Family life fiction / Stories about family

Book SynopsisJourney to the dusty plains of Central Australia in The Pearl Sister, the fourth book in the number one bestselling Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. A spellbinding story of love and loss, inspired by the mythology of the famous star constellation.CeCe D’Aplièse, in her mid-twenties, has never felt she fitted in anywhere. Following the death of her father, the elusive billionaire Pa Salt – so-called by the six daughters he adopted from around the globe – she finds herself at breaking point. Dropping out of art college, CeCe watches as Star, her beloved sister, distances herself to follow her new love, leaving her completely alone.In desperation, CeCe decides to flee England and discover her past; the only clues she has are a black-and-white photograph and the name of a woman pioneer who lived in Australia over one hundred years ago. En-route to Sydney, CeCe heads to the one place she has ever felt close to being herself: the stunning beaches of Krabi, Thailand. There amongst the backpackers, she meets the mysterious Ace, a man as lonely as she is and whom she realizes has a secret to hide . . .A hundred years earlier Kitty McBride, daughter of an Edinburgh clergyman, is given the opportunity to travel to Australia as the companion of the wealthy Mrs McCrombie. In Adelaide, her fate becomes entwined with Mrs McCrombie’s family, including the identical, yet very different, twin brothers: impetuous Drummond, and ambitious Andrew, the heir to a pearling fortune.When CeCe finally reaches the searing heat of the Red Centre of Australia, she begins the search for her past. As something deep within her responds to the energy of the area and the ancient culture of the Aboriginal people, her creativity reawakens once more. With help from those she meets on her journey, CeCe begins to believe that this wild, vast continent could offer her something she never thought possible: a sense of belonging, and a home . . .The epic, multi-million selling series continues with The Moon Sister.'Delicious reading' - Daily MailPraise for the Seven Sisters:'A masterclass in beautiful writing' – The Sun'Heart-wrenching, uplifting and utterly enthralling' – Lucy Foley, author of The Hunting Party'A breathtaking adventure' – Lancashire Evening PostFive-Star Reader Reviews:'Absolutely incredible''Totally addictive''Ideal for when you need to escape'Trade ReviewDelicious reading. -- Daily MailSpanning continents and decades, this is a well-researched and compelling novel on an epic scale. -- Sunday ExpressEvery corner of the world has become a thrilling new adventure with master storyteller Lucinda Riley . . . Told through a breath-taking panorama of captivating stories, their fates and fortunes are painted on a broad canvas and all created from a vast sweep of the imagination. -- Lancashire Evening PostRiley’s meticulous research and attention to detail immerse readers in historical background and bring CeCe and Kitty to life. Fans of Kristin Hannah, Kate Morton, and Riley’s previous novels will adore this. -- Booklist, USALucinda paints another epic tale of love, loss and discovery. -- My WeeklyKitty's tangled history and its equally snarled connections to CeCe's origins unravel at a leisurely pace, with much lore about pearl fishing, aboriginal culture, and Australian race relations adding interest. -- Kirkus Reviews, USAThis is like going on a fantastic literary holiday - a magical mystery tour of hope and dreams . . . The locations evocative, the descriptions exquisite and the story woven like ribbons through time and history. I was transported to a world of amazement as well as art. -- The Book TrailThe Pearl Sister is absolutely wonderful . . . Lucinda enthralls and mesmerizes as she weaves the modern and the historical settings together so finely there's not a crack to be found in either the plot or the pacing. -- Random Things Through My Letterbox

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Book SynopsisInspired by real-life accounts of the Siege of Sarajevo, only thirty years ago, Black Butterflies is a heartrending and utterly captivating portrait of disintegration, resilience and hope.Trade Review'Feels totally authentic… Along with human kindness, there is a quiet emphasis on the power of art: Zora’s paintings, like the existence of this book, are testimony to the way that wars come and go but art goes on forever’ The Sunday Times'A lyrical, devastating and timely love letter to war-torn Sarajevo... There are moments of shocking brutality set against others of unexpected beauty and resilience. Exquisitely crafted, it pulses with tension: we couldn’t stop turning the pages' Rachel Joyce, Guardian'An intensely evocative and deeply moving debut – I held my breath as I read’ Ruth Gilligan, RSL Ondaatje Prize-winning author of The Butchers‘Beautifully written and hauntingly evocative, Black Butterflies distils into a single consciousness a nation’s violent trauma and an artist’s sense of hope. Priscilla Morris has crafted a rich and highly accomplished debut’ Sam Byers, author of Perfidious Albion‘In this compelling and convincing debut novel, Morris brilliantly evokes a world slipping, day by day, under the surface of the opaque waters of war. Dark and yet starkly beautiful, Black Butterflies is a narrative of how violence scars the soul of a city and its inhabitants. It is at once a testament to the victims and survivors of the Siege of Sarajevo, to the power of art and to Morris's skills as a storyteller, all the more keenly felt for the subtlety with which they are deployed’ Aminatta Forna, author of Happiness‘Black Butterflies is incredible, a must-read. There are few novels that stay with you after the final page is read, but this is one. Brutal yet also uplifting, immersive and real, it shows what the human spirit is capable of' Karen Angelico, author of Everything We Are‘An astonishingly good debut, chronicling one of the darkest times in global history. It reads so authentically that I might assume it was a book in translation, albeit by an excellent translator. Like food and fuel in the Siege of Sarajevo, no word is wasted. Zora’s story broke my heart, and I hope it will open the hearts of all those who read it to refugees, at a time when history is destined to repeat itself’ Liz Nugent, author of Our Little Cruelties‘Black Butterflies is an elegy to the vibrant and inclusive society... This novel comes at an apt time, not just because it marks the thirtieth anniversary of the beginning of the Siege of Sarajevo, but because it testifies to the ease and speed with which things can fall apart’ Kevin Sullivan, author of The Longest Winter

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Book Synopsis'This grown-up love story is gorgeously written and romantic without being sentimental' Good Housekeeping'This tender tale of second chances... is a nostalgic delight' Sunday MirrorYou never forget the one that got away. Daniel was the first boy to make Alison a mix tape.But that was years ago and Ali hasn't thought about him in a very long time. Even if she had, she might not have called him 'the one that got away'; after all, she'd been the one to run.Then Dan's name pops up on her phone, with a link to a song from their shared past.For two blissful minutes, Alison is no longer an adult in Adelaide with temperamental daughters; she is sixteen in Sheffield, dancing in her skin-tight jeans. She cannot help but respond in kind.And so begins a new mix tape.Ali and Dan exchange songs - some new, some old - across oceans and time zones, across a lifetime of different experiences, until one of them breaks the rules and sends a message that will change everything...__________Readers have fallen in love with Mix Tape!'I laughed, I cried, I listened to the music. I wanted to know the characters in real life.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'This book is beautiful. The writing is so emotive and evocative.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I LOVED this book - the music in it brought back so many memories from my teenage years.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Mix Tape is is my idea of story heaven. I loved it. Really loved it. I'm telling everyone I know about it.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'What a wonderful book! Tenderly written and with characters that are so different but all make their own mark.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐Trade ReviewGorgeous novel. . . guaranteed to make you think of your first love – and perhaps what might have been. * Nina Pottell, Prima *A lovely novel, delicately drawn, with characters that really linger in the mind and memory. * Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us *A deftly written romantic novel. * Red *Touching, peppily nostalgic love story. * Sainsbury’s Magazine *Funny, moving, relatable and with a great playlist, this is one mix tape well worth investing in. * Heat *Fantastic, moving, beautiful. * Daily Mail *Nostalgic and poignant, prepare for all the feels. * Fabulous *A nostalgic tale of devastating but enduring love. * Daily Mirror *Beautifully written and a joy to read. * Daily Express *Carefully formed, well-rounded and likeable, by the final pages I cared about Alison and Daniel as if they were my friends. * Sunday Express *A wonderfully musical story about modern relationships and lost loves. * OK! Magazine *A beautiful story. * Bella Magazine *A masterpiece. The best book I’ve read for a long, long, time. * Craig Cash *

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Book SynopsisThis classic story of Anne of Green Gables follows Anne, a spirited orphan, as she uses her imagination and love of reading to become the heart of her new community.

