from Poland. They vividly present Conrad's preoccupation with the theme of solidarity, challenged from without by the elements and from within by human doubts and fears. This revised edition uses the English first edition texts and has a new chronology and bibliography.Table of ContentsTyphoon ; Falk: A Reminiscence ; Amy Foster ; The Secret Sharer: An Episode from the Coast
£8.54
Yale University Press Winter Mythologies and Abbots The Margellos World
Book SynopsisMichon's exquisite short narratives transport us to the heart of the Middle Ages as witnesses to the double-edged power of beliefTrade Review“Michon demonstrates the independence of voice that marks a true writer. . . . His supple prose, dappled with chiaroscuro effects, is used in straightforward chronicles. But his writing can at any time lift or lower into semi-hallucinatory effects that recall Arthur Rimbaud’s assaults on conventional perception.”—Roger Shattuck, New York Review of Books“Excellent news on the Michon translation front: an exceptional translator has, at last, appeared. . . . There is the velocity, the precision, the music, the compression, the singularity, the power. . . . [Michon’s] vision . . . appears with all its French force in Ann Jefferson’s exceptional transplantation.”—Wyatt Mason, New York Review of BooksLonglisted for the 2015 Best Translated Book Award, fiction category, organized by Three Percent, a resource for international literature based at the University of RochesterSelected as a finalist of the French-American Foundation Translation Prize“[Michon] has become a member of that family known as the authors I admire, I trust, I want to read.”—Richard Howard“An astonishingly rich, mythic new direction in modern French narrative.”—Guy Davenport
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Vonnegut K Hocus Pocus
Book Synopsis''Although it is set in the near future, Hocus Pocus is the most topical, realistic Vonnegut novel to date, and shows the struggle of an artist a little impatient with allegory and more than a little impatient with his own country'' - New York Times Book ReviewSome get all the luck but not Eugene Debs Hartke. Ex-Vietnam vet, ex-college professor, and now a TB-stricken inmate at Tarkington State Reformatory, his life has been warped by one ludicrous farce after another. Here, on scraps of paper pilfered from the prison library, he recounts his own story for posterity, revealing the hypocrisy and injustices of a world that just doesn't want him to thrive.Trade ReviewAlthough it is set in the near future, Hocus Pocus is the most topical, realistic Vonnegut novel to date, and shows the struggle of an artist a little impatient with allegory and more than a little impatient with his own country * New York Times Book Review *Vonnegut's best novel in years-funny and prophetic...something special * The Nation *Although it is set in the near future, Hocus Pocus is the most topical, realistic Vonnegut novel to date, and shows the struggle of an artist a little impatient with allegory and more than a little impatient with his own country * New York Times Book Review *Hocus Pocus is, of course, extremely funny. Jokes are told, deadpan and whiplash-sharp; neat, compulsive little anecdotes with stings in the tail jostle one another down the page * Sunday Correspondent *
£9.49
Bonnier Books Ltd The Divorce
Book SynopsisThe irresistible international bestseller you will not be able to stop talking about
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Utz As Seen on BBC Between the Covers
Book SynopsisAs Seen on BBC Between the CoversThis is Chatwin''s unforgettable novel of a man in war-torn Communist Prague, driven to protect his collection of porcelain figurines at any cost.Bruce Chatwin''s bestselling novel traces the fortunes of the enigmatic and unconventional hero, Kaspar Utz. Despite the restrictions of Cold War Czechoslovakia, Utz asserts his individuality through his devotion to his precious collection of Meissen porcelain. Although Utz is permitted to leave the country each year, and considers defecting each time, he is not allowed to take his porcelain with him and so he always returns to his Czech home, a prisoner both of the Communist state and of his collection.''Chatwin at his most erudite and evocative'' New York Times''His final tour de force... a pristine miniature'' IndependentSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZETrade ReviewNot a word is wasted in the telling of this tale. Each sentence is fashioned, polished, and put into place with microscopic care * Daily Telegraph *This shiny little novel is not just about pretty porcelain figurines but about dirty great issues of life and creativity * The Times *With Chatwin, the real excitement derives from an intellectual drama, in dialogues about art as a surrogate creation, a robbery of divine power, and art collecting as idolatry...For Chatwin, ideas are the supreme fictions * Observer *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Football Factory
