Historical Fiction Books

Book SynopsisKristin Hannah is an award-winning international number one bestseller with over 25 million copies of her books sold worldwide. The Women, along with her recent novels The Four Winds, The Great Alone and The Nightingale, is already the winner of numerous best fiction awards, and is soon to become a major movie. Her earlier novel Firefly Lane was a number one blockbuster series on Netflix. Kristin's writing has taken readers across multiple eras and to many places, but the thing that connects all of her work is the focus on what it's like being a woman in challenging times. Kristin is a lawyerturned-writer and is the mother of one son. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle.

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Book SynopsisAn exquisite winter tale of courage - and its cost, set in Catholic Ireland.

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Book SynopsisThe epic tale of wrongful imprisonment, adventure and revenge, in its definitive translationThrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to use the treasure to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas'' epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s.Translated with an Introduction by ROBIN BUSS

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Book Synopsis**OVER 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD**WINNER OF THE ORANGE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTIONTHE INTERNATIONAL SENSATIONA SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER''Captivating'' DONNA TARTT''I loved it'' J K ROWLING''Ravishingly vivid'' EMMA DONOGHUEGreece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles''s mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.''A book I could not put down'' ANN PATCHETTAn exciting, sexy, violent Superman version of The Iliad' GUARDIANSexy, dangerous, mystical' BETTANY HUGHESTrade ReviewI loved it * J.K. Rowling *A captivating retelling of the Iliad and events leading up to it through the point of view of Patroclus: it's a hard book to put down, and any classicist will be enthralled by her characterisation of the goddess Thetis, which carries the true savagery and chill of antiquity * Donna Tartt *At once a scholar’s homage to the Iliad and startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist ... A book I could not put down * Ann Patchett *Inventive, passionate, uplifting and different ... A truly worthy winner * Joanna Trollope *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2020 WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION - THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER 2021''Richly sensuous... something special'' The Sunday Times''A thing of shimmering wonder'' David MitchellTWO EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE. A LOVE THAT DRAWS THEM TOGETHER. A LOSS THAT THREATENS TO TEAR THEM APART.On a summer''s day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a sudden fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London. Neither parent knows that Hamnet will not survive the week. Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright: a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.Trade ReviewStunning. The writing is exquisite, immersive and compelling... deserves to win prizes -- Marian KeyesThe story of Hamnet Shakespeare has been waiting in the shadows for over four hundred years. Maggie O'Farrell brings it dazzlingly, devastatingly, into the light -- Kamila ShamsieGrief and loss so finely written I could hardly bear to read it -- Sarah MossHeartstopping. Hamnet does for the Shakespeare story what Jean Rhys did for Jane Eyre, inhabiting, enlarging and enriching it in ways that will alter the reader's view for ever -- Patrick GaleBlisteringly brilliant... You'll lap up this intricately told story of grief, love and the bond between twins * Cosmopolitan *[A] rich imagining of the lives of Shakespeare's family enchants... O'Farrell's remarkable novel bursts with life * Sunday Telegraph *A beautiful read. A devastating one. Intricate, and breathtakingly imaginative * Rachel Joyce *A bold undertaking. Beautifully imagined and written * Claire Tomalin *Richly sensuous...something special * Sunday Times *The novel of her career... everyone I know who has managed to get hold of a copy is absolutely in love with it * Observer *A staggeringly beautiful and unbearably poignant novel. O'Farrell is one of the most surprisingly quiet radicals in fiction * Scotsman *

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Book Synopsis‘If you haven’t read Kate Morton before, do yourself a favour’ – Graham Norton, broadcaster and bestselling author of Home StretchA breathtaking mystery of love, lies and a cold case come back to life, Homecoming is an immersive, twisting epic from the bestselling Kate Morton, told with her trademark intricacy and beauty.Adelaide Hills, 1959. At the end of a scorching hot day, in the grounds of a grand country house, a local man makes a terrible discovery. Police are called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most mystifying murder investigations in the history of Australia.London, 2018. Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for nearly two decades, a phone call summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, has suffered a fall and is seriously ill in hospital.Seeking comfort in her past, Jess discovers a true crime book at Nora’s house chronicling a long-buried police case: the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959. And within its pages she finds a shocking personal connection to this notorious event – a crime that has never truly been solved.An epic novel that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love and how we protect the lies we tell.Readers love Homecoming by Kate Morton . . .‘Will leave you glued to the very last page’‘Plenty of turns to keep you guessing’‘Heartbreaking, beautifully written and superbly constructed’Trade ReviewHomecoming is Kate Morton at her very best. A lush, rich, beautiful novel, set against the vibrant, immense backdrop of Australia -- Kristin Hannah, bestselling author of Firefly Lane and The Four WindsIf you’re a fan of Kate Morton you will love it. If you haven’t read Kate Morton before, do yourself a favour. It is a treat; it is a big deep-dive, twisty-turny yarn. It is fantastic -- Graham NortonKate Morton is the author who made me fall in love with dual-timescale storylines. An epic novel about a 1959 murder case in South Australia that has never fully been solved, this is one to devour on holiday * Prima *An unsolved murder, a host of family secrets and three generations of women shape Morton's captivating novel. It’s a sweeping yet intimate tale of motherhood and belonging, loss and longing . . . * Mail on Sunday *A historical mystery that weaves themes of love, family and secrets in a Gothic Australian landscape * BBC Radio 4's Open Book *Prepare yourself for a thriller that will chill you to the bone * Woman's Own *An eerie epic . . . There are beautiful descriptions of the region’s landscape and canny insights into the neighborhood’s tight-knit community. This is Morton’s best yet * Publisher's Weekly *In true Kate Morton style, this is an immersive and intricately plotted intergenerational historical mystery that weaves themes of love, family and secrets * Culturefly *

