Family life fiction / Stories about family

Book SynopsisWhen Olivia Shaw’s mother dies, the sophisticated food editor is astonished to learn she’s inherited a centuries-old English estate—and a title to go with it. Raw with grief and reeling from the knowledge that her reserved mother hid something so momentous, Olivia leaves San Francisco and crosses the pond to unravel the mystery of a lifetime. One glance at the breathtaking Rosemere Priory and Olivia understands why the manor, magnificent even in disrepair, was the subject of her mother’s exquisite paintings. What she doesn’t understand is why her mother never mentioned it to her. As Olivia begins digging into her mother’s past, she discovers that the peeling wallpaper, debris-laden halls, and ceiling-high Elizabethan windows covered in lush green vines hide unimaginable secrets. Although personal problems and her life back home beckon, Olivia finds herself falling for the charming English village and its residents. But before she can decide what Rosemere’s and her own future hold, Olivia must first untangle the secrets of her past.Trade Review“Great writing, terrific characters, food elements, romance, a touch of intrigue, and more than a few surprises to keep readers guessing.” —Kirkus Reviews “Settle in with tea and biscuits for a charming adventure about inheriting an English manor and the means to restore it. Vivid descriptions and characters that read like best friends will stay with you long after this delightful story has ended.” —Cynthia Ellingsen, bestselling author of The Lighthouse Keeper “The Art of Inheriting Secrets is the story of one woman’s journey to uncovering her family’s hidden past. Set against the backdrop of a sprawling English manor, this book is ripe with mystery. It will have you guessing until the end!” —Nicole Meier, author of The House of Bradbury and The Girl Made of Clay “O’Neal’s clever title begins an intriguing journey for readers that unfolds layer by surprising layer. Her respected masterful storytelling blends mystery, art, romance, and mayhem in a quaint English village and breathtaking countryside. Brilliant!” —Patricia Sands, bestselling author of the Love in Provence series

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Book SynopsisUnsparing and tender' Colm Tóibín, author of BrooklynA brilliant novel from our most brilliant of writers' Colum McCann, author of ApeirogonA quietly stunning achievement' Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We're Briefly GorgeousAs the world changes around them, a family weathers the storms of growing up, growing older, falling in and out of love, losing the things that are most precious and learning to go on.April 5th, 2019: In a cozy brownstone in Brooklyn, the veneer of domestic bliss is beginning to crack. Dan and Isabel, troubled husband and wife, are both a little bit in love with Isabel's younger brother, Robbie. Robbie, wayward soul of the family, who still lives in the attic loft; Robbie, who, trying to get over his most recent boyfriend, has created a glamorous avatar online; Robbie, who now has to move out of the house and whose departure threatens to break the family apart. And then there is Nathan, age ten, taking his first uncertain steps toward independence, while Violet, five, does her best not to notice the growing rift between her parents.April 5th, 2020: As the world goes into lockdown the brownstone is feeling more like a prison. Violet is terrified of leaving the windows open, obsessed with keeping her family safe. Isabel and Dan circle each other warily, communicating mostly in veiled jabs and frustrated sighs. And beloved Robbie is stranded in Iceland, alone in a mountain cabin with nothing but his thoughts and his secret Instagram life for company.April 5th, 2021: Emerging from the worst of the crisis, the family comes together to reckon with a new, very different reality with what they've learned, what they've lost, and how they might go on.From the brilliant mind of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham, Day is a searing, exquisitely crafted meditation on love and loss, and the struggles and limitations of family life how to live together and apart, and maybe even escape the marriage plot entirely.Cunningham is one of our great American writers, and here is another masterpiece Read it and be changed' Andrew Sean Greer, author of LessTrade Review‘Michael Cunningham displays his great gift for creating memorable characters, for noticing the world in all its oddness and beauty, for writing about love and loss in tones that are both unsparing and tender. In this book, he also sharply and brilliantly captures contemporary New York’ Colm Tóibín, author of Brooklyn ‘Day is a novel about the collisions of love within our days. Michael Cunningham crafts a glorious sentence and at the same time he tells an achingly compelling story that speaks precisely to the times we live in. And it all flows so damn gorgeously that at times you just want to suspend the sacred day itself and hold it close, never let it, or the characters, go. A brilliant novel from our most brilliant of writers’ Colum McCann, author of Apeirogon ‘Cunningham, the perennial master of rendering the quotidian with a profound and deeply considered eye for human frailty, returns with a book that exemplifies the hallmarks of his style: lush, erudite, voracious in its seeking, and, like a true poet, remakes the world in his descriptions, freshened with care, compassion, and tinged with radiant heat of grief. What a quietly stunning achievement’ Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous ‘Cunningham is one of our great American writers, and here is another masterpiece. Day shows all his extraordinary gifts of epic sweep and intricate detail, lyrical language and plain hard words, memory and imagination, love and hope and loss. It does what only great books can do. Read it and be changed’ Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less ‘Few writers capture the crazy contradictions of modern life with as much clarity and wisdom as Michael Cunningham.Dayglows with beauty and energy; its characters slip off the page and into your life’ Tash Aw, author of We, the Survivors

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Book Synopsis*Make sure you read Trent Dalton''s irresistible new novel, LOLA IN THE MIRROR, out now*Electric'The TimesThrilling'New York TimesExtraordinary' Joanna CannonTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERA MAJOR NETFLIX SERIESAustralia, 1983Life is pretty tough right now for twelve-year-old Eli what with his mute brother, a convicted murderer for a babysitter, a drug-dealing stepfather, an incarcerated mother and a long-lost father surely it can't get any worse?Think again. He's about to fall in love, break into prison and cross paths with one of the most notorious criminals Brisbane has ever seen.A coming-of-age story like no other, Boy Swallows Universe is the most exhilarating novel you'll read all year.WHAT READERS LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK:''Profound, endearing, brutal this will move you beyond belief and keep you hooked until the very last page'' ?????''Poetic and beautiful, fast-paced and thrilling One of my all-time favourite books'' ?????''Trent Dalton has captured the humour and tragedy that colours everyday life for kids just getting by. This novel is part true-crime, part hopeless romance, part magical realism and laugh-out-loud funny!'' ?????''One of the best books I''ve read in years I promise you won''t be disappointed'' ?????Trade Review‘Extraordinary … you will want this’ Joanna Cannon ‘Many coming-of-age novels set in the 1980s are little more than a roll-call of pop songs, retro snack foods and chopper bikes. Not this one. This is a proper literary novel about addiction, poverty, parenting and the power of love … Dalton has created an electric novel out of a troubled childhood … it’s a lively, funny affirmation of the human instinct for survival in a hostile environment’ The Times ‘Chock full of magic and what it really means to be a good person. The Bell brothers will stay with me for a very long time’ Rachael Brown, Guardian ‘Thrilling’ New York Times ‘Stellar … makes the typical coming-of-age novel look bland by comparison …This is an outstanding debut’ Publishers Weekly ‘Boy Swallows Universe hypnotizes you with wonder, and then hammers you with heartbreak. The events of Eli’s life are often fatal and tragic, but fate and tragedy do not overpower the story. Eli’s remarkably poetic voice and his astonishingly open heart take the day. They enable him to carve out the best of what’s possible from the worst of what is, which is the miracle that makes this novel marvellous’ Washington Post ‘Marvellous … filled with beautifully lyric prose … exceptional’ Booklist (Starred Review) ‘The best Australian novel I have read in more than a decade' Sydney Morning Herald ‘The most extraordinary writer – a rare talent' Nikki Gemmell ‘Unsuspectedly joyous… sad, warm, witty’ The Australian Do you remember what it felt like as a kid when you poured an entire package of Pop Rocks into your mouth and felt them all explode at once? That’s what it feels like to read this astonishing, captivating novel — except more violent and bloody and urgent, and maybe the Pop Rocks are live grenades? … I absolutely loved it. Bravo, Trent Dalton. Thank you for the wild, beautiful, heart-exploding ride. Elizabeth Gilbert

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Book SynopsisEngrossing and memorable, The Sins of the Father is the second novel in international bestseller Jeffrey Archer’s celebrated the Clifton Chronicles. It takes us to New York in 1939 where our hero Harry Clifton is in desperate need of help.Only days before Britain declares war on Germany, Harry joins the Merchant Navy, unable to face long-held family secrets and the fact he will never be able to marry his true love Emma Barrington. But when his ship is sunk mid-Atlantic, Harry takes the opportunity to assume the identity of one his deceased rescuers and begin a new life.Landing in America, he quickly discovers he has made a mistake and without any way to prove his true identity, Harry is now chained to a past that could be far worse than the one he had hoped to escape . . .Brimming with intrigue, the Clifton Chronicles continues its powerful journey with family loyalties stretched to their limits and fates decided.Continue the bestselling series with Best Kept Secret and Be Careful What You Wish For.Trade ReviewI guarantee that anyone who takes this book from the shelves will not be able to put it down -- Jerry Hayes * Spectator *Probably the greatest storyteller of our age * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThe phenomenal number one bestseller and a major BBC TV series.A Richard and Judy Book Club Pick. Winner of the Specsavers National Book Award and Waterstones Book of the Year.Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with heart-pounding suspense, Jessie Burton's historical novel set in Amsterdam, The Miniaturist, is a story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution.On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later does Johannes appear and present her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in unexpected ways . . .NeTrade ReviewThe kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with reading -- S. J. Watson, author of Before I Go to SleepA fabulously gripping read that will appeal to fans of Girl With a Pearl Earring and The Goldfinch, but Burton is a genuinely new voice with her visceral take on sex, race and class . . . Burton writes great complex female characters * Observer *A terrific novel: compelling cast, gripping plot, writing to savour -- Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the FallA remarkable debut - complex, involving and deeply atmospheric -- Deborah Moggach, author of Tulip FeverThe Miniaturist by Jessie Burton is set in 17th century Amsterdam where a trader presents his new wife Nella with a miniature replica of their home. Its tiny occupants mirror their real-life counterparts and show Nella what grave dangers lie in wait. -- Hot Books of 2014 * Daily Express *Utterly beguiling and impeccably written. I am missing the characters already -- Emylia Hall, author of The Book of SummersA delight on every page, The Miniaturist completely immerses the reader in sumptuous but strict seventeenth-century Amsterdam. Burton's novel is lovingly done, and exquisite to read -- Naomi Wood, author of Mrs. HemingwayUtterly transporting . . . My first instinct on finishing this book was to immediately read it again -- Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites

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Book SynopsisOne rainy afternoon in Istanbul, a woman walks into a doctor's surgery. 'I need to have an abortion', she announces. She is nineteen years old and unmarried. What happens that afternoon will change her life. Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul.Trade ReviewUnquestionably an ambitious book, exuberant and teeming . . . a novel crammed with characters and themes, not unlike Istanbul itself * Guardian *Wonderfully magical, incredible, breathtaking . . . will have you gasping with disbelief in the last few pages * Sunday Express *Heartbreaking . . . the beauty of Islam pervades Shafak's book * Vogue *A writer whose artistry matches her ambition . . . she has taken on a subject of deep moral consequence * New York Times *A brave and passionate novel * Paul Theroux *Tremendous exuberance . . . I do like a writer with a purpose * Margaret Forster *An astonishingly rich and lively story ... handled with an enchantingly light touch' * Kirkus Reviews *Overflows with a kitchen sink's worth of zany characters ... an entertaining and insightful ensemble novel that posits the universality of family, culture and coincidence -- (starred review) * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisPre-order BOLEYN TRAITOR now Philippa Gregory's landmark return to the Tudor court, coming Autumn 2025 The second novel in the bestselling Wideacre Trilogy, a compulsive drama set in the eighteenth century. By Philippa Gregory, the author of The Other Boleyn Girl and The Virgin's Lover.The Wideacre estate is bankrupt, the villagers are living in poverty and Wideacre Hall is a smoke-blackened ruin.But in the Dower House two children are being raised in protected innocence. Equal claimants to the inheritance of Wideacre, rivals for the love of the village, they are tied by a secret childhood betrothal but forbidden to marry. Only one can be the favoured child. Only one can inherit the magical understanding between the land and the Lacey family that can make the Sussex village grow green again. Only one can be Beatrice Lacey's true heir.Sweeping, passionate, unique: ''The Favoured Child'' is the second novel in Philippa Gregory''s bestselling trilogy which began with ''Wideacre'' and concluded with ''Meridon''.Trade ReviewPraise for ‘The Favoured Child’: ‘For sheer pace and percussive drama it will take a lot of beating.’Sunday Times Praise for ‘Wideacre’: ‘This is a story of violent love and unsettling passions. It will never let you rest for a page as you wait for the climax that must come for the people and the land.’Maeve Binchy ‘Amid all the social upheaval strides Beatrice Lacey, who, for singlemindedness, tempestuousness, passion, amorality, sensuality and plain old-fashioned evil, knocks Scarlet O’Hara into short cotton socks.’Evening Standard

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Book SynopsisFrom her home on the California coast, Dalva hears the broad silence of the Nebraska prairie where she was born and longs for the son she gave up for adoption years before. Beautiful, fearless, tormented, at forty-five she has lived a life of lovers and adventures. Now, Dalva begins a journey that will take her back to the bosom of her family, to the half-Sioux lover of her youth and to a pioneering great-grandfather whose journals recount the bloody annihilation of the Plains Indians. On the way, she discovers a story that stretches from East to West, from the Civil War to Wounded Knee and Vietnam, and finds the balm to heal her wild and wounded soul.One of Harrison's most ambitious novels, Dalva explores an extraordinary family through the strong, engaging voice of an unforgettable woman, confirming Harrison as one of America's most memorable writers.Trade ReviewMonumental . . .There is no putting aside Dalva until the time bombs go off, the identities are revealed, and the skeletons almost literally tumble from the closets. . . . A book to read with trust and exuberance. -- Louise Erdrich * Chicago Tribune *Harrison's storytelling instincts are nearly flawless . . . The people in Dalva reemerge as full-blooded individuals who almost incidentally embody much of the innocence, carelessness, and urgency that played so large a part in the settling of this country. * New York Times Book Review *Moving, interesting, satisfying . . . Dalva is Harrison's most ambitious novel to date. * Washington Post *If the reader is in any doubt at all during the opening pages of Jim Harrison's 1988 novel Dalva as to whether they're in the hands of a master craftsman, then it is likely that these doubts will be put to bed not far into its opening chapter. . . . His subjects . . . are as violent and raw and strongly regional as those in any work of rural American fiction, but no less intellectually complex. -- Tom Cox * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThe Olive Tree is a sun-soaked story of family secrets and an unforgettable summer in Cyprus, from Lucinda Riley, international bestselling author of the Seven Sisters series.A magical house. A momentous summer . . . As a young woman, Helena spent a magical holiday at Pandora, a beautiful house in Cyprus – and fell in love for the first time. Now, twenty-four years later and following the loss of her godfather, she has inherited Pandora. And, though it is a crumbling shadow of its former self, Helena returns with her family to spend the summer there.When, by chance, Helena meets her childhood sweetheart, her past threatens to collide with her present. She knows that the idyllic beauty of Pandora masks a web of secrets that she has kept from her husband and thirteen-year-old son. And that, once its secrets have been revealed, their lives will never be the same . . .'It will whisk you away to the glorious sunshine of Cyprus' – Daily Express** This title has been published outside the UK under the title Helena's Secret. **Trade ReviewIt will whisk you away to the glorious sunshine of Cyprus . . . refreshingly different -- Veronica Henry * Daily Express *A dazzling contemporary novel . . . Brimming with the colour, atmosphere and sultry heat of beautiful Cyprus, this is a gripping story about family relationships across all generations, the ties that bind us with sometimes invisible cords and the complex nature of 'family' in the modern world . . . Riley writes with both insight and empathy . . . a stunning tale of our times from a master storyteller * Lancashire Evening Post *A brilliant page-turner just soaked in glamour and romance -- Daily Mail, on The Seven SistersA masterclass in beautiful writing -- The Sun, on The Sun Sister

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Book Synopsis*Discover the magic of The Twilight Garden, the brand new novel from Sara Nisha Adams available to buy now**A finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards for Fiction, discover this year's most uplifting and heart-warming debut*Absolutely gorgeous' RUTH WAREA joyful, uplifting read!' GOOD HOUSEKEEPINGA captivating debut' HEIDI SWAIN________________________________________________________________A faded list.Nine favourite stories.For two strangers, friendship is only a page away . . .When Mukesh Patel pops to the local library, forgoing his routine of grocery shopping and David Attenborough documentaries, he has no idea his life's about to change.He meets Aleisha, a reluctant librarian and the keeper of a curious reading list just a scrappy piece of paper with the names of 9 stories. It doesn't seem anything special. Yet something tells her to keep it close . . .Story by story, Mukesh and Aleisha work their way through the list their worries slipping away with every encounter, with every world discovered in their unlikely book club of two.A fresh chance at life, at friendship, wasn't on the cards for these lonely souls but every story starts somewhere . . .Everyone's getting swept away with The Reading List:Oh this book what a glorious, emotional, powerful and uplifting read' Netgalley reviewerA lovely story about the power of books and libraries' Libby PageA gorgeous debut novel about the power reading has to bring people together' RedIf you love books, read this. If you love crying with sadness, crying with happiness, and feeling like you have been wrapped in the blanket of someone else''s life, read this' Debbie JohnsonJoyous, uplifting and reminds us what it feels like to find a book we connect with' Netgalley reviewerIt's a perfect escape for anyone who wants to be reminded of the power of stories' Stephanie ButlandA beautiful book about the joys of reading and connecting with people' Netgalley reviewerA stunning debut that broke my heart and put it back together again' Radiya HafizaTrade Review‘A love letter to books, reading and the power of connection – absolutely gorgeous’ Ruth Ware 'A gorgeous, life-affirming novel full of moments of tenderness that will fill readers' hearts with joy. Sara writes so beautifully about family love, loneliness and loss' Huma Qureshi ‘The story is an absolute joy. I loved the way Aleisha and Mukesh found their lives entwined thanks to the power of books . . . A captivating and exquisitely crafted debut’ Sunday Times bestseller, Heidi Swain ‘A real heart-lifter . . . . A joyful, uplifting read’ Good Housekeeping ‘A gorgeous debut novel about the power reading has to bring people together, no matter the barriers of age, culture and class’ Red ‘This is an uplifting and life-affirming novel […] it oozes charm’ Platinum ‘Wonderful…It’s a perfect escape for anyone who wants to be reminded (if we need to be reminded) of the power of stories’ Stephanie Butland ‘A beautiful and very special read, which reminded me why I love books so much and it made me miss the library even more’ Emily Koch ‘If you love books, read this. If you love people, read this. If you love crying with sadness, crying with happiness, and feeling like you have been wrapped in the blanket of someone else's life, read this’ Debbie Johnson ‘The Reading List absolutely captures the magic of reading and of libraries’ Louise Hare ‘This story utterly stole my heart, it’s a love letter to book lovers everywhere and I for one have become entirely smitten by Sara’s words’ Emma Cooper ‘A spellbinding novel about friendship, loss, community and the power of reading. A stunning debut that broke my heart and put it back together again’ Radiya Hafiza ‘Compassion, humour and intelligence shine through on every page of this wonderful novel . . . Sara Adams finds hope in abundance, and in the most wonderful, unexpected of places’ Rosie Price

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Book Synopsis'A romantic book-filled treat' Heidi Swain, author of The Secret Seaside EscapeThe Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Café invites literature lovers to run their very own bookshop … for a fortnight.Spend your days talking books with customers in your own charming bookshop and serving up delicious cream teas in the cosy café.Bookworms, what are you waiting for? Your holiday is going to be LIT(erary).Apply to: The Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Café, Down-a-long, Clove Lore, Devon.Jude Crawley should be on top of the world. She’s just graduated as a mature student, so can finally go public about her relationship with Philosophy professor, Mack.Until she sees Mack kissing another girl, and her dreams crumble. And worse, their dream holiday – running a tiny bookshop in the harbour village of Clove Lore for two weeks – is non-refundable.Throwing caution to the winds, Jude heads down to Devon, eager to immerse herself in literature and heal her broken heart.But there’s one problem – six foot tall, brooding (but gorgeous) Elliot, who’s also reserved the bookshop holiday for two weeks…As Jude and Elliot put their differences aside to run the bookshop, it seems that Jude might be falling in love with more than just words. Until she discovers what Elliot is running from – and why he’s hiding out in Clove Lore.Can Jude find her own happy ending in a tiny, tumbledown bookshop? Or is she about to find out that her bookish holiday might have an unexpected twist in the tale…The perfect cosy, romantic read for any bookworm! Fans of Jenny Colgan, Cressida McLaughlin and Philippa Ashley will love this feelgood romcom.Readers are loving their stay at The Borrow-A-Bookshop!‘Every bookworm should read this book. It’s just delightful and my heart feels so happy!’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘Pure escapism…I highly recommend this book to totally get lost in’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘I really loved this story and was thoroughly charmed…the characters were interesting and fabulous’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘Emotional, fun, charming and delightful… I absolutely loved this book’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘Such a heartwarming and humorous read…I thoroughly recommend this book if you need a pick me up!’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘An enchanting and endearing story… Perfect romantic read!’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘I absolutely loved this book…This was the perfect escapism’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘This book is total holiday goals! ...A heartwarming, cosy, feel good romcom.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘The perfect summer read that leaves you wanting to feel the sand beneath your toes’ Reader Review‘I loved this fun, uplifting feelgood book. It really made me smile’ Reader Review