Book SynopsisThe Football Factory centres on Tom Johnson, a reasoned ''Chelsea hooligan'' who represents a disaffected society operating by brutal rules. We are shown the realities of life - social degradation, unemployment, racism, casual violence, excessive drink and bad sex - and, perhaps more importantly, how they fall into a political context of surveillance, media manipulation and division. Graphic and disturbing, sometimes very funny, and deeply affecting throughout, The Football Factory is a vertiginous rush of adrenaline - the most authentic book yet on the so-called English Disease.Trade ReviewThe best book I've read about football and working-class culture in Britain in the nineties. Buy, steal or borrow a copy now * Irvine Welsh *Fever Pitch with testosterone and eight pints of lager. Like Fever Pitch, it is not exclusively a novel about football. This is a chronicle of a lost tribe – the white, Anglo-Saxon, heterosexual who is fed up with being told he is crap. * Glasgow Herald *Not only an outstanding read, but also an important social document... This book should be compulsory reading for all those who believe in the existence, or even attainability, of a classless society * Sunday Tribune *Powerfully written and tells you more about the mentality of those who disrupt football matches than all the theses of the sociologist academics put together * Daily Mail *Bleak, thought-provoking and brutal... Has all the hallmarks of a cult novel * Literary Review *
£9.49
Cornerstone Night Film
Book Synopsis''THE BOOK EVERYONE''S TALKING ABOUT.'' ObserverOn a damp October night the body of beautiful Ashley Cordova is discovered in a Manhattan warehouse. Though her death is ruled a suicide, investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. The last time McGrath got too close to the Cordova dynasty, he lost his marriage and his career. This time he could lose his mind.Trade ReviewDeliciously spine-tingling... all-consuming and mind-altering. Nothing else matters while there are pages to turn and, once the book is over, the world seems an emptier place. * Daily Telegraph *This month’s smartest (and creepiest) new novel is a hell of a read . . . An intensely writerly project that doesn’t jettison the reader . . . It explores how stories seep from texts into the world; not only in that it follows a journalist investigating a cult horror-film director whose life is entangled in his fictions, but also because the pages are peppered with fake news article and websites. A narrative signifying narratives, this novel echoes . . . The action bullet-trains through an artfully plotted world of secret screenings and suspicious deaths. * GQ (Book of the Month) *Night Film, the gorgeously written, spellbinding new novel by the dazzlingly inventive Marisha Pessl, will hold you in suspense until you turn the final page. * Stylist *When Cordova’s beautiful daughter is found dead in a warehouse, McGrath can’t help but pick up the trail. His pacy narrative voice is interrupted by magazine interviews, text messages, Facebook pages; a Cordova fan forum even pops up on the printed page . . . The result is multiple narratives that read like real life (or a more exciting version of it) . . . Night Film doesn’t cease to be with its last full stop. [Pessl] has developed a phone app and a website with extra material – a savvy move. * Vogue *The real and the imaginary, life and art, are dizzyingly distorted not only in a Cordova night film – which a fictional Time article calls “a spellbinding and emotionally harrowing experience” – but in Pessl’s own Night Film as well. McGrath’s prologue opens with a dictum “Everyone has a Cordova story, whether they like it or not.” This book is ours. * Vanity Fair *
£10.44
Cornerstone Charity
Book SynopsisA heartbreaking historical novel from the No.1 bestselling author of StolenCharity Stratton''s bleak childhood is changed for ever when both her parents are killed in a fire. Separated by the authorities from her younger brothers and sister, Charity is sent out to work as a skivvy in a boys'' boarding school. Her loneliness and misery are eased when she falls deeply in love with the dashing but fickle sixth-former, Hugh Mainwaring, but when she discovers she is pregnant with Hugh''s baby she soon realises just how alone she really is. Determined to be reunited with her siblings and to make something of herself, Charity runs away to London and begins to forge a new life.