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER''Will make you laugh, cry, and call the people you love. Exceptional'' EMILY HENRY''Nostalgic, wise, funny, and filled with love'' GABRIELLE ZEVIN''Her most emotionally resonant work yet'' VOGUE''Has the makings of a dreamy, witty, contemporary classic'' EVENING STANDARD''I just finished and I''m crying at its message and its honestly and its utter beauty'' JODI PICOULT''A tender, witty David Nicholls-esque tale of familial love'' i________About to turn forty, Alice feels stuck: She works at the school she attended. Her boyfriend isn''t the man of her dreams. And her beloved father Leonard is dying.But after one too many drinks, she wakes up in her childhood home to find forty-year-old Leonard celebrating her sixteenth birthday.Now Alice gets to relive this one day in 1Trade ReviewStraub has made a mastery of witty, warm novels that spin modern tales with literary flair. Her fourth might be her best. A clever, nostalgic, romantic tale. Part-Russian Doll, part-David Nicholls, it has the makings of a dreamy, witty, contemporary classic * Evening Standard *Poignant * New York Times *Her most emotionally resonant work yet ... a complex tale that doesn't feel the slightest bit complicated * Vogue *An excellent time-travelling novel about adolescence and second chances from the always brilliant Emma Straub * Metro *A tender tale of time travel. Straub strips back the layers to reveal what's important. It makes you want to stop what you're doing and call your loved ones immediately * Stylist, 'Book of the Week' *I just finished This Time Tomorrow and I'm crying at its message and its honestly and its utter beauty. And now I have to go call my mom -- Jodi PicoultShines with humour and warmth * Washington Post *One of the most moving and intelligent time travel novels I have ever read. Nostalgic, wise, funny, and filled with love -- Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and TomorrowThis Time Tomorrow is a beautifully made, elegant music box of a novel that sets in motion its clever clockwork of delight-then breaks your heart with its bittersweet, lingering song -- Michael ChabonDeliciously warm and nostalgic -- Gillian McAllister, bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong TimeIf I could time travel, I'd go back just far enough to start Emma Straub's beautiful novel This Time Tomorrow again for the first time. The pages brim with tenderness and an appreciation for what we had and who we were. I could not have loved it more -- Ann PatchettA tender, witty David Nicholls-esque tale of familial love * i *This autobiographical novel is delightfully nostalgic but the beauty of it rests in its tenderness and wisdom - a reminder of what's important and what we should cherish in life * Culturefly *A witty, warm novel about love and letting go, This Time Tomorrow is a rare gem. Emma Straub is such an elegant storyteller - I couldn't put it down -- Phoebe Luckhurst, author of The Lock InEmma Straub's This Time Tomorrow is that rare one-in-a-million novel that not only pulls you wholly into itself, but leaves a lasting mark when it finally releases you. Never has Straub's writing been more incisive, clever, and emotionally generous-which is really saying something. The kind of book that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you call the people you love. Exceptional -- Emily Henry, author of You, Me on VacationCan't recommend this deeply moving and pleasurable book more -- Taffy Brodesser-Akner, bestselling author of Fleischman is in TroubleThis time-travelling take on a hypothetical return to 1996 and the protagonist's 16th birthday will be enough to remind you to cherish what you have * ELLE *Time travel is a popular trope in fiction, and Straub deploys it brilliantly in her effervescent new novel. .... Straub is an expert chronicler of social mores and the inner lives of her (mostly) bourgeois characters, and here she delivers a surefire bestseller * Oprah Daily *A teasing time-slip novel, imbued with all Straub's trademark humour and humanity * Saga Magazine *The always delightful, deeply beloved Emma Straub returns with a novel that seems like her take on 13-going-on-30.... It's Straub, so you know it's going to be funny, touching, and filled with family drama * Glamour *A wonderful book . . . about how we need to cherish those we have lost * Hello! *Magical, heart-warming and insightful . . . Warm, wryly funny and melancholic, This Time Tomorrow asks the big questions of life while revelling in 90s nostalgia and the allure of New York City in the fall * Daily Express *Full of deftly managed plot twists, it's both fun and poignant * Mail on Sunday *A heartfelt father-daughter story that breathes fresh life into the concept of time travel * Living North *Not every book teaches you something, but Emma Straub's insightful novel does. Witty observations and beautiful writing * Woman & Home *Delightfully nostalgic but the beauty of it rests in its tenderness and wisdom - a reminder of what's important and what we should cherish in life * Culturefly *With her celebrated humour, insight, and heart, beloved New York Times bestseller Emma Straub offers her own twist on traditional time travel tropes, and a different kind of love story * Biblio *This New York-set story about time travel will break your heart * Red *This grown-up take on Freaky Friday balances humour and poignancy so well * Good Housekeeping *Enlivened by Straub's typically acerbic prose and quirky characters, not to mention a good dose of 90s nostalgia * Jewish Chronicle, 'Fiction of the Year' *A wonderfully bittersweet story willed with humour, compassion and poignancy * Candis *Has a lot of heart, some satisfying plot twists and a bittersweet, open ended finale * BookPage Starred Review *Clever, complex and really rather lovely * Best *Alice is a joy of a character . . . Straub brings the bittersweet passing of youth to adulthood to life in vivid detail, with a story steeped in 1990s nostalgia. It's a book to devour * Jewish Chronicle *Emotionally resonant. Captivating * Sunday Post *Delightful * Boston Globe *Heartfelt * SFX *Praise for Emma Straub * - *'A gorgeous and witty storyteller' Funny, poignant and beautifully observedStraub writes beautifully and amusingly . . . hard to beat for sheer charm and gentle wit * Daily Mail *Smart and entertaining * Stylist *Hugely talented . . . intelligent holiday readingWarm and big-hearted . . . leaves you smiling for daysStraub writes with such verve and sympathetic understanding of her characters . . . Reading this novel has all the pleasures of reading one of Anne Tyler's compelling family portraits * New York Times *It's the beautifully drawn, vibrant characters that make this smart, compelling novel so irresistibleA funny and insightful look at love and relationships * Good Housekeeping *A smart, cool sensibility * Elle *Lovely, satisfying * EW.com *Smart and fresh, offering new insights into the lives of people all around us * Brooklyn Magazine *Thoughtful and hilarious * Real Simple *It would be easy to compare Straub to other masters of the genre like Meg Wolitzer or Jennifer Egan, but she's already a master in her own right * The Millions *Emma Straub is such a funny and brilliant writer and this time-travelling tale is a charming exploration of what it would be like to find yourself younger and surrounded by the people you love when they're still at the height of their power * Stylist *Wise and often hilarious * Buzzfeed *Readers will devour this witty and warmly satisfying novel * Publishers Weekly *A precise and observant writer whose supple prose carries the story along without a snag. Straub's characters are a quirky and interesting bunch . . . it's a pleasure spending time with them * Starred Review, Kirkus *Devilishly observed * Starred Review, Booklist *Sprinkled with humour and insight * Starred Review, Library Journal *Straub is consistently excellent * Book Riot *

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING NOVEL. A TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD IN THE UK.''If you love The Kite Runner you''ll love The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul'' Look magazineIn a little coffee shop in one of the most dangerous places on earth, five very different women come together . . .SUNNY, the proud proprietor, who needs an ingenious plan - and fast - to keep her café and customers safe.YAZMINA, a young pregnant woman stolen from her remote village and now abandoned on Kabul''s violent streets.CANDACE, a wealthy American who has finally left her husband for her Afghan lover, the enigmatic Wakil.ISABEL, a determined journalist with a secret that might keep her from the biggest story of her life.And HALAJAN, the sixty-year-old den mother, whose long-hidden love affair breaks all the rules.As these five women discover there is more to each other than meets the eye, they form a unique bond that will change their lives forever. Because even in a place rife with conflict, love, friendship and hope will always survive . . .The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul is the heart-warming and life-affirming fiction sensation that captured the hearts of readers across the globe. The final chapter in Sunny and friends'' heart-wrenching and uplifting story is available now. Order Farewell to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul to find out what happens next... Trade ReviewIf you like The Kite Runner, you'll love The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. This compelling story of a cafe in the heart of Afghanistan, and the men and women who meet there, is full of heart and intelligence * Look Magazine *An eye-opening and uplifting tale about sisterhood and survival * Grazia *This compelling tale features the stories of five women in Afghanistan and how living surrounded by conflict and danger affects their lives * Bella *A heartwarming tale about female friendships * Cosmopolitan *A brilliant story of strength and appreciation of difference that restores belief in humanity * Daily Telegraph *A unique insight into the women of this volatile, fascinating place * East Anglian Daily Times *Captivating and addictive. A perfect book-club read * Take a Break *A heart-warming tale * Good Book Guide *

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Book Synopsis''A tour de force'' Sarah Winman, author of Still LifeThis is the story of an old English manor house by the sea, with crumbling chimneys, draping ivy and a library full of dusty hardbacks. It''s the story of the three children who grow up there, and the adventures they create for themselves while the grown-ups entertain endless party guests.This is the story of a whale that washes up on a beach, whose bones are claimed by a twelve-year-old girl with big ambitions and an even bigger imagination. An unwanted orphan who grows into an unmarriageable young woman, fiercely determined to do things differently.But as the children grow to adulthood, another story has been unfolding in the wings. And when the war finally takes centre stage, they find themselves cast, unrehearsed, into roles they never expected to play.They raised themselves on stories. Now it''s time for them to write their own...''One of those big chunky stories that swallows you whole'' The Times''Beautifully compulsive ... The Whalebone Theatre will feel like a much-loved book even if you''re reading it for the first time'' Red Magazine''Pure heaven, from first word to last'' Sunday TimesInstant Sunday Times bestseller, September 2023Trade ReviewDestined to become a classic . . . Elegantly written and totally immersive, Quinn's debut is a wonder * Daily Mail *Quinn creates a world so rich with observation, detail, humanity and heart that you are incapable of doing anything but drinking it in with greedy delight * YOU magazine *A crumbling old country manor, three unconventional siblings and the looming threat of war makes for a classic coming-of-age tale, as imaginative Cristabel, sweet Flossie and charismatic Digby attempt to find their roles in life. Brimful of charm, and wonderfully immersive, this is a captivating read * Daily Mail *My book of the year. I adored this beautifully compulsive story with serious Cazalet vibes. Wild and wilful Cristabel was the perfect heroine * Red Magazine, The 10 Best Books of 2022 *In classic English Country House novel style, [The Whalebone Theatre] focuses on the younger generation amidst a backdrop of scandalous adult misbehaviour. This is a chunky novel to get lost in, full of pacy plotting and luscious language * The Independent *The Whalebone Theatre is absolute aces ... Quinn's imagination and adventuresome spirit are a pleasure to behold * New York Times *I was swept away by this compelling, beautifully written debut and its plucky heroine * Good Housekeeping *One of those big chunky stories that swallows you whole - and it's beautifully written too * The Times *Written with heart and humour * Psychologies *[A] brilliant debut ... A truly immersive read. The plot unfolds gradually, allowing you to really connect with the characters, all of whom are very real with their fears and foibles ... Fascinating * Dorset Magazine *

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Book Synopsis'A small masterpiece' Colm Toibin, Daily Telegraph'I don't know how many times I have reread the book, including several times in Catalan, with such effort that speaks volumes to my devotion to the novel' Gabriel Garcia Marquez'The fierce beauty of Rodoreda's writing makes it one of the masterpieces of modern European literature' IndependentFirst published in 1962 as 'La Placa del Diamant', this is considered the most important Catalan novel of all time. This is a new English translation. It has previously been published in English as The Time of the Doves.Barcelona, early 1930s: Natalia, a pretty shop-girl from the working-class quarter of Gracia, is hesitant when a stranger asks her to dance at the fiesta in Diamond Square. But Joe is charming and forceful, and she takes his hand.They marry and soon have two children; for Natalia it is an awakening, both good and bad. When Joe decides to breed pigeons, the birds delight his son and daughter - and infuriate his wife. Then the Spanish Civil War erupts, and lays waste to the city and to their simple existence. Natalia remains in Barcelona, struggling to feed her family, while Joe goes to fight the fascists, and one by one his beloved birds fly away.A highly acclaimed classic that has been translated into more twenty-eight languages, In Diamond Square is the moving, vivid and powerful story of a woman caught up in a convulsive period of history.'An extremely moving love story translated from the Catalan, which reveals much about the Spanish civil war as ordinary, non-political people had to live it' Diana Athill'Go along with Natalia on her night out and you'll soon find you'd follow her anywhere. Rodoreda's writing pays such fierce and tender attention to the experience of being alive, and the tempest that ordinary life can be' Helen OyeyemiTrade ReviewI don't know how many times I have reread the book, including several times in Catalan, with such effort that speaks volumes to my devotion to the novel * Gabriel Garcia Marquez *An extremely moving love story translated from the Catalan, which reveals much about the Spanish civil war as ordinary, non-political people had to live it * Diana Athill *

