Whether your passion is The Ancient Greeks, The Wars of The Roses or The Russian Revolution, you'll find stories of life during these eras and every other, often using factual accounts to build a fictional narrative.
Historical Fiction Books
Random House USA Inc The Horse Whisperer
Book Synopsis#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A compelling portrait of three people who love each other but can't break through the self-created walls that keep them apart.”—Chicago Sun-TimesHis name is Tom Booker. His voice can calm wild horses, his touch can heal broken spirits. And Annie Graves has traveled across a continent to the Booker ranch in Montana, desperate to heal her injured daughter, the girl’s savage horse, and her own wounded heart. She comes for hope. She comes for her child. And beneath the wide Montana sky, she comes to him for what no one else can give her: a reason to believe.Praise for The Horse Whisperer“Compelling . . . a real page-turner.”—San Francisco Chronicle“Fascinating . . . moving . . . a big, engrossing book [with] an unexpected endeing that surprises mightily.”—Los Angeles Times“Brilliance pervades this five-hankerchief weepie.”—The Times (London)“Outstanding . . . a book of rare power and beauty.”—Booklist
£9.49
Random House USA Inc Until the End of Time
Book Synopsis#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERTwo couples, four decades apart. One believes that if lovers die, they find each other again in another life. Or perhaps they wind up as stars side by side in the sky, together forever. Who knows how it really ends? Danielle Steel breaks new ground in her career as a perennial New York Times bestseller with the poignant story of two parallel destinies, and the kind of love we all hope will be everlasting. UNTIL THE END OF TIMEBill, a dedicated young lawyer working at his family’s prestigious New York firm, leaves everything he trained for to follow his dream and become a minister in rural Wyoming. Jenny, his wife, is a stylist whose heart and soul are invested in fashion. She leaves the milieu and life she loves to join him. The certainty they share is that their destinies are linked forever. Fast forward thirty-eight years. Robert is a hardworking independent book publisher in Manhattan who h
£8.07
Little, Brown Book Group A Long Way From Verona
Book SynopsisI ought to tell you at the beginning that I am not quite normal having had a violent experience at the age of nine''Jessica Vye''s ''violent experience'' colours her schooldays and her reaction to the world around her- a confining world of Order Marks, wartime restrictions, viyella dresses, nicely-restrained essays and dusty tea shops. For Jessica she has been told that she is ''beyond all possible doubt'', a born writer. With her inability to conform, her absolute compulsion to tell the truth and her dedication to accurately noting her experiences, she knows this anyway. But what she doesn''t know is that the experiences that sustain and enrich her burgeoning talent will one day lead to a new- and entirely unexpected- reality.
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Jessie
Book SynopsisAn enthralling saga set in nineteenth-century Yorkshire, by the author of LIKE NO OTHER.Trade ReviewAfter an action-packed start, this story develops into a well told, captivating story * Dorset Evening Echo on JESSIE *
£8.99
Hodder & Stoughton The Island Wife
Book SynopsisThere's a romantic Scottish setting to this 19th-century family saga about two sisters who fall in love with the same man.Trade ReviewJessica Stirling's high reputation is well deserved. * Manchester Evening News *She writes in bright colours with bold, confident strokes. * Glasgow Herald *Jessica Stirling is one of Scotland's most prolific and best-loved authors. * Scottish Daily Record *One of the best. * Bookseller *
£9.49
Bedford Square Publishers The Pale House
Book SynopsisGerman intelligence officer Captain Gregor Reinhardt has just been reassigned to the Feldjaegerkorps - a new branch of the military police with far-reaching powers. His position separates him from the friends and allies he has made in the last two years, including a circle of fellow dissenting Germans who formed a rough resistance cell against the Nazis. And he needs them now more than ever. While retreating through Yugoslavia with the rest of the army, Reinhardt witnesses a massacre of civilians by the dreaded Ustaše - only to discover there is more to the incident than anyone believes. When five mutilated bodies turn up, Reinhardt knows the stakes are growing more important - and more dangerous. As his investigation begins to draw the attention of those in power, Reinhardt's friends and associates are made to suffer. But as he desperately tries to uncover the truth, his own past with the Ustaše threatens his efforts. Because when it comes to death and betrayal, some people have long memories. And they remember Reinhardt all too well. And now, Reinhardt will have to fight them once more.Trade ReviewVery well written and wonderfully descriptive -- Tricia Chappell * Mystery People *a multilayered tale of war, political upheaval and fragile hope * Kirkus Reviews *In March 1945 Captain Gregor Reinhardt finds himself back in Sarajevo after a two year gap -- Maryom * Our Book Reviews *the tale creates...a complex, exceptional character in action -- Chris Roberts * Crime Review UK *A wonderfully accomplished war-time thriller * Crime Time *
£11.69
Hodder & Stoughton Credo