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Zone One
Book SynopsisFrom the author of the Man Booker longlisted The Underground RailroadA pandemic has devastated the planet, sorting humanity into two types: the uninfected and the infected, the living and the living dead.Trade ReviewA dark futuristic satire laced with fiendish humour * The Times *Exhilarating, heartbreaking -- Stuart Kelly * Scotland on Sunday *Profoundly thoughtful... Zone One is a dark mirror, to be sure, but there is no doubt it is our own age that is being scrutinised here * New Statesman *A zombie story with brains... Whitehead can spin gore into macabre poetry * Washington Post *As satirical and gut-wrenchingly emotional as it is horrific, Zone One is the zombie tale at its literary best * SciFi Now *A cool, thoughtful and, for all its ludic violence, strangely tender novel * New York Times Book Review *Punchy cocktail of horror, comedy and social critique * Metro *Often simultaneously arch and sombre, Whitehead's narrative flares with a sociological intelligence -- Benjamin Evans * Daily Telegraph *
£9.49
Soft Skull Press Fresh Green Life
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd Jaffe R Best of Everything
Book SynopsisRona Jaffe''s frank, scandalous and thrilling 1958 novel, The Best of Everything follows a group of young women as they negotiate office romances, workplace politics, broken engagements, tiny apartments, lecherous bosses, heartbreak and lasting friendship, published in Penguin Modern Classics.New York, 1952: Four young women have come to the city: to find love, to build their careers and to savour the indefinable optimism of the times. Caroline is the college graduate, determined to escape the typing pool and become an editor. April is the beautiful country girl with a penchant for disastrous romances. Aspiring actress Gregg is tangled in a dangerous love affair with a playwright; and divorcée Barbara writes about lipsticks by day and cares alone for her daughter by night. Famously bedtime reading for Mad Men''s Don Draper, The Best of Everything portrays the lives and passions of these ambitious young women with intelligence, affection, and prose as sharp as a paper cut.Rona Jaffe (1931-2005) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the affluent Upper East Side of Manhattan. Jaffe wrote her first book, The Best of Everything, while working as an associate editor at Fawcett Publications in the 1950s. Published in 1958, it was later made into a movie, starring Joan Crawford. During the 1960s she wrote cultural pieces for Cosmopolitan magazine. Jaffe wrote sixteen novels during her career, including the controversial Mazes and Monsters (1981), adapted into a film starring Tom Hanks.If you enjoyed The Best of Everything, you might like John Dos Passos'' Manhattan Transfer, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''It harks back to a saner time when choosing progress and modernity was as straightforward as ordering dinner - Two Scotches with water on the side, and two steaks'' Julie Burchill, author of Ambition''Decades before Sex and the City, Jaffe recorded the minutiae of women''s lives and broke powerful taboos''Joan Smith, IndependentTrade ReviewThis stirring, evocative novel tells it exactly as it was * Fay Weldon *Not since One Day have I stayed up so late reading a book, but Rona Jaffe's The Best of Everything has me gripped...So much more than chick-lit -- Laura Craik * The Evening Standard *The emotional lives of these women are beautifully drawn...It is, I think, the perfect summer read: juicy, involving and classy. Even as you smile at the thought that smoking was once considered a skill, and white cotton gloves a wardrobe basic, it will also make you feel nostalgic for your own past, for those feverish days when fear and elation were pretty much the same thing -- Rachel Cooke * The Observer *One of Don's first bed companions in series one of Mad Men is not another woman, but The Best of Everything, this 1958 novel by Rona Jaffe...It is a world of typing pools and tie-wearing at all times; of whiskey drinking and womanising; a world in which secretaries grope their way towards feminism with difficulty and bosses grope their secretaries with with ease...As Draper himself might say: fascinating * The Times *Decades before Sex and the City, Jaffe recorded the minutiae of women's lives and broke powerful taboos. -- Joan Smith * The Independent *I absolutely LOVED this ...what a great novel -- Elizabeth NobleMost career girls, past or present, will respond with the shock of authenticity * The Saturday Review *The book is a fantastically entertaining and witty read, following the lives of three young women, Caroline, Gregg, and April working on the New York publishing scene as they search for love while trying to succeed in the metropolis ... the book's portrait of young women at a vibrant stage in their life, their excitement, fun, struggles and friendships in the city, is accurate and timeless. A fabulous summer novel best consumed poolside with a cigarette and martini -- Lucy Greene * City A.M. *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd A Fraction Of The Whole