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD AND THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE AND THE WOMEN'S PRIZEThe moving, powerful and urgent English-language debut from one of the brightest young stars in world literatureSuppose you and Pa were gone, and we were lost. What would happen then?A family in New York packs the car and sets out on a road trip. This will be the last journey they ever take together.In Central America and Mexico, thousands of children are on a journey of their own, travelling north to the US border. Not all of them will make it there.Trade Review'Fascinating, haunting, poetic' Sunday Times ‘A mould-breaking new classic … The novel truly becomes novel again in her hands – electric, elastic, alluring, new’ New York Times ‘Daring, wholly original, brilliant … a twist on the great American road trip novel, a book about alienation that chronicles fractures, divides, and estrangement’ NPR ‘Timely and poignant’ Vogue ‘A wonderfully subtle story in which the experience of migrant children is filtered through the delicate, funny, effortlessly poetic account of a family’s road trip from New York to the Mexican border’ Guardian ‘Roving and beautiful … a searing indictment of America’s border policy' Daily Mail ‘Powerful and urgent’ Stylist

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Book SynopsisThe wise and charming international bestseller and hit Japanese movie—about a young woman who loses everything but finds herself—a tale of new beginnings, romantic and family relationships, and the comfort that can be found in books. Twenty-five-year-old Takako has enjoyed a relatively easy existence—until the day her boyfriend Hideaki, the man she expected to wed, casually announces he’s been cheating on her and is marrying the other woman. Suddenly, Takako’s life is in freefall. She loses her job, her friends, and her acquaintances, and spirals into a deep depression. In the depths of her despair, she receives a call from her distant uncle Satoru.An unusual man who has always pursued something of an unconventional life, especially after his wife Momoko left him out of the blue five years earlier, Satoru runs a second-hand bookshop in Jimbocho, Tokyo’s famous book district. Takako once looked down upon Satoru

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Book SynopsisA gorgeously written novel set over the course of one life-changing summer in an isolated Australian coastal townTrade Review'Lush and gorgeous... A delicious read, beautifully written and emotionally satisfying.' New York Times'This intimate debut charts the course of a formative age-gap love affair set evocatively on the wild coast of Australia's New South Wales... A poignant exploration of love, need, desire, time and motherhood.' Daily Mail'Thirst for Salt gripped me immediately, with the tender acuity of its voice and the propulsive electricity of the relationship at its core.' Leslie Jamison, author of The Recovering'[A] sly, sensual debut about mothers and lovers... Lucas's writing is soft and sinuous, as sensual when she's detailing the landscape as she is about sex.' Sunday Telegraph'A woman looks back on a lifechanging summer in her 20s, when she fell in love with a much older man, in this nuanced love story. The descriptions of the small coastal town in Australia are so beautiful that you will want to visit.' Good Housekeeping'A mesmerizing portrait of a romance with graceful, seductive writing... This novel has a sea glass quality - timeworn, beautiful, worth holding onto.' Bustle'Luscious and melancholy... Sensual and electric.' Foreword Reviews (starred review)'A sensual coming-of-age novel.' NYLON'I'm astounded this is a debut and was swept away with the exquisite writing.' Prima'The writing is rich, sensuous and attentive... As a novel that illustrates the need to organise life into narrative, such fealty to the past self is refreshing.' Irish Times'Lucas writes as if she's telling the story at a dinner party, with a lingering pace and an easy familiarity with the characters.' Guardian

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Book SynopsisLucy, a teenage girl from the West Indies, comes to North America to work as an au pair for Lewis and Mariah and their four children. At first glance Lewis and Mariah are a blessed couple – handsome, rich, and seemingly happy. Almost at once, however, Lucy begins to notice cracks in their beautiful facade.With a mixture of anger and compassion, Lucy scrutinizes the privileged, facile world of her employers while comparing it to the vivid realities of her home in the Caribbean. Lucy has no illusions about her own past, but neither is she prepared to be deceived about where she presently is.In this environment a new person unfolds: passionate, sexually forthright, and disarmingly honest. In Lucy, Jamaica Kincaid has created a startling new character: a captivating heroine possessed with clear-sightedness and ferocious integrity.Part of the Picador Collection, a new series showcasing the best of modern literature.Trade ReviewBeautifully precise prose . . . It leaves the reader with the unforgettable experience of having met a ferociously honest woman on her own uncompromising terms * New York Times *Brilliant . . . Lucy confirms Ms. Kincaid as a both a daughter of Bronte and Woolf and her own inimitable self * Wall Street Journal *A furious, broken-hearted gem of a novel . . . Part of the richness of this book is the way we come to see, as Lucy struggles to do, the connections between those of us who have too much and those who will never have enough - and between 'a sentence for life' (what can't be changed in the self) and that which can be wrestled with and, at least, understood * San Francisco Chronicle *What a writer – elegant, uncompromising, simultaneously direct and layered and complex. * Ali Smith *I’ve read everything by Jamaica Kincaid, and I’ve still never read anyone like her. If you are new to Kincaid, I envy you. -- Jackie kay

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Book SynopsisNamed Book of the Month Club's Book of the Year, 2017Selected one of New York Times Readers’ Favorite Books of 2017Winner of the 2018 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Boy In the Striped Pajamas, a sweeping, heartfelt saga about the course of one man's life, beginning and ending in post-war IrelandCyril Avery is not a real Avery -- or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he?Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from - and over his many years, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more.In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.

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Book SynopsisPerfect for fans of THE GIRL IN THE LETTER and PHILOMENA, this gripping, heartbreaking novel based on a true story will grab hold of your heart and never let go.1939. Seventeen-year-old Nora Jennings has spent her life secure and sheltered in the certainty of a bright, happy future - until one night of passion has more catastrophic consequences than she ever could have anticipated. Labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act, she is forced to endure years of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of those who are supposed to care for her. 1981. When psychiatrist Janet Humphreys comes across Nora, heavily institutionalised and still living in the hospital more than forty years after her incarceration, she knows that she must be the one to help Nora rediscover what it is to live. But as she works to help Nora overcome her tragic past, Janet realises she must finally face her own. Based on a true story, TH GIRL BEHIND THE GATES is the raw, heart-breaking yet ultimately uplifting tale of a young woman cut down in her prime, and of the woman who finally brings her back to life.Trade ReviewCompelling. Poignant. Haunting. Heart wrenching. An eye-opener of a story that will stay with you long after you've read the last page. Hard to believe this is a debut as the writing is assured and beautiful, the characters vividly brought to life on the page. I lived every minute of this harrowing story that will resonate with everyone. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book. * Renita D'Silva, bestselling author of The Forgotten Daughter *The Girl behind the Gates absorbed me from the start and had me invested in Nora's story throughout. In this haunting debut novel, Brenda Davies takes us on a journey that is often uncomfortable, at times painful, but always told in beautiful prose and with great compassion and insight. Although horrified by the deplorable ways in which psychiatric patients were treated in the last century, I was also inspired and uplifted by the triumphant power of the human spirit and people's capacity to love and nurture others. A heart-wrenching but ultimately heart-warming novel that acts as a great advocate for the humane treatment of mental illness. * Gill Thompson, bestselling author of THE OCEANS BETWEEN US *The Girl Behind the Gates is a powerful, emotional novel - harrowing in parts but always authentic and full of insights and compassion. It's an important reminder of the abuse suffered by unmarried mothers - and many young women generally - only a matter of decades ago - and a sobering account of the best and worst of human nature. I was moved to tears by the ending and will certainly not hesitate to recommend it. * Jill Childs, bestselling author of Gracie's Secret *A powerful story of trust, compassion, healing -- and the transforming power of love, that can give new life to a broken spirit. * Sharon Maas, bestselling author of THE VIOLIN MAKER'S DAUGHTER *I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Girl Behind the Gates. It's a powerful true story written with such a light but sure touch - hauntingly beautiful and wonderfully uplifting. * Karol Griffiths, Hollywood script consultant and author of THE ART OF SCRIPT EDITING *

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Book SynopsisA captivating debut about defying expectations, hilarious and hopeful in equal measureTrade Review'This fierce young woman's struggle for independence in a city that is way out of step with the time-honoured traditions of the rural village in which she grew up is vivid, witty and utterly absorbing.' Daily Mail'I love this book so much I turned the pages so fast... It's all about the search for independence and being true to yourself and who you really are.' Reese Witherspoon'Mesmerising... This is not a book to read with one eye on a beach volleyball tournament; it’s a story to soak up in silence, on a long, cloudy afternoon when you have time to think.' New York Times'With characters making questionable decisions and a rather brilliant ending, this is a good old-fashion book club read that'll leave you arguing about character motivations and morals.' Stylist'Bursting with warmth, humour and richly drawn characters you can’t help but root for.' Cosmopolitan'A story that kept me tied to the page, told in masterful, seamless prose... Medie depicts a vivid and dazzling Accra, and it's impossible not to root for Afi as she finds her footing within it.' BuzzFeed'A unique and unapologetic marriage story that shines with honesty, humanity, power and grace: once you pick this book up, you won't be able to put it down. Medie's urgent, intimate voice is exactly what the world needs right now.' Mathangi Subramanian, author of A People's History of Heaven'This rich, rewarding debut novel follows a Ghanaian seamstress — forced into an arranged marriage with a wealthy man she has never met — on her journey of self-discovery.' New York Times, Notable Books of 2020'A refreshingly modern Ghanaian love story.' Marie Claire'[A] witty riff on the Cinderella fairytale.' Sainsbury's Magazine'A young Ghanaian woman embarks on a questionable marriage in this entertaining comedy of manners.' i, '30 great books for Easter''Engaging, provocative... A memorable debut from a writer whose frustrations with certain aspects of the culture of her homeland come brilliantly to life.' Irish Times'If you are looking to escape to another country, take a trip to Ghana with His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie... Best of all it's all underpinned by a warm coming-of-age-tale mixed in with a subtle takedown of the patriarchy.' The Sunday Times (South Africa)

