Family life fiction / Stories about family

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Book SynopsisA mother and son inhabit an isolated and increasingly dangerous private world.The third and final installment of Ariana Harwicz's "Involuntary Trilogy" finds us on familiar, disquieting ground. Under the spell of a mother’s madness, the French countryside transforms into a dreamscape of interconnected imagery: animals, desire, the functions of the body. Most troublingly: the comfort of a teenage son. Scorning the bourgeois mores and conventionality of their small town, she withdraws him from school and the two embark on ever more antisocial and dangerous behavior. Harwicz is at her best here, building an interior world so robust, and so grotesque, that it eclipses our shared reality. Savage, and savagely funny, she leaves us singed, if not scorched.Trade Review"As ever, Harwicz both impresses and repels with her blistering descriptions of the extremes of human behavior." —Publishers Weekly"It is hard to match this, or any of the books in this trilogy, for sheer searing memorability." —Irish Times"Disturbingly brilliant – and brilliantly disturbing – Tender is a satiating end to Harwicz’s unconventional collection." —The Wee Review**********Praise for Ariana HarwiczUncomfortable and fascinating, Harwicz drags us on a turbulent voyage of self-discovery via the characters’ analysis of their own past and present. VANITY FAIR (UK)Man Booker International Prize (Longlist)Society of Authors Valle-Inclán Prize (Shortlist)Best Translated Book Award (Finalist)Internationaler Literaturpreis (Shortlist)Republic of Consciousness Prize (Shortlist)"A touch of David Lynch." —The Guardian"Celebrating lust and bolshiness with an intensity worthy of Clarice Lispector." —The Times Literary Supplement"The over-all effect is exacting…. And yet “Die, My Love” isn’t truly beholden to plot. The thrill is in the human as animal, and even as parasite." —The New Yorker"Die, My Love is impressive for the force of the narrator’s insatiable rage, which fragments the boundaries of the self. [Anne Enright]" —New York Review of Books"Unrestrained and unadorned, Harwicz’s writing has a wild beauty.... A portrait of motherhood, passion, and mental illness that cuts to the bone." —Kirkus"We are used to female narrators who occupy one of several familiar niches: blandly ‘likeable’, ‘flawed’, or pathological; murderers or abusers who are profiled with just enough sympathy to make us feel humane as we judge them. Harwicz takes us somewhere more profound and forces us to confront the thought that these easy fictional ‘explanations’ are specious. Lurking inside all of us is the potential for horror."" —Hari Kunzru , author of THE IMPRESSIONIST and GODS WITHOUT MEN"The prose of Ariana Harwicz embarks on a vertiginous linguistic journey that joyfully shreds all vestiges of common sense."" —María Sonia Cristoff , author of FALSE CALM**********"Dangerously addictive." —The Guardian"A precise, intense, ruthless mosaic that demands we read carefully, never quickly." —Literary Hub"Celebrating lust and bolshiness with an intensity worthy of Clarice Lispector." —The Times Literary Supplement"Harwicz succeeds in luring the reader into the darker aspects of the human mind." —Publishers Weekly"Ariana Harwicz is the real deal, the very definition of an artist."" —Adam Biles , author of FEEDING TIME"Ariana Harwicz is wet respite from deathless, sexless, bloodless art. "" —Melissa Broder , author of THE PISCES and SO SAD TODAY"Ariana Harwicz is an intensely passionate and fearless writer whose irresistible prose deserves to be read far and wide."" —Claire-Louise Bennett , author of POND"A kick up the arse to the literary novel. Feebleminded disassembles form, sensibility, everything... at once a riot (a revolution!) and a headtrip."" —Joanna Walsh , author of VERTIGO and BREAK.UP"Harwicz achieves an asphyxiating writing, saturated with images of great beauty despite their disturbing character." —El País"The acoustic quality of her prose, the pulse of her voice, the intensity of her imagery make her subjects so daring, so relentless, so damned and unconventional - very hard to drop or ever to forget."" —Lina Meruane , author of FALSE CALM"Unrelenting and unforgettable, the Argentine author’s latest novel is a breathtaking, hectic ride, as well as a strangely exhilarating story that confirms her as one of the most formidable writers at work today." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's BookshopGlobetrotting: Your sneak preview of books in translation —New York Times"This is a novel whose characters’s conflicts spill out of the page and into the prose used to tell their story, making for a searing read." —Volume 1 Brooklyn"Feebleminded is a nuclear bomb of recent literature from Argentina, a book of exceptional power with febrile characters." —Pagina/12**********

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Book Synopsis_______________SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2017ONE OF BARACK OBAMA''S BEST BOOKS OF 2017SELECTED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW STATESMAN, THE FINANCIAL TIMES, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, TIME AND THE BBC_______________''A must'' - Margaret Atwood''A searing, urgent read'' - Celeste Ng''Staggering'' - Marlon James''Disarmingly beautiful'' - Spectator''Blazing with power, grief and tenderness'' - Financial Times_______________An intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle, Sing, Unburied, Sing examines the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power and limitations of family bonds. Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to understand what it means to be a man. His mother, Leonie, is in constant conflict with herself anTrade ReviewThis wrenching new novel by Jesmyn Ward digs deep into the not-buried heart of the American nightmare. A must -- Margaret Atwood * Twitter *A novel as blazingly hymn-like as the title suggests -- Jon McGregor * New Statesman 'Books of the Year' *Beautiful in every sense ... Her characters feel wholly true ... Long after the end, we continue to worry after them, love them in spite of their faults, and feel their pain * Spectator *Hauntingly lyrical * Mail on Sunday *A powerfully alive novel haunted by ghosts; a road trip where people can go but they can never leave; a visceral and intimate drama that plays out like a grand epic, Sing, Unburied, Sing is staggering -- Marlon James, Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2015The connection between the injustices of the past and the desperation of present are clearly drawn in Sing, Unburied, Sing, a book that charts the lines between the living and the dead, the loving and the broken. I am a huge fan of Jesmyn Ward’s work, and this book proves that she is one of the most important writers in America today -- Ann PatchettWard is a lyrical, visceral storyteller, one who is as adept at conveying the tenderness of sibling love as the terror and brutality of racist violence * Daily Mail *Blazing with power, grief and tenderness, Jesmyn Ward’s third novel breathes danger into the classic American road trip … What might, in less sure hands, have remained a local tale, makes a searing story of universal power … Ward takes the territory made so familiar by writers such as William Faulkner or Eudora Welty, and reclaims it * Financial Times *Ghosts, the voices of the dying, painful journeys across an unforgiving country. This is Faulkner territory. Ward’s updated version is gruesomely fascinating, especially as she rounds out her story with characters of real-world complexity … Her cool handling of the mythical tropes of journeying and listening to ancestral voices makes this a harrowing, essential novel for our times * The Times *Maybe that’s the miracle here: that ordinary people whose lives have become so easy to classify into categories like rural poor, drug-dependent, products of the criminal justice system, possess the weight and the value of the mythic … Such feats of empathy are difficult, all too often impossible to muster in real life. But they feel genuinely inevitable when offered by a writer of such lyric imagination as Ward * New York Times Book Review *Ward's prose is characterised by its lyrical beauty: woven throughout are precise, elegant registrations of sensory impression, miniature epiphanies that momentarily lift us from the immediate situation ... undeniably well-executed * Sunday Times *It is rich, sometimes unbearably so ... The signal characteristic of Ward’s prose is its lyricism ... the effect is hypnotic ... This, and her ease with vernacular language, puts Ward in fellowship with such forebears as Zora Neale Hurston and William Faulkner ... The tone and atmosphere in “Sing, Unburied, Sing” call out, too, to Toni Morrison—particularly “Beloved,” whose most sorrowful revelations are echoed in the climax of “Sing” * New Yorker *Combines aspects of the American road novel and the ghost story with an exploration of the long aftershocks of a hurricane -- Notable Books of the Year * New York Times Book Review *Most effective as a poetic critique of US history ... A brooding, pained meditation on the proposition, spelled out by Colson Whitehead in The Underground Railroad, that “America is a ghost in the darkness”’ * Guardian *The heir to Faulkner * Time *However eternal its concerns, “Sing, Unburied, Sing" is perfectly poised for the moment * New York Times *One of the most powerfully poetic writers in the country ... Readers may be reminded of the trapped spirits in George Saunders’s recent novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” but Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” is a more direct antecedent * Washington Post *Speaks to maintaining hope in the face of one’s plight, and the true strength (and fragility) of familial bonds * Buzzfeed *An unforgettable novel about race, love and history * Elle *Sing, Unburied, Sing is a road novel turned on its head, and a family story with its feet to the fire. Lyric and devastating, Ward's unforgettable characters straddle past and present in this spellbinding return to the rural Mississippi of her first book. You'll never read anything like it -- Ayana Mathis, author of 'The Twelve Tribes of Hattie'A searing, urgent read for anyone who thinks the shadows of slavery and Jim Crow have passed, and anyone who assumes the ghosts of the past are easy to placate. It’s hard to imagine a more necessary book for this political era -- Celeste Ng, author of 'Little Fires Everywhere' and 'Everything I Never Told You'In prose that is simultaneously luminous and achingly honest, Ward captures moments of beauty, tenderness, and resilience against a bleak landscape of crushing poverty, racism, addiction, and incarceration * MacArthur Foundation *If Sing, Unburied, Sing is proof of anything, it’s that when it comes to spinning poetic tales of love and family, and the social metastasis that often takes place but goes unspoken of in marginalized communities—let alone the black American South—Jesmyn Ward is, by far, the best doing it today. Another masterpiece -- Jason Reynolds, author of 'Ghost'Staggering ... A furious brew with hints of Toni Morrison and Homer’s 'The Odyssey' * Boston Globe *The terrible beauty of life along the nation’s lower margins is summoned in this bold, bright, and sharp-eyed road novel … As with the best and most meaningful American fiction these days, old truths are recast here in new realities rife with both peril and promise * Kirkus *Her lyrical prose takes on, alternately, the tones of a road novel and a ghost story ... [Sing, Unburied, Sing] establishes Ward as one of the most poetic writers in the conversation about America’s unfinished business in the black South * Atlantic *[A] tour de force ... Ward is an attentive and precise writer who dazzles with natural and supernatural observations and lyrical details ... she continues telling stories we need to hear with rare clarity and power * O, the Oprah Magazine *Electric ... a harrowing panorama of the rural South * L.A. Review of Books *A tale that shimmers * Mother Jones *Ward’s tale is an emotional, political and spiritual powerhouse that unblinkingly underlines America’s heinous treatment of black people – from slavery to the present day … while it’s a book filled with savagery, there is also tenderness, love and hope. You can feel the energy buzzing between its covers * Emerald Street *If you only read a single novel this month, make it Jesmyn Ward's utterly brilliant Sing, Unburied, Sing * Vogue *The book’s Southern gothic aura recalls the dense, head-spinning prose of William Faulkner or Flannery O’Connor. But the voice is entirely Ward's own, a voluptuous magical realism that takes root in the darkest corners of human behavior ... Ward, whose Salvage the Bones won a National Book Award, has emerged as one of the most searing and singularly gifted writers working today * Entertainment Weekly *Gorgeous ... Always clear-eyed, Ward knows history is a nightmare. But she insists all the same that we might yet awaken and sing * Chicago Tribune *In this lush and lonely novel, Ward lets the dead sing. It's a kind of burial * NPR *Very beautiful * Vox *Poetic and powerful * Pride Magazine *An American road novel transplanted to 21st century rural America, looking at race, belonging and how the past can never be left behind. Utterly captivating, this is a special book that will make your heart and soul ache * Stylist *It should come as no surprise that the novel has garnered comparisons to Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Echoes of Faulkner nestle amongst Ward’s pages too. … Ward’s prose drips with poetry, even at the novel’s darkest moments * The White Review *This is the most grittily realistic book I’ve read in a while - it just happens to be a ghost story. Somehow, despite its fantastical content, Sing, Unburied, Sing feels distinctly believable … But it’s the love that shines incandescently from the pages here, blasting through all the oppressive threat and tension and lighting the novel up from within * Shiny New Books *Recommended by the likes of Margaret Atwood and Marlon James, Jesmyn Ward’s latest novel is one of Autumn’s must-reads ... Part road novel, part ghost story, this is a powerful exploration of race and the way the past * Anothermag *The civil liberty struggles faced by Americans today, and the country’s history are reflected in Ward’s affecting prose * The i *Themes of drug addiction and child abuse feature in this powerful tale, with ghostly figures from the past returning to admonish Leonie for the choices she has made in her life … impressive * Bristol Post *The cult read: Sing, Unburied, Sing won the National Book Award this year. It feels particularly timely, centring on a family road trip through a fractured Mississippi * Sunday Times Style *Ward’s third book set in the fictional town of Bois Sauvage, based on her hometown of DeLisle, Miss., conjures the same raw emotion of her previous works, like the Hurricane Katrina novel Salvage the Bones. But this time, a sense of magical realism deepens the ghostly sense of the past reaching out to touch – or even strangle – the present. Ward’s novel is a true triple threat, expert in prose, human observation and social commentary * Time Magazine *Full of haunted, lyrical beauty -- Summer Reading Guide * Guardian Australia *Sing, Unburied, Sing grapples with the long shadow cast by slavery in the American South – not just the cycles of inherited trauma and alienation, but the mass incarceration of black men today … In this novel Ward shows again that she can place harsh truths about America’s racial problems within a gorgeous, lyrical tale * Prospect *Jesmyn Ward is an important new voice of the American South – one developing, perhaps, into the twenty-first-century’s answer to William Faulkner. Fiercely partisan yet unillusioned, she displays an impressive understand of politics and idiom. But perhaps most striking is her sustained and clear-eyed attention to people who, when noticed at all, are more usually consigned to a novel’s periphery. Here they take centre stage and are depicted with the kind of piercing clarity born of love -- Kate Webb * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLISTED AUTHOR OF THIS MOURNABLE BODY and NERVOUS CONDITIONSONE OF THE BBC''S 100 WOMEN FOR 2020As Zimbabwe emerges into independence, Tambudzai Sigauke embarks on her second year at the Young Ladies'' College of the Sacred Heart. Determined to excel, Tambu exhausts herself with her efforts to climb to the top of the school''s honour rolls. The further she pushes herself, however, the farther she feels from any reward; and the roots of colonialism threaten to trip her at every step. The sequel to Nervous Conditions is as moving, darkly witty, and riveting as its predecessor.Trade Review'The whole novel is an examination of Tambu's increasingly warped perspective,achieved through a focused, almost claustrophobic first-person point of view and a masterly deployment of flashbacks. We inhabit Tambu's mind so totally that we often have to pull back to remind ourselves that this is not reality, but the world as Tambu sees it.'- Helon Habila, Guardian'From these novels we not only learnt of but lived through [Tambu's] formative years: being sidelined in favour of her brother; her reaction to his death; and the violence she experienced at school.' - John Self, The Times

