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
Vintage Publishing On Chesil Beach
Book SynopsisIan McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of seventeen books. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His novels include The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award; The Cement Garden; Enduring Love; Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize; Atonement; Saturday; On Chesil Beach; Solar; Sweet Tooth; The Children Act; and Nutshell, which was a Number One bestseller. Atonement and Enduring Love have both been turned into award-winning films, The Children Act and On Chesil Beach are in production and set for release this year, and filming is currently underway for a BBC TV adaptation of The Child in Time.Trade ReviewWonderful...exquisite...devastating * Independent on Sunday *Exquisitely crafted * Evening Standard *Superb... The protagonists have everything to lose, and their faltering journey towards a point of no return is conjured into life my McEwan with irresistible subtlety, tact and force * Financial Times *On Chesil Beach is more than an event. It is a masterpiece * Times Literary Supplement *This is McEwan's mature style, one we have come to recognise from Atonement and Saturday. It is a polished, civilised style, and very distant from the shock tactics of his early work... McEwan brings Florence and Edward touchingly alive for us; and their seriousness, their idealism, and their desire for love draw us towards them * Guardian *To commend an author for being reminiscent of Edith Wharton is a compliment that this reviewer reserves for a select few. Yet with On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan has earnt it * Telegraph *A master feat of concentration in both senses of the word * Sunday Times *Written with a fierce pursuit of the truth and an utterly modern self-awareness, what a confidant tour de force this turns out to be * Sunday Express *One of our greatest living writers. Many Easter weekends and train journeys will be enlivened by a compelling novella * Herald *It is a masterpiece. The very idea that informs it, fascinating and unfamiliar, is masterly * TLS *A didactic, ironic novella of great accomplishment and calculated ambition. Structurally and linguistically, it is a triumph...intriguingly compassionate * Prospect *It is a measure of McEwan's artistry that he is able here both to linger in the recording of sensuous particularities and at the same time to deliver the satisfactions of plot we are accustomed to deriving from his fiction * Time Out, Book of the Week *McEwan shares with his fellow English novelist Jim Crace not only an interest in history but in finding a style in prose that is slow-moving, yet compelling, at times stilted and dry, and then suddenly sharp and precise * London Review of Books *The protagonists of On Chesil Beach have everything to lose, and their faltering journey towards a point of no return is conjured into life by McEwan with irresistible subtlety, tact and force * Scotsman *The book is steeped in lost hopes and disappointments, with each sentence as powerful as a Larkin poem. I didn't know a British novelist could still be this good * Express *McEwan is word-perfect at handling the awkward comedy of this relationship and, as ever, turning it into something far more disturbing * Observer *Two characters so vibrant they step straight off the page * The Tablet *McEwan's brilliance as a novelist lies in his ability to isolate discrete moments in life and invest them with incredible significance * Observer *McEwan's style is lean and clear...every sentence feels carefully crafted, the words all perfectly in place * Daily Mail *A tightly focused human drama... McEwan gives the reader access to both characters' thoughts with his usual skill, and the comedy of embarrassment, or of the kind of erotic misunderstanding that Milan Kundera used to specialise in, quickly disappears as the marital bed begins to seem more and more ominous... The bedroom scene itself is carried off brilliantly * Sunday Telegraph *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Outcast
Book Synopsis ‘If you liked Atonement by Ian McEwan, you'll love this’ Harper's BazaarThe bestselling novel from the author of The Snakes, The Outcast is a powerful portrait of unexpected love and treacherous charades against the backdrop of a sleepy post-war English village August 1957.Trade ReviewAn elegant, subtle, haunting novel that stayed with me long after I finished it. Sadie Jones has a long literary future ahead of her -- Tracy ChevalierThe prose is elegant and spare, but the story it reveals is raw and explosive... Devastatingly good' -- Eithne Farry * Daily Mail *Jones's story is imbued with brooding atmosphere and drama. Understated and elegantly narrated with attention to period detail, this is a gripping love story with a twist. If you liked Atonement by Ian McEwan, you'll love this * Harper's Bazaar *Eminently readable first novel....reads like a thriller, the tension and menace build expertly...a powerful, promising first novel * Financial Times *She writes with simmering intensity... particularly strong on atmosphere... Jones uses small, startling phrases to convey depths of passion and information and she can make seemingly innocuous passages radiate beauty * Sunday Telegraph *
£9.49
Cornerstone The Silver Pigs
Book SynopsisFans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor and C. J. Sansom will absolutely love this gripping page-turner of a historical mystery from multi-million copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Full of twists, turns and tension - you''ll be hooked from page one...''Her research has been assiduous and detailed, her commitment to the subject is impressive, and the background detail is often eye-opening'' -- Hilary Mantel, Observer''One of the best writers in this field'' -- Donna Leon, The Times''Surely the best historical detective in the business'' -- Daily Telegraph''Every book in this series is a delight ... highly recommended'' -- Library Journal''Be careful, if you get the taste for this you''ll end up reading them all... I can think of worse ways to pass the time'' -- ***** Reader review''This series is just SO addictive!'Trade ReviewEvery book in this series is a delight … fans will snap it up, highly recommendedLibrary Journal * Library Journal *Davis is a prolific and popular writer … Her research has been assiduous and detailed, her commitment to the subject is impressive, and the background detail is often eye-opening -- Hilary Mantel * Observer *One of the best of the current writers in this field -- Donna Leon * The Times *Surely the best historical detective in the business -- Mike Ripley * Daily Telegraph *The whole thing is splendid. It has everything: mystery, pace wit, fascinating scholarship … she brings imperial Rome to life -- Ellis Peters
£9.49
Cornerstone Venus In Copper
Book SynopsisFans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor, C. J. Sansom will love this exciting and enthralling historical mystery from multi-million copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Expertly weaving an authentic depiction of Ancient Rome with exceptional characterisation and a tightly woven plot, this will have you hooked. ''Another redolent dip into corruption in Vespasian''s Rome ... original and delightful'' -- Sunday Times''A tumultuous Ancient Rome with a delightful modern eye'' -- Sunday Times''Fast-moving, funny and full of atmosphere'' -- Mail on Sunday''A thrilling murder mystery'' -- ***** Reader review''Such fun!'' -- ***** Reader review''Another corking Falco'' -- ***** Reader review''My advice is BUY IT and READ IT as you will not regret it'' -- ***** Reader review**************************************Trade Review • "As always, Davis wears her research lightly, bringing Ancient Rome to vivid life in a series of delicious vignettes." --Manchester Evening News