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Book Synopsis'A powerful, stirring, wind-swept tale set in Depression-era America that makes your heart break and soar in equal measure.' - Matt Haig, author of The Midnight LibraryThe Four Winds, an instant New York Times number one bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, is a deeply moving story about the strength and resilience of women and the bond between mother and daughter, by the multi-million-copy bestselling author of The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah.‘Powerful and compelling’ – Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads SingShe will discover the best of herself in the worst of times . . .Texas, 1934. Elsa Martinelli had finally found the life she’d yearned for. A family, a home and a livelihood on a farm on the Great Plains. But when drought threatens all she and her community hold dear, Elsa’s world is shattered to the winds.Fearful of the future, when Elsa wakes to find her husband has fled, she is forced to make the most agonizing decision of her life. Fight for the land she loves or take her beloved children, Loreda and Ant, west to California in search of a better life. Will it be the land of milk and honey? Or will their experience challenge every ounce of strength they possess?From the overriding love of a mother for her child, the value of female friendship and the ability to love again – against all odds – Elsa’s incredible journey is a story of survival, hope and what we do for the ones we love.'A story of love, family, unbreakable bonds, bravery and hope. I loved this book so much!' - Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo****What readers LOVE about The Four Winds:‘Everyone should read this book. This is the new American classic’‘It will break your heart and bring you to tears. It will also be one of the best books you read all year!’‘This is historical fiction at its best: compelling, compassionate, enraging and courageous. I absolutely loved this book!’‘Gripping and captivating . . . heartbreaking and inspiring’‘We fall in love with a warrior who finds her power and strength, surrounded by love. Beautiful’‘BRAVO to the author, this is her best work yet’Trade ReviewWow. I have been left with a bursting heart . . . a story of love, family, unbreakable bonds, bravery and hope. I loved this book so much! -- Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The Beekeeper of AleppoPowerful and compelling -- Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads SingA powerful, stirring, wind-swept tale set in Depression-era America that makes your heart break and soar in equal measure. -- Matt Haig, author of Reasons to Stay Alive and The HumansI didn’t just love this book, I became obsessed with it -- Karen Swan on The Great AloneEpic . . . By the end, I was surrounded by snow-drifts of tissues damp with my tears -- Washington Post on The Great AloneGreat characters, great plots, great emotions: who could ask for more in a novel? -- Isabel Allende on The NightingaleMovingly written and plotted with the skill of Greek tragedy. You’ll keep turning the pages until the last racking sob -- Daily Mail on The NightingaleA rich, compelling novel of love, sacrifice and survival, as epic as the Alaskan landscape it so vividly describes -- Kate Morton on The Great AloneA real page-turning read. Best book I’ve read all year -- Martina Cole

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Book SynopsisJeffrey Archer's thrilling historical fiction novel, Kane and Abel, is a global phenomenon that has captivated readers worldwide, spawning two sequels and dominating bestseller charts the world over.Two strangers born worlds apart with one destiny that will define them both.William Lowell Kane, the son of a Boston millionaire, and Abel Rosnovski, the son of a penniless Polish immigrant, are born on the same day on opposite sides of the world and brought together by fate and the quest of a dream.Locked in a relentless struggle spanning sixty years and three generations, the two men battle for supremacy in pursuit of an empire, fuelled only by their hatred for the other and the knowledge it will end in triumph for one, and destruction of the other . . .‘If there were a Nobel Prize for storytelling, Archer would win’ - The Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewThe ultimate novel of rivalry -- Dan Brown on Kane and AbelIf there were a Nobel prize for storytelling, Archer would win * Daily Telegraph *Probably the greatest storyteller of our age * Mail on Sunday *

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Book Synopsis“Sinking into a Nan Rossiter story is like coming home.”—Robyn CarrReturn to Tybee Island off the coast of Georgia in USA Today bestselling author Nan Rossiter’s third Savannah Skies novel, a heartwarming story about love, acceptance, finding your place in the world, and learning to carry on in the face of overwhelming loss.It has been eight months since Libby Tennyson’s husband, Jack, passed away, and now every afternoon when the fiery sun sinks below the horizon, she finds herself wandering through the empty old farmhouse in which they raised their six sons. Melancholy hour, she calls it—the time of day that was once a flurry of dinner, homework, and chores, but with her sons grown and on their own, she grieves for all she has lost—and worries about what the future holds for her youngest son, twenty-eight-year-old Chase.  All the Tennyson boys are

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Book SynopsisEVERYONE IN MY FAMILY IS A KILLER. EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY IS A SUSPECT.BUT WHICH OF THEM IS A MURDERER?''The best thing I''ve read in ages'' STUART MACBRIDE''Fun, witty and exciting. This is not one to miss!'' 5***** READER REVIEW''A must-read for every fan of the mystery genre'' JANE HARPER_________I knew our family reunion wouldn''t end well. But I didn''t expect murder.Maybe I should have known better. After all, everyone in my family is a killer. My parents, my siblings, my in-laws . . . even me. The deaths weren''t all deliberate, of course. Accidents happen.So when a body is found in the snow, it''s clear it''s the work of a Cunningham. But which one? And why?I''ll give you one clue: it wasn''t me.But a piece of advice? Never trust a Cunningham . . ._________''I absolutely LOVED it. Engaging, entertaining and charming'' MARIAN KEYES''Clever, unexpeTrade ReviewI absolutely loved it. Utterly original, hugely entertaining, and a must-read for every fan of the mystery genre. What an exceptionally fresh, smart, funny book - I've never read anything like this before. -- Jane HarperAn ingenious and hilarious meta-murder mystery . . . strangely moving * Sunday Times 'Best Crime Books of 2022' *As fresh and zingy as a salted lime. It's Knives Out meets Richard Osman. Or Dexter by way of Agatha Christie. Or Schitt's Creek with a body count. It's also the most luxuriantly enjoyable novel I've read in years. And years. I began toting my copy around town so that strangers would ask me about it - who could resist that title? I only wish there were more members of the Cunningham clan, so that this raucous, matchlessly entertaining mystery could go on longer. Benjamin Stevenson, I've got a lot to learn from you -- A.J. FinnThe best thing I've read in ages. I absolutely loved it. Whip-smart, twisted, funny, and constructed with the pinpoint precision of a bloodthirsty watchmaker. -- Stuart MacBrideThis book had me hooked from the first chapter. Deliciously funny, dark and intriguing -- Alex PavesiI absolutely loved it. It's so engaging, entertaining and charming. I don't think I've ever read anything like it, and it's such a fun read -- Marian KeyesClever, unexpected, and not to be missed -- Karin SlaughterAn exceptionally clever and amusing mystery. Stevenson carries off this tour de force with all the aplomb of a master magician who conducts his tricks in plain view * Publishers Weekly *This was such a clever, compelling read. It's a must for anyone who loves the rules of crime fiction, but it still packs plenty of twists. It had me laughing and turning the pages in equal measure. Bravo Mr Stevenson! -- S.J. BennettAn engrossing whodunnit, with an ingenious twist on the classic crime genre. The type of book you finish and want to immediately read again -- Kyle PerryIf you're a classic murder mystery fan looking for something fresh and original, you will absolutely love this -- Anna DownesSurprising, darkly funny, clever and charming - you won't want to put this one down * Living Edge *My go-to recommendation this year. It has everything I love about great twisty mystery, presented in a hugely original package -- Jane Harper * Daily Express *A mystery for anyone who thinks they know all too well how mysteries are supposed to work -- Gabriel BergmoserA homage to a golden age whodunnit, with a page-turner plot . . . Smart and funny * Business Post *A really fresh take on classic crime -- Jane Harper * Good Housekeeping *

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

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Book SynopsisThe famous cross-dressing Cantonese opera singer, Chan Kam Foong, passes away, leaving her secret journal to her granddaughter, Xiu Yin, an archival officer at the Singapore National Archives. Xiu Yin reads through the journal that chronicles her grandmother’s relationship with Dearest Intimate in their village in China to their respective escapes to the Nanyang before WWII and her desperate search for Dearest Intimate in Singapore. Her grandmother’s reflections and letters to Dearest Intimate forces Xiu Yin to examine her marriage to an abusive husband and she plucks up the courage to leave him. A surprise encounter with her first love, a rising Cantonese opera singer, brings a period of calm and joy. But when Meng proposes marriage, Xiu Yin backs off and he leaves for Hong Kong. It takes three years of loneliness and letter writing before they reunite again.Trade Review"Singaporean novelist Lim paints an evocative, atmospheric portrait of old Singapore. . . . A fine, deeply felt saga of lives caught up in progress that's as heartbreaking as it is hopeful." --Kirkus Reviews on The River's Song

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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 SynopsisWINNER OF THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTIONSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZESUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERFrom the acclaimed author of Swing Time, White Teeth and Grand Union, discover a brilliantly funny and deeply moving story about love and familyWhy do we fall in love with the people we do? Why do we visit our mistakes on our children? What makes life truly beautiful?Set between New England and London, On Beauty concerns a pair of feuding families - the Belseys and the Kipps - and a clutch of doomed affairs. It puts low morals among high ideals and asks some searching questions about what life does to love. For the Belseys and the Kipps, the confusions - both personal and political - of our uncertain age are about to be brought close to home: right to the heart of family.''I didn''t want to finish, I was enjoying it so much'' Evening Standard''Thrums with intellectual sass and know-how'' Literary Review''Filled with humour, generosity and contemporary sparkle'' Daily Telegraph ''Satirical, wise and sexy'' Washington PostTrade ReviewThe tale of a mixed-race British American family in conflict with another family of opposing sensibilities. As with all Smith's work, it's smart, funny and a masterclass in the complexities of identity -- Luan Goldie * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisBetty Smith was born in 1896 and died in 1972. She wrote four novels, including A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.Trade ReviewA profoundly moving novel, and an honest and true one. It cuts right to the heart of life . . . If you miss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you will deny yourself a rich experience... It is a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships. * New York Times *This story radiates life. * Daily Telegraph *One of the books of the century * New York Public Library *