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Book Synopsis'Her gallery of personages is huge, her scene painting superb, her pathos controlled, her humour quiet and civilised' Anthony Burgess'So glittering is the overall parade - and so entertaining the surface - that the trilogy remains excitingly vivid; it amuses, it diverts and it informs, and to do these things so elegantly is no small achievement' Sunday Times'A fantastically tart and readable account of life in eastern Europe at the start of the war' Sarah WatersThe Balkan Trilogy is the story of a marriage and of a war, a vast, teeming, and complex masterpiece in which Olivia Manning brings the uncertainty and adventure of civilian existence under political and military siege to vibrant life.At the heart of the trilogy are newly-weds Guy and Harriet Pringle, who arrive in Bucharest - the so-called Paris of the East - in the autumn of 1939, just weeks after the German invasion of Poland. Guy's lecturing job awaits, alongside friends and the ever-ardent Sophie - but for Harriet, alone and naive, it's a strange new life. Other surprises follow: Romania joins the Axis, and before long German soldiers overrun the capital. The Pringles flee south to Greece, part of a group of refugees made up of White Russians, journalists, con artists, and dignitaries. In Athens, however, the couple will face a new challenge of their own...Trade ReviewMagnificent ... full of wit, sharp insight and vivid description. * The Times *A fantastically tart and readable account of life in eastern Europe at the start of war -- Sarah WatersSo glittering is the overall parade- and so entertaining the surface that the trilogy remains excitingly vivid; it amuses, it diverts and it informs, and to do these things so elegantly is no small achievement. * Sunday Times *Wonderfully entertaining * Observer *One must salute the brilliance ... the exactness of sights and sounds, the precise touches of light and scent, the gestures and entrances * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisNow a Major Film Starring Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)As flood waters close over London, a woman gives birth to a child. Heartfelt and urgently original, The End We Start From is the compulsive debut novel from Megan Hunter.'Engrossing, compelling and hopeful' – Naomi Alderman, author of The Power'Stunning' – Benedict CumberbatchDays after giving birth, mother and child are forced to leave home in search of safety. The journey north with be dangerous – but new life and fresh hope push them on . . .A startlingly beautiful story of a family's survival, The End We Start From is a haunting but hopeful dystopian vision of a familiar world made dangerous and unstable.'Virginia Woolf does cli-fi . . . tremendous' – Independent'I was moved, terrified, uplifted – sometimes all three at once' - Tracy Chevalier'Beautifully spare and haunting' - Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station ElevenTrade ReviewThe End We Start From is strange and powerful, and very apt for these uncertain times. I was moved, terrified, uplifted – sometimes all three at once. It takes skill to manage that, and Hunter has a poet’s understanding of how to make each word count. -- Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl With a Pearl EarringThe End We Start From is a beautifully spare, haunting meditation on the persistence of life after catastrophe. I loved it. -- Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station ElevenA shot of distilled story . . . engrossing, compelling and finally hopeful -- Naomi Alderman, author of The Power, winner of the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for FictionI can’t remember ever having read a novel quite as sparing or as daring as Megan Hunter’s The End We Start From, or one that delivers so mighty an impact from such delicate materials. It is a moving, wistful and compelling debut. -- Jim Crace, author of HarvestAn exceptional, alarming and beautiful book, which still echoes months after I finished reading it. Megan Hunter is a writer of unnerving power. -- Evie Wyld, author of All the Birds, SingingI'll be recommending this book for years to come. Utterly brilliant, hugely important. Here's the thing: it's perfect. -- Nathan Filer, author of Costa Prize-winning The Shock of the FallExtraordinary. Megan Hunter's prose is exquisite, her depiction of a world descending into chaos is frighteningly real, and yet, it is her portrayal of motherhood - that tender-terrifying experience of bringing a child into a world - that has remained with me. The End We Start From is an incredible, original exploration of all that beauty, boredom and bewilderment. I read it in one sitting, and was deeply moved. -- Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites and The Good PeopleThe End We Start From is relentlessly, achingly personal. Hunter reminds us that disasters are rarely experienced in panorama. Instead, we live bone-deep inside our narrator. This book is fierce, sorrowful, and spiked with moments of bright joy. -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like YouThe End We Start From is so good and clever: a beautiful, timely book about survival (both domestic and global) shot through with hope and humanity -- Lisa Owens, author of Not WorkingBeautiful . . . Water isn't the thing here, love is. And how we survive as the level of love rises -- Cynan Jones, author of The Dig and The CoveExceptional, stunning. I devoured it -- Megan Bradbury, author of Everyone is WatchingA dystopia that feels utterly convincing as our narrator gives birth to her son in a London under threat of advancing flood waters. She lives in the gulp zone so must head off into a familiar territory that has become terrifying in search of shelter and safety. This slender take on new motherhood has stayed with me – not least in making me think about the UK as a place to flee from rather than to, and to imagine Londoners turned refugees. -- Cathy Rentzenbrink * Stylist *Spellbinding . . . a debut [that] packs a punch that belies its brevity, with the author's background in poetry shining through . . . The End We Start From is a slender novel, but more profoundly moving than novels six times as long. It is perfectly balanced between fear and wonder. The world around them may be falling apart in the most extraordinary way, but ordinary life goes on and, as Hunter makes us understand, what a beautiful life it is. * The Bookseller *Powerful . . . an uplifting celebration of the reality of motherhood in the face of terrifying global disaster * Daily Mail *I held my breath reading this beautiful and timely novel. With precise yet lyrical language Megan Hunter gets to the centre of who we are, where we are, and why it matters. The End We Start From is a work of art -- Christie Watson, author of Tiny Sunbirds Far AwayThis debut is a story of a new mother and her baby who are turned into refugees after a mysterious environmental crisis. The End We Start From is a relevant story of our times which shrewdly ponders the meaning of survival and humanity in desperate times * Wales Arts Review *Startling . . . beautiful and insightful. Everyone who reads this will come away feeling renewed * Elle Magazine *Megan Hunter's slender, startling debut shimmers with light, even as the novel heads into dark territory . . . tender and profound -- Psychologies Book of the MonthExtraordinary . . . The End We Start From is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, in that it shares the same narrative detachment, and the same precise poetry. It is of course told from the perspective of a mother, rather than a father, and is set in a world that is only beginning to fall into chaos. And in the midst of it all, each parent cradles their child, enchanted by their breathing. “Sometimes he sleeps so quietly it seems that he has gone.” Megan Hunter’s remarkable debut novel feels like the other half of the story * Financial Times *In a future London, a mysterious environmental crisis is causing flooding. On the day a woman gives birth to her first child, Z, her home and the city is submerged, and she and her husband R are forced to leave in search of safety. In a scant 127 pages, Megan Hunter creates a powerful and painful story of love and endurance, and of the experiences of being a mother and a refugee * Stylist *A haunting dystopian tale unlike any you’ve read before. In the aftermath of an environmental disaster, London is submerged by floodwater and the narrator, who remains unnamed, is forced to flee with her newborn baby. Despite the world as they know it crumbling around them, mother and son grow and thrive in this dangerous new Britain, where they’ve been recast as refugees. Poetic, precise, and surprisingly full of warmth, this is a beautiful story about the first months of motherhood and the places where hope springs, even in the darkest of times * AnOther *Brilliant . . . Hunter traces - with expert precision and such lyricism - who we are when life is minimised . . . an echo of Jenny Offill's Dept of Speculation . . . a visceral, poetic confession -- Sinéad Gleeson * Irish Times *Fans of Station Eleven will love this. * Red magazine *The End We Start From is an effective, unusual and ambitious debut, which keeps the reader pinned to the page * Guardian *Set in a post-apocalyptic Britain, Megan Hunter's debut is lyrical, uplifting and unmissable * Stylist *A stunning tale of motherhood. Megan has crafted a striking and frighteningly real story of a family fighting for survival that will make everyone stop and think about what kind of planet we are leaving behind for our children -- Benedict CumberbatchStrange and haunting . . . This isn’t a novel in which exposition is a problem; it’s more Virginia Woolf does cli-fi . . . Good news then that film rights have already been snapped up, by Benedict Cumberbatch’s production company SunnyMarch and Hera Pictures. Let’s just hope they do it justice; the dystopian elements are the easy sell, the beating heart of this tender and tremendous story is without doubt Hunter’s portrait of early motherhood, an all-encompassing world of its own * Independent *Megan Hunter uses words sparingly. In her startlingly poetic debut, The End We Start From, she even rations her letters. She calls her characters R and Z and each paragraph is only a sentence or two long. Hunter tangles the delight and disorientation of new motherhood with scenes of societal collapse. As everything seems to be ending, as London floods, a new life begins, hot and pink and hungry. Hunter writes with delicacy and precision; her imagery is pearlescent in places. It’s a sliver of a novel, but it shimmers. * Observer *Natural disasters and climate-related catastrophes might make for a compelling setting, but to really catch a reader's interest, you need to have the personal touch. And this is a novel that takes that principle down to its sparsest, simplest best, focusing on one woman and her child through a year of turmoil . . . best read in one sitting to fully absorb the haunting, brutal yet loving atmosphere of the narrator's journey . . . does a great job of capturing the intensity of early parenthood . . . a tale of survival in extreme conditions * SFX *Hunter's spare, drumskin-tight prose zings off the page, and ingenious descriptions abound . . . It may only consist of 127 pages of impressionistic, staccato sentences, but this is a book of wide horizons and big ideas, and it's no surprise that Benedict Cumberbatch's company have just acquired movie rights. For Hunter the future looks very bright indeed. * Scotland on Sunday *A story of sheer catastrophe, peppered with endearing experiences and milestones of new motherhood. The element which defines this short piece of dystopian fiction is the unique, elegant writing style . . . The End We Start From is beautiful, thought-provoking and most of all, hauntingly believable. It is a tale of hope at a time when the country truly needs it. A stunning debut. * Manchester Evening News *