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Women''s Prize for Fiction 2023A Reese''s Bookclub December Pick (2022)An Instant Sunday Times, New York Times and Irish Times Bestseller (August 2022)A Guardian and LitHub Book of the Year (December 2022)''Every bit as evocative and spellbinding as Hamnet. O''Farrell, thank God, just seems to be getting better and better'' i newspaper''Her narrative enchantment will wrest suspense and surprise out of a death foretold'' Financial Times''Ingenious, inventive, humane, wry, truthful . . . better than her last novel'' Scotsman''Finely written and vividly imagined'' Guardian''In O''Farrell''s hands, historical detail comes alive'' SpectatorWinter, 1561. Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, is taken on an unexpected visit to a country villa by her husband, Alfonso. As they sit down to dinTrade ReviewEvery bit as evocative and spellbinding as Hamnet. O'Farrell, thank God, just seems to be getting better and better . . . O'Farrell's writing is so vivid it melts away the time and space between now and 16th-century Italy . . . With The Marriage Portrait, then, O'Farrell hasn't just produced another magnificently transporting page-turner. She has given us an exhilarating, devastating look at women's captivity, creativity and ultimately, rebellion in a world run by some very cruel men * i newspaper *Finely written and vividly imagined, it is far from being simplistic, but there is an engaging simplicity to it . . . a very good one to be read, as publishers used to say, by "children of all ages" * Guardian Book of the Day *In O'Farrell's hands, historical detail comes alive . . . evocative, moving and sensitively rendered * Spectator *O'Farrell is simply outstanding * Guardian *Her writing is exquisite. Immersive and compelling * Marian Keyes *An extraordinary writer with a profound understanding of the most elemental human bonds * Observer *One of the most exciting novelists alive * Washington Post *Ingenious, inventive, humane, wry, truthful . . . better than her last novel * Scotsman *Her narrative enchantment will wrest suspense and surprise out of a death foretold * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE BAILEYS PRIZE BEST OF THE BEST Winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2007, this is a heartbreaking, exquisitely written literary masterpieceTrade Review‘Heartbreaking, funny, exquisitely written and, without doubt, a literary masterpiece and a classic’ Daily Mail ‘Stunning. This novel is an immense achievement’ Observer ‘A landmark novel. Adichie brings to history a lucid intelligence and compassion, and a heartfelt plea for memory’ Guardian 'Vividly written, thrumming with life … a remarkable novel. In its compassionate intelligence as in its capacity for intimate portraiture, this novel is a worthy successor to such twentieth-century classics as Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and V. S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River' Joyce Carol Oates 'Here is a new writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers’ Chinua Achebe ‘The character burrow into your marrow and mind, and you come to care for them deeply – something that is all too rare’ Daily Telegraph ‘A sane and compassionate new voice in an often strident world’ Financial Times ‘Adichie uses language with relish. She infuses her English with a robust poetry’ Helen Dunmore, The Times ‘A powerful account of the Biafran War, horrific and tender in equal measure’ Sunday Telegraph 'Absolutely awesome. One of the best books I've ever read' Judy Finnigan ‘I wasted the last fifty pages, reading them far too greedily and fast, because I couldn’t bear to let go … magnificent’ Margaret Forster

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Book SynopsisA heartwarming saga about war, love and duty by the bestselling author of The Street and East End Angel.North London, 1916. When Olivia Bone and Lieutenant Lucas Black shared a passionate kiss one summer''s evening, it seemed as if their love might finally have a chance to bloom.But their brief happiness is cut short when Lucas is sent to fight on the front line, leaving Livvie uncertain if she''ll ever see him again. And after a chance encounter with one of Lucas''s old flames, Livvie is left doubting whether an ex-factory girl like her will ever fit into his world - and wondering if she would be better off protecting her heart.While her friends in London busy themselves with marriage plans and dreams of babies, Livvie returns to France, throwing herself into her work as a war nurse on the Western Front. But when two German prisoners are admitted at the hospital, the dangers of war suddenly feel

