Historical Fiction Books

Book Synopsis''Faultless storytelling . . . Wise, generous, atmospheric'' ObserverGrowing up after the war in Westmere, an English seaside town, Kitty has been sheltered by her parents, but meeting Danny changes all of that. She decides to leave everyone and everything she knows to follow Danny to London, in pursuit of glamour and opportunity, and this sets in motion a series of events that will echo down the generations. Over fifty years later, when Kitty''s body is found in her beach hut with a suicide note by her side, her great-niece will help to unravel all the secrets which the family has kept hidden over the decades.''Explores familial legacy, generational secrets and the effects of long-lasting trauma with a distinct tenderness'' New Statesman''A portrait of sisterhood . . . powerful'' Daily Mail''A writer who never lets you down'' Ali SmithTrade ReviewDuffy is a fearless writer ... A portrait of sisterhood in the wider sense - one that's as powerful and gritty as it is wise and celebratory -- Stephanie Cross * DAILY MAIL *Lullaby Beach explores familial legacy, generational secrets and the effects of long-lasting trauma with a distinct tenderness * New Statesman *Whether it's down to the sure rhythm of Duffy's faultless storytelling or the faded backdrop of the south coast of England, her latest novel is a comforting tale despite some gritty subject matter. It opens as eighty-something Kitty takes her own life, leaving behind not just a gaping hole in the world of her two great-nieces, but a mystery, too. Four dates contained in a note seem to hold the key, concealing secrets that bind three generations of Beth and Sara's family. Wise, generous and atmospheric -- Hephzibah Anderson * Observer *A suicide in a sleepy English seaside town exposes family secrets that have lain dormant for three generations in thisatmospheric novel . . . The action is set in the present day and the 1950s. We meet Kitty as an idealistic young girl keen to escape the monotony of her small-minded seaside existence. She elopes with an unsuitable man and starts a new life in London. But it doesn't quite match up to her expectations and she comes running back home, licking her wounds. The narrative masterfully interweaves her story with that of other women in her family, leading to a dramatic finale * The Lady *A writer who never lets you down * ALI SMITH *First class * MARCEL BERLINS, THE TIMES *Sharp insights and sharper wit * DAILY MAIL *A powerful talent * GUARDIAN *Nobody turns the screw of tension tighter than Stella Duffy * VAL MCDERMID *Duffy writes with a judicious combination of power and subtlety * SUNDAY TIMES *A versatile and gifted novelist * LAURA LIPPMAN *

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Book SynopsisThe ups and down of three plucky factory girls, set in Britain's best loved wrapped chocolate factory.Trade Review‘This novel will give you a craving for toffee pennies’ Sunday Express ‘A lovely nostalgic read’ My Weekly