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Book SynopsisA classic story of finding love and creating family.Robin Masterson and her ten-year-old son, Jeff, have finally moved to their dream home. Now that they have their very own backyard, Jeff thinks he needs a dog more than anything in the world - and there just happens to be one right next door! But the friendly black Lab belongs to Cole Camden, the unfriendliest man in the neighborhood.Cole hasn''t always been so solitary, so aloof. The deaths of his wife and son have embittered him, something Robin can understand. Her own much-loved husband died when Jeff was just a baby.Still, Jeff persists . . .and soon his mom and Cole are looking at each other in a whole new way.This is a first-time regular print hardcover edition of a title previously available as a mass market paperback.

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Book Synopsis''A sheer delight from start to finish'' Sophie Kinsella Come and meet Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Café . . . ''An evocative, sweet treat'' Jojo Moyes ''Gorgeous, glorious, uplifting'' Marian Keyes ''Irresistible'' Jill Mansell ''Just lovely'' Katie Fforde ''Naturally funny, warm-hearted'' Lisa Jewell ''A gobble-it-all-up-in-one-sitting kind of book'' Mike Gayle ___________________________________Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that - Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe''s bakery, she has undoubtedly inherited his talent.When she''s made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment. Armed with recipes from Grampa, and with her best friends and local bank manager fighting her corner, The Cupcake Café opens its doors. But Issy has absolutely no ideTrade ReviewSheer indulgence from start to finish * Sophie Kinsella *

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Book SynopsisIf you enjoyed How to Keep a Secret, don’t miss Sarah Morgan’s wonderful new summer read, Family for Beginners! * * * * Your fav authors love Sarah Morgan! ‘Joyful, uplifting and overflowing with love’ Cathy Bramley‘Comfort reading at its best’ Veronica Henry ‘A master storyteller’ Laura Jane Williams‘I loved every sparkly, big-hearted, warm-hug moment’ Miranda Dickinson‘Full of warmth, humour and heart’ Katie Marsh * * * * This summer one family will discover that together, they can do anything. Matriarch Nancy knows she hasn't been the best mother but how can she ever tell her daughters the reason why? Lauren and Jenna are as close as two sisters can be and they made a pact years ago to keep a devastating secret from their mother – but is it time to come clean? Lauren's teenage daughter Mackenzie masks her own pain by keeping her mother at a distance. Her mother, aunt and grandmother keep trying to reach her but will it take a stranger to show her the true meaning of family? When life changes in an instant, the Stewart women are thrown together for a summer and suddenly they must relearn how to be a family. And whilst unravelling their secrets might be their biggest challenge, it could also be their finest moment . . . * * * * Praise for How to Keep a Secret: ‘Heart-warming, emotional, funny and real – I adored this book! Jill Shalvis ‘A warm, wonderful rich story told with care and skill that broke my heart and then put it back together again’ Alex Brown ‘A delightful escape’ Woman & HomeTrade Review MORE PRAISE FOR HOW TO KEEP A SECRET: ‘I laughed, I cried, I held my breath. I absolutely adored it’Cathy Bramley ‘Sarah Morgan just gets better and better’Veronica Henry ‘A compelling, gorgeously drawn story with laughter and tears, warmth and so much heart’Miranda Dickinson ‘This sweeping novel will have you questioning all the secrets you've ever kept. I loved it’Penny Parkes, author of Practice Makes Perfect PRAISE FOR SARAH MORGAN: ‘An uplifting and satisfying tale’My Weekly ‘Full of romance and laughter’HELLO! ‘Feel-good fiction – with edge’Heat ‘A joyous and stirring mix of romance, secrets and family’S Magazine ‘Enjoyably escapist romance’Sunday Mirror

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Book SynopsisTimothy Gandy has kept his lifetime''s ambition secret for forty years.Now, suddenly (if tragically) released from the hen-pecked tedium of his ordinary existence, he is unexpectedly free to realize his dreams.He will embark on a Grand Tour of Europe, following in the footsteps of the aristocrats of the eighteenth century.He anticipates high art, culture and pleasant weather. He never expected to encounter new friendships - and possibly even love - along the way. It seems that Mr Gandy has embarked on the journey of a lifetime . . .READERS ARE LOVING MR GANDY''S GRAND TOUR:''Another heartwarming story from Alan Titchmarsh'' - 5 STARS''Well worth reading'' - 5 STARS''What a sweet tale this was'' - 5 STARS''Loved it!'' - 5 STARS''Enchanting'' - 5 STARSTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR ALAN TITCHMARSH:A perfect love story * Katie Fforde on THE HAUNTING *It's just brilliant - full of poetry * Jilly Cooper on THE SCARLET NIGHTINGALE *A pleasurable read which fans will lap up * Daily Mail *The story brims with intrigue * Daily Express on THE HAUNTING *Art, antiques and romance are the ingredients: Titchmarsh boils the pot to a fine froth. * Saga Magazine on THE FOLLY *

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Book SynopsisThe brilliantly gripping new novel from the New York Times best-selling author of The Pilot''s Wife (an Oprah''s Book Club selection).''Long before Liane Moriarty was spinning her Big Little Lies, Shreve was spicing up domestic doings..She still is, as effectively as ever, this time with a narrative literally lit from within'' New York TimesHot breath on Grace''s face. Claire is screaming, and Grace is on her feet. As she lifts her daughter, a wall of fire fills the window. Perhaps a quarter of a mile back, if even that. Where''s Gene? Didn''t he come home? 1947. Fires are racing along the coast of Maine after a summer-long drought, ravaging thousands of acres, causing unprecedented confusion and fear. Five months pregnant, Grace Holland is left alone to protect her two toddlers when her difficult and unpredictable husband Gene joins the volunteers fighting to brinTrade ReviewAnita Shreve...writes with such care and knowing that it's impossible not to be consumed by her storytelling, her beautiful sentences always exceeding the sum of their words . . . Shreve is a literary talent for all, and this novel - up there with her award-winning The Weight of Water - is flaming good * The Times *Long before Liane Moriarty was spinning her Big Little Lies, Shreve was spicing up domestic doings in beachfront settings with terrible husbands and third-act twists. She still is, as effectively as ever, this time with a narrative literally lit from within * New York Times *Shreve's account of the fires is terrifying, and her portrait of a bad marriage almost equally so. Her recreation of post-war, pre feminist American society is a model of elegant restraint, deep feeling, skillful characterisation, and a richly evocative sense of place * Sydney Morning Herald *Like her sensational best-selling 1998 novel The Pilot's Wife, about a widow who discovers her pilot husband had a second family, The Stars Are Fire explores what happens in the secret spaces between married people...Masterful... lingers long after the last page is turned, like the smoke from a wildfire * USA Today *Delicate, poignant storytelling * Good Housekeeping *An elegant portrait of a gutsy woman bent on survival * Woman & Home *Precise, evocative prose brings the story's vivid characters to life...original and gripping * People *A compulsive read, this novel pulled me into an ordinary woman's life and made me care too much about her to put it down * Glasgow Herald *

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Book SynopsisA short, intense and profoundly moving debut novel about race, identity, sex and death from one of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35Thandi is a black woman, but often mistaken for Hispanic or Asian.She is American, but doesn't feel as American as some of her friends.She is South African, but doesn't belong in South Africa either.Her mother is dying.Trade Review‘The debut novel of the year … visceral, cerebral, provocative, elegiac. One can’t help but think of Clemmons as in the running to be the next-generation Claudia Rankine’ Vogue ‘Luminescent’ Independent ‘A lovely little headrush of a novel … if you enjoyed Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing then try this’ Sunday Times Style ‘Bracingly clear-eyed … the tension between her steady prose and turbulent emotions is beautifully sustained’ Daily Mail ‘Highly original. Zinzi Clemmons deftly explores grief, sex and identity’ Elle ‘Concise and powerful. This original and challenging debut is a must-read for fans of literary fiction and memoir’ Bookriot ‘Penetratingly good and written in vivid still life, What We Lose reads like a guided tour through a melancholic Van Gogh exhibit – wonderfully chromatic, transfixing and bursting with emotion. Zinzi Clemmons’s debut novel signals the emergence of a voice that refuses to be ignored’ Paul Beatty ‘What We Lose navigates the many registers of grief, love and injustice . . . acutely moving’ Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland 'I loved this beautiful, honest and entrancing meditation on love, loss and the relationships that enrich and complicate our lives’ Bernardine Evaristo