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling Reese Witherspoon Book Club PickSoon to be a major motion picture, The Nightingale is a multi-million copy bestseller across the world. It is a heart-breakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the endurance of women.This story is about what it was like to be a woman during World War II when women’s stories were all too often forgotten or overlooked . . . Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac are two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals and passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love and freedom in war-torn France.Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.‘A rich, compelling novel of love, sacrifice and survival’ - Kate Morton‘Movingly written and plotted with the heartless skill of a Greek tragedy, you’ll keep turning the pages until the last racking sob’ - Daily Mail‘I loved The Nightingale . . . great characters, great plots, great emotions, who could ask for more in a novel?’ - Isabel Allende, author of The House of the Spirits‘A gripping tale of family, love, grief and forgiveness’ - Sunday ExpressTrade ReviewI loved The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, a talented writer of American stories; great characters, great plots, great emotions, who could ask for more in a novel? -- Isabel Allende, bestselling author of The House of the SpiritsBeautifully written . . . packed with action and emotion. -- Sara Gruen, bestselling author of Water for ElephantsThe real horrors of war; the deprivations; the risks are all there... This is a hauntingly tragic yet sympathetic novel * The Cape Times *An unforgettable portrait of love and war. * People *The suspense builds slowly in this thought-provoking and absorbing novel. * Choice *The bestselling author hits her stride in this page-turning tale about two sisters, one in the French countryside, the other in Paris, who show remarkable courage in the German occupation during WWII . . . The author ably depicts war’s horrors through the eyes of these two women, whose strength of character shines through no matter their differences. * Publishers Weekly *A respectful and absorbing page-turner. * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisTender, riveting and inventive is Clear, the newest offering and masterpiece from the brilliant Carys Davies. It will take your breath away Sarah Jessica ParkerAn exquisite, hopeful masterpiece Rachel JoyceA poignant, profound depiction of both solitude and connection. Carys Davies has written a masterful, discreetly sublime book Hernan Diaz1843. On a remote Scottish island, Ivar, the sole occupant, leads a life of quiet isolation until the day he finds a man unconscious on the beach below the cliffs. The newcomer is John Ferguson, an impoverished church minister sent to evict Ivar and turn the island into grazing land for sheep. Unaware of the stranger's intentions, Ivar takes him into his home, and in spite of the two men having no common language, a fragile bond begins to form between them. Meanwhile, on the mainland, John's wife, Mary, anxiously awaits news of his mission. Against the rugged backdrop of this faraway spot beyond Shetland, Carys Davies's intimate drama unfolds with tension and tenderness: a touching and crystalline study of ordinary people buffeted by history and a powerful exploration of the distances and connections between us. Perfectly structured and surprising at every turn, Clear is a marvel of storytelling, an exquisite short novel by a master of the form.

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Book SynopsisBrutally violent, Blood Meridian is the story of one teenage runaway in the nineteenth-century American South, as a sadistic gang unleashes its massacre across the desert land. It is the work that sealed Cormac McCarthy's reputation as one of the twentieth century's greatest writers – his magnum opus.‘[A] brilliant, uncompromising work of fiction – imagine if the authors of the King James Bible, their hands guided by Satan, wrote a western’ – The TimesThrough the hostile landscape of the Texas–Mexico border wanders the Kid, a fourteen year-old Tennessean who is quickly swept up in the relentless tide of blood.A group known as the Glanton gang hunt Indigenous Americans, collecting scalps as their bloody trophies. At the centre of this violence stands Judge Holden: a massive, hairless man, mysterious if not supernatural, erudite and cold-blooded. He is singularly extreme in his sadistic violence.But the apparent chaos is not without order – the Glanton gang, too, are stalked as prey.Read as both a brilliant subversion of the Western novel and a blazing example of that form, it is a powerful, mesmerizing and savagely beautiful novel – and one of the most important works in American fiction of the last century.‘In Blood Meridian, McCarthy reaches the peak of his style: spare and ornate at once, repetitious but endlessly readable’ – GuardianPraise for Cormac McCarthy:'His prose takes on an almost biblical quality, hallucinatory in its effect and evangelical in its power' – Stephen King, author of The Shining and the Dark Tower series‘McCarthy worked close to some religious impulse, his books were terrifying and absolute’ – Anne Enright, author of The Green Road and The Wren, The Wren'[I]n presenting the darker human impulses in his rich prose, [McCarthy] showed readers the necessity of facing up to existence' – Annie Proulx, author of Brokeback MountainPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.Trade ReviewBlood Meridian is his masterpiece . . . An astonishing sanguinary epic dealing with the Indian wars of the 1840s in West Texas and Mexico . . . Unlike anything I have ever read in recent years, an extraordinary, breathtaking achievement -- John Banville, author of The SeaA bloody and starkly beautiful tale -- Stephen Amidon * Sunday Times *Possibly the greatest American novel of the past 25 years -- Aleksandar Hemon, author of The World and All That It Holds and The Lazarus ProjectI have rarely encountered anything as powerful, as unsettling, or as memorable as Blood Meridian . . . A nightmare odyssey * Evening Standard *The Judge is the book, and the Judge is, short of Moby Dick, the most monstrous apparition in all of American literature -- Harlold Bloom, on the character of Judge Holden in Blood MeridianMcCarthy distances us not only from the historical past, not only from our cowboy-and-Indian images of it, but also revisionist theories that make white men the villains and Indians the victims. All men are unremittingly bloodthirsty here, poised at a peak of violence, the "meridian" from which their civilization will quickly fall * New York Times Book Review *In Blood Meridian, McCarthy reaches the peak of his style: spare and ornate at once, repetitious but endlessly readable * Guardian *Blood Meridian, published in 1985, is a brilliant, uncompromising work of fiction – imagine if the authors of the King James Bible, their hands guided Satan, wrote a western * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Pulitzer Prize winning novel a story of love, honour, loyalty and betrayal.

