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 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 *
£13.85
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
£9.49
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.
£15.10
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 *
£13.85
Random House Strawberry Fields
Book SynopsisKatie Flynn is the pen name of the much-loved writer, Judy Turner, who published over ninety novels in her lifetime. Judy's unique stories were inspired by hearing family recollections of life in Liverpool during the early twentieth century, and her books went on to sell more than eight million copies. Judy passed away in January 2019, aged 82.The legacy of Katie Flynn lives on through her daughter, Holly Flynn, who continues to write under the Katie Flynn name. Holly worked as an assistant to her mother for many years and together they co-authored a number of Katie Flynn novels.Holly lives in the north east of Wales with her husband Simon and their two children. When she's not writing she enjoys walking her two dogs, Sparky and Tara, in the surrounding countryside, and cooking forbidden foods such as pies, cakes and puddings! She looks forward to sharing many more Katie Flynn stories, which she and her mother devised together, with readers in the years to come.
£15.29
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 *
£9.49
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. . .
£8.54
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 *
£9.49
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
£15.29
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 *
£8.54
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 *
£15.29
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 *
£8.54
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 *
£8.54
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 *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Group Portrait With Lady
Book SynopsisDepicting German life from WW1 until the early 1970s, Boll''s novel follows Leni Pfeiffer and her illegitimate son, Lev, as they fight against the demolition of their Cologne apartment building.
£15.29
Random House The Twelve Children of Paris
Book SynopsisTim Willocks is a novelist, screenwriter and producer. Translated into twenty languages, his novels include The Religion, Bad City Blues, Green River Rising and Twelve Children of Paris. He has worked with major Hollywood directors, dined at the White House and holds a black belt in Shotokan karate.Trade ReviewA brilliant novel, thrilling and mysterious with a suspense hard to bear * Historical Novel Society *Gripping reading * Good Book Guide *There is much to recommend this book. -- Kathy Stevenson * Daily Mail *Do you have a Game of Thrones-shaped hole in your life? Tim Willocks’s brutal but highly intelligent follow-up to The Religion may not be fantasy but it’s a thrilling epic that will satisfy even the most bloodthirsty reader’s appetite for gore, intrigue and religious fanaticism * Metro *Willocks pulls no punches in his descriptions of the bloodletting and terror… This is definitely one for those with a far stronger stomach than mine * Daily Mail *
£17.09
Cornerstone The Wedding Gift
Book SynopsisMarlen Suyapa Bodden is a lawyer at The Legal Aid Society in New York City - the nation's oldest law firm for low-wage and immigrant workers - and an anti-war, anti-slavery, and anti-death penalty activist. She drew on her knowledge of modern and historical human rights abuses to write The Wedding Gift, her first novel and an international Wall Street Journal bestseller. Bodden is a graduate of New York University School of Law and Tufts University. She now lives in Connecticut with her husband.Visit www.marlenbodden.com for the history behind The Wedding Gift in photographs, illustrations, maps, and a bibliography. Follow her on Facebook at /marlensuyapabodden and Twitter @marlenbodden.Trade ReviewBodden’s absorbing page-turner maintains its suspense right up to the final pages, when there’s one last surprise for those hoping for a happy ending. * Sunday Express *A powerful and engaging tale of slavery, passion and the quest for freedom. * www.candis.co.uk *Stunning debut...Bodden weaves a page-turning tangled web of misogyny, greed, scandal and violence in this powerful story about races colliding against the backdrop of America's darkest era. * Publisher's Weekly starred review *As educational as it is compelling...Bodden writes with delicacy...An inspiring read for historical fiction fans, especially those who like strong female narrators. * Booklist *Sure to become 2013's sleeper hit... * Ebony Magazine *
£8.54
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 *
£9.49
Cornerstone The Medici Mirror
