Historical Fiction Books

Book SynopsisHer existence would be the ruin of her mother... Baby Hope, the unfortunate proof of Lady Harvey's adultery, is smuggled out of a privileged aristocratic household to a nearby village. There, her true identity a secret, she grows up in the arms of the poor, but loving, Renton family. But the day comes when Hope must pay her way.Trade ReviewHope is a gripping historical novel from the acclaimed Lesley Pearse.Her existence would be the ruin of her mother . . . Baby Hope, the unfortunate proof of Lady Harvey's adultery, is smuggled out of a privileged aristocratic household to a nearby village. There, her true identity a secret, she grows up in the arms of the poor, but loving, Renton family. * from the publisher's description *With characters it is impossible not to care about ... this is storytelling at its very best * Daily Mail *An emotional and moving epic you won't forget in a hurry * Woman's Weekly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAlec and Jerry shouldn''t have been friends: Alec''s life was one of privilege, while Jerry''s was one of toil. But this hardly mattered to two young men whose shared love of horses brought them together and whose whole lives lay ahead of them.When war breaks out in 1914, both Jerry and Alec sign up - yet for quite different reasons. On the fields of Flanders they find themselves standing together, but once again divided: as officer and enlisted man. And it is there, surrounded by mud and chaos and death, that one of them makes a fateful decision whose consequences will test their friendship and loyalty to breaking point.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe thirteenth-century is just begun and King John has fallen out with the Pope, leaving babies to lie unbaptized in their cradles and corpses in unconsecrated ground. Across a fear-ravaged England, the people are dying in sin.In the village of Gastmere, this has shocking consequences for servant girl Elena. Unwittingly drawn into a macabre scheme to absolve dying Lord Gerard of his crimes, death and betrayal haunt her dreams like a curse.And when Elena is threatened with hanging for a murder she did not commit, it is certain that unnatural conspiracy lies behind these dark deeds. But where can she turn? For in every face lies wickedness and in every shadow lurks treachery . . .Trade ReviewA ripping tale set in the year of 1210. Full of colour and detail * Daily Telegraph *Maitland's richest yet: a breathless romp through an England rendered spiritually desolate. Bubbles over with the exploits of desperate priests, scheming herbalists, torturous conspirators, a dwarf-sized madam and a plot of treason against the King * Metro *Bawdy and brutal * Simon Mayo *A gem of a story. Meticulously researched and told with blood-curdling relish, this is a tale that will keep you awake at night * News of the World *A richly evocative page-turner which brings to life a lost and terrible period of British history, with a disturbing final twist worthy of a master of the spine-tingler, such as Henry James * Daily Express *Karen Maitland neatly catches the spirit of primitive superstition * Daily Express *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the No. 1 internationally bestselling author of THE MURDERS AT FLEAT HOUSE & The Seven Sisters series comes a romantic and moving page-turner which sweeps from war-torn Europe to Thailand and back again . . .''Heavenly . . . This will stay with me'' 5***** Reader Review''Atmospheric, heart-rending and multi-layered'' Grazia''The settings are described so vividly. Totally captivating'' 5***** Reader Review________ Julia Forrester has many happy memories of a childhood spent at Wharton Park, playing amongst the exotic flowers her grandad cared for. Now, recovering from a family tragedy, she seeks comfort once more at Wharton Park, newly inherited by the charismatic Kit Crawford, with a sad story of his own. But when an old diary is found during renovation work, the pair turn to Julia''s grandmother to hear the truth about the love affair that changed Wharton Park''s fortunes all those years ago . . .Taking you on a captivating journey through time and place, Hothouse Flower is a moving story of love, heartbreak and hope.________ Praise for Lucinda Riley: ''Thoroughly addictive storytelling with a moving, emotional heart'' Dinah Jeffries ''Brilliant escapism'' Red Outside the UK, this book is published under the title The Orchid HouseTrade ReviewAtmospheric, heart-rending and multi-layered * Grazia *Romantic, revealing and rich in heart-rending emotion and atmospheric detail . . . could well be the pick of Richard and Judy's spring bunch * Lancashire Post *This romance novel conjures up the past in an imaginative way * Star Magazine *A great story, full of atmosphere * Bookbag *Praise for Lucinda Riley * - *Thoroughly addictive storytelling with a moving, emotional heart Delicious reading * Daily Mail *Absolutely impossible to put down A brilliant page-turner just soaked in glamour and romance * Daily Mail *An absolutely fantastic storytellerBrilliant escapism * Red *One of the strongest authors in this genre . . . excellent historical detail, heart-wrenching romance, and an engaging mystery

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this second part of John Galworthy''s trilogy of love, power, money and family feuding, a new generation has arrived to divide the Forsyte clan with society scandals and conflicting passions.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this final volume of The Forsyte Saga Galsworthy writes about the lives and loves of the Cherrell family, cousins of the Forsytes. For centuries, the Cherrell sons have left their home of Condaford Grange to serve the state as soldiers, clergymen and administrators, but the 1930s bring uncertainty in a world of rapidly altering morals and unemployment. Galsworthy's portrayal of the effect of political change on individuals show him as a great social novelist as well as the author of one of the most gripping family sagas ever written.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn unparalleled work of historical conjecture, ranging imaginatively over huge tracts of the American popular consciousness, Don DeLillo''s Libra contains an introduction by the author in Penguin Modern Classics.In this powerful, eerily convincing fictional speculation on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Don DeLillo chronicles Lee Harvey Oswald''s odyssey from troubled teenager to a man of precarious stability who imagines himself an agent of history. When history presents itself in the form of two disgruntled CIA operatives who decide that an unsuccessful attempt on the life of JFK will galvanize the nation against Communism, the scales are irrevocably tipped.Don DeLillo (b.1936) was born and raised in New York City. Americana (1971), his first novel, announced the arrival of a major literary talent, and the novels that followed confirmed his reputation as one of the most distinctive and compelling voices in late-twentieth-century Americ

Read more less

Book SynopsisPenelope Lively was born in Cairo in 1933. She has twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize; once in 1977 for her first novel, The Road to Lichfield, and again in 1984 for According to Mark. She later won the 1987 Booker Prize for her highly acclaimed novel Moon Tiger. Her novels include Passing On, City of the Mind, Cleopatra's Sister and Heat Wave, and many are published by Penguin.Anthony Thwaite has published fourteen books of poems, including most recently A Move in the Weather (2003). He has taught in universities throughout the world, worked as a BBC radio producer, and is a former editor of The Listener and New Statesman. He is married to the biographer Ann Thwaite and in 1990 he received an OBE for services to poetry.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a haunting, elegiac novel which captures the mood and atmosphere of Italy (and in particular Ferrara) in the last summers of the thirties, focusing on an aristocratic Jewish family moving imperceptibly towards its doom. Vittorio De Sica turned the book into a film in 1970, winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1974.Trade ReviewPowerful new translations . . . Bassani began as a poet, and McKendrick's redelivery of this taut uncompromising fiction reveals resonance and generosity -- Ali Smith