Book SynopsisSteve Toltz''s A Fraction of the Whole is a riotously funny explosion of a novelSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2008From his prison cell, Jasper Dean tells the unlikely story of his scheming father Martin, his crazy Uncle Terry and how the three of them upset - mostly unintentionally - an entire continent. Incorporating death, parenting (good and bad kinds), one labyrinth, first love, a handbook for criminals, a scheme to make everyone rich and an explosive suggestion box, Steve Toltz''s A Fraction of the Whole is a hilarious, heartbreaking story of families and how to survive them.''A fat book but very light on its feet, skipping from anecdote, to rant, to reflection, like a stone skimming across a pond . . . it is brilliant'' Guardian''Sparkling comic writing . . .It gives off the unmistakeable whiff of a book that might just contain the secret of life'' Independent''With tinges of magicalTrade Review'A fat book but very light on its feet, skipping from anecdote, to rant, to reflection, like a stone skimming across a pond ... it is brilliant' Guardian 'If first novels were sandwiches, Steve Toltz's would be a juicy, swaggering doorstop of a sarnie, overflowing with eccentrically combined but delicious ingredients ... Toltz is a superb phrase-maker with an acute eye for humanity's shortfalls' Big Issue 'A grand achievement and the debut of a great comic talent ... go away and read it' Sunday Times 'Sparkling comic writing...It gives off the unmistakeable whiff of a book that might just contain the secret of life.' Independent 'With tinges of magical realism and buckets of misanthropic humour it's a clever and funny debut.' Observer
£12.34
Penguin Books Ltd And Another Thing ...
Book SynopsisDiscover the sixth book in the ludicrously inaccurately named Hitchhiker''s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, as broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and featuring original cast members including Simon Jones, Geoff McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey and Sandra Dickinson.Arthur Dent led a perfectly ordinary, uneventful life until the Hitchhiker''s Guide to the Galaxy hurled him deep into outer space. Now he''s convinced a cruelly indifferent universe is out to get him. And who can blame him?His life is about to collide with a pantheon of unemployed gods, a lovestruck green alien, a very irritating computer and at least one very large slab of cheese. If, that is, everyone''s favourite renegade Galactic President can get him off planet Earth before it is destroyed . . . again.''A triumph, fabulous. Colfer has given us a delight'' Observer''I haven''t read anything in a long time that made me laugh as much'' The Times''Chock-full of fanciful, inventive one-liners and asides, brimming with a burning sense of the ridiculousness of life'' Independent on Sunday''The best post-mortem impersonation I have ever read'' Mark Lawson, Guardian
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Any Human Heart
Book SynopsisDISCOVER THE BOOKER PRIZE LONGLISTED NOVEL ABOUT ONE HEART''S LOVES AND LOSSES FROM ICONIC STORYTELLER WILLIAM BOYD''Superb, wonderful, enjoyable'' Guardian''Full of delights'' The Times_____________________________Every life is both ordinary and extraordinary, and Logan Mountstuart''s - stretching across the twentieth century - is a rich tapestry of both. As a writer who finds inspiration with Hemingway in Paris and Virginia Woolf in London, as a spy recruited by Ian Fleming and betrayed in the war, and as an art-dealer in ''60s New York, Logan mixes with the men and women who shape his times. But as a son, friend, lover and husband, he makes the same mistakes we all do in our search for happiness. Here, then, is the story of a life lived to the full - and a journey deep into a very human heart.''One of the things this book does so brilliantly, is it so authentically recreates historical characters'' Ben Miller, on BBC 2''s Between The