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

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of the international bestseller Mornings in Jenin comes a powerful, passionate story of a family separated by conflict, and the tragedy they endure''The story Susan Abulhawa tells in this marvellous novel is hard to bear but impossible to ignore ... precise, courageous, and dazzling'' Teju Cole''Gripping and deeply moving Suffering and resilience are difficult things to witness, but this powerful, politically engaged novel does so with a transformative literary grace.'' Independent on SundayIt is 1947, and Beit Daras, a rural Palestinian village, is home to the Baraka family oldest daughter Nazmiyeh, brother Mamdouh, beautiful, dreamy Mariam and their widowed mother. When Israeli forces descend, sending the village up in flames, the family must take the long road to Gaza, in a walk that will test them to their limits.Sixty years later, in America, Mamdouh's granddaughter Nur falls in love with a doctor. Following him toTrade ReviewThe story Susan Abulhawa tells in this marvellous novel is hard to bear but impossible to ignore. Through four generations of a Palestinian family, The Blue Between Sky and Water shows how history’s assault on each person is public, and how it nevertheless cannot extinguish the private experience of grief or the secret sense of eros. Abulhawa's vision is precise, courageous, and dazzling -- Teju ColeIn true Thousand and One Nights style, Abulhawa surprises us by continually unfolding new stories … Characters struggle to keep their secrets, but Abulhawa releases them. These are secrets we need to know, secrets that will educate us about ourselves, and Gaza * Guardian *Gripping and deeply moving … Suffering and resilience are difficult things to witness, but this powerful, politically engaged novel does so with a transformative literary grace. Abulhawa’s prose is luminous; her control of a complex weaving of narrative voices – young and old, male and female, magical and real – is masterful. The novel provides an intimate close-up of the women of Gaza and of the everyday heroism amid relentless loss * Independent on Sunday *She is a fine observer of female kinship ... A powerful read * Financial Times *One of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read … written with passion, honesty and poetry * Daily Mail on Mornings in Jenin *Abulhawa’s writing shines … Friendship, adolescence, love: ordinary events, offset against extraordinary circumstances, make the story live * Independent *The writer’s pain – and the beauty of her prose – are very real * Daily Telegraph *Powerful and moving * Stylist *Powerful and passionate … unforgettable -- Michael PalinHeartbreaking -- Esther Freud

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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 Pulitzer Prize-winning, Number One New York Times bestselling author of Olive Kitteridge and My Name is Lucy Barton''A terrific writer'' Zadie Smith''A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own'' Hilary Mantel ''A novel to treasure'' Sunday TimesOlive, Again follows the blunt, contradictory yet deeply loveable Olive Kitteridge as she grows older, navigating the second half of her life as she comes to terms with the changes - sometimes welcome, sometimes not - in her own existence and in those around her.Olive adjusts to her new life with her second husband, challenges her estranged son and his family to accept him, experiences loss and loneliness, witnesses the triumphs and heartbreaks of her friends and neighbours in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine - and, finally, opens herself to new lessons about life.''A powerful storyteller immersed in the nuances of human relationships'' Observer''She gets better with each book'' Maggie O''Farrell ''Her writing is exquisite; her vision is boundless. What a sublime book.'' Rachel Joyce''Glorious'' The Times''A perfect novel'' Financial TimesElizabeth Strout''s new novel Tell Me Everything is available out now!Trade ReviewA novel to treasure... Olive, Again, like Strout's first book, delivers roughly five hours of spine-tingling pleasure. * Sunday Times *Olive, Again is a tour de force. With extraordinary economy of prose - few writers can pack so much emotion, so much emotion, so much detail into a single paragraph - Strout immerses us in the lives of her characters, each so authentically drawn as to be deserving of an entire novel themselves. Compassionate, masterly and profound, this is a writer at the height of her powers * Observer *Emotionally honest, psychologically piercing and ultimately life-affirming * The i *Her writing is exquisite; her vision is boundless. What a sublime book.A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own. In Olive, Again, she teaches us that there is always more to know about human beings, even the ones we are closest to.There's no simple truth about human existence, Strout reminds us, only wonderful, painful complexity. 'Well, that's life,' Olive says. 'Nothing you can do about it.' Beautifully written and alive with compassion, at times almost unbearably poignant. A thrilling book in every way. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *Strout again demonstrates her gift for zeroing in on ordinary moments in the lives of ordinary people to highlight their extraordinary resilience * Publishers Weekly, starred review *She gets better with each bookGlorious * The Times *A perfect novel * Financial Times *In Olive Kitteridge, Strout has created one of those rare characters...so vivid and humorous they seems to take on a life independent of the story framing them * Guardian *Elizabeth Strout is... one of the undisputed heavyweights of generous, clear-eyed domestic realism * Daily Mail *A special, precious book...full of hope and humanity * Red *Funny, sad, tender and truthful, this is pure joy * Stylist *A terrific writer -- Zadie Smith

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Book SynopsisToni Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. She was the author of many novels, including The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, Paradise and Love. She received the National Book Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize for her fiction and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honour, in 2012 by Barack Obama. Toni Morrison died on 5 August 2019 at the age of eighty-eight.Trade Review'Toni Morrison was a giant of her times and ours... Beloved is a heartbreaking testimony to the ongoing ravages of slavery, and should be read by all'‘I adored her honesty. I admired the way she occupied her space in the world. I believed her’‘[Toni Morrison] led and we followed, and she showed us the beauty of the language, and the power that was unleashed when that beauty was allied to a great heart and a ferocious mind’‘No other writer in my lifetime, or perhaps ever, has married so completely an understanding of the structures of power with knowledge of the human heart’‘Toni Morrison is the greatest chronicler of the American experience that we have ever known’‘Morrison is, to me, the best writer the English-speaking world has ever seen’‘Morrison’s legacy in commemorating slavery’s survivors will endure and uplift for centuries to come'‘Her every word a caress, her every sentence an embrace, her every paragraph, a cupping of her hands around our faces that said: I know you, I see you, we are together’‘I have never read anyone else like her . . . She was an opener of doors, doors that seemed they might always be shut, doors shut so tight they seemed not to be doors at all’‘Her legacy is total excellence . . . she is magnificent, her emotional intelligence is second to none and her bravery was equal to her artistry’‘Morrison almost single-handedly took American fiction forward in the second half of the twentieth century’‘[Toni Morrison’s] irreverence was godly’ * Guardian *A beautiful book and it's beautifully written -- Kit de Waal * Good Housekeeping UK *My favourite book of all time -- Sareeta Domingo * Good Housekeeping *Morrison's stunning trilogy is an evocation of black life over the past four centuries. It defies summary. Completed almost 25 years ago, these novels top anything produced by any American writer including Hemingway, Updike and DeLillo -- Trevor Phillips * Sunday Times *[A] beautiful, haunting novel -- Stig Abell * Sunday Times *More than one of Morrison's books could be classed as masterpieces, but this one is famous for a reason: everyone should read it -- Bernice McFadden, author of SUGAR * Guardian *A magnificent achievement...an American masterpiece -- A.S. Byatt * Guardian *A triumph -- Margaret Atwood * New York Times Book Review *She melds horror and beauty in a story that will disturb the mind forever * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestselling novel, set to be a major TV drama series.'You can't help feeling that Jane would have approved.' OBSERVER'So good, so intelligent, so clever, so entertaining - I adored it.' CLAIRE TOMALIN________________________Throughout her lifetime, Jane Austen wrote countless letters to her sister. But why did Cassandra burn them all?1840: twenty three years after the death of her famous sister Jane, Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury, and the home of her family's friends, the Fowles.She knows that, in some dusty corner of the sprawling vicarage, there is a cache of family letters which hold secrets she can never allow to be revealed.As Cassandra recalls her youth and her relationship with her brilliant yet complex sister, she pieces together buried truths about Jane's history, and her own. And she faces a stark choice: should she act to protect Jane's reputation, or leave the contents of the letters to go unguarded into posterity?Based on a literary mystery that has long puzzled biographers and academics, Miss Austen is a wonderfully original and emotionally complex novel about the loves and lives of Cassandra and Jane Austen.________________________'The perfect book to wrap yourself around on a dark night' STYLIST'Celebrates unexamined lives, sisterhood and virtues such as kindness and loyalty' SUNDAY TIMES'This is a deeply imagined and deeply moving novel' KAREN JOY FOWLER, author of The Jane Austen Bookclub'It's a delight, one of those that you don't want to end.' RTE'A charming novel' SUNDAY MIRROR'Hornby brings to life the Austen family, using the known to speculate on what might have been.' THE TIMES Audio Book of the Week'Extraordinary and heart-wrenching.' LARA PRESCOTT, author of The Secrets We Kept'Gill Hornby ingeniously imagines what Cassandra Austen's own life might have been like.' DEIRDRE LE FAYE, editor of Jane Austen's Letters'Tender and touching' DAILY MAIL'Utterly absorbing.' ARTEMIS COOPER'Delightful.' SUE RYAN, founder of Henley Lit FestTrade ReviewWithout romanticising its period setting or underplaying the precariousness of any woman’s position in this society, it celebrates unexamined lives, sisterhood and virtues such as kindness and loyalty. * SUNDAY TIMES *This is the perfect book to wrap yourself around on a dark night. * STYLIST *Miss Austen voices the (hitherto) shadowy figure of Cassandra, the villainies of the piece, and makes her flesh and blood…. Gill Hornby is at her best describing the complex bonds between the “excellent women” of her story. She describes the horrors, but also the pleasures, of spinsterhood. * THE TIMES *So good, so intelligent, so clever, so entertaining – I adored it. -- CLAIRE TOMALINHornby's gift to the world of Austen lovers is to return to Cassandra her rightful recognition as Jane's most intimate and sustaining relationship, her greatest love. This is a deeply imagined and deeply moving novel. Reading it made me happy and weepy in equally copious amounts. -- KAREN JOY FOWLER, author of THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB and WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES

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Book SynopsisLOSE YOURSELF IN THE SPELLBINDING NOVEL FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF RICHARD & JUDY PICK THE GLASS HOUSE''Beautifully written. I loved every word'' LISA JEWELL''Gorgeously written, atmospheric and twisty . . . I devoured it!'' CLAIRE DOUGLAS''Daphne du Maurier for the modern day'' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH''Immersive, tense and ultimately redemptive'' SARAH VAUGHAN''Engrossing, gripping and layered'' GILLIAN MCALLISTER__________When half-sisters Lauren, Flora, and Kat are unexpectedly summoned to the Cornish house where they spent their childhood summers, it''s the first time they''ve dared return.Because the wild cliffs and windswept beaches hide a twenty-year-old secret.The truth about what they did.Someone who remembers them lurks in the shadows, watching their every move.And there are other secrets, even darker than their own, waiting to be Trade ReviewEve Chase does it again! The Birdcage is glorious; a bittersweet, beautifully written, slow burn family drama with a killer kick in the closing chapters. I loved every word of it -- Lisa Jewell, bestselling author of The Night She DisappearedEve Chase is one of my favourite authors and I fell in love with The Birdcage. A gorgeously written, atmospheric and twisty story of sisters and secrets set on the Cornish coast. Eve Chase's books never fail to make me cry. I devoured it! -- Claire Douglas, bestselling author of The Couple at No. 9Eve Chase never disappoints. The far west of Cornwall is evoked in all its wild and mystical glory in this lyrical and propulsive family drama about three sisters whose lives have been overshadowed by a tragic secret on the eve of the 1999 eclipse. Chase conjures up a bohemian, artistic world filled with damaged daughters and their charismatic, largely absent and narcissistic father. Immersive, tense and ultimately redemptive, while I was reading, it held me completely in its grip. -- Sarah Vaughan, bestselling author of Anatomy of a ScandalAtmospheric and twisty: think Daphne Du Maurier for the modern day * Sunday Telegraph *I loved it . . . engrossing, gripping and layered -- Gillian McAllister, bestselling author of That NightAtmospheric and beautifully written. I absolutely loved it. -- Jane Fallon, bestselling author of Worst Idea EverBeautiful, page-turning, with believable characters you root for, this will sweep you away. I loved it -- Katie Fforde, bestselling author of Wedding SeasonI loved this atmospheric story about families and secrets * Prima *The Birdcage is a show-stopping novel - beautifully written and atmospheric, with a cast of fascinating, brilliantly realised characters whose story kept me absolutely gripped. Eve Chase has an extraordinary talent - she's one of the only writers I would drop anything for -- Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of The Man Who Didn't CallA beautifully written-mystery in an evocative Cornish setting at the time of the eclipse. Stunning -- Catherine Cooper, bestselling author of The ChaletVividly descriptive * Choice *The complex relationships between three half-sisters, their mothers and their artist father are painted with compelling psychological depth in this extraordinary and gripping masterpiece. The treacherous Cornish coast is the setting for a cleverly narrated unravelling of the past and the myriad ways in which it has shaped the present. It's like an Old Master portrait that gives away more secrets with each viewing. Eve Chase's best novel yet - and the bar was already sky-high -- Gill Paul, bestselling author of Women and Children FirstAtmospheric, suspenseful . . . A captivating, beguiling read * Sunday Express *A page-turning story brilliantly told in a lush narrative bursting with vivid, wonderful images. Haunting, emotional & just lovely. Loved it. -- Tracy Rees, bestselling author of The Rose GardenWildly glamorous and utterly intoxicating, The Birdcage is Eve Chase at her very best: taut, intriguing and evocative. Du Maurier with a modern twist -- Veronica Henry, bestselling author of How to Find Love in a Book ShopEve Chase is a stunning and meticulous writer and The Birdcage - like all her novels - is as spellbinding in its prose, as it is in its plot and the expertly crafted mystery at its heart. A very special novel -- Katy Regan, author of Little Big ManI read it in one sitting and absolutely sobbed at the end. Eve is such an evocative writer - she paints with words - but she has also crafted such a cleverly layered story that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! I was mentally and emotionally wrung out by the end. It's a triumph! -- Karen Swan, bestselling author of The Christmas SecretSkillfully plotted and richly atmospheric, The Birdcage weaves together the stories of three sisters forced to confront an explosive past. Dark family secrets, old rivalries, and new dangers collide in this clever and engaging page-turner -- Lindsay Cameron, author of Just One LookAn evocative, beautifully written mystery in which the past whispers in corners and family secrets are washed back in on the tide. I loved it -- Tammy Cohen, author of The Wedding PartyThe Birdcage is an intriguing study of sisters and sibling rivalry, of memory and forgetting, of daughters who are more mature than their father. Eve Chase took me to an isolated manor in windswept Cornwall, where I turned the pages faster and faster to see if the three sisters could put the past - and past grievances - behind them. The perfect weekend read! -- Janet Skeslien Charles, author of The Paris LibraryI always look forward to a new Eve Chase novel and The Birdcage didn't disappoint. Time and place are evoked with subtle perfection. Complex sibling rivalries and secrets, the past rubbing up against the present, make this a must-read Chase classic. I couldn't recommend it more highly -- E.C Fremantle, author of The Poison BedI loved this atmospheric story about families and secrets * Prima *Praise for Eve Chase * - *An enthralling story of secrets, sisters and an unsolved mysteryEvocative and filled with intrigueEve Chase is a supremo of this genre ... an intricately woven novel of suspense and secrets * Red *One of the most enthralling novelists of the moment. This is the most beautiful book you will read this yearSublime writing, secrets, lovable characters I didn't want to leave, and a ripping plot twist that kept me guessing. An absolute jewel of a bookAn enticing, chilling plot, captivating characters and prose beautiful enough to totally lose yourself in * Heat *Eve Chase is a name to watch * Daily Mail *I adored this beautifully written, riveting mystery. Chase is peerless in her ability to stitch together dark secrets and tantalising twists with unforgettable characters and enthralling imagery. I am a die-hard fan! -- Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of The Man Who Didn't CallExquisite and evocative - and the pace and suspense are handled expertlyAddictive and delivers atmosphere in spades * Good Housekeeping *A mystery of nail-biting suspense * Woman & Home *Absorbed me completely. FabulousAn engrossing story of fractured families, secrets, lies and misunderstandings * Sunday Express *

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

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

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Book 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 Synopsis''If you love Liane Moriarty and Shari Lapena, you''ll love this twisty psychological thriller'' Pick Me Up An addictive thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Shari Lapena.?Meet the young widows:The hot messKylie is done with commitment. Her trust in men died with her husband. Now she trawls bars looking for fun no strings, no promises, no second night. That is until she meets a man who seems to want more, but is it a mistake to trust again?The new memberHannah's grief is fresh and reminds the other widows how raw their pain once was however, do they want to let that back into their lives?The wallflowerIsabel is used to hiding in the shadows, her past still haunts her. Only her late husband knew what happened the night that ruined her life.The fiancéeAdriana is moving on. But as her wedding draws closer, she's starting to question how well she truly knows her partner. Then she receives an anonymous note that reads: Get out while you still can.Four very different women brought together by their grief, only to find their lives are inexplicably linked in the darkest of ways.Readers love The Young Widows!Fantastic. A very twisty read full of suspense'A real rollercoaster'Kept me hooked'Had me gripped. I raced through and there were plenty of twists!'Trade Review Praise for S.J. Short ‘Genuinely entertaining and memorable’ – Booklist ‘Truly excels at character development’ – Kirku ‘Elegant, descriptive and delectable’ – RT Magazine 'If you love Liane Moriarty and Shari Lapena, you'll love this twisty psychological thriller' –Pick Me Up Magazine

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Book SynopsisSome secrets won''t let go . . . Is the truth about a devastating family tragedy about to be unveiled?Stellar . . . Fraser is in top form - Publishers Weekly Starred ReviewTragedy strikes a quiet Dorset town when the bodies of Sarah and Charles Drummond are discovered in their home one morning while their two young children, Abby and Mia, sleep upstairs. The police seem certain that Charles killed his wife before taking his own life, and the girls'' grandmother, Cicely Fairfax, makes sure that they are shielded from the horrific truth.Until now. Sixteen years later, an accident at work leads Mia to have disturbing flashbacks to the night her parents met their untimely deaths. What did she see? What really happened that fateful evening? When Mia and Abby eventually share painful memories from the night that changed their lives forever, they get closer to uncovering the truth, and a dark secret from the past is finally revealed . . .

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Book SynopsisDorothy Gladys 'Dodie' Smith was born in 1896 in Lancashire and she was one of the most successful female dramatists of her generation. Her first novel, I Capture the Castle, was written when she lived in America during the 1940's and marked her crossover debut from playwright to novelist. The novel became an immediate success and was produced as a play in 1954. She has written numerous other novels but is best known today for The Hundred and One Dalmatians, a story for younger readers. The Hundred and One Dalmatians became the basis of two Disney films.Trade ReviewI know of few novels that inspire as much fierce lifelong affection in their readersEveryone I've passed it on to has found it a hit - it works every time, for absolutely everybodySmith rivals Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate series for 1930s toff charm * The Independent *A deliciously evocative portrait of England * Daily Mail *Dreamy and funny...an odd, shimmering timelessness clings to its pages. A thousand and one cheers for its reissue. A + * Entertainment Weekly *

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Book SynopsisThe story of a life. The story of the year.'Lessons shows [McEwan] at the very peak of his powers. He has written his masterpiece' Daily TelegraphWhen the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has descended, young Roland Baines's life is turned upside down. Stranded at boarding school, his vulnerability attracts his piano teacher, Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade.Twenty-five years later Roland's wife mysteriously vanishes, and he is left alone with their baby son. Her disappearance sparks of journey of discovery that will continue for decades, as Roland confronts the reality of his rootless existence and attempts to embrace the uncertainty - and freedom - of his future.'Ian McEwan is a masterful storyteller' Elif Shafak'A beautiful book about love, loss and regret' Observer'Luminous, beautifully written... about lives imperfectly lived' Vogue'A whole, unruly life between the covers of a single book: a literary feat' Spectator'A tour de force... A single life is silhouetted against global happenings' Sunday Times* A Book of the Year for The Times, Sunday Times, Financial Times, Spectator, New Statesman, Washington Post, Vogue and New Yorker *Trade ReviewLessons is easily McEwan's most accomplished novel since Atonement... he offers intelligent reflection on his novel's evergreen themes. * The Times *I loved Lessons... Deep, life-affirming and A-grade storytelling. * The Times *Thoughtful, tender and both universal and timeless in its depiction of the follies of the human heart... Ian McEwan is a masterful storyteller who weaves destiny and self-determination, the past and the future, youth and age, and above all, the loss and memory of love. -- Elif ShafakCaptures youthful lust and late-age regret with equal power. * Financial Times *Superb... another mesmerising, memorable novel. * Independent *

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Book Synopsis1913 Lydia Miller, daughter of a German doctor, is training to become a nurse when she first meets debonair Robert Ravening, the nephew of a Lord and a keen aviator and promptly falls in love. When the Great War begins in 1914, Robert enlists with the Royal Flying Corps and as a nurse, determined to help all she can, Lydia is sent to France. But her love affair with Robert has more than one consequence as secrets and sins are disclosed. Also being both British and German Lydia finds herself in No Man’s Land, suspected by one and imprisoned by the other.Previously published as Home for Christmas Praise for Lizzie Lane:'A gripping saga and a storyline that will keep you hooked' Rosie Goodwin'The Tobacco Girls is another heartwarming tale of love and friendship and a must-read for all saga fans.' Jean Fullerton'Lizzie Lane opens the door to a past of factory girls, redolent with life-affirming friendship, drama, and choices that are as relevant today as they were then.' Catrin Collier'If you want an exciting, authentic historical saga then look no further than Lizzie Lane.' Fenella J Miller