£9.49
Cornerstone The Iron Hand Of Mars
Book SynopsisEasier said than done, thinks Falco, as he makes his uneasy way down the Rhenus, trying to forget that back in sunny Rome his girlfriend Helena Justina is being hotly pursued by Titus Caesar.Trade ReviewHer most ambitious to date... Davis has found a winning formula. The tempo is presto, the language pert * Daily Telegraph *Lindsey Davis doesn't merely make history come alive - she turns it into spanking entertainment, and wraps it around an intriguing mystery. She is incapable of writing a dull sentence * Peter Lovesey *Surely the best historical detective in the business * Daily Telegraph *
£9.49
Cornerstone Poseidons Gold
Book SynopsisWorse still, the only client Falco can get is his mother – who wants him to clear the family name.Then just as Falco thinks things can only get better, fate takes a turn for the worse.Trade ReviewSeveral cheers for Lindsey Davis... Great fun * The Times *Fast-moving, funny and full of atmosphere; if you haven't met Marcus Didius Falco before, start here * Mail on Sunday *The setting enchants. Prescribed reading for any student bored by Latin * Mail on Sunday *
£9.99
Cornerstone Last Act In Palmyra
Book SynopsisThis gripping and pacy historical mystery is perfect for fans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor and C. J. Sansom. With its wry humour, expert characterisation, vivid descriptions and incredible sense of adventure, you''ll be hooked from page one...''Several cheers for Lindsey Davis... Great fun'' - The Times''The whole thing is splendid. It has everything: mystery, pace, wit, fascinating scholarship ... she brings Imperial Rome to life'' - Ellis Peters''Another excellent Falco book that is difficult to put down'' - ***** Reader review''Astounding'' - ***** Reader review''A fabulous read'' - ***** Reader review''Full marks and happily recommended'' - ***** Reader review******************************************************************DROWNING IN MYSTERY, DYING ON STAGEThe spirit of adventure calls Marcus Didius Falco on a neTrade ReviewA wonderful series of detective novels * The Good Book Guide *Several cheers for Lindsey Davis... Great fun * The Times *Splendid . . . mystery, pace and wit
£9.99
Cornerstone Time To Depart
Book Synopsis‘“I still can’t believe I’ve put the bastard away for good!” Petro muttered.’Petronius Longus, captain of the Aventine watch and Falco’s oldest friend, has finally nailed one of Rome’s top criminals. One dark and gloomy dawn, Petro and Falco put the evil Balbinus aboard a ship.Trade ReviewNon-stop action, excitements and astonishments - a real cracker * The Good Book Guide *Absolutely smashing * Daily Telegraph *Davis's writing zings with fun * Daily Mail *
£9.49
Random House A Dying Light in Corduba
Book SynopsisAnother compelling and captivating historical mystery from the pen of multimillion-copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Ancient Rome is brought to life in all its humour, political manoeuvring and murderous intent...''Davis'' books make old Rome sound fun ... it is all so enjoyable'' -- The Times''The cast of characters is as various, corrupt, nasty and gnarled as the best of Dickens, described with similar scope and loving attention'' -- Mail on Sunday''Highly readable, funny and colourful.'' -- TLS''This is a more than five star book'' -- ***** Reader review''Another excellent Falco book that is difficult to put down'' -- ***** Reader review''Lindsey Davis produces yet another masterpiece'' -- ***** Reader review''A marvellous read'' -- ***** Reader review**********************************************************************Trade ReviewWith the passing of Ellis Peters, the title Queen of the Historical Whodunnit is temporarily vacant. Lindsey Davis is well suited to assume it - and she is funnier than Peters ... Davis' books make old Rome sound fun ... it is all so enjoyable * The Times *The cast of characters is as various, corrupt, nasty and gnarled as the best of Dickens, described with similar scope and loving attention * Mail on Sunday *Highly readable, funny and colourful. * TLS *Splendid ... mystery, pace and witLindsey Davis doesn't merely make history come alive - she turns it into spanking entertainment, and wraps it around an intriguing mystery. She is incapable of writing a dull sentence
£17.09
Cornerstone One Virgin Too Many
Book Synopsis‘All the problems I know about are family ones.’A frightened child approaches Roman informer Falco pleading for help. Beset by his own family troubles, by his new responsibilities as Procurator of the Sacred Poultry, and by the continuing search for a new partner, Falco turns her away.Immediately he regrets it.Trade ReviewOne of the most entertaining books of the year * Sunday Telegraph *One of the best of the current writers in this field * Sunday Times *Wonderful, great fun all round * Daily Telegraph *Surely the best historical detective in the business * Daily Telegraph *
£9.99
Cornerstone The Jupiter Myth
Book SynopsisFans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor, C. J. Sansom will love this exciting and enthralling historical mystery from multi-million copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Expertly weaving an authentic depiction of the Roman Empire with exceptional characterisation and a tightly woven plot, this will have you hooked. ''Lindsey Davis combines an engrossing plot with pithy dialogue and a comic (though not cartoonish) depiction of the past in all its gory splendour.'' -- The Guardian''Modern, exciting and plausible.'' -- Sunday Times''Another cracker from Lindsey Davis'' -- ***** Reader review''Very addictive and, at times, difficult to put down'' -- ***** Reader review''Another exceptional Falco novel'' -- ***** Reader review''A terrific read'' -- ***** Reader review***************************************Trade ReviewAgainst this richly textured backdrop is played out a story of low-down greed and grubby deals, of backhanders and protection rackets, that pulls of the trick of feeling modern, exciting and plausible. * The Sunday Times *Lindsey Davis combines an engrossing plot with pithy dialogue and a comic (though not cartoonish) depiction of the past in all its gory splendour. * The Guardian *Modern, exciting and plausible. * Sunday Times *As always, Davis weaves a plot full of humour, surprises and domestic irony. * TLS *
£13.49
Random House See Delphi And Die
Book SynopsisAnother engrossing historical mystery bringing Ancient Rome to life in all its gruesome glory from the pen of multimillion-copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Fans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor and C. J. Sansom will not be disappointed...''Davis''s writing zings with fun'' -- Daily Mail''One of the best of the current writers in this field'' -- Donna Leon, The Times''My advice is BUY IT and READ IT as you will not regret it'' -- ***** Reader review''A cracking good read'' -- ***** Reader review''A real page-turner'' -- ***** Reader review''Absolutely brilliant!'' -- ***** Reader review**********************************************************************************THE ANCIENT SPORTS OF MURDER AND MYTHStunned by a dramatic appeal from his otherwise cool mother-in-law, Falco cannot resist. His brother-in-law has been diverted from his route to Athens University by a man whose newly married daughter disappeared, with her husband, while visiting the Olympic Games as part of an extended wedding trip. Suspecting a classic cover-up, Aulus enrols Falco''s help in solving the case. And of course his mother-in-law hopes to hurry her son along to university by passing the case over to Falco.Joining the rest of the married couple''s tour group on the remains of their Grand Tour, Falco and Helena seize the opportunity to interview the owner/manager of ''Seven Sights Travel'', as well as the other guests.Seemingly not getting very far, they can at least make the most of the splendid sights; but finally, on reaching Delphi, Falco and Helena unravel the mystery of the bride and groom...Trade Review • "Like visiting old friends in a familiar and endearing, if sometimes bizarre, environment. Jokes and skulduggery crowd the pages." --Guardian