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIESWINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONNATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR FICTIONA beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War IIOpen your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.'For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The miniature of a Paris neighbourhood, made by her father to teach her the way home. The microscopic layers within the invaluable diamond that her father guards in the Museum of Natural History. The walled city by the sea, where father and daughter take refuge when the Nazis invade Paris. And a future which draws her ever closer to Werner, a German orphan, destined to labour in the mines until a broken radio fills his life with possibility and brings him to the notice of the Hitler Youth.In this magnificent, deeply moving novel, the stories ofMarie-Laure and Werner illuminate the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.Trade Review'Far more than a conventional war story, It's a tightly focused epic … Doerr paints with a rich palette, using prose that resonates deeply and conveys the ephemera of daily existence along with high drama, sadness and hope … A bittersweet and moving novel that lingers in the mind' Daily Mail ‘An epic work about bravery and the power of attachment’ Rose Tremain, Observer, Books of the Year ‘An epic and a masterpiece’ Justin Cartwright, Observer ‘This novel will be a piece of luck for anyone with a long plane journey or beach holiday ahead. It is such a page-turner, entirely absorbing… magnificent’ Guardian ‘Doerr can bring a scene to life in a single paragraph … Delicate and moving … the novel takes hold and will not easily let go’ The Times ‘Boy meets girl in Anthony Doerr’s hauntingly beautiful new book, but the circumstances are as elegantly circuitous as they can be’ The New York Times ‘I’m not sure I will read a better novel this year … Enthrallingly told, beautifully written and so emotionally plangent that some passages bring tears’ Washington Post ‘This jewel of a story is put together like a vintage timepiece … Doerr’s writing and imagery are stunning. It’s been a while since a novel had me under its spell in this fashion.’ Abraham Verghese ‘A dazzling, epic work of fiction. Anthony Doerr writes beautifully about the mythic and the intimate, about snails on beaches and armies on the move, about fate and love and history and those breathless, unbearable moments when they all come crashing together.’ Jess Walter

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Book SynopsisFar From Home is a heartbreaking wartime tale about the love between a mother and daughter, from billion-copy bestselling author Danielle Steel.

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Book SynopsisOkonowo is the greatest warrior alive and he is one of the powerful men of his clan. But he also has a fiery temper. Determined not to be like his father, he refuses to show his weakness. When outsiders threaten the traditions of his clan, he takes violent action. Will the great man's pride eventually destroy him?