Book SynopsisI have heard, but not believed, the spirits of the dead may walk again'A hidden roomWhen architect Johnny Carter is asked to redesign a long-abandoned Victorian shoe factory, he discovers a hidden room deep in the basement. A dark, sinister room, which contains a sixteenth-century Venetian mirror.A love in dangerJohnny has a new love, Ophelia, in his life. But as the pair's relationship develops and they begin to explore the mystery surrounding the mirror, its malign influence threatens to envelop and destroy them. A secret history The mirror's heritage dates back to the sixteenth century, and the figure of Catherine de Medici betrayed wife, practitioner of the occult, and known as the Black Queen. The Medici Mirror is a haunting story of jealousy, obsession, and murder, perfect for fans of Kate Mosse and Barbara Erskine; a story about the ability of the past to influence the present and of lTrade ReviewA wonderful piece of storytelling... with fantastic characters and a thrilling denouement. I highly recommend this to fans of the ghostly, the historical and the time-slip. * Lisa Reads Books *This is a brilliant novel and an impressive debut. I really look forward to reading Melissa Bailey's next book and would rate this as a five star read. * Book Babblers *This is a wonderful book that will haunt you long after you finish it. * Brighton & Hove Independent *Melissa Bailey is a wonderful talent... the words flow and the story is beautifully crafted... For a magnificent and atmospheric blend of old and new, past and present, along with the odd death thrown in for good measure, The Medici Mirror will not disappoint. * Milo Rambles *If you like spooky, sexy mysteries with a historical flavour then The Medici Mirror is for you. Melissa Bailey is undoubtedly a name we will all become familiar with. * Byte the Book *clever variation of a time-slip novel...recommended * Historical Novel Society *The Medici Mirror is a dark book that explores the themes of revenge, jealousy, betrayal, death, yearning, vulnerability and love. As a debut novel it’s a strong well-rounded book and if you’re a fan of ghost stories it’s well worth a read. * Culturefly *
£11.99
Cornerstone Hunting the Eagles
Book SynopsisFrom ''the rising star of historical fiction'' (Wilbur Smith) a new Eagles of Rome novel, by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Eagles at War.JUSTICE , HONOUR, REVENGE AD 14: Five long years have passed since the annihilation of three legions in the wilds of Germania. Demoted, battle-scarred and hell-bent on revenge, Centurion Tullus and his legionaries begin their fightback. Ranged against them is the charismatic chieftan Arminius, determined to crush the Romans for a second time. Convinced that the eagle belonging to his old legion is close at hand, Tullus drives ever deeper into enemy lands. But with Arminius and his warriors closing in on the Romans, a murderous battle is about to beginTrade ReviewThe portrayal of the characters was sublime. Totally believable. The battle scenes were vivid and were very real in the telling. It was like being there, without the threat of being brutally maimed or killed, of course!...Eagles at War is now definitely on my 'to be read' list. * Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots *Kept me riveted to the page for every word. You will honestly struggle to find any more real characters in any Roman book. I highly recommend this and all Ben Kane’s books, if you have not read his work… why?? please go do so. * Parmenion Books *A triumph * Sunday Express *Excellent…another compelling, dark tale * The Times *Hunting the Eagles is a fantastic novel, a triumph of Roman historical fiction, as thrilling as you could ask for, while still showing how complicated the situation was, how frenzied, on the borders of the empire. The setting is so well done. Ben Kane’s thorough research into the period, warfare and the location really pays off. Hunting the Eagles is not only a terrific follow up to Eagles of War, one of the best books of 2015 in my opinion, but also superb in its own right. * For Winter Nights *This brutal and bloody book should be at the top of your must-read list * CultureFly ‘6 Must Read Books for Autumn’ *Kane puts you right in fighting slog…it’s blood and bravery all the way * Northern Echo *A thundering second book in the series from a master storyteller * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *
£9.49
Cornerstone An Officer and a Spy