Book SynopsisBritain during the Dark Ages is the setting for the fascinating story of Bega, a young Irish princess who became a saint, and her lifelong bond with Padric, prince of the north-western kingdom of Rheged. This dramatic, far-reaching tale brings to life a land of warring kings, Christians and pagans, and tribes divided by language and culture, illuminating a little-known yet critical period in British history.Trade ReviewA gripping saga of great passion ... sustained, impassioned and uplifting * The Times *An absorbing epic ... as splendid a ripping yarn as any of the best classics * Daily Telegraph *A gripping, deeply accomplished work * Evening Standard *I loved it ... Bragg's stately, seething, passionate epic is several cuts above modern attempts at historical fiction * Literary Review *A beguiling entry into a society strange, neglected, important, tragic in many of its triumphs * Spectator *Wonderfully evocative, passionate and erudite ... No summary could do justice to a book of this erudition, romance and scope * Glasgow Herald *
£10.44
Hodder & Stoughton The Clearing
Book SynopsisByron Aldridge, heir to a timber empire, returns from the First World War a changed man and finds refuge as a company policeman in a backwoods Louisiana sawmill. Soon his younger brother Randolph tracks him down, assuming charge of the mill in the hope of rescuing his former idol. But as the brothers try to understand each other and their wives contend with their own hopes and fears, it is Randolph who starts a feud with the Sicilians who control the whisky and girls, and the future grows fearsome for them all.Trade ReviewSo firmly located and vividly realised that you can almost smell the Louisiana swampwater ... a gripping, action-packed tale, but also a notably intelligent one * Jem Poster, Guardian *Astonishingly powerful ... brilliantly written and the characters in their mire are superbly realised * Toby Clements, Daily Telegraph *An extraordinary novel, one of the best I've read in years * Annie Proulx, Guardian Summer Books *I cannot recommend it highly enough. * Peter Straus, Literary Review *Gautreaux captures the fetid atmosphere of a frontier society poised to join the modern world with great skill, each sentence polished to perfection * Independent on Sunday *Near-perfect ... untouchably good * Alan Warner, Daily Telegraph Summer Books *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Roots
Book SynopsisAlex Haley taught himself to write during a twenty-year stint in the US Coast Guard. He became its first Chief Journalist, a position he held until he retired in 1959 to become a magazine writer and interviewer. His first book was The Autobiography of Malcolm X, after which he spent twelve years researching and writing Roots, which won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.Alex Haley died in Seattle, Washington in 1992.Trade ReviewHaley succeeds beautifully where many have failed... The book is an act of love, and it is this which makes it haunting -- James Baldwin * New York Times *A gripping mixture of urban confessional and political manifesto, it not only inspired a generation of black activists, but drove home the bitter realities of racism to a mainstream white liberal audience * Observer *Groundbreaking * Associated Press *A Pulitzer Prize-winning story about the family ancestry of author Alex Haley... [and] a symbolic chronicle of the odyssey of African Americans from the continent of Africa to a land not of their choosing * Washington Post *
£11.69
Atlantic Books When the Doves Disappeared
Book Synopsis1941: In Communist-ruled, war-ravaged Estonia, two men are fleeing from the Red Army - Roland, a fiercely principled freedom fighter, and his slippery cousin Edgar. When the Germans arrive, Roland goes into hiding; Edgar abandons his unhappy wife, Juudit, and takes on a new identity as a loyal supporter of the Nazi regime... 1963: Estonia is again under Communist control, independence even further out of reach behind the Iron Curtain. Edgar is now a Soviet apparatchik, desperate to hide the secrets of his past life and stay close to those in power. But his fate remains entangled with Roland's, and with Juudit, who may hold the key to uncovering the truth... In a masterfully told story that moves between the tumult of these two brutally repressive eras - a story of surveillance, deception, passion, and betrayal - Sofi Oksanen brings to life both the frailty, and the resilience, of humanity under the shadow of tyranny.Trade ReviewA powerful, angry work * Mail on Sunday *Superb... Over it hangs a Graham Greene-like atmosphere of human wretchedness and compromised political faith * Sunday Telegraph, ***** *A thrilling page-turner but equally a shattering family drama and an unsparing deconstruction of history... Oksanen is a serious novelist in all ways * Independent *Betrayal, secrecy and memory are the haunting themes of Oksanen's accomplished novel... Her insights and intuition mean that she is fast becoming one of the foremost voices in the ex-communist world * The Economist *
£9.49
SPCK Publishing Edwin: High King of Britain
Book SynopsisEdwin, the deposed king of Northumbria, seeks refuge at the court of King Raedwald of East Anglia. But Raedwald is urged to kill his guest by Aethelfrith, Edwin's usurper. As Edwin walks by the shore, alone and at bay, he is confronted by a mysterious figure - the missionary Paulinus - who prophesies that he will become High King of Britain. It is a turning point. Through battles and astute political alliances Edwin rises to great power, in the process marrying the Kentish princess Aethelburh. As part of the marriage contract the princess is allowed to retain her Christian faith. But, in these times, to be a king is not a recipe for a long life : This turbulent and tormented period in British history sees the conversion of the Anglo-Saxon settlers who have forced their way on to British shores over previous centuries, arriving first to pillage, then to farm and trade - and to come to terms with the world view of the Celtic tribes they have driven out.Trade Review`Edwin: High King of Britain, brings to life the heroic age of our distant past, a splendid novel that leaves the reader wanting more.’ -- Bernard Cornwell"A fast-paced and gripping tale, reclaiming one of our great national figures from the shadows of history.” -- Justin Hill"Albert’s offering is a highly entertaining and refreshing work of historical fiction thanks to his emphasis on the precarious intersection of religion and identity.” * Publishers Weekly *