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Book Synopsis'A gruesome, blackly funny, utterly original feminist horror story' New York Times, Notable Book of the Year 'A buzz-worthy and ferocious horror comedy from one of the genre's most promising voices'BuzzfeedAbby Lamb has done it. She's found the Great Good in her husband, Ralph, and together they will start a family and put all the darkness in her childhood to rest. But then the Lambs move in with Ralph's mother, Laura, whose depression has made it impossible for her to live on her own. She's venomous and cruel, especially to Abby, who has a complicated understanding of motherhood given the way her own, now-estranged, mother raised her.When Laura takes her own life, her ghost starts to haunt Abby and Ralph in very different ways. Ralph is plunged into depression, and Abby is being terrorized by a force intent on taking everything she loves away from her. With everything on the line, Abby must make the ultimate sacrifice in order to prove her adoration to Ralph and break Laura's hold on the family for good.Trade ReviewGripping... A gutsy, gory mashup of domestic horror and dark humour * Observer *A gruesome, blackly funny, utterly original feminist horror story * New York Times, Notable Book of 2022 *A dark, moving, hugely entertaining slab of gothic horror....and also very funny * Metro *A disgusting and delightful romp of a book * Big Issue *Filled with sharp, crackling sentences, which bend variously sinister, humorous and sad, Ainslie Hogarth's new novel is a stunner. Like Mona Awad's Bunny or Ottessa Moshfegh's Eileen, Motherthing is a fabulous, frightening story built from fine, fine prose * Laird Hunt, author of the National Book Award finalist, Zorrie *This novel is bursting with smart, provocative, heart-breaking things to say about the nature of grief and its ability to take up just as much - if not more - physical space than the actual person lost. Motherthing is gory and irreverent and totally irresistible * Courtney Maum, author of Touch *A masterfully crafted horror novel that's by turns humorous and deeply unsettling... Packs a punch * Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW *Profane, insane, hilarious, disgusting - and unexpectedly moving * Kirkus STARRED REVIEW *A smart, taut, hallucinatory book about mothers, daughters, and relationships of care. And buckets of blood. * Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces *One of my favourite books of the year so far... Sorrow and Bliss but make it haunted * Red, Blackwells Manchester *

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Book SynopsisIsabel Allende was born in 1942 Lima, Peru. She grew up in Chile and now lives in California. She is the author of novels The House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows,Eva Luna, The Infinite Plan, Paula, Daughter of Fortune, Portrait in Sepia, My Invented Country, Zorro, Inés of My Soul The Sum of Our Days and The Island Beneath the Sea.Trade ReviewRemarkable...a big book that can comprehend the history of a nation, and so many lives, with love * The Times *An exotic vision and a brilliant, impassioned epic * Vogue *Mesmerizing... A novel of force and charm * Washington Post *This is a novel like the novels no one seems to write anymore: thick with plot and bristling with characters who play out their lives over three generations of conflict and reconciliation. A novel to be read for its brilliant craftsmanship and its narrative of inescapable power * El Pais, Madrid *Announcing a truly great read: a novel thick and thrilling, full of fantasy, terror and wit, elaborately crafted yet serious and accurate in its historical and social observations * Die Welt, Berlin *

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Book SynopsisRediscover one of Virginia Woolf's greatest works in this beautiful new gift edition from Vintage Classics. 'My mind was warped into a new shape by her prose and it will never be the same again' Greta GerwigMr and Mrs Ramsay and their eight children have always holidayed at their summer house in Skye, surrounded by family friends. The novel's opening section teems with the noise, complications, bruised emotions, joys and quiet tragedies of everyday family life that might go on forever. But time passes, bringing with it war and death, and the summer home stands empty until one day, many years later, the family return to make the long-postponed visit to the lighthouse.One of the great literary achievements of the 20th century, To the Lighthouse, is at once an intensely autobiographical and universally moving masterpiece about changing relationships and attitudes amongst the early 20th-century middle class.'To The Lighthouse is one of the greatest elegies in the English language, a book which transcends time' Margaret Drabble 'Thrillingly introspective' The IndependentTrade ReviewIt is an elegy for lost times and family life * The Week *

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Book Synopsis‘In the weeks that followed, Jane did her best not to think about anything very much. Usually, it worked. But every so often she would freeze, and tremble at the terrifying realisation that she wanted to leave her husband.’While many regard her marriage with admiration and a touch of envy, Jane Lytton quietly reaches the shocking conclusion that her relationship with Michael, a successful banker with little time for her – or the nitty-gritty of family life – is failing.Even daring to contemplate leaving Michael is daunting. With no obvious outward signs of any marital problems, family and friends greet news of the predicament with a mixture of anger and uncomprehending sympathy.Forced to accept that she is alone, Jane takes drastic steps that veer her life off course. When at last her vision clears to reveal the best chance of happiness, it looks as if she may have left it too late. Being with the wrong man does not make finding the ‘right’ one any easier.Amanda Brookfield’s loving but unflinching dissection of marriage and relationships is timeless and irresistible. The Wrong Man demonstrates brilliantly why she got her well-deserved reputation for writing about women’s lives with humour and honesty.*Please note this title was originally published as *Walls of Glass. **Praise for Amanda Brookfield:'An engaging, emotionally-charged and intriguing story' Michelle GormanNo one gets to the heart of human relationships quite so perceptively as Brookfield.' The Mirror'Unputdownable. Perceptive. Poignant. I loved it.' bestselling author Patricia Scanlan on Before I Knew You'If Joanna Trollope is the queen of the Aga Saga, then Amanda Brookfield must be a strong contender for princess.' Oxford TimesWhat readers are saying about Amanda Brookfield:‘I’ve loved all Amanda Brookfield’s books and this latest one was excellent too. She writes so well, with insight and natural dialogue.’‘I could read it again, I read it so fast, I couldn't put it down. Very well written. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.’‘Brilliant book - just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, another twist popped up -had me picking it up whenever I had the chance.’‘A great story, great characters, vivid, immediate, so 'real', and such compassion. Every bit a page turner as Brookfield so gets you into her people. Only my second (Good Girls was a lucky dip first), but am hooked. If you like reading really well written real-life novels about your relationships, try this.’‘I enjoyed Amanda Brookfield’s writing style. She really taps into her characters and writes them warts and all, with some raw and honest emotions.’‘All of Amanda's books are well written. She certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and draw them into what proves to be an enjoyable read.’

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Book SynopsisPrison will make or break you... Danger and violence have always been a part of Susan Dalston''s East End upbringing, but being locked up with another murderess will have consequences that no one could have predicted. TWO WOMEN by Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller Martina Cole tells the truth about prison life, and how far one woman will go for justice...Susan Dalston killed her husband in a final act of desperation.Banged up in Holloway, all that keeps her sane is knowing that her children are now safe from the man who terrorised them. What she can''t predict is that the bonds she forms on the inside might just make - or break - her.For more compelling novels about life on the inside, be sure to read Martina Cole''s FACELESS, THE JUMP and THE GOOD LIFETrade Review'Right from the start [Cole] has enjoyed unqualified approval for her distinctive and powerfully written fiction' The Times; The Times 'Intensely readable' Guardian; Guardian 'Martina Cole explores the shady criminal underworld, a setting she is fast making her own' Sunday Express 'Utterly compelling' Mirror 'The story will grip you from the first pages' Best 'Gritty novel from an author who knows intimately the world she writes about' Express

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Book Synopsis**DREAM COUNT, the searing new bestselling novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is out now!**WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD''A delicious, important novel'' THE TIMES''Alert, alive and gripping'' INDEPENDENTIfemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria. In America, Ifemelu suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Meanwhile, Obinze plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, when they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion for each other and for their homeland they face the hardest decision of their lives.Fearless, gripping, spanning three continents and numerous lives, the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning Americanah is a literary masterpiece, and one of the defining books of the decade.''A love story for our time'' VOGUEA brilliant novel: epic in scope, personal in resonance and with lots to say' OBSERVER''A tour de force. Hugely impressive'' MAIL ON SUNDAYTrade Review‘A brilliant novel: epic in scope, personal in resonance and with lots to say’ Elizabeth Day, Observer ‘A delicious, important novel from a writer with a great deal to say’ The Times ‘A brilliant exploration of being African in America … an urgent and important book, further evidence that its author is a real talent’ Sunday Telegraph ‘An extremely thoughtful, subtly provocative exploration of structural inequality, of different kinds of oppression, of gender roles, of the idea of home. Subtle, but not afraid to pull its punches’ Alex Clark, Guardian ‘A tour de force … The artistry with which Adichie keeps her story moving, while animating the complex anxieties in which the characters live and work, is hugely impressive’ Mail on Sunday ‘Adichie is terrific on human interactions … Adichie’s writing always has an elegant shimmer to it … Wise, entertaining and unendingly perceptive’ Independent on Sunday ‘Adichie paints on a grand canvas, boldly and confidently … This is a very funny, very warm and moving intergenerational epic that confirms Adiche’s virtuosity, boundless empathy and searing social acuity’ Dave Eggers ‘“An honest novel about race” … with guts and lustre … within the context of a well-crafted, compassionate, visceral and delicately funny tale of lasting high-school love and the sorrows and adventures of immigration’ Diana Evans, The Times ‘[A] long, satisfying novel of cross-continental relationships, exile and the pull of home … Adichie’s first novel for seven years and well worth the wait’ FT ‘Alert, alive and gripping’ Independent

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Book SynopsisAndrea Mara is a No.1 Sunday Times, Irish Times and Kindle bestselling author. Her books have sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide, and four of them have been shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year. No One Saw a Thing, was a Richard and Judy Bookclub Pick, sold more than 100,000 copies in thirteen weeks, and was No.1 in the UK, Irish and Kindle charts. She lives in Dublin, Ireland, with her husband and three children. You can find Andrea on Instagram @andreamaraauthorTrade Review'Next-level domestic suspense - even the twists have twists. I loved it - Andrea Mara is a star.' * Lee Child *'I loved Hide and Seek by Andrea Mara! Original, clever, and unputdownable, it ticks every crime thriller box for me and then some! I couldn't stop turning the pages to find out what happened next as the gripping, clever plot twists and turns its way to a dramatic denouement. Andrea is an author to watch and I can't wait to read her next.' * Sarah Pearse *'I raced through this at high speed, enjoying the ride through Andrea's twists and turns.' * Observer *'A relentless, twisting page-turner, Hide and Seek delves deeply into every parent's worst nightmare. A first-class thriller.' * Chris Whitaker *'Mara knows how to take every parent's worst nightmares and turn them into top-class page turners. She expertly ratchets up the tension in this single-sitting read, a nerve-shredder that will have you guessing right until the final unexpected twist.' * Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of The Club *