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 fact that this novel is seriously riveting is a testament to Robert Harris's storytelling power; he conjures knuckle-blanching suspense from a very well-known piece of history. * The Times *Harris’ retelling of the Dreyfus case is as taut and exciting as anything by Forsyth or Follet. * Guardian *Menace and suspense twist tight in a narrative of tremendous tension. * Sunday Times *Superb . . . Harris demonstrates his unique ability to recreate historical events and turn them into spellbinding thriller . . . Written with scalpel-like precision and the elegance we expect of Harris, there is a passion here that justifies calling it a masterpiece. * Daily Mail *A brilliant retelling of a scandal that became one of the most famous miscarriages of justice . . . the most gripping book I've read this year. * Mail on Sunday *
£9.49
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 *
£7.99
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 *
£8.54
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
£16.71
Random House UK Always in my Heart The Cliffehaven Series 5
Book SynopsisAs the Japanese begin their assault on Singapore, Sarah Fuller is forced to leave her parents and fiance, Philip, behind. The long journey to England is fraught with danger, and Sarah and her sister Jane don't even know if their great-aunt is alive, let alone waiting for them.Trade ReviewTHE FIFTH CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANUnited by love, separated by war . . . As the Japanese begin their assault on Singapore, Sarah Fuller is forced to leave her parents and fiancé, Philip, behind. * from the publisher's description *
£17.09
Cornerstone Some Lucky Day
Book SynopsisTHE SEVENTH CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANMay 1942. War can bring hope as well s heart ache . . . Kitty Pargeter loves the life she's leading as a talented young pilot, serving her country. But tragedy strikes when she is forced to crash-land and is badly injured. She is taken to a specialist hospital in Cliffehaven, where she must come to terms with the disabling injury that threatens her career. Then comes the shattering news that her beloved brother has been shot down and presumed dead. And she wonders if she'll able to find the courage and fortitude to carry on.As Kitty slowly recovers with the help of Peggy Reilly and her family at Beach View boarding house she is more determined than ever to return to the job she loves, whatever it takes.A fabulous, heart-warming Second World War novel in Ellie Dean''s bestselling Cliffehaven series (previously called the Beach View Boarding HousTrade ReviewTHE SEVENTH CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEANMay 1942. War can bring hope as well s heart ache . . . Kitty Pargeter loves the life she’s leading as a talented young pilot, serving her country. But tragedy strikes when she is forced to crash-land and is badly injured. * from the publisher's description *
£16.14
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 *
£9.49
Cornerstone Kingmaker Broken Faith
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 Mantel''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 MantelOctober, 1463England is a divided nation. In the north, the Lancastrian king struggles to hold power, while in the south, the princes of the house of York prepare for war.Across this land, pursued by the Church and the Law, a young man, Thomas, and a young woman, Katherine, make their way, bearing proof of a secret both sides will kill to learn.Bent on revenge for a past outrage, Thomas and Katherine journey to the mighty castle of Bamburgh to join a weakening king as he marshals his army to take up arms in one of the most savage civil wars in history: the Wars of the Roses.Trade ReviewToby Clements is an exceptionally good writer. His debut was a tour de force. His second novel outdoes that, bringing new depth to his characters, and continuing his vivid, blood-soaked insight into the real, grim, ghastly, and occasionally glorious human cost of the Wars of the Roses. This is history in the raw: powerful, potent stuff, always real, but always gloriously unpredictable. This is a gem of a book, one of my must-reads for this year. * Manda Scott *This is a miserable, vicious world, vividly recreated by Clements. Immersive historical fiction at its best. * The Times *The book glides along effortlessly, it’s a simple excellent love story, bursting with action, intrigue and history. a real contender for book of the year. * Parmenion Books *It's raw and heart-rending… A searing narrative that will definitely stay with you after you've closed the book. * Fantasy Smorgasboard *It's raw and heart-rending… A searing narrative that will definitely stay with you after you've closed the book. * Fantasy Smorgasboard *
£9.49
Cornerstone Jeeves and the Wedding Bells