£8.99
Vintage Publishing The Master of Go
Book SynopsisYasunari Kawabata, winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize for Literature, was one of Japan's most distinguished novelists. Born in Osaka in 1899, he published his first stories while he was still in high school. Among his major novels published across the world are Snow Country (1956), Thousand Cranes (1959), The Sound of the Mountain (1972), and Beauty and Sadness (1975). Kawabata was found dead, by his own hand, in 1972.Trade ReviewThis novel is one of modern literature's greatest, most poignant elegies * Washington Post *Kawabata's narrative spirals through the book's events in ruminative glides and turns... There is a kind of low-key daring, an austere, autumnal nobility, in Kawabata's tale * Time *An archetypal saga... there are storms and landscapes as cool, as luminous, as any in Japanese paintings and woodcuts * The New Yorker *
£10.44
Everyman Mahfouz Trilogy Three Novels of Ancient Egypt
Book SynopsisThe books' titles are taken from actual streets in Cairo, the city of Mahfouz's childhood and youth. The trilogy follows the life of the Cairene patriarch al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad and his family across three generations, from World War I to the overthrow of King Farouk in 1952.Trade ReviewWho, through works rich in nuance - now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous - has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind * New York Times *The earliest novels are set in the Pharaonic milieu of ancient Egypt. But here already there are side-long glances at today's society. * Swedish Academy *
£14.39
Pan Macmillan The Brewer of Preston
Book SynopsisFrom Andrea Camilleri, the bestselling author of the Inspector Montalbano mysteries, comes The Brewer of Preston, a hilarious standalone comedy.1870s Sicily. Much to the displeasure of Vigàta's stubborn populace, the town has just been unified under the Kingdom of Italy. They're now in the hands of a new government they don't understand, and they definitely don't like. Eugenio Bortuzzi has been named Prefect for Vigàta, a regional representative from the Italian government tasked to oversee the town. But the rowdy and unruly Sicilians don't care much for this rather pompous mainlander nor the mediocre opera he's hell-bent on producing in their new municipal theatre. The Brewer of Preston, it's called, and the Vigàtese are revving up to wreak havoc on the performance's opening night . . .
£10.78
Profile Books Ltd Nightrunners of Bengal
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1951, The Nightrunners of Bengal is one of John Masters' series of seven novels which followed several generations of the Savage family serving in the British Army in India.Nightrunners of Bengal focuses on the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The central character, Captain Rodney Savage, is an officer in a Bengal Native Infantry regiment, based in the fictional city of Bhowani. When rebellion breaks out, the British community in Bengal is shattered. Savage's empathy for the Indians is shaken, as the British try to discover who is loyal to them and who is not.One of the great novels of India, Nightrunners of Bengal combines John Master's mastery of story-telling with an intuitive sense of history. This was the first novel that Masters wrote in the series, though not the first novel chronologically, and alongside Bhowani Junction is one of his best-known works.Trade ReviewThe best historical novel about the Indian Mutiny that I have ever read. -- John Raymond * Sunday Times *Simply as gripping exotic tales, his books read splendidly still... but they deserve to be read also as a revelation to the young and a reminder to the old of a vanished world. * The Tablet *One of the most unjustly neglected writers... magnificent storytelling. * Evening Gazette *
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Angels of Lovely Lane
Book SynopsisAs heart-warming as it is heartbreaking, this novel is unputdownable' Sunday Express. It is 1953 and five very different girls are arriving at the nurses' home in Lovely Lane, Liverpool, to start their training at St Angelus Hospital. Dana has escaped from her family farm on the west coast of Ireland. Victoria is running away from a debt-ridden aristocratic background. Beth is an army brat and throws her lot in with bitchy Celia Forsyth. And Pammy has come from quite the wrong side of the tracks in Liverpool. The world in which they now find themselves is complicated and hierarchical, with rules that must be obeyed. Everyone has their place at St Angelus and woe betide anyone who strays from it. But when an unknown girl is admitted, after a botched late abortion in a backstreet kitchen, a tragedy begins to unfold which will rock the world of St Angelus to its foundations. Can't wait for the next one? THE CHILDREN OF LOVELY LANE is out now! What people are saying about THE ANGELS OF LOVELY LANE: 'Nadine Dorries's writing is sparkling and vibrant, her books are a joy to read' 'The book was like a dream – difficult to put down' 'You feel as if you know the characters personally!' 'Enthralling read, can't wait to read moreTrade ReviewAs heart-warming as it is heartbreaking, this novel is unputdownable * Sunday Express *The characters are engaging... and the theme of the novel powerful' * The Times *A riveting tale packed full of history, love and deceit * OK! Magazine *Captivating, phenomenal and touching * 23 Review Street *A multi-layered book [with] gorgeous sentences and sensational plotlines * With Love for Books *It was a time when desperate women sought back-street abortions and bigoted attitudes were rife, and the book addresses some of the beliefs thatt they struggled with, both in their own lives and those of their patients and colleague * Woman Alive *