Covers____________________________''Astonishing, touching, extremely funny. A brilliant evocation of a past era and an immensely readable story'' Sunday Telegraph''Superb, wonderful, enjoyable'' Guardian''Generous, witty, sneakily profound'' Evening StandardAny Human Heart was adapted for a Channel 4 drama starring Kim Cattrall, Gillian Anderson, Matthew Macfadyen and Jim Broadbent and is perfect for readers of Sebastian Faulks and Hilary Mantel.Trade Review'A terrific journey through the twentieth century. Thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable' - Jeremy Paxman 'Wise, profound and moving. Only the very best novels make you look at your own life and imagine your own future with fresh eyes' - William Sutcliffe, Independent on Sunday 'Superb, wonderful, enjoyable' Guardian 'Sheer, truly brilliant storytelling. He has probably written more classic books than any of his contemporaries' Daily Telegraph 'Astonishing, touching, extremely funny. A brilliant evocation of a past era and an immensely readable story' Sunday Telegraph 'Astounding. One of Boyd's greatest achievements' Mail on Sunday
£9.49
Pan Macmillan The Gift of Stones
Book SynopsisJim Crace is the prize-winning author of ten books, including Continent (winner of the 1986 Whitbread First Novel Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize), Quarantine (winner of the 1998 Whitbread Novel of the Year and shortlisted for the Booker Prize) and Being Dead (winner of the 2001 National Book Critics Circle Award). He lives in Birmingham.
£9.49
Cornerstone The Truth About Melody Browne
Book SynopsisLisa Jewell is the No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels, including The Family Upstairs, Then She Was Gone and her latest novel, None of This is True. Her novels have sold over 10 million copies in the UK and internationally, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives in London with her husband, two daughters, an amazing Romanian rescue dog called Daisy, and Ivy the mad orange kitten.Trade Review"For anyone who hasn't picked up a Lisa Jewell novel since her chick-lit classic Ralph's Party, it might be time for a re-acquaintance ... Jewell's writing proves as punchy and fresh as ever. Her lively depiction of inner-city London living and dating still rings true" Independent "Lisa Jewell's writing is like a big warm hug and this book is a touching, insightful and gripping story which I simply couldn't put down" -- Sophie Kinsella "Lisa's best book yet. I loved it" -- Jane Fallon "The Truth about Melody Browne perfectly illustrates the truth about Lisa Jewell. She writes like a dream, creates characters that you really care about and tells a story so compelling that it will still be with you long after you've read the last page" -- Mike Gayle "Classic storytelling" Elle
£9.49
Cornerstone After the Party
Book SynopsisLisa Jewell is the No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels, including The Family Upstairs, Then She Was Gone and her latest novel, None of This is True. Her novels have sold over 10 million copies in the UK and internationally, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives in London with her husband, two daughters, an amazing Romanian rescue dog called Daisy, and Ivy the mad orange kitten.Trade Review"A gripping examination of all the difficulties a modern couple can face ... Well written and compelling" Daily Mail "I can't get enough of Lisa Jewell's books - they're so moreish!" -- Camilla Kerslake News of the World "Poignant and heart-wrenching, it's a wonderful insight into what can happen when the fairytale finally ends" The Sun "Pretty damn good ... Jewell stands out, providing insightful character studies ... and she is so readable - you can fall into After the Party as you would a particularly soft settee" Time Out, Paperback Pick, 4 stars "Lisa's heartfelt writing and raw, honest storytelling makes for an emotional, funny and heartbreaking journey ... but there is a glimmer of hope. Can Jem and Ralph find their way back to happiness? 5 stars" heat
£9.49
Cornerstone Savages