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Book SynopsisA spellbinding eco fable for fans of David Mitchell, Richard Powers, and Margaret Atwood. Structured like the rings of a tree, this remarkable novel moves from a futuristic world in which only one forest remains to the start of the twentieth century, where two young boys survive a train crash, setting them on a path that will forever change their lives and the lives of those around them.Trade Review‘An arresting eco-parable.’ -- Alfred Hickling * The Guardian *‘There are plenty of visionary moments laced into [Christie’s] shape-shifting narrative … Greenwood penetrates to the core of things.’ -- Michael Upchurch * The New York Times Book Review *‘This book is why we read books. Why we need books. Wildly inventive, structurally elegant, deeply felt, and so very wise. Greenwood is Michael Christie's best work ever, and that’s saying something.’ -- Alexander MacLeod, author of Light Lifting‘A lyrical, meditative take on a world in which forests have become such rare commodities that they are turned into therapeutic retreats for the very wealthy.’ -- Sally Adee * New Scientist *‘Christie skillfully teases out the details in a page-turner of a saga that complements sylvan books such as Sometimes a Great Notion and The Overstory … Beguilingly structured, elegantly written: eco-apocalyptic but with hope that somehow we’ll make it.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus *‘This is one of ‘those’ books. One of ‘those’ books that grabs your heart and soul and fills you up to overflowing with the immensity of all that’s contained within its pages.’ -- Gill Chedgey * NB magazine *‘Greenwood is brilliant. Michael Christie shows a cross section of one family's history, revealing their dark secrets, loves, losses, and the mark of an accident still visible four generations later. Year by year, page by page, the layers of this intricate and elegant novel build into an epic story that is completely absorbing. I had to cancel everything for this book because I couldn't stop reading.’ -- Claire Cameron, author of The Last Neanderthal‘[An] eerily real-feeling future.’ * Globe and Mail *‘Rich with evocative descriptions of West Coast wilderness and anchored by a deep visceral bond to the trees that sustain us all, Greenwood is a literary page-turner that manages to be both nostalgic and modern, personal and political, intimately human and big-picture historical. In an era of so much uncertainty, it is comforting to see novelists begin to work through the biggest issue of our age. And, in this case, convert our collective suffering into brilliant, beauty-filled art.’ * Toronto Star *‘[S]tructured like the growth rings of a tree, spanning generation ... [Greenwood] looks at families, love and secrets against the backdrop of the 'magic' of trees.’ * CBC News *‘Ingeniously structured and with prose as smooth as beech bark, Michael Christie’s Greenwood is as compulsive as it is profound. A sweeping intergenerational saga that explores trees and their roots, from the precious evergreens that become commodities in the entertainment business of the future, to the intricately tangled trees of family — all of it is dazzlingly delivered in a framework inspired by the actual growth rings of a tree. Every one of Greenwood’s characters burrowed their way into my heart. Beguilingly brilliant, timely, and utterly engrossing, Greenwood is one of my favourite reads in recent memory.’ -- Kira Jane Buxton, author of Hollow Kingdom‘At once hypnotic and raging, dangerously real and brimming with hope, Greenwood is that most necessary epic that binds our human frailties to our planet's possibilities. Michael Christie tenderly rakes the past and paints a future without flinching. I read this book with my heart in my throat, in my hands, in my gut; I read this book heart-full.’ -- Katy Simpson Smith, author of The Story of Land and Sea‘Greenwood is a family story, fractured and often contradictory (as the best family stories usually are ... bring[ing] together the intimate and the sweeping, the human world and the natural, the past and the future.’ * Quill & Quire *‘Greenwood is a sprawling and ambitious novel of industrial greed, climate catastrophe, familial bonds and a little bit of hope.’ -- Keith Cadieux * Winnipeg Free Press *‘Whatever 2038 is really like when it arrives, Canadians and others will still be reading Greenwood for its high energy, its memorable characters, and its anguished love for the forests.’ -- Crawford Kilian * The Tyee *‘A remarkable achievement.’ -- Carol Off * As It Happens *‘A dystopian, historical, speculative, multigenerational family saga, this marvellous, generous book is best enjoyed in a forest.’ -- Sharon Bala, author of The Boat People‘Astonishing … What makes Greenwood an essential climate-change novel is that, rather than obsessing over a single, final apocalypse to come, it attempts something much harder and more ambitious: to transcend altogether the tropes of victim and antagonist … And to instead present humanity and nature as deeply, ultimately, endlessly interconnected … Greenwood offers a rare sentiment in the climate emergency: hope.’ -- Damian Tarnopolsky * The Walrus *‘This superb family saga will satisfy fans of Richard Powers’s The Overstory while offering a convincing vision of potential ecological destruction.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Greenwood is a compulsively readable, beautifully observed, deeply felt and rich tale that roves across Canadian history and landscape.’ * Pile by the Bed *‘Greenwood is a brilliant novel that demonstrates the ghastly effects of treating the environment as a commodity. This really is a novel for our times.’ * Theresa Smith Writes *‘[A] timely, moving novel.’ -- Damien Lawardorn * Aurealis *‘An epic, ambitious quilt of themes, stitched together by the compelling arc of the family.’ -- Sally Adee * New Scientist *‘A compulsively readable, beautifully observed, deeply felt and rich tale that roves across Canadian history and landscape.’ -- Robert Goodman * The Blurb *‘An absorbing and original epic.’ -- Dan Shaw * Happy Magazine *‘[W]ith the expert, deft hands of a seasoned carpenter, author Michael Christie carefully and methodically pieces together a story as intricate as the rings within a tree. The result is a deeply compelling novel of family and memory … Christie creates a sense of poetic, organic symmetry through rich characters and evocative, almost tactile descriptions … [W]hat stands out most by the end is the way in which Christie has been able to evoke and give voice to the way the cumulative effect of time and memory weighs on us all in ways both uplifting and terrifying. Greenwood is a towering, profound novel about the things that endure even as the world seems to be moving on.’ -- Matthew Jackson * Bookpage *‘[E]ven if you’re suffering from what you might call Literary Tree Fatigue, Christie’s novel is worth reading, in part because it’s a clever mash-up of genres that distinguishes itself from its literary cousins and earns its bulk … broad messages aside, the heart of the novel is a winning and energetic chase story … When do we choose self-preservation, and when do we choose survival in a broader sense? The question has never gone away, but Greenwood closes with the message that it’s increasingly urgent.’ -- Mark Athitakis * The Washington Post *‘A riveting tale of love, greed, sacrifice and betrayal – and an ode to the beauty of trees.’ -- Nicole Abadee * The Age *‘Greenwood’s powerful narratives, fascinating characters, and lovely prose full of beautiful specificity, takes on our contemporary fears for the world. This is one of those novels you thrust at friends and insist: You have to read this!’ FIVE STARS -- Wendy Waring * Good Reading *‘An impressive ecological novel … From the future, to the present, the past and back again, Greenwood is a moving novel of family sacrifice and love for a natural world.’ -- Colin Steele * The Canberra Times *‘Christie dazzles with this richly woven historical tracking five generations of the ‘trouble-plagued’ Greenwood clan and the environmental devastation wrought by its lucrative timber empire … [A] spellbinding family saga reflecting fiction's intensifying interest in the climate crisis as well as humanity's innate desire to make amends for past wrongs and start anew.’ STARRED REVIEW -- Annalisa Pešek * Library Journal *‘A lively eco-parable.’ -- Claire Armistead * The Guardian *Praise for If I Fall, If I Die: ‘If I Fall, If I Die is an expertly crafted work of great heart and sensitivity. I can’t recall a truer or more beautiful debut.’ -- Patrick deWitt, author of The Sisters BrothersPraise for If I Fall, If I Die: ‘An astonishing piece of work. Christie combines lyrical prose and true-to-life characters — and skateboarding — to craft a remarkable tale of mothers and sons, and what it means to grow up.’ -- Philipp Meyer, New York Times bestselling author of The Son

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Book SynopsisFrom the CWA Historical Dagger Award-nominated author of The Angel's Mark in 2019 and The Serpent's Mark in 2020England, 1593: Five years on from the Armada and Elizabeth's kingdom seems secure. But there is always a plot afoot...Robert Cecil, the Queen's spymaster, needs Nicholas Shelby - reluctant spy and maverick physician - to embark on an undercover mission once again. One that he can't refuse, if he wants to keep Bianca Merton safe.Crossing the seas to Marrakesh in search of a missing informer, Nicholas hunts the dingy back alleys and dazzling palaces for the truth. But his search reveals a deadly conspiracy, one far more difficult to survive than he'd ever imagined.And back in London the plague has returned, ravaging the streets and threatening everything he holds most dear...________________________Praise for The Jackdaw Mysteries, a CWA Dagger finalist series'S. W. Perry is one of the best' The Times'No-one is better than S. W. Perry at leading us through the squalid streets of London in the sixteenth century' Andrew Swanston'S. W. Perry's ingeniously plotted novels have become my favourite historical crime series' S. G. MacLeanTrade ReviewThe third in Perry's series is as dramatic and colourful as the previous two. * The Sunday Times *An absolute belter of a read and another fabulous addition to the Jackdaw Mysteries series... I just gobbled up the pages as the story fairly roars along battling spies and pirates on route... S. W. Perry ensures the sights, smells and sounds of London and Morocco entered my very being. I love this series. -- Liz Robinson * LoveReading, Picks of the month *The writing is of such a quality, the characters so engaging and the setting so persuasive that, only two books in, S.W. Perry's ingeniously plotted novels have become my favourite historical crime series. * S. G. MacLean on The Serpent's Mark *A satisfyingly convoluted plot. * Sunday Times on The Serpent's Mark *No-one is better than S. W. Perry at leading us through the squalid streets of London in the sixteenth century. * Andrew Swanston on The Serpent's Mark *The Serpent's Mark is an excellent evocation of Elizabethan England, with espionage, intricate conspiracies, strange medical practises and a gripping story. A rattling good read. * William Ryan on The Serpent's Mark *A gorgeous book - rich, intelligent and dark in equal measure. It immerses you in the late 16th century and leaves you wrung out with terror. This is historical fiction at its most sumptuous. * Rory Clements on The Angel's Mark *Wonderful! Beautiful writing, and Perry's Elizabethan London is so skilfully evoked, so real that one can almost smell it. * Giles Kristian on The Angel's Mark *[With] intrigue and suspense, Perry's diligent research makes the period detail convincing. Fans of S.J. Parris and C.J. Sansom will be pleased. * Publishers Weekly, starred review *