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Still an acknowledged masterpiece and a model for historical fiction ... sympathetic and intensely involving: a great feat of imagination'' Hilary Mantel Bringing to life the intrigue of ancient Rome, Robert Graves''s I, Claudius is one of the most celebrated, gripping historical novels ever writtenDespised for his weakness and regarded by his family as little more than a stammering fool, the nobleman Claudius quietly survives the bloody purges and mounting cruelty of the imperial Roman dynasties. In I, Claudius he watches from the sidelines to record the reigns of its emperors: from the wise Augustus and his villainous wife Livia to the sadistic Tiberius and the insane excesses of Caligula. Written in the form of Claudius'' autobiography, this is the first part of Robert Graves''s brilliant account of the madness and debauchery of ancient Rome.With an introduction by Barry Unsworth''An imaginative and hugely readable account of the early decades of the Roman Empire ... racy, inventive, often comic'' Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewI, CLAUDIUS and CLAUDIUS THE GOD are an imaginative and hugely readable account of the early decades of the Roman Empire ... racy, inventive, often comic * Daily Telegraph *One of the really remarkable books of our day, a novel of learning and imagination, fortunately conceived and brilliantly executed * New York Times *Still an acknowledged masterpiece and a model for historical fiction ... sympathetic and intensely involving: a great feat of imagination -- Hilary Mantel

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Small Circus is a powerful 1931 portrayal of a German town on the brink of chaos, from bestselling author Hans Fallada (writer of Alone in Berlin)It is summer, 1929, and in a small German town a storm is brewing. The shabby reporter Tredup leads a precarious existence working for the Pomeranian Chronicle - until he takes some photographs that offer the chance to make a fortune. In Krüger''s bar, the farmers are plotting their revenge on greedy officials. A mysterious travelling salesman from Berlin , Henning, is stirring up trouble - but no one knows why. Meanwhile the Nazis grow stronger and the Communists fight them in the streets. And at the centre of it all, the Mayor, ''Fatty'' Gareis, seeks the easy life even as events spiral beyond his control.As tensions erupt between workers and bosses, town and country, Left and Right, alliances are broken, bribes are taken and plots are hatched, until the tension spills over into violence.''UTrade ReviewUncommonly vivid and original -- Robert MusilReal love and real humanity -- Hermann HesseThe best account of small-town Germany ... so terribly genuine, it is frightening -- Kurt TucholskyThis novel's genius ... lies in Fallada's ability to reveal ... as well as to analyse the macabre game of musical chairs that was the Weimar Republic. Fallada gives us front-row seats to Germany's decade-long quest for a sacrificial scapegoat that culminated in the Nazi takeover. ... Two years after Alone in Berlin's runaway success, A Small Circus continues the Fallada revival that owes so much to the efforts of its translator, the poet Michael Hofmann -- André Naffis-Sahely * Independent *Fallada creates characters with Dickensian prodigality, each yokel, hack, pig and pen-pusher brought to life in Michael Hofmann's beautifully judged translation ... a generous, life-affirming treat -- Jake Kerridge * Telegraph *Michael Hofmann ... comes as close as possible to giving us Fallada's work in all its coarse, humorous, immediate, tragic glory -- Charlotte Moore * Spectator *Not for the first time, all praise is due to Michael Hofmann's art and feel for nuance. His translation catches the many voices - some exasperated, others bewildered, a few downright angry - that make this bold, exuberant and candid narrative sizzle with life and the relentlessly shocking reality of it all * Irish Times *Fallada's own experiences as a regional journalist in north Germany underlie the action, and it is this sense of realism, combined with an ear for dialogue and an acute understanding of human frailty, that make the novel such an authentic portrayal of an imploding era -- Ben Hutchinson * Observer *

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of the BBC''s ''100 Novels That Shaped Our World''The Penguin English Library Edition of Ivanhoe by Walter Scott''Fight on, brave knights! Man dies, but glory lives!''Banished from England for seeking to marry against his father''s wishes, Ivanhoe joins Richard the Lion Heart on a crusade in the Holy Land. On his return, his passionate desire is to be reunited with the beautiful but forbidden lady Rowena, but he soon finds himself playing a more dangerous game as he is drawn into a bitter power struggle between the noble King Richard and his evil and scheming brother John. The first of Scott''s novels to address a purely English subject, Ivanhoe is set in a highly romanticized medieval world of tournaments and sieges, chivalry and adventure where dispossessed Saxons are pitted against their Norman overlords, and where the historical and fictional seamlessly merge.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the

Read more less

Book SynopsisBorn in 1902, Isaac Bashevis Singer grew up among fellow Jewish families in Poland. In response to the growing Nazi threat in neighbouring Germany, Singer emigrated to America. Settling in New York, he worked as a journalist for a Yiddish-language newspaper, The Forward. Singer was insistent that even after the Second World War, a wide audience remained for Yiddish texts, and each of his novels were originally written in his native language. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978. Since Singer's death on July 24 1991 his name has been used in honour for a street in Surfside, Florida, and for the full academic scholarship for undergraduate studies at the University of Miami.Trade ReviewSinger is a master storyteller * Chicago Tribune Book World *[A] curious excursion into prehistory * The New York Times *Singer is a writer of far greater than ordinary power * The New York Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA gripping portrayal of London's dark criminal underbelly, published in Penguin Classics with an introduction by Philip Horne.The story of Oliver Twist - orphaned, and set upon by evil and adversity from his first breath - shocked readers when it was published. After running away from the workhouse and pompous beadle Mr Bumble, Oliver finds himself lured into a den of thieves peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the Artful Dodger, vicious burglar Bill Sikes, his dog Bull's Eye, and prostitute Nancy, all watched over by cunning master-thief Fagin. Combining elements of Gothic Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction, scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and mystery.This Penguin Classics edition of Oliver Twist is the first critical edition to faithfully reproduce the text as its earliest readers would have encountered it from its serialisatioTrade Review"The power of [Dickens] is so amazing, that the reader at once becomes his captive, and must follow him whithersoever he leads."--William Makepeace Thackeray

Read more less

Book SynopsisSet in the rural midlands of England, The Rainbow revolves around three generations of the Brangwen family over a period of more than sixty years, setting them against the emergence of modern England. When Tom Brangwen marries a Polish widow and adopts her daughter as his own, he is unprepared for the conflict and passion that erupt. Suffused with biblical imagery, The Rainbow addresses searching human issues in a setting of precise and vivid detail.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Trade Review"Lawrence is the most Dostoevskian of English novelists, in whose best work conflicting ideological positions are brought into play and set up against each other in dialogue that is never simply or finally resolved." -David Lodge