£7.59
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Throwaway Children
Book SynopsisGritty, heartrending and unputdownable – the story of two sisters sent first to an English, then an Australian orphanage in the aftermath of World War II. Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully called Jimmy Randall and has a baby boy by him. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage – not knowing that the papers she has signed will entitle them to do what they like with the children. And it is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them – without their family's consent or knowledge – are Rita and Rosie, the throwaway children. What readers are saying about THE THROWAWAY CHILDREN: 'I haven't felt so immersed in a book in a very long time and have recommended to just about everyone' 'Heart wrenching' 'A truly powerful book'Trade ReviewThe story is a compelling one and as a consequence, the book is very hard to put down... many a reader will inevitably find themselves heckling the characters from the sidelines, encouraging the good guys and booing the baddies' * The Bookbag *Enlightening, compelling and emotional * Living North *
£9.49
Pan Macmillan The Memoirs of Cleopatra
Book SynopsisMargaret George is the author of several bestselling novels, including Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles, Mary, Called Magdalene and, most recently, Elizabeth I. She travels widely to research her novels and lives with her husband in Madison, Wisconsin.
£14.24
Saraband His Bloody Project
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED for the MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2016. WINNER of the SALTIRE SOCIETY FICTION BOOK of the YEAR 2016. The year is 1869. A brutal triple murder in a remote community in the Scottish Highlands leads to the arrest of a young man by the name of Roderick Macrae. A memoir written by the accused makes it clear that he is guilty, but it falls to the country's finest legal and psychiatric minds to uncover what drove him to commit such merciless acts of violence. Was he mad? Only the persuasive powers of his advocate stand between Macrae and the gallows. Graeme Macrae Burnet tells an irresistible and original story about the provisional nature of truth, even when the facts seem clear. His Bloody Project is a mesmerising literary thriller set in an unforgiving landscape where the exercise of power is arbitrary.Trade Review"Spellbinding ... Riveting, dark and ingeniously constructed." - Edmund Gordon, Sunday Times. "The book's pretence at veracity, as well as being a literary jeux d'esprit, brings an extraordinary historical period into focus, while the multiple unreliable perspectives are designed to keep the audience wondering, throughout the novel and beyond. This is a fiendishly readable tale that richly deserves the wider attention the Booker has brought it." - Justine Jordan, The Guardian. "An astonishing piece of writing... a voice that sounds startlingly authentic." - Jake Kerridge, The Telegraph. "Gripping, blackly playful and intelligent, it deserves a space on the shortlist. It's one of the few that may set the heather - and imagination - ablaze." - Robbie Millen, The Times. "Graeme Macrae Burnet's His Bloody Project is a gripping crime story, a deeply imagined historical novel, and gloriously written - all in one tour-de-force of a book. Stevensonian - that's the highest praise I can give." - Chris Dolan, Book of the Year, The Herald. "The Man Booker judges got it right: this really is one of the most convincing and engrossing novels of the year." - David Robinson, The Scotsman. "A real box of tricks... a truly ingenious thriller as confusingly multilayered as an Escher staircase." Jake Kerridge,Express. "A historical revenge tragedy and courtroom drama... [are] at the heart of this masterful psychological thriller." Ian Stephen "Masterful, clever and playful. It is every inch the riveting second novel I had hoped for." Louise Hutcheson, A Novel Bookblog.
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Dalen (Llyfrau) Cyf Druids: 3. Voyage of Discovery
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Random House USA Inc The Strangers Child
Book SynopsisA National Book Critics Award finalist from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Line of Beauty and The Sparsholt Affair: a magnificent, century-spanning saga about a love triangle that spawns a myth, and a family mystery, across generations. In the summer of 1913, George Sawle brings his Cambridge schoolmate—a handsome, aristocratic young poet named Cecil Valance—to his family’s home outside London. George is enthralled by Cecil, and soon his sister, Daphne, is equally besotted by him. That weekend, Cecil writes a poem that, after he is killed in the Great War and his reputation burnished, will become a touchstone for a generation, a work recited by every schoolchild in England. Over time, a tragic love story is spun, even as other secrets lie buried—until, decades later, an ambitious biographer threatens to unearth them.