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Book Synopsis A gripping saga of love, betrayal and secrets that can''t stay hidden . . . perfect for fans of Dilly Court, Libby Ashworth and Rosie Goodwin.Kent, 1814 Respectably married Molly Dawson lives with her husband, head gardener Charlie, on the Woodchurch Manor estate, where they have brought up three delightful daughters. Her life appears idyllic . . . but she has suffered the torment of a secret since she was eighteen years old.When a young stranger, fresh out of the Navy, appears at the estate''s annual garden party, Molly''s life is set to change again, and her close-held secret threatens to break free. Could he be a suitable match for one of her daughters? Or is this charming young man a threat to her hard-won happiness? Can Molly ever overcome the consequences of a decision she made long ago to find true joy and fulfilment at last?Praise for Lynne Francis:

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Book SynopsisA WINNER OF THE 2021 BETTY TRASK AWARDSSHORTLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2021__________________________'Joyous' SPECTATOR'Remarkable' SUNDAY TIMES'A playful delight... A glorious novel' OBSERVERSwansby's New Encyclopaedic Dictionary is riddled with fictitious entries known as mountweazels penned by Peter Winceworth, a man wishing to make his lasting mark back in 1899. It's up to young intern Mallory to uncover these mountweazels before the dictionary can be digitised for modern readers.Lost in Winceworth's imagination - a world full of meaningless words - will Mallory finally discover the secret to living a meaningful life?__________________________'Made me almost tearful with gratitude that a book as clever as this could give such uncomplicated pleasure ... And when you find a book like this, you grab it, and you hold it close.' JOHN SELF'A delight ... As funny and vivid as Dickens, as moving and memorable as Nabokov ... An extraordinarily large-hearted work.' THE CRITIC'Deft and clever, refreshing and rewarding ... An assured and satisfying writer, her language rich and intricate and her characters rounded enough to be sympathetic and lampoonist enough to be terribly funny.' LITERARY REVIEW'[The] most exciting of young British writers ... Williams luxuriates in words and wordplay, in definition and precision and invention ...The Liar's Dictionary is a public joy, and Eley Williams a free-spirited literary kook with bags of potential.' BIG ISSUE'A singular, hilarious, word-drunk novel, which I suspect will be seen in the future as a classic comic novel.' DAVID HAYDEN, IRISH TIMES'The Liar's Dictionary is the book I was longing for ... Positively intoxicated with the joy and wonder of language ... Eley Williams brings erudition and playfulness - and lovely sweetness - to every page.' BENJAMIN DREYER, New York Times bestselling author of DREYER'S ENGLISH'This tale of lexical intrigues is an absolute joy to read! It's gloriously inventive and playful, but with just the right amount of heart.' LUCY SCHOLESTrade ReviewI have just read Eley Williams’s forthcoming novel The Liar’s Dictionary, a singular, hilarious, word-drunk novel, which I suspect will be seen in the future as a classic comic novel. -- David Hayden * Irish Times *This tale of lexical intrigues is an absolute joy to read! It's gloriously inventive and playful, but with just the right amount of heart. -- Lucy ScholesThe Liar's Dictionary ... made me almost tearful with gratitude that a book as clever as this could give such uncomplicated pleasure ... Williams's triumph in The Liar's Dictionary is to bring together two people a century apart with a unifying comic vision. In each setting she creates a completed world full of sticky details ... There are pleasingly silly jokes (a series of cats called Tits), delight taken in names (Winceworth's nemesis is Frasham, a man who would now be described as a jock) and brilliant set pieces involving parties and pelicans, all in the service of an inquiry into language and words ... Language is what enables Winceworth and Mallory to communicate indirectly through the entries in Swansby's dictionary, and back to back on the pages of this novel ... Look: it's possible that I am the perfect reader for this book and that no one else will get as much out of it as I do. But it gave me the same joie de livre that I got from the likes of Italo Calvino, Nicholson Baker and Andrew Crumey when I first started reading fancy grown-up novels twenty-odd years ago. And when you find a book like this, you grab it, and you hold it close. -- John Self * The Critic *Eley Williams is enraptured by the metaphysical intimations of language ... A novel that, in addition to everything else it manages to achieve and to be, stands in some ways as an embodiment of, and an affectionate reproach to, Samuel Johnson's definition of the form as "a small tale, generally of love" ...A delight. Williams handles their respective stories with a gripping command of the development of her plot...dazzling clarity of thought and vision, an extraordinarily fecund capacity for imaginative compassion. Some of these qualities lie in the freshness, elegance and lyricism of Williams's prose ... Yet her book is also gloriously full of gently sardonic asides; charmingly deadpan divagations; and an aptitude for the choreography of cartoon and slapstick that is as funny and vivid as Dickens, as moving and memorable as Nabokov ... For all its exuberance, however, this is ultimately a gentle and reflective book whose great preoccupations - the power of language to realise, shape, and deny our natures; the attributes, boundaries and meanings of human connection - are addressed with a care, intelligence and sensitivity that is suffused with an atmosphere of fellow-feeling, shared endeavour, friendship ... By attending so assiduously to the circumstances that propel them to this point, The Liar's Dictionary stands as an extraordinarily large-hearted work of obeisance to the lexicographical belief in the "transformative power of proper attention paid to small things", and as an ennoblingly expansive guide to the plangent lineaments of love. -- Matthew Adams * The Critic *The Liar's Dictionary is deft and clever, refreshing and rewarding ... Words and meaning are of paramount importance in this novel. Williams's naming conventions are Dickensian in their symbolism ... Williams is an assured and satisfying writer, her language rich and intricate and her characters rounded enough to be sympathetic and lampoonist enough to be terribly funny. Her writing owes something to Wodehouse but more to Waugh in his most amusing of disgruntled humours. In both storylines, there is a mystery to be uncovered and a dramatic - and violent - event to be endured. In neither are these the main focus. Rather, it is the connection between Mallory and Winceworth, as we watch each struggle with love, life and speaking their mind, that makes the book so delightful. * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisThe initial volume in the Nobel Prize–winning author’s