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Book SynopsisDelight the bookworm in your life with the gift of this hilarious and heartbreaking modern-day adaptation of Nancy Mitford''s classic, The Pursuit of Happiness.---Marooned in a sprawling farmhouse in Norfolk, teenage Linda Radlett feels herself destined for greater things. She longs for love, but how will she ever find it? She can''t even get a signal on her mobile phone. Linda''s strict, former rock star father terrifies any potential suitors away, while her bohemian mother, wafting around in silver jewellery, answers Linda''s urgent questions about love with upsettingly vivid allusions to animal husbandry.Eventually Linda does find her way out from the bosom of her deeply eccentric extended family, and she escapes to London. She knows she doesn''t want to marry ''a man who looks like a pudding'', as her good and dull sister Louisa has done, and marries the flashy, handsome son of a UKIP peer instead.But this is only the beginninTrade ReviewIt takes a brave author to attempt a contemporary reimagining of such a beloved novel. Luckily, India Knight [...] has courage and talent in spades ... It's beautifully and meticulously done, echoing the detail of the original plot as far as feasible, but with contemporary twists ... Knight is warmer than Mitford, and more comforting * Sunday Times *Fans of Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit Of Love will adore this brilliant contemporary take ... The writing is as sharp, the details as perfect, the jokes as funny as [the] original * Daily Mail *The delight is in the details. Knight's are bang on, and there's joy in spotting them ... There's heart as well as humour: it was, and remains, a sincere romance ... Pursuit of Love diehards can rest easy: your blood vessels are safe with this faithful, fiercely funny homage * Spectator *In less talented hands, Knight's retelling of this classic novel might have gone horribly wrong. But Darling is a treat, with whip-smart dialogue, larger-than- life characters, witty observations and a heart-breaking twist ... Fans will love Knight's clever re-imagining of this classic tale - and new readers will relish the chance to discover the glorious Radletts * Daily Express *What could have been a disaster - a modern reimagining of Nancy Mitford's superlative comedy of manners The Pursuit of Love - is an absolute triumph. Romantic, clever and oh-so funny * The i Paper, What We're Reading *A perfect comfort read: the kind of book you take into the bath and keep reading even when the water has gone cold, a one-sitting, dark-at-four joy ... Darling is a very human book, full of feelings and heartbreak and humour and joy -- Ella Risbridger * Guardian *Beguiling reimagining ... Spry and wry Darling is delicious * Mail on Sunday, Best New Fiction *[A] lively modern update of a passionately loved classic ... A sizzling modern-day comedy of manners. Plenty of Mitfordian wit but with Ukip peers and mobile phones * The Times, Best Fiction to Read This Autumn *I found myself tearing through, beguiled by Knight's faithful channelling of Radlett ways, wiles and speech patterns ... Reinventing anything so beloved is a formidable challenge, and Knight has risen to it admirably * The Bookseller *A modern retelling of Nancy Mitford's beloved The Pursuit of Love ... Knight nails the wit and satire * Grazia *Sheer brilliance. Darling is hilarious and heartbreaking and vivid and and clever and utterly compulsive - I absolutely loved it * Francesca Segal, author of Mother Ship *Total escapist bliss. A joyous updating of the Mitford classic. I loved every page * Sabine Durrant, author of Finders Keepers *A savagely funny, bracingly sad, dazzlingly clever reimagining of The Pursuit of Love. I loved it * Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss *A triumph! Brilliantly done, faithful but imaginative, tremendously romantic and very funny. Meeting the Radlett family again in the 21st century was an absolute a treat, rather like hearing a new arrangement of beloved old carol and hearing it anew, with trumpets * Nina Stibbe, author of Reasons to be Cheerful *Darling is a black forest gateau of a book: rich characters, sumptuous prose, delicious dialogue, and layered throughout with sharp wit and intelligence (which are even better than the cherry liqueur the gateau calls for). Somehow, India Knight's writing manages to be hilarious, melancholy, insightful, and romantic all at the same time. Treat yourself to this novel * Katherine Heiny, author of Early Morning Riser *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“If her opening salvo is any indication, Allen promises to show the relentlessness of the trauma Black women deal with every day leavened with the solidarity of friends who can relate.” — New York Times Book Review “Emotional, funny, and heartbreakingly real.” — Popsugar “It’s a good thing that this is only the first book of a trilogy, because after getting to know Tabitha, you won’t want to leave her at the end…Written intimately as if you’re peering into the mind of a close friend, this book is a true testament to the stresses on women today and how great girlfriends (and grandmothers) are often the key to our sanity.” — Good Morning America “Black Girls Must Die Exhausted encapsulates the infinite expectations and challenges thrown in the direction of Black women while also confronting the ways women are gaslit and thrown into impossible situations that they have no choice but to overcome. This is a novel about female friendship, the weight of the future, and learning to accept that you can want what you truly want.” — Shondaland “The first in a series of three novels that follow Los Angeles–based reporter Tabitha Walker. The thirtysomething journalist is forced to reevaluate her priorities when life laughs at the checklist she has devised for being a perfect adult. Readers will find themselves deeply invested in her relatable quest to become a mother before her biological clock runs out—and will recognize their own relationships in her enduring bonds with her homegirls.” — Essence “This contemporary first book of a series focusing on modern womanhood will appeal to many readers.” — Ms. Magazine “An impossible-to-put-down novel chronicling Tabitha Walker’s extremely relatable journey through relationships – with men, friends, family, and most importantly, herself. With finely-drawn characterizations and touching life lessons, Jayne Allen paints Tabitha’s “adulting” journey with heartbreaking, heartwarming strokes that stayed with me long after I’d finished reading. (On a personal note, as a Black woman who struggles with infertility, it’s so refreshing that Allen sheds a light on this rarely-told story.) Sign me up for the trilogy!” — Tia Williams, award-winning author of The Perfect Find and Seven Days in June “Black Girls Must Die Exhausted is a smart, sophisticated portrait of three very different women, united in both their struggles and their joy. Allen seamlessly blends sharp social commentary with a heartwarming story of friendship between irresistibly complex characters. A fresh, punch-packing debut from an author to watch!” — Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read "A a story for our times, dealing with urgent, important themes in an exhilaratingly entertaining way. Tabby, the gutsy heroine navigating her way through the challenges of life for a thirty-something, Black professional woman, is a wonderfully relatable character who had me rooting for her from the very first page. The choices Tabby has to make will resonate with anyone trying to stay true to themselves in balancing their personal and career aspirations. I was beguiled by the warmth and humanity that shine throughout the book, particularly in Tabby’s relationships with her beloved grandmother and her spirited friends. Jayne Allen has created a fresh, modern and uplifting book that left me wanting more. I adored it." — Sarah Haywood, New York Times bestselling author of The Cactus “Black Girls Must Die Exhausted follows the heartwarming journey of a young woman who is thrust out of survival mode and into living—really living. Love and magic jump off the pages, which are chock full of relatable moments that offer hope and encouragement along the way.” — Trisha R. Thomas, author of Nappily Ever After "Allen writes in a sharp, lively voice that is full of warmth and humor...Tabitha and her friends are well-drawn, and it is the dynamic between the protagonist and the women in her life that propels the story. Touching on issues of professional womanhood, race, and family, the author crafts a novel that is both timely and enjoyable." — Kirkus “A promising debut… Allen has the chops to become a terrific storyteller.” — Publishers Weekly “Allen's debut novel. . . captures the complexities of Black women coming into adulthood while learning to manage the disappointments and expectations placed on them by society.” — Booklist "Allen crafts an engaging and evenly plotted story of a woman who, after learning that she has only a limited window in which to have children, evaluates her relationships and personal aspirations....readers will readily connect with her search for fulfillment on her journey of self-discovery." — The BookLife Prize

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Book SynopsisWall Street Journal and New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s coming-of-age story is, according to Booklist, “a novel that, if it doesn’t cross entirely over into John Irving territory, certainly nestles in close to the border.” Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered, buoyed by his mother’s devout faith, his father’s practical wisdom, and his two other misfit friends. Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls. Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design—especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain, eyes closed, served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. This time, his eyes are wide open—bringing into clear view what changed him, defined him, and made him so afraid, until he can finally see what truly matters. Winner of Suspense Magazine’s Crimson Scribe Award.Trade ReviewA Suspense Magazine Crimson Scribe Award Winner A Goodreads Choice Award Semifinalist, Historical Fiction An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Literature & Fiction Category “This is the bestselling Dugoni’s masterpiece, the book by which his work, and that of others, will be measured for years to come.” —Providence Journal “Dugoni has produced a novel that, if it doesn’t cross entirely over into John Irving territory, certainly nestles in close to the border…Told in two separate time lines (Sam as a boy, and Sam as a man) that eventually come together, and written in a gentle, introspective yet dramatic style that is very different from that of Dugoni’s crime fiction, this is an inspirational story of a man who spends a lifetime getting to know himself.” —Booklist “Sam Hell is inspiring and aglow with the promise of redemption.” —Kirkus Reviews “Robert Dugoni has a rare and brilliant talent for infusing his characters with complex emotions. It is very hard not to ache for young Sam…Frankly, this might be the best book of the year.” —Bookreporter “Distinctly different in style from Dugoni’s typical fare, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, is a captivating and poignant journey of strength and the power of finding your true self. Without a doubt, this is Dugoni’s best yet.” —Suspense Magazine “Dugoni’s writing is compellingly quick, simple, and evocative; readers will immediately empathize with young Sam and will race to discover how his story ends. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is a heartwarming novel that celebrates overcoming the unfairnesses of life.” —Seattle Book Review Past Praise for Robert Dugoni: “Dugoni is a superb storyteller…” —Boston Globe “Dugoni has a gift for creating compelling characters and mysteries that seem straightforward, but his stories, like an onion, have many hidden layers.” —Associated Press

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Book SynopsisMahmoud's passion for his wife Fereiba, a schoolteacher, is greater than any love she's ever known. But their happy, middle-class world—a life of education, work, and comfort—implodes when their country is engulfed in war, and the Taliban rises to power.Mahmoud, a civil engineer, becomes a target of the new fundamentalist regime and is murdered. Forced to flee Kabul with her three children, Fereiba has one hope to survive: she must find a way to cross Europe and reach her sister's family in England. With forged papers and help from kind strangers they meet along the way, Fereiba make a dangerous crossing into Iran under cover of darkness. Exhausted and brokenhearted but undefeated, Fereiba manages to smuggle them as far as Greece. But in a busy market square, their fate takes a frightening turn when her teenage son, Saleem, becomes separated from the rest of the family.Faced with an impossible choice, Fereiba pushes on with her daughter and baby, while Saleem falls into the shadowy underground network of undocumented Afghans who haunt the streets of Europe's capitals. Across the continent Fereiba and Saleem struggle to reunite, and ultimately find a place where they can begin to reconstruct their lives.Trade Review"Expertly depicting the anxiety and excitement that accompanies a new life, Hashimi's gripping page-turner is perfect for book clubs." -- Library Journal (starred review) "A must-read saga about borders, barriers, and the resolve of one courageous mother fighting to cross over." -- O, the Oprah Magazine

