Fiction in translation
And Other Stories The Little Buddhist Monk
Book SynopsisIn Korea, a little Buddhist monk (really very dwarf-sized) dreams of the Western world and secretly reads up on Western culture. When he meets the holidaying French couple Napoleon Chirac and Jacqueline Bloodymary he offers his services as their guide, in the hope they will take him, a penniless monk, to Europe. He whisks them off on a tour of the temples. Among the many twists and turns, our stunned tourists encounter a suicidal horse and discover that a person can also be a robot. Though our monk appears to them as the very spirit of tourism, nothing is natural in this tour de force of Aira's twisted imagination.Trade Review'Once you've started reading Aira, you don't want to stop.' Roberto Bolano --------- 'Hail Cesar!' Patti Smith --------- 'Aira writes at full tilt, going where the words take him (a style he calls "constant flight forward") so that reading him is dizzying.' Jane Housham, The Guardian ---------- 'Bewitching and bewildering ... Compulsively readable ... Aira's writing - with its equal measures of rich complications and airy whimsies - combines brevity with so many possible meanings, or none.' Arifa Akbar, Financial Times --------- 'Surreal and intriguing ... a drama is as fun as it is mystifying.' The Guardian --------- 'A work of literary trigonometry. The prose bounds along with a gleeful spring in its step, dragging the improbable story behind it ... If you're happy to have your buttons pushed, then you'll fall for this shaggy-dog-story-on-shrooms, and fall hard.' Roger Cox, The Scotsman --------- 'Funny, poetic and wonderfully readable ... Idiosyncratic and vivacious, The Seamstress and the Wind reads more like an afternoon in the pub with a dreamy Eddie Izzard than a sit-down session exploring prose form with Eimear McBride, and is all the better for it.' Big Issue --------- 'Sophisticated and energetic writing which will leave you scratching your head with curious wonder ... I admire the sheer uncompromising audacity and verve of this novel.' The Lonesome Reader ---------- 'Aira is firmly in the tradition of Jorge Luis Borges and W. G. Sebald.' Mark Doty, Los Angeles Times ---------- 'It works as a piece of art whose fresh, gorgeous images carry rich meanings about the nature of transformation. But it also works as a story that makes you miss your subway stop.' Electric Literature
£9.86
Penguin Books Ltd The Day Before Happiness MODERN CLASSICS
Book Synopsis''Happiness - was it right to name it without knowing it? It sounded shameless in my mouth, like when someone shows off about knowing a celebrity and just uses their first name, saying Marcello when they really mean Mastroianni ...''A young orphan boy grows up in Naples, playing football, roaming the city''s streets and hidden places. The older boys call him ''monkey'' because he can climb anywhere. He is alone, apart from Don Gaetano, the apartment caretaker, who feeds him, teaches him to play scopa, and tells him stories about women, history and the dark secrets of Naples'' past. Then one day the boy sees a young girl standing at a window. It is an encounter that will haunt his life for years and, eventually, shape his destiny. Lyrical and exuberant, told with the simplicity of a fairy tale and the intensity of a memory, The Day Before Happiness is the story of friendship, a city and what makes us who we are.Trade ReviewPowered by a combination of charm, warmth and simplicity... poignancy gives way to wry humour at regular intervals throughout the book, and the result is a brittle, lyrical, finely poised tragicomedy -- Malcolm Forbes * Herald Scotland *An economically expressed yet vividly imagined coming-of-age story... De Luca is a native of Naples and in a sense this book is a love letter to the city -- Roger Cox * Scotsman *High hopes in clear language, cautions against real evil, and scenes thick with poetic sentiment - these elements fuel the warmth to be found in De Luca's brief but affecting novels * The National *The only true first-rate writer that the new millennium has given us so far * Corriere della Serra *
£999.99
Alma Books Ltd A Regicide
Book SynopsisSet in an unspecified island kingdom, A Regicide tells the story of the statistician Boris who, after the electoral victory of the Church party in the country's elections, decides to assassinate the King on the day he is to visit the factory where he is employed. As the crime is described and relived, doubt sets in as to whether it has ever taken place.Written in 1949 but only published in 1979, Robbe-Grillet's first novel is a disquieting and satirical avant-garde political thriller which bridges the gap between traditional novel and the Nouveau Roman genre he would later espouse and make famous.
£8.54
Atlantic Books Top Dog
Book SynopsisFor decades, a secret network in Stockholm has been exploiting young girls, ruthlessly eliminating anyone who threatens to reveal their secret. As oddly paired duo Teddy and Emelie - the thug and the lawyer - investigate, the terrifying noose tightens. The police force has established a special team to find out just who's involved in the network, but can't seem to get close enough. And who is it that's trying to silence Teddy and Emelie, using any means necessary?Trade ReviewAt last: an epic European thriller to rival the Stieg Larsson books. It's an entirely new criminal world, beautifully rendered - and a wildly thrilling novel. * James Ellroy on the Stockholm Noir trilogy *Jens Lapidus, with his dazzling book, Easy Money, is the new Swedish thriller writer everyone's been waiting for. * Reggie Nadelson *Jens Lapidus is a very talented crime author. He is also a young author. He is only going to get better - and he has every potential of becoming the best. * Leif GW Persson *Anything Jens Lapidus writes is a must-read for me. His writing crackles with a profound understanding of not simply why bad people do bad things, but how. * Ryan Gattis *Breathless staccato phrases matched with stylish acceleration a la James Ellroy's raw, terse prose... Lapidus delivers an intrigue that will keep you nailed to the pages * Politiken, Denmark *[Stockholm Delete] is intense and hyperrealistic, written by a suspense novelist who this time has created a near perfectly matched relationship between the novel's content and the form in which it is presented. * Dagbladet, Norway *For those who like their Scandi noir on the bleak side-and really, who doesn't?-Jens Lapidus is your man... Lapidus creates a layered and satisfying portrait of Stockholm and its residents, from the scummiest to the most privileged. * Crimereads *
£7.59
Quercus Publishing A Summer of Murder
Book SynopsisThe second of the Black Forest Investigations - for fans of Val McDermid and Henning MankellTrade ReviewOliver Bottini is a terrific storyteller and he evokes his setting - the Rhine borderlands of the Black Forest - with skill -- Jake Kerridge * Sunday Express *Its plot bristles with invention -- Barry Forshaw * Guardian *A Summer of Murder has a plot as surprising as the earlier novel . . . taut writing and pacy events -- Joan Smith * Sunday Times *Oliver Bottini, one of the few German authors who play in crime-writing's premier league, really knows how to tell a good story * Frankfurter Rundschau *Tension without brutality, local colour without small-minded sentimentality, good, intelligent reading with depth * Handelsblatt *It's been a long time since any crime author started out so strongly, so visually * Die Zeit *
£10.44
Alma Books Ltd Boule de Suif
Book SynopsisA carriage transporting ten passengers fleeing from Rouen is stopped at a village inn by Prussian soldiers, who decide to detain them until one of their party, the prostitute Boule de Suif, consents to sleep with their officer. When Boule de Suif refuses to do so on account of her principles and patriotic sentiments, the solidarity initially manifested by her fellow travellers becomes increasingly tested as the deadlock continues, and the strained relationship between her and her “respectable” counterparts gradually worsens. A scathing satire of bourgeois prejudice and hypocrisy and a compelling snapshot of France during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, ‘Boule de Suif’ – here presented with five other major stories by the author of Bel Ami – was declared a masterpiece by Flaubert and is widely considered to be Maupassant’s finest short story.Trade ReviewAn exceedingly sharp satire of flexible French morals among different classes during the nineteenth-century German occupation. * The Guardian *Table of ContentsContains:Boule de Suif, The Confession, First Snow, Rose, The Dowry, Bed 29
£5.99
Alma Books Ltd Colonel Chabert
Book SynopsisAn old man arrives at the offices of the lawyer Derville, claiming to be Colonel Chabert, a hero of the Napoleonic Wars who was left for dead on the battlefield, but in fact managed to survive under a pile of corpses before spending years as a recovering amnesiac. Having returned to Paris and discovered that his wife has married an aristocrat who has liquidated all his assets, Chabert enlists the help of Derville to recover both his name and his fortune. Part of Balzac’s La Comédie humaine cycle, Colonel Chabert is a poignant tale about the pursuit of justice, as well as a portrait of France’s transition from the Napoleonic Empire to the Restoration. Inspired by actual events, the novella has captured the imagination of generations of readers and has been adapted for the stage and screen numerous times.Trade ReviewReading Balzac is not a reassuring experience. It challenges our humanism, if we have any, but it ultimately does not destroy it. -- A.N. Wilson
£5.99
Jantar Publishing Ltd Three Plastic Rooms
Book SynopsisA foul-mouthed Prague prostitute muses on her profession, aging and the nature of materialism as imagined in her own reality TV series. In an unvarnished mixture of vulgar and poetic language, the episodes combine the mundane with fetishism, violence and dark humour.Trade Review'Frighteningly honest' - LA Review of Books; 'One of the most important authors writing in Czech today.' - Dr Peter Zusi, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies; 'Wonderfully rough, gloriously evil language' - Die Zeit; One of World Literature Today’s Notable Translations of 2017
£9.50
The American University in Cairo Press The Watermelon Boys
Book SynopsisIt is the winter of 1915 and Iraq has been engulfed by the First World War. Hungry for independence from Ottoman rule, Ahmad leaves his peaceful family life on the banks of the Tigris to join the British-led revolt. Thousands of miles away, Welsh teenager Carwyn reluctantly enlists and is sent, via Gallipoli and Egypt, to the Mesopotamia campaign. Carwyn's and Ahmad’s paths cross, and their fates are bound together. Both are forever changed, not only by their experience of war, but also by the parallel discrimination and betrayal they face. Ruqaya Izzidien's evocative debut novel is rich with the heartbreak and passion that arise when personal loss and political zeal collide, and offers a powerful retelling of the history of British intervention in Iraq.Trade ReviewOffers a powerful retelling of the history of British intervention in Iraq. * Cambrian News *“A novel defined by love and moral conviction. . . Izzidien’s great triumph is to illustrate how nuanced and knotty history can be” * The National *There is a nuanced complexity in the characters, family dynamics, historical context, and sense of time and geographical location . . . . a beautifully rendered panoramic study of some of World War I’s secondary theaters of war. * Media Diversified *
£12.00
Alma Books Ltd Small Fry and Other Stories
Book SynopsisUniversally acclaimed as the master of the short-story form, Anton Chekhov begun his literary career as the author of brief tales and vignettes of Russian life when he was still a young medical student. Later rejected by the writer in the same self-effacing way in which he repudiated some of his most celebrated works, the stories in this collection are not only a testament to the early promise of his genius, but deserve to be appreciated for their lapidary vividness and their intrinsic stylistic quality. Mostly dealing with the lives of downtrodden "little" men and low-ranking civil servants as they steer their actions through the corruption and malpractice of Russian public officials, this volume - here presented in Stephen Pimenoff's lively new translation - bristles with wit and humour, and is tinged by that understated note of melancholy and lyricism that is a trademark of Chekhov's writing.