tumultuous, epic story of medieval Norway—the first new English translation in nearly a century As a child, Olav Audunssøn is given by his dying father to an old friend, Steinfinn Toressøn, who rashly promises to raise the boy as his foster son and eventually marry him to his own daughter, Ingunn. The two children, very different in temperament, become both brother and sister and betrothed. In the turbulent thirteenth-century Norway of Sigrid Undset’s epic masterpiece, bloodlines and loyalties often supersede law, and the crown and the church vie for power and wealth. Against this background and the complicated relationship between Olav and Ingunn, a series of fateful decisions leads to murder, betrayal, exile, and disgrace. In Vows, the first book in the powerful Olav Audunssøn tetralogy, Undset presents a richly imagined world split between pagan codes of retribution and the constraints of Christian piety—all of which threaten to destroy the lives of two young people torn between desires of the heart and the dictates of family and fortune. As she did when writing her earlier and bestselling epic Kristin Lavransdatter, Sigrid Undset immersed herself in the legal, religious, and historical documents of medieval Norway to create in Olav Audunssøn remarkably authentic and compelling portraits of Norwegian life in the Middle Ages. In this new English edition, renowned Scandinavian translator Tiina Nunnally again captures Undset’s fluid prose, conveying in an engaging lyrical style the natural world, complex culture, and fraught emotional territory of Olav and Ingunn’s dramatic story.Trade Review"Sigrid Undset's gift was to take readers inside the hearts and minds of people who lived and worked, struggled and connived in the fjords, villages, farms, and estates of thirteenth-century Norway. Tiina Nunnally's gift is to bring these characters to today's readers in clear, lyrical prose. Here we have the story of Olav Audunssøn and Ingunn Steinfinnsdatter, betrothed as children and constantly challenged by people who turn their sweet and simple love story into a fraught, twenty-year journey to that final kiss. No one but Undset could have written Olav Audunssøn, and no one but Nunnally could do it justice in translation. Read it—and spend time in the thirteenth century as it really was."—Nicola Griffith, author of Hild"Tiina Nunnally is that rarest phenomenon: a translator whose translations sound entirely natural, idiomatic, and true. This new translation of the first volume of Sigrid Undset's Olav Audunssøn is a heroic undertaking, which Nunnally has accomplished with her accustomed elegance and flair."—John Banville, author of Mrs. Osmond"This tetralogy, less known and less beloved than Kristin Lavransdatter, may be Sigrid Undset’s masterwork. Arthur G. Chater’s translation is now nearly a century old. Calculatedly archaic and smoothly florid, it retains the charms of its time and place. This new version by Tiina Nunnally performs Undset in a blunter and terser style which would not be out of place in one of those Norse sagas whose grim ethos lives on in the midbrains of the characters. It is a style entirely in keeping with the bleakness of this story of an honorable man whose loving self-sacrifice calcifies his heart."—William T. Vollmann, author of The Lucky Star"Undset brings the setting to life with rich descriptions of the natural world, well-captured in Nunnally’s stunning translation. Those interested in Norse history will appreciate this modern classic of Norwegian literature."—Publishers Weekly"Vows is an unexpected gift in a year that would welcome more of them."—Lit Hub"Long out of print, the first volume [of Olav Audunssøn] now appears in a captivating new translation by Tiina Nunnally . . . This is an absorbing, psychologically rich tale that promises to grow deeper and more memorable in each successive volume."—Wall Street Journal"Undset matches the precision and force of her characters’ inner lives—lacerated by indecision, sunk in sorrow or transported by joy—with her evocation of a vanished age and depictions of the life-affirming beauty of nature. This is a novel you wish would never end—and it doesn’t, not yet: The following volumes will be appearing over the next three years."—Star Tribune"Thirteenth-century Norway is a blend of pagan and Christian. Women have no rights, and the male head of an extended family makes all decisions. It is a world we rarely are invited into, and if you have patience, you will be rewarded."—Pioneer Press "Tiina Nunnally’s new translation captures the dark imperatives of a land where clan loyalties and ancient codes of honor have become ensnarled in the struggle between rising powers: the church and the royal court."—Alida Becker, The New York Times Book ReviewTable of ContentsContentsTranslator’s NoteMap of the Gudbrandsdal RegionGenealogy and KinshipPart I. Olav Audunssøn MarriesPart II. Ingunn SteinfinnsdatterNotesList of Holy Days and Canonical Hours

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

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Book SynopsisThe Malabar coast is full of dangers: greedy tradesmen, fearless pirates, and men full of vengeance. But for a Courtney, the greatest danger might just be his own familyAfter his father's gambling debts leave him penniless and in danger, Francis Courtney seeks revenge and fortune in South Africa. But on arrival, he uncovers a truth that leaves him overwhelmed and disoriented. Meanwhile, his cousin Christopher Courtney begins to make his own way in the world, foregoing the righteous path and falling prey to betrayal, violence and treachery.In this epic journey from the southernmost point of Africa to the lush Indian coastline, the lives of these two Courtney men will intertwine, and forever alter the course of their famous family.From the world's greatest storyteller comes a compelling and breathless tale of intrigue and betrayal that draws the Courtney's together, and just as easily tears them apart.Trade ReviewPraise for Wilbur Smith: ‘Best historical novelist – I say Wilbur Smith’ Stephen King ‘No one does adventure quite like Smith’ Daily Mirror

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Book SynopsisPainstakingly restored from Tolkien's manuscripts and presented for the first time as a fully continuous and standalone story, the epic tale of Beren and Luthien will reunite fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, Dwarves and Orcs and the rich landscape and creatures unique to Tolkien's Middle-earth.Trade ReviewPraise for The Children of Húrin:‘I hope that its universality and power will grant it a place in English mythology’Independent on Sunday ‘The darkest of all Tolkien’s tales. Alan Lee’s illustrations complement the writing splendidly’Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisAs D-Day approaches, American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton is teamed up with Dorothy Fairfax, a British officer. Once they piece together family and reconnaissance photos to map Normandy, will Wyatt's bombardment plans destroy what Dorothy loves most?