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Book Synopsis* The million-copy bestseller* * National Book Award finalist * * An instant New York Times Bestseller and one of their 10 Best Books of 2017 * * Selected for Emma Watson's Our Shared Shelf book club * 'This is a captivating book... Min Jin Lee's novel takes us through four generations and each character's search for identity and success. It's a powerful story about resilience and compassion' BARACK OBAMA. Yeongdo, Korea 1911. In a small fishing village on the banks of the East Sea, a club-footed, cleft-lipped man marries a fifteen-year-old girl. The couple have one child, their beloved daughter Sunja. When Sunja falls pregnant by a married yakuza, the family face ruin. But then Isak, a Christian minister, offers her a chance of salvation: a new life in Japan as his wife. Following a man she barely knows to a hostile country in which she has no friends, no home, and whose language she cannot speak, Sunja's salvation is just the beginning of her story. Through eight decades and four generations, Pachinko is an epic tale of family, identity, love, death and survival.Trade ReviewLuminous... a powerful meditation on what immigrants sacrifice to achieve a home in the world' -- Junot DiazGripping... a stunning achievement, full of heart, full of grace, full of truth' -- Erica WagnerA deep, broad, addictive history of a Korean family in Japan enduring and prospering through the 20th century -- David Mitchell, GuardianA rich, moving novel about exile, identity and the determination to endure * Sunday Times *Vivid and immersive, Pachinko is a rich tribute to a people that history seems intent on erasing * Guardian *The work of a writer in complete control of her characters and her story and with an intense awareness of the importance of her heritage... Told with such flair and linguistic dexterity that I found myself unable to put it down. Every year, there are a few standout novels that survive long past the hype has died down and the hyperbolic compliments from friends scattered across the dust jacket have been forgotten. Pachinko, a masterpiece of empathy, integrity and familial loyalty, will be one of those novels' -- John Boyne, Irish TimesWe never feel history being spoon-fed to us: it is wholly absorbed into character and story, which is no mean feat for a novel covering almost a century of history * Financial Times *An epic, multi-generational saga * Mail on Sunday, Best of 2017 *A great book, a passionate story, a novel of magisterial sweep. It's also fiendishly readable – the real deal. An instant classic, a quick page-turner, and probably the best book of the year -- Darin Strauss, New York Times-bestselling author of Chang and Eng.A long, complex book, it wears its research lightly, and is a page-turner. You can sense the author's love and understanding for all the characters, the good and the flawed * Irish Examiner. *Remarkable... A striking introduction to lives, to a world, [the reader] may never have seen, or even thought to look at. In our increasingly fractured and divisive times, there can be no higher purpose for literature: all in the pages of a book that, once you've started, you'll simply be unable to put down' * Harper's Bazaar *Elegant and soulful, both intimate and sweeping. This story of several generations of one Korean family in Japan is the story of every family whose parents sacrificed for their children, every family whose children were unable to recognize the cost, but it's also the story of a specific cultural struggle in a riveting time and place. Min Jin Lee has written a big, beautiful book filled with characters I rooted for and cared about and remembered after I'd read the final page -- Kate Christensen, award-winning author of The Great Man and Blue Plate SpecialBoth for those who love Korea, as well as for those who know no more than Hyundai, Samsung and kimchi, this extraordinary book will prove a revelation of joy and heartbreak. I could not stop turning the pages, and wished this most poignant of sagas would never end. Min Jin Lee displays a tenderness and wisdom ideally matched to an unforgettable tale that she relates just perfectly -- Simon Winchester, author of Korea: A Walk Through the Land of MiraclesA compassionate, clear gaze at the chaotic landscape of life itself. In this haunting epic tale, no one story seems too minor to be briefly illuminated. Lee suggests that behind the facades of wildly different people lie countless private desires, hopes and miseries, if we have the patience and compassion to look and listen * New York Times Book Review *Love, luck, and talent combine with cruelty and random misfortune in a deeply compelling story, with the troubles of ethnic Koreans living in Japan never far from view. An old-fashioned epic whose simple, captivating storytelling delivers both wisdom and truth * Kirkus *[A] beautifully crafted story of love, loss determination, luck, and perseverance... Lee's skilful development of her characters and story lines will draw readers into the work. Those who enjoy historical fiction with strong characterisations will not be disappointed as they ride along on the emotional journeys offered in the author's latest page-turner' * Library Journal *An exquisite, haunting epic... Lee's profound novel of losses and gains explored through the social and cultural implications of pachinko-parlor owners and users is shaped by impeccable research, meticulous plotting, and empathic perception' * Booklist Starred Review *A sweeping, engrossing family saga... a poignantly told tale. Gracefully written and dotted with memorable images, evocative of the pace and time, it's a page-turning panorama of one family's path through suffering to prosperity in 20th-century Japan' * Literary Review *Stunning... Pachinko is about outsiders, minorities and the politically disenfranchised. But it is so much more besides. Each time the novel seems to find its locus – Japan's colonization of Korea, World War II as experienced in East Asia, Christianity, family, love, the changing role of women – it becomes something else. It becomes even more than it was' * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisTHE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ‘Devastating’ Daily Telegraph ‘Heartbreaking’ The Times ‘Unforgettable’ Isabel Allende ‘Haunting’ Independent Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.Trade ReviewA gripping read and a haunting story of love, loss and betrayal. Guaranteed to move even the hardest heart * Independent *Shattering … devastating and inspiring * Observer *Hosseini is a truly gifted teller of tales … he’s not afraid to pull every string in your heart to make it sing * The Times *Rings true with tenderness and truth * Daily Mail *A devastating, masterful and painfully honest story of a life crippled by an act of childhood and cowardice and cruelty … It speaks the harrowing truth about the power of evil, personal and political, and intoxicates, like a high-flying kite, with the power of hope * Daily Telegraph *Stunning and heartbreaking in its quiet intensity * Guardian *This is one of those unforgettable stories that stay with you for years. All the great themes of literature and of life are the fabric of this extraordinary novel: love, honour, guilt, fear, redemption … It is so powerful that for a long time after, everything I read seemed bland * Isabel Allende *The novel that made Afghanistan the talking-point of every book group * Guardian, 50 Books that Defined the Decade *

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Book SynopsisFrom an award-winning author, Fingersmith is an extraordinary, ingenious tale of fraud, insanity and secretsLondon 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves - fingersmiths - under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her ''family''. But from the moment Sue draws breath, her fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away. ''A page turning thriller while managing to be a tender love story'' Adam Kay''Intensely atmospheric, impeccably paced, and cunningly structured'' Mail on Sunday''A chilling, ingenious erotic thriller - unputdownable'' Sunday Express''Long, dark, twisted and satisfying... An unforgettable experience'' Julie Myerson, Guardian