Book SynopsisPart-time environmentalist and philanthropist Ben and his ex-mercenary buddy Chon run a Laguna Beach-based marijuana operation, reaping significant profits from their loyal clientele. In the past when their turf was challenged, Chon took care of eliminating the threat. But now they may have come up against something that they can''t handle-the Mexican Baja Cartel wants in, sending them the message that a no is unacceptable. When they refuse to back down, the cartel escalates its threat, kidnapping Ophelia, the boys'' playmate and confidante. O''s abduction sets off a dizzying array of ingenious negotiations and gripping plot twists that will captivate readers eager to learn the costs of freedom. Savages is an adrenaline-fuelled novel by a master thriller writer at the very top of his game.Trade ReviewThis is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on autoload. Winslow's stripped-down prose is a revelation -- Stephen KingRejoice - Don is back on the drugs ... Winslow has few equals * Independent *Winslow on rip-roaring form, his most stylish, pacy and blood-soaked novel yet ... A brilliantly clever game of cat and mouse ... Vibrant, stylish and captivating ... A true thriller -- Henry Sutton * Mirror *Savages is a wild ride...The language is limber and lean, the pace adrenalin-fuelled and the killers downright terrifying ... Will linger with you long after the final page * Time Out *A frighteningly convincing depiction of big-time drug cartels at work -- John Harvey
£9.49
Vintage Publishing One Step Behind
Book SynopsisIt is Midsummer's Eve. Three young friends meet in a wood to act out an elaborate masque. Each is killed by a single bullet. Soon afterwards, one of Inspector Wallander's colleagues is found murdered. Is it the same killer, and what could the connection be? In this investigation Wallander is always, tantalisingly, one step behind.Trade ReviewOne of the most ingenious crime writers around. Highly recommended * Daily Telegraph *Mankell is in the first division of crime writing * The Times *Not only an intriguing puzzle, but a moving description of a man trying to keep faith with a dead friend... This is the best aspect of crime fiction: a gripping plot plus the exploration of character and relationships that reverberate around murder * Independent *So compelling that, at the end of the sleepless night it took to read, I blearily reached for a keyboard to search for Mankell's other titles -- Mark Lawson * Guardian *
£999.99
Vintage Publishing Firewall
Book SynopsisStopping to use a cash machine one evening, a man falls to the ground: dead. A taxi driver is brutally murdered by two teenage girls who demonstrate a complete lack of remorse. One girl escapes police custody and disappears without trace. Soon afterwards, a blackout covers half the country. When an engineer arrives at the malfunctioning power station, he makes a grisly discovery... Inspector Kurt Wallander is sure that these events must be linked - somehow. Hampered by the discovery of betrayals in his own team, lonely and frustrated, Wallander begins to lose conviction in his role as a detective. And somehow these criminals seem always to know the police''s next move.Trade ReviewFirewall is the eighth of his investigations, and the most enjoyable yet * Guardian *Another gripping Inspector Wallander mystery by Sweden's master crime writer * The Times *Enormously enjoyable -- Jessica Mann * Sunday Telegraph *Firewall cracks along at a punishing pace... I am already hankering for a return to Ystad and a few more sleepless nights traipsing after Kurt * Observer *Kurt Wallander is right up there with Ian Rankin's John Rebus * Waterstone's Books Quarterly *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Kindly Ones
Book SynopsisDr Max Aue is a family man and owner of a lace factory in post-war France. He is an intellectual steeped in philosophy, literature, and classical music. He is also a former SS intelligence officer and cold-blooded assassin. He was an observer and then a participant in Nazi atrocities on the Eastern Front, he was present at the siege of Stalingrad, at the death camps, and finally caught up in the overthrow of the Nazis and the nightmarish fall of Berlin. His world was peopled by Eichmann, Himmler, Göring, Speer and, of course, Hitler himself. Max is looking back at his life with cool-eyed precision; he is speaking out now to set the record straight.Trade ReviewIt is a great achievement to have made this horrific tale recounted by such a profoundly unsympathetic character so gripping...a great work of literary fiction, to which readers and scholars will turn for decades to come -- Anthony Beevor * The Times *An extraordinarily powerful novel that leads the stunned reader on a journey through some of the darkest recesses of European history...reveals something that is desperate and depressing but profoundly important, now as ever * Observer *Everybody's talking about it...erudite, pitiless and mesmerising * Financial Times *A compelling and savage tale, with a cold dispassionate eye that never flinches from the raw reality of mass-murder... a serious attempt to describe the terrors of the Nazi regime * Independent *The book rises magnificently to its own occasions, building out of its fact-crammed but stately sentences a vast and phosphorescent tableaux vivants seething with Dantesque detail * Guardian *