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the beloved author of Treasure Island Originally serialized in a periodical of boys' adventure fiction, The Black Arrow is a swashbuckling portrait of a young man's journey to discover the heroism within himself. Young Dick Shelton, caught in the midst of England's War of the Roses, finds his loyalties torn between the guardian who will ultimately betray him and the leader of a secret fellowship, The Black Arrow. As Shelton is drawn deeper into this conspiracy, he must distinguish friend from foe and confront war, shipwreck, revenge, murder, and forbidden love, as England's crown threatens to topple around him.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enha

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewTellkamp depicts the grotesque idiosyncrasies of the GDR's bureaucracy. He speaks with the slowness and sobriety that comes with growing up in a system where the wrong word at the wrong time can set one's existence ablaze...he displays masterfully the intellectual shackles and the sheer suffocation the younger generation of intellectuals must have felt in the twilight of the GDR * Standpoint *Memories and impressions grow wild across the lattice of the plot, bringing the symphonic book to - but never over - the brink of cacophony -- Jane Yager * The Times Literary Supplement *The awfulness of life under the socialist regime is brilliantly done * Sunday Times Culture *A lush tapestry of characters, composed of a thousand scenes and situations, and punctuated by poetic digressions, The Tower brings a German ghost to life . . . The Tower stands as a monument against forgetting * Le Monde *In Mike Mitchell's English, Tellkamp's prose is polished, vivid and observationally acute * Telegraph *Set in the ivory tower inhabited by the educated Dresden bourgeoisie, Uwe Tellkamp's The Tower paints a grandiose panorama of the demise of the GDR * Die Welt *So blunt, so radical, so void of illusion - life in the GDR has never before been portrayed in such a meticulous way . . . The struggle for materials, the camp mentality, and the ubiquitous mistrust: the GDR rises again in all of its now-almost-forgotten guises * Die Zeit *There's no way to recommend The Tower enough * The Gryphon *Chosen by Boyd Tonkin * Independent – Best Fiction in Translation *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A woven time-travelling book, about love, land, life ... Short stories that link together like trees in a forest'' Jackie MorrisOn a clear Kentucky night in 1888, a young woman risks her life to save a stranger from a drunken mob. Almost a hundred years later, her great-grandson Andy climbs a hill at the edge of town, and is flooded with memories of all he has lived, seen and heard of the past century - of farmers wooing schoolteachers and soldiers trudging home from war; of the first motor car, the Great Depression and Vietnam; of neighbourly feuds and family secrets; of grief and betrayal - and of great friendship that endures for a lifetime.These are Wendell Berry''s tales of Port William, a little farming community nestled deep in the Kentucky River valley. They unravel the story of a town over the course of four generations, lovingly chronicling the intertwined lives of the families who call it home. Affectionate, elegiac and wry, tTrade ReviewA woven time-travelling book, about all that it is to be human, about love, land, life. Just beautiful. What an amazing writer he is. Short stories that link together like trees in a forest -- Jackie Morris, co-author of THE LOST WORDSWhat a wise and inspiring collection this is, although 'collection' hardly does it justice, it sounds far too piecemeal and ephemeral for a book with such a meditative and singular focus. It's so full of life, expanding the horizon as you read, revealing a wider and a deeper way of looking at the quotidian. Like Denis Johnson, Marilynne Robinson, or Seamus Heaney, Wendell Berry shows us that sometimes looking deeply into one world can become a profound way of looking at the whole world. -- Barney Norris, author of FIVE RIVERS MET ON A WOODED PLAINPraise for Wendell Berry: One of America's finest prose writers * Publishers Weekly *Berry richly evokes Port William's farmlands and hamlets, and his characters are fiercely individual, yet mutually protective in everything they do. . . . His sentences are exquisitely constructed, suggesting the cyclic rhythms of his agrarian world * New York Times *Intricate and beautiful, sad but strong * Washington Post *A small treasure . . . part of a long line that descends from Chaucer to Katherine Mansfield to William Trevor. * Chicago Tribune *Berry is the master of earthy country living seen through the eyes of laconic farmers.... He makes his stories shine with meaning and warmth * Christian Science Monitor *What unites [these stories] is a deep humanity, compassion and a sense of recognition that our modern lives unfolded at some point on Earth from stories such as these * Seattle Times *No writer has written of a place better or more completely than Wendell Berry has written of Port William * Arkansas Democrat Gazette *Berry is an American treasure; this collection belongs in all literary fiction collections * Library Journal *Berry's writing is graceful, poignant and compassionate, and his feel for the inner lives of his quirky rural characters makes for many memorable portraits. A valuable work of literature and historical set piece, this collection vividly captures the fabric of a kind of all-American life * Publishers Weekly *Wendell Berry writes with a good husbandman's care and economy . . . His stories are filled with gentle humor * New York Times Book Review *This is the most complete-and the most powerful-vision of any American writer in my time. The stories of the Port William Membership are a delight, a goad, and a testament less to what was than to what could be. They will leave no reader unmoved and unchanged -- Bill McKibbenWendell Berry gives us an intimate portrayal of the mind and heart of rural America. His graceful prose is truthful and eloquent. His tone is reliable and steady, like a good rain, sober and serious-all this and at times he is so funny you have to stop and roll on the floor -- Bobbie Ann Mason[Berry's] essays, poetry and fiction have fertilized a crop of great solace in my life, and helped to breed a healthy flock of good manners, to boot. As I travel this unlikely road of opportunity, as a woodworker and writer, sure, but most often as a jackass, I have his writings upon which to fix my mind and my heart, to keep my life's errant wagon between the ditches, as it were. Mr. Berry's sentences and stories deliver a great payload of edifying entertainment, which I hungrily consume, but it is the bass note of morality thumping through his musical phrases that guides me with the most constant of hands upon my plow. -- Nick Offerman, New York Times bestselling author of Paddle Your Own CanoeThe local nature of their canny, comic tonalities [...] might lead browsers to take these Berry stories as merely quaint. That would be a mistake. In fact, like Isaac Bashevis Singer, Berry has been expanding by contraction, husbanding by close focus - in Berry's case, on the familiar demesne of Port William, Ky... A masterpiece...Berry moves way beyond nostalgia toward an immersion in other lives that expresses itself as a sense of intimate apartness; a willingness to follow his characters, but not necessarily to change them. Poetry nestled inside prose: startlingly and classically moving * Kirkus Reviews *The stories express a biblical reverence for life and community, yet they're funny, too, and so beautiful * Booklist *This bewitching book, a collage amounting almost to a novel, formed of 18 short stories linked to each other by people and place, nourishes deep-seated memories of the old country ways...Berry writes with such wisdom and understanding of the Kentucky countryside and its people that it scarcely seems like fiction. These are stories about the importance of memory and history in the life of a community...they celebrate the visceral links between man and Nature...acutely observed and beautifully wrought...gently humorous, full of eccentricity, sometimes wistful and occasionally sad, but unfailingly enjoyable, rewarding, even joyful. * Country Life *Berry is a thought-provoking writer who uses humour and sorrow to evoke memorable characters, atmosphere and setting * Irish Times *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''[Sigrid Undset] should be the next Elena Ferrante'' -SlateThe Nobel Prize-winning masterpiece by Norway''s literary masterKristin Lavransdatter is the epic story of one woman''s life in fourteenth-century Norway, from childhood to death. Sensitive and rebellious Kristin is sent to a convent as a girl, where she meets the charming but irresponsible Erlend. Defying her parents'' wishes to pursue her own desires, she marries and raises seven sons. However, her husband''s political ambitions threaten catastrophe for the family, and the couple become increasingly estranged as the world around them tumbles into uncertainty.With its captivating heroine and emotional potency, Kristin Lavransdatter is the masterwork of Norway''s most beloved author and, in Nunnally''s exquisite translation, a story that continues to enthral.Trade Review[Sigrid Undset] should be the next Elena Ferrante . . . If HBO is looking for its next miniseries, it should give Kristin Lavransdatter the proper adaptation it deserves. This trilogy includes illicit sex, affairs, a church fire, an attempted rape, ocean voyages, rebellious virgins cooped up in a convent, predatory priests, an attempted human sacrifice, floods, fights, murders, violent suicide, a gay king, drunken revelry, the Bubonic Plague, deathbed confessions, and sex that makes its heroine ache 'with astonishment - that this was the iniquity that all the songs were about' -- Ruth Graham * Slate *Tiina Nunnally's magnificent version revitalised Undset's epic in English: each page glows and sparkles like the landscapes she so wonderfully evokes -- Boyd Tonkin * The 100 Best Novels in Translation *[My favourite fictional hero or heroine is] probably Sigrid Undset's strong-willed, sensual, self-destructive and ultimately rock-solid Kristin Lavransdatter. . . . Right away one somehow identifies with this daughter of medieval Norway; soon one compassionates her in her sufferings. . . . Like Murasaki and Dos Passos, Undset tells the story of a whole life -- William T. Vollman * The New York Times Book Review *At certain points, Kristin Lavransdatter felt more real than the life I was living -- Lucia Tang * Electric Lit *The Nunnally translation is excellent - straightforward but also evocative, lyrical enough in places, but not, like earlier translations, overly romantic or archaic.... Every detail of Kristin Lavransdatter is significant, because the author knows what every detail means and how they all fit together. This makes the novel a rich and satisfying read -- Jane SmileyWe consider it the best book our judges have ever selected and it has been better received by our subscribers than any other book * Book-of-the-Month Club *The finest historical novel our 20th century has yet produced; indeed it dwarfs most of the fiction of any kind that Europe has produced in the last twenty years * Contemporary Movements in European Literature *As a novel it must be ranked with the greatest the world knows today * Montreal Star *Sigrid Undset's trilogy embodies more of life, seen understandingly and seriously . . . than any novel since Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov * Commonweal *The first great story founded upon the normal events of a normal woman's existence. It is as great and as rich, as simple and as profound, as such a story should be * Des Moines Register *No other novelist, past or present, has bodied forth the medieval world with such richness and fullness of indisputable genius. . . . One of the finest minds in European literature * New York Herald Tribune *A master . . . writing in a prose as vigorous, articulate and naturalistic as the novel it re-creates, Tiina Nunnally brilliantly captures a world both remote and strangely familiar -- Judges’ citation, PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisHere, Arjuna meets Lilith, the fierce bodyguard to the Queen, and more importantly, a woman who is hell-bent on despising him. But thereâs more to Lilith than meets the eye. The woman is a formidable soldier, but something about her reminds Arjuna of home, of Bharatavarsha.