Book SynopsisSebastian Faulks has written nineteen books, of which A Week in December and The Fatal Englishman were number one in the Sunday Times bestseller lists. He is best known for Birdsong, part of his French trilogy, and Human Traces, the first in an ongoing Austrian trilogy. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a journalist on national papers. He has also written screenplays and has appeared in small roles on stage. He lives in London.Trade ReviewIt is a wonderfully happy book. * Guardian *This light-hearted romp is delightfully witty, packed with puns and boasts a few phrases that Wodehouse himself would have deemed top-hole. Splendid stuff. * Sunday Mirror *The finished product resembles, in all but cover, a traditional Wodehousian yarn. Harking back to the summer of 1926, it is a gentle, jolly tale – of farce and mistaken identity, of love lost and found, of cricket matches, village fetes and the eccentric upper classes. * Telegraph *At two memorable moments in Jeeves and the Wedding Bells I did indeed laugh until I cried… Jeeves and the Wedding Bells is a masterpiece… This is a pitch-perfect undertaking: proof, almost a century after his debut, that Jeeves may not be so inimitable after all. * Spectator *The plot is satisfyingly convoluted in the best Wodehouse tradition . . . A genuine addition to my growing Wodehouse collection and there is no higher tribute. * Daily Express *He catches the Wodehousean idiom, periphrasis, surreal similes and bally silliness to a T, all done with love. Please commission a dozen more, Hutchinson. * Literary Review *From the first page of Sebastian Faulks’s entirely delightful book . . . we are transported to Wodehouse land. All the details, of plot, of character, and of setting, are lovingly drawn. The hours spent reading Jeeves and the Wedding Bells are pure pleasure. * Financial Times *Faulks has caught the mood and the dialogue perfectly * Sunday Express *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Sense and Sensibility
Book SynopsisElinor is as prudent as her sister Marianne is impetuous. Each must learn from the other after they are they are forced by their father's death to leave their home and enter into the contests of polite society.Trade ReviewJane Austen is the pinnacle to which all other authors aspire -- J.K. RowlingJane Austen is my favourite author -- E.M. ForsterThe technique of [Jane Austen's novels] is beyond praise.... Her mastery of the art she chose, or that chose her, is complete -- Elizabeth BowenThe wit of Jane Austen has for partner the perfection of her taste -- Virginia WoolfI am a great admirer of Jane Austen -- Alexander McCall Smith
£8.54
Cornerstone Band Of Brothers
Book SynopsisRichard Bolitho returns in this captivating page-turner set on the high seas from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent. Fans of Patrick O''Brian and C.S. Forester will not be disappointed!''One of our foremost writers of naval fiction'' - THE SUNDAY TIMES''Good characters, good story, good action.'' -- ***** Reader review''Leaves you wanting more'' -- ***** Reader review''Every ''Kent'' book is a joy to read, immersing you in this bygone era of seafaring.'' -- ***** Reader review''Just good nautical escape-ism, with a solid basis in history.'' -- ***** Reader review''Band Of Brothers is a classic Kent/Bolitho epic which I hardly put down for days until it was reluctantly finished.'' -- ***** Reader review**********************************************************************************1774: The new year seems to offer Richard Bolitho and his friend Marty
£9.49
Random House With Blood And Iron
Book SynopsisDouglas Reeman did convoy duty in the navy in the Atlantic, the Arctic, and the North Sea. He has written over thirty novels under his own name and more than twenty bestselling historical novels featuring Richard Bolitho under the pseudonym Alexander Kent.
£14.39
Cornerstone The Last Raider
Book SynopsisMulti-million copy bestselling author Douglas Reeman will take you right to the heart of the action in this page-turner of a historical adventure novel. Laden with tension, explosive developments and unforgettable battle scenes, this is perfect for fans of Clive Cussler, Bernard Cornwell and Wilbur Smith.''One of our foremost writers of naval fiction'' - Sunday Times''Masterly storytelling'' - The Times''Gripping and a book you just can not put down...'' -- ***** Reader review''An edge-of-your-seat story'' - ***** Reader review''Highly recommended'' -- ***** Reader review********************************************************************December 1917: Germany opens the final, bitter round of the war with a new and deadly weapon in the struggle for the seas - the Vulcan.When she sails from Kiel Harbour, she is, to all appearances, a harmless merchant vessel
£10.44
Cornerstone For My Countrys Freedom