£15.29
Cornerstone Archangel
Book SynopsisRobert Harris is the author of fifteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave, Munich, The Second Sleep, V2 and Act of Oblivion. His work has been translated into forty languages and nine of his books have been adapted for cinema and television. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.Trade ReviewThe best thriller for years * Sunday Telegraph *His best yet: a fast paced thriller, pulsing with suspense, that surpasses even the expertly handled tensions and twists of Fatherland * Sunday Times *Robert Harris confirms his position as Britain's pre-eminent literary thriller writer with Archangel * The Times *A really gripping narrative, full of suspense and unexpected turns, which will keep you hooked until the climax on its final page... I have never read a thriller based in Russia which has such an authentic feel * Evening Standard *Archangel is Harris's strongest book yet, confirming him as the leading current exponent of the intelligent literary thriller * The Times *
£9.49
Cornerstone Pompeii
Book SynopsisRobert Harris is the author of fifteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave, Munich, The Second Sleep, V2 and Act of Oblivion. His work has been translated into forty languages and nine of his books have been adapted for cinema and television. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.Trade ReviewHarris is a writer of integrity who does not seek refuge in postmodernist nonsense...He knows how to tell a story and achieves page-turningreadability without effort. * Frank McLynn, Daily Express *Explosive stuff, indeed - and, yes, it goes with a bang. * Tom Holland, Daily Telegraph *The depth of research in this book is staggering...Pompeii is indeed a blazing blockbuster. * Simon Brett, Daily Mail *It is hard to imagine a more thorough-goingly enjoyable thriller read * The Sunday Times *Harris had me imaginatively surrounded. I am lost in admiration at his energy and skill * Boris Johnson, Mail on Sunday *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The ThirtyNine Steps
Book SynopsisJohn Buchan was born in Perth in 1875, the son of a Scottish Presbyterian minister, and educated at Glasgow. He gained a first at Oxford University, where he began writing, producing two volumes of essays, four novels and two collections of stories and poems before the age of twenty-five. He worked briefly as a lawyer, then served as a private secretary in the colonial administration of South Africa after the Boer War. During the war he worked both as a journalist and at Britain's War Propaganda Bureau, eventually becoming Director of Information. He published his most popular novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps, in 1915, and it has never since been out of print. In 1935 Buchan was elevated to the peerage, becoming Baron Tweedmuir of Elsfield, and later that year was appointed Governor General of Canada by King George V. He died on 11 February 1940.Trade ReviewRichard Hannay is, like his American brother Philip Marlowe, a modern knight errant. Charging through a hypocritical world, he is a seeker after truth with a boundless love of nature, a liking for simple pleasures and a hatred of pettiness and snobberies.... Buchan's novels are eerily resonant with today's troubles... Hannay is a hero for all times * Observer *The book is even more fun than the films * Guardian *The father of the modern espionage adventure * Sunday Times *Buchan makes superb use of wild landscapes in this economical and gripping story * The Times *Go into a bookshop today, pick up The Thirty-Nine Steps and I guarantee you will read it to the end. There is random and graphic violence, there is clear and present evil, eyes that are hooded 'like a bird of prey' - and a man 'skewered to the floor by a long knife through his heart' * Daily Mail *
£7.59
Vintage Publishing The Quickening Maze
Book SynopsisAdam Foulds was born in 1974, took a Creative Writing MA at the University of East Anglia and now lives in South London. His first novel, The Truth About These Strange Times, was published in 2007 and his book-length narrative poem, The Broken Word, the following year. He was named the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year in 2008 and named as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists 2013.Trade ReviewA seamless blend of historical fact and fiction...Foulds's writing has a poetic intensity and his descriptions of the autumnal woods around the asylum are as piercingly keen as his insight into the minds of the patients, the doctor and his family * Daily Mail *Adam Foulds won the 2008 Costa Poetry Award, and he is a skilful poet. These talents are well displayed in his prose which, while lyrical, never grows fussy or highfalutin'. He draws a walk-on character with a few deft strokes -- Lionel Shriver * Telegraph *A work of strikingly beautiful, unforced writing * Daily Express *The chief pleasure of the book is its prose: exquisite yet measured, precise, attentive to the world * Sunday Telegraph *Fould's exceptional novel is like a lucid dream: earthy and true, but shifting, metamorphic - the word-perfect fruit of a poet's sharp eye and novelist's limber reach * The Times *
£999.99
Cornerstone The Sun in Splendour
Book SynopsisReckoned by those about him to be the most handsome man in the country, Edward the fourth has risen to the throne with the help of Warwick, the kingmaker. But even Warwick''s trusted advice cannot convince the King to ignore his passion for the beautiful widow, Elizabeth Woodville - and when she refuses to become his mistress the two are married. Beloved of the people, Edward proves himself to be a strong king, but his love of luxurious living soon begins to impact on his royal duties. Despite his mistresses, Elizabeth is loyal to the illustrious king, providing him with many children, among them Edward the fifth and Richard Duke of York. But Edward lived recklessly and on his death an incident from his past comes to light that will change the course of history ...Trade ReviewThese books are page-turners; they offer a wonderful way to learn about history, their heroines are smart, strong and in control of their destinies and their stories will remain with you for ever...They are a celebration of women's spirit throughout history. * Daily Express *One of England's foremost historical novelists * Birmingham Mail *Plaidy excels at blending history with romance and drama * The New York Times *Far and away my favourite writer * Wendy Holden *If you like Philippa Gregory or Barbara Erskine, take a step back in time with Jean Plaidy * Woman and Home *
£17.09
Cornerstone The Captive Queen