£7.59
Orenda Books Big Sister
Book SynopsisRecently widowed and caring for his young son, Andy Boyd thinks his life is over, until he meets the beautiful, enigmatic Anna. And that was his first mistake … A startling, emotive and stark psychological thriller from one of Scotland’s bestselling crime writers… ‘A stark, gripping storyline’ Scots 'Strong female characters, honest, pithy dialogue and ever-present empathy for the victims make this a deeply satisfying read’ Sunday Times ‘Vivid, visceral and compulsive’ Ian Rankin _________________ Some secrets should never be kept… Andy Boyd thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Widowed with a young child, after his wife dies in childbirth, he is certain that he will never again experience true love. Then he meets Anna. Feisty, fun and beautiful, she’s his perfect match … and she loves his son like he is her own. When Andy ends up in the hospital on his wedding night, he receives his first clue that Anna is not all that she seems. Desperate for that happy-ever-after, he ignores it. A dangerous mistake that could cost him everything. A brave, deeply moving, page-turning psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie marks a stunning departure for one of Scotland’s finest crime writers, exploring the lengths people will go to hide their deepest secrets, even if it kills them… _________________ ‘Malone tackles the taboo subject of female violence against men with insight and compassion (for Anna is no one-dimensional witch), while creating all the hallmarks of a fine, page-turning psychological thriller’ Daily Mail ‘A mystery involving some disturbing account anomalies at Andy’s bank is appropriately overshadowed by Malone’s painful depiction of a man in turmoil’ Publishers Weekly 'It’s a tough high-wire act, balancing believability with surprise, but the author pulls it off with aplomb. Excellent stuff’ Doug Johnstone, The Big Issue ‘Disturbing but compulsive … I loved it’ Martina Cole ‘Bristling with unease, this is domestic noir at its very darkest, twisting the marriage thriller into a new and troubling shape’ Eva Dolan ‘A deeply personal thriller that will keep the reader turning those pages, with twists and turns designed to keep the heart pumping’ Russel D. McLean ‘A tightly wound page-turner with real emotional punch’ Rod Reynolds ‘A dark and unnerving psychological thriller that draws you deep into the lives of the characters and refuse to let go’ Caroline Mitchell ‘A chilling tale of the unexpected that journeys right into the dark heart of domesticity’ Marnie Riches ‘Emotionally intelligent and engaging’ Caro Ramsay ‘A story that I won’t forget in a hurry. Malone is a massive talent’ Luca Veste ‘A disturbing and realistic portrayal of domestic noir with a twist … a shocking yet compelling read’ Mel Sherratt ‘Malone perfectly balances storytelling with a brutal commentary on a dysfunctional relationship’ Sarah WardTrade Review* `Gunnar Staalesen is one of my very favourite Scandinavian authors. Operating out of Bergen in Norway, his private eye, Varg Veum, is a complex but engaging anti-hero. Varg means 'wolf' in Norwegian, and this is a series with very sharp teeth' Ian Rankin * `A Norwegian Chandler' Jo Nesbo * `Gunnar Staalesen was writing suspenseful and socially conscious Nordic Noir long before any of today's Swedish crime writers had managed to put together a single book page ... one of Norway's most skillful storytellers' Johan Theorin * `With its exploration of family dynamics and the complex web of human behaviour, Staalesen's novel echoes the great California author Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer mysteries ... mature and captivating' Herald Scotland * `Norwegian master Staalesen is an author who eschews police procedural narratives for noirish private eye pieces ... with some abrasive social commentary' Financial Times
£8.54
Granta Books A Luminous Republic
Book SynopsisOne day, the children begin to show up in the subtropical town of San Cristóbal, unwashed and hungry. No one knows where they have come from or where they disappear to each night. And then they rob a supermarket and stab two adults, bringing fear to the town. So begins a thrilling morality tale that retraces the lines between good and evil, the civil and the wild, dragging our assumptions about childhood and innocence out into the light.Trade Review'A Luminous Republic has all the stark power of a folk-tale or a fable. It also raises concerns that are pressing and contemporary-about the function and source of language, about public paranoia and hysteria, about the idea of community and how information spreads. At the book's center is a moving personal story about memory and loss. The narrative is engaging, at times playful, wholly compelling' - Colm Toibin'At first you will feel fear, but what you feel next is something much deeper, disturbing and luminous' - Samanta Schweblin
£8.99
The American University in Cairo Press A Rare Blue Bird Flies with Me: A Novel
Book SynopsisIt's spring 1990 in a dingy small-town Moroccan bar. Zina is serving drinks when a mysterious man approaches her. The man gives Zina a handwritten note from her husband, Aziz, who disappeared the day after their wedding, eighteen years ago, after participating in the failed 1972 coup against King Hassan II. Zina has spent the past eighteen years searching for Aziz, who has been imprisoned in inhuman conditions in a solitary cell inside a secret desert jail. Will Zina finally find Aziz? Moving back and forth between 1990 and the past, A Rare Blue Bird That Flies with Me recounts the painful circumstances that brought Zina and Aziz together and the torture after the 1972 coup that tore them apart. Told from the perspective of several narrators-including Zina, Aziz, Aziz's two jailors-Youssef Fadel's novel is a masterful history of modern Morocco.Trade Review"A masterful history of modern Morocco."--BookShy Blog"[Fadel is] a valued asset of modern Moroccan literature."--Aujourd'hui le Maroc"Events progress rapidly and with the acute tension of a detective novel"--Leah Caldwell, The National"Fadel's daring account of modern Morocco widens the periphery of the English reader on a subject that is better known in Arabic and French."--Sherif Dhaimish, Qantara.de"A Rare Blue Bird Flies With Me reads like a taut and claustrophobic detective story."--Literary Hub"Fadel's novel brings out the importance of seeing one's place even in the darkest of times."--Wawa Book Review
£11.12
Orion Publishing Co Never Forget
Book SynopsisA #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ''Outrageously entertaining'' The TimesREVENGE IS WORTH WAITING FOR... Jamal loves to run. But one morning - as he is training on a path winding up a steep cliff - he stumbles across a woman in distress.It''s a matter of seconds: suddenly she is falling through the air, crashing on the beach below.Jamal is only an unlucky bystander - or is he?His version of events doesn''t seem to fit with what other eyewitnesses claim to have seen. And how to explain the red scarf carefully arranged around the dead woman''s neck?Perhaps this was no accident after all.Or perhaps there is something more sinister afoot - a devilish plan decades in the making, masterminded by someone hell-bent on revenge.MICHEL BUSSI: THE MASTER OF THE KILLER TWISTBeloved by readers... ''I didn''t anticipate all the twists andTrade ReviewA labyrinth as exhilarating as anything in Bussi's breakthrough novel, After the Crash. * The Sunday Times (Crime Book of the Month) *Never Forget wittily explodes the whole concept of the serial killer sub-genre. The result is outrageously entertaining. * The Times *Agatha Christie updated (with sex, DNA samples and that modern staple, the mobile phone) then cranked up to 11, and the reader will not mind that one jot as they go along for the ride: it's a blast. * Shots Magazine *PRAISE FOR MICHEL BUSSI'S NOVELSA novel so extraordinary that it reminded me of reading Steig Larsson for the very first time . . . Bussi breaks every rule in the book, but I doubt I'll read a more brilliant crime novel this year * Sunday Times on AFTER THE CRASH *You find yourself quite frantic to know the truth, before this cleverly constructed, smart mystery concludes by delivering a delicious sting in the tail. * Sunday Mirror on AFTER THE CRASH *Clear your schedule: this book is worth it! * Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author on AFTER THE CRASH *A work of genius. * Daily Express on BLACK WATER LILIES *A dazzling, unexpected and haunting masterpiece. * Daily Mail on BLACK WATER LILIES *The novel ends with one of the most reverberating shocks in modern crime fiction. * Sunday Times on BLACK WATER LILIES *Some writers try carefully calibrated alternations on a winning formula from book to book, but offer few surprises. That can't be said of the French author Michel Bussi... That refusal to repeat himself is evident in Don't Let Go, which is just as accomplished as its predecessors. * Guardian on DON'T LET GO *A thrilling ride across the remote isle in the Indian Ocean with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers gripped until an epic, unexpected conclusion. * Daily express on DON'T LET GO *As it draws towards its heart-pounding final pages, it's hard to concentrate on anything other than the outcome of the desperate manhunt - and the startling revelation of the truth. Inventive, original and incredibly entertaining. * Sunday Mirror on DON'T LET GO *Combines an extraordinarily inventive plot with characters haunted by long-ago events - and demonstrates why he has such a hold on readers. * Sunday Times on TIME IS A KILLER *
£8.99
Dedalus Ltd Venice Noir: The dark history of the lagoons
Book Synopsis
£9.49
And Other Stories The Polyglot Lovers: Winner of the 2016 August