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLEROver 500,000 copies sold internationallyA BBC Between the Covers Book Club PickA BBC Radio 4 Book at BedtimeWinner of Dymocks Book of the YearSheer joy'' GRAHAM NORTONUtterly beautiful filled with hope' JOANNA CANNONA gorgeous, generous story of kind hearts and kindred spirits' DAILY MIRRORFrom the author of When God was a Rabbit and Tin Man, Still Life is a big-hearted story of the families we forge and the friendships that make us.1944, Italy. As bombs fall around them, two strangers meet in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa and share an extraordinary evening.Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner a 64-year-old art historian living life on her own terms. She has come to salvage paintings from the wreckage of war and relive memories of her youth when her heart was stolen by an Italian maid in a particular room with a view. Ulysses' chance encounter with Evelyn will transform his life and all those who love him back home inTrade Review‘The sheer joy in Sarah Winman’s storytelling is completely infectious. I’ve loved spending time with this unforgettable cast of characters in extraordinary times and places’ Graham Norton ‘Winman’s pages teem with boisterous, exuberant life … The novel has verve, charm and tremendous heart’ Sunday Times ‘Exquisite … There are not enough superlatives to contain the magnitude and beauty of this novel’ Sunday Independent ‘Sentence after sentence, character by character, Still Life becomes poetry’ New York Times Book Review ‘A tonic for wanderlust and a cure for loneliness. It’s that rare, affectionate novel that makes one feel grateful to have been carried along’ The Washington Post ‘Teeming with unforgettable characters and oozing atmosphere, it’s a joyous, summery ode to love, art and poetry’ Hephzibah Anderson, Mail on Sunday ‘Rich, deeply moving and filled with hope. Sarah Winman is one of the greatest storytellers of our time’ Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep ‘A gorgeous, generous story of kind hearts and kindred spirits … [A] hopeful, happy, intensely humane novel’ Daily Mirror ‘Readers will want to prolong the pleasure of Sarah Winman’s beautiful novel Still Life for as long as possible’ Donal Ryan, author of From a Low and Quiet Sea 'Embodies the full generosity of the human spirit’ Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ‘Gorgeous … luscious and clever’ The Times ‘In Still Life, [Winman] emerges now as the great narrator of hope’ Helen Cullen, Irish Times

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Book SynopsisRita Bradshaw was born in Northamptonshire, where she lives today. At the age of sixteen she met her husband whom she considers her soulmate and they have two daughters, a son and six grandchildren. To her delight, Rita's first novel was accepted for publication and she has gone on to write many more successful novels since, including the number one bestseller Dancing in the Moonlight.As a committed Christian and passionate animal-lover her life is busy, and she enjoys reading, eating out and visiting the theatre and the cinema, as well as being involved in her church and animal welfare.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ''A veritable treat'' Daily MailThe first novel in Julia Quinn''s worldwide bestselling Bridgerton novels, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix. This is the story of Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke: welcome to the ballrooms of Regency London . . . ________________________________________Can there be any greater challenge to London''s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke? Lady Whistledown''s Society Papers, April 1813By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend''s sister, the lovely - and almost-on-the-shelf - Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth - it''s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable . . .Their ruse works like a charm - at first. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it''s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it''s his devilish smile, certainly it''s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her. It wasn''t the plan, but it seems she''s falling for the duke, for real. And amidst the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London''s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule . . .Find out why readers love Julia Quinn . . .''Light, pacy and full of feisty heroines'' Guardian on the Bridgerton series''Julia Quinn''s Bridgerton books take all of the classic tropes we know and love . . . and gives them a thoroughly modern twist. I can''t focus on anything else'' Stylist''Quinn is a master of historical romance'' Entertainment Weekly''A smart, funny touch'' Time Magazine''Like an episode of Downton Abbey mixed with a great rom-com'' iBooks Best Books of March''Powered by a surfeit of dazzling wit and graced with a cast of unforgettable characters'' Booklist''A romance readers will not want to put down . . . Hooray Julia!'' Romance Reviews Today''Quinn writes delightfully fast-paced, funny, sparkling and bright romance'' Romantic Times''The next best thing to Georgette Heyer'' Gloss''Julia Quinn is one of the best historical romance novelists of our time'' Heroes and Heartbreakers''Quinn excels in writing stories full of joy and delight, where laughter trembles on the edges'' Happy Ever After''Full of wit, charm and smouldering attraction . . . an unputdownable story that I think romance fans will treasure'' Harlequin Junkie''Quinn is incomparable! The latest addition to her beloved Bridgerton series is funny, charming, witty and wildly romantic'' RT Book ReviewsTrade ReviewQuinn has a smart, funny touch...that's reminiscent of Helen Fielding * Time Magazine *Quinn's witty Regency-set romantic comedies are the nest best thing to Georgette Heyer * Gloss *The most refreshing and radiant love story you'll read this yearThe Duke and I is rich with author Julia Quinn's trademark humour and engaging dialogue... Quinn just keeps getting better and better, a fact that's sure to delight readersWise, witty and oh so delightful, Julia Quinn is truly our contemporary Jane AustenQuinn writes delightfully fast-paced, funny, sparkling and bright romance * Romantic Times *Light, pacy and full of feisty heroines * Guardian on the Bridgerton series *Julia Quinn's Bridgerton books take all of the classic tropes we know and love... and gives them a thoroughly modern twist...they're hot, crazy, and full of feisty women relishing in the carnal delights that come from bedding rakish aristocrats... I can't focus on anything else * Stylist *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.For a time I believed that mankind had been swept out of existence, and that I stood there alone, the last man left alive.When a strange, meteor-like object lands in the heart of England, the inhabitants of Earth find themselves victims of a terrible attack. A ruthless race of Martians, armed with heat rays and poisonous smoke, is intent on destroying everything that stands in its way. As the unnamed hero struggles to find his way across decimated wastelands, the fate of the planet hangs in the balance . . .H. G. Wells was a pioneer of modern science fiction. First serialised in the UK in 1897, The War of the Worlds is one of the earliest stories to depict conflict with an extraterrestrial race, and has influenced countless adaptations and sequels.Trade Review‘groundbreaking … a true classic that has pointed the way not just for science-fiction writers, but for how we as a civilisation might think of ourselves’ Guardian ‘[Wells’ work is] astonishingly rich in human and historical interest … he foresaw the invention of, among other things, television, tanks, aerial warfare and the atom bomb’ David Lodge ‘I personally consider the greatest of English living writers [to be] H. G. Wells’ Upton Sinclair