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Book SynopsisTHE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER THAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUTEVERY GENERATION HAS ONE GREAT LOVE STORY.THIS IS OURS.''Beautifully written. Clever, lively, funny, compelling'' NINA STIBBE''Marian''s most moving, emotive and brilliantly written book yet'' 5***** READER REVIEW''Funny, heartbreaking, achingly real. Gorgeous. I absolutely loved it'' JANE FALLON''A clever and insightful writer. My favourite'' LORRAINE KELLY''Beautifully written, funny, heart-breaking and always wise. A proper treat'' DAILY MAIL''I laughed, I cried, I obsessed. Wonderful'' 5***** READER REVIEW**THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022**______Losing the love of your life once is tragic. TWICE looks like carelessness . . .Rachel Walsh is a survivor: she survived rehab and the loss of her greatest love.These days everything in her life is good - gooTrade ReviewAgain, Rachel has all of Keyes's trademark wit, humour and whip-smart dialogue, but it's also a novel teeming with compassion and redemption * Observer *Delightfully funny * Daily Telegraph *Perceptive, hilarious and moving, it's a captivating roller coaster of a read and it's a joy to be reunited with Rachel and the rest of the Walsh clan. * Daily Record *Again, Rachel is fabulous. Beautifully written, pure 5-star Keyes - clever, lively, funny, compelling -- Nina StibbeFunny, heartbreaking, achingly real - Keyes has done it again. Gorgeous. I absolutely loved it -- Jane FallonIt will break your heart and nourish your soul . . . No one can evoke deep feeling with such a light touch as Marian Keyes. She brings her characters to life with Dickensian brio. I think it might be her finest novel yet -- Nigella LawsonIt's excellent and it's everything. Funny, gorgeous, but a painful, powerful story about addiction, emotions and humanity. Exquisite -- Daisy BuchananA sequel worth the wait . . This garrulous, fast-paced read offers the joy of a reunion with not just Rachel, but the rambunctious Walsh clan. An entertaining, growingly poignant contemporary tale * Sunday Times *No other author marries heartbreak and hilarity so seamlessly * Mail on Sunday *Addictive . . . Marian's mastery of story and character is as impressive as ever, and the whole thing rings totally true from start to finish * Heat, Book of the Year 2022 *This new novel is like slipping into a warm, bubbly bath * Good Housekeeping *Funny, heart-breaking and so wise * Daily Mail *It's beautifully written, funny, heart-breaking and always wise. I was so happy to be reunited with this iconic protagonist and her fabulous family - a proper treat * Daily Mail *Utterly brilliant, wise and funny. So fabulous. I adore it -- Cathy KellyHer particular gift is the ability to settle the reader into a comfortable seat, then carry them to the darkest places; to make serious things funny - and moving. She handles with intelligence and humour the issues that the question of long-term addiction recovery throws up * The Times *A smashing sequel. Keyes delivers punchy home truths with wit and charm as we revisit her best-loved heroine. There is a real genius to the way Keyes brings deep, awful truths to the surface. Keyes has mastered the art of writing books that read like treats, but turn out to be good for you * Telegraph *Brilliant * Stylist *You'll devour this unputdownable tale * OK! *Beautifully moving and funny -- Sinead MoriartyWise and witty, this is destined to be as successful as its forerunner * Woman's Weekly *A welcome return for Keyes' messy heroine. In Rachel, Keyes has created a character that takes her readers through the rough and the smooth - and we are more than happy to go along for the ride * Metro *Warm-hearted, witty and fearless in the face of life's sorrows, Again, Rachel is a celebration of the enduring power of love * Daily Mail *Brilliant. Truly wonderful. Like sinking into a deep, luxurious, bubble bath. Sharply observed, this big-hearted book has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and is a treat of a novel * My Weekly *Keyes has always been an excellent storyteller but here she is at the peak of her powers, her writing even more honest and vulnerable than usual. A profound and smart book that will be enjoyed by die-hard fans and new readers alike. And Luke Costello is sexier than ever. * iNews *Brilliant -- Lucy ManganAssured, wise and witty with superb observational detail, reading Marian Keyes is like being cradled in safe arms. This book is destined to be as successful as its forerunner * Woman & Home *Bereavement, grief, addiction, family, fun, humour, love, romance. It's all there -- Sheila O’ FlanaganWarm, witty and wise - a joy to read * Sun *There's a wisdom to Marian Keyes' iconic Rachel * Sainsbury's Magazine *Keyes is an exceptional storyteller and her ability to blend comedy, high drama and emotional depth is second to none. Empathetic, insightful, romantic and witty, Again, Rachel is again a delight from start to finish. * Daily Express *Again, Rachel is a tour de force. A fearless novel about loving and losing and hoping. It's perfection -- Gillian McAllisterA brilliant reminder of just how comforting it can be to return to characters that once captured our hearts. * Stylist *Set to be one of the biggest books of the year * i *Joyful, wise, empathetic, funny, sexy, and so thoughtful on addiction, too -- Sarah VaughanDarkly comic . . . Just as tender, heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud funny as her first outing * Best *Again, Rachel is like a six hundred page hug and is Marian Keyes at her hilarious yet heartbreaking best -- Sarra Manning * Red Magazine *I loved Again, Rachel. Such a beautiful, wise, powerful book -- Elly GriffithsRachel somehow helps us all to find our better, truer selves. I've still got 100 pages to go, but part of me wishes it was 1,000 * Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, The Week *Keyes is a giant of Irish writing who has not so much defined a genre, as she has created it -- Natasha PoliszczukPerceptive, hilarious and deeply moving, this is a wise and insightful look at modern life * Sunday Express *Switch the phone to silent, banish all distractions: it's time for a book binge * Saga Magazine *Fabulous. I loved becoming reacquainted with the Walsh family * My Weekly Special Series *A masterclass in creating the perfect follow-up story . . . This sequel shone -- Jane Harper * Daily Express *Included in 'Best Paperbacks of April 2023' * THE TIMES *There aren't many books that come along . . . where on one page you can be laughing hysterically, and then you turn the page and you're nearly in tears for the opposite reason. This is that book. Beautifully told. Loads of warmth, loads of humour. -- Phil Williams * Times Radio *She is a genius stylist. Her characters are so vivid, her situations feel so real and authentic. This is my favourite book of hers. -- Hannah Beckerman * Times Radio *Amazing -- Beth O'LearyEnticing * Stylist *There's light and dark in all Keyes' novels, equal measures of hilarity and heartbreak * Scotsman *Hard to put down * Sunday Express *Lovable, funny. Doesn't disappoint * Sunday Life *Keyes at the peak of her powers * Scotsman *Praise for Marian Keyes -- :Messy, tangled complex humans who reminded me that few of us ever really sort out our lives at all -- Jojo MoyesA novel that is warm and witty but never afraid to tackle the big stuff -- Elizabeth Day * Mail on Sunday *Magnificently messy lives, brilliantly untangled. Funny, tender and completely absorbing! -- Graham NortonKeyes knows how to make serious issues relatable - and get a few grownup laughs, too * Guardian *There should be a word to describe the sadness and satisfaction you feel when you read the last page of a Marian Keyes novel: the ending is perfect but you still want more, more, more -- Liane MoriartyCharming, funny and poignant. But also profound, heartbreaking -- Nina StibbeKeyes at her best: capturing everyday voices with humour and empathy with writing that you'll devour in a weekend. Just pure and simple joy * Stylist *Funny, thought-provoking and will get you right in the feels * Red *Sensitive, funny, wonderful, immensely touching -- Nigella LawsonMarian Keyes's gift for storytelling is utterly magnificent -- Liz NugentRachel Walsh is back with a bang. Wickedly shrewd and fun * RTE Guide, 'Top 10 Fiction of 2022' *

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Book SynopsisBorn in 1969, Emma Donoghue is an Irish writer who spent eight years in England before moving to Canada. Her fiction includes Slammerkin, Life Mask, Touchy Subjects, The Sealed Letter and Frog Music.Trade ReviewEmma Donoghue's writing is superb alchemy, changing innocence into horror and horror into tenderness. Room is a book to read in one sitting. When it's over you look up: the world looks the same but you are somehow different and that feeling lingers for days -- Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's WifeRoom is one of the most profoundly affecting books I've read in a long time. Jack moved me greatly. His voice, his story, his innocence, his love for Ma combine to create something very unusual and, I think, something very important . . . Room deserves to reach the widest possible audience -- John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped PyjamasI've never read a more heart-burstingly, gut wrenchingly compassionate novel . . . As for sweet, bright, funny Jack, I wanted to scoop him up out of the novel and never let him go * Daily Mail *This is a truly remarkable novel. It presents an utterly unique way to talk about love, all the while giving us a fresh, expansive eye on the world in which we live * New York Times Book Review *Startlingly original and moving . . . Endearing and as utterly compelling as The Lovely Bones * Scotsman *This book will break your heart . . . It is the most vivid, radiant and beautiful expression of maternal love I have ever read * Irish Times *I loved Room. Such incredible imagination, and dazzling use of language. And with all this, an entirely credible, endearing little boy. It's unlike anything I've ever read before -- Anita Shreve

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Book Synopsis* OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD * * THE NO.1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * * THE RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK * * THE REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK * _______________________________________ * NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES ON APPLE TV+ STARRING JENNIFER GARNER * 'The ultimate page turner' - REESE WITHERSPOON 'Powerful, intense and beautifully observed' - T.M. LOGAN 'A brilliant thriller' - JANE CASEY IT WAS THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME: PROTECT HER Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his new wife, Hannah: protect her. Hannah knows exactly who Owen needs her to protect - his teenage daughter, Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. And who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. As her desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, his boss is arrested for fraud and the police start questioning her, Hannah realises that her husband isn't who he said he was. And that Bailey might hold the key to discovering Owen's true identity, and why he disappeared. Together they set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen's past, they soon realise that their lives will never be the same again... Now a major Apple TV+ series starring Jennifer Garner and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, discover the book that everyone is talking about...Trade ReviewLaura Dave is a master storyteller. Gripping, big-hearted and twisty, The Last Thing He Told Me grabs readers from the very first page and never lets go -- Greer Hendricks, bestselling co-author of ThHE WIFE BETWEEN USA massive page-turner, really gripping. I raced through it -- Laura Marshall, bestselling author of THREE LITTLE LIESThe ultimate page turner. There's so much to love about this roller coaster of a novel -- Reese WitherspoonPowerful, intense and beautifully observed. A thriller with real heart -- T.M. Logan, bestselling author of THE HOLIDAYA brilliant thriller. Totally compelling, superbly crafted and unpredictable in the best way -- Jane Casey, author of THE CUTTING PLACEA must-read for fans of Little Fires Everywhere and Big Little Lies * You Magazine *Just the sort of gripping read you need for summer evenings * Belfast Telegraph *This gripping thriller is perfect TV-drama fodder and Reese Witherspoon's production company is making the miniseries. When Hannah's husband vanishes, leaving behind a note and bag of cash, she sets about unravelling the mystery, helped by her stepdaughter Bailey, who is equally as in the dark. Or is she? I steamed through it in one read * Stella *Clever, compulsive and twisty as hell. Cancel all your plans before you start this one, I had to remind myself to breathe during the final, devastating pages -- Chris Whitaker, author of WE BEGIN AT THE ENDI loved The Last Thing He Told Me - a gripping, twisty read which examines loyalty, motherhood and betrayal -- Sarah J. Harris, bestselling author of THE COLOUR OF BEE LARKHAM'S MURDER