£14.41
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Dictator
Book SynopsisThe long-awaited final volume of the Cicero Trilogy, from the beloved bestselling author of Conclave who is “incapable of writing an unenjoyable book”—The Wall Street JournalA Best Book of the Year: The Guardian, The Sunday Times (London), The Mail on Sunday, The Spectator, BBC History Magazine, Metro, and The Herald (Glasgow)At the age of forty-eight, Cicero—the greatest orator of his time—is in exile, his power sacrificed on the altar of his principles. The only way to return to Rome is to pledge his support to a charismatic and dangerous enemy: Julius Caesar. Harnessing his political cunning, unrivalled intellect, and the sheer brilliance of his words, Cicero fights his way back to prominence. Yet no public figure is completely safeguarded against the unscrupulous ambition of others. Riveting and tumultuous, Dictator encompasses the most epic events in ancient history, including the collapse of the Roman Republic, the murder of Pompey, and the assassination of Caesar. But its central question is a timeless one: how to keep political freedom unsullied by personal gain, vested interests, and the corrosive effects of ceaseless foreign wars. In Robert Harris’s indelible portrait, Cicero is a deeply fascinating hero for his own time and for ours.
£14.40
Gallic Books Baker's Blood: Nicolas Le Floch Investigation #6:
Book Synopsis1775. Commissioner Nicolas Le Floch is on a diplomatic mission to Vienna, ostensibly to deliver a bust of Marie Antoinette to her mother, the Empress Maria Theresa. His real task, however, is to investigate the breakdown of French secret intelligence in Austria. The city is a hotbed of plotting - and Nicolas only just survives an attempt on his life. On his return to France, Paris is in turmoil. The soaring price of grain and bread is causing widespread social unrest, and Nicolas' first police case is the unexplained death of a baker. Could it be that events in the French capital are somehow connected to his experiences in Vienna...?Trade Review‘An engaging murder mystery that picks away at the delicate power balance between king, police and state’ James Urquhart, FT ‘Succeeds brilliantly in its reconstruction of pre-revolutionary Paris, in splendid period detail, and in its philosophic asides …’ Douglas Kennedy, Sunday Times ‘It’s the superb Parisian detail and atmosphere that truly beguiles’ Marcel Berlins, Sunday Times ‘Reads like a cross between a Maigret mystery and Les Liaisons Dangereuses …’ Mail on Sunday ‘Very strong on conveying convincing detail of the period’ Eurocrime ‘One’s attention is constantly drawn either by the developments of the investigation, the evocation of ancient culinary curiosities, or just by life in 18th century Paris’ Emma’s World ‘You could almost hear the crunch of the snow, the squelch of the mud and skulk in the shadows of dark and smoky candle-lit rooms’ Chasing Bawa ‘With swashbuckling style, Parot’s prerevolutionary French characters will captivate readers with their sly humor, dastardly deeds, and, yes, honorable intentions. Don’t miss!’ Library Journal
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Penguin Putnam Inc Girl with a Pearl Earring
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Pan Macmillan Les Misérables
Book SynopsisLes Misérables is a magnificent, sweeping story of revolution, love and the will to survive set amidst the poverty stricken streets of nineteeth-century Paris.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition has features an introduction by Paul Bailey.Escaped convict Jean Valjean turns his back on his criminal past to build his fortunes as an honest man. He takes in abandoned orphan Cosette and raises her as his own daughter. But Jean Valjean is unable to free himself from his previous life and is pursued to the end by ruthless policeman Javert. As Cosette grows up, young idealist Marius catches a glimpse of her and falls desperately in love. The fates of all the characters await them during the violent turmoil of the June Rebellion in 1832.This abridged version of Victor Hugo's masterpiece was published in 1915 with the aim to provide 'a unified story of the life and soul-struggles of Jean Valjean'.Trade ReviewLes Misérables is probably the best book ever written . . . it really is an incredible classic. -- Dominic West * Metro *Les Misérables is a game with destiny: it dramatises the gap between the imperfections of human judgments, and the perfect patterns of the infinite -- Adam Thirlwell * The Guardian *On the morning of April 4, 1862, part 1 of Les Misérables, called “Fantine,” was released simultaneously in Brussels, Paris, Saint Petersburg, London, Leipzig, and several other European cities. No book had ever had an international launch on this scale -- Nina Martyris * The Paris Review *
£11.39
Dover Publications In Freedoms Cause
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Everyman The General in his Labyrinth
Book SynopsisWith the style and eloquent language that earned him the Nobel prize for literature, Marquez weaves a stunning story of glory and despair. Both real history and Marquez' imagination let us enter the world of Simon Bolivar, Liberator of South America, in all his humanity - good and evil. Bolivar drove the Spanish out of South America, dealt with treachery from his own compatriots. Once hailed as a hero, he is now scorned and reviled, and fighting his own demons, he refuses to die quietly. We are given a glimpse of the genius and foibles of the man behind the legend, as we accompany him on his last journey, accompanied only by the loyal remants of his once great army.