Book SynopsisAlexander Kent is the author of twenty-seven acclaimed books featuring Richard Bolitho. Under his own name, Douglas Reeman, and in the course of a career spanning forty-five years, he has written over thirty novels and two non-fiction books.Trade ReviewShipwreck, survival... a spirited battle... a splendid yarn * Times *One of our foremost writers of naval fiction * Sunday Times *
£9.49
Cornerstone A Tradition of Victory
Book SynopsisWith the epic scenes of action, powerful characterisation and the authentic period detail that we have come to expect from multi-million copy seller Alexander Kent, this all-action naval adventure is perfect for fans of Patrick O''Brian and C. S. Forester. You''ll be hooked from page one!''One of our foremost writers of naval fiction'' -- Sunday Times''Shipwreck, survival ... a spirited battle ... a splendid yarn'' -- The Times''I recommend it to anyone who liked Sharp, Hornblower and Master and Commander...this series is the daddy!'' -- ***** Reader review''This whole series of books is brilliant.'' -- ***** Reader review''The story line was gripping, felt the sea in my face and guns in my ears'' -- ***** Reader review''These books by Alexander Kent are very well written. I find them riveting and always find myself engrossed coTrade ReviewOne of our foremost writers of naval fiction * Sunday Times *Shipwreck, survival ... a spirited battle ... a splendid yarn * The Times *
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Cornerstone Bright Air Black
Book SynopsisIn brilliant poetic prose Bright Air Black brings us aboard the ship Argo for its epic return journey across the Black Sea from Persia's Colchis where Medea flees her home and father with Jason, the Argonauts, and the Golden Fleece. Vann's reimagining of this ancient tale offers a thrilling, realist alternative to the long held notions of Medea as monster or sorceress. We witness with dramatic urgency Medea's humanity, her Bronze Age roots and position in Greek society, her love affair with Jason, and her tragic demise. Atmospheric and spellbinding, Bright Air Black is an indispensable, fresh and provocative take on one of our earliest texts and the most intimate and corporal version of Medea's story ever told.Trade ReviewThis Medea is intelligent and cynical, slighted by a husband and her gender. She is a woman who craves revenge for the fate of being born a woman and thus rendered powerless in a world ruled by men. Vann strips away the softer parts of Medea’s character as ruthlessly as Medea slits throats ... The centrepiece of Bright Air Black is the butchering of Pelias, a long and magnificently gruesome scene, described in stomach-churning detail ... Vann leaves us with the troubling paradox that murderous Medea is also a devoted mother ... Vann evokes this visceral, sensual, brutal world of warring city states, capricious gods and fragile human agency in a fractured prose style, reminiscent of ancient Greek drama and poetry. Short poetic phrases pile up, fall away, stop short. Powerful internal rhythms build and subside, like the waves the Argonauts sail over ... The time and the place may be very different from his previous novels, but Bright Air Black shares the same central structure of a searing family drama set against a backdrop of untamed nature … At the heart of this ambitious, dazzling, disturbing and memorable novel lies the uneasy juxtaposing of the wild and the civilised, and the complex, shifting relationship between the two. -- Rebecca Abrams * Financial Times *[Vann’s] genius lies in his ability to blow away all the elegance and toga-clad politeness that have grown like a crust around our idea of ancient Greece and to reveal the bare bones of the Archaic period in all their bloody, reeking nastiness. * The Times *Bright Air Black is a poetic fever dream, beautiful and unflinchingly primal. A vivid and forceful retelling of Medea’s famous story. -- Madeline Miller, author of 'The Song of Achilles'[David Vann] allows Medea to devour him and his readers: to read his book is to be swallowed down into her mad mind … Her wonder at the sea, and the way its water buoys her up, prompts a beautiful passage … Vann is indebted to poets, and he grants himself great poetic licence in his handling of syntax … Vivid, often appalling, sometimes piercingly sad and frequently striking. -- Lucy Hughes-Hallett * New Statesman *A retelling of an ancient tale, a retouched portrait of one of mythology’s most enthralling and notorious women, Medea … (Vann) gives us a ringside seat to a blood-soaked, viscera-dripping gore-fest. Vann gives us a fresh slant on an early myth, an up-close and in-depth character study. From the outset, his drama unfolds in prose that is both atmospheric and electrifying … Vann’s content can be grim but his language has beauty and poise … [A] stunning depiction of one of mythology’s most complex characters … The tale is also one of great power and intensity. Bright Air Black possesses the same potency. Its dark energy shocks us and shakes us, yet it is impossible to pull away. * The Australian *