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisNow a major TV seriesWinner of the Man Booker PrizeThe first book in Hilary Mantel's award-winning Wolf Hall trilogy, with a new cover design to celebrate the publication of the much anticipated The Mirror and the LightFrom one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a truly great English novel.Every bit as good as they said it was' ObserverTerrific' Margaret AtwoodAs soon as I opened this book I was gripped. I read it almost non-stop' The TimesIn Wolf Hall, one of our very best writers brings the opulent, brutal world of the Tudors to bloody, glittering life. It is the backdrop to the rise and rise of Thomas Cromwell: lowborn boy, charmer, bully, master of deadly intrigue, and , finally, most powerful of Henry VIII's coutiers.Dizzyingly, dazzlingly good' Daily MailTerrifying. It is a world of marvels. But it is also a world of horrors, where screams are commonplace. A feast' Daily TelegraphTrade Review‘So original and disconcerting that it will surely come to be seen as a paradigm-shifter’ Sunday Telegraph ‘As soon as I opened the book I was gripped. I read it almost non-stop. When I did have to put it down, I was full of regret that the story was over, a regret I still feel. This is a wonderful and intelligently imagined retelling of a familiar tale from an unfamiliar angle’ The Times ‘A stunning book. It breaks free of what the novel has become nowadays. I can’t think of anything since Middlemarch which so convincingly builds a world’ Diana Athill, author of Somewhere Towards the End ‘This is a beautiful and profoundly human book, a dark mirror held up to our own world. And the fact that its conclusion takes place after the curtain has fallen only proves that Hilary Mantel is one of our bravest as well as our most brilliant writers’ Olivia Laing, Observer ‘A fascinating read, so good I rationed myself. It is remarkable and very learned; the texture is marvellously rich, the feel of Tudor London and the growing household of a man on the rise marvellously authentic. Characters real and imagined spring to life, from the childish and petulant King to Thomas Wolsey's jester, and it captures the extrovert, confident, violent mood of the age wonderfully’ C.J. Sansom, author of The Shardlake Series ‘A magnificent achievement: the scale of its vision and the fine stitching of its detail; the teeming canvas of characters; the style with its clipped but powerful immediacy; the wit, the poetry and the nuance’ Sarah Dunant, author of The Birth of Venus ‘A superb novel, beautifully constructed, and an absolutely compelling read. A novel of Tudor times which persuades us that we are there, at that moment, hungry to know what happens next. It is the making of our English world, and who can fail to be stirred by it?’ Helen Dunmore, author of Birdcage Walk