Read more less

Book Synopsis''You will be made an outlaw, forced always to live in the wilds and to live alone.''A sweeping epic of the Viking Age, Grettir''s Saga follows the life of the outlaw Grettir the Strong as he battles against sorcery, bad luck, and the vengefulness of his enemies. Feared by many, Grettir is a warrior and also a poet and a lover, who is afraid of the dark. Unable to resolve the dispute that has outlawed him, he lives outside the bounds of family life and he roams the countryside, ridding Iceland and Norway of berserker warriors, trolls, and the walking dead. The saga presents a poignant story of medieval Icelandic society, combining details of everyday legal disputes with folklore and legend. Written in the fourteenth century, but based on earlier oral and written sources, Grettir''s Saga, with its scathing humour, explicit verses, and fantastic monsters, is among the most famous and widely read of Iceland''s sagas.This new translation features extensive illustrative material to elucidate the story. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSet at the beginning of the Second World War, Coming Up for Air describes suburban insurance agent George Bowling's return to his birthplace, a sedate Oxfordshire village. This new edition of one of George Orwell's early pre-war works explores the historical and political context of the novel.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHistorical Fiction Now brings together prominent authors, scholars, and critics of historical fiction to explore the genre''s character, fortunes, and potential in the twenty-first century. Gathering together the voices of novelists, critics, academics, and several authors writing across these categories, the volume explores the nature of reading, writing, and writing about historical fiction in the present moment while meditating on some of the myriad contexts of the genre. What inspires writers to choose particular moments, events, and personalities as the subjects of their fictional imaginings, and with what implications for their readers'' understanding of the present? How do contemporary scholars approach the making and reception of historical fiction, and how do these approaches resonate with writers'' own preoccupations in the process of invention? What might scholars of a genre with a long and complex history learn from its contemporary practitioners? Conversely, how do novelisTable of ContentsBruce Holsinger: Introduction: Historical Fiction Now I. Inventions 1: George Saunders: Ghosts in a Graveyard 2: Sophie Coulombeau: Naming Names: Reflections on Referentiality in Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall Trilogy 3: David Ebershoff: Looking for the Danish Girl 4: Michael Lackey: Using Versus Doing History in the Contemporary Biographical Novel II. Archives 5: Katherine Howe: Real Witches, Real Life 6: Tiya Miles: Gardens of Memory: Ghosts, Grounds, and the Archives 7: Geraldine Brooks: Pilgrim's Progress: Researching The Secret Chord 8: Namwali Serpell: The Afronaut Archives: Reports from a Future Zambia 9: Bruce Holsinger: Historical Fiction and the Fine Art of Error III. Genres 10: Gavin Jones: Historical Fiction, World-building, and the Short Story 11: Maaza Mengiste: War in a Woman's Voice 12: Mark Eaton: Alternate-history Novels and Other Counterfactual Fictions 13: Téa Obreht: Last Camp 14: Jessie Burton: Historical Impressionism and Signs of Life: The Blessing and Burden of Writing the Past 15: Jane Kamensky: Novelties: A Historian's Field Notes from Fiction 16: Naomi J. Williams: Sorting Fact from Fiction: A Novelist Researches the Lapérouse Expedition 17: Kirstin Chen: Am I Chinese Enough to Tell this Story? The late Hilary Mantel: Afterword: I Met a Man Who Wasn't There