£9.49
Cornerstone If Not for You
Book SynopsisSometimes, just one person can change your whole world...If not for her loving but controlling parents, Beth might never have taken charge of her life. If not for her friend Nichole, Beth would never have met Sam Carney a tattooed mechanic who is her conservative parents'' worst nightmare. And if not for Sam who witnessed a terrible accident and rushed to her aid Beth might have never survived and fallen in love. Yet there are skeletons in Sam''s closet that prevent him from ever trusting a woman again. Will he be able to overcome his past and fight for love?Trade ReviewThis story is filled with Debbie’s trademark warmth, empathy and understanding … a positive, heart-warming read, just perfect for spring * One More Page *The novel jumps straight into the action and has plenty of twists and turns to keep you occupied. Definitely worth a read * Frost Magazine *Debbie Macomber’s skill is in weaving a tale to keep us guessing to the last page. * The People’s Friend *It will keep you guessing. * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *Yet another fabulous book from this author. They just seem to get better. Roll on the next one * Mojo Mums blog *
£14.70
Cornerstone Twelve Days of Christmas
Book SynopsisA festive story from Debbie Macomber, international bestselling author of the Cedar Cove and Rose Harbor series.Julia is infuriated by her grumpy neighbour, Cain, who can't even be pleasant when they bump into each other.So on the suggestion of her best friend, Cammie, Julia concocts a plan. She starts a blog in order to clinch her perfect job, and now she has a subject. Over the next twelve days, she is going to kill Cain with kindness and Christmas cheer and document it for all to read about.But as the experiment goes on, Julia realises she underestimated the effect it would have on Cain, and on their relationship, and things take an unexpected turnTrade ReviewMacomber’s celebrated warmth and flair for storytelling make this a fun holiday frolic. -- Theresa ParkRead, enjoy and forget the worries of making it a perfect Christmas * Frost Magazine *Full of festive spirit … a light, feel-good novel that breezes past all too soon. ***** * People’s Friend *With plenty of fun and light-heartedness, Twelve Days of Christmas is a festive read about the power of kindness and compassion. * Culture Fly *A warm winter tale * My Weekly *
£14.39
Vintage Publishing The Dust that Falls from Dreams
Book SynopsisA return to the epic romance, heroism, history and warm and eccentric cast of characters that made CAPTAIN CORELLI''S MANDOLIN such an extraordinary hit (2.5 million copies sold). The very first adventure with flying ace and war hero Daniel Pitt.In the brief golden years before the outbreak of World War I, Rosie McCosh and her three very different sisters are growing up in an eccentric household in Kent, with their neighbours the Pitt boys on one side and the Pendennis boys on the other. But their days of childhood adventure are shadowed by the approach of the conflict that will engulf them on the cusp of adulthood.When the boys end up scattered along the Western Front, Rosie is left confused by her love for two young men - one an infantry soldier and one the flying ace Daniel Pitt. Can she, and her sisters, build new lives out of the opportunities and devastations that follow the Great War?For more adventures with flying ace Daniel Pitt, seTrade Review"A feast of a novel ... This book is very much a hit" -- John Sutherland The Times "Louis de Bernieres is in the direct line that runs through Dickens and Evelyn Waugh... he has only to look into his world, one senses, for it to rush into reality, colours and touch and taste" Evening Standard "This, [De Bernieres]' eighth novel, proves that he can and is still producing Good Things" -- Fiona Wilson The Times "A richly rewarding read" -- Vanessa Berridge Daily Express "De Bernieres is an astute observer of the human heart, and his account of an idealistic young woman learning to live in the real world is beautifully observed" Mail on Sunday
£9.49
Cornerstone Nightingales at War
Book SynopsisAs the war takes its toll, the Nightingale nurses must do their bit for king and country... Dora is the devoted mother of twin babies but, determined to help the war effort, she goes back to work at the Nightingale Hospital. More used to nights out in the West End, Jennifer and Cissy volunteer in the hope of tending to handsome soldiers.