Book Synopsis`Do you have to stare like that?' I asked. `Think about the actors in porn. They've got no problem showing themselves off.' `Think about when I broke your nose,'I replied.Ellinor is thirty-six. She wears soft black sweatpants and a Michelin Man jacket. She fights. Smart and unsentimental, she tries her hand at online dating, only to be stranded by a snowstorm in Stockholm, far from her village in the south of Sweden. Ellinor finds herself at the heart of an intrigue involving an ex-wife who happens to be a blind medium, an overweight literary critic with a Houellebecq obsession, and a manuscript: a very important manuscript. Cut to Max Lamas, its author, who dreams of a polyglot lover, a woman who will understand him, in every tongue. His search takes him to Italy, where he befriends a marchesa on the brink of ruin, and where her granddaughter, Lucrezia, brings this tale to its final, shocking conclusion. The Polyglot Lovers, winner of the 2016 August Prize, Sweden's most prestigious literary prize, is a masterclass in comic plot and timing, as well as a delight for readers, thanks to Wolff's trademark deadpan wit.Trade Review`It's been a long time since I read something this unique, seething, wilful.' Svenska Dagbladet`What a novel! I'm totally charmed! I was completely absorbed by The Polyglot Lovers . . . it's really, really fabulous. Every sentence is great. [This] is a book to read and discover and read over and over again.' Boras Tidning ---- `Dizzying . . . Lina Wolff has written a many-voiced, meandering, feminist, arresting and rather provocative novel.' Kulturnytt, Sweden Radio --- `Wolff has written a kind of blackened, heart-rending satire on gender roles, in which the tempo of the pacily inventive - and downright gorgeous - prose complicates, enlivens and plays with the eloquent lovers she's taken it upon herself to portray.' Kristofer Folkhammar, Aftonbladet --- `You know when a novel is so thrilling that you just don't want it to end? That's what it was like reading Lina Wolff's third book The Polyglot Lovers. I have high expectations . . . and yet they were surpassed.' Sydsvenskan --- Praise for Lina Wolff --- `Wolff's prose has a quality of "otherness" entirely in keeping with the surreal atmosphere of the novel. This strange, provocative debut sits well alongside the work of Roxane Gay, Katherine Angel, Maggie Nelson, Zoe Pilger and Miranda July . . . a cool, clever and fierce addition to the canon of modern feminist literature.' Sarah Perry, The Guardian --- `A filmic offering . . . channelling the spirit of Pedro Almodovar. A thoroughly invigorating novel.' Lucy Scholes, The Independent ---- `The Polyglot Lovers is storytelling as a martial arts combination move, delivered with precision, style and glee.' Sjon ---- `Like Virginie Despentes and Elfriede Jelinek, Lina Wolff stares the reader right in the eyes and speaks in a voice uniquely her own: The Polyglot Lovers is clear, stark, devastating.' Joanna Walsh ---- `whip-smart and deliciously cynical ... smart, funny, and sad in turns' - Kirkus Reviews ---- `Lina Wolff is one of my favourite writers of our time. From apparently innocuous starting points, she weaves the darkness into her stories and lets men expose themselves as pitiable when they thought they were being witty and cynical. Her writing detonates just when you are smiling calmly.' - Yuri Herrera ---- `The Polyglot Lovers is electric - it crackles with wit, ferocity and intelligence. We are lucky to have Lina Wolff.' - Elizabeth Perry, City Books, Hove ---- `The Polyglot Lovers is a testament to the temperamental nature of love and power, and the complexities that come with asserting one's own agency. This book is proof that irreverence and wit have a place in feminist theory. I was captivated from page one.' - Cristina Rodriguez, Deep Vellum Books, Dallas, TX ---- `Reading The Polyglot Lovers, I was struck once again by just how sharp a writer Wolff is. There are few writers out there capable of besting her. If she has a kindred spirit in contemporary fiction, it's Ottessa Moshfegh, with whom she shares a darkly funny and unflinching sensibility.'- Gary Perry, Foyles, London ---- `The Polyglot Lovers is an audacious and often very funny reckoning with the ways men view women by a novelist of rare talents. Lina Wolff, equal parts ferocious and sly, has proven herself one of our indispensable writers with this uppercut of a book.' -Stephen Sparks, Point Reyes Books, Point Reyes, CA ---- `The Polyglot Lovers is a bracing and sharp exploration of identity, gender, and literature, told in prose and images that constantly unsettle the reader. It is also an exquisite act of literary revenge and should confirm Lina Wolff's status as a major voice in world literature.' - Josh Cook, Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA ---- `An exquisite and insightful dive into the delights and horrors of our constant search for human connection, and what happens when women decide to set fire to the literary male gaze.'- Emma Ramadan, Riffraff, Providence, RI ---- `I absolutely loved it. Wolff's characters come to life with poignancy and dark humour. The Polyglot Lovers cuts to the heart.' - Tom Harris, Mr B's Emporium, Bath ---- `Lina Wolff's The Polyglot Lovers is a punch you in the face, grab you by the collar, and throw you across the room kind of novel. Brilliantly written, incisive and engaging, it is a stunning work. If you haven't yet (and why haven't you?) now would be a good time to add Wolff to your to-be-read pile.' - Tom Flynn, Volumes Bookcafe, Chicago, IL ---- `A sharp-eyed, sometimes surreal, often funny take on male-female power dynamics.' - Mary Ellen Quinn, Booklist ---- 'Keep an eye out for this one: The Polyglot Lovers is one of those rare birds that is both smart as hell and, in the parlance of our times, 'pace-y.' - Heather Cleary, Bookmarks ---- 'The edifice of male genius is annihilated in this galvanizing novel from Wolff. [...] Wolff orchestrates her divergent plots into riveting harmony, but more striking is the audacity with which she reveals Max and Ruben's reckless egoism. 'I'm an autodidact in male devastation,' Claudia declares before sticking the final pin in Max's inflated persona. Wolff's novel proves the necessity of cultivating such a specialty. Firing on all cylinders from beginning to end, this story pulses with intellect and vitality unmatched by the literary barons it deposes.' - Publishers Weekly ---- 'I loved The Polyglot Lovers by Lina Wolff (translated by Saskia Vogel), a funny, biting, and exhilaratingly shifty novel about literary revenge and the male ego.' - Gabe Habash ----`The Polyglot Lovers is an amusing take on modern life (literary and otherwise) and relationships between the sexes. All in all it makes for an interesting polychromatic fiction, a surprisingly ebullient story-carried along nicely by Wolff's entertaining and easygoing presentation-in a cleverly structured novel, its three separate parts neatly coming together by the end.' Michael Orthofer, The Complete Review ----`Wolff upsets the applecart, mercilessly mocking male hegemony and skewering literary pretensions. What could have been angry and strident is instead caustic and mischievous: both a bracing wind and a breath of fresh air. Wolff's constant supply of fire, bite and wit are compelling forces.' Malcolm Forbes, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)----`The edifice of male genius is annihilated in this galvanizing novel from Wolff...Firing on all cylinders from beginning to end, this story pulses with intellect and vitality unmatched by the literary barons it deposes.' Book of the Week, Publishers Weekly----`Mr. Houellebecq's books diagnose the soullessness of contemporary liberal democracies, where people futilely seek meaning for their lives in pornographic sex. The Polyglot Lovers shifts the focus from Mr. Houellebecq's destructive men to the women who are both victims of and accomplices to the cycle of narcissism. In Ms. Wolff's telling, intellectuals-the writers and theorists who wax poetically about falling in love-are the worst of the abusers.' Sam Sacks, `Fiction Chronicle', Wall Street Journal ----'The Polyglot Lovers is a quiet rapture - unsparing, startling, mesmeric, and told with the soberest of grins.' Yelena Moskovich, The TLS ----'The Polyglot Lovers' blithe disregard for social norms and finer feelings is exhilarating; it's pitiless and scathingly funny.' Lee Langley, The Spectator ---- 'A highly enjoyable absurdist comedy about love and desperation' Joanna, Kavenna, The Guardian ---- `Wolff's novel raises the following questions: how do we define literary genius, and who do we allow to define it for us?' Anna Vilner, The Arkansas International---- `The Swedish author of Bret Easton Ellis and Other Dogs enjoys nothing more than savaging the myths of male authorship. Here she lays into notions of male genius, as her protagonist, Ellinor, finds herself entangled with a literary critic who is fixated on a narcissistic author who is in turn obsessed with real-life enfant terrible of French letters, Michel Houellebecq.' Angel Gurria-Quintana, Financial Times
£9.50
Istros Books Catherine the Great and the Small
Book SynopsisCatharine's trajectory in life is accompanied by failures in love, family traumas and an incredible romance with handsome Sinisa. The novel takes us through turbulent times in the Balkan region, from the eighties to the present day, portraying growing up in the twilight of communism, and giving intimate insights into all that happened to the region after that. Carefully crafted characters and masterful, dynamic storytelling place Catherine the Great and the Small in the company of the very best of novels, which speak about the reality of their geographic setting and are remembered for their convincing, strong, maladjusted characters. Catherine is certainly one of them: a powerful female voice seeking her place within her family, among friends, in the cities she lives in, and constructing her unique identity as a daughter, granddaughter, friend, mistress, wife and a mother.