Book SynopsisIt is the year 1152, and a beautiful woman rides through France, fleeing her crown, her two young daughters and a shattered marriage.Her husband, Louis of France has been more monk than monarch, and certainly not a lover. Now Eleanor of Aquitaine has one sole purpose: to return to her duchy and marry the man she loves, Henry Plantagenet, destined for greatness as King of England. It will be a union founded on lust, renowned as one of the most vicious marriages in history, and it will go on to forge a great empire and a devilish brood. This is a story of the making of nations, and of passionate conflicts: between Henry II and Thomas Becket; between Eleanor and Henry''s formidable mother Matilda; between father and sons, as Henry''s children take up arms against him - and finally between Henry and Eleanor herself.Trade ReviewA vibrant historical novel that explores the rocky relationship between Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose union produced King John and Richard the Lionheart * Marie Claire *A tumultous tale, told here with insight, empathy, vitality and vision . . . A brilliant portrayal of a marriage in meltdown * Lancashire Evening Post *Alison Weir deserves the large and loyal popular following for her readable historical biographies . . . Eleanor of Aquitaine is the most fabulous (literally) of subjects * Viewspaper *Weir provides immense satisfaction. She writes in a pacy, vivid style, engaging the heart as well as the mind * Independent *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing After the Fire A Still Small Voice
Book SynopsisFrank and Leon are two men from different times, discovering that sometimes all you learn from your parents'' mistakes is how to make different ones of your own. Frank is trying to escape his troubled past by running away to his family''s beach shack. As he struggles to make friends with his neighbors and their precocious young daughter, Sal, he discovers the community has fresh wounds of its own. A girl is missing, and when Sal too disappears, suspicion falls on Frank.Decades earlier, Leon tries to hold together his family''s cake shop as their suburban life crumbles in the aftermath of the Korean War. When war breaks out again, Leon must go from sculpting sugar figurines to killing young men as a conscript in the Vietnam War.Trade ReviewJust sometimes, a book is so complete, so compelling and potent, that you are fearful of breaking its hold. This is one: a novel about (as its title might suggest) devastating damage and the humanity that, almost unfathomably, remains...with awesome skill and whiplash wit, Evie Wyld knits together past and present, with tension building all the time. In Peter Carey and Tim Winton, Australia has produced two if the finest storytellers working today. On this evidence, Wyld can match them both -- Stephanie Cross * Daily Mail *Wyld sympathetically explores the blight of war and violence on three generations of a working-class Australian family -- Gabriel Byng * New Statesman *Wyld's first novel is a remarkable achievement: a potent and compelling exploration of the connections between father and son, and the legacy of violence and repression * bookmunch.wordpress.com/ *Superb first novel -- Kate Saunders * The Times *Wyld has a feel for beauty and for the ugliness of inherited pain * The New Yorker *
£9.49
Cornerstone The Ragged Heiress
Book SynopsisA classic story from the No. 1 **Sunday Times bestseller** Dilly Court.London, 1874When Lucetta Froy awakes in a hospital bed, she remembers nothing of the events that brought her to her present state.She is taken home by two rough-speaking individuals who claim to be her brothers. However, as her health improves and her memory returns, she realises she has been kidnapped...The men hope to claim Lucetta''s fortune as a ransom, for she is the daughter of a prosperous importer whose ship went down at sea. Her parents tragically drowned, but Lucetta survived.Abandoned and destitute, it seems as though the world is against her. But Lucetta''s spirit will never be broken, and so she sets out to reclaim what is rightfully hers.
£8.54
Cornerstone A Mothers Secret
Book SynopsisDilly Court grew up in North-east London and began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. She is married with two grown-up children and four grandchildren, and now lives in Dorset on the beautiful Jurassic Coast with her husband. She is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels.
£8.54
Cornerstone Cinderella Sister
Book SynopsisDilly Court grew up in North-east London and began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. She is married with two grown-up children and four grandchildren, and now lives in Dorset on the beautiful Jurassic Coast with her husband. She is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels.
£8.54
Vintage Publishing Staring at the Sun
Book SynopsisJulian Barnes is the author of thirteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and Nothing To Be Frightened Of, which won the 2021 Yasnaya Polyana Prize in Russia. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d'honneur.Trade ReviewNone of Mr Barnes's previous work... has quite prepared us for the bewildering maturity of Staring at the Sun...it dazzles in depth * Harpers & Queen *Brilliant... Mr Barnes's work is at the forefront of a new internationalization of British fiction * New York Times *A remarkable and risk-taking book, breezily philosophical and light-fingered, funny and also genuinely affecting in that it touches both the heart and the head * Glasgow Herald *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Flauberts Parrot
Book SynopsisJulian Barnes is the author of thirteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and Nothing To Be Frightened Of, which won the 2021 Yasnaya Polyana Prize in Russia. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d'honneur.Trade ReviewBarnes manages to be erudite but extremely funny too… You never know what Barnes is going to do next and I admire that.’ -- Caroline Rees * Daily Express *Delightful and enriching... A book to revel in! -- Joseph HellerEndless food for thought, beautifully written... A tour de force -- Germaine GreerA gem: an unashamed literary novel that is also unashamed to be readable, and broadly entertaining. Bravo! -- John IrvingJulian Barnes' wry and graceful book, part novel, part stealthy literary criticism, traces the marks Flaubert made on a forgetting world. The writing is unfailingly sharp and often very funny, and among the best prose I have read in years * Sunday Times *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Doctor Zhivago
Book SynopsisBoris Pasternak was born in Moscow in 1890 and after briefly training as a composer resolved to be a writer. He published a large number of collections of poetry, written under the burden of Soviet Russia's stringent censorship, before publishing his most famous work, Dr Zhivago, in 1958. This novel won him the Nobel Prize for Literature but the USSR's hostility to the West meant he was forced to turn it down. He died in 1960.Trade ReviewThe first work of genius to come out of Russia since the Revolution -- V.S. PritchettThe English-speaking world is indebted to these two magnificent translators * New York Review of Books *One of the great events in man's literary and moral history -- Edmund WilsonBelongs to that small group of novels by which all others are ultimately judged -- Frank Kermode * Spectator *Not since Shakespeare has love been so fully, vividly, scrupulously and directly communicated -- Isaiah Berlin * Sunday Times *
£9.99
Vintage Publishing Merivel