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Book Synopsis'Beautifully written and gripping'. Sunday MirrorWhen Mata Hari arrived in Paris she was penniless. Soon she was feted as the most elegant woman in the city. A dancer who shocked and delighted audiences, as a confidante and courtesan she bewitched the era’s richest and most powerful men. But as paranoia consumed a country at war, Mata Hari’s lifestyle brought her under suspicion. In 1917 she was arrested in her hotel room on the Champs Elysees and accused of espionage. Told in Mata Hari's voice through her final letter, The Spy is the unforgettable story of a woman who dared to break the conventions of her time, and paid the price.Trade ReviewThe fascinating story of her life is . . . beautifully written and gripping. * Sunday Mirror *Coelho, whose books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, has taken the Mata Hara story and fashioned it into a short dynamo of a novel. * Los Angeles Times *A striking novel. . . . By the end, readers will believe they've read [Mata Hari's] actual letters. * Publisher's Weekly *Spiritualists and wanderlusts will eagerly devour . . . [Coelho's] search for all things meaningful. * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisThe stirring second installment in Terri Nixon''s Penhaligon Saga series1910. Anna Garvey and her daughter are still running the Tin Streamer''s Arms in Caernoweth, Cornwall, and it finally seems like she has left her tumultuous history behind in Ireland. Meanwhile Freya Penhaligon has blossomed and is now the object of increasing affection of Hugh, the elder son of the wealthy Batten family.After the dramatic events of the previous months, it feels like everything is finally getting back to normal. But when Anna inadvertently reveals something she shouldn''t, she finds herself at the centre of a blackmail plot and it seems like the past she longed to escape is coming back to haunt her. To make matters worse, the tiny fishing hamlet is battered by a terrible storm and shifting relationships find themselves under more scrutiny than ever before.With the Penhaligon family at breaking point it will take enormous strength and courage to bring them back toge

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Book SynopsisThe highly awaited new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The German Midwife (also published as A Woman of War).Venice, 1943The world is at war, and Stella Jilani is leading a double life. By day she works in the lion's den as a typist for the Reich; by night, she risks her life as a messenger for the Italian resistance. Against all odds, Stella must impart Nazi secrets, smuggle essential supplies and produce an underground newspaper on her beloved typewriter.But when German commander General Breugal becomes suspicious, it seems he will stop at nothing to find the mole, and Stella knows her future could be in jeopardy.London, 2017Years later, Luisa Belmont finds a mysterious old typewriter in her attic. Determined to find out who it belonged to, Luisa delves into the past and uncovers a story of fierce love, unimaginable sacrifice and, ultimately, the worst kind of betrayalSet between German-occupied 1940s Venice and modern-day London, this is a fascinating tale of thTrade Review Praise for The Secret Messenger: ‘Unique, emotional and life-affirming.’ Melanie Hudson, author of The Last Letter from Juliet ‘Another fantastic page-turner.’ LP Fergusson, author of A Dangerous Act of Kindness ‘I felt I was walking alongside Stella over bridges and along canals at every heartstopping moment… Wonderful.’ Molly Green, author of An Orphan’s Wish ‘Very well-written and insightful.’ Reader review ‘Fascinating.’ Reader review ‘One of the stronger novels that pays homage to the women involved in the movements of resistance.’ Reader review ‘Refreshingly different. Even if you think you have read enough war books this year I strongly recommend you read this one.’ Reader review ‘A fantastic historical story with added romance and intrigue… I would recommend to all.’ Reader review ‘If you like WWII stories, this is a must read.’ Reader review ‘A refreshingly exhilarating plot, strong characters, excellent tone and craft, a hint of romance, and suspense. I simply loved this book.’ Reader review ‘Marvellous and highly recommended story on a little known aspect of World War II.’ Reader review ‘The characters are well thought out, the historical background is vivid and well described, and the plot is gripping.’ Reader review

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Book SynopsisThe No.1 Sunday Times bestselling book!The second book in the dramatic new Village Secrets trilogy from the Sunday Times bestselling author the perfect, uplifting book to curl up with.It was her wedding day the roses and bluebells were blooming and their sweet-scent was filling the air, so why did Daisy feel the cold fingers of fear run down her spine?Spring in the village, April 1869It's spring in Little Creek and wedding bells are ringing. After their hasty marriage the Christmas before, Daisy is overjoyed to be finally marrying dashing Jay properly, in front of the whole village.But then, on the evening of their wedding, amid the festivities, Jay disappears. Daisy doesn't know if Jay is dead or alive, if she's his wife or his widow. And what's more, without her husband, she has no means of supporting herself or her household.Refusing to give up hope, Daisy must draw on all her strength and courage after all, she has people who depend on her. But the secret of Jay''s disappearance Trade Review Praise for Dilly Court: ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Dilly Court’s latest novel is another page-turner that will keep you gripped to the end – 5 stars’ The People’s Friend ‘As always Dilly keeps you absorbed right to the end’ Choice ‘A rollicking, fast-paced adventure with a hint of romance!’ My Weekly ‘Spellbinding . . . you just keep turning the pages’ Daily Mail ‘A fast-paced, riveting read’ Sunday Express ‘A heart-warming, fast-paced story that will keep you gripped till the end’ The People’s Friend ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Atmospheric, vivid and compelling’ My Weekly ‘An excellent, well-researched read’ People’s Friend ‘Perfect for Downton Abbey fans … heart-tugging’ Peterborough Telegraph