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of Elena Knows , finalist for the 2022 International Booker Prize20 years after a shocking accident, Mary Lohan returns to the Buenos Aires suburb she escaped in a fugue of guilt and isolation. She is not the same—not her name or voice, not even the color of her eyes. The neighborhood looks different too, but she’s still the same woman and it’s still the same place, and as the past erupts into view, they slowly collide. A Little Luck is the story about the debilitating weight of lies, the messy line between bravery and cowardice, and the tragedies, big and small, that can ripple out from a single decisive event. In a place she had determined to forget forever, both anticipated encounters and unanticipated revelations show her, and us, that sometimes life is neither fate nor chance: perhaps it’s nothing more than a little luck.Trade Review"A striking meditation on loss and the search for home." —Publishers Weekly"A moving story about the courage to face the past and earn a chance at redemption." —Kirkus"An investigation into the limits of narrative, Claudia Piñeiro's latest cements the writer as a giant of Argentine literature. (5 stars)" —The Skinny"A Little Luck is a thrilling read, a page turner, a mystery, a psychological deep dive into character."" —Julia Alvarez , author of HOW THE GARCÍA GIRLS LOST THEIR ACCENTS and IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES"Piñeiro excels at creating poignant, emotive fiction which aims for both heart and head." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's Bookshop"I highly recommend A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro." —Harvard Bookstore"Piñeiro is quickly establishing herself to English readers as a novelist capable of utter devastation, but she consistently offers a little hope in the dark. " —The Big Issue"A must-read." —Morning Star"Piñeiro once again demonstrates her expertise in suspense and intrigue." —Sounds & Colours"Examines the plight of those who, for no fault of their own, are abandoned by the community and shunned by society." —The Arts Fuse"The writing and pacing are superb...there’s not a dull moment to be had." —Tony's Reading List**********Praise for Claudia PiñeiroInternational Booker Prize (Shortlist)Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award - Fiction (Shortlist)LiBeraturpreis (Winner)"Short and stylish…a piercing commentary on mother-daughter relationships, the indignity of bureaucracy, the burdens of caregiving and the impositions of religious dogma on women." —New York Times"A lyrical portrait of a woman unable to grieve...incisive commentary on Catholic society’s control of women’s bodies." —Publishers Weekly"A murder mystery with a twist." —The Globe and Mail"Its true brilliance, though, is in how it flips Elena’s insular daily reality into a much broader commentary on how the hypocrisy of Catholic society manifests in the lives and judgments of ordinary people. A highly accomplished and original novel, translated with great sensitivity to tone and atmosphere by Frances Riddle." —Irish Times"A gloriously taut and haunting tale…astonishingly assured."" —Denise Mina , author of GODS AND BEASTS and THE LONG DROP"A fascinating, twisty tale." —The Listener"Contending with sorrow and illness, as well as the burdens of caregiving, bodily horrors, and forced presumptions in the lives of women, Elena Knows is a bold, visceral work of fiction." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's Bookshop"[Piñeiro's] words work a kind of magic only very masterful literature does." —Lucy Writers"In Elena, Piñeiro has created an uncommon Virgil who reminds readers of the damaging and even deadly effects of imposing one’s convictions on others." —Necessary Fiction"A subtle and skilful exploration of how far women have the right to control their own bodies." —The Conversation"Riveting, revelatory and brilliantly imaginative." —Lonesome Reader"Subverting genre expectations." —The Arts Fuse************"Like fabric, this book is woven from different textualities. Intermittently, a chorus appears who comment, in the style of Ancient Greek theatre, on what is happening. (…) Combined with these voices are texts from well-known figures: Rebecca Solnit, Rita Segato, Judith Butler, Vivian Gornick, Marguerite Duras..." —Infobae"The novel portrays the new life of the main character and the culture shock she experiences on encountering a world that is much more feminist than the one she remembers, when she only knew a single way to be a woman." —elDiarioAR"The intellectual, artistic and creative challenges expressed in Time of the Flies confront us with the destruction of the archetypes of specific periods, where the resistances and oppositions are intense and come from all sides." —Diario Cine y Literatura CL"A detective novel that corroborates this writer’s experience with the genre and her capacity to travel to the darkest corners of the human soul, always from multiple perspectives." —Hermeneuta Revista Cultural"Once inside (as you will find out for yourself) there is no let-up." —El Español"As they try to rebuild their lives on release from prison, Inés and Manca experience ups and downs that show them that love is not always what we call love and that we do not always feel what we really think we feel. In the realm of the emotions, there are no absolute truths either." —Tiempo Argentino"It is a stimulating exercise to imagine the challenges characters who embody a particular period would face in the present day. This is what Piñeiro attempts here, and hits the nail on the head with Inés, who resonates with irreverent questions about the possibility of being contemporary and wholly genuine at the same time." —La Nación"Piñeiro interweaves the stories of Inés and Manca in a kind of suburban Thelma and Louise, with a chorus of women who debate subjects such as the achievements of feminism, inclusive language and abortion, among other matters" —Pagina/12**********

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Book SynopsisThe internationally bestselling novel that inspired the acclaimed film directed by Peter Jackson.With an introduction by Karen Thompson Walker, author of The Age of Miracles.My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.In heaven, Susie Salmon can have whatever she wishes for - except what she most wants, which is to be back with the people she loved on earth. In the wake of her murder, Susie watches as her happy suburban family is torn apart by grief; as her friends grow up, fall in love, and do all the things she never had the chance to do herself. But as Susie will come to realize, even in death, life is not quite out of reach . . . A luminous, astonishing novel about life and death, memory and forgetting, and finding light in the darkest places, Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones became an instant classic when it was first published. There areTrade ReviewMoving and compelling . . . It will put an imperceptible but stealthily insistent hold on you. I sat down in the morning to read the first couple of pages; five hours later, I was still there, book in hand, transfixed -- Maggie O'Farrell * Sunday Telegraph *Spare, beautiful and brutal prose . . . The Lovely Bones is compulsive enough to read in a single sitting, brilliantly intelligent, elegantly constructed and ultimately intriguing * The Times *Takes the stuff of terrible tragedy and transforms it into something hopeful and redemptive * Daily Mail *[Sebold] has created a novel that is painfully fine and accomplished, one which readers will have their own difficulties relinquishing, long after the last page is turned * Los Angeles Times *A chilling juxtaposition of innocence against evil * New Statesman *Sebold has given us a fantasy-fable of great authority, charm, and daring. She's a one-of-a-kind writer -- Jonathan Franzen

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Book Synopsis* OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD * * THE NO.1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * * THE RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK * * THE REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK * _______________________________________ * NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES ON APPLE TV+ STARRING JENNIFER GARNER * 'The ultimate page turner' - REESE WITHERSPOON 'Powerful, intense and beautifully observed' - T.M. LOGAN 'A brilliant thriller' - JANE CASEY IT WAS THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME: PROTECT HER Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his new wife, Hannah: protect her. Hannah knows exactly who Owen needs her to protect - his teenage daughter, Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. And who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. As her desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, his boss is arrested for fraud and the police start questioning her, Hannah realises that her husband isn't who he said he was. And that Bailey might hold the key to discovering Owen's true identity, and why he disappeared. Together they set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen's past, they soon realise that their lives will never be the same again... Now a major Apple TV+ series starring Jennifer Garner and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, discover the book that everyone is talking about...Trade ReviewLaura Dave is a master storyteller. Gripping, big-hearted and twisty, The Last Thing He Told Me grabs readers from the very first page and never lets go -- Greer Hendricks, bestselling co-author of THE WIFE BETWEEN USA massive page-turner, really gripping. I raced through it -- Laura Marshall, bestselling author of THREE LITTLE LIESThe ultimate page turner. There's so much to love about this roller coaster of a novel -- Reese WitherspoonPowerful, intense and beautifully observed. A thriller with real heart -- T.M. Logan, bestselling author of THE HOLIDAYA brilliant thriller. Totally compelling, superbly crafted and unpredictable in the best way -- Jane Casey, author of THE CUTTING PLACEA must-read for fans of Little Fires Everywhere and Big Little Lies * You Magazine *Just the sort of gripping read you need for summer evenings * Belfast Telegraph *This gripping thriller is perfect TV-drama fodder and Reese Witherspoon's production company is making the miniseries. When Hannah's husband vanishes, leaving behind a note and bag of cash, she sets about unravelling the mystery, helped by her stepdaughter Bailey, who is equally as in the dark. Or is she? I steamed through it in one read * Stella *Clever, compulsive and twisty as hell. Cancel all your plans before you start this one, I had to remind myself to breathe during the final, devastating pages -- Chris Whitaker, author of WE BEGIN AT THE ENDI loved The Last Thing He Told Me - a gripping, twisty read which examines loyalty, motherhood and betrayal -- Sarah J. Harris, bestselling author of THE COLOUR OF BEE LARKHAM'S MURDER

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Book SynopsisThe first volume of a new trilogy telling the saga of one French family between 1946 and 2016.

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Book SynopsisLittle Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world''s greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-SmithThirteen short tales from one of the most blistering and innovative writers of the twentieth century.The small incidents of life become moments of inner revelation in the luminous writing of Clarice Lispector. A woman contemplating a vase of roses after a nervous breakdown; a tangled mother-daughter relationship; a man''s abandonment of a dog; an animal in a zoo: each one leads to mystery and self-discovery, delight and devastation.

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Book Synopsis40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, WITH A FOREWORD BY STANLEY TUCCI''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'' NIGELLA LAWSON''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 POEHLERSeven months into her pregnancy, Rachel discovers that her husband is in love with another woman. The fact that this woman has a ''neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb'' is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel is a cookery writer, and between trying to win Mark back and wishing him dead, she offers us some of her favourite recipes. Heartburn is a roller coaster of love, betrayal, loss and most satisfyingly revenge.This is Nora Ephron''s (screenwriter of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle) roman a clef: ''I always thought during the pain of the marriage that one day it would make a funny book,'' she once said. And it is!''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?'' ADAM KAYPART OF THE VIRAGO DESIGNER COLLECTION. COVER FEATURES TEXTILE DESIGN BY ELZA SUNDERLANDTrade 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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