Book SynopsisOne of the great imaginative creations in English literature' Daily TelegraphA dazzling novel of loyalty and dreams set in Restoration England.The gaudy years of the Restoration are long gone and Robert Merivel, physician and courtier to King Charles II, sets off for the French court in search of a fresh start. But royal life at the Palace of Versailles all glitter in front and squalor behind leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with the seductive Madame de Flamanville, allows him to dream of a different future. But will that future ever be his? Summoned home urgently to attend to the ailing King, Merivel finds his loyalty and skill tested to their limits.Rose Tremain has sold over one million copies of her books.PRAISE FOR MERIVELThis book is richly marbled with intelligence, compassion and compelling characters' The Times''Magnificent story-teller'' IndependenTrade ReviewSocial, political and physical labyrinth -- Frances Osborne * Evening Standard *Satisfying... agreeably sardonic -- Quentin Letts * Daily Mail *One of the great imaginative creations in English literature * Daily Telegraph *An unadulterated delight * Independent *Rich and satisfying -- Lindsay Duguid * Sunday Times *A tour de force of literary technique, a treasure house of diligent research and imaginative ingenuity -- Jane Shilling * Telegraph *Wonderfully entertaining -- Michael Holroyd * Guardian, Books of the Year *Her feeling for the spirit of the times is triumphant -- Charlotte Moore * Spectator *A rich, glowing portrait -- Daisy Hay * Observer *Her characters laugh, cry, plot and flounder so convincingly that they take up residence in your head and refuse to go away -- Mary Crockett * Scotland on Sunday *This book is richly marbled with intelligence, compassion and compelling characters, leavened with flourishes of lyricism and an attractive tolerance towards human frailties -- Angus Clarke * The Times *What ultimately makes the book such a joy is simply being in Merivel’s company. His narration is by turns rueful, comic, despairing and joyful; but it’s always bursting with life, always good-hearted - and always entirely loveable -- James Walton * Daily Mail *A delight -- Lucy Beresford * Literary Review *At times witty and enchanting, on other occasions full of doubt and self-loathing, Merivel remains a stunning achievement. He is Everyman and speaks to us all -- Virginia Blackburn * Sunday Express *Exuberance is a very hard thing to sustain in a novel… However, Tremain brings it off brilliantly. As one might expect, this is a very funny novel, full of picaresque adventure, hapless accidents and ingeniously wrought slapstick. However, it is also a very moving and beautiful novel. There are passages here which I found myself reading over and over again simply in order to savour them. Merivel: A Man of His Time may have been a long time coming, but it’s been well worth the wait -- John Preston * Mail on Sunday *Merivel is excellent company. Writing with a mimic’s ear for conversation, whimsical one moment, grave the next, Tremain has an underlying preoccupation here: the last third of live, love and loss, loneliness and vanity -- Maggie Fergusson * Intelligent Life *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing 1Q84 Books 1 and 2
Book Synopsis*PRE-ORDER HARUKI MURAKAMI'S NEW NOVEL, THE CITY AND ITS UNCERTAIN WALLS, NOW*Read this imaginative masterpiece from the internationally bestselling author of Norwegian WoodThe year is 1984. Aomame sits in a taxi on the expressway in Tokyo.Her work is not the kind which can be discussed in public but she is in a hurry to carry out an assignment and, with the traffic at a stand-still, the driver proposes a solution. She agrees, but as a result of her actions starts to feel increasingly detached from the real world. She has been on a top-secret mission, and her next job will lead her to encounter the apparently superhuman founder of a religious cult.Meanwhile, Tengo wishes to become a writer. He inadvertently becomes involved in a strange affair surrounding a literary prize to which a mysterious seventeen-year-old girl has submitted her remarkable first novel. It seems to be based on her own experiences and moves readers in unusual ways. Can her story really be true?Both Aomame and Tengo notice that the world has grown strange; both realise that they are indispensable to each other. While their stories influence one another, at times by accident and at times intentionally, the two come closer and closer to intertwining.''It is a work of maddening brilliance and gripping originality, deceptively casual in style, but vibrating with wit, intellect and ambition'' The TimesTrade ReviewA surreal and fractured dose of storytelling that only Murakami cold write. -- Graham Morrison, five stars * Linux Voice *A surreal and fractured dose of storytelling that only Murakami cold write. -- Graham Morrison, five stars * Linux Voice *It’s pure, uncut Murakami. * Business Insider *Murakami's magnum opus * Japan Times *1Q84 has a range and sophistication that surpasses anything else in his oeuvre. It is his most achieved novel; an epic in which form and content are neatly aligned... So like Murakami himself, I'll borrow from Orwell: 1Q84 is quite simply doubleplusgood * Independent on Sunday *
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Silver
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£999.99
Vintage Publishing My Policeman
Book Synopsis**NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING HARRY STYLES**This love is all-consumingIt is in 1950s'' Brighton that Marion first catches sight of the handsome and enigmatic Tom. He teaches her to swim in the shadow of the pier and Marion is smitten - determined her love will be enough for them both.A few years later in Brighton Museum Patrick meets Tom. Patrick is besotted with Tom and opens his eyes to a glamorous, sophisticated new world.Tom is their policeman, and in this age it is safer for him to marry Marion. The two lovers must share him, until one of them breaks and three lives are destroyed.''A sensitive, sweeping novel'' VOGUE''Tense, romantic, smart...I loved it. Devoured it!'' RUSSELL T. DAVIES''A powerful story of forbidden love, regret, and living as your true self'' VANITY FAIR''A moving story of longing and frustration'' OBSERVERTrade ReviewThe era and the seaside locale are beautifully rendered and observed, not least the social and sexual undercurrents of the time * Sunday Times *A humane and evocative portrait of a time when lives were destroyed by intolerance * Guardian *This spiky portrait of love makes for a gripping read * Independent *Pitch perfect * Marie Claire *A moving story of longing and frustration * Observer *Stunning...fraught and honest * New York Times Book Review *
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Vintage Publishing A Kind Man
Book SynopsisA transfixing parable of greed, goodness and an extraordinary miracle from the author of The Woman in Black.Tommy Carr was a kind man; Eve had been able to tell that after half an hour of knowing him. There had never been a day when he had not shown her some small kindness and even after the tragic death of their young daughter, their relationship remained as strong as before. Grief takes its toll however, and it’s not surprising that by the following Christmas, Tommy is a shadow of his former self, with the look of death upon him.But what happens next is entirely unexpected, not least for the kind man...‘Haunting’ Daily Telegraph‘Richly satisfying’ IndependentTrade ReviewOf all the contemporary novelists who are compared to Dickens, Susan Hill probably has the best claim....Hill has produced another perfectly controlled work of fiction... What is striking about the best of Hill's fiction...is her almost Bachian ability to plumb the depths of emotion and bring the reader back out again -- Amanda Craig * Prospect *Hill impresses without seeking to astonish, and so is one of those rare writers whose work is brilliant in the single, secondary sense- not glittering, but distinguished- her prose as pleasing and surprising, say, as a perfectly round stone, or home-cooked haute cuisine -- Ian Sansom * Guardian *Hill's writing here is superb, conveying emotion and pain in the sparest of prose...a comforting keenly moving tale of endurance and the eternal springs of friendship and love -- Philip Womack * Literary Review *It has a power beyond its pages; a haunting resonance between each stark sentence that stayed with me long after I'd turned the final page.The delicate balance between kindness and bitterness, hope and despair, a dying man and a dying town, are almost unbearably poignant. This is a short book that will live long in the memory -- Rebecca Armstrong * Independent on Sunday *Concisely captures primal emotions and offers astonishing transformations... Movingly perceptive -- David Grylls * Sunday Times *