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Book SynopsisLark Rise to Candleford captures a piece of social history in this ever popular fictional account of an English rural upbringing between the wars. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful hardbacks make perfect gifts for book lovers, or wonderful additions to your own collection. This edition contains all three books – Lark Rise, Over to Candleford and Candleford Green, with an introduction by Bill Gallagher, screenwriter of the hugely popular BBC television adaptation.Laura Timms spends her childhood in a country hamlet called Lark Rise. An intelligent and enquiring child, she is always attentive to the way of life around her – the lives of a farming community and nature as it transforms through the seasons, their working lives together and their celebrations. Whilst much is to be admired and cherished about her community, when she looks back on it as an adult she doesn’t shy away from describing hardship too. Laura attends the village school and leaves at the age of fourteen to work for the postmistress of the village of Candleford. There her eyes are opened to wider horizons.Trade ReviewLark Rise to Candleford is remarkable for its celebratory realism. It neither romanticises poverty nor underplays it -- Richard Mabey * Guardian *Thompson’s timing was perfect. The Second World War was looming and Englishness was being redefined in the face of modernity. -- Alice Spawls * London Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of The Secret Wife and The Manhattan Girls, Another Woman''s Husband will be adored by all fans of The Crown. Wallis Simpson is brought enticingly to life in this gripping, moving novel about two women thrust into the spotlight, followed by scandal, touched by loss.''One of my favourite books of this year. Fascinating, glamorous and utterly compelling... historical fiction at its best'' Tracy Rees, author of The Hourglass.''With superb story-telling and a lush backdrop of period detail...a novel that is impossible to put down, about two women who are impossible to forget. I loved it!'' Hazel GaynorTwo women who challenged the Crown.Divided by time. Bound by a secret...1911At the age of fifteen, carefree Mary Kirk and indomitable Wallis Warfield meet at summer camp. Their friendship will survive heartbreaks, separation and the demands of the British Crown until Trade ReviewGill Paul has taken two of the twentieth century's most enigmatic women, one revered, the other reviled, and woven them into a deft story of friendship and betrayal -- Kate RiordanA perfect, marvellous read * The Sun *One of my favourite books of this year. Fascinating, glamorous and utterly compelling. This is page-turning character-driven historical fiction at its best -- Tracy ReesWith great verve and a smattering of delicious fictional licence, Gill evokes the events and characters of two eras. Conspiracy theories abound, providing fertile ground for Gill's undoubted storytelling talents. Delightful -- Liz TrenowThis novel is pure magic. Gill writes with compassion for her characters, with great knowledge of her eras, and with a clear love of subject. This has bestseller written all over it. And it deserves to soar -- Louise BeechRiveting! . . . I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing tale of friendship and betrayal. Gill writes with such fluency and a fast pace that keeps the reader wanting more -- Rosanna LeyIn this fascinating portrayal of two of history's most famous women, Gill Paul takes us behind the scenes of lives and events we think we know well ... and challenges us to think again. With a pacy narrative that moves between the coming-of-age of a young woman called Wallis in the early 20th century, and the death of Princess Diana in 1997, Another Woman's Husband is a vivid study of Wallis and Diana through two very different lenses: those of Wallis's best friend, Mary, and of a young woman unwittingly caught up in the events surrounding Diana's tragic death. With superb story-telling and a lush backdrop of period detail, Paul crafts a novel that is impossible to put down, about two women who are impossible to forget. Sure to be a huge success, I loved it! -- Hazel GaynorAnother Woman's Husband by Gill Paul is Another Wonderful Book. Loved the seamless blend of fact and fiction * Kathryn Hughes *A compelling story . . . that captivated me from start to finish . . . very highly recommended * The Book Magnet *Praise for Gill Paul * - *A cleverly crafted novel and an enthralling story: the heartbreak genuine, the research brilliant. I love the way the present narrative throws light on the past story so that the transitions are smooth. A triumph * Dinah Jefferies *A heart-warming affirmation of the tenacity of human love * Liz Trenow *A marvellous story: gripping, romantic and evocative of a turbulent and fascinating time * Lulu Taylor *Gill Paul has clearly done her research in this absorbing story that cleverly blends imagination with historical fact... Tragic, touching and authentic-feeling * Kate Riordan *This is an intriguing and involving book that explores a really fascinating period in time in a clever and highly enjoyable way. I was hooked into both timelines from the start * Joanna Courtney *Meticulously researched and evocatively written, this sweeping story will keep a tight hold on your heartstrings until the final page * Iona Grey *This engrossing, heart-wrenching novel moves between the decades, combining history with fiction to portray the tragic events of the Russian Revolution * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisWhen Gabrielle Newman throws her cheating husband out, Stu cares more about the money than the break-up. An unexpected bequest offers Gabrielle a new start and she tries to leave the past behind, heading north with Dan Monahan. She's very attracted to Dan - but dare she trust any man again?

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Book SynopsisIn 1917, in that sliver of border land between Georgia and Alabama, Pearl Jewett ekes out an existence as a dispossessed farmer along with his three criminally-minded sons Cane, Cob, and Chimney. Hundreds of miles away, another farming family, the good-natured Fiddlers, have been swindled out of their family fortune while reeling from the disappearance of their son Eddie, who left to fight the Germans. When a crime spree sets the Jewetts on a collision course for the Fiddlers, an unlikely--and turbulent--relationship begins between the families. In the gothic tradition of Flannery O'Connor with a heavy dose of cinematic violence reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino, Donald Ray Pollock pens a bloody tale of dark and horrific conflict between two families in an era not so distant from today.

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Book SynopsisThe writing glows with emotional intelligence. This atmospheric debuthad me sniffing copiously' Daily MailIN WARTIME, SURVIVAL IS AS MUCH ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AS IT IS ABOUT COURAGEKent, 1940. In the idyllic village of Chilbury change is afoot. Hearts are breaking as sons and husbands leave to fight, and when the Vicar decides to close the choir until the men return, all seems lost.But coming together in song is just what the women of Chilbury need in these dark hours, and they are ready to sing. With a little fighting spirit and the arrival of a new musical resident, the charismatic Miss Primrose Trent, the choir is reborn.Some see the choir as a chance to forget their troubles, others the chance to shine. Though for one villager, the choir is the perfect cover to destroy Chilbury's new-found harmonyAn uplifting and heart-warming novel perfect for fans of Helen Simonson's The Summer before the War and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.Trade Review‘The writing glows with emotional intelligence. This atmospheric debut, based on the author’s own family history, had me sniffing copiously’ Daily Mail ‘I am completely and utterly in love with this book. What a joy! It may be in my all-time top five – I just adore every single thing about it’ JILL MANSELL ‘Lyrical, poetic, emotional, funny, endearing, surprising – it is a masterpiece’ VERONICA HENRY author of How to Find Love in a Book Shop ‘I adored it, it made me want to sing with joy’ ALEX BROWN, author of The Secret of Orchard Cottage ‘Delightful… it manages to be sad and funny, exciting and heart-warming, all at the same time. Quite an achievement’BARBARA ERSKINE author of Sleeper’s Castle ‘I adored The Chilbury Ladies' Choir! The pages sing with such wonderful characters, and through them wartime England really comes alive. Warm, witty, touching and uplifting, I will be recommending this to all my friends’ HAZEL GAYNOR author of The Girl from the Savoy