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Medici ~ Supremacy
Book SynopsisWinner of the Premio Bancarella, 2017 The second instalment in a prize-winning series charting the rise of the House of Medici as they become Masters of Florence and progenitors of the Renaissance. Florence, 1469. Lorenzo de' Medici is to be wed. The marriage will cement a powerful alliance for his family. But his heart belongs to another. Torn between love and power, he has become complacent. He has forgotten the bloody path he forged on his ascent to power, and the enemies left in his wake. When the family's historical enemies and shadowy new conspirators put their bloody plot into action, the consequences will be terrible. In order to protect their supremacy, the Medici will enact a violent vengeance from which few will be spared.Trade ReviewThe story of the Medici is so juicy and rich and Strukul makes good use of it. A page-turning adventure novel with a little depth to spice the mix. All life is here, lean back and enjoy * NB Magazine *Exciting. With an excellent translation by Richard McKenna, a strong plot and well-defined characters, the book brings alive the life and culture of 15th-century Florence * Historical Novel Society *PRAISE FOR MATTEO STRUKUL: 'Strukul has a brilliant style and a rare imagination' Tim Willocks, bestselling author of Green River Rising. 'Matteo Strukul is one of the most important new voices in Italian crime fiction' -- Joe R Lansdale, Edgar Winner for The Bottoms
£9.49
Dedalus Ltd Cousin Bazilio
Book Synopsis
£12.34
Faber & Faber The Sun on My Head
Book SynopsisTHE BESTSELLING LITERARY SENSATION FROM BRAZIL'A blaze of heat, love and risk that will leave you reeling.' DBC Pierre'An extraordinary writer.' Misha GlennyLONGLISTED FOR THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FIRST BOOK AWARDA FINANCIAL TIMES AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEARCapturing the texture of life growing up in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the stories in The Sun on My Head tell us of days lived under incredible heat - and under the shadow of a ubiquitous drug culture, the constant threat of the police, and the confines of poverty, violence and racism. They are also hauntingly beautiful portrayals of friendship, romance and momentary release from the oppressions of everyday life. The Sun on My Head is a debut work of great talent and sensitivity, a daring evocation of life in the favelas by a rising star rooted in the very community he portrays.
£8.54
Quercus Publishing Sanctuary
Book SynopsisTHE NEW AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF THE MOUNTAINTrade ReviewFull of folklore and history as well as descriptions of astonishing hardship, Sanctuary is also a study of character and what happens to people's minds when they have to find a way to make sense of intolerable circumstances . . . -- Natasha Cooper * Literary Review. *With his first book, he was compared to Stephen King and the David Lynch of Twin Peaks. Here, D'Andrea will go even further into the depths of evil -- Alessia Rastelli * Corriere della Serra. *A clever, twisty and chilling page-turner. * Choice Magazine. *This immensely enjoyable chiller/thiller is a superb follow up to last year's bestseller, The Mountain. This novel demonstrates that D'Andrea has no problem at all with 'second album syndrome', Sanctuary is a brilliant piece of storytelling. * New Books Magazine. *D'Andrea's a name to add to your Eurocrime list. -- David Hewson, author of the Nic Costa novels and The KillingD'Andrea is a real master. -- Sergio Pent * La Stampa. *Pulsatingly exciting and astonishingly grisly in equal measure. * Irish Independent. *
£10.44
Orenda Books Little Siberia
Book SynopsisThe arrival of a meteorite in a small Finnish town causes chaos and crime in this poignant, chilling and hilarious new thriller from the King of Helsinki Noir ***The Times BOOK OF THE YEAR*** ***Shortlisted for the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award*** ***Shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger*** ‘With moral dilemmas, plenty of action, and the author’s trademark mixture of humour and melancholy, this is Tuomainen’s best yet’ Guardian ‘Scandinavia’s answer to Carl Hiaasen delivers another hectically silly crime caper involving a military chaplain, a suicidal rally driver and a very expensive meteorite’ The Times ‘Finnish criminal chucklemeister Tuomainen is channelling Carl Hiaasen in this hilarious novel’ Sunday Times _________________ A man with dark thoughts on his mind is racing along the remote snowy roads of Hurmevaara in Finland, when there is flash in the sky and something crashes into the car. That something turns about to be a highly valuable meteorite. With euro signs lighting up the eyes of the locals, the unexpected treasure is temporarily placed in a neighbourhood museum, under the watchful eye of a priest named Joel. But Joel has a lot more on his mind than simply protecting the riches that have apparently rained down from heaven. His wife has just revealed that she is pregnant. Unfortunately Joel has strong reason to think the baby isn’t his. As Joel tries to fend off repeated and bungled attempts to steal the meteorite, he must also come to terms with his own situation, and discover who the father of the baby really is. Transporting the reader to the culture, landscape and mores of northern Finland Little Siberia is both a crime novel and a hilarious, blacker-than-black comedy about faith and disbelief, love and death, and what to do when bolts from the blue – both literal and figurative – turn your life upside down. _________________ ‘Tuomainen is the funniest writer in Europe’ The Times ‘By no means Nordic noir of the familiar variety, this is eccentric, humorous fare, reminiscent of nothing so much as a Coen Brothers movie’ Financial Times ‘Tuomainen continues to carve out his own niche in the chilly tundras of northern Finland in this poignant, gripping and hilarious tale’ Daily Express ‘While the plots of many Nordic noir writers are turning ever more grim, Finland’s Antti Tuomainen opts these days for a wittier, lighter touch … quite the ride’ Observer ‘The biting cold of Northern Finland is only matched by the cutting dark wit and compelling plot on this must-read crime novel’ Denzil Meyrick ‘A brilliantly inventive and gloriously funny novel from Finland's greatest export’ MJ Arlidge ‘Told in a darkly funny, deadpan style … The result is a rollercoaster read’ Guardian ‘Right up there with the best’ The TLS ‘Through it all, Tuomainen maintains his singular tone, which mixes black humour with genuine, sometimes biting, sympathy for desperate people, provided that none take their needfulness too far … Little Siberia is a gripping thriller whose complications pile to precarious, intoxicating heights’ Foreword Reviews ‘Tuomainen also persuades readers how hard life makes it to do the right thing in a universe that too often feels like a profound personal insult. Fans of Scandinavian noir will relish this one’ Publishers Weekly 'You don’t expect to laugh when you’re reading about terrible crimes, but that’s what you’ll do when you pick up one of Tuomainen’s decidedly quirky thrillers' New York TimesTrade Review"As the standout scene in which Joel manipulates a corpse with the aid of a scarf while hiding in the back seat of an SUV suggests, none of this is meant to be taken too seriously; Antti Tuomainen is, after all, Scandinavia's answer to Carl Hiaasen. Nevertheless, Joel, suffering a crisis of faith, succeeds in facing this hilarious "series of unfathomable events" with admirable stoicism. "What should I think of this man? In the space of one night he has both saved my life and tried to kill me. Twice." Highly recommended." --Times Book of the Month "a gripping thriller whose complications pile to precarious, intoxicating heights."-- Foreword Reviews "[A] stunning comic noir...Fans of Scandinavian noir will relish this one."-- Publishers Weekly "With moral dilemmas, plenty of action, and the author's trademark mixture of humour and melancholy, this is Tuomainen's best yet." --Guardian "This enjoyable mystery explores how a bolt from above can, literally, turn your life upside down with both comedic and tragic consequences. Tuomainen continues to carve out his own niche in the chilly tundras of northern Finland in this poignant, gripping and hilarious tale." --Observer "While the plots of many Nordic noir writers are turning ever more grim, Finland's Antti Tuomainen opts these days for a wittier, lighter tough. So it is with Little Siberia, the tale of a meteorite that comes crashing into eastern Finland and eventually into the guardianship of local priest Joel. The rock is valuable and Joel is soon fending off the attempts of bungling criminals to steal it. Add Russians, a worrying pregnancy, a down-on-his luck rally driver and a neat subtext about faith, and Little Siberia (adroitly translated by David Hackston) is quite the ride." --Observer "Known as the king of Helsinki noir, Antti Tuomainen is among Finland's most acclaimed crime fiction writers. This forthcoming blacker-than-black comedy deals with the ramifications of a meteorite arriving in a small Finnish town." --Bookseller "Relentlessly funny. . . . Full of black ironies, this welter of suspicions, revenge, and hilarious physical and verbal combat makes some pungent reflections on life and death. Tuomainen probes the chilliest depths of noir comedy." --Publishers Weekly starred review of The Man Who Died "This one is a winner right from the first sentence. . . . An offbeat jewel." --Booklist starred review of The Man Who Died "U.S. audiences should prepare to be every bit as enthralled as the Finns. . . . Readers attracted either to dystopian fiction or to Scandinavian crime will find gold here." --Booklist starred review on The Healer "While Finland generally tends toward a reputation for the dour, Antti Tuomainen is bucking the trend with his hilariously dark crime comedies." --CrimeReads
£8.54
Alma Books Ltd Three Novellas: New Translation
Book SynopsisOne of Tolstoy’s last published works of fiction, The Devil revolves around the young landowner Yevgeny’s irrepressible lust for Stepanida, a sensual peasant woman. Even when he gets married to a respectable upper-class lady, he finds himself unable to put an end to his encounters with Stepanida, and becomes increasingly consumed by guilt and helplessness in the face of his urges. In some ways comparable to the controversial Kreutzer Sonata, The Devil shows Tolstoy at his most salacious, and addresses the conflicts between desire, social norms and personal conscience. Also included in this volume is Family Happiness, one of Tolstoy’s earliest works, an entertaining and cynical account of marriage from the perspective of a disillusioned wife, and A Landowner’s Morning.