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Vintage Publishing HHhH
Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERTwo men have been enlisted to kill the head of the Gestapo. This is Operation Anthropoid, Prague, 1942: two Czechoslovakian parachutists sent on a daring mission by London to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich - chief of the Nazi secret services, ''the hangman of Prague'', ''the blond beast'', ''the most dangerous man in the Third Reich''. His boss is Heinrich Himmler but everyone in the SS says ''Himmler''s brain is called Heydrich'', which in German spells HHhH. HHhH is a panorama of the Third Reich told through the life of one outstandingly brutal man, a story of unbearable heroism and loyalty, revenge and betrayal. It is a moving and shattering work of fiction.Laurent Binet''s highly anticipated new novel, The Seventh Function of Language, is available for pre-order now...Trade Review[An] extraordinary true story... made still better by the way in which Laurent Binet weaves in his own exploits as researcher and detective to uncover the truth * Week *HHhH is a highly original piece of work, at once charming, moving, and gripping -- Martin AmisHHhH blew me away. Binet’s style fuses it all together: a neutral, journalistic honesty sustained with a fiction writer’s zeal and story-telling instincts. It’s one of the best historical novels I’ve ever come across. -- Brett Easton EllisMagnificent ... unsurpassable ... told with grace and elegance ... exerts a hypnotic sway over the reader ... something of a Greek tragedy and of the splendid thriller ... All the details have such persuasive force that they remain indelibly recorded in the memory of the reader -- Mario Vargas LlosaBy the time I got to the last page of Binet's masterpiece, I had to close my eyes and rethink history. I'm rethinking it still -- Gary Shteyngart
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Cornerstone Knights of the Hawk The Conquest 3
Book SynopsisThe third novel in the compelling Conquest series (1066: The Bloody Aftermath) from the author of Sworn Sword. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwall, Simon Scarrow and Ben Kane.AUTUMN, 1071. The struggle for England has been long and brutal. Five years after the fateful Battle of Hastings, only a desperate band of rebels in the Fens stands between King William and absolute conquest.Tancred, a proud and ambitious knight, is among the Normans marching to destroy them. Once lauded for his exploits, his fame is now dwindling. He yearns for the chance to restore his reputation through spilling enemy blood.But as the Normans' attempts to assault the rebels' island stronghold are thwarted, the King grows ever more frustrated. With the campaign stalling and morale in camp failing, he looks to Tancred to deliver the victory that will crush the rebellions once and for all.
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Cornerstone In the Light of Morning
Book SynopsisTim Pears was born in 1956. He grew up in Devon, and left school at sixteen. He has worked in a wide variety of jobs and is a graduate of the National Film and Television School. His first novel, In the Place of Fallen Leaves, won the Hawthornden Prize for Literature and the Ruth Hadden Memorial Award. His second novel, In a Land of Plenty, has been adapted for television and is now a major BBC television series. Tim Pears is the author of eight highly acclaimed novels including Landed, Disputed Land and A Revolution of the Sun.Trade ReviewTim Pears has made the battle zone of family life in provincial England his own fertile fictional terrain…The novel succeeds in illuminating a pivotal moment in world history, while casting a steady light back on England…Rather like Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient, this is an intimate tale of a few individuals poised at a moment when one epoch gives way to another. -- Maya Jaggi * Guardian *[T]he characters are beautifully and economically drawn, and he is excellent on the sights and especially the smells of the landscape – the beauty even of a war-torn land. * The Times *Brilliantly nail-biting. Tim Pears tackles the horrors and ambiguity of war with his usual deft observance, in this depiction of a largely forgotten World War II slideshow in Eastern Europe. * Daily Mail *Superb … a thought provoking, lyrical and deeply humane book * Sunday Business Post *Pears’s prose, with its sensuousness and subtlety, is a fine vehicle for the intelligent, unsentimental tale he tells. * Sunday Times *
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Random House Therell Be Blue Skies
Book SynopsisEllie Dean lives in a tiny hamlet set deep in the heart of the South Downs in Sussex, which has been her home for many years and where she raised her three children. She is the author of the The Cliffehaven Series. To find out more visit www.ellie-dean.co.ukTrade ReviewTHE FIRST CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANWhen sixteen-year-old Sally is evacuated to the English south coast, she is terrified by what lies ahead of her. All she knows are the sights and sounds of London's East End - but Sally swallows her tears as they leave the familiar landmarks behind. * From the publisher's description *THE FIRST CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANWhen sixteen-year-old Sally is evacuated to the English south coast, she is terrified by what lies ahead of her. All she knows are the sights and sounds of London's East End - but Sally swallows her tears as they leave the familiar landmarks behind. * From the publisher's description *Saga lovers will devour this wartime story * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *Friendship, family and true love, as well as heartache, are all encountered in this enjoyable read. * Daily Mail *
£17.09
Vintage Publishing The Pyramid
Book SynopsisWhen the new Egyptian Pharaoh decrees that he does not want a pyramid built in his honour his advisers are aghast. So the Pharaoh agrees to the construction of a pyramid colossal beyond imagining, an edifice that crushes dozens of people as each block is added and which inexorably drains the lifeblood from the country.Trade Review[Kadare] chronicled the dark years of dictatorship in masterpieces such as The Pyramid * Independent *A haunting sense of time moving backwards and forwards like a train at a terminus, an authentic sense of adventure, and an extraordinary facility with metaphor take over… Kadare's new novel is mesmerising. * Sydney Morning Herald *A vast, deep, obsessive parable. Like every parable, its fundamental significance transcends its apparent meaning * Figaro *A masterpiece... A hauntingly beautiful parable woven from the fabric of history yet timeless in its reach * San Francisco Chronicle Book Review *In the end, this book - which does not have (or need) a conventional plot, protagonist or conflict - adds up to a haunting meditation on the matter-of-fact brutality of political despotism, the harshness of life among the humble and powerless, and the vastness, ubiquity and stonelike permanence of death, which treats all humanity as equals. * New York Times *
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Cornerstone The Ladys Maid
Book SynopsisIn the quiet of a warm summer''s evening, two young mothers are forced to give up their babies.As the years have passed, Kate has grown up knowing only poverty and servitude, whilst Josie''s world is one of privilege and luxury.Despite the differences in their circumstances, Kate and Josie have been friends since childhood. But their past binds them together in ways they must never know.Until a chance meeting forces Kate and Josie to confront the truth of that night nearly twenty years before - a truth that turns both worlds upside down and threatens to destroy their friendship forever. . .
