Historical Fiction Books

Book SynopsisA heart-warming and emotional saga perfect for the coronation, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell, Rosie Goodwin and Vicky Beeby''This joyful saga is the perfect read to get you in the Coronation spirit!'' MY WEEKLY ''Entirely charming and utterly joyful'' TRISHA ASHLEY ____________ Spring, 1953. The sun is shining on Little Green Street, the bunting is being brought out, and Britain is getting ready to crown its new Queen. For Helen Jones, whose father died on the same day as the old king, the coronation might just represent a fresh start. Her husband Tad, organiser of the local street party, is determined to put a smile back on her face. Whereas for Emlyn Hughes, who has secretly admired beautiful single mother Nancy for years, the sudden festive spirit might just be the prompt he needs to finally confess his feelings. As the cakes are baked and the national anthem is rehearsed, the street is fTrade ReviewEntirely charming and utterly joyful - a wonderful book -- Trisha AshleyThis joyful saga is the perfect read to get you in the Coronation spirit! * My Weekly *

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Book SynopsisDiscover the powerful and unforgettable story of female resistance from the New York Times bestselling author, inspired by real events''Code Name Sapphire will break your heart and, at the same time, remind you of the courage and resilience of the human spirit'' Kristin HarmelA train bound for Auschwitz. One route to freedom . . ._________1942.After her fiancé is killed in a pogrom, Hannah Martel narrowly escapes Nazi Germany and takes temporary refuge with her cousin, Lily, in Brussels.Safe for now, but desperate to flee Europe for good, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line: a secret resistance network led by a mysterious woman named Micheline and her enigmatic brother, Mateo.Freedom is tantalisingly close. But when Lily''s family are arrested and slated for deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah finds herself torn between her loyalties and her own determination to escape . . .How mu

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Book Synopsis''A fabulous festive read about found family. I loved it from the first sentence.'' Sophie Cousens, New York Times bestselling author of Before I Do Christmas is a time for family, but what if you have to choose yours?For ten years Hannah and Finn have spent Christmas together. With no one to enjoy the holidays with, they''ve created their own festive traditions. From crooning in a karaoke bar behind a China Town restaurant, to waving from a parade float. Through the years, they''ve been joined by other lonely souls, Priya and Theo, creating The Christmas Orphans Club.But everything is about to change. After their friendship suffers the test of a rocky year, Finn and Hannah are finally speaking. They're trying to put the past behind them and bring back their Christmas spirit. Until Finn announces some rather big news. News that rocks the group to its core. This may be their last Christmas together Trade Review'A whip-smart story of modern love, letting go, and growing up.' Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Meet Me at the Lake -- Carley Fortune * Carley Fortune *"A fabulous festive read about found family. I loved it from the first sentence."-Sophie Cousens, bestselling author of Before I Do -- Sophie Cousens * Sophie Cousens *"If you adore Christmas and loved Friends, then this is the perfect book for you. I would happily abandon my husband and kids to spend Christmas in New York with Hannah, Finn, Theo and Priya. A festive, funny, hug of a novel about love in all its forms." -- Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of The People on Platform 5"Funny and wise-this totally unexpected story of chosen family warmed me from the inside out. I absolutely adored it." -- Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script"Set in the holiday glow of a luminously rendered New York City, The Christmas Orphans Club is a big-hearted, poignant, page-turning novel about the chosen families that sustain us. With this dazzling debut, Freeman is the heir apparent to the mantle of sophisticated, feel-good fiction. I will read anything she writes." -- John Glynn, author of Out East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer"I'm completely in love with this book! The Christmas Orphans Club is a beautiful exploration of friendship with laugh-out-loud dialogue and characters you can't stop thinking about. Becca Freeman's debut is witty, heartwarming, and hilarious and the most delightful thing you'll read all year." -- Jennifer Close"I dare you to read The Christmas Orphans Club and not want to spend every single holiday of your life--Christmas or otherwise--with Hannah, Finn, Priya, and Theo. Freeman's writing is filled with wit and insight, and her dialogue crackles. Beneath the abundant humor and charm, though, is a thoughtful exploration of friendship, tradition, and the challenges of growing old. What a gift of a debut!" -- Grant Ginder"Christmas movies and books have never been my thing, but wow, The Christmas Orphans Club made my heart grow three sizes. It's a triumphant celebration of friendship and a shining love letter to New York City in all of its classic, zany, festive glory. Listeners of Becca Freeman's podcast will recognize her signature effervescent humor, and I bet she'll have a new legion of fans soon thanks to this delightful novel." -- Hannah Orenstein"The Christmas Orphans has everything you could want in a holiday book-treat: sweetness, laughs, and delicious rom-com moments that'll make you jump up and yell, 'Kiss him! Kiss him!' Thank you, Becca Freeman, for an ensemble cast so lovable I wish they were real and could be my friends."-Mary Laura Philpott, author of Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives -- Mary Laura Philpott * Mary Laura Philpott *