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Book SynopsisWhen Millie's mother abandons her one late afternoon in 1854, fate brings the seven-year-old to Aggie's door - and life will never be the same for either of them. The unlikely pair soon form an unexpectedly strong bond. But there will be obstacles in their paths - will their friendship survive?Trade ReviewCatherine Cookson was a brilliant storyteller and wrote from the heart. * Dilly Court *Catherine Cookson is an icon; without her influence, I and many other authors would not have followed in her footsteps. * Val Wood *Queen of raw family romances * Telegraph *Humour, toughness, resolution and generosity are Cookson virtues . . . In the specialised world of women's popular fiction, Cookson has created her own territory * Helen Dunmore, The Times *Catherine Cookson soars above her rivals * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThis intriguing novella collection crosses the country--from Kansas to Texas, the Grand Canyon to New Mexico--with tales of sweet romance while exploring the fascinating history of the Harvey Girls: young women seeking adventure and independence who worked in hotels throughout the country from the early 1880s to the late 1920s.

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Book SynopsisFast-paced and highly topical, Theresia Enzensberger's story depicts a young woman in the throes of life: from brutal conflicts between right and left, to a pair of young lovers leaping into a river at night, almost one hundred years ago.Trade ReviewThis powerful novel tells a story of a time past that feels eerily reflective of the present * Sunday Times *A coming-of-age story about a female Bauhaus student in the 1920s, exploring themes of politics, expectation and ownership of art * Red *Bringing to life the Bauhaus movement (which is now in its 100th year), this book follows student Luise as she starts university in 1920s Germany. Full of dreams, she soon gets caught up in a cult-like spiritual group * Elle *

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Book SynopsisTHE PERFECT CHRISTMAS TREAT: COSY UP WITH A CUPPA AND THIS GORGEOUS NOVEL FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, KATIE FLYNN_______________________________Liverpool, 1939: Sixteen-year-old Lizzy Atherton is forced to flee her violent step-father in the middle of the night, and finds herself stranded on a station platform completely alone.Desperate to know what has become of her beloved mother, who she had no choice but to leave behind, Lizzy returns the next day only to find her home deserted. Devastated, Lizzy joins forces with her old school friend Dolly and Clara, an escaped evacuee, and vows to find her mother whatever it takes.But the war rages on and demands on the home front take Lizzy's life in a host of unexpected directions, and hopes of finding her mother gradually start to fade.If Lizzy can muster the strength to keep searching, she might just get her Christmas wish after all._______________________________**Katie Flynn's brand new Christmas saga for 2020 UNDER THE MISTLETOE is available now**Trade ReviewA poignant family story * My Weekly *Moving * Peterborough Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisThey called her the She-Wolf From Provence. She'd shape the destiny of England ...Fans of Alison Weir, Anne O'Brien and Philippa Gregory, will devour this compelling new novel, starring one of English history's most fierce and courageous forgotten heroines!'Powerful, gripping and beautifully told' - Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation'A feast for the senses and highly recommended' - Deborah Swift, author of Pleasing Mr Pepys'Well-researched . . . Fascinating' - Joanna CourtneyREADERS LOVE THE SILKEN ROSE!***** 'Stunning start to a new series of She-Wolf Queens'***** 'Spectacular . . . I will recommend this first part of her new trilogy to everyone'***** 'Fabulous . . . A lovely, highly researched tale'***** 'Exceptionally well-written . . . From the first page I was totally caught up in the story'1236. Ailenor of Provence, cultured and intelligent, is only thirteen when she meets her new husband, Henry III of England. A foreign and friendless princess in a strange land she is determined to please him. And she knows that when the times comes she must provide an heir, to secure the throne against those who would snatch it away. Rosalind, a commoner skilled in the arts of needlework and embroidery, catches the young queen's attention and a friendship blossoms. But she is unprepared for the dangerous ramifications of winning the queen's favour ... As closeness, and soon love, develops between Ailenor and Henry, so too does her influence on her husband and her power at court. As France and Wales provide constant threat, and England's barons increasingly resent her influence, Ailenor must learn to be ruthless. Who should she encourage her husband to favour? Who can she trust? Caught in a web of treachery and deceit, her choices will define the fate of England. To protect her close friends, and her beloved children, Ailenor, the She-Wolf from Provence, would do, and endure, anything ... Trade ReviewPowerful, gripping and beautifully told. A historical novel that will resonate with the #MeToo generationThe scents, colours and intrigues of a medieval court provide a fitting background to this gripping tale of a much maligned queen -- Henrietta Leyser, English HistorianDives into 13th Century England with the relish of a peregrine's stoop. With the tastiest morsels of quail and the tiniest golden embroidery stitch, the novel steeps the reader in the life of a medieval court -- Joanna Hickson, author of The Tudor CrownA very well-researched tale of a fascinating period -- Joanna Courtney, author of Blood QueenA love of medieval history shines through on every page. A feast for the senses and highly recommended to lovers of well-written historical biography -- Deborah Swift, author of Pleasing Mr Pepys