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Cornerstone The Workhouse Girl
Book SynopsisSarah Scarse may be young but life in the notorious St Giles and St George's workhouse has forced her to grow up fast.And after her mother's untimely death, Sarah's fighting spirit becomes her only defence against the workhouse master, Trigg, and his cruel wife.Sarah's fate appears to change, however, when a sugar mill owner takes her into his home.But just as Sarah starts working towards a brighter future, dangerous figures from the past threaten to catch up with her.Can she draw on her determined resolve to finally confront her problems and free herself from the shackles of the workhouse, once and for all?Trade ReviewAn excellent, well-researched read. * People’s Friend *
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Cornerstone The Girls in Blue
Book SynopsisWhen her home is destroyed in a bombing raid over London, Miranda Beddoes is forced to take refuge with her grandparents down on the Dorset coast. With both her parents doing their duty for king and country, Miranda longs to do the same. She joins the WAAF and is soon working hard to help win the war. Despite her determination to dedicate herself to her work, Miranda falls for charismatic fighter pilot Gil Maddern a man known for his recklessness and passion for flying. As the battle rages in the skies above them and she learns that Gil's plane has been hit, it is only the friendship of her fellow girls in blue that keeps Miranda going as she waits for news
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Cornerstone The Nightingale Girls
Book SynopsisThree very different girls sign up as student nurses in 1936, while England is still mourning the death of George V. Dora is a tough East Ender, driven by ambition, but also desperate to escape her squalid, overcrowded home and her abusive stepfather. Helen is the quiet one, a mystery to her fellow nurses, avoiding fun, gossip and the limelight. In fact she is in the formidable shadow of her overbearing mother, who dominates every aspect of her life. Can a nursing career free Helen at last? The third of our heroines is naughty, rebellious Millie an aristocrat on the run from her conventional upper class life. She is doomed to clash over and over again with terrifying Sister Hyde and to get into scrape after scrape especially where men are concerned. This utterly delightful novel brings a London pre-war hospital vividly to life.Trade ReviewA gripping coming-of-age drama about life and love on the wards of a pre-war London hospital. * Weightwatchers Magazine *A touching novel...reminiscent of Call The Midwife * Star Magazine *Excellent characters...absorbing story...I look forward to the next instalment in the lives of these interesting women. * Bookersatz *Fans of Call the Midwife will enjoy this * Woman's Own *With some nice romantic elements and sub-plots that are ripe for development in future, this is a great start to a new series of books and I’m already looking forward to The Nightingale Sisters4/5 * One More Page Blog *
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Random House UK Keep Smiling Through
Book SynopsisJune 1940. Despite losing her mother at a young age and her father away on important war work, seventeen-year-old Rita Smith has plenty of people to turn to in the close-knit community of Cliffhaven. Until Italy sides with Germany and Rita's closest friends and neighbours are interned as enemies of the state.Trade ReviewTHE THIRD CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANJune 1940. Rita Smith swore she would never lose heart . . . Despite losing her mother at a young age and her father away on important war work, seventeen-year-old Rita Smith has plenty of people to turn to in the close-knit community of Cliffehaven. * from the publisher's description *
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Cornerstone Where the Heart Lies
Book SynopsisTHE FOURTH CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANFebruary 1941. Can love survive in a time of war? Julie Harris is working in London's East End as a midwife when a bombing raid destroys her family and the house she grew up in. All she has left is her motherless baby nephew William. Determined to uphold her promise to her sister to keep William safe until his father, Bill, returns from the war, she accepts a post as a midwife in Cliffehaven on the south-coast of England. Here they are taken under the wing of the Reilly family at the Beach View boarding house.But all too soon Julie learns that Bill is missing in action' and William falls dangerously ill. As she begins the long vigil by William's beside, she fears she will lose the little boy she has grown to love as her ownA fabulous, heart-warming Second World War novel in Ellie Dean''s bestselling Cliffehaven series (previously called theTrade ReviewTHE FOURTH CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANFebruary 1941. Can love survive in a time of war? Julie Harris is working in London’s East End as a midwife when a bombing raid destroys her family and the house she grew up in. All she has left is her motherless baby nephew William. * from the publisher's description *This compelling wartime tale will delight saga lovers. * Choice magazine *Moving and heart-warming saga. * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *
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Cornerstone A Loving Family
Book SynopsisShe longed to be reunited with her family. The compelling new novel from the Sunday Times top ten bestselling author of The Workhouse Girl.Eleven-year-old Stella Barry is forced into service when her family find themselves living hand-to-mouth.Trade ReviewPerfect for Downton Abbey fans ... heart-tugging. * Peterborough Telegraph *
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Cornerstone The Beggar Maid
Book SynopsisDilly Court grew up in North-east London and began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. She is married with two grown-up children and four grandchildren, and now lives in Dorset on the beautiful Jurassic Coast with her husband. She is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels.Trade ReviewAtmospheric, vivid and compelling. * My Weekly *
£999.99
Cornerstone One Night in Winter