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestselling author of Great CircleJoyously good' DAILY MAILA ferociously clever comedy of manners' GUARDIANA wise, sophisticated and funny novel about family, fidelity, class and crisis' MARIE CLAIREA well-observed, hilarious, yet moving novel' WOMAN & HOMENew York Times bestseller and winner of the 2012 Dylan Thomas Prize and 2012 L.A. Times First Novel PrizeThe Van Meters have gathered at their family retreat on the New England island of Waskeke to celebrate the marriage of daughter Daphne to an impeccably appropriate young man. The weekend is full of lobster and champagne, salt air and practiced bonhomie, but long-buried discontent and simmering lust seep through the cracks in the revelry.Winn Van Meter, father-of-the-bride, has spent his life following the rules of the east coast upper crust, but now, just shy of his sixtieth birthday, he must finally confront his failings, his desires, and his own humanityMaggie Shipstead is a hugely talented young writer definTrade Review‘Joyously good’ Daily Mail ‘A ferociously clever comedy of manners’ Guardian ‘Shipstead’s sophisticated and summery debut more than lives up to the hype’ Independent ‘Distinctive and dazzling … The world has found a remarkable, humane new voice to explain us to ourselves’ Allison Pearson, Telegraph ‘A wise, sophisticated and funny novel about family, fidelity, class and crisis’ Marie Claire

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Book SynopsisThe life you lived. The life you loved. The life you left…For fans of Jojo Moyes and Cecelia Ahern.Trade ReviewPraise for The Life You Left: ‘Engaging from the first page, at times emotional, at others thoughtful, The Life You Left will make you see life in a different way.’ – Women’s Way ‘Heartwrenching and heartwarming’ – The Evening Herald “Guaranteed to brighten your day – once you have dried your tears!” – Novelicious ‘Carmel Harrington has done it again! Brilliantly written and as a second novel for this author, it surpasses all expectations.’ -Chicklit Club ‘Not only proves what an amazing book this is, but what a discovery Carmel Harrington is to the literary world.’ – BookGeekWearsPajams ‘A perfect summer read, grab the sun hat, a glass of wine, get out into the garden and enjoy!’ – BleachHouseLibrary Praise for Carmel’s first book, Beyond Grace’s Rainbow: ‘It will pull you in, make you laugh and break your heart – in a good way!’ – USA Today Bestselling Author Abby Green ‘A bittersweet, quietly brilliant novel that will make you cry, laugh and cry all over again.’ – Female First ‘Funny, poignant and bursting with heartfelt humour.’ – I Heart… Chick Lit ‘You will laugh, you will cry, you might even get angry. One thing is for sure – this, thanks to the warmth of writing and the level of feeling Harrington obviously has for her characters, is a story you will never forget.’ – AfterTheFinalChapters.com ‘I can hand on my heart honestly say that this book has blown me away. Treat yourself to it. It's not just for us chick-lit ladies. It's for everyone who enjoys a good read and a brilliant book. It's Sensational.’ – PajamaBookGirl

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Book SynopsisThe consequence of one terrible night changes a group of young people's lives forever. Night Road is an unforgettable story from the internationally bestselling author of The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah.'Movingly written and plotted . . . you’ll keep turning the pages until the last racking sob' – Daily MailLexi and Mia are inseparable from the moment they start high school. Different in so many ways – Lexi is an orphan and lives with her aunt on a trailer park, while Mia is a golden girl blessed with a loving family, and a beautiful home. Yet they recognize something in each other which sets them apart from the crowd, and Mia comes to rely heavily on Lexi’s steadfast friendship.Mia’s beloved, and incredibly good-looking, twin brother Zach, finds life much less complicated than his sister. He'd always sailed through life easily achieving whatever he, and his family, wanted and expected Trade ReviewMovingly written and plotted with the heartless skill of a Greek tragedy, you’ll keep turning the pages until the last racking sob. * The Daily Mail *Hannah masterfully details the unraveling of a family. * People magazine *Hannah is superb at delving into the characters’ psyches and delineating nuances of feeling. * The Washington Post *A moving coming-of-age story. * Heat *Unforgettable. * Easy Living *A gripping, emotional read. * SHE magazine *Night Road is one special book that can transform the lives of readers by influencing how they think about certain important life issues . . . the entire range of human emotions are explored in this hopeful book about the triumphant power of the human spirit in the process of forgiveness. * New York Journal of Books *A rich, multilayered reading experience, and an easy recommendation for book clubs. * Library Journal (starred review) *A story of sibling love, friendship and loss. I cried a lot. * Look magazine *Night Road is like a guilty pleasure. It’s a more grown-up, present-day version of The O.C. and is about a group of young people, who’ve something terrible happening in their lives. The book is basically about the consequence of this one terrible night and how it changes their lives forever. * Saturday Magazine, Daily Express *One night can alter a lifetime and twins Mia and Zach and their friend Lexi discover how hearts can be broken, loyalties challenged and hopes dashed in the blink of an eye. * The Sun *A gripping tale of family, love, grief and forgiveness from New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah. * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisIn this beautifully crafted novel about the interlinked lives of two women, Thrity Umrigar explores the complex relationships between the classes in India, rarely addressed in contemporary fiction.''Bhima is real. She worked in the house I grew up in, year after year, a shadow flitting around our middle-class home, her thin brown hands cleaning furniture she was not allowed to sit on, cooking food she was not allowed to share at the family dining table, dusting the stereo that mainly played American rock and roll, music that was alien and unfamiliar to her, that only reminded her of her nebulous presence in our home, our world, our lives.'' Thrity UmrigarSet in contemporary Bombay, The Space Between Us' tells the story of Sera Dubash, an upper-middle-class Parsi housewife and Bhima, the woman who works as a domestic servant in her home. Despite their class differences, the two women are bound by the bonds of gender and shared life experiences both had marriages that started out with gTrade Review'A Mumbai Parsi novel, a post-nationalist slum poverty novel, and perhaps most compellingly, a maid-and-mistress story: think Douglas Sirk's film “Imitations of Life”. The varied elements of this tale of affection and class conflict are carried off with a winning ease and enthusiasm that make it both engrossing and moving.' The Independent 'Thrity Umrigar has a striking talent for portraying pain and suffering and the sheer unfairness of life…The result is a vital social comment on contemporary India.' The Financial Times ‘It is a great book; I love it…I am so happy for Thrity Umrigar! And proud of her as a woman, too. What a gift she has given us. Please tell her of my admiration, joy, delight and relief (it is so precious to have a book about a woman one rarely even "sees" in society, whether Indian or American).’ Alice Walker, author of ‘The Colour Purple’ 'Joyful, lyrical, tragic – and a real page-turner.' Voyager magazine

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club pickThe Sunday Times Bestseller and BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick‘Dark, dramatic and full of danger’ - Daily MailFor readers of Circe and The Handmaid’s Tale, Kiran Millwood Hargrave's The Mercies is inspired by real historical events.The storm comes in like a finger snap . . .1617. The sea around the remote Norwegian island of Vardø is thrown into a vicious storm. A young woman, Maren, watches as the men of the island, out fishing, perish in an instant.Vardø is now a place of women . . .Eighteen months later, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornet has been summoned to bring the women of the island to heel. With him travels his young wife, Ursa. In her new home, and in Maren, Ursa encounters something she has never seen before: independent women. But where Ursa finds happiness, even love, Absalom sees only a place flooded with a terrible evil, one he must root out at all costs . . .A story about how suspicion can twist its way through a community, about a love that could prove as dangerous as it is powerful.‘Gripping’ - Madeline Miller, author of Circe‘Took my breath away’ - Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl With a Pearl Earring‘A beautifully intimate story of friendship, love and hope’ - Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain ‘Something rare and beautiful’ - Marian Keyes, author of Again, Rachel‘Chilling and page-turning’ - The TimesTrade ReviewThe Mercies is among the best novels I’ve read in years. In addition to its beautiful writing, its subject matter is both enduring and timely * New York Times Book Review *A gripping novel . . . [Kiran Millwood Hargrave's] most vital insights are about the human heart: how terrifyingly quickly prejudices can turn into murder, and how desperately we need love and courage to oppose it. Beautiful and chilling -- Madeline Miller, author of CirceThis is a powerful story that gathers ever more momentum as it moves towards its conclusion * Sunday Times *The most interesting historical fiction speaks of the time of writing as much as of its subject . . . The Mercies shows us the patriarchal fear of women's strength and reason -- Sarah Moss, GuardianHistorical fiction fans looking for a Handmaid's Tale-style twist will love this novel . . . A story of danger, love and power - with Big Offred Energy * Cosmopolitan *The Mercies is storytelling at its most masterful. This is an exquisite tale of sisterhood, of love, of courage and of what happens when communities turn on each other . . . I raged, I laughed, I cried. I urge you to read this novel -- Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll FactoryExtraordinary! -- Jo Whiley, BBC Radio Book ClubA book for our times . . . Millwood Hargrave is a whirlwind, storm-building talent -- Daisy Johnson, Man Booker Prize shortlisted author of Everything UnderThe Mercies took my breath away . . . Kiran Millwood Hargrave has masterfully built up an incredible claustrophobic atmosphere, shot through with delicate intimacy. On finishing it I pressed the book to me, hoping to absorb some of her skill -- Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl With a Pearl EarringRead if you like Circe by Madeline Miller and Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel -- Sunday Times Style, 'Best New Books for 2020'Spun from real-life events, this lyrical novel charts the aftermath of a fatal storm in a 17th century Norwegian fishing village: a town almost exclusively composed of women and girls, and the violent witch-burning newcomer hell-bent on their conversion * Vanity Fair *Based on real events, this is a stunning, intensely told story about sisterhood, superstition and prejudice * Good Housekeeping *The Mercies is a gripping tale of love and obsession, inspired by the real events of a storm on the Norwegian island of Vardø in 1617 that prompted witch trials. Absalom Cornet, the man used to bring the women to submission, is a creepy creation by Millwood, in her debut adult novel * i-news *Elegant and chilling . . . an absorbing account of women finding power and grace and love even under the most harrowing circumstances * USA Today *A dark read filled with suspicion and fear * Psychologies *A mesmerising, heartwrenching novel which had me desperate for the women of Vardø to win through. A perfect book club choice -- AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs BirdPassionate, stirring and conveying a terrifying atmosphere of claustrophobic oppression, Hargrave’s gripping tale of courageous women facing overwhelming odds is helped along no end by the vividness of her bleak island location and her depiction of the dynamics of a God-fearing fishing village as opposing factions struggle for control * The Herald *Kiran Millwood Hargrave illuminates one of the darkest chapters of our history. -- Samantha Shannon, author of The Bone Season and The Priory of the Orange TreeBoth harrowing and beautiful. Through mesmerizing prose, Kiran Millwood Hargrave depicts the brutality of life for women on an isolated island in 1620 Norway during the witch trials. Yet amidst this horror and within the punishing landscape, she creates a set of brilliant characters and a moving love story full of tenderness and hope. This is a book to be savoured and read time and again. -- Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing GirlAbsolutely stunning. The Mercies is a very special book. -- Louise O'Neill, author of Asking For ItI loved The Mercies. It opened up a completely new chapter of history to me, and I loved the way it told its story in such beautiful language. I won't forget this story of these women in a Norway I knew little about. A searing historical novel -- Naomi Wood, author of Mrs HemingwayEvery once in a while, a modern day parable, perfectly told, reflects all that could happen in a world gone mad. Kiran Millwood Hargrave has written a novel for our times with artistry and skill. Maren's story is powerful, at turns, it is disturbing, and ultimately illuminating. You will ponder it long after you finish this magnificent work -- Adriana Trigiani, author of Lucia, LuciaBased on the real-life witch trials of 1621, this is an immersive and beautifully written tale. Highly recommended -- Alice O'Keeffe * Bookseller, Editor's Choice *Kiran Millwood Hargrave effortlessly transports us across hundreds of years and thousands of miles to a tiny Norwegian Island in the early seventeenth century and throws us into the lives and passions of an extraordinary cast of characters . . . deeply unsettling, entirely pertinent to our contemporary lives, and a completely addictive read. I cannot recommend it enough -- Sarah Butler, author of Jack and BetThis chilling tale of religious persecution is served up with a feminist bite -- Kirkus (starred review)Caught me from the very first page and held me right to the end. A vivid evocation of time and place and utterly believable, absorbing characters - I felt I breathed the same air . . . The Mercies is a story that will stay with me -- Helen Walmsley-Johnson, author of Look What You Made Me DoDark and menacing, retelling the story of a witch hunt on the isolated island of Vardo, off the coast of Norway . . . Millwood Hargrave slowly builds an atmosphere of suspicion and superstition as new loyalties and old rivalries rear up. * Express *