£8.54
Alma Books Ltd Belkin's Stories and A History of Goryukhino
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1831, Belkin's Stories was the first completed work of fiction by the founding father of Russian literature. Through a series of interlinked stories purporting to have been told by various narrators to the recently deceased country squire Ivan Belkin, Pushkin offers his own variation on themes and genres that were popular in his day and provides a vivid portrayal of the Russian people. From the story of revenge served cold in 'The Shot' to the havoc wreaked by a blizzard on the life of two young lovers, from the bittersweet tones of 'The Station Master' to the supernatural atmosphere of 'The Undertaker', this collection - presented here in a brand-new translation by Roger Clarke - sparkles with humour and is a testament to the brilliance and versatility of Pushkin's mind.Trade ReviewPushkin is an extraordinary phenomenon, perhaps the only phenomenon of the Russian spirit. -- Nikolai GogolTable of ContentsContains: The Shot, The Blizzard, The Undertaker, The Postmaster, Young Miss Peasant, A History of Goryukhino Village
£7.59
Canongate Books An Iliad: A Story of War
Book SynopsisAlessandro Baricco re-creates the siege of Troy through the voices of 21 Homeric characters. Sacrificing none of Homer's panoramic scope, Baricco forgoes Homer's detachment and admits us to realms of subjective experience his predecessor never explored. From the return of Chryseis to the burial of Hector, we see through human eyes and feel with human hearts the unforgettable events first recounted more than 3,000 years ago events arranged not by the whims of the gods in this instance but by the dictates of human nature.With Andromache, Patroclus, Priam, and the rest, we are privy to the ghastly confusion of battle, the clamour of the princely councils, the intimacies of the bedchamber until finally only a blind poet is left to recount secondhand the awful fall of Ilium.Imbuing the stuff of legend with a startlingly new relevancy and humanity, Baricco gives us The Iliad as we have never known it. His transformative achievement is certain to delight and fascinate all the readers of Homer's indispensable classic.Trade ReviewYou won't, and can't put it down * * Observer * *'A swift, stylish, summer-reading version of the great epic.' * * San Francisco Chronicle * *'A taut and mesmerizing tale.' * * Seattle Times * *'Baricco creates a persuasive atmosphere of character-driven impending doom . . . Both celebration and condemnation of war, this Iliad manages to speak to yet another generation that needs desperately to hear its message.' * * Kirkus Reviews * *
£9.49
Canongate Books Madame
Book SynopsisMadame tells the story of a self-absorbed Polish teenager as he pursues intellectual maturity, and the woman of his dreams, his French teacher 'Madame', in the communist-dominated Warsaw of the early 1970s.Libera paces his exuberant young hero's fulminations, fantasies and discoveries beautifully, building a remarkably subtle characterisation of a free mind in a repressive culture. This is one of those rare novels which reminds us why we love books. A consummate literary entertainment.Trade ReviewEssentially a vision of a life-changing teenage crush, Libera's debut novel . . . captures the frustrations of grasping for anything of the world from behind the Iron Curtain and of battling or passion of any kind. * * The Scotsman * *Madame is skilfully written and the subtle backdrop of communism is interesting and convincing. * * The List * *This is an old story made fresh with an excellent evocation of a spirit-crushing school system - a microcosm of communist rule under which the layers of life are corrupted by concessions, compromises and deceptions. * * The Times * *
£11.69
UEA Publishing Project As if Nothing Were
Book Synopsis
£6.99
Quercus Publishing Brief Loves That Live Forever
Book SynopsisIn Soviet Russia the desire for freedom is also a desire for the freedom to love. Lovers live as outlaws, traitors to the collective spirit, and love is more intense when it feels like an act of resistance. Now entering middle age, an orphan recalls the fleeting moments that have never left him - a scorching day in a blossoming orchard with a woman who loves another; a furtive, desperate affair in a Black Sea resort; the bunch of snowdrops a crippled childhood friend gave him to give to his lover. As the dreary Brezhnev era gives way to Perestroika and the fall of Communism, the orphan uncovers the truth behind the life of Dmitri Ress, whose tragic fate embodies the unbreakable bond between love and freedom.Trade Review'A poignant, poetically charged picture of a repressive society, leavened only by the freedom and possibilities of love' Mail on Sunday. * Mail on Sunday *'Makine's prose is both spare and meditative, and leads us deep into the memories of a world that is now gone' Gillian Slovo, Observer. * Observer *'I would rather read Andreï Makine than any other novelist of our time ... This new short, beautiful book is as good as anything he has written' Allan Massie, Scotsman. * Scotsman *
£8.99
Quercus Publishing The Missing File: An Inspector Avraham Avraham
Book Synopsis*The Missing File has now been adapted for television in a new series called The Calling out in November 2022*A sixteen-year-old boy is missing in a Tel Aviv suburb. His mother is worried. Inspector Avraham Avraham is not. It is unheard of for children to vanish in this city. But the boy has disappeared without trace. The parents are wretched, the neighbourhood suspicious; the boy's tutor harbours a secret. Avraham's only answer is so unthinkable, it will take all his courage to face.Trade Review'A wonderfully satisfying detective mystery, with a heartbreaking finale. A tense, gripping page-turner that I devoured in two days' S.J. Watson, bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep. * S.J. Watson *'An assured debut, with a wholly unexpected resolution' Guardian, best crime and thrillers of 2013. * Guardian *'Marks the start of what could become a fine series of detective novels, centred on a striking detective - the lugubrious, self-doubting Inspector' Daily Mail. * Daily Mail *'Impressive! D.A. Mishani writes with profound originality and his main character is a quite remarkable man on the stage where detectives dance. Once again: impressive!' Henning Mankell. * Henning Mankell *
£9.49
John Murray Press 1794: The City Between the Bridges: The Million
Book Synopsis#1 bestseller in Sweden with over 1.5 million copies sold'Niklas Natt och Dag takes the contemporary Scandinavian crime story and gives it a startlingly gruesome historical twist' GuardianThe year is 1794. A young nobleman, Eric Three Roses, languishes in hospital. Some think he would be just at home in the madhouse across the road. Ridden with guilt, he spends his nights writing down memories of his lost love who died on their wedding night. Her mother also mourns her and when no one listens to her suspicions, she begs the aid of the only person who will listen: Jean Mickel Cardell, the one-armed watchman.Cecil Winge is six months in the ground but when his younger brother Emil seeks out the watchman to retrieve his brother's missing pocket watch, Cardell enlists his help to discover what really happened at Three Roses' estate that night. But, unlike his dead brother, the younger Winge is an enigma, and Cardell soon realises that he may be more hindrance than help. And when they discover that a mysterious slave trader has been running Three Roses' affairs, it is a race against time to discover the truth before it's too late.In 1794, the second installment of Niklas Natt och Dag's historical noir trilogy, we are reunited with Mickel Cardell, Anna Stina Knapp, and the bustling world of late eighteenth century Stockholm from The Wolf and the Watchman. The city is about to see its darkest days yet as veneers crack and the splendour of old gives way to what is hiding in the city's nooks and crannies.
£9.49
Zaffre Deeds of Autumn: The atmospheric international
Book SynopsisThe darkest secrets leave the deepest scars, in this atmospheric thriller from award-winning international bestselling author, Anders de la Motte. Perfect for fans of Val McDermid and Henning Mankell. 'Tense, atmospheric' JOAN SMITH, SUNDAY TIMES'A top-notch addition to a series that offers a treat for every season!' LANCASHIRE EVENING POSTONE TRAGIC NIGHT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHINGSOUTHERN SWEDEN, 1990Five lifelong friends gather for a last farewell to their childhoods and each other at an abandoned quarry. The mood is effervescent, but under the surface tensions run deep as not everyone is ready to let go - or be left behind. When dawn breaks, only four remain alive. The police rule the death a tragic accident, but not everyone is convinced, and the incident remains an open wound in the community.AUTUMN, 2017When the old chief of police is replaced by Anna Vesper, a newly arrived detective from Stockholm, whispers and rumours about that night can no longer be silenced. Soon Anna is left with no choice but to ignore all warnings and reopen the case - while hoping her own sins won't catch up with her.BUT SOMEONE WILL DO ANYTHING TO HIDE THE TRUTH . . .PRAISE FOR ANDERS DE LA MOTTE'Enthralling ... superb' Joan Smith, Sunday Times'Mesmerising ... addictive' Lancashire Evening Post'A Swedish-set crime thriller for fans of The Dry ... Crime fiction at its best' Vaseem KhanTrade Review[Anders] is the author of the outstanding Seasons Quartet of crime novels. Deeds of Autumn is one of his finest ... [a] tense, atmospheric novel -- Joan Smith * Sunday Times *A top-notch addition to a series that offers a treat for every season! * Lancashire Evening Post *
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Roman Stories
Book Synopsis'Stimulating, elengant, distinctive and thought-provoking' Sunday TimesFrom the internationally bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Interpreter of Maladies comes an exquisitely crafted work of fiction. Jhumpa Lahiri sets her gaze on the eternally beautiful city of Rome, illuminating the frailties of the human condition and dissecting lives lived on the margins.A man recalls a summer party that awakens an alternative version of himself. A couple haunted by a tragic loss return to seek consolation. An outsider family is pushed out of the block in which they hoped to settle. A set of steps in a Roman neighbourhood connects the daily lives of the city’s myriad inhabitants. This is an evocative fresco of Rome, the most alluring character of all: contradictory, in constant transformation and a home to those who know they can’t fully belong but choose it anyway.Rich with Lahiri’s signature gifts, Roman StorTrade ReviewLahiri [works] over her themes with a precise and controlling intellect . . . These stories are stimulating, elengant, distinctive and thought-provoking * Sunday Times *A writer of formidable powers and great depth of feeling * The Observer *One of the most interesting American writers at work today * The Sunday Times *Lahiri steps back from the action, gets out of the way, so the people and things in her stories can exist the way real things do: richly, ambiguously, without explanation. * Time *A writer of uncommon elegance and poise * The New York Times *Lahiri has a talent for capturing the everyday * Spectator *Jhumpa Lahiri is intelligent, astute, informed and genuine * The Irish Times *Jhumpa Lahiri is an elegant stylist, effortlessly placing the perfect words in the perfect order time and again so we’re transported seamlessly into another place * Vanity Fair *Jhumpa Lahiri's writing is wonderful in the literal sense: on every page there is something to take your breath away * Sainsbury's Magazine *Lahiri has an extraordinary voice -- Salman RushdieJhumpa Lahiri is the kind of writer who makes you want to grab the next person you see and say “Read this!” She’s a dazzling storyteller with a distinctive voice, an eye for nuance, an ear for irony. She is one of the finest short story writers I’ve read. -- Amy TanAn urgent and affecting portrait of Rome in nine stories . . . * Guardian *Full of humanity and its joys and disappointments, tiny incidents resonate through time and relationships. The city feels like another character, slipping in and out of focus just as the fleeting lives of the characters do too. * The Independent *