£8.54
Cornerstone Nightingales Under the Mistletoe
Book SynopsisChristmas 1941 and the nurses at the Nightingale are facing their toughest winter yet.With shortages everywhere, and every news bulletin announcing more defeats and losses, the British people are weary and demoralised and The Nightingale Hospital is suffering too. Millie is recently widowed and dealing with the demands of her family's estate. It's not long before her old world of The Nightingale begins to beckon, along with a long-lost loveJess is struggling with her move from East London to the quiet of the countryside.Effie finds herself exiled to a quiet village, but the quiet doesn't last for long as she soon finds excitement in the shape of a smooth-talking GI. As Christmas approaches, even the shelter of the countryside can't protect the girls from heartache. Trade ReviewIt was a perfect winter read as I sat in front of a roaring fire, mug of tea and a box of choccies to hand. I was soon deep in the world of nurses and country living. The characters are likeable and realistic and the author strikes a perfect balance between the hard, grudging work that nurses do and the camaraderie that comes from pulling together. It doesn’t shy away from the awfulness of war but deals with it in a way that’s informative without being too upsetting and certainly made me wonder at the bravery of people during those trying times. That said there is humour and warmth on every page. * Frost *great story-telling * Choice Magazine *Written in a heart-warming and easy-going style, it is a perfect book to curl up with on a winter’s afternoon. * Nursing Standard *Written in a heart-warming and easy-going style, it is a perfect book to curl up with on a winter’s afternoon’ 5* review * Nursing Standard *
£8.99
Cornerstone Russka
Book SynopsisIn this vast and gorgeous tapestry of a novel, serf and master, Cossack and tsar, priest and Jew are brought together in a family saga which unrolls through centuries of history to reveal that most impenetrable and mysterious of lands - Russia.Trade ReviewIt is a series of ingeniously linked short novels, with a great deal of history painlessly delievered ... a very good read indeed * The Times *Even textured, with just the right amount of spice, it is the literary equivalent of hot cakes * Sunday Telegraph *Rewarding reading ... an engrossing story. The novel manages to capture and convey the vastness of Mother Russia, her story and her potential * Boston Sunday Herald *What's impressive about Russka is Edward Rutherfurd's audacity - and his erudition * Washington Post *Impressive . . . Rutherfurd has indeed embraced all of Russia * The Washington Post *
£13.49
Vintage Publishing Jazz
Book SynopsisToni Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. She was the author of many novels, including The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, Paradise and Love. She received the National Book Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize for her fiction and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honour, in 2012 by Barack Obama. Toni Morrison died on 5 August 2019 at the age of eighty-eight.Trade ReviewA great storyteller * Guardian *Jazz blazes with an intensity more usually found in tragic poetry of the past, not in fiction today.... Morrison's voice transcends colour and creed and she has become one of America's outstanding post-war writers... A great storyteller, her characters have amazing and terrible pasts - they must find them out, or be haunted by them * Guardian *Morrison’s writing of a black romance pays its debt to blues music, the rhythms and the melancholy pleasures of which she has so magically transformed into a novel * London Review of Books *The author conjures up worlds with complete authority and makes no secret of her angst at the injustices dealt to black women * New York Times Book Review *Wonderful... A brilliant, daring novel... Every voice amazes * Chicago Tribune *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Beloved
Book SynopsisToni Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. She was the author of many novels, including The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, Paradise and Love. She received the National Book Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize for her fiction and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honour, in 2012 by Barack Obama. Toni Morrison died on 5 August 2019 at the age of eighty-eight.Trade Review'Toni Morrison was a giant of her times and ours... Beloved is a heartbreaking testimony to the ongoing ravages of slavery, and should be read by all'‘I adored her honesty. I admired the way she occupied her space in the world. I believed her’‘[Toni Morrison] led and we followed, and she showed us the beauty of the language, and the power that was unleashed when that beauty was allied to a great heart and a ferocious mind’‘No other writer in my lifetime, or perhaps ever, has married so completely an understanding of the structures of power with knowledge of the human heart’‘Toni Morrison is the greatest chronicler of the American experience that we have ever known’‘Morrison is, to me, the best writer the English-speaking