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Book SynopsisTHE RACHEL INCIDENT - Caroline O''Donoghue''s bestselling new novel* - is out nowCharlie''s life isn''t going forward - so she''s decided to go back After a tough few years floundering around the British film industry and experimenting with amateur pornography, Charlie and her best friend Laura take a trip to her familial home on an island off the west coast of Ireland. Her father''s health is rapidly declining and this could be the last chance to connect with her roots. But events on the island cause Charlie to doubt her father''s childhood stories - and then there''s her complicated relationship with Laura. Pursuing the truth will shatter everything she thought knew - but is that what it takes to grow up?''A gorgeous exploration of the messy and fragile nature of friendship and all the many forms of love'' IRISH TIMES''A darkly humorous, keenly observed blend of millennial drift and murder mystery Trade ReviewScenes of a Graphic Nature has all the components of a perfect page-turner: beautiful prose, truthful characters, hilarious dialogue and an addictive plot. I loved it -- Dolly AldertonA dark yet joyous novel about family and friendship * Grazia *Wonderful!!! Scenes of a Graphic Nature had me GRIPPED. About friendship and failure, Ireland and England, love and guilt, cover-ups and brutal honesty. It's really, really, really, REALLY good -- Marian KeyesThe brilliant O'Donoghue's second novel is a moving and extremely funny look at family, roots and the myth of Irishness * i paper *It might be the best novel of 2020 * You Magazine, Irish Mail on Sunday *So dark and funny, bleak yet full of heart, touching on friendship and love and belonging ... you're in for a treat -- Ayisha MalikWitty, tender and insightful . . . O'Donoghue is a perceptive, clever writer * Guardian *A gorgeous exploration of the messy and fragile nature of friendship and all the many forms of love, as well as of the primal need we all have to belong * Irish Times *A darkly humorous, keenly observed blend of millennial drift and murder mystery from a razor-sharp writer -- Sara Manning * Red *Absolutely loved it. It's an absorbing blend of quarter-life crisis mixed with a bit of mystery * Irish Tatler *Scenes Of A Graphic Nature is a truly extraordinary novel - I inhaled it. It's thrillingly dark, but so moving and human - it's one of the most intelligent, well observed depictions of lust, loss, envy, betrayal, friendship and love that I've ever read. Charlie is so real, courageous, vulnerable, infuriating and adorable. The book itself mirrors Charlie's experience of Ireland - sometimes it's warm and joyous, sometimes it's hostile and terrifying, but even when you know you're in danger, you want to stay for longer and fall even deeper into the pages -- Daisy BuchananWith Scenes Of A Graphic Nature, Caroline O'Donoghue establishes herself as one of the most exciting young Irish writers on the literary scene. Her acerbic wit is matched by her sharp-eyed observations, resulting in a piece of fiction that is dark, gripping, and beautifully written -- Louise O'NeillI absolutely loved it. I felt so connected to the family. It took me on such a journey and I learnt so much; It made me really think about identity, who we are, and why we do what we do. Such a beautiful book, I can't stop thinking about it -- Emma GannonI was so hooked on this beautiful, funny story of homecoming and self-discovery I didn't want to put it down. The characters are wonderfully drawn and the sense of place is so compelling - it is a mystery, a fireside yarn. There is a little Maeve Binchy in there, a little Keyes, but Caroline has her own voice, and the edge to Charlie and Laura - their difficult, funny and recognisable relationship - is all her own -- Keith Stuart, author of The Boy Made of BlocksIn the inventive O'Donoghue's follow-up to Promising Young Women, she turns her tart tongue on friendship, exile and what it feels like to return to a place that no longer feels like home * i paper *Put this book somewhere safe, because it is set to be one of those you spend your life reading over and over - discovering new moments and new lessons each time. I've been a huge fan of Caroline O'Donoghue's writing for a long time and I think Scenes of a Graphic Nature - blisteringly funny and clever - is her best work yet. Raw, heartfelt and incredibly compelling, I can't recommend this enough -- Lucy Vine, bestselling author of Hot MessThe dark humour will have you guffawing into the pages * Cosmopolitan *Highly enjoyable: full of momentum and heart. O'Donoghue is a formidable talent * Sunday Business Post *[An] edgy and astute second novel . . . Caroline O'Donoghue is a master of the Technicolor character, fleshing out even the minor ones with brightness and wit . . . As ever, O'Donoghue is impressive on the complexities of being a young woman and delivers this insight with lively dialogue and a droll acuity that occasionally calls to mind the likes of Nora Ephron . . . O'Donoghue possesses an edginess and a wry sensibility that, despite the book's dark subject matter, ultimately translates into something zesty and companionable. Her easy curiosity about love, lust, loss and losing one's way will doubtless leave readers wanting more * Independent *At the heart of Caroline O'Donoghue's addictive second novel lies a simple and compelling question: can you ever outrun your past? . . . acute, clever and very funny -- Sarah Hughes * i paper *Examines self-mythology and long-repressed secrets * Stylist *A witty story of second-generation immigrants trying to belong, Scenes of a Graphic Nature grapples with love, friendship and identity -- Amber Connolly * Heat *Scenes of a Graphic Nature could have been a simpler novel. But, in its refusal to follow the expected trajectory of a prodigal return, it offers us intricate, layered humanity. Charlie Regan, in all her messy glory, is a protagonist we are willing to follow, from England to Ireland, from the past to present, and everything in between this world and the next * Lunate *Everything in Caroline O'Donoghue's new novel is messy - but in the best way. She covers important themes like family, friendship, nationality, history and health, weaving her narrator Charlie's sense of dislocation into a broader exploration of cultural identity . . . an intriguing read, raising questions about what stories should be told, when, and by whom -- Jemma Crew * Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisSometimes, only a dog's love can heal a family. A Dog’s Promise is the heart-warming and uplifting story about a dog who helps a family that are on the verge of breaking apart. From W. Bruce Cameron the international number one bestselling author of A Dog's Purpose, this novel is perfect of fans of Garth Stein's Art of Racing in the Rain. Bailey knows one thing for sure: all dogs who offer unconditional love, just like him, are destined for heaven.But before Bailey can rest in peace, there’s one family in particular that needs his help. A family that is on the verge of breaking apart. Bailey knows that helping this family means he won’t remember his previous lives, and the other families that he’s met and loved, but sometimes making the sacrifice to help those in need is its own reward. Deeply emotional and beautifully told, A Dog’s Promise will speak to dog lovers all over the world who know that their pets are sent to them for a reason and that their love can heal all wounds.Trade ReviewMarley and Me combined with Tuesdays With Morrie -- Kirkus Reviews on A Dog's Purpose

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Book SynopsisWinner of a 2015 Gourmand Cookbook Award For FictionShortlisted for the 2015 ABIA Matt Richell Award for New WriterChristmas Livingstone has formulated ten top rules for happiness that she lives by: Nurturing the senses every day, doing what she loves, sharing joy... but the most important for her rules is absolutely no romantic relationships!Her life is good as the owner of the enchantingly seductive shop, The Chocolate Apothecary. In her shop she can explore the potential medicinal uses of chocolate that make people happy. Her friends surround her and her role as a fairy godmother to her community allows her to share her joy. What she doesn't need is a handsome botany ace who knows everything about cacao to walk into her life...Or does she...The Chocolate Apothecary is a glorious novel of a strong creative woman discovering that you can't always play life by the rules.Trade ReviewI loved it - a perfect blend of sweet and spice. * Jenny Colgan on The Tea Chest *You will want to move into the wonderful world of Josephine Moon's The Tea Chest - it is so self-assured, so beautifully written, so evocative with its sense of place and smell. Really glorious on every level. And what a cracking story. * Cathy Kelly on The Tea Chest *It's feel-good commercial fiction with a lot of sensual description and a happy ending. * Sydney Morning Herald *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewTsushima evades any label, her fiction transcends gender to focus on the existential loneliness that is at the heart of humanity. -- Kris Kosaka * Japan Times *Wonderfully poetic ... extraordinary freshness ... a Virginia Woolf quality -- Margaret Drabble * BBC Radio 3 *Spiky, atmospheric and intimate, filled with moments of strangeness that linger in the mind * The Spectator *In this short, powerful novel lurk the joy and guilt of single parents everywhere * Guardian *This exquisite and poignant novel . . . will resonate with single mothers always and everywhere -- Shami ChakrabartiAn extraordinary book . . . cool analytic intelligence propelled by sudden eruptions of passion -- Lisa AppignanesiAn astonishing and exquisite masterpiece about love, motherhood, female independence, and the restoration of a damaged family. Yuko Tsushima is an unforgettable name alongside great masters like Virginia Woolf, Alice Munro and Elizabeth Strout -- J. M. Lee, author of The Investigation