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Book SynopsisWinston Graham was the author of more than forty novels, including The Walking Stick, Angell, Pearl and Little God, Stephanie and Tremor. His novels have been widely translated and his famous Poldark series has been developed into two television series shown in twenty-four countries. Many of Winston Graham's books have been filmed for the big screen, the most notable being Marnie, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Winston Graham was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 1983 was awarded the OBE. He died in July 2003.Trade ReviewRoss is one of literature's great heroes . . . [with] elements of Darcy, Heathcliff, Rhett Butler and Robin Hood -- Debbie HorsfieldFrom the incomparable Winston Graham . . . who has everything that everyone else has, then a whole lot more. * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'The best new writer of fiction in America. The best.' – John Irving'Outstanding' – John Boyne, The Irish Times'The best thing a reviewer can do when faced with a novel of this calibre and breadth is to urge you to read it for yourselves.' – The GuardianNathan Hill's brilliant debut, The Nix, journeys from the rural Midwest of the 1960s, to New York City during Occupy Wall Street; from Chicago in 1968, to wartime Norway: home of the mysterious Nix.Meet Samuel: stalled writer, bored teacher at a local college, obsessive player of online video games. He hasn't seen his mother, Faye, in decades, not since she abandoned her family when he was a boy. Now she has suddenly reappeared, having committed an absurd politically motivated crime that electrifies the nightly news, beguiles the Internet, and inflames a divided America.The media paints Faye as a radical hippie with a sordid past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother was an ordinary girl who married her high-school sweetheart. Which version of his mother is true? Two facts are certain: she's facing some serious charges, and she needs Samuel's help.As Samuel begins to excavate his mother's, and his country's, history, he will unexpectedly find that he has to rethink everything he ever knew about her - a woman with an epic story of her own, a story she has kept hidden from the world.Trade ReviewImpressive that a debutant, Nathan Hill, with his scintillating The Nix has given us a character who comes close to out-Trumping Trump . . . Just one of the many pleasures of this engaging story of a mother and son whose private travails become front-page news. -- New Year Highlights * Observer *Alarmingly good . . . both a Great American Novel as well as a great American novel... aches with all-new relevance. * Guardian *A superb debut novel . . . could well be the most ambitious novel of the year... It seems like Hill is a writer who can do pretty much what he wants. * Daily Telegraph *Compulsive and crazily entertaining -- Anthony Quinn * Observer *We're in the presence of a major new comic novelist . . . a brilliant, endearing writer . . . Readers . . . will be dazzled. * Washington Post *The best new writer of fiction in America. The best. -- John IrvingI got a big kick out of Nathan Hill's impressive first novel, The Nix (Picador), out in the UK next year. Hill's zeitgeisty portrayals of video game addiction and customer-oriented university education are brilliant. -- Lionel Shriver, 'Books of the Year 2016' * Observer *Wonderful. Everything that doesn't involve reading this book is a nuisance and a distraction. -- Sarah Jessica ParkerHill has so much talent to burn that he can pull off just about any style, imagine himself into any person and convincingly portray any place or time. The Nix is hugely entertaining and unfailingly smart, and the author seems incapable of writing a pedestrian sentence or spinning a boring story * New York Times Book Review *There is an accidental topicality in Hill's debut, about an estranged mother and son whose fates hinge on two mirror-image political events - the Democratic Convention of 1968 and the Republican Convention of 2004. But beyond that hook lies a high-risk, high-reward playfulness with structure and tone: comic set pieces, digressions into myth, and formal larks that call to mind Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Goon Squad. * New York Magazine *It broke my heart, this book. Time after time. It made me laugh just as often. I loved it on the first page as powerfully as I did on the last . . . Nathan Hill? . . . He's gonna be famous. -- National Public RadioThis is a book to get one excited not only about Hill and his future as a novelist, but also about the power of writing to blot out background-noise banality and vault us forward into the new and wondrous. * San Francisco Chronicle *Nathan Hill Is Compared to John Irving. Irving Compares Him to Dickens. * New York Times *Hill skillfully blends humor and darkness, imagery and observation. He also excels at describing technology, addition, cultural milestones, and childhood ordeals. Cameos by [the famous] add heart and perspective to this rich, lively take on American social conflict, real and invented, over the last half-century. * Publishers' Weekly, starred and boxed review *This guy has chops -- Jay McInerneyA great sprawling feast of a first novel . . . both darkly satirical and uproariously funny . . . Hill writes with an astonishingly sure hand for a young author . . . Let's just call him the real thing. * Newsday *Dazzling . . . rich and multilayered . . . the debut of an important new writer, able to variously make readers laugh out loud while providing a melancholy, resonant tale that argues "there is no greater ache than this: guilt and regret in equal measure." * USA Today *The Nix is a timely mass-media and political satire, a family saga and two bildungsromans rolled into one ? and, in each facet, Nathan Hill crafts a hilarious, observant, unputdownable tale. * Huffington Post *By turns, wickedly funny, shockingly wise, touching and thought-provoking . . . a rich buffet of a novel. * Toronto Star *A fantastic novel about love, betrayal, politics and pop culture - as good as the best Michael Chabon or Jonathan Franzen. * People *A stunning debut . . . the first book I’ve read in two decades that earns the title Great American Novel. -- Liesl Schillinger, 'What’s the Best Book, New or Old, You Read This Year?' * New York Times *Not only dramatising America’s great tussle between minority interests and Midwestern grievances, [The Nix] even features a rogue presidential candidate who talks about immigrants as though they are coyotes damaging crops . . . But it’s the human drama of a relationship between a son and his mother (too busy protesting in the Sixties to bring him up) that will keep you hooked while you think. * GQ *This self-assured, sprawling debut is about the relationship between a college professor and his mother. It's a dense, satirical piece of fiction which offers commentary on the American history and modern technology. This novel is more relevant than ever in these tech-crazed times of mass media and political turmoil. With J.J. Abrams adapting it for a miniseries starring none other than Meryl Streep, The Nix is definitely one of the highlights of 2017 * Wales Arts Review *I have not read anything like this since . . . Jonathan Franzen . . . Gripping and funny. * Evening Standard *My favourite novel of our solipsistic times is easily The Nix by Nathan Hill. Laura Pottsdam is a student caught plagiarising by her literature professor, the protagonist of the novel Samuel Andresen-Anderson. Pottsdam is the crushing embodiment of our Trumpian age... If his debut is anything to go by, Hill may well one day be seen as the Charles Dickens of our self-obsessed age. -- Will Storr * Guardian *To make sense of what is going on Portland, USA today, refer back to Nathan Hill’s The Nix - published four years ago. Hill captures the soul of the US through a handful of characters. He unlocks the code to the current state of the country - the hubris of polarisation; a way of life played as a zero-sum game . . .The Great American Novel is a myth, much like the baseball World Series, and is the myth that undermines the nation. There can, of course, be a North American great novel. The Nix certainly is that, and even better: it is a great novel. * Daily Maverick *

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis**BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime** ________________________ A JOYFUL 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF A COMING-OF-AGE CLASSIC ________________________ ‘There are few modern tales of first love and its disillusions that are as thoroughly realised, as brilliantly lewd, and as hilariously satisfying to men and women of all ages as this one’ - Rachel Cusk Eighteen-year-old Katherine - bright, stylish, frustratedly suburban - doesn't know how her life will change when the brilliant Jacob Goldman first offers her a place at university. When she enters the Goldmans' rambling bohemian home, presided over by the beatific matriarch Jane, she realises that Jacob and his family are everything she has been waiting for. But when a romantic entanglement ends in tears, Katherine is forced into exile from the family she loves most. And her journey back into the fold, after more than a decade away, will yield all kinds of delightful surprises... ________________________ ‘The perfect book’ - Meg Mason ‘The best possible company in this difficult world’ - Ann Patchett ‘A daisy bomb of joy’ - Maria Semple ‘Funny, charming, teeming with life, and real’ - Nick Hornby ‘I adored it … Redolent of classics like The Constant Nymph with both its true voice and wonderfully sage and sanguine heroine’ - Sophie Dahl ‘One of those books that when people have read it, they just push it into your hands silently: "You have to read this book, you will love this book." There’s no other book I love more’ - Caroline O'Donoghue, Sentimental Garbage ‘Reading it again is as comforting as eating toast and Marmite between clean, fresh sheets’ - Rachel Cooke, Sunday Times ‘Think Brideshead Revisited set in the 1970s, only sexier and much funnier. It kills me that I didn’t read it at university, when I really needed it’ - Meg Rosoff, New StatesmanTrade ReviewThe fiction equivalent of a brisk walk followed by a hot buttered crumpet: fresh, invigorating, comforting and heartening * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Few writers give more pleasure and joy to their readers. Trapido has such a gift for seeing the world’s weight so clearly and writing about it so lightly -- KAMILA SHAMSIEIt is the perfect book. Beautiful, heartbreaking, funny, and utterly ageless. The first time I read it, I knew within pages that Brother of the More Famous Jack was going to become my favourite novel. The second time, that this brilliant, funny, intensely moving work is everything I aspire to as a writer. Every reading since, that devotion to Barbara Trapido is my only true requisite in a friend -- MEG MASONCan we talk about Barbara Trapido? I love those books so much … So charming, they’re absolutely gorgeous. For me, reading Barbara Trapido is like entering a entirely different world … I’d recommend everyone read Brother of the More Famous Jack -- MARIAN KEYESStill as fresh and funny after all those years; the perfect coming-of-age novel -- CLARE CHAMBERSWhy did it take me so long to discover the singular joys of Barbara Trapido's novels? Why, for so many years, had I missed these witty, soulful, heartbreaking, expansive, brilliant tales? What have I been wasting my time doing? Reading books that AREN'T perfect? Never again! -- ELIZABETH GILBERTI am wildly jealous of anyone who hasn’t yet read Barbara Trapido. They have yet to discover the joy of her often hilarious and always profound world; they are about to meet her intricate cast of recurring characters; they will soon have those glorious moments of Trapidean epiphany when they realise – oh! – the boy in this book is the child of a woman in that book. There is no-one like Barbara. Buy all her books, quick, and then sit back, crack the spines, and prepare to marvel -- MAGGIE O'FARRELLBrother of the More Famous Jack is the book we need right now: smart, funny, honest, painful and true. It is the best possible company as we make our way through this difficult world. I love it -- ANN PATCHETTA moving, intense, earthy and witty book, both illuminating and extraordinary as a first novel * THE TIMES *She is a writer I feel genuinely evangelical about, and I think she's criminally underread. I'd honestly go to Speaker's Corner and stand on a box and read out passages from Brother of the More Famous Jack, such is my love for it -- DAISY BUCHANANThe exuberance, the humour, the gritty toughness and the sadness ... I really love the way she writes -- MIRIAM TOEWSI adored Brother of the More Famous Jack. It is redolent of classics like The Constant Nymph with both its true voice and wonderfully sage and sanguine heroine -- SOPHIE DAHLBrother of the More Famous Jack is one of the funniest, warmest, sexiest, sharpest novels I’ve ever read. I must have read it a dozen times: I turn to it whenever the world seems drear, for it has such light and such joy in it -- KATHERINE RUNDELLIts high spirits are irresistible … the heroine is unstoppable * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Perfect characters and dialogue - the most satisfying book I've ever read * RED *A story, like Mansfield Park, of falling in love with a whole family -- A N WILSON * SPECTATOR *The style is hectic and passionate, the jokes thick and fast, the emotions full and right, the humanity total and engulfing ... a first fruit to savour and exalt * THE TIMES *A very funny book ... A complex and highly polished work ... Barbara Trapido has that rare ability to make her characters respond to small misfortunes and irritations exactly as people do * NEW YORK TIMES *I've given ... Brother of the More Famous Jack to dozens of people, and like me, they fall rapturously in love with Trapido's breezy, raunchy and unsentimental style -- MARIA SEMPLE * NEW YORK TIMES *A sort of bohemian Brideshead Revisited * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Very funny, very English, very sad * DAILY TELEGRAPH *A highly promising debut – fast, inventive, funny * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *This is a first novel ... but if established writers could get this good on the seventh try, readers would be the richer for it ... What a lovely novel – charming, intelligent and a happy ending too. Barbara Trapido, where have you been? * USA TODAY *If you've been looking for a modern love story that shines with off-beat charm and sprightly intelligence – not to mention elegance of style – take heart ... This brief account cannot do justice to the wry, civilized tone and understated wit that lights up Trapido’s writing * SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE *A pleasure … full of excellent things, enormously exuberant, carried along for the most part on vivid dialogue for which Ms Trapido has an uncannily perceptive ear * EVENING STANDARD *