£15.29
Pan Macmillan The Little Old Lady Strikes Back
Book SynopsisCatharina Ingelman-Sundberg is a Swedish author who has written numerous books in several genres, including popular science, cartoon, children's and historical fiction, including the Little Old Lady series. A former journalist and marine archaeologist, she now works full-time as an author.Her individual writing style, featuring depth of insight, and sense of surprise and humour, gives her books a special appeal. So much so that in 1999 she won the prestigious Widding Prize as the best writer of popular history and historical novels.Trade ReviewGently humorous and pleasantly daft * Guardian *A good-natured, humorous crime caper * Independent on Sunday *A complete hoot * Saga Magazine *This laugh-out-loud international bestseller will have you chuckling one minute and crying the next * The Lady *A quirky, offbeat delight and a heart-warming reminder that one is never too old for some mischief and adventure -- Tom Winter, author of Lost & FoundA shining expression of how joyous life is. It is not dangerous to grow old if you are like Märtha and the gang * Hyllan, blogg *The funniest book this year! * Magazine Familjen, Norway *A book which should be read by people of all ages * Radio P4 *A hilarious farce . . . highly entertaining with very well crafted characters * Frettabladid newspaper, Iceland *It has humour, brilliant dialogue, irony and warmth. A light-hearted and enjoyable detective comedy with breath-taking events, which provide many smiles but also reflection on life * PRO Pensionären *Criminally fun! * Bonniers Bokklubb *Very imaginative, fun and filled with gallons of humour! * Katarina Mazetti *
£9.49
Alma Books Ltd A Serendipitous Error and An Evil Malady
Book SynopsisIt is a winter evening, and Yegor Aduyev, the scion of a wealthy family from the landed gentry, slips into the house of Baron Neyleyn with the intention of asking his beautiful daughter, the eighteen-year-old Yelena, to be his wife. Will the besotted lover be successful in his pursuit or will the young coquette - who seems at times to reciprocate his feelings, but who lavished lingering looks on two dashing princes during a recent ball - shatter his hopes, his dreams and his entire world? A Serendipitous Error, written in 1839, when Goncharov was still in his twenties, is accompanied here by another early novella, An Evil Malady and a short fictional fragment. Taken together, these stories - translated for the first time into English - are further proof of the eclectic narrative skills of the celebrated author of Oblomov.
£7.59
Plough Publishing House A History of the Island
Book SynopsisMonks devious and devout – and an age-defying royal pair – chronicle the history of their fictional island in this witty critique of Western civilization and history itself.Eugene Vodolazkin, internationally acclaimed novelist and scholar of medieval literature, returns with a satirical parable about European and Russian history, the myth of progress, and the futility of war.This ingenious novel, described by critics as a coda to his bestselling Laurus, is presented as a chronicle of an island from medieval to modern times. The island is not on the map, but it is real beyond doubt. It cannot be found in history books, yet the events are painfully recognizable. The monastic chroniclers dutifully narrate events they witness: quests for power, betrayals, civil wars, pandemics, droughts, invasions, innovations, and revolutions. The entries mostly seem objective, but at least one monk simultaneously drafts and hides a “true” history, to be discovered centuries later. And why has someone snipped out a key prophesy about the island’s fate?These chronicles receive commentary today from an elderly couple who are the island’s former rulers. Prince Parfeny and Princess Ksenia are truly extraordinary: they are now 347 years old. Eyewitnesses to much of their island’s turbulent history, they offer sharp-eyed observations on the changing flow of time and their people’s persistent delusions. Why is the royal couple still alive? Is there a chance that an old prophecy comes to pass and two righteous persons save the island from catastrophe?In the tradition of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, Julian Barnes’s A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, and Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant, Vodolazkin is at his best recasting history, in all its hubris and horror, by finding the humor in its absurdity. For readers with an appetite for more than a dry, rational, scientific view of what motivates, divides, and unites people, A History of the Island conjures a world still suffused with mystical powers.Trade ReviewAcclaim for Vodolazkin’s previous title Laurus:“A quirky, ambitious book ... Eugene Vodolazkin succeeds gloriously.” —Janet Fitch, Los Angeles Review of Books“In Laurus, Vodolazkin aims directly at the heart of the Russian religious experience and perhaps even at that maddeningly elusive concept that is cherished to the point of cliché: the Russian soul.” —The New Yorker“Brilliant storytelling ... a uniquely lavish, multilayered work.” —Booklist“A timeless epic ... pointed, touching, and at times humorous, unpredictably straying from the path and leading readers along a wild chase through time, language, and medieval Europe.” —Asymptote Journal“An epic journey novel in all the best traditions. There are countless colorful characters, exciting twists of fate, and profound truths in the protagonist’s words and deeds.” — Russian Life Magazine“Love, faith, and a quest for atonement are the driving themes of an epic, prizewinning Russian novel that, while set in the medieval era, takes a contemporary look at the meaning of time.…This affecting, idiosyncratic novel ... is an impressive achievement.” —KirkusCompelling reading: brilliantly vivid and inventive, it combines magical-realist mischief with a compassionate, radically Christian perspective on the self-destroying idiocies of human history and political posturing. A masterpiece by one of Europe’s finest contemporary novelists. —Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
£17.99
Vertical Inc. The Girl Who Became A Fish: Maiden's Bookshelf
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Scribe Publications Sisters in Arms
Book SynopsisAn explosive feminist and anti-racist novel about the importance of friendship. We don’t exist in this world. Here, we are neither Germans nor refugees, we don’t report the news and we aren’t the experts. We’re some sort of wildcard. Hani, Kasih, and Saya have shared a deep friendship ever since they were kids. After years apart, the three young women meet again for a few days, to pick up where they left off. But regardless of what they have achieved, it becomes clear, again and again, that they can’t escape the racism that accompanies their daily lives: the glances, the chatter, the hatred, and the outright rightwing terror. But their friendship gives them stability. Until one dramatic night shakes everything up. Sisters in Arms is a provocative, uncompromising, and moving novel about the extraordinary alliance between three young women and the only thing that makes a self-determined life possible in a society that doesn’t tolerate otherness: unconditional friendship.Trade Review‘[W]ill appeal to fans of Elena Ferrante, Zadie Smith, and Kamila Shamsie … An immersive and thought-provoking read with a strong plot and relatable characters, and which explores urgent contemporary questions around racism and sexism in society.’ * New Books in German *‘This worthy novel about immigration and racism in contemporary Germany is tough going. Bazyar is astute in her depiction of a contemporary climate that explicitly “others” migrants.’ -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail *‘Sends us on a journey of exploration, right into the abyss of German identity politics — a magnificent book.’ * Süddeutsche Zeitung *‘A smart, important novel that gives you a caress on the cheek and a punch in the jaw as you read it. The amazing thing is that in the end you want more of both.’ -- Pierre Jarawan author of Song for the Missing‘Shida Bazyar tells us — uncompromisingly, powerfully, and accusingly — what it means to have one’s origins constantly questioned.’ -- Judges’ comments for The German Book Prize‘It tackles the pressing issues of our time, and yet it is timeless. This is a story of friendship, marginalisation and society's blindness to its own deep-seated problems … A triumph. It has all the makings of great literature, literature that will endure … Sisters in Arms demonstrates that all the talk about the lack of social relevance of art and literature is a fatal mistake.’ -- Gerrit Wustmann * Qantara *‘An explosive feminist and anti-racist novel about the importance of friendship … Sisters ini Arms is a provocative, uncompromising, and moving novel about the extraordinary alliance between three young women and the only thing that makes a self-determined life possible in a society that doesn't tolerate otherness: unconditional friendship.’ * Female *‘Humane, relatable, and self-aware, Sisters in Arms is an involving novel that indicts polite neoliberalism and open racism alike for the ways in which people in contemporary societies are forced apart.’ * Foreword Reviews *
£9.49
Dedalus Ltd The Queen of Darkness (and other stories)
Book Synopsis
£8.99
Stone Bridge Press Dragon Palace