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisNOW A SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLERFROM THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE TEA PLANTER''S WIFEDinah Jefferies'' stunning new novel is a gripping, unforgettable tale of a woman torn between two worlds...1952, French Indochina. Since her mother''s death, eighteen-year-old half-French, half-Vietnamese Nicole has been living in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Sylvie. When Sylvie is handed control of the family silk business, Nicole is given an abandoned silk shop in the Vietnamese quarter of Hanoi. But the area is teeming with militant rebels who want to end French rule, by any means possible. For the first time, Nicole is awakened to the corruption of colonial rule - and her own family''s involvement shocks her to the core...Tran, a notorious Vietnamese insurgent, seems to offer the perfect escape from her troubles, while Mark, a charming American trader, is the man she''s always dreamed of. But who canTrade ReviewA captivating tale of dark secrets, sisterly rivalry and love against the odds, enchantingly set in colonial era Vietnam * Publisher's description *A captivating story, an exotic and richly imagined setting, sibling rivalry, romance, l couldn't put it down * Julia Gregson *What a vivid and well-researched story! It's an exquisite depiction of colonial Vietnam on the brink of a new area; I could feel the humidity and the sweet scent of frangipani trees... Dinah's writing is incredibly suspenseful and did not shy away from the harsh realities of warfare. I fevered with Nicole to the very last page; the tension is as taut as the silk that winds through it. -- Lucinda RileyPut everything else on hold. Turn off the phone. Be prepared to be swept away by this wonderful book. I couldn't put it down and loved every delicious page. Dinah Jefferies has a remarkable gift for conjuring up another time and place with lush descriptions, full of power and intensity. I was totally captivated by its passionate and dangerous story of Nicole, as she fights to find her place in the turmoil of 1950s Vietnam, torn between loyalty and love. Deeply layered, full of twists and surprises, but with an edge of darkness, this book is an exciting, exhilarating, extraordinary story that is beautifully written. I loved it. A must read * Kate Furnivall *Beautifully written and heart-rending, this has a magical setting with a real sense of period * Katie Fforde on 'The Tea Planter's Wife' *A terrific emotional and atmospheric read * Elizabeth Buchan on 'The Tea Planter's Wife' *Dinah Jefferies has once again created a gloriously atmospheric and tension-filled novel. Immensely enjoyable, poignant and compelling. * Isabel Wolff on 'The Tea Planter's Wife' *My ideal read; mystery, love heart-break and joy - I couldn't put it down * Santa Montefiore on 'The Tea Planter's Wife' *The ideal book...always wanting to know what happens next, together with the description of the period and characters, all make this a compelling read * Woman's Weekly *Beautifully atmospheric, with twists to keep you enthralled * My Weekly *Lush and romantic, with an authentic feel of place and period, Jefferies should have another hit on her hands here * Sunday Mirror *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''I was living in even greater circles of gangsterdom than I had dreamed, latitudes and longitudes of gangsterdom''It''s 1930''s New York and fifteen-year-old streetkid Billy, who can juggle, somersault and run like the wind, has been taken under the wing of notorious gangster Dutch Schultz. As Billy learns the ways of the mob, he becomes like a son to Schultz - his ''good-luck kid'' - and is initiated into a world of glamour, death and danger that will consume him, in this vivid, soaring epic of crime and betrayal.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER''Unforgettable'' Mary Beard''They cut her hair before they dragged her to the place of sacrifice. Her mouth was gagged to stop her cursing her father, her cowardly, two-tongued father. Nonetheless, they heard her muffled screams.''On the day of his daughter''s wedding, Agamemnon orders her sacrifice. His daughter is led to her death, and Agamemnon leads his army into battle, where he is rewarded with glorious victory. Three years later, he returns home and his murderous action has set the entire family - mother, brother, sister - on a path of intimate violence, as they enter a world of hushed commands and soundless journeys through the palace''s dungeons and bedchambers. As his wife seeks his death, his daughter, Electra, is the silent observer to the family''s game of innocence while his son, Orestes, is sent into bewildering, frightening exile where survival is far from certain. Out of their desolating loss, Electra and Orestes must find a way to right these wrongs of the past even if it means committing themselves to a terrible, barbarous act.House of Names is a story of intense longing and shocking betrayal. It is a work of great beauty, and daring, from one of our finest living writers.''A masterpeice'' Daily Telegraph''Devastatingly human ... hauntingly believable'' Guardian ''A celebration of what novels can do'' Observer Trade ReviewPart of Toibin's success comes down to the power of his writing: an almost unfaultable combination of artful restraint and wonderfully observed detail . . . Unforgettable -- Mary Beard * New York Times *A giant amongst storytellers, Toibin has thrown down the gauntlet with his latest novel . . . And it is a masterpiece -- Edith Hall * Daily Telegraph *A gorgeous stylist, Tóibín captures the subtle flutterings of consciousness better than any writer alive . . . Never before has Tóibín demonstrated such range, not just in tone but in action. He creates the arresting, hushed scenes for which he's so well known just as effectively as he whips up murders that compete, pint for spilled pint, with those immortal Greek playwrights * Washington Post *This is a novel about the way the members of a family keep secrets from one another, tell lies and make mistakes.. . * Literary Review *In a novel describing one of the Western world's oldest legends, in which the gods are conspicuous by their absence, Tóibín achieves a paradoxical richness of characterisation and a humanisation of the mythological, marking House Of Names as the superbly realised work of an author at the top of his game. * Daily Express *A spellbinding adaptation of the Clytemnestra myth, House of Names considers the Mycenaen queen in all her guises: grieving mother, seductress, ruthless leader - and victim of the ultimate betrayal. * Vogue *A haunting story, largely because Tóibín tells it in spare, resonant prose... -- Lucy Hughes-Hallett * New Statesman *A Greek House of Cards... Just like Heaney at the end of his Mycenae lookout, Toibin's novel augurs an era of renewal that comes directly from the cessation of hostilities. -- Fiona Macintosh * Irish Times *The book's mastery of pacing and tone affirm the writer as one of our finest at work today. -- John Boland * Irish Independent *A daring, and triumphant return, to the Oresteia... bleakly beautiful twilight of the Gods. -- Boyd Tonkin * The Arts Desk *It couldn't have been done better * Scotsman *A visceral reworking of Oresteia * Observer *The escalation of violence and desire for revenge has deliberate echoes of the Irish Troubles * Observer Books of the Year *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA beautiful Penguin Classics clothbound edition of Tolstoy''s magnificent epic novel of love, conflict, fate and human life in all its imperfection and grandeur At a glittering society party in St Petersburg in 1805, conversations are dominated by the prospect of war. Terror swiftly engulfs the country as Napoleon''s army marches on Russia, and the lives of three young people are changed forever. The stories of quixotic Pierre, cynical Andrey and impetuous Natasha interweave with a huge cast, from aristocrats and peasants to soldiers and Napoleon himself. In War and Peace, Tolstoy entwines grand themes - conflict and love, birth and death, free will and faith - with unforgettable scenes of nineteenth-century Russia, to create a magnificent epic of human life in all its imperfection and grandeur.Translated with an introduction and notes by Anthony Briggs, and with an afterword by Orlando Figes Anthony Briggs''s superb translation combines stirring, accessible prose with fidelity to Tolstoy''s original, while Orlando Figes''s afterword discusses the novel''s vast scope and depiction of Russian identity. This edition also contains appendices, notes, a list of prominent characters and maps.''A masterpiece ... This new translation is excellent'' - Anthony BeevorTrade ReviewA masterpiece ... this new translation is excellent -- Antony BeevorWar and Peace is like no other novel ... Tolstoy writes of both war and peace more marvellously than anyone else has done -- John Bayley * The Sunday Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA beautiful clothbound edition of Evelyn Waugh''s classic novel of duty and desire set against the backdrop of the faded glory of the English aristocracy in the run-up to the Second World War.The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh''s novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder''s infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian Flyte at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, Charles comes finally to recognise his spiritual and social distance from them.''Lush and evocative ... Expresses at once the profundity of change and the indomitable endurance of the human spirit''The TimesTrade Review“Waugh’s most deeply felt novel . . . Brideshead Revisited tells an absorbing story in imaginative terms . . . Mr. Waugh is very definitely an artist, with something like a genius for precision and clarity not surpassed by any novelist writing in English in his time.” –New York Times “A many-faceted book . . . Beautifully [written] by one of the most exhilarating stylists of our time.” –Newsweek “First and last an enchanting story . . . Brideshead Revisited has a magic that is rare in current literature. It is a world in itself, and the reader lives in it and is loath to leave it when the last page is turned.” –Saturday Review “Evelyn Waugh’s most successful novel . . . A memorable work of art.” –from the Introduction by Frank Kermode