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Everyman The Name of the Rose
Book SynopsisWho is killing monks in a great medieval abbey famed for its library - and why? Brother William of Baskerville is sent to find out, taking with him the assistant who later tells the tale of his investigations. Eco's celebrated story combines elements of detective fiction, metaphysical thriller, post-modernist puzzle and historical novel in one of the few twentieth-century books which can be described as genuinely unique.The Name of the Rose was made into a film in 1986, starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater and directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud.Trade Review'[It} confirms Eco as an outstanding writer of philosophy dressed as fiction' -- Stephanie Merrit * Observer *'Eco does something rare: he makes ideas moving' -- Michael Pye * Scotsman *
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Random House USA Inc Heartwood A Novel By author Belva Plain June
Book SynopsisFew authors have understood the tender intricacies of relationships better than the incomparable Belva Plain. In Heartwood, her final novel, she comes full circle with the themes she took up in her very first work, Evergreen, bringing us an unforgettable story of family and friendship, love and marriage, the challenges of life and the true secret of happiness. Though Iris Stern considers herself a modern woman, with a successful career and a happy marriage, she still holds steadfast to her old-fashioned sensibilities. However, she often finds those sensibilities challenged by her children and the choices they have made. For Iris’s daughter, Laura, a fresh start in New York City may be the last chance to save her troubled marriage, but as Laura copes with an impending separation and its effect on Iris’s young granddaughter, Iris herself must come to grips with a long-held family secret. An emotional parting of another kind looms most prom
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Penguin Putnam Inc BenHur Signet Classics Paperback
Book SynopsisBen-Hur is the remarkable saga of a man framed for attempting to murder a Roman official, and condemned to death as a galley slave. Epic in scope, it recreates Imperial Rome from a thrilling sea battle, to the famous chariot race, to the agony of Crucifixion.
£8.50
Penguin Publishing Group Lady of Avalon
Book SynopsisJourney to a time before King Arthur in this prequel to The Mists of Avalon—a spellbinding story of three remarkable women who alter the fortunes of Roman Britain as they fight to reclaim the magic and traditions of a once glorious past. Caillean, the young priestess fated to become Lady of Avalon, who rescues and raises the orphaned Gawen—heir to a mystic and dangerous royal line...Dierna, who must use all her strength, wisdom, and love to guide Avalon through treacherous political waters and veil the island from a hostile world...Viviane, Lady of the Lake and keeper of the Grail, destined for true greatness as she prepares Avalon for the coming of a legendary king...Bestselling author Marion Zimmer Bradley brings the mesmerizing world of myth and magic, romance and history, brilliantly to life in this novel of epic grandeur worthy of fantasy’s finest storyteller.
£14.45
Random House USA Inc The Apartment
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Penguin Random House LLC The Bastard
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Vintage Publishing The Bridge Over the Drina
Book SynopsisIn the small Bosnian town of Visegrad the stone bridge of the novel's title, built in the sixteenth century on the instruction of a grand vezir, bears witness to three centuries of conflict. Visegrad has long been a bone of contention between the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, but the bridge survives unscathed until 1914, when the collision of forces in the Balkans triggers the outbreak of World War I.The bridge spans generations, nationalities and creeds, silent testament to the lives played out on it. Radisav, a workman, tries to hinder its construction and is impaled alive on its highest point; beautiful Fata leaps from its parapet to escape an arranged marriage; Milan, inveterate gamble, risks all in one last game on it. With humour and compassion, Andric chronicles the lives of Catholics, Muslims and Orthodox Christians unable to reconcile their disparate loyalties.Trade ReviewIn high school, one Saturday, I started reading a book by the Yugoslav novelist Ivo Andric: The Bridge on the Drina. By the time I finished it something in me had shifted forever * New Statesman *Despite its scale, what makes the book extraordinary is the tender insight with which it treats these individual lives, whether Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim or Jewish * Independent *Perhaps the most widely translated Yugoslav book since the last war is Ivo Andric's The Bridge on the Drina... No better example could have been selected with which to introduce the American public to contemporary Yugoslav prose * New York Times *The best kind of fictionalised history * Daily Telegraph *The wealth and variety of its fictional elements carry it so far beyond the confines of a straightforward novel, it cannot be limited to such a description. It puts one in mind of a collection of tales, but no collection of tales (not even A Thousand and One Nights or Washington Irving's stories) ever possessed such a unity and continuity of theme * Le Monde *
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Vintage Publishing Little Big Man
Book Synopsis'I am a white man and never forget it, but I was brought up by the Cheyenne Indians from the age of ten.' So starts the story of Jack Crabb, the 111-year old narrator of Thomas Berger's masterpiece of American fiction. As a "human being", as the Cheyenne called their own, he won the name Little Big Man. He dressed in skins, feasted on dog, loved four wives and saw his people butchered by the horse soldiers of General Custer, the man he had sworn to kill. As a white man, Crabb hunted buffalo, tangled with Wyatt Earp, cheated Wild Bill Hickok and survived the Battle of Little Bighorn. Part-farcical, part-historical, the picaresque adventures of this witty, wily mythomaniac claimed the Wild West as the stuff of serious literature.Trade ReviewA seminal event in the most significant cultural and literary trend of the 1960s... Few creative works of post-Civil War America have had as much of the fibre and blood of national experience in them * Nation *One of the best novels of the decade and the best novel ever about the American West * New York Times *