world has ever seen’‘Morrison’s legacy in commemorating slavery’s survivors will endure and uplift for centuries to come'‘Her every word a caress, her every sentence an embrace, her every paragraph, a cupping of her hands around our faces that said: I know you, I see you, we are together’‘I have never read anyone else like her . . . She was an opener of doors, doors that seemed they might always be shut, doors shut so tight they seemed not to be doors at all’‘Her legacy is total excellence . . . she is magnificent, her emotional intelligence is second to none and her bravery was equal to her artistry’‘Morrison almost single-handedly took American fiction forward in the second half of the twentieth century’‘[Toni Morrison’s] irreverence was godly’ * Guardian *A beautiful book and it's beautifully written -- Kit de Waal * Good Housekeeping UK *My favourite book of all time -- Sareeta Domingo * Good Housekeeping *Morrison's stunning trilogy is an evocation of black life over the past four centuries. It defies summary. Completed almost 25 years ago, these novels top anything produced by any American writer including Hemingway, Updike and DeLillo -- Trevor Phillips * Sunday Times *[A] beautiful, haunting novel -- Stig Abell * Sunday Times *More than one of Morrison's books could be classed as masterpieces, but this one is famous for a reason: everyone should read it -- Bernice McFadden, author of SUGAR * Guardian *A triumph -- Margaret Atwood * New York Times Book Review *A magnificent achievement... An American masterpiece -- A. S. Byatt * Guardian *There is something great in Beloved: a play of human voices, consciously exalted, perversely stressed, yet holding true. It gets you * New Yorker *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing A Book Of Memories
Book SynopsisA second memoir, alternating with the first, is a novel the narrator is composing about a refined Belle Epoque aesthete, whose anti-bourgeois transgressions seem like emotionally overcharged versions of the narrator's own experiences.Trade ReviewOriginal and exhilarating work that demands to be read again * Sunday Times *The greatest novel written in our time, one of the great books of the century -- Susan SontagOne of the most important novels of our time * Times Literary Supplement *The monumental event of recent Hungarian history, the fated uprising of 1956, is accounted for in the most affecting manner imaginable in these haunted pages * Daily Telegraph *What makes this Book of Memories so memorable is the sheer quality of the prose, its subtlety and intelligence, which shines through what seems an elegant and unobtrusively American translation * The Times *
£13.49
Vintage Publishing Song of Solomon
Book SynopsisToni Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. She was the author of many novels, including The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, Paradise and Love. She received the National Book Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize for her fiction and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honour, in 2012 by Barack Obama. Toni Morrison died on 5 August 2019 at the age of eighty-eight.Trade ReviewToni Morrison makes me believe in God. She makes me believe in a divine being, because luck and genetics don’t seem to come close to explaining her * Guardian *The poetry of the language. The vernacular and the rhythms of speech... It's eavesdropping on a slice of life. You care for every character. You love them, you bleed for them. It's a masterclass in narrative fiction. It's a book that not only makes me want to be a better writer, but a better person as well -- Sarah Winman * Good Housekeeping *Stunningly beautiful... Full of magnificent people... They are still haunting my house. I suspect they will be with me forever * Washington Post *Song of Solomon…profoundly changed my life * Guardian *A rhapsodic work... Intricate and inventive * New Yorker *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Viceroy of Ouidah
Book SynopsisIn 1812, Francisco Manoel da Silva, escaping a life of poverty in Brazil, sailed to the African kingdom of Dahomey, determined to make his fortune in the slave trade. Armed with nothing but an iron will, he became a man of substance in Ouidah and the founder of a remarkable dynasty. His one remaining ambition is to return to Brazil in triumph, but his friendship with the mad, mercurial king of Dahomey is fraught with danger and threatens his dream.Trade ReviewA masterpiece which everybody should read...It deserves to become a classic -- Auberon WaughNo lunacy too weird, no irony too oblique, heart too tender, mischief too black, to dodge the sharp angle of his eye. He slips from the hilarious to the macabre, he celebrates the comedy and plumbs the tragedy of Francisco's life - and of Africa - in prose that grabs you with its precision * Observer *Outstanding, finely written * Independent *It is hard to know how posterity will regard this remarkable writer, but his terse, honed language was built to last -- Colin Thubron * Sunday Times *Magnificent. The beautiful, succinct prose is so incredibly visual, vibrant and visceral -- Bernardine Evaristo * Independent *
£9.49