Read more less

Book SynopsisA gorgeous clothbound edition of Woolf''s fantastical and enchanting novel, designed by the acclaimed Coralie-Bickford Smith. Orlando has always been an outsider...His longing for passion, adventure and fulfilment takes him out of his own time. Chasing a dream through the centuries, he bounds from Elizabethan England and imperial Turkey to the modern world. Will he find happiness with the exotic Russian Princess Sasha? Or is the dashing explorer Shelmerdine the ideal man? And what form will Orlando take on the journey - a nobleman, traveller, writer? Man or... woman?A wry commentary on gender and history, Orlando is also, in Woolf''s own words, a light-hearted ''writer''s holiday'' which delights in ambiguity and capriciousness. This clothbound Penguin edition is edited by Brenda Lyons with an introduction and notes by Sandra M. Gilbert. ''I read this book and believed it was a hallucinogenic, interactive biography of my own life and future''Tilda SwintonTrade ReviewA fantasy, impossible but delicious...an exuberance of life and wit * The Times Literary Supplement *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewCondé's story is rich and colorful and glorious. It sprawls over continents and centuries to find its way into the reader's heart -- Maya AngelouA stunning reaffirmation of Africa and its peoples... It's a starburst -- John A. WilliamsThe grand queen, the empress, of Caribbean literature -- Fiammetta Rocco * Guardian *Maryse Condé is an extraordinary storyteller who brings the history of an African kingdom alive as vividly as if it existed today. Suspenseful, shocking, panoramic and hugely engrossing, the novel explores the politics and impact of external and domestic forces on nineteenth century west Africa through wonderfully realised characters and their complicated relationships. This is a great novel: unputdownable and unforgettable -- Bernardine EvaristoIf there were no tools on a desert island, I would take Segu by Maryse Condé. This generational family saga has so many layers that I can read and reread it, in between figuring out how to build a raft -- Chibundu Onuzo * Time Out *Richly textured and detailed, this narrative, alternating between the lives of various characters, illuminates magnificently a little known historical period. Virtually every page glitters with nuggets of cultural fascination -- Howard Kaplan * Los Angeles Times *A wondrous novel about a period of African history few other writers have addressed -- Charles L. Larson * New York Times Book Review *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''This is Dinah Jefferies at her best'' Lucinda Riley-------------Ceylon, 1935. Louisa Reeve, the daughter of a successful British gem trader, and her husband Elliot, a charming, thrill-seeking businessman, seem like the couple who have it all. Except what they long for more than anything: a child.While Louisa struggles with miscarriages, Elliot is increasingly absent, spending much of his time at a nearby cinnamon plantation, overlooking the Indian ocean. After his sudden death, Louisa is left alone to solve the mystery he left behind. Revisiting the plantation at Cinnamon Hills, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn towards the owner Leo, a rugged outdoors man with a chequered past. The plantation casts a spell, but all is not as it seems. And when Elliot''s shocking betrayal is revealed, Louisa has only Leo to turn to...A sweeping, breath-taking story of love and betrayal from the Number One Sunday Times bestselling author ofTrade ReviewA sweeping tale, beautifully written in a wonderful setting, heart rending yet ultimately up lifting. Gorgeous. -- Katie FfordeThe sights, smells and atmosphere of Ceylon are beautifully depicted. This is Dinah Jefferies at her best. -- Lucinda RileyDinah Jefferies has a remarkable gift for conjuring up another time and place with lush descriptions, full of power and intensity. -- Kate FurnivallPacked with colour, history, atmosphere and plenty of twists and turns, this is a lush, escapist read * Sunday Express on 'Before the Rains' *My ideal read - I couldn't put it down -- Santa Montefiore on 'The Tea Planter's Wife'