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Book SynopsisAn exciting new voice in historical fiction brings you a breath-taking story of how one woman''s disappearance triggers the search of a lifetime. Perfect for fans of Victoria Hislop and Lucinda Riley, Fiona Schneider''s debut is a triumph! A sweeping, and heartfelt tale of love and sacrifice' Amanda Geard, author of The Moon Gate This is a heart wrenching story of love, bravery, and impossible choices' Louise Fein, author The London Bookshop Affair ----One Parisian night, a woman vanishes without a trace, leaving behind the man she loves. Sixty years later, the search begins . . . In 1942, French chef Sylvie Dubois is sent to Paris to spy on the enemy, while German soldier Christoph Baumann has sold his soul to save his sister.When they meet the world stops turning. But in a city consumed by war, love is a dangerous affair, and the star-crossed

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Book SynopsisCall the Midwife meets All Creatures Great and Small in this brand-new saga series set in a WWI East End Animal Clinic. ''I was hooked from the start. The meticulous period detail and true-to-life characters had me immersed in the action, and I didn't want the story to end. A joy to read'' Vicki Beeby, author of The Ops Room Girls ''Superbly plotted ... a heartwarming and engrossing read'' Maisie Thomas, author of Christmas with the Railway Girls''Tremendously written with buckets of heart'' ***** Reader Review --- In the carnage of war can one woman''s courage be the light in the dark? As the Great War rages across Europe, twenty-one-year-old Ruby Archer decides to do her bit' at an East End munitions factory. The work is relentless and deafening, but the camaraderie of the other girls carries her through. As London continues to be ravage

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Book SynopsisAN UPLIFTING TALE OF HOPE, LOVE AND DEFYING YOUR FAMILY SET IN 1890S'' LANCASHIRE ----Agnes Cavanaugh has watched her mother, Kitty, struggle to put food on the table ever since they crossed the sea from Ireland. So when she sees an opportunity to help earn some money by selling cheese at the local market she begins to work with the local farm to boost sales. Much to her mother, Kitty's, disappointment, Agnes is immediately drawn to the farmer's son, Jonas. And Jonas can't help but be enchanted by Agnes. But their love faces many challenges, Agnes has been promised to another and Jonas cannot marry a Roman Catholic. Will Agnes risk everything she's done for her family in her quest for happiness?----Readers are loving The Cavanah Family Series A really sad story but one of survival through the hard times. The determination of Kitty made a very enjoyable read' 5 ***** Reader ReviewWhat a st

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Book SynopsisRowntrees Factory, York 1936The aroma of chocolate was as familiar to Molly Freeman as the nose on her face. Living and schooling on Haxby Road alongside the Rowntrees Chocolate Factory, Molly watched the daily trudge of women employed there in their white uniforms as she sat at her school desk.When Molly secures a job on the production line at the factory, she''s excited to become one of these women. As she labours hard at the factory, she meets Connie. Quickly the two form a close friendship, and Molly begins to see the world differently.Living their lives to the fullest, loving the wrong men, working long hours, and sharing tears of friendship and heartbreak but always being known and being proud to be called The Rowntrees Chocolate Box Girls Molly and Connie make the most of their lives.

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Book SynopsisPre-order the second book in The Chocolate Box Girls series now! York, 1940World War Two has arrived for the girls of the Rowntrees factory, and with rationing crippling the country, chocolate production has been driven to a bare minimum. It''s all change for the Freeman sisters when the Rowntrees factory is turned over to making munitions.Molly is put on the fuse and detonator line, soon becoming skilled at her work despite the dangers. Rose copes with husband Ned's absence with the RAF by relishing her position on the Board. And Annie joins the Land Army, billeted to a pig farm in Lancashire.Despite the heartache and worry, nothing will stop the Freeman sisters from doing all they can for theirmen and country.

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Book SynopsisThe dramatic introduction into The Edens series. Get ready for small towns stirred by mystery and desire . . . Winslow Covington believes in life, liberty and the letter of the law.As Quincy''s new chief of Police she has to prove herself to the community. And that means she must earn favour with the Edens. But winning over the town''s founding family might have been easier if not for her one-night stand with their oldest son, Griffin.Sleeping with Griffin was a huge mistake. Winslow does her best to avoid him, but when a woman is found dead on Eden property, the two of them have no choice but to cross paths.As clues to the murderer lead to one of Quincy''s own, Griffin realises Winslow is more than he gave her credit for. She''s beautiful, intelligent, and impossible to resist. For him. And the killer.