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
Book SynopsisPresents the story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her.Trade Review"A work of genuine literary merit . . . What Mr. Kesey has done in his unusual novel is to transform the plight of a ward of inmates in a mental hospital into a glittering parable of good and evil."--The New York Times Book Review"[A] brilliant first novel . . . a strong, warm story about the nature of human good and evil . . . Keysey has made his book a roar of protest against middlebrow society's Rules and the invisible Rulers who enforce them."--Time"The final triumph of these men at the cost of a terrifying sacrifice should send chills down any reader's back. . . . This novel's scenes have the liveliness of a motion picture."--The Washington Post"An outstanding book . . . [Kesey's] characters are original and real. . . . This is a tirade against the increasing controls over man and his mind, yet the author never gets on a soap box. Nor does he forget that there is a thin line between tragedy and comedy."--Houston Chronicle
£999.99
Vintage Publishing A Single Man
Book SynopsisIsherwood's short, poignant novel is a tender and wistful love story Celebrated as a masterpiece from its first publication, A Single Man is the story of George, an English professor in suburban California left heartbroken after the death of his lover, Jim.Trade ReviewThe best prose writer in English * Gore Vidal *A virtuoso piece of work...courageous...powerful * Sunday Times *His key post-war work. A quarter-century ahead of its time in its portrayal of a quotidian homosexual life, it inspired a generation of gay writers in Britain and the US * Independent *Lyrical and intensely moving * Daily Telegraph *A testimony to Isherwood's undiminished brilliance as a novelist * Anthony Burgess *
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Other Side of the Story
Book Synopsis*** CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022***Step into the lives of three women whose ambitions collide in the hilarious and heart-warming novel from the No. 1 bestselling author of Grown Ups''Wonderful, subtle, hilarious and highly sophisticated. You can''t stop reading'' EVENING STANDARD''It had me in tears . . . and barking with laughter'' DAILY TELEGRAPH___________''There are three sides to every story. Your side, their side, and the truth . . .''Jojo, a sharkish literary agent, has just made a very bad career move - she''s slept with her married boss Mark.Lily, Jojo''s bestselling author, has blown her advance on a house with new boyfriend Anton, only to come down with writer''s block.Gemma used to be Lily''s best friend until Lily ran off with Anton. Now she''s pouring her heart out, and a certain literary agent likes her style . . .Soon the fortunes of Jojo, Lily and Gemma are horribly entangled.But each is about to discover that there''s more than one side to every story . . .___________''Keyes''s genius lies in making the darkest, most difficult aspects of humanity mentionable and manageable . . . Keyes''s plot is cracking, but the story becomes even bolder and brighter because she lets her characters tell it'' Independent''Packed with sound writing, wit and common sense'' GuardianPraise for Marian Keyes:''Mercilessly funny'' The Times''Funny, tender and completely absorbing!'' Graham Norton''Keyes is in a class of her own'' Daily ExpressTrade ReviewKeyes's genius lies in making the darkest, most difficult aspects of humanity mentionable and manageable . . . Keyes's plot is cracking, but the story becomes even bolder and brighter because she lets her characters tell it * Independent *Another chart-topping blockbuster from goddess Marian Keyes . . . packed with sound writing, wit and common sense * Guardian *Fabulously brilliant * Heat *Wildly funny, romantic and nearly impossible to put down * Daily Mail *
£9.49
Birlinn General Berties Theory of Ice Cream
Book SynopsisScotland Street is back. Settle in and take a trip back to Scotland's favourite fictitious street, with Bertie, Irene, Big Lou, newcomer Galactica Macfee and all the rest. With customary charm and deftness, Alexander McCall Smith gives us another instalment in this popular series, where anything could happen to Bertie and the gang.
£16.19