Book SynopsisIncluded in The New Yorker's Best Books of 2023Stories from a Japanese master of transformative fiction, where reality, myth, and human foibles meet shifting dimensions of gender, biology, and destiny.From the bestselling author of Strange Weather in Tokyo comes this otherworldly collection of eight stories, each a masterpiece of transformation, infused with humor, sex, and the universal search for love and beauty—in a world where the laws of time and space, and even species boundaries, don’t apply. Meet a shape-shifting con man, a goddess who uses sex to control her followers, an elderly man possessed by a fox spirit, a woman who falls in love with her 400-year-old ancestor, a kitchen god with three faces in a weasel-infested apartment block, moles who provide underground sanctuary for humans who have lost the will to live, a man nurtured through life by his seven extraordinary sisters, and a woman who is handed from husband to husband until she is finally able to return to the sea.Trade Review"Spirits, animals, and people cohabit the universe of these eight stories, which capture with quirky insight and deadpan humor the strangeness of human relationships."—The New Yorker"Hiromi Kawakami returns to a world of fluid transfiguration with supernatural strangeness and knowing humor."—Thu-Huong Ha, The Japan Times“Unsettling and provocative… prominent Japanese writer Kawakami and lauded Canadian professor-translator Goossen reprise their successful collaboration for People from My Neighborhood with another addictively strange collection.”—Terry Hong, Booklist“An absurdist take on the human psyche.” —Walter Sim, The Straits Times"Dragon Palace features eight surreal, emotionally affecting stories set in a world where the mystical and mundane rub elbows."—Jaclyn Fulwood, Shelf Awareness"A short story collection tied together by an atmosphere of legends and metamorphosis."—Richard Medhurst, Nippon.com"Dragon Palace showcases Kawakami’s knack for blending folklore and surrealism into modern day social politics and life experience."—Books and Bao"Unique and attention-grabbing, Dragon Palace is a collection of open-ended fantasy tales about thwarted love and lost opportunities." —Eileen Gonzalez, Foreword Reviews“A vivid, disturbing collection”—M.A.Orthofer, The Complete Review"Exceedingly unique... Kawakami melds the mundane and banal with the surreal and fantastic, to good effect."—Cameron Bassindale, The Japan Society Review“A fascinating collection of oddities in which some stories are humorous and accessible while others are more poetic and surreal.”—Contemporary Japanese Literature"The stories in Dragon Palace use the absurd to shine a light on the disaffected parts of ourselves, our feelings of isolation and estrangement in a world where kindness and love seem in short supply."—Ian Mond, Locus Magazine"Kawakami's stories seduce... offering tales of individuals’ interactions with shapeshifting animals, five hundred-year-old men, magical beings, and mythical Japanese deities."—JP Cavender, Necessary FictionTable of ContentsStories included in Dragon Palace by Hiromi Kawakami 1. Hokusai2. The Dragon Palace3. Fox’s Den 4. The Kitchen God 5. Mole 6. The Roar 7. Shimazaki 8. Sea Horse
£13.29
Charco Press Brickmakers
Book SynopsisTwo young men, Pájaro Tamai and Marciano Miranda, are dying in a deserted amusement park. The story begins almost at its end, just after the two main characters have faced off in a knife fight: the culmination of a rivalry that has pitted them against one another since childhood. The present in Brickmakers is a state of impending death, at moments marked by dream-like visions: Marciano is visited by the ghost of his father, who was murdered when he was a teenager, a father he had sworn to avenge, in a promise he could not keep. Pájaro is also visited, in a recurring nightmare, by his abusive father who disappeared years earlier.Narrated with fury and passion, reminiscent of William Faulkner or Katherine Anne Porter, Brickmakers is a rural tragedy in the great American tradition, a story of love, honour and violence where everything is at stake. Reprising the powerful imagery and the filmic landscape of The Wind That Lays Waste, and the threatening atmosphere of Dead Girls, Brickmakers is yet another proof of Almada’s extraordinary talent.Trade Review"A successful riff on a classic Shakespearean tale." —Publishers Weekly"Such is Almada’s command of shape and pace, and the clean-edged vigour of the style McDermott voices with such skill, that we take Brickmakers on its own uncompromising terms – as pulp, tragedy and epic all at once." —The Arts Desk"Almada is forceful in her depictions of sex, violence, and rage. I feel her prose in my body: a punch in the gut, the sharpness of glass. McDermott’s translation captures the bite of Almada’s sentences, which render both tenderness and violence with devastating clarity." —Chicago Review of Books"Almada's breathtaking multigenerational tragedy is a haunting, unforgettable examination of the lasting consequences of careless inhumanity." —Shelf Awareness, starred review"Best books of 2021" —The Financial Times"There is a tremendous carnality to Almada’s writing, vividly captured in McDermott’s translation" —LA Review of Books"A rich, confident and urgent read." —Lunate"Brickmakers is one of the best books I've read this year ... It’s a brilliant, sizzling, unmissable treat" —Translating Women**********Praise for Selva Almada"Almada combines reportage, fiction, and autobiography to explore femicide in Argentina in her acute, unflinching latest." —Publishers Weekly, starred review"Almada’s prose is sparse, but the details count. Her ear for dialogue and especially gossip is pitch perfect. Her eye for detail is hawkish."** —LA Review of Books**"Part journalism, part history, part autobiography, part relentless nightmare."** —Shelf Awareness, starred review**"Not an easy book, but it feels like an important one – a work of investigative writing about how easily women’s lives are obscured."** —The Scotsman**"An unassuming yet intensely felt narrative. (4 stars)"** —The Arts Desk**"This is a powerful read...[Almada's] effective use of fiction ensures a deep empathy in her readers which strict reportage sometimes fails to evoke."** —The Big Issue**"Genre-defying, with beautifully crafted and reflective prose."** —The F Word**"You’ll walk away from this book with a vivid memory of where you were, how you were feeling, and what the weather was like on the day that you read Dead Girls."** —Books and Bao**"The literary quality of the text shines."** —Sound and Vision**"The prose strikes a perfect tone – clinical and punchy when necessary, angry and lyrical, brutal yet humanistic."** —TN2**"Exquisite prose that vibrates with a deep, melodious rage."** —The Monthly Booking**"It’s crisp, bracing, and beautiful."** —White Review**"It is a profound novel and call to action still relevant as activists continue to take to the streets throughout Latin America to decry, ‘ni una más’ (not one more)."** —The Skinny**"A tense, precise chronicle that treats seriously a still serious subject."** —El Cultural**"A powerful read, shedding a stark light on the horrors of gender violence."** —The Big Issue**"This is not a book that will make you feel at peace with the world, but that is precisely where its strength and persuasion lie."** —Translating Women**"Challenge[s] the true crime obsession in an indirect way. "** —Pendora Magazine**"What makes the book compelling is how the author explores issues of domestic violence, state complicity, machismo and family negligence, along with class and social inequalities, in a non-sentimental prose which is all the more effective as result."** —Morning Star**"Part coming-of-age, part detective work, partly a web of rumors, Almada’s story fuses a variety of genres to create a work that splits the seams of personal narrative, journalism, and fiction."** —NACLA**"The devastating conclusion of the narrator is that the women who survive are unlikely to have made it unscathed but they are lucky ones – lucky to be alive."** —NB Magazine**"Fate has in Dead Girls the perfume of a Greek tragedy: immutable, irreversible, lethal."** —El País**"Far from the detective story, this is an intimate tale, a certain negative of the autobiography of a young woman looking at other young women and how all of them are perceived by a society where misogyny and violence against them is still an everyday affair."** —Pagina/12**"Selva Almada reinvents the imaginative rural world of a country. She is an author gifted with a very uncommon power and sensitivity."** —Rolling Stone (Argentina)"Dead Girls is a brutal, necessary story in which Almada describes the crimes, states the facts and lays bare the horror of these femicides." —Tony's Reading List**"Gripping, shocking and sad."** —The Book Satchel**** Edinburgh International Book Festival First book Award (Winner)**** Book Cover of the Year (Saltire Awards) (Winner)"Like Flannery O’Connor and Juan Rulfo, Almada fills her taut, eerie novel with an understanding of rural life, loneliness, temptation and faith." —BBC Culture**"Billed as a ‘promising voice’ in Latin American literature, this tale delivers readily on that promise."** —Booklist**"The drama of this refreshingly unpredictable debut . . . smolders like a lit fuse waiting to touch off its well-orchestrated events. . . . A stimulating, heady story."** —Publishers Weekly**"The story packs a punch in its portraits of a man who exalts heaven and another who protests."** —Kirkus**"A dynamic introduction to a major Latin American literary force."** —Shelf Awareness, starred review**"[The Wind That Lays Waste] delivers exactly that compressed pressurised electricity of a gathering thunderstorm: it sparks and sputters with live-wire tension."** —TANK Magazine**"The Wind That Lays Waste is elegant and stark, a kind of emblem or vision fetched from the far edges of things, arrested and stripped to its essence, as beautiful as it is unnerving. ""** —Paul Harding**, author of TINKERS"The Wind That Lays Waste is a mesmerizing novel, at once strange and compelling.""** —Bonnie Jo Campbell**, author of MOTHERS, TELL YOUR DAUGHTERS"The quality and resolve of her prose produce a power of suggestion that is unique to Selva Almada."** —El País**"The best novel written in Argentina in the last few years? Don’t know, and don’t care, but you must read Selva Almada."** —El País**"Almada’s prose has a touch of the Faulkner of As I Lay Dying but passed through the filters of the dirty light of the cotton fields and the clean clothes worn by country people to Sunday mass.""** —Germán Machado**"A distinctive debut: atmospheric, tension-packed, and written in vivid, poetic language."** —Books from Scotland**"Perhaps most powerful in the book is Almada’s focus on detail―she skillfully renders the story of a day in brief chapters that reveal the thoughts and fleeting encounters of characters, who are largely living inside themselves."** —Ploughshares**"Almada’s nuanced approach leaves room to explore her characters’ pasts in some detail, but, crucially, these individuals . . . are not defined by their mistakes."** —ZYZZYVA**"What seems fantastical soon turns hyper-realistic, in a style that is reminiscent of Juan Rulfo or Sara Gallardo."** —La Nación************
£9.99
Quercus Publishing My Name is Adam