Read more less

Book Synopsis''I always wanted to be friends with both my sisters. Perhaps that was the source, really, of all the troubles of my life...''It is the summer of 1938 and Phyllis Forrester has returned to England after years abroad. Moving into her sister''s grand country house, she soon finds herself entangled in a new world of idealistic beliefs and seemingly innocent friendships. Fevered talk of another war infiltrates their small, privileged circle, giving way to a thrilling solution: a great and charismatic leader, who will restore England to its former glory. At a party hosted by her new friends, Phyllis lets down her guard for a single moment, with devastating consequences. Years later, Phyllis, alone and embittered, recounts the dramatic events which led to her imprisonment and changed the course of her life forever.''Wonderfully subtle and compelling'' Linda Grant''Uncanny, evocative, atmospheric'' Sunday Times''Connolly is a Trade ReviewProfound and moving and completely original, with a storyline that is completely satisfying. It'll be one of those novels that stays in my mind forever... it's a work of art -- Craig BrownI finished it in two days flat and I've never read anything quite like it. Everything about the book rings true, politically, psychologically, and in period detail, from the sunny beginnings to the grim end -- Hilary SpurlingA wonderfully subtle and interesting account of the Mosley women, with a compelling voice -- Linda GrantWonderful, tragicomic... beautifully researched -- Kate Saunders * The Times *One of the best books published this year * The Lady *Uncanny, evocative.... Connolly skilfully sets scenes in pared yet atmospheric prose * Sunday Times *Connolly gives an object lesson in how to tell a story in a non-judgmental way. The result is a brave, engrossing and unexpectedly moving novel * Mail on Sunday *Polished and reflective... a salutary masterclass on the values that really matter * Country Life *This historical novel is an absorbing, nuanced look at extremism dressed up with social niceties and class privilege, and is sure to resonate today * Stylist *In her latest novel, Cressida Connolly expertly evokes a changing nation, and a woman whose life is altered forever * Vogue *Connolly [is] an unerring storyteller who excels at both period and place * Daily Mail *[A] virtuoso novel * Telegraph Magazine *A wonderfully acute writer -- Allison Pearson * Sunday Telegraph Summer Reads *Connolly has tremendous fun with her posh characters' class-obsessed milieu, but the privations of Holloway Prison, with its rope-thick dust, bone-chilling cold and maggoty food, are equally sharply drawn * Daily Mail Summer Reads *Deeply impressive.... quietly devastating tale of world affairs played out on an intimate scale * Metro *Connolly is a terrifically subtle writer... [she] slyly sweeps her readers into the period drama as tensions tauten between families and social classes * Daily Telegraph, Five Stars *Chilling * Spectator *Extraordinary, gripping... Exquisitely written with lyricism and a stiletto-sharp and humorous pen, Connolly takes on a subject which resonates powerfully with current politics -- Sofka Zinovieff * The Lady *Beautifully written... Connolly's perfect control of tone and detail makes this very compelling. Excellent * Evening Standard *Connolly's research is immaculate... well-imagined * The Times Saturday Review *In pared yet atmospheric prose, Connolly skilfully evokes the scents of an English summer and hedonistic parties * Sunday Times Culture *Connolly has an ear for how people really speak. It's the gift of a proper writer * Daily Telegraph *Cressida Connolly's flawless new novel After the Party, for all its darkness, seems suffused with the "soft, buttery" light of an English summer afternoon. But in June of 1938, infernal shadows lengthen. Ms. Connolly is a master, revealing character while sustaining an effect of lightness and ease. We follow Phyllis through an indolent prewar season beautifully conjured, often in heady, sensual detail. Ms. Connolly is too astute and compassionate a novelist to provide neat conclusions. The novel leaves us with the mysterious sense of having inhabited a time and a life whose emotional gravity holds us still. * Wall Street Journal *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewForty Days will invade your senses and keep the blood pounding. Once read, it will never be forgotten * The New York Times *In every sense a true and thrilling novel... It tells a story which it is almost one's duty as an intelligent human being to read. And one's duty here becomes one's pleasure also * New York Times Book Review *Werfel's book ... did more than the efforts of any diplomat, journalist, or historian to encourage speech about the unspeakable. It arrives today as a timely reminder that savagery thrives in silence * The Barnes and Noble Review *A crackling read. Symphonic in its handling of profound themes, respectful of its most vacillating characters, Werfel's novel is a grand and satisfying story about the necessities and difficulties of leadership * Booklist *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe final novel in the Great Plains trilogy, this is a celebration of the American midwest with Cather''s strongest heroine at its heartJim and Ántonia meets as children in the wide open plains of Nebraska at the end of the nineteenth century. Jim leaves for college and a career in the east, while Ántonia stays at home, dedicating herself to her farm and family. As the years roll by, Jim will come to view Ántonia as the embodiment of the prairie itself - tough, spirited and enduring, despite the hardness and loneliness of pioneer life. Willa Cather''s beautiful novel is a celebration of the Nebraskan prairie she loved she much, and a powerful depiction of a pivotal era in the making of America.Trade ReviewOne of the warmest, most quietly rousing books that I know; a clear-eyed salute to the resilience of the human spirit and the innate hardiness of the immigrants who came across the ocean to start afresh in the golden west -- Guardian * Xan Brooks *No romantic novel ever written in America, by man or woman, is one half so beautiful as My Ántonia -- H. L. MenckenCather was the first great American novelist to make the West - the real West, not the stuff of pulp fiction - her theme. She makes you see, smell, and feel the prairie * Slate *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Every step the Scarlet Pimpernel takes on French soil is fraught with danger''The French Terror is raging, and few are safe from the threat of the guillotine. Sir Percy Blakeney, a foppish Englishman, decides to rescue imprisoned aristocrats before they can be executed. Showing great daring and aided by a band of brave comrades, he disguises himself as the formidable Scarlet Pimpernel. But will his beautiful French wife Marguerite unwittingly prove his downfall? Baroness Orczy''s swashbuckling 1905 novel set the standard for all future tales of masked avengers and was later adapted into a famous stage play and several film versions.The Penguin English Library - collectable general readers'' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A warm and satisfying story'' My WeeklyFrom the author of The Liverpool Nightingales comes an uplifting and emotional tale, perfect for fans of Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey and Annie Groves. Is a mother''s love enough to protect her child? ___________Liverpool 1868.Shrouded in secrecy Alice Sampson gives birth to a beautiful baby girl.But the former nurse''s happiness is blighted by the knowledge that as a penniless, unwed mother, her future, and that of her child, can only be one of shame and disgrace.Then a knock at the door brings a miracle: she is invited to return to the Liverpool Royal Infirmary and her beloved ward.With the help of her friends and the welcome attentions of Reverend Seed, the hospital Chaplain, Alice slowly starts to rebuild her life.Everything is looking up, until her baby''s father unexpectedly shows up to claim the child he knTrade ReviewA warm and satisfying story * My Weekly *Praise for Kate Eastham * - *A heartwarming and tear-inducing tale with wonderfully realistic characters * Woman *Deftly written and moving * Woman's Own *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA stirring and inspiring story perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Call The Midwife Heartbroken but determined, Maud Linklater returns to her hometown of Liverpool intent on healing the sick and building a new life for herself and her son, Alfie Liverpool 1872After spending time training at the Infirmary for Women in New York, Maud can''t wait to put her new-found skills to the test. But in a city built and run by men she must work hard to be accepted.Whilst her nurse friends welcome her back with open arms there are others who do not wish her well, including the spiteful Nancy Sellers.Nancy resented Maud''s talents as a nurse and seeing her arrive back with such fanfare puts her nose firmly out of joint. She will stop at nothing to sabotage Maud''s life and soon turns her attention to those Maud holds most dear.Maud Linklater is made of strong stuff. But as she resettles back into life in her hometown, can she overcome any obstacle Nancy, and Liverpool, might throw her way?Praise for Kate Eastham ''Deftly written and moving'' Woman''s Own''A heart-warming and tear-inducing tale with wonderfully realistic characters'' WomanDiscover other books in The Nursing Series: Miss Nightingale''s Nurses, The Liverpool Nightingale''s and Daughters of Liverpool.Trade ReviewPraise for Kate Eastham * - *Deftly written and moving * Woman's Own *A heartwarming and tear-inducing tale with wonderfully realistic characters * Woman *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review'I read this book and believed it was a hallucinogenic, interactive biography of my own life and future' -- Tilda SwintonA book that refuses all constraints: historical, fantastical, metaphysical, sociological -- Jeanette Winterson * New Statesman *A fantasy, impossible but delicious ... an exuberance of life and wit * The Times Literary Supplement *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A fantasy, impossible but delicious ... an exuberance of life and wit'' The Times Literary SupplementFirst masculine, then feminine, Orlando begins life as a young sixteenth-century nobleman, then gallops through the centuries to end up as a woman writer in Virginia Woolf''s own time. Written for the charismatic, bisexual writer Vita Sackville-West, this playful mock biography of a chameleon-like historical figure is both a wry commentary on gender and, in Woolf''s own words, a ''writer''s holiday'' which delights in its ambiguity and capriciousness.Edited by Brenda Lyons with an Introduction and Notes by Sandra M. GilbertTrade ReviewA fantasy, impossible but delicious...an exuberance of life and wit * The Time Literary Supplement *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A novel of love, war and death; brilliantly entertaining and far ahead of its time'' Guardian ''She is my husband''s mistress - and here am I, taking her out to dinner''Sophia Willoughby of Blandamer House, upstanding Victorian matriarch, has packed her errant husband off to Paris with his mistress Minna. But when tragedy throws her life off balance Sophia goes to seek him out, and instead finds herself intensely attracted to the charismatic, bohemian Minna, who leads her on a wild, chaotic adventure through a city in the throes of revolution.''One of the great under-read British novelists of the twentieth century. This is my favourite of her novels'' Sarah Waters''Every page contains something brilliant, arresting or amusing, and one comes away from it staggered'' Claire HarmanTrade ReviewSylvia Townsend Warner has to be one of the great under-read British novelists of the twentieth century. This, my favourite of her novels, has a disaffected Victorian wife falling for her husband's charismatic mistress, and discovering revolutionary politics along the way -- Sarah WatersIt's a wildly leftist novel of love, war and death; Townsend Warner chucks the lot into her simmering story, but it remains skilfully crafted. Brilliantly entertaining and far ahead of its time * Guardian *With insight, malice, exquisiteness; in its wit, its instinct for style, its drawing-room urbanities, it will suggest at one time or another the work of a Rebecca West, a Virginia Woolf, an Elinor Wylie * The New York Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith a new introduction by Polly Samson, Sunday Times bestselling author of A THEATRE FOR DREAMERS ''Gorgeous... the written equivalent of lying in the sun eating figs'' India Knight, Sunday Times''That summer we bought big straw hats. Maria''s had cherries around the rim, Infanta''s had forget-me-nots, and mine had poppies as red as fire. . .''Three Summers is a warm and tender tale of three sisters growing up in the countryside near Athens before the Second World War. Living in a ramshackle old house with their divorced mother are flirtatious, hot-headed Maria, beautiful but distant Infanta, and dreamy and rebellious Katerina, through whose eyes the story is mostly observed. Over three summers, the girls share and keep secrets, fall in and out of love, try to understand the strange ways of adults and decide what kind of adults they hope to become.''The sun has disappeared from books these days... You are one of Trade ReviewThe written equivalent of lying in the sun eating figs. I liked it much more than Elena Ferrante's books, but that's the general ballpark, except jollier. As Polly Samson writes in the preface, it brings to mind I Capture the Castle. Gorgeous -- India Knight * Sunday Times *A dreamy modernist gem of a novel... elegant and striking * Publishers Weekly *A dreamy, cinematic tapestry of Greek village life * NPR *A leisurely, large-hearted coming-of-age novel, earthy and innocent, nostalgic and beautifully rendered * Kirkus *We must be grateful to the Penguin European Writers series, a precious venture in these dark times -- John BanvilleThe sun has disappeared from books these days... You are one of those who pass it on -- Albert Camus to Margarita LiberakiDrifting blossom, girlish secrets and lantern-lit dances pervade the 1946 Greek classic Three Summers, by Margarita Liberaki, featuring three sisters on the brink of adulthood on a pre-civil-war country estate at Kifi ssia, outside Athens. Just reissued, this innocent gem is often compared to Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle * Country & Townhouse *With its sensuous prose, nostalgic charm, playful humour and evocation of burgeoning sexuality, this novel is the literary equivalent of a sun-soaked holiday in Greece * CultureWhisper *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''She has a talent amounting to genius'' John UpdikeDon Juan, that notorious libertine, has disappeared. Has he been dragged down to hell by demons, as rumoured - or has he escaped? Doña Ana, the woman he tried to seduce, will stop at nothing to discover the truth. Set in a rural eighteenth-century Spain rife with suspicion and cruelty, and featuring a glorious cast of peasants, aristocrats and vengeful ghosts, this moving, surprising tragicomedy is also Sylvia Townsend Warner''s response to the dark days of the Spanish Civil War.''The kind of novelist who inspires an intense sense of ownership in her fans'' Sarah WatersTrade ReviewShe has a talent amounting to genius -- John UpdikeOne of our most idiosyncratic, courageous and versatile writers -- Hermione Lee