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Book SynopsisFrom the Oscar-nominated screenwriter (When Harry Met Sally) and successful director (Sleepless in Seattle), Nora Ephron comes a bittersweet autobiographical book about love and loss. Published as part of a beautifully designed series to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Virago Modern Classics.Trade ReviewI am not a great reader of comic novels, but Ephron's hilarious, recipe-strewn, semi-autobiographical account of a heavily pregnant woman whose husband has left her for a woman with a 'neck as long as an arm' is a treat. A perfect example of Ephron's gift for turning tragedy into comedy, Heartburn is evidence that revenge is indeed a dish best served cold[Ephron] chatters up a storm, always on the verge of wisecracking up * Guardian *What really interested Ephron, for all her clever writing about food, politics and overcluttered purses, were matters of the heart. She is the exact opposite of Dorothy Parker. She is wit without cynicism, the ultimate romantic -- Gail Collins * New York Times *I have bought more copies of this book to give to people, in a frenzy of enthusiasm, than any other . . . Heartburn is the perfect, bittersweet, sobbingly funny, all-too-true confessional novel. There is not a wrong word - about food, marriage, life, love, lossFull of cynicism and gags, this autobiographical novel is comic writing at its finest -- Andrew Billen * The Times *Heartburn took the most miserable personal situation and made it hysterically funny, inspiring and utterly relatable to women of all ages. I became obsessed with its author and thinly disguised heroine * Stylist *Heartburn is as hilarious as it is heartbreaking and as brittle (very) as it is steely (even more)It is snortingly funny in its depiction of the death throes of a relationship. And it bursts with recipes. What more could you ask for?Not just the funniest novel ever written about divorce, but the funniest novel ever. Only the truly talented make writing as good as this look easy -- Hadley Freeman * The Week *I kept a copy of Nora Ephron's Heartburn next to me as a reminder of how to be funny and truthful, and all I ended up doing was ignoring my writing and rereading Heartburn -- Amy PoehlerThe real magic of the novel comes from Ephron's nonchalant conversationalism -- Helen Rosner * New Yorker *Simply one of the greatest novels involving food ever written from the writer of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle. It's about love, sex, adultery and key lime pie -- Jay RaynerThis book taught me about love, loss and writing. It's a timeless classic * Independent *

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Book SynopsisHer family's cottage was a place of innocence for Julie Bauer until hersister was murdered.It's been many years since that August night, but Julie's memories of Izzy's death still haunt her.Now someone from her past is asking questions about what really happened. About Julie's own complicity. About a devastating secret her mother kept from them all.Julie must gather the courage to revisit her past and untangle the complex emotions that led to one unspeakable act of violence on the bay at midnight.For fans of JODI PICOULT, this is a must read.Praise for Diane Chamberlain Fans of Jodi Picoult will delight in this finely tuned family drama, with beautifully drawn characters and a string of twists that will keep you guessing right up to the end.'' StylistA marvellously gifted author. Every book she writes is a gem' Literary Times'Essential reading for Jodi Picoult fans' Daily Mail'So full of unexpected twists you''ll find yourself wanting to finish it in one sitting. Fans of Jodi PicoulTrade Review"Diane Chamberlain is the Southern Jodi Picoult." - New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe "Diane Chamberlain is a marvellously gifted author! Every book she writes is a real gem." - Literary Times "...a strong tale that deserves a comparison with Jodi Picoult..." - Lovereading.co.uk"

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Book SynopsisKate and Josh Hutchins have lived on Dancing Hill Farm in Dorset for thirty years. Here they have brought up three children, expected to grow old, and imagined they would pass the farm on to one of their boys, like generations of family before them. But things have not gone to plan. Neither of their sons wants the farm, their daughter is in love with a man with no real liking for the countryside, and Dancing Hill itself is no longer the profitable place it was once.And Kate is restless. Longing for some time to herself, dreaming of what she might have achieved had she not married so young. When her children give her a week''s painting holiday in Provence she seizes it like a lifeline, hardly realising what a dangerous thing it is that she is doing.Trade ReviewPraise for Sarah Challis's writing: 'I really enjoyed TURNING FOR HOME...I thought it so perceptive... I particularly enjoyed the very touching romance * Rosamunde Pilcher *Excellently-written, with a gripping ending * Wiltshire Times *Touching, funny and exciting * Blackmore Vale magazine *Sarah Challis is becoming a novelist to be reckoned with * Dorset Life *Her evocation of the English countryside is elegiac...a pleasure to read * Oxford Times *

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Book SynopsisPower, politics and closely guarded secrets abound in INTO TEMPTATION, the third and final novel of Sunday Times bestselling author Penny Vincenzi''s Spoils of Time trilogy. ''Like an illicit lover, I have been sloping off all week to snatch another hour''s pleasure with ... Penny Vincenzi''s terrific new novel'' Jilly Cooper. The Lytton family past is full of secrets, and only Lady Celia knows them all. There''s her daughter Adele''s difficult, dark past; the dreadful cruelty of a truth her son Kit had to confront; even the shadows of Celia''s own life, and that of Barty Miller, the child she rescued from the slums in babyhood who now owns more than half of the Lytton publishing house. Some secrets are more dangerous than others, some shared with Celia''s family, some entirely her own. And all absolutely safe in her keeping. Until something threatens to reveal them all...Trade ReviewLike an illicit lover, I have been sloping off all week to snatch another hour's pleasure with ... Penny Vincenzi's terrific new novel -- Jilly CooperI defy any reader, once they've taken the smallest nibble, not to gobble it all down -- Sunday ExpressReading Penny Vincenzi is an addictive experience -- Elizabeth Buchan

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Book SynopsisBad, mad, flame-haired cellist Stella, adulterous Jonathan and high-spirited sisters Ellen and Lydia Dent find their fates bound together through love, loss and literature in this dazzling tragicomedyTrade ReviewPungent with life, with wit, love yearning and grief, The Travelling Hornplayer is Barbara Trapido’s most entertaining and powerful novel to date. Her fans might be forgiven for thinking this writer couldn't get any better. She just has * GUARDIAN *Murdochian entertainment: a tragicomedy of errors. Trapido ... races along with a kind of nervy glamour * NEW YORKER *This woman is brilliant. She deserves to be up there, topping the bestseller lists and winning all the prizes. And she actually makes you laugh … I enjoyed every page of this book, which is so shimmering with wit, hectic energy and crazy convolutions of plots that I eneded up in a state of sublime, satiated exhaustion * DAILY MAIL *Sprinkled with magic * SUNDAY TIMES *An entrancing, quirky confection packed with such a rich mixture of fun and pathos that readers may need to pause occasionally, if only draw emotional breath … She has the mind-teasing skills of a crime-writer combined with a sense of humour as dry as a Martini * TELEGRAPH *Witty ... moving ... clever, warm-hearted * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *A funny, cunning and surprisingly sexy novel, which moved at least this reader to both tears and laughter * SUNDAY TIMES *The brilliant [Trapido] ... is one of the better-kept secrets of contemporary letters ... [She] is a great novelist; sooner or later the whole reading world will know it * SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE *Audacious, energetic and dazzing … The vividness, and the immediately engaging style, is as sure as ever, and the Dickensian swiftness with which she can draw a character is full of charm … There aren’t many novelists whose stories one doesn’t want to end, but Barbara Trapido is one of them -- PHILIP HENSHER * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Reading Barbara Trapido is sheer pleasure. Afterwards, I went out and bought everything else she has written - and am only disappointed I didn't do it earlier * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *

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Book SynopsisFrom the winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, 2012 comes this elegantly crafted novel that explores the strange power that lost children exert on the memories of those they leave behindWhen Faye Travers is sent to appraise a family estate in a small New Hampshire town and comes across a forgotten set of valuable Native American artefacts, she is not surprised by the discovery. However, she is shocked when she finds a rare drum particularly because without even touching the instrument she hears its deep resonant sound.Following the discovery, we trace the drum''s passage both backwards and forwards in time. We hear the voice of Bernard Shaawano, an Ojibwe, who tells of how his grandfather created the drum after years of mourning his younger daughter''s death and how it changes the paths of those who cross it. Through Faye, we experience her anguished relationship with a local sculptor who also mourns the loss of a daughter, and witness the life Faye has made alone with her moTrade Review‘The author knows how to spin a good yarn … Full of poetic writing and a passionate indignation on behalf of the dispossessed, this novel shows the author at her best.’ The Times ‘Erdrich handles the shift in pace beautifully. The world she portrays is harsh, with death from smallpox or starvation giving way to the oppressions of poverty and alcoholism. But such is the unsentimental poetry of Erdrich’s vision that it becomes a place to almost envy, too.’ Observer 'Resonant, poetic and exact … these visions will remain imprinted on the reader's mind.' Los Angeles Times 'Intricate and beautifully written.' Boston Globe 'Spare, perceptive, unsentimental.' New York Times

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Book Synopsis*If you love The Butlers, meet QUEENIE! Kimberley Chambers' new No.1 bestseller and prequel to The Butler series is out now!*With family like this, who needs enemies. . .There are some families that welcome newcomers with open arms, then there are the Butlers. An East End family no good girl wants to marry intoJo fell for Vinny Butler's good looks, but she's stood at one graveside too many and now she's buried her heart as well.Michael Butler was always the nice one, until he started running the family business. Nancy is desperate to leave, and though she would never turn her back on her children, every step they take in their father's footsteps destroys her a little more.As the old saying goes you keep your friends close, and your enemies closerBut you keep your family right where you can see them.Book three in the Butler family saga. Read the whole series in order: 1. The Trap 2. Payback 3. The Wronged 4. Tainted LoveTrade ReviewPraise for Kimberley Chambers: ‘[Kimberley Chambers is] the queen of the gritty, low-life tale . . .a fast-paced, thrill-a-minute ride that takes you on all sorts of twists and turns’ Bella ‘Easily as good as Martina Cole’ News of the World ‘Brilliantly delivers a story of violence, treachery and family ties… Easy to read and hard to put down’ News of the World ‘[a] fast-paced tale with gritty authenticity’ The Guardian

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Book SynopsisSteve Toltz''s A Fraction of the Whole is a riotously funny explosion of a novelSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2008From his prison cell, Jasper Dean tells the unlikely story of his scheming father Martin, his crazy Uncle Terry and how the three of them upset - mostly unintentionally - an entire continent. Incorporating death, parenting (good and bad kinds), one labyrinth, first love, a handbook for criminals, a scheme to make everyone rich and an explosive suggestion box, Steve Toltz''s A Fraction of the Whole is a hilarious, heartbreaking story of families and how to survive them.''A fat book but very light on its feet, skipping from anecdote, to rant, to reflection, like a stone skimming across a pond . . . it is brilliant'' Guardian''Sparkling comic writing . . .It gives off the unmistakeable whiff of a book that might just contain the secret of life'' Independent''With tinges of magicalTrade Review'A fat book but very light on its feet, skipping from anecdote, to rant, to reflection, like a stone skimming across a pond ... it is brilliant' Guardian 'If first novels were sandwiches, Steve Toltz's would be a juicy, swaggering doorstop of a sarnie, overflowing with eccentrically combined but delicious ingredients ... Toltz is a superb phrase-maker with an acute eye for humanity's shortfalls' Big Issue 'A grand achievement and the debut of a great comic talent ... go away and read it' Sunday Times 'Sparkling comic writing...It gives off the unmistakeable whiff of a book that might just contain the secret of life.' Independent 'With tinges of magical realism and buckets of misanthropic humour it's a clever and funny debut.' Observer

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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 Horsfield