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Book Synopsis*The international bestseller from the author of the Booker-shortlisted novel, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World* * One of the BBC's '100 Novels that Shaped the World'* "Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven't loved enough..." Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love. So when Ella reads a manuscript about the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, and his forty rules of life and love, her world is turned upside down. She embarks on a journey to meet the mysterious author of this work. It is a quest infused with Sufi mysticism and verse, taking Ella and us into an exotic world where faith and love are heTrade ReviewA gorgeous, jeweled, luxurious book * The Times *With its timely, thought-provoking message . . . The Forty Rules of Love deserves to be a global publishing phenomenon * Independent *Enlightening, enthralling. An affecting paean to faith and love * Metro *Colourfully woven and beguilingly intelligent * Daily Telegraph *The past and present fit together beautifully in a passionate defence of passion itself * The Times *A gorgeous, jeweled, luxurious book * The Times *Shafak will challenge Paulo Coelho's dominance. With its timely, thought-provoking message . . . The Forty Rules of Love deserves to be a global publishing phenomenon * Independent *Enlightening, enthralling. An affecting paean to faith and love * Metro *Colourfully woven and beguilingly intelligent * Daily Telegraph *The past and present fit together beautifully in a passionate defence of passion itself * The Times *

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Book SynopsisDiscover the warm, witty and compelling story of a woman trying to get her life back on track, from the No. 1 bestselling author of Grown Ups and Again, Rachel''Searingly insightful, Keyes finds lightness in the darkest and most violent of emotions'' Independent''High quality entertainment'' Marie Claire_________Meet Anna Walsh.Lying in her parents'' Good Front Room, covered in bandages, Anna dreams of leaving Dublin and returning to her beloved New York.To her home. To her job. And most of all to her husband Aidan.Unfortunately, her family have other ideas. She''s staying put. And Aidan? He''s refusing to even take her calls.The last thing Anna wants is to think about how she ended up in this mess. But with nothing else to do, she''s forced to ask herself why she''s thousands of miles from the life she loves.Where did it all go wrong? And can she fix it, before itTrade ReviewSearingly insightful, and Keyes finds lightness in the darkest and most violent of emotions * Independent *PRAISE FOR MARIAN KEYES -- :It will break your heart and nourish your soul...No one can evoke deep feeling with such a light touch as Marian Keyes -- Nigella LawsonFunny, heartbreaking and so wise * Daily Mail *Has all of Keyes's trademark wit, humour and whip-smart dialogue * Observer *Perceptive, hilarious and moving * Daily Record *Funny, heartbreaking and achingly real -- Jane FallonNo author marries heartbreak and hilarity so seamlessly * Mail on Sunday *Funny, tender and completely absorbing -- Graham NortonCharming, 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 *Searingly insightful, and Keyes finds lightness in the darkest and most violent of emotions * Independent *

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Book Synopsis The intense and breathtakingly accomplished novel from the bestselling author of HAMNET and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT*440,000 copies sold* ''Seductive in style, prickly, disturbing and delicious'' Olivia Laing_____Edinburgh in the 1930s. The Lennox family is having trouble with its youngest daughter. Esme is outspoken, unconventional, and repeatedly embarrasses them in polite society. Something will have to be done.Years later, a young woman named Iris Lockhart receives a letter informing her that she has a great-aunt in a psychiatric unit who is about to be released.Iris has never heard of Esme Lennox and the one person who should know more, her grandmother Kitty, seems unable to answer Iris''s questions. What could Esme have done to warrant a lifetime in an institution? And how is it possible for a person to be so completely erased from a family''s history?_____''Actually unputdownable'' Ali Smith''Compulsively readable'' Daily Telegraph''O''Farrell''s subtlety and delicate touch have never been so finely demonstrated'' Independent on Sunday_____⭐ What readers are saying; ⭐ ''A gripping page turner and easily the best book i''ve read this year'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''Truly stunning... the way she writes is just exquisite'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''I wanted it to go on and on'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Book SynopsisNow a major Netflix series, Firefly Lane is an unforgettable coming of age story about friendship and betrayal, by the bestselling author of The Four Winds and The Nightingale.It is 1974 and the summer of love is drawing to a close. Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the secondary school social food chain. Then, to her amazement, Tully Hart – the girl all the boys want to know – moves in across the street and wants to be her best friend. Tully and Kate became inseparable and by summer’s end they vow that their friendship will last forever.For thirty years Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship, jealousy, anger, hurt and resentment. Tully follows her ambition to find fame and success. Kate knows that all she wants is to fall in love and have a family. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and a mother will change her.They think they’ve surTrade Review(An)upbeat message of the power of friendship and family. * Publishers Weekly *A tearjerker that is sure to please the author’s many fans. * Library Journal *A moving and realistic portrait of a complex and enduring friendship. * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisThe countdown to invasion begins...It's September 1940, and British intelligence is desperately worried: the Nazi invasion of Britain is imminent. A sinister organisation called The Group, a collection of British and Irish Nazi collaborators, is at work trying to support Hitler's plans... But that is not the only concern for the spy chiefs: the search for double agent 'Archie' the Soviet spy and British traitor is proving fruitless, and now they know there's a second traitor, Bertie, also in play. Will they be able to foil the invasion plans without their schemes being leaked to the enemy?Taking the reader from wartime London to the south coast of England, from Berlin to neutral Ireland and from the German intelligence headquarters in Hamburg to the port of Rotterdam, The Second Traitor is the second novel in Alex Gerlis's highly acclaimed Double Agent series, a follow-up to Every Spy a Traitor.

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