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Book SynopsisThe hand of friendship can span a thousand milesPakistanAmong the almond orchards of the Swat Valley, Zamir tends goats with his son, Raza. He must make a heartbreaking decision if he is to protect his youngest child from the Taliban.AfghanistanOn a military base in Lashkar Gah, Ben lives on edge, wondering if his family will be the next to receive life-changing news from the front line.CornwallAnd in a ramshackle house on the Cornish coast, Ben's mother Delphi, an artist, offers a refuge to her grandson Finn, as he retreats from the changes he senses in his family.When Raza and Finn, two boys from impossibly different worlds, meet, they are united by their loneliness. But will their unexpected bond be enough to save not just each other, but also their families, just as all their lives are about to change forever?'At once heartbreaking and uplifting, and its focus on the themes of war and loss, love and friendship across cultures is both topical and timeless: a powerful story from a wrTrade Review Praise for Sara MacDonald: ‘A beautifully crafted novel of family ties and wartime secrets with delicate layers of emotion’ Inside Cornwall ‘Vividly drawn characters . . . Thoughtful and compelling storytelling’ Choice 'Intriguing themes are cleverly woven together . . . I found myself swept along by the sheer interest of every page . . . it grips to the end' Country Life ‘A great read, a moving story of family history, love, deception, passion and heartbreak’ Cornwall Today ‘A compelling story from a talented writer’ Belfast Telegraph

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Book SynopsisI gobbled it up in two sittings, quickly turning pages to see what would happen next. The windswept, desolate setting, cold, gloomy manor house and dark characters created the perfect stormy day read And did I mention the twists? Oh my goodness!' NetGalley reviewer, ?????When a young widow's little girl vanishes, could a dark family secret hold the answer?On the death of her aunt Gwyn, Lowri returns once more to Gwyn's home on the remote island of Anglesey, Wales, with her young daughter Ruby in tow. Lowri hadn't seen her aunt in years, but this beautiful island offers a fresh start.Yet right away, strange things begin to happen. Ruby insists an old woman is visiting her when no one else is watching, and a tattered old doll keeps being left for Ruby to find.Then Ruby goes missing. Desperately seeking answers no one seems to have, Lowri looks to her dark family past for clues. But the secrets she uncovers suggest that Ruby is not the only one in danger, and time is running out for both of themA terrifically dark and twisty tale that asks: can you ever really trust those closest to you? Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Cass Green and C.J. Tudor.Readers are gripped by The Last House on the Cliff: I absolutely loved [this], I loved the chills it gave me, especially reading it in the dark!' @Rubiereads, ?????Wonderful and captivatingI loved how the story unfolded with so many twists and turns and family secrets you could never imagine. Heart wrenching and heart breaking at times. It was utterly compelling and a real page turner.' NetGalley reviewer, ?????I loved this! Super suspenseful had me turning pages late through the night because I could not put it down until I had worked out all the twists Five stars.' NetGalley reviewer, ?????Such a tense and atmospheric read This was gripping right from the first page and I could not put it down, twisty and unpredictable.' NetGalley reviewer, ?????Gave me goosebumps the entire time the twists in the novel made it one of my fastest reads of the year. The family dynamics were so complicated, I had no idea who to trust.'NetGalley reviewer, ?????Trade ReviewReaders love Anne Wyn Clark ‘Creepy, claustrophobic and compelling! A beautifully written thriller that kept me glued to my Kindle’ Miranda Rijks, author of The Visitors ‘Haunting psychological suspense… Will send shivers down your spine’ Alice Hunter, author of The Serial Killer’s Wife “Whisper Cottage was a dark and atmospheric thriller that pulled me in from the very first page.” Stephanie DeCarolis, author of The Guilty Husband 'Chilling and wonderfully atmospheric, with an ending that took me surprise – I couldn’t put it down' Amanda Brittany, author of Her Last Lie

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Book SynopsisSarah creates such a sizzling dynamic on the page . . . I can''t recommend this book and author enough. You won''t regret it!' Reader review ?????A fabulously delightful book . . . Highly recommended! A brilliant read' Reader review ?????Full of wonderful emotion, true love, children and the compulsory canine friend' Reader review ?????Loved every word! Sarah Morgan knows how to build a world that totally captivates you' Reader review ?????It has it all, loveable characters, a gripping storyline and the gorgeous setting of Puffin Island . . . First time in forever is a definite must read!' Reader review ?????* * *Happily-Ever-After isn't on Emily Donovan's agendaEmily's been too swept up in a challenging year of firsts, from becoming a stand-in mum to her niece Lizzy to moving to remote but beautiful Puffin Island, to think about love.But that's before charismatic local yacht club owner Ryan Cooper kisses herRyan knows Emily has a complicated past that she's struggling to face. So he makes it his mission to help her unwind and enjoy the chemistry they share.Can the welcoming community of Puffin Island work their magic on Emily and get her to take her biggest leap of trust yet putting her heart in someone else's hands?Fall in love with the Puffin Island series from the number one Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Morgan. Perfect if you love: ??Small town romance??Single parent romance??Found family* * *Praise for Sarah MorganI love Sarah's novels because they are a burst of pure happiness' Cathy KellySarah Morgan has the ultimate golden touch for me no other author makes me lose myself in a world like she does' Laura Jane WilliamsSarah's writing speaks straight to my heart' Cathy Bramley

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Book SynopsisNow a major new Netflix film from Noah Baumbach, starring Adam Driver and Greta GerwigHow strange it is. We have these deep terrible lingering fears about ourselves and the people we love. Yet we walk around, talk to people, eat and drink. We manage to function. The feelings are deep and real. Shouldn’t they paralyze us?Jack Gladney is the creator and chairman of Hitler studies at the College-on-the-Hill. This is the story of his absurd life; a life that is going well enough, until a chemical spill from a train carriage releases an ‘Airborne Toxic Event’ and Jack is forced to confront his biggest fear – his own mortality.White Noise is an effortless combination of social satire and metaphysical dilemma in which Don DeLillo exposes our rampant consumerism, media saturation and novelty intellectualism. It captures the particular strangeness of life lived when the fear of death cannot be denied, repressed or obscured and ponders the role of the family in a time when the very meaning of our existence is under threat.‘America’s greatest living writer.’ – ObserverPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.Trade ReviewAmerica's greatest living writer. * Observer *An extraordinarily funny book on a serious subject, effortlessly combining social comedy, disaster, fiction and philosophy . . . hilariously, and grimly, successful. * Daily Telegraph *An astonishing novel . . . unforgettable . . . nearly every page crackles with memorable moments and perfectly turned phrases . . . dizzying, darkly beautiful fiction. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisA no.1 Kindle and Apple and top three Sunday Times bestseller. ‘Christmas isn't Christmas without a Sarah Morgan novel to inhale…A feel-good family saga with characters that leap off the page – just perfection’ Laura Jane Williams, bestselling author of Our Stop ‘Feel-good festive family saga’ Daily Record * * * * Gayle is a highly successful and motivated business woman, but her success has come at a price – she hasn’t spoken to her daughters, Ella and Samantha, for years. But when Gayle has an accident at work, she realises she needs to make amends with her family. And so she invites herself to join Ella and Samantha for their Christmas in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. The sisters are none too pleased that their mother has inserted herself into their Christmas plans. They have each other – and don’t need their mother back in their lives. Or so they think… As they embark on their first family Christmas together in years, will the three women learn that sometimes facing up to a few home truths is all you need to heal your heart? * * * * What readers are saying about One More for Christmas: ‘For me, Christmas is a Sarah Morgan book with candle light and a cosy blanket. Just perfect.’ ‘I loved this book, full of drama, humour, emotional fireworks and hot romance all wrapped up in the kind of charming Christmas package that Morgan specialises in.’ ‘Sarah has a knack for Christmas novels and this one is up there with her greatest. Perfect read for these cold nights. [Her] books grab you instantly and keep you hooked till the end, leaving us always wanting more.’ ‘Yet again, Sarah Morgan filled me with Christmas joy . . . I didn't want the book to end.’Trade Review Praise for One More for Christmas ‘Christmas isn't Christmas without a Sarah Morgan novel to inhale…A feel-good family saga with characters that leap off the page – just perfection’ Laura Jane Williams, bestselling author of Our Stop ‘Feel-good festive family saga’ Daily Record Praise for Sarah Morgan ‘Comfort reading at its best, all wrapped up in a tartan ribbon. Sarah Morgan will make your Christmas!’ Veronica Henry, Sunday Times bestselling author ‘Joyful, uplifting and overflowing with love. Sarah’s writing speaks straight to my heart’ Cathy Bramley, Sunday Times bestselling author ‘I adored it! I felt every character’s pain, hope, and reluctant vulnerability … Sarah Morgan is a master storyteller’ Laura Jane Williams, bestselling author of Our Stop ‘A sparkling tale of acceptance and love’ Woman’s Weekly ‘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! ‘A sparkling winter romance with a lively family at the centre of it all’ Woman