Book SynopsisAn epic adventure story set against the most awful war in history. Ridiculously good' Dan SnowIf your children were forced to testify against you, what terrible secrets would they reveal?Moscow 1945. As Stalin and his courtiers celebrate victory over Hitler, shots ring out. On a nearby bridge, a teenage boy and girl lie dead. But this is no ordinary tragedy and these are no ordinary teenagers, but the children of Russia's most important leaders who attend the most exclusive school in Moscow. Is it murder? A suicide pact? Or a conspiracy against the state? Directed by Stalin himself, an investigation begins as children are arrested and forced to testify against their friends - and their parents. This terrifying witch-hunt soon unveils illicit love affairs and family secrets in a hidden world where the smallest mistakes will be punished with death.Trade ReviewGripping and cleverly plotted. Doomed love at the heart of a violent society is the heart of Montefiore's One Night in Winter... depicting the Kafkaesque labyrinth into which the victims stumble. * The Sunday Times *A nail-biting drama ... Montefiore writes brilliantly about love, timeless dilemmas, family devotion, teenage romance and the grand passion of adultery. Readers of Sebastian Faulks and Hilary Mantel will lap this up. * Mail on Sunday *A master storyteller when writing as a historian, Sebag Montefiore’s fiction is just as compelling in this thriller set in Stalin’s Moscow. * GQ *A thrilling work of fiction. Montefiore weaves a tight, satisfying plot, delivering surprises to the last page. Stalin's chilling charisma is brilliantly realised. The novel's theme is Love: family love, youthful romance, adulterous passion. One Night in Winter is full of redemptive love and inner freedom. * Evening Standard *There were several first-class novels of historical intrigue in 2014; this finely written chronicle of privileged adults and children afraid for their lives in the treacherous upper reaches of Stalin’s Russia in 1945 is in a league of its own. * Wall Street Journal *What happens when you cross Donna Tartt’s The Secret History with one of the scariest times in Russian history? You end up with Simon Sebag Montefiore’s One Night in Winter ... Based in truth, this novel will keep you biting your nails until the very end. * Books and What Not Blog *Snuggle up in front of the fire with a glass of red and this captivating story ... a dark enigmatic thriller ... the way he weaves fiction and history is a true gift. * Marie Claire *Seriously good fun... the Soviet march on Berlin, nightmarish drinking games at Stalin's countryhouse, the magnificence of the Bolshoi, interrogations, snow, sex and exile... lust adultery and romance. Eminently readable and strangely affecting. * Daily Telegraph *Not just a thumpingly good read, but also essentially a story of human fragility and passions, albeit taking place under the intimidating shadow of a massive Stalinist portico. * The National *Compulsively involving. Our fear for the children keeps up turning the pages... We follow the passions with sympathy... The knot of events tugs at a wide range of emotions rarely experienced outside an intimate tyranny. * The Times *
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Cornerstone Douglas D Nightingale Nurses
Book SynopsisPay attention please, nurses. The next six months will be the most important of your lives'It's the final year of training for three young nurses at The Nightingale Hospital Helen is at a crossroads in her life as she battles with her domineering mother over both her love life and her future career.Dora can''t stop loving Nick, who is married to her best friend, Ruby. But Ruby is hiding a dark secret with the potential to destroy Ruby''s marriage. Millie is anxious about her fiance, sent to Spain to cover the Civil War, and things only get worse when she encounters a fortune teller who gives her a sinister warning. With war looming in Europe, and the East End of London squaring up to the threat of Oswald Mosley''s blackshirts, the women of the Nightingale have to face their own challenges, at work and in love.From the author of The Nightingale Girls and The Nightingale Sisters, this Trade ReviewIf you like Call the Midwife, you’ll love this warm-hearted tale, set in a 1930s East End hospital * Prima Magazine *A warm-hearted tale of friendship, love and overcoming all the odds. Be warned – tear-jerking moments will creep up on you! * Prima Magazine *
£9.25
Cornerstone Nightingales on Call
Book SynopsisFrom the author of The Nightingale Girls, The Nightingale Sisters and The Nightingale Nurses – perfect for fans of Call the Midwife1937 sees new challenges for the trainee nursesDora and her old enemy Lucy are paired up on the children’s ward for the final three months of their training.Trade Reviewa fascinating journey into the past filled with historical detail ... Highly recommended * Jera’s Jamboree *Breathes the life and times of the late 1930's into you * A Novel Thought *
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Cornerstone A Nightingale Christmas Wish
Book SynopsisAs Christmas 1938 approaches, the staff at the Nightingale Hospital have their own wishes for the festive season. Ward sister Frannie Wallace is hoping she won't have to live through another war like the one that claimed her beloved fiance. But with bomb defences going up all around London, it seems as if her hopes are in vain. Staff Nurse Helen Dawson wants to find happiness again after the death of her husband Charlie. A handsome stranger seems to offer the chance she wants. But is she looking for love in the wrong place? Matron Kathleen Fox struggles to keep up morale amongst her nurses as the hospital faces the threat of evacuation. But while everyone else worries about the future of the Nightingale, it's for her own future that Kathleen truly fears.As the country prepares itself for war, one thing is for sure by the time next Christmas comes, nothing at the Nightingale Hospital will be the same again
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Cornerstone Kingmaker Winter Pilgrims
Book Synopsis_____________________''An enthralling adventure story, honest and powerful. The Wars of the Roses are imagined here with energy, with ferocity, with hunger to engage the reader.'' Hilary MantelFEBRUARY 1460In the bitter dawn of a winter's morning, a young man and a woman escape from a priory.Fearing for their lives, they are forced to flee across a land ravaged by conflict.For this England, torn apart by the infamous Wars of the Roses, one of the most savage and bloody civil wars in history.Brother confronts brother. King faces king,And Thomas and Katherine, two seemingly unimportant figures in the midst of chaos and bloodshed, must fight just to stay alive ...Trade ReviewMagnificent. An historical tour de force, revealing Clements to be a novelist every bit as good as Cornwell, Gregory or Iggulden. Kingmaker is the best book I’ve read this year by some margin. * Ben Kane *It’s amazing … there’s a real sense of time and place, and real immersion in the period, real rounded characters, with utterly plausible lives. Fantastic! People who love Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell are going to love it too. * Manda Scott *Toby Clements captures the grimness, grit and grime of 15th-century life, but with compassion and humanity, as seen through the eyes of common people ... period detail is wonderfully accurate as are the setpiece skirmishes and bloodbath at Towton. * Daily Mail *It is Clements’s ability to excite both tender emotions and a capacity for bloodthirstiness that has allowed him to achieve what Shakespeare couldn’t manage, and spin a consistently enthralling story out of the Wars of the Roses. * Daily Telegraph *Clements truly lets rip with the poleaxes, billhooks and glaives, sparing no detail as he recreates the blood and thunder of the battlefield ... But mere retro-bloodfest this is not - amid the butchery emerges a tender, heroic love story. * The Sun *
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