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Book SynopsisDemelza is the second book in Winston Graham's hugely popular Poldark series, which has become a television phenomenon starring Aidan Turner.Demelza Carne, the impoverished miner's daughter Ross Poldark rescued from a fairground rabble, is now his wife. But in the events of these turbulent years test their marriage and their love. Demelza's efforts to adapt to the ways of the gentry - and her husbane - bring her confusion and heartache, despite the joy in the birth of their first child. Ross begins a bitter struggle for the rights of the mining communities - and sows the seed of an enduring enmity with powerful George Warleggan.Demelza is followed by Jeremy Poldark, the third title in this evocative series set in 18th century Cornwall. 'From the incomparable Winston Graham...who has everything that anyone else has, then a whole lot more' GuardianTrade 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 anyone else has, then a whole lot more. * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisAn enthralling family mystery from bestselling novelist and national treasure Alan Titchmarsh.It seems a perfect afternoon in the Highlands. Standing at the door of the lochside castle that has been his family''s home for generations, Charlie Stuart welcomes his guests to the annual summer drinks party. Conversation, laughter and the clinking of glasses soon fill the air as friends and neighbours come together to toast the laird''s happiness and prosperity.But Charlie sees the truth behind the façade: the sacrifices made to safeguard the estate; the devastating losses that have haunted him for decades; the guilt that lies at the heart of it all. And in a few hours, he knows, the perfect afternoon will come to an end. The past, with its dark secrets of love, death, loyalty and betrayal, is about to catch up with him. And it could finally tear his family apart . . . .READERS ARE LOVING BRING ME HOME:''Such a beautiful story. Its a book I would definitely recommend, and also one I will never forget'' - 5 STARS''Alan you''ve done it again'' - 5 STARS''I thoroughly recommend it'' - 5 STARS''Well done Mr Titchmarsh - I''m looking forward to reading more of your books'' - 5 STARS''ANOTHER brilliant book by Titchmarsh'' - 5 STARSTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR ALAN TITCHMARSH:A perfect love story * Katie Fforde on THE HAUNTING *It's just brilliant - full of poetry * Jilly Cooper on THE SCARLET NIGHTINGALE *A pleasurable read which fans will lap up * Daily Mail *The story brims with intrigue * Daily Express on THE HAUNTING *Art, antiques and romance are the ingredients: Titchmarsh boils the pot to a fine froth. * Saga Magazine on THE FOLLY *

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Book SynopsisIn Espresso Tales, Alexander McCall Smith returns home to Edinburgh and the glorious cast of his own tales of the city, the residents of 44 Scotland Street, with a new set of challenges for each one of them. Bruce, the intolerably vain and perpetually deluded ex-surveyor, is about to embark on a new career as a wine merchant, while his long-suffering flatmate Pat MacGregor, set up by matchmaking Domenica Macdonald, finds herself invited to a nudist picnic in Moray Place in the pursuit of true love. Prodigious six-year-old Bertie Pollock wants a boy''s life of fishing and rugby, not yoga and pink dungarees, and he plots rebellion against his bossy, crusading mother Irene and his psychotherapist Dr Fairbairn. But when Bertie''s longed-for trip to Glasgow with his ineffectual father Stuart ends with Bertie taking money off legendary Glasgow hard man Lard O''Connor at cards, it looks as though Bertie should have been more careful what he wished for. And all the time it appears that Trade ReviewIt is hard to think of a contemporary writer more genuinely engaging...(his) novels are also extremely funny: I find it impossible to think about them without smiling * Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday *A treasure of a writer whose books deserve immediate devouring * Marcel Berlins, Guardian *As warm as cocoa, as cosy as thermal underwear, and just what the doctor ordered for the cold winter evenings * THE TIMES *

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Book SynopsisA heartwrenching and tense drama about a troubled family, who give up everything to join an experimental 'family camp' - with life-changing consequences.Trade ReviewGorgeously written and patently original * Jodi Picoult *Parkhurst confounds expectations. If this novel is part Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and part We Need to Talk About Kevin, it also contains shades of Lord of the Flies. For this, young Iris is the perfect narrator . . . A fascinating novel, at once challenging and compassionate, thrilling and thoughtful. It asks tough questions about what happens to people who don't fit predetermined patterns, and what it means to be normal -- Katy Guest * Guardian *Parkhurst writes movingly and with real compassion . . . [she] effortlessly manages to mix difficult social questions with riveting storytelling * Irish Independent *A moving and compassionate literary dive straight into the heart of a frantic parent. . . shatteringly immediate. . . touchingly real. -- Helen Schulman * New York Times Book Review *Parkhurst cements herself as a writer capable of astonishing humanity and exquisite prose * Washington Post *Propulsive . . . Everything from the parents' desperation to the camp's creepy vibe feels vividly real, and this provocative page-turner also invites important, broader conversations about autism. * People, Book of the Week *Darkly funny and suspenseful, with a palpable sense of dread that propels readers toward anticipatory horror . . . [Parkhurst] writes Tilly profoundly, as an audacious girl fascinated by a world that will not bend to her. * USA Today *[Parkhurst's] terrific prose is matched by compassion and a sense of humor . . . the beautifully written Harmony is her best work, a haunting, creepy but ultimately moving story of love and family * Miami Herald *Suspenseful, moving, and full of inspiration and insight * Kirkus Reviews *[A] gripping, timely novel * Kim Edwards *The perfect blend of humor, suspense, and compassion . . . absolutely riveting * Jami Attenberg *Deeply honest, heartbreakingly funny . . . a novel of deep compassion * Susan Richards Shreve *

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Book SynopsisThe sensational final instalment in comic legend Sue Townsend''s hilarious and iconic Adrian Mole series''Effortlessly hilarious. Brilliant satire and tragedy'' Times''My comfort read. The best diaries ever written - with apologies to Samuel Pepys, Bridget Jones and me'' ADAM KAYRead as Adrian continues to struggle with his love life, endures a painfully awkward school play and contemplates the unsettling prospect of applying genital poultice . . .__________Sunday 1st JulyNO SMOKING DAY. A momentous day! Smoking in a public place or place of work is forbidden in England. Though if you are a prisoner, an MP or a member of the Royal Family you are exempt.Adrian Mole is thirty-nine and a quarter. He lives in the country in a semi-detached converted pigsty with his wife Daisy and their daughter. His parents George and Pauline live in the adjoining pigsty. But all is Trade ReviewSue Townsend was simply one of the funniest writes who ever wore socks, and her Adrian Mole series is a satirical gem that follows her hapless protagonist from adolescence to middle age, revealing some sharp home truths about British society in the process. At thirty-nine and a half, Adrian is convinced he's too young to have prostrate problems. He's wrong. If anyone can shake a comic first at cancer, it's Townsend. * Independent *Couldn't be funnier * Gillian Reynolds, Sunday Times *An exquisite social comedy * Daily Telegraph *In this book the comedy is all the sharper, and more poignant, for its melancholy contrasts, the emotional danger and the sense that time is always running out. * The Guardian *Sue Townsend has always had an unflinching sense of humour - the more incongruously awful the situation, the more she can make us laugh...this is a seriously lovely book. * Sunday Times *Like Evelyn Waugh's Captain Grimes, Adrian is 'one of the immortals' and the series of his diaries the comic masterpiece of our time * The Scotsman *This hilarious and poignant tale of Adrian Mole's early middle age reaffirms that Sue Townsend has created 'one of the great comic characters of our time' * The Scotsman *The funniest person in the world * Caitlin Moran *

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Book SynopsisThe granddaughter of a poor ferryman, Cuicui grows up in Chadong, a small town in China's exotic southwestern frontier, where she is sheltered from the warlord fighting that was prevalent in China in the 1920s. She's caught up in the spell of the local custom of nighttime serenades, but she is also haunted by her grandfather's imminent death.

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Book Synopsis''Owls Do Cry remains innovative and relevant'' GUARDIAN ''Janet Frame was a unique and troubled soul whose luminous words are the more precious'' HILARY MANTEL''Her dark, eloquent song captured my heart '' JANE CAMPIONOwls Do Cry is the story of the Withers family: Francie, soon to leave school to start work at the woollen mills; Toby, whose days are marred by the velvet cloak of epilepsy; Chicks, the baby of the family; and Daphne, whose rich, poetic imagination condemns her to a life in institutions.It is one of the classics of New Zealand literature and has remained in print continuously for fifty years. A fiftieth anniversary edition was published in 2007.Owls Do Cry is Janet Frame''s first novel. She describes her idea behind it in the second volume of her autobiography:''Pictures of great treasure in the midst of sadness and waste haunted me and I began to think, in fiction, of a chilTrade ReviewJanet Frame was a unique and troubled soul whose luminous words are the more precious because they were snatched from the jaws of the disaster of her early lifeOwls Do Cry remains innovative and relevant; Frame's idiosyncratic and startlingly visual style means that the book's immense power to unnerve, astonish and impress endures * Guardian *This is the era that saw the emergence of novelists including Doris Lessing, Muriel Spark and Iris Murdoch, and Frame's place alongside them would be assured if she never published anything but this one novel * Independent on Sunday *Owls Do Cry is a devastating reflection on the character of conventional society and the dangers that await those who reject its narrowness - and as such, is profoundly chilling. It is also a vivid social document, capturing the language and texture of the postwar period * Irish Times *Janet Frame's first novel, Owls Do Cry, created a sensation in New Zealand when it was published in 1957 . . . Her dark, eloquent song captured my heart . . . Frame gave Daphne this inner world of gorgeously imagined riches, but also affirmed it in me, and in countless other sensitive teenage girls: we had been given a voice - poetic, powerful and fated.Frame's tormented personal story was reflected in much of her fiction, which centered on the inadequacy of language to convey emotions * Los Angeles Times *An unforgettable and startlingly original work, a true and timeless classic of enduring power -- Margaret DrabbleJanet Frame is the greatest New Zealand writer. She is utterly herself. Any one of her books could be published today and it would be ground-breaking -- Eleanor Catton

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Book SynopsisWhen Elspeth Noblin dies she leaves her beautiful flat overlooking Highgate Cemetery to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina Poole, on the condition that their mother is never allowed to cross the threshold. But until the solicitor''s letter falls through the door of their suburban American home, either Julia nor Valentina knew their aunt existed. The twins hope that in London their own, separate, lives can finally begin but they have no idea that they''ve been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives above them to their aunt''s mysterious and elusive lover who lives below them and works in the cemetery itself. As the twins unravel the secrets of their aunt, who doesn''t seem quite ready to leave her flat, even after death, Niffenegger weaves together a delicious and deadly ghost story about love, loss and identity.Trade ReviewDark and delicious -- Tom Adair * Scotsman *What is really satisfying about this novel, like The Time Traveler's Wife, is its depiction of relationships: the process of grief, the transforming power of love * Daily Telegraph *An original, outrageous, and thoroughly enjoyable ghost story * Independent *There may be ghosts, but it's the human stories that glitter * Elle *A rich, involving novel * The Times *

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Book SynopsisCuando era niña, para ayudarla a superar la muerte de su padre, a Blanca su madre le contó un cuento chino. Un cuento sobre un poderoso emperador que convocó a los sabios y les pidió una frase que sirviese para todas las situaciones posibles. Tras meses de deliberaciones, los sabios se presentaron ante el emperador con una propuesta: “También esto pasará”. Y la madre añadió: “El dolor y la pena pasarán, como pasan la euforia y la felicidad”. Ahora es la madre de Blanca quien ha muerto y esta novela, que arranca y se cierra en un cementerio, habla del dolor de la pérdida, del desgarro de la ausencia. Pero frente a este dolor queda el recuerdo de lo vivido y lo mucho aprendido, y cobra fuerza la reafirmación de la vida a través del sexo, las amigas, los hijos y los hombres que han sido y son importantes para Blanca, quien afirma: «La ligereza es una forma de elegancia