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestseller!'Downton with dance, perfect!' Santa MontefiorePrepare to be swept off your feet by the romantic and irresistible debut novel from Anton Du BekeLondon, 1936.Inside the spectacular Grand Ballroom of the exclusive Buckingham Hotel the rich and powerful, politicians, film stars, even royalty, rub shoulders with Raymond de Guise and his troupe of talented dancers from all around the world, who must enchant them, captivate them, and sweep away their cares. Accustomed to waltzing with the highest of society, Raymond knows a secret from his past could threaten all he holds dear.Nancy Nettleton, new chambermaid at the Buckingham, finds hotel life a struggle after leaving her small hometown. She dreams of joining the dancers on the ballroom floor as she watches, unseen, from behind plush curtains and hidden doorways. She soon discovers everyone at the Buckingham - guests and staff alike - has something to hide . . .The storm clouds of war are gathering, and beneath the glitz and glamour of the ballroom lurks an irresistible world of scandal and secrets.Let's dance . . .Trade ReviewDownton with dance, perfect! * Santa Montefiore *The consummate storyteller, adept at captivating audiences will now captivate readers as he whisks them away to worlds of dance, intrigue, high society and scandal... bringing the golden age of dance to life, page by page * Western Mail *A sparkling debut * Woman Magazine *This sweeping, engrossing story offers glamorous, high-society entertainment and promises to delight the reader * Daily Express *The characters and stories are beautifully interwoven to provide a really fabulous read * Judy Murray *

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Book SynopsisAs part of the Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures series, this edition contains exclusive bonus materials!In one swift moment a fall wiped away his memory. Now all he knew for certain was that someone wanted him dead—and that he had better learn why. But everywhere he turned there seemed to be more questions—or people too willing to hide the truth behind a smoke screen of lies. He had only the name he had been told was his own, his mysterious skill with a gun, and a link to a half million dollars’ worth of buried gold as evidence of his past life. Was the treasure his? Was he a thief? A killer? He didn’t have the answers, but he needed them soon. Because what he still didn’t know about himself, others did—and if he didn’t unlock the secret of his past, he wasn’t going to have much of a future.Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures is a project created to release some of the author’s more unconve

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Book SynopsisA luxury hotel in 1920s Berlin is a microcosm of modern society in this classic that inspired a hit Broadway musical and the classic film starring Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and John Barrymore. ?Prefigures Downtown Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs by examining multiple characters from different classes.? ?Shelf AwarenessThe luxury Grand Hotel is a revolving door for the stray souls of 1920s Berlin. Among the guests is Doctor Otternschlag, a World War I veteran whose face has been sliced in half by a shell. Day after day he emerges to read the paper in the lobby, discreetly inquiring at the desk if the letter he?s been awaiting for years has arrived. Then there is Grusinskaya, a great ballerina now fighting a losing battle not so much against age as against her fear of it, who may or may not be made for Gaigern, a sleek professional thief. Herr Preysing also checks in, the director of a family firm that isn?t as flourishing as it appears, who would never imagine that Kringelein, his underling, a timorous petty clerk he?s bullied for years, has also come to Berlin, determined to live at last now that he?s received a medical death sentence.All these characters and more, with all their secrets and aspirations, come together and come alive in the pages of Baum?s delicious anddisturbing masterpiece?a Weimar-era bestseller that retains all its verve and luster today.

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Book SynopsisCan their friendship survive the struggles of war?1940, the East End of London.Life is tough for the Ten Bells Street girls. Best friends from childhood, the three of them now find themselves scattered across London, surviving the war apart. Exiled from the East End, Rose has created a new life for herself and now works as a dancer in a club in Soho - but life in the West End has its problems too. With the arrival of the war, Becky has finally found work as a nurse, but as the bombs continue to fall she struggles to cope with the damage that surrounds her. And Bernie may have achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a professional photographer, but she''s never felt more distanced from her family and her life in the East End.Separated by circumstances, the girls'' friendship stands strong in the face of hardship as they fight for their place in a frightening new world

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Book SynopsisThe Whistlers' Room is the surprisingly gentle, sensitive story of a section in a German hospital where three soldiers try to recover from battle injuries. They are known as the Whistlers, as all were shot in the throat and their breathing results in a sound "like the squeaking of mice". The author vividly captures the strong young men the soldiers used to be and the battered, wounded people they have become. Pointner, whose obstinacy in holding onto an English sniper's cap means he is mistaken for the enemy, is the worst injured of the trio. Kollin continually dreams that he is cured, and for a brief, heart-breaking moment his breathing appears to be free when he awakes. The precarious balance of life in the hospital shifts when Harry, an English prisoner of war, becomes another whistler. His initial reception by the other patients, and his eventual acceptance into their group, reminds us of what must be so blatant day-in day-out in a hospital: men are all the same regardless of the country they fight for.The story progresses through a simple series of vignettes which are delicately presented without demanding empathy or flinging the reader into a maelstrom of emotion. It is all the more rare, precious and powerful as a result.Trade ReviewThe latest title in Casemate's brilliant war fiction series, The Whistlers Room was first published in 1929, this edition having been translated from the original German. Alverdes himself was wounded in the throat and what he describes in the book was largely based on his own personal experiences. Extreely atmospheric and poignant. A real gem. * Books Monthly *

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Book SynopsisWritten by 'a sublimely elegant historical novelist as addictive as crack' (Daily Telegraph), the Inspector Troy series is perfect for fans of Le Carré, Philip Kerr and Alan Furst.1938.The Germans take Vienna without a shot being fired. Covering Austria for the English press is a young journalist named Rod Troy. Back home his younger brother joins the CID as a detective constable. Two years later tensions are rising and 'enemy aliens' are rounded up in London for internment. In the midst of the chaos London's most prominent rabbis are being picked off one by one and Troy must race to stop the killer.Trade ReviewOne of the joys of reviewing crime fiction is that now and then one comes across . . . an author whose writing sets pulses racing and the jaded responses tingling. . . I entreat you, dear reader, to search out John Lawton and cherish him to your bosom, for he is truly an original. * Irish Times *Smart and gracefully written . . . It has been Lawton's achievement to capture, in first-rate popular fiction, the courage and drama -- and the widespread tomorrow-we-may-die exuberance -- of that terrible and thrilling moment in twentieth-century history. * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisFor fans of Downton Abbey, Atonement and Birdsong - a compelling historical saga from popular TV historian Kate Williams.Trade ReviewDownton fans will love the elegance, intrigue and drama of The House of Shadows. * YOURS MAGAZINE *Brimming with a historian's knowledge and an author's human insight, Williams's trilogy has been an exciting and absorbing portrait of a world in flux, and a poignant fictional reflection on life in the opening decades of the 20th century. -- Pam Norfolk * LANCASHIRE TELEGRAPH *A rocket of a historical novel. -- Helena Gumley-Mason * THE LADY *

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