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers An Orphan in the Snow
Book SynopsisBestselling historical fiction author Molly Green is back with her most engrossing, heartfelt World War Two saga yet! Preorder The Wartime Librarian''s Secret now!War rages, but the women and children of Liverpool's Dr Barnardo's Home cannot give up hopeLIVERPOOL, 1941Haunted by the death of her sister, June Lavender takes a job at a Dr Barnardo's orphanage. June couldn't save Clara from their father's violence, but perhaps she can help children whose lives have been torn apart by war.A WORLD AT WARWhen June bumps into Flight Lieutenant Murray Andrews on the bombed streets of Liverpool, the attraction is instant. But how can they think of love when war is tearing the world apart?A FIGHT FOR HOPEAs winter closes in, and the war rages on, can June find the strength and courage to make a better life for herself and the children?A gripping story of love, friendship and hope in the darkest of places, perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Katie Flynn.Praise for An Orphan in the Snow''A sweet and delightful novel'' Reader Review ?????''A five star recommended read!'' Reader Review ?????''Another fascinating book by Molly Green'' Reader Review ?????''One of those books you don''t want to put down'' Reader Review ?????''Enjoyed the book immensely'' Reader Review ?????Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR MOLLY GREEN 'A moving, gripping story set during WW2, of a woman's dedication to the orphans in her care and her heart wrenching love for a RAF pilot.’ KITTY NEALE ‘Like a satisfying cup of cocoa by the fireside, AN ORPHAN IN THE SNOW sets the world to rights. Redolent of wartime Britain and brimming with heartfelt stories from several characters, Molly Green's sure-footed novel shows just how challenging it was to find love and a place to call home in the dark days of the war.’ TERRI FLEMING ‘I thoroughly enjoyed this book – a good one to curl up by the fire with. I will certainly look out for the next one.’ HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY
£9.49
Monsoon Books Jaipong Dancer: A Sweeping Story of Love, Hate
Book Synopsis
£7.59
Random House USA Inc Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Book Synopsis
£8.99
Little, Brown Book Group A Letter From Italy
Book Synopsis''A thoughtful and subtle historical romance with lots of brains and lots of heart.'' Kate Forsyth1917, Italy. Rebecca Quinn is an unconventional woman. At the height of World War I, she has given up the safety of her Sydney home for the bloody battlefields of Europe, following her journalist husband to the frontline as a war correspondent in Italy.Reporting the horrors of the Italian campaign, Rebecca finds herself thrown together with American-born Italian photographer Alessandro Panucci, and soon discovers another battleground every bit as dangerous and unpredictable: the human heart.Trade ReviewHart has a real talent for writing strong female leads who reflect the nature of their time in such a honest and breathtaking way * The Never Ending Bookshelf *The ending is unexpected, but A Letter from Italy by award-winning author Pamela Hart is sure to please. The narrative flows easily, the descriptions and characters are engaging and the plot has the perfect amount of tension * Starts at Sixty *Pamela Hart makes the details of daily life shimmer and pierces our hearts with a love story that carries the weight of sacrifice * iBooks on The Soldier's Wife *Evokes WWI Sydney to the point where the reader can almost feel the salty wind blowing off the harbour as the troops are shipped out through the Heads * Books+Publishing on The Soldier's Wife *Deeply insightful into the lives of the women left behind in Sydney. We fell in love with the headstrong heroine Ruby. We can almost feel her longing, as well as the frustrating injustice she faces with the social pressures placed on a young woman moving into new times. Hart skilfully builds up suspense in this poignant novel and its dramatic conclusion is breathtaking * Better Reading on The War Bride *A delightful romance that you could really get lost in * 100% Rock Magazine *
£8.99
Little, Brown Book Group Before Lunch
Book SynopsisThe next instalment of Angela Thirkell's brilliantly satirical English comedies set in the fictional county of Barsetshire, which began with High Rising. Perfect for fans of Stella Gibbons, PG Wodehouse or EF Benson.Trade ReviewYou read her, laughing, and want to do your best to protect her characters from any reality but their own * New York Times *The novels are a delight, with touches of E. F. Benson, E. M. Delafield and P. G. Wodehouse -- Christopher Fowler * Independent on Sunday *Charming, very funny indeed. Angela Thirkell is perhaps the most Pym-like of any twentieth-century author, after Pym herself -- Alexander McCall Smith
£9.49
Fsg Originals The Tengus Game of Go
Book SynopsisAn epic four-volume adventure in mythical medieval Japan: a world of warriors and assassins, demons and spiritsIn The Tengu's Game of Go, the final book of Lian Hearn's epic Tale of Shikanoko--all of which will be published in 2016--the rightful emperor is lost; illness and murder give rise to suspicions and make enemies of allies. Unrest rules the country. Only Shika can end the madness by returning the Lotus Throne to its rightful ruler.As destiny weaves its rich tapestry, a compelling drama plays out against a background of wild forests, elegant castles, hidden temples, and savage battlefields. This is the medieval Japan of Lian Hearn's imagination, where animal spirits clash with warriors and children navigate a landscape as serene as it is deadly.Expect graphic violence, fairy-tale magic, flights of comedy, and operatic melodrama but also genuine intimacy and tragedy. - Kirkus Reviews The Tale of Shikanoko, Book 1: Emperor of the Eight IslandsThe Tale of Shikanoko, Book 2: Autumn Princess, Dragon ChildThe Tale of Shikanoko, Book 3: Lord of the DarkwoodThe Tale of Shikanoko, Book 4: The Tengu's Game of Go
£11.05
Allison & Busby A Stranger in Honeyfield
Book Synopsis1916: Bella is working as a Voluntary Aid driving ambulances in England when she gets engaged to Philip, on leave from fighting in France. His family strongly disapprove of her but the two of them are happy together.Georgie, Philip''s sister, is in trouble having broken her engagement and fled from her bullying family. Who can she turn to for help when she needs it most?When the worst happens, Bella must manage on her own, though there are shocks and dangers she did not foresee ahead. Thankfully, Philip''s best friend Tez, injured in France, steps in to offer assistance. Can he also help Bella build a new life?