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Book SynopsisThe perfect heartwarming romance for Christmas, rich in historical detail. She turned the picture of the Christmas card over with her frozen hands, a pretty picture of a family gathering at Yuletide. How different from her own life; stiff with cold on the icy cobbles, aching for shelter . . .When her father dies leaving Alice and her ailing mother with only his debts, the two grieving women are forced to rely on the begrudging charity of cruel Aunt Jane. Determined to rid herself of an expensive responsibility, Jane tries forcing Alice into a monstrous marriage. And when Alice refuses, she is sent to work in a grand house to earn her keep.Finding herself in sole charge of the untameable and spoilt young miss of the house, Alice's only ally is handsome Uncle Rory, who discovers that Alice has talents beyond those of a mere servant. But when someone sets out to destroy her reputation, Alice can only pray for a little of that Christmas spirit to save her from ruin . . .Trade ReviewPraise for Dilly Court: ‘A fast-paced, riveting read’ Sunday Express ‘A heart-warming, fast-paced story that will keep you gripped till the end’ The People’s Friend ‘As always Dilly keeps you absorbed right to the end’ Choice ‘A rollicking, fast-paced adventure with a hint of romance!’ My Weekly ‘Spellbinding . . . you just keep turning the pages’ Daily Mail ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Atmospheric, vivid and compelling’ My Weekly ‘An excellent, well-researched read’ People’s Friend ‘Perfect for Downton Abbey fans … heart-tugging’ Peterborough Telegraph

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Book SynopsisA rollercoaster of a suspense novel with multiple twists' Daily MailKEEPING THIS SECRET WAS KILLING HERA gripping psychological thriller about the deadly secrets your children can keepSue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she is forced to face a very dark reality.Retracing her daughter's steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte's diary and is forced to head deep into Charlotte's private world. In her hunt for evidence, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her daughter and she's forced to look further, into the depths of her own past.Sue will do anything to protect her daughter. But what if she is the reason that Charlotte is in danger?Trade Review‘An enjoyable rollercoaster of a suspense novel with multiple twists.’ Daily Mail ‘This dark and creepy book is a must read.’ The Sun ‘A thrilling crime debut’ Woman Magazine "An ominous atmosphere, a tense tale of past and present colliding, and a narrator whom no-one believes: this book is a delight." Alex Marwood ‘Utterly compelling. I could not put this gripping, heart-stopping page-turner down’ Rowan Coleman ‘Twisty, dark and utterly compelling’ Lucy Diamond ‘I was gripped from start to finish. Everyone should read this book!’ Lucy Robinson ‘This fast, twisty psychological thriller has suspense on every page!’ Paula Daly ‘Gripping and terrifying’ Julie Cohen ‘One of the best books I've read in ages – the tension never lets up until the final pages. Page-turning suspense ratcheted up with every new scene. Sub-plots woven in effortlessly. Brilliant – my heart was racing as I drew nearer and nearer to the ending.‘ Mel Sherratt

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Book SynopsisWinston Graham is the author of more than forty novels, which include Cordelia, Marnie, The Walking Stick and Stephanie as well as the highly successful Poldark series. His novels have been translated into seventeen languages and six have been filmed. Six of Winston Graham's books have been filmed for the big screen, the most notable being Marnie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Two television series were made of the Poldark novels which were broadcast in twenty-two countries. Winston Graham was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 1983 was awarded the OBE. He died in July 2003Trade ReviewRoss is one of literature's great heroes . . . [with] elements of Darcy, Heathcliff, Rhett Butler and Robin Hood -- Debbie Horsfield

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Book SynopsisTHE SECOND CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANIt is 1940 and Staff Nurse Polly Brown has been granted a posting at Cliffehaven Memorial Hospital on the south coast to be near her badly injured husband, Adam. But her decision has meant that she hashad to part with their beloved five-year-old daughter, Alice, who is travelling to safety in Canada. Polly''s heart is torn in two as she says goodbye to Alice and heads to the Beach View boarding house in Cliffehaven, where she throws herself into her work. But as she confronts the fact that Adam may not survive his injuries, a telegram arrives at Beach View. The boat Alice was on has been torpedoed by a German U-boat...A fabulous, heart-warming Second World War novel in Ellie Dean''s bestselling Cliffehaven series (previously called the Beach View Boarding House series).Trade ReviewTHE SECOND CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANIt is 1940 and Staff Nurse Polly Brown has been granted a posting at Cliffehaven Memorial Hospital on the south coast to be near her badly injured husband, Adam. But her decision has meant that she hashad to part with their beloved five-year-old daughter, Alice, who is travelling to safety in Canada. * From the publisher's description *Fans of wartime family stories will love this follow-up to There’ll Be Blue Skies. * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisIan McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of seventeen books. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His novels include The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award; The Cement Garden; Enduring Love; Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize; Atonement; Saturday; On Chesil Beach; Solar; Sweet Tooth; The Children Act; and Nutshell, which was a Number One bestseller. Atonement and Enduring Love have both been turned into award-winning films, The Children Act and On Chesil Beach are in production and set for release this year, and filming is currently underway for a BBC TV adaptation of The Child in Time.Trade ReviewExhilarating * Independent *Ian McEwan writes stories of exquisite precision and clarity * Evening Standard *As far-fetched and funny as anything by Roald Dahl * Vogue *Perfectly judged, scary, poignant, meaningful; he makes it look easy, but this is brilliantly achieved * Guardian *These stories are so good, as acute about childhood preoccupations, and at times as disturbing as you would expect * Harpers & Queen *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE AWARD-WINNING TRANSLATORS RICHARD PEVEAR AND LARISSA VOLOKHONSKYDostoevsky''s beautiful writing style and universal themes make this epic 19th century novel unmissable. The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving Karamazov and his three sons - the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the social and spiritual strivings in what was both a golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian history.Trade ReviewDostoevsky makes Martin Amis seem as if he was writing 130 years ago and that Dostoevsky is writing now. Read all of Dostoevsky. These books are for now and they matter, because it's up to us to call a halt to our TV producers, politicians, gutless artists, poets and writers: these "teenagers of all ages" who are propelling us towards a consumerist hell of disposability over qualityDonne, Herbert, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, George Eliot, Dostoevsky, Henry James - these are the great psychologists - far greater than Freud or Klein or JungNo reader who knows The Brothers Karamazov should ignore this magnificent translation. And no reader who doesn't should wait any longer to acquaint himself with one of the peaks of modern fiction * USA Today *It returns us to a work we thought we knew - made new again * Washington Post *In this new translation one finally gets the musical whole of Dostoevsky's original * New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisDo fairy lights and family make the perfect Christmas?Daniel is dreadful at tinsel, fairy lights and families. Put in charge of his brother's kids, Daniel panics. Surely, he can't ask Stella for help?It used to be her favourite season, until Daniel began and ended their engagement on Christmas Eve. Still, Stella can't refuse a desperate plea. The children deserve the best Christmas ever!Meanwhile, shivering on the snowy doorstep of High Fell Barn, Hayley's regretting her impulsive response to a job avert. It's too late, the door is opening to reveal a rather cross but impossibly sexy manPatrick hadn't advertised for a housekeeper Alfie, his ten-year-old son, has taken matters into his own hand. Still, Hayley might be the perfect gift.Alfie and his little sister are no angels. But they know a lot about the magic of Christmas and they're about to teach the grown-ups a much-needed lesson!Praise for Sarah Morgan''Sarah Morgan continues to hang out on my autobuy list and each book of Trade Review"Sweet, sexy and deliciously feel-good." - CataRomance.com"

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Book SynopsisCakes, castles and oodles of charm: this book is huge fun and pure escapism' Cathy BramleyFrom sleigh bells to wedding bells . . .After a rocky start, Ellie Hall baked her way into everyone's hearts at Claverham Castle even the miserly Lord Henry was won over and the run-down teashop regained its old sparkle.Now Ellie has upgraded cupcakes for fairytale masterpieces as the proud caterer for an ever-growing list of weddings at the castle. The teashop team love baking to the tune of happy ever afters, but can they pull together when a certain bridezilla pushes them all to boiling point?Christmas is just around the corner, and a last minute booking threatens to snow the team under. Ellie and her hunky hubby Joe have their own Christmas dreams to chase, but they're determined to pull through and give this special couple the winter wonderland wedding they deserve.Will Christmas at the Cosy Teashop be a showstopper to remember?Trade Review'A top-rated romance which I devoured quicker than a slice of Victoria Sponge. Beautifully written, warm, funny, cosy, romantic and sweeter than a tray full of cookie dough' Bookaholic Confessions 'I found myself racing through to the end . . . A lovely book, one to be enjoyed over a few chilly evenings with your own cup of tea and cake' Chick Lit Chloe 'A warm and cosy read for a cold winter's day . . . will have you longing to be served in the tearoom' Rachel's Random Reads

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Book SynopsisFrom the USA Today and Irish Times bestselling author of The Moon Over Kilmore Quay comes an emotional and poignant story of love, family and resilience.Meet GraceWhen young single mother Grace Devlin is diagnosed with cancer her best chance of survival is to find a bone marrow transplant. Only Grace is adopted and her one previous attempt to connect with her birth mother resulted in bitter disappointment.But with her young son Jack to think about, and the return of his father Liam reminding her of feelings she'd thought she'd buried long ago, Grace refuses to give up hope just yet.With the help of her friends she bravely embarks on a journey of discovery one that will bring her from her home in vibrant Dublin to the unspoilt beauty of the picturesque Wexford coast where Grace must unravel a web of lies and deceit that has spanned over thirty years.With a wonderful cast of supporting characters and plenty of Irish charm, this unforgettable novel will have you laughing and crying at thTrade Review‘It will pull you in, make you laugh and break your heart – in a good way!’ – USA Today Bestselling Author Abby Green ‘A bittersweet, quietly brilliant novel that will make you cry, laugh and cry all over again.’ – Female First ‘Funny, poignant and bursting with heartfelt humour.’ – I Heart… Chick Lit ‘You will laugh, you will cry, you might even get angry. One thing is for sure – this, thanks to the warmth of writing and the level of feeling Harrington obviously has for her characters, is a story you will never forget.’ – AfterTheFinalChapters.com ‘I can hand on my heart honestly say that this book has blown me away. Treat yourself to it. It's not just for us chick-lit ladies. It's for everyone who enjoys a good read and a brilliant book. It's Sensational.’ – PajamaBookGirl Praise for ‘The Life You Left’: ‘Engaging from the first page, at times emotional, at others thoughtful, The Life You Left will make you see life in a different way.’ – Women’s Way ‘Heartwrenching and heartwarming’ – The Evening Herald “Guaranteed to brighten your day – once you have dried your tears!” – Novelicious ‘Carmel Harrington has done it again! Brilliantly written and as a second novel for this author, it surpasses all expectations.’ -Chicklit Club ‘Not only proves what an amazing book this is, but what a discovery Carmel Harrington is to the literary world.’ – BookGeekWearsPajams ‘A perfect summer read, grab the sun hat, a glass of wine, get out into the garden and enjoy!’ – BleachHouseLibrary

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