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestselling debut novel from global star Millie Bobby BrownLove blooms in the darkest daysLondon, 1942. Despite the raging war, spirited 18-year-old Nellie Morris lives a quiet life in the tight-knit East End community of Bethnal Green. Her family and friends all tease that she will marry air raid warden Billy, the boy next door who's always been sweet on her.The arrival of Ray, a handsome American airman stationed nearby, causes Nellie to question everything she thought she knew about her future.Nellie's new-found happiness is short-lived when a tragic accident occurs during an air raid. Even the closest family can't escape the devastation of war, and as the secrets and truth about that fateful night become clear, they threaten to tear Nellie and those dearest to her apart.'There is no healing without remembering, and there is no remembering without stories. So thank goodness Brown's Nanny Ruth, who was a survivor of the crush, told her granddaughter what she remembTrade Review Inspired by the true events of her family history, Millie Bobby Brown’s dazzling debut novel is a moving tale of longing, loss and secrets, and the lengths that we will go to fight for love. ’There is no healing without remembering, and there is no remembering without stories. So thank goodness Brown’s Nanny Ruth, who was a survivor of the crush, told her granddaughter what she remembered. . .You might open Nineteen Steps for the celebrity name, but stick with it for the history of an under-recognized event of World War II.’ New York Times ‘This novel will make you swoon, laugh, and even cry, because some parts are truly devastating, especially when you remember it's based on true events. . .It’s thought-provoking and easy to read – one to pop on your cosy autumn TBR pile.’ Daily Mirror ‘Millie Bobby Brown’s debut novel beautifully portrays her grandmother’s experience. . .[and] shrewdly portrays the difficult history of a tragedy that is often overlooked.’ The i Paper ‘A dazzling debut.’ Woman’s Own ‘A brilliant debut novel inspired by the true events of Millie Bobby Brown’s family history.’ Closer

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Book Synopsis'Feel good stories to curl up with over Christmas . . . Escapist romance at its best' – Heat Magazine Set in a snow-covered Cotswolds village, The Christmas Postcards is a cosy, escapist festive delight about distant connections from Sunday Times bestselling author of The Stolen Hours, Karen Swan.'A romance you won’t be able to put down' – MetroThe right words can change everything . . .It had been a make-or-break winter holiday for their marriage, but Natasha and Rob’s rekindled romance is short-lived when their daughter’s beloved soft toy disappears on the journey home. As Natasha comforts her distraught child, she turns to social media for help. Miraculously, the toy is found, but it has become the lucky mascot of a man named Duffy, who is thousands of miles away trekking in Nepal.When Duffy promises to keep Natasha updated with pictures, a correspondence begins that soon becomes more meaningful. Sometimes, Natasha feels this stranger half way across the world understands her more than the man lying next to her.But as the weeks pass and Duffy heads deeper into the mountains, Natasha notices a change in him. Then, one day, the messages stop. Too late, Natasha wonders why he had ever needed a lucky mascot at all . . .'The queen of destination fiction' – Woman & HomeReaders are falling in love with The Christmas Postcards . . .'I was enthralled from the first pages' – 5* reader review'Definitely my favourite Karen Swan book so far' – 5* reader review'The story gripped me right from the start and still hasn't let me go' – 5* reader review'I read this in two sittings, I literally didn't want to put the book down' – 5* reader review'Addictive reading' – 5* reader reviewTrade ReviewA well-crafted journey, this read details the intricacies of complicated romance and allows you to fall into its pages with delicious escapism -- Northern LifeIt’s a romance you won’t be able to put down, which blossoms by happenstance. * Metro *Escapist romance at its best * Heat Magazine *From first page to last, this is a captivating and sometimes heartbreaking wintertime odyssey filled with tears, laughter, a dazzling array of superbly portrayed characters, page-turning suspense, and unexpected twists and turns. Sprinkled throughout with Swan’s trademark insight, natural warmth and eye for comedy, this is the perfect reading warm-up for the Christmas season. * Lancaster Post *The queen of destination fiction * Woman & Home *

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Book Synopsis ***WINNER OF THE 2023 CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY***''Sophie Hannah, who can twist a conventional plot until it screams for mercy, puts an existential spin on the domestic-suspense novel'' New York Times''Fiendishly clever'' Daily Mail ''Complex and sinister'' Observer ''A literary high-wire artist'' Sunday Express ''Prepare for sleep deprivation!'' RedAll Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home.Just because she knows that her former best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn''t mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn''t seen Flora Braid for twelve years.But she can''t resist. She parks outside Flora''s house and watches from across the road Trade ReviewPraise for HAVEN'T THEY GROWN * : *From the impossible premise to its chilling conclusion, Haven't They Grown is a masterpiece in plotting. Hannah's writing is darkly funny and brilliantly observed - I adore her books. * Clare Mackintosh *SO clever, so gripping: Hannah asks her readers an impossible question and answers it with style. I tore through Haven't They Grown. Brilliant characters and a corker of an ending. Bravo! * Gillian McAllister *Ingenious... delivers twists and turns at every corner * Heat *The twists and turns in this weird psychological thriller are entertaining and a bit creepy at times. You'll finish this book wondering what the hell just happened!...an entertaining read that I would highly recommend * My Weekly *Hannah is in a league of her own... this twist-packed, always surprising thriller will keep you gripped to the satisfying conclusion * Peterborough Telegraph *Hannah is one of our most courageous crime writers, a literary high-wire artist who sets herself the toughest of challenges in inventing inexplicable mysteries that she must create plausible solutions for... she pulls it off beautifully * Sunday Express S Magazine *Hannah has always excelled at the knotty, impossible twist and Haven't They Grown is as complex and sinister as ever * The Observer, Thrillers of the Month review *If you like your mysteries extremely twisty, this could be for you * Women's Weekly *With it's jaw-dropping hook, twisting plot and ingenious conclusion, Haven't They Grown, is a galloping read that will have you rattling through the pages, desperate to solve the mysterious puzzle at its heart * The Herald *Engaging and dynamic...an interesting story that leads to a dramatic face off * Daily Record *Hannah is becoming something of a national treasure... rich and nuanced * The Financial Times *fiendishly clever * Daily Mail *Prepare for sleep deprivation! * Red *Sophie Hannah, who can twist a conventional plot until it screams for mercy, puts an existential spin on the domestic-suspense novel * New York Times *Hannah is becoming something of a national treasure in the UK . . . The plotting here is more outrageous than usual for Hannah, and might even stretch the reader's ability to suspend disbelief. But few will complain, given her customary rich and nuanced characterisation. -- Barry Forshaw * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisA beguiling novel about three women struggling to determine their own lives in contemporary Tokyo.'Breathtaking' – Haruki Murakami author of Norwegian WoodA New York Times 'Notable Book of the Year' and one of Elena Ferrante's 'Top 40 Books by Female Authors'. Shortlisted for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.On a hot summer’s day in a poor suburb of Tokyo we meet three women: thirty-year-old Natsuko, her older sister Makiko, and Makiko’s teenage daughter Midoriko. Makiko, an ageing hostess despairing the loss of her looks, has travelled to Tokyo in search of breast enhancement surgery. She's accompanied by her daughter, who has recently stopped speaking, finding herself unable to deal with her own changing body and her mother’s self-obsession. Her silence dominates Natsuko’s rundown apartment, providing a catalyst for each woman to grapple with their own anxieties and their relationships with one another.Eight years later, we meet Natsuko again. She is now a writer and finds herself on a journey back to her native city, returning to memories of that summer and her family’s past as she faces her own uncertain future.In Breasts and Eggs Mieko Kawakami paints a radical and intimate portrait of contemporary working class womanhood in Japan, recounting the heartbreaking journeys of three women in a society where the odds are stacked against them. Translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd.'Bold, modern and surprising' – An Yu, author of Braised Pork'Incredible and propulsive' – Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting TimesTrade ReviewI can never forget the sense of pure astonishment I felt when I first read Mieko Kawakami’s novella Breasts and Eggs . . . breathtaking . . . Mieko Kawakami is always ceaselessly growing and evolving -- Haruki MurakamiIncredible -- Yoko Ogawa, author of The Memory PoliceBreasts and Eggs, which caused a small sensation upon its publication in the UK and US last year, was a fierce yet thoughtful tale of working-class womanhood * New Statesman *Bold, modern, and surprising -- An Yu, author of Braised PorkIt is Tokyo as it is lived in, not a film set * New York Times *If you like Sheila Heti, you'll love Mieko Kawakami * NPR *A dazzling intellectual thriller by a new Japanese literary star . . . stunning * Financial Times *Breasts and Eggs is stunning - its rage, wry humour and nihilism rendered with real care. -- Olivia Sudjic, author of SympathyIncredible and propulsive -- Naoise DolanFierce and sweet and I would like the rest of Kawakami’s work translated, please -- Sarah Moss, author of Summerwater, in The TimesMieko Kawakami is a writer of rare candour and brilliance -- Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry PaulAlready a literary sensation . . . Kawakami writes with unsettling precision about the body — its discomforts, its appetites, its smells and secretions. -- Katie Kitamura * New York Times *An original and deeply moving novel—that is by turns hilarious, sexy, devastating, and always unforgettable. Breasts and Eggs crackles with provocative insights into the passage of time, friendship, money, and the pleasures and pains of living in a body. -- Laura van den Berg, author of The Third HotelOne of Japan’s brightest stars is set to explode across the global skies of literature . . . Kawakami is both a writer’s writer and an entertainer, a thinker and constantly evolving stylist who manages to be highly readable and immensely popular. * Japan Times *Mieko Kawakami lobbed a literary grenade into the fusty, male-dominated world of Japanese fiction with 'Chichi to Ran'('Breasts and Eggs') * Economist *Kawakami is emerging as one of Japan’s most prominent young literary voices, with thoughtfulness and eccentricity at the heart of her prose * Culture Trip *So finely crafted, every few lines could be a haiku, and you almost forget how difficult it must have been to create something so perfectly simple. And when you notice the clarity, meditativeness, eccentricity, quirk and wit in her writing, you immediately understand how Murakami could be inspired by a writer like this -- Praise for Ms Ice Cream Sandwich * Ladies Finger *The novel details the lives of three women: the 30-year-old unmarried narrator, her older sister Makiko, who’s obsessed with getting breast implants and her daughter, Midoriko. With humour and compassion, Kawakami explores female oppression in Japan, reproduction rights and motherhood * Now Magazine *Originally published in Mieko Kawakami’s native Japanese, the author’s stellar 2008 novel Breast and Eggs is being translated to English for the first time ever this month, opening her bold writing up to a wider audience * Dazed and Confused *