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A comic masterpiece'' Patrick Gale, GuardianPillar of society and stern upholder of Victorian values, god-fearing Norfolk merchant John Barnard presides over a large and largely unhappy family. This is their story - his brandy-swilling wife, their hapless offspring and their changing fortunes - over the decades. Sylvia Townsend Warner''s last novel, The Flint Anchor gloriously overturns our ideas of history, family and storytelling itself.''A novel created with solidity and subtlety of feeling, a fusion of warmth, wit and quietly biting shrewdness that are reminiscent of Jane Austen'' Atlantic Review''As a sustained work of historical imagination, it has few rivals ... one of the most acute and intelligent writers of her age'' Claire HarmanTrade ReviewA novel created with solidity and subtlety of feeling, a fusion of warmth, wit and quietly biting shrewdness that are reminiscent of Jane Austen * Atlantic Review *One of our most idiosyncratic, courageous and versatile writers -- Hermione Lee

Read more less

Book Synopsis ''The kind of novelist who inspires an intense sense of ownership in her fans ... her sympathies tended naturally to the marginal, the vulnerable, the exploited, the obscure'' Sarah WatersSukey Bond, a sixteen-year-old orphan, is sent to work as a servant at a farm on the remote Essex Marshes. There she falls in love with gentle, unworldly Eric, the son of the rector''s wife, only for them to be separated when their relationship is discovered. But nothing will deter Sukey in her quest to be reunited with her true love, even if it means seeking the help of Queen Victoria herself.''One of our most idiosyncratic, courageous and versatile writers'' Hermione Lee ''One can''t be too thankful that Miss Townsend Warner has lived to discover the alchemist''s secret of transmuting the past into pure gold'' Hilary SpurlingTrade ReviewThe kind of novelist who inspires an intense sense of ownership in her fans ... though entirely without sentimentality, her sympathies tended naturally to the marginal, the vulnerable, the exploited, the obscure -- Sarah WatersOne of our most idiosyncratic, courageous and versatile writers -- Hermione Lee

Read more less