£9.49
Random House USA Inc The Glorious Cause
Book SynopsisIn Rise to Rebellion, bestselling author Jeff Shaara captured the origins of the American Revolution as brilliantly as he depicted the Civil War in Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure. Now he continues the amazing saga of how thirteen colonies became a nation, taking the conflict from kingdom and courtroom to the bold and bloody battlefields of war.It was never a war in which the outcome was obvious. Despite their spirit and stamina, the colonists were outmanned and outfought by the brazen British army. General George Washington found his troops trounced in the battles of Brooklyn and Manhattan and retreated toward Pennsylvania. With the future of the colonies at its lowest ebb, Washington made his most fateful decision: to cross the Delaware River and attack the enemy. The stunning victory at Trenton began a saga of victory and defeat that concluded with the British surrender at Yorktown, a moment that changed the history of the world.The despair and triumph of America’s first great army is conveyed in scenes as powerful as any Shaara has written, a story told from the points of view of some of the most memorable characters in American history. There is George Washington, the charismatic leader who held his army together to achieve an unlikely victory; Charles Cornwallis, the no-nonsense British general, more than a match for his colonial counterpart; Nathaniel Greene, who rose from obscurity to become the finest battlefield commander in Washington’s army; The Marquis de Lafayette, the young Frenchman who brought a soldier’s passion to America; and Benjamin Franklin, a brilliant man of science and philosophy who became the finest statesman of his day. From Nathan Hale to Benedict Arnold, William Howe to “Light Horse” Harry Lee, from Trenton and Valley Forge, Brandywine and Yorktown, the American Revolution’s most immortal characters and poignant moments are brought to life in remarkable Shaara style. Yet, The Glorious Cause is more than just a story of the legendary six-year struggle. It is a tribute to an amazing people who turned ideas into action and fought to declare themselves free. Above all, it is a riveting novel that both expands and surpasses its beloved author’s best work.
£15.99
Random House USA Inc The Noise of Time Vintage International
Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author of The Sense of an Ending comes an extraordinary fictional portrait of the relentlessly fascinating Russian musician and composer Dmitri Shostakovich and a stunning meditation on the meaning of art and its place in society. • “Brilliant…. As elegantly constructed as a concerto.” —NPR 1936: Dmitri Shostakovich, just thirty years old, reckons with the first of three conversations with power that will irrevocably shape his life. Stalin, hitherto a distant figure, has suddenly denounced the young composer’s latest opera. Certain he will be exiled to Siberia (or, more likely, shot dead on the spot), Shostakovich reflects on his predicament, his personal history, his parents, his daughter—all of those hanging in the balance of his fate. And though a stroke of luck prevents him from becoming yet another casualty of the Great Terror, he will twice more be swept up by the forces of
£13.60
Hodder & Stoughton The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
Book SynopsisPassion, adultery and betrayal in the court of one of history's most-maligned queens.Trade ReviewAlison Weir and Philippa Gregory fans will devour this smashing fictional biography. * Booklist *Disturbing royal secrets and court manipulations wickedly twist this enthralling story, brilliantly told. * Publishers Weekly on THE LAST QUEEN *Compelling... a riveting blend of passion, power and betrayal. * Inside Soap *In this book C W Gortner vividly depicts the turbulent life of one of history's most notorious yet, misunderstood women. * Four Shires *
£9.49
St Martin's Press The Tigers Daughter
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£16.27
Farrar Straus and Giroux The Kingdom of This World FSG Classics
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£13.60
Simon & Schuster Audio The White Princess
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£19.99