Book SynopsisKhoury is one of the greatest writers of our times and perhaps the greatest Arabic-language writer of this generation, definite Nobel Prize material Avraham Burg, HaaretzWho is Adam Dannoun?Until a few months before his death in a fire in his New York apartment - a consequence of smoking in bed - he thought he knew.But an encounter with Blind Mahmoud, a father figure from his childhood, changed all that. From Mahmoud he learned the terrible truth behind his birth, a truth withheld from him for fifty-seven years by the woman he thought was his mother.This discovery leads Adam to investigate what exactly happened in 1948 in Palestine in the city of Lydda where he was born: the massacre, the forced march into the wilderness and the corralling of those citizens who did not flee into what the Israeli soldiers and their Palestinian captives came to refer to as the Ghetto.The stories he collects speak of bravery, ingenuityTrade ReviewElias Khoury is an artist giving voice to rooted exiles and trapped refugees, to dissolving boundaries and changing identities, to radical demands and new languages. -- Edward W. SaidA writer of panoramic scope and ambition. -- Azadeh Moaveni * Financial Times. *The finest living Arabic novelist. * World Literature Today. *
£15.29
Orenda Books Hotel Cartagena
Book SynopsisHamburg State Prosecutor Chastity Riley and her friends are held hostage in a hotel bar by twelve armed men set on revenge, in a searing, breathtakingly original, and unexpectedly moving new thriller from the ‘Queen of Krimi’ ***WINNER of the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger 2022******WINNER of the German Crime Book of the Year Award*** ‘Simone Buchholz writes with real authority and a pungent, noir-ish sense of time and space … a palpable hit’ Independent ‘Reading Buchholz is like walking on firecrackers … a truly unique voice in crime fiction’ Graeme Macrae Burnet ‘[A] nerve-racking narrative … [with] a cunning climax that is shocking and deeply romantic’ The Times ____________________ Twenty floors above the shimmering lights of the Hamburg docks, Public Prosecutor Chastity Riley is celebrating a birthday with friends in a hotel bar when twelve heavily armed men pull out guns, and take everyone hostage. Among the hostages is Konrad Hoogsmart, the hotel owner, who is being targeted by a young man whose life and family have been destroyed by Hoogsmart’s actions. With the police looking on from outside their colleagues’ lives at stake and Chastity on the inside, increasingly ill from an unexpected case of sepsis, the stage is set for a dramatic confrontation and a devastating outcome for the team all live streamed in a terrifying bid for revenge. Crackling with energy and populated by a cast of unforgettable characters, Hotel Cartagena is a searing, relevant thriller that will leave you breathless. _____________________ Praise for the Chastity Riley series 'Combines nail-biting tension with off-beat humor ... Elmore Leonard fans will be enthralled' Publishers Weekly 'Buchholz doles out delicious black humor ... interwoven in a manner that ramps up the intrigue and tension' Foreword Reviews ‘Modern noir, with taut storytelling, a hard-bitten heroine, and underlying melancholy peppered with wry humour … there’s a fizz, a poetry and a sense of coolness’ New Zealand Listener ‘The coolest character in crime fiction … Darkly funny and written with a huge heart’ Big Issue ‘Fierce enough to stab the heart’ Spectator ‘A stylish, whip-smart thriller’ Herald Scotland ‘Combines slick storytelling with substance … like a straight shot of top-shelf liquor: smooth yet fiery, packing a punch with no extraneous ingredients watering things down’ Mystery Scene ‘Caustic, incisive prose. A street-smart, gutsy heroine. A timely and staggeringly stylish thriller’ Will Carver ‘With plenty of dry humour and a good old dash of despair, Simone Buchholz is an unconventional, refreshing new voice’ Crime Fiction Lover ‘With brief, pacy chapters and fizzling dialogue, this almost feels like American procedural noir and not a translation’ Maxim Jakubowski ‘There is a fantastic pace to the story which keeps you hooked from the first sentence all the way to the end a unique voice that delivers a stylish story’ NB Magazine ‘A smart and witty book that shines a probing spotlight on society’ CultureFly ‘Fans of Brookmyre could do worse than checking out Simone Buchholz, a star of the German crime lit scene who has been deftly translated into English by Rachel Ward’ Goethe Institute ‘By turns lyrical and pithy, this adventure set in the melting pot of contemporary Hamburg has a plot and a sensibility that both owe something to mind-altering substances. Lots of fun’ Sunday Times ‘Great sparkling energy, humour and stylistic verve and the story itself is gripping and pacey’ Rosie Goldsmith ‘A must-read, stylish and highly original take on the detective novel, written with great skill and popping with great characters’ Judith O’Reilly ‘Constantly surprising an original, firecracker of a read’ LoveReading
£8.54
ACA Publishing Limited Distant Sunflower Fields
Book SynopsisAn iron-willed mother, an ageing grandmother, a pair of mismatched dogs and 90 mu of less-than-ideal farmland: these are Li Juan’s companions on the steppes of the Gobi Desert.Writing out of a yurt under Xinjiang’s endless horizons, she documents her family’s quest to extract a bounty of sunflowers amid the harsh beauty and barren expanses of China’s northwest frontier. Success must be eked out in the face of life’s unnegotiable realities: sandstorms, locusts and death.While this small tribe is held at the mercy of these headwinds, they discover the cheer and dignity hidden in each other. But will their ceaseless labours deliver blooming fields of green and yellow? Or will their dreams prove as distant as they are fragile?Trade ReviewDistant Sunflower Fields is like Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain ... you unconsciously forget the daily hubbub and sink silently into the embrace of the world her words have brought to being.Xinran | author of The Good Women of China
£10.44
Bitter Lemon Press Temporary Perfections
Book SynopsisIt all began with an unusual assignment, a job better suited for Marlowe than for counsel for the defence Guido Guerrieri. Could he find new evidence to force the police to reopen their investigation about the disappearance of Manuela, the daughter of a rich couple living in Bari? The stories of Manuela's druggy university friends don't quite add up. Her best friend, Caterina, too beautiful and certainly too young for Guerrieri, is a temptation he doesn't need. While the investigation proceeds, Guido fights his loneliness by talking to the punching bag hanging in his living-room and by walking the streets of Bari late at night, often visiting a colourful bar owned by a former client and ex-prostitute. She somehow provides the clue that explains Manuela's disappearance.Trade ReviewPriase for the series: Hard-boiled and sun-dried in equal parts. Where Philip Marlowe would be knocking back bourbon and listening to the snap of fist on jaw, Guerrieri prefers Sicilian wine and Leonard Cohen. A" Financial Times The role of Guerrieri is to take on impossible cases that have little chance of success. His efforts to prove his client's innocence bring him into dangerous conflict with Mafia interests. Everything a legal thriller should be.A" The Times
£8.54
Quercus Publishing Fame: A Novel in Nine Episodes
Book SynopsisImagine being famous. Wouldn't that be great?'A real beauty of a book' - Jonathan Franzen'Riffs echo through this playful, perplexing landscape' - The Times But what if, one day, you got stuck in a country where no one spoke your language. Where no one knew your face and you had no way of contacting home. How would your fame help you then? What would happen if someone got hold of your mobile phone? If they spoke to your girlfriends, your agent, your director and started making decisions for you. And when no one believed that you were you any more, when you saw a lookalike acting your roles for you, what would you do? In this delightfully entertaining book, Daniel Kehlmann throws his characters into situations that are thrilling, funny, surprising and tragic, confirming his place as one of his generation's finest writers.Trade ReviewOne of the most consistently original novelists writing today. * New European *'Ingenious' * Daily Telegraph *'Riffs echo through this playful, perplexing landscape' * The Times *'Brilliant' * Independent *'A real beauty of a book' * Jonathan Franzen *'Kafkaesque' * Time Out *'Extraordinary' * Guardian *
£8.99
Twisted Spoon Press Ceilings
Book Synopsis
£11.88
Alma Books Ltd Malinovka Heights
Book SynopsisAfter his university studies and a short stint in the army and the civil service, thirty-something Boris Pavlovich Raisky enjoys the life of an artist, frequenting St Petersburg’s elegant circles, dabbing at his paintings, playing a little music and entertaining thoughts of writing a novel. But for a man like him, who has achieved nothing so far and by his own admission is “not born to work”, the bustle of the capital proves too much, so he decides to visit his country estate of Malinovka. There he hopes to rediscover the joys of a simpler and more authentic life – but when he becomes emotionally involved with his beautiful cousin Vera and meets the dangerous freethinker Mark Volokhov, the scene is set for a chain of events that will lead to disappointment, confrontation and, ultimately, tragedy. Conceived twenty years before its initial publication in 1869, and regarded by its author as his best work, Malinovka Heights (previously translated in English as The Precipice) is Goncharov’s crowning achievement as a novelist and a triumph of psychological insight. Here presented for the first time in unabridged form in a sparkling new translation by Stephen Pearl, Goncharov’s final novel deserves to be reassessed as one of the most important classics of nineteenth-century Russian literature.Trade Review...ten heads above me in talent. -- Anton Chekhov
£9.99
Pushkin Press The Second Life of Inspector Canessa
Book SynopsisAnnibale Canessa was a legend: the most notorious cop during Italy's brutal Years of Lead, he hunted down terrorist suspects with unmatched ferocity. But then the fighting stopped, and suddenly Canessa was a soldier without a war. 30 years later and he's settled into a life of calm by the sea - until some shattering news pulls him back in. His estranged brother has been found dead; lying beside him, the body of an ex-terrorist, a man Canessa himself caught. Returning to Milan, Canessa finds the rules of the game have changed: alliances have shifted and brute force won't cut it anymore. Trusting no-one, he launches an investigation into dense networks of corruption that will bring him right back to his own past.Trade Review"Cutting deep into the dark underbelly of sunny Milan, Perrone’s pacy and intelligent novel charts the ordeals of an ex Carabiniere pulled back into the world of terrorism, deception and corruption by his estranged brother’s murder." -- Waterstones "[A] choice Italian noir, set in the Mafia wars and the Red Brigades in the Seventies and Eighties." -- Evening Standard"The best noir yet on the years of terror in Italy." -- Corriere della Serra "So rich in tones that I'd love to read it again." -- Amica
£9.49