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Book SynopsisPlayful, moving and wholly remarkable' GuardianA small miracle' New StatesmanMastery of craft, resonance and deep feeling on every page' TelegraphAn introspective young boy, Joseph Coppock squints at the world with his lazy eye. Living alone in an old house, he reads comics, collects birds' eggs and plays with his marbles. When, one day, a rag-and-bone man called Treacle Walker appears, exchanging an empty jar of a cure-all medicine and a donkey stone for a pair of Joseph''s pyjamas and a lamb''s shoulder blade, a mysterious friendship develops between them.A fusion of myth, magic and the stories we make for ourselves, Treacle Walker is an extraordinary novel from one of our greatest living writers.All the exuberance and eccentricity, all the deep thought and resounding mythology of [Garner's] best work' ObserverSpare and allusive luminous and understated' Rowan Williams, New StatesmanCryptic, evocative, sparely told and deceptively simple' Carolyne Larrington, TLSA NEW STATESMAN BOOK Trade Review‘Treacle Walker is a small miracle’ New Statesman Best Books of 2021 ‘Remarkable … there’s mastery of craft, resonance and deep feeling on every one of these 150 pages.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Spare and allusive … luminous and understated. It’s about seeing and healing; any more by way of summary would be useless’ Rowan Williams, New Statesman ‘It’s a strange, austere, uncompromising book, leagues ahead of anything else I’ve read this year’ Peter Thonemann, TLS ‘This seemingly brief tale is a hypnotic wonder, blurring the boundaries of time and spirit… A glorious wonder in its own right. Here is real magic between hard covers’ Erica Wagner, New Statesman ‘Treacle Walker is a circular narrative, made of smaller interlocking circles, with actions and whole paragraphs repeating: in its end is its beginning. This late fiction also works the seam opened up in Garner’s very first novel, inspired by the story handed down to his grandfather about enchanted sleepers under Alderley Edge … Playful, moving and wholly remarkable work … There’s a life’s work inside this little book’ Guardian ‘Sparse yet masterful… This is a mesmerising folktale where every word counts’ Literary Review ‘Garner has always suggested that there is essentially just one story, and this novel … contains all the exuberance and eccentricity, all the deep thought and resounding mythology of his best work … cramming in … more ideas and imagination than most authors manage in their whole careers’ Observer

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Book SynopsisA classic tale about finding the man of your dreams right under your nose.Ex-model Zoe Fleming is now a hardworking single mom - and she wouldn''t have it any other way, though she would like a tenant to share household expenses. What she gets is confirmed bachelor J. Cooper McKinnon. Coop quickly befriends her son and in no time has the reluctant Zoe charmed, too. But she has zero room in her life for a man. Could this be a recipe for disaster, or the best mistake she''s ever made?This is a first-time regular print hardcover edition of a title previously available as a mass market paperback.

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Book SynopsisA HEART-BREAKING, HOPEFUL NOVEL FROM THE MASTER STORYTELLER WHOSE BOOKS HAVE TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF OVER 40 MILLION READERS''Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary'' Cecilia Ahern__________As a child, Charley Benetto was told by his father, ''You can be a mama''s boy or a daddy''s boy, but you can''t be both.'' So he chooses his father, only to see him disappear when Charley is on the verge of adolescence.Decades later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been destroyed by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. When he discovers that he won''t be invited to his only daughter''s wedding he realises he has hit rock bottom.Charley makes a midnight ride to his small hometown; his final journey before he ends his life. But as he staggers into his old house, he makes an astonishing discovery. His mother - who died eight years earlier - is there to welcome Charley home. What follows is the one seemingly ordinary Trade ReviewMitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary -- Cecilia AhernPowerful . . . Albom has touched the lives of a lot of people he never even knew * Time *Compelling and uplifting * Independent *A writer with soul * Los Angeles Times *Albom breaks hearts with his stories * Mirror *Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary * Cecilia Ahern *Mitch Albom, in this new book, once again demonstrates why he is one of my favourite writers . . . FOR ONE MORE DAY will make you smile. It will make you wistful. It will make you blink back tears of nostalgia * James McBride, author of THE COLOR OF WATER *Another very touching page-turner * STAR magazine *A warm and tender tale * IRISH EVENING HERALD *

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Book SynopsisSunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Cathy Glass returns with her first novel. The Girl in the Mirror is a moving and gripping story of a young woman who tries to piece together her past and uncovers a dreadful family secret that has been buried and forgotten.When Mandy learns her much-loved Grandpa is dying, she is devasted and returns to the house where she spent so many wonderful summers as a child. But the childhood visits ended abruptly and those happy days are now long gone. Having lost touch with the rest of her family, Mandy returns as a virtual stranger to her aunt''s house to nurse her grandfather.Mandy hardly recognises the house that she loved so much as a child and it is almost as though her mind has blanked it out. But as certain memories come back to her, Mandy begins to piece together the events that brought a sudden end to her visits that fateful summer. What she discovers is so painful and shocking that she understands why it was buried and never spoken

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERThis is Pride and Prejudice 2.0 and I must confess, I liked it more than the original' STYLISTBold and brilliant' GLAMOUR''Sheer joy Giddy and glam and a hearty update of Pride and Prejudice' JESSIE BURTON, author of The MiniaturistLiz and Jane Bennet are good daughters. They've come home to suburban Cincinnati to get their mother to stop feeding their father steak as he recovers from heart surgery, to tidy up the crumbling Tudor-style family home, and to wrench their three sisters from their various states of arrested development.Once they are under the same roof, old patterns return fast. Soon they are being berated for their single status and for two successful women in their late thirties, it really is too much to bear. That is, until the Lucas family's BBQ throws them in the way of some eligible single men . . .In this dazzling, heart-warming read, the much-loved classic Pride and Prejudice is catapulted into our modern world, singing out with hilarityTrade ReviewPraise for ELIGIBLE: ‘A masterpiece … I found Eligible so relevant and relatable. Whether or not you’re an Austen fan, you’ll adore this version: This is Pride and Prejudice 2.0 and I must confess, I liked it more than the original. There I said it’ Stylist ‘These days, if Curtis Sittenfeld writes it, I read it’ Judy Blume ‘If there exists a more perfect pairing than Curtis Sittenfeld and Jane Austen, we dare you to find it’ Elle ‘Bold and brilliant … Sittenfeld’s prose is so witty and sparkling that she keeps you entranced from first page to last’’ Glamour ‘Eligible has all the charm, wit and romance of Pride & Prejudice and also takes these characters who are such a stalwart feature of our literary landscape and treats them with such affection and humour, that I defy anyone not to find Eligible an absolute delight’ Red ‘Dazzling’ Woman and Home ‘Fizzy’ and ‘Funny’ Psychologies ‘Such a feast of a book’ Nigella Lawson ‘Three cheers for Curtis Sittenfeld and her astute, sharp and ebullient anthropological interest in the human condition… not since “Clueless,” which transported Emma to Beverly Hills, has Austen been so delightedly interpreted’ The New York Times ‘An enjoyably light-hearted romp’ Financial Times ‘Hilarious and endearing family drama’ Kirkus Reviews ‘Effortlessly entertaining and delightfully readable’ National ‘A delightful romp for not only Austen devotees but also lovers of romantic comedies and sly satire, as well . . . Bestselling Sittenfeld plus Jane Austen? What more could mainstream fiction readers ask for?’ Booklist ‘Sittenfeld adeptly updates and channels Austen’s narrative voice—the book is full of smart observations on gender and money. . . . A clever retelling of an old-fashioned favourite’ Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisBorn and brought up of Indian parents in Ethiopia, Abraham Verghese qualified as a doctor in Madras and is currently professor of medicine at Stanford University, California. He is the author of My Own Country, an NBCC finalist made into a film directed by Mira Nair, and The Tennis Partner, a New York Times Notable Book. His essays and stories have appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Esquire, Granta, New York Times Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in Palo Alto, California.Trade ReviewThis huge, rich, ambitious tapestry of a novel makes insomnia a pleasure...tremendous * The Times *There is a gravity and beauty in his writing that sets it apart from much contemporary fiction * Daily Telegraph *Tremendous, compassionate, exuberant * Independent *The reader feels there really is something at stake - birth, love, death, war, loyalty * Guardian *Tremendousm compassionate, exuberant -- Michael Bywater * Independent *

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Book SynopsisFor seven-year-old Bertie Pollock, life in Edinburgh''s most celebrated fictional street has just got immeasurably better. The enforced absence of his endlessly pushy mother Irene - currently consciousness-raising in a Bedouin harem (don''t ask) - has manifold and immediate blessings: no psychotherapy, no Italian lessons and no yoga classes. Bliss.For Scotland Street''s grown-ups, life throws up some new dilemmas. Matthew makes a discovery that could make him even richer but also leaves him worried. Pat makes one that could make her poorer and her father miserable - unless that uber-narcissist, Bruce, can help her out. And the Duke of Johannesburg, we discover, isn''t exactly who he says he is.From what happens behind Edinburgh Airport''s luggage carousel to Machiavellian manoeuvrings at the Association of Scottish Nudists, Alexander McCall Smith guides us through the brighter, lighter and frankly unexpected side of Edinburgh life. As ever with his 44 Scotland Str

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Book SynopsisDiscover Mann's Nobel Prizewinning semi-autobiographical and sweeping family epic.The Buddenbrook clan is everything you'd expect of a nineteenth-century German merchant family - wealthy, esteemed, established.Trade ReviewPerhaps the first great novel of the 20th century * New York Times *A simple but magnificent proof of genius. A first novel by a 25-year-old with absolute command of his craft, uncanny knowledge of his world, its past and present, and a daring originality which makes its last pages among the most startlingly moving I know -- Alan Hollinghurst * New York Times *One of the best novels of the 20th century * Guardian *That definitive epic of German family life * Irish Times *His masterpiece * Los Angeles Times *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHORLose yourself in the sun-drenched hills of the Amalfi coast with bestselling author of Songs of Love and War, Santa Montefiore...Gianluca has to admit his life is empty so, in search of serenity and a deeper purpose to his existence, he flees to Italy, to the magical Palazzo Montelimone, lovingly restored by his parents, to assess his future.But life on the sun-drenched Amalfi coast is not as peaceful as Luca anticipates. The palazzo is filled with his mother's eccentric friends and haunted by the ghosts of its murderous past.He meets a woman whose dark eyes are heavy with sorrow and a solemn little boy with an incredible secret.As he begins to unravel a mystery that has its roots in a long-ago act of violence, Luca is forced to face his greatest fear in exchange for the greatest truth.***PRAISE FOR SANTA MONTEFIORE*** &lsqu

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR TV SERIES STARRING JEFF DANIELS AND MAURA TIERNEY An American voice reminiscent of Steinbeck – a debut novel on friendship, loyalty, and love, centering on a murder in a dying Pennsylvania steel town, from the bestselling author of THE SON.Isaac is the smartest kid in town, left behind to care for his sick father after his mother dies by suicide and his sister Lee moves away. Now Isaac wants out too. Not even his best friend, Billy Poe, can stand in his way: broad-shouldered Billy, always ready for a fight, still living in his mother's trailer. Then, on the very day of Isaac's leaving, something happens that changes the friends' fates and tests the loyalties of their friendship and those of their lovers, families, and the town itself. Evoking John Steinbeck's novels of restless lives during the Great Depression, American Rust is an extraordinarily moving novel about the bleak realit

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