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Book SynopsisPRE-ORDER THE FIRST BOOK IN A SWEEPING NEW EMOTIONAL SAGA SERIES FROM BELOVED AUTHOR, ROSIE MEDDON!Devon, 1939. Young widow Julia Nance has found happiness again running her beloved Guesthouse, Fairlight, but with the arrival of war, even her last bookings are being cancelled. Step-daughter Elowen immediately offers to find work with arch rival Alma Jennings, but Julia prefers to keep her close, and searches desperately for alternatives. Offering up her beloved home to be requisitioned, looking for any opportunity for work herself, she finds herself thwarted at every turn, and unwilling to accept the help of unscrupulous brother-in-law Pasco. With the threat of invasion growing, she ends up throwing herself into plans to protect the village and locals and through this finds an unexpected way to save her home and livelihood. Perfect for fans of Vicki Beeby, Ginny Bell, Nancy Revell and Rosie Goodwin

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Book SynopsisAugust 1914. As World War One begins, two women are determined to do whatever they can for their country - available to pre-order now Edie Lawrence has never been one to play by the rules. As war in Europe is declared, she disguises herself as a soldier and enlists with a London regiment, with the aim of becoming the first woman to report from the battlefield. But also where she can catch news of her beloved Nate, who has already been sent to the Front. Dr Lucinda Garland volunteers her medical services to the War Office. But her offer is met with rejection. Undeterred, she works with the French Red Cross to create a pioneering all-female-run military hospital in Paris. As Lucinda struggles to cope with the horrific injuries that flood her hospital, she finds herself losing her heart to someone unexpected.And when Edie is injured and her gender revealed on Lucinda''s operating table, the fates of these brave women, each determined

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Book SynopsisBeing whisked back to 1300 BC certainly wasn't on Henry's to-dolist. Can he make his way through a new school, odd sports, unexpectedfriends and deadly pets, Egyptian style? And will he everfind his way back to the present day?

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Book SynopsisThe second novel in the Ashmore Castle series, perfect for fans of DOWNTON ABBEY, from the author of the hugely successful MORLAND DYNASTY novelsBehind the doors of the magnificent Ashmore Castle, secrets are waiting to be uncovered . . .England, 1903. Giles, the new Earl of Stainton, is struggling to bring his family's estate back to order after the death of his father, and he has little time to spare for his young pregnant wife, Kitty. She lives in fear of her mother-in-law, who won't give up the reins of the household. Will she ever truly be mistress of Ashmore Castle? Perhaps if her coming child is a boy, that will change the balance of power... Meanwhile, the Earl's younger sisters are having their first taste of romance, but not necessarily with the right people. Richard is pursuing his forbidden relationship with Molly, while Nina makes a lively new friend who leads her straight into trouble and pushes he

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Book Synopsis''One to savour and re-read again and again'' LIZ HYDER___________________THE MONSTER THEY SEEK MAY NOT BE THE ONE THEY FIND''The Bone Hunters has cemented Joanne Burn''s place as one of my favourite writers'' SONIA VELTON''I''ve never met a character in literature quite like Ada'' ANNIE GARTHWAITE___________________ 1824, and Lyme Regis is as tumultuous as the sea that surrounds it. When twenty-four-year-old Ada Winters - poor, peculiar and brilliant - uncovers a set of unusual fossils on the cliffs, she believes she has found the answer to her scientific frustrations and her family''s financial struggles. Meanwhile, Doctor Edwin Moyle has come to Dorset in search of the discovery that will place him amongst the greatest geologists of the age. What he finds instead is a strange young woman who seems to hold the key to everything he seeks. But what is the creature that Ada and Edwin seek to unearth? And will it be their means to greatness, or destruction?___________________''A haunting and vivid pageturner'' CAROLINE LEA''Joanne Burn, I salute you, for this is something truly special'' Reader Review (5 stars)''Extraordinary. I fell in love with Ada from the very first page'' ELIZABETH LEE''Outstandingly well written'' Reader Review (5 stars)''A gripping page turner with a gloriously staunch heroine at its heart'' DAILY MAIL''Definitely the best book I''ve read this year'' Reader Review (5 stars)

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Book Synopsis''An engrossing tale of a woman striving for the recognition she deserves in the face of male indifference and betrayal'' SUNDAY TIMES ''Best historical fiction for February 2024''THE ESSEX SERPENT MEETS AMMONITE IN THE STUNNING HISTORICAL NOVEL EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT:''Singular and astonishing . . . I''ve never met a character quite like Ada'' ANNIE GARTHWAITE''The Bone Hunters has cemented Joanne Burn''s place as one of my favourite writers'' SONIA VELTON''Joanne Burn is fast becoming my go-to historical fiction writer'' EMMA CARROLL''The Bone Hunters is that rare combination . . . beautifully written but also a gripping page-turner'' LAURA SHEPPERSON________In 1824, Lyme Regis is as tumultuous as the sea that surrounds it. When twenty-four-year-old Ada Winters - poor, peculiar and brilliant - uncovers a set of unusual fossils on the cliffs, she believeTrade ReviewAn engrossing tale of a woman striving for the recognition she deserves in the face of male indifference and betrayal * SUNDAY TIMES 'Best historical fiction of February 2024' *In Ada, Joanne Burn has given us a singular and astonishing heroine: a woman of strength, intelligence, resilience and resource; a woman who sees the restrictions the world would impose upon her and has the moral courage to step beyond them. Every young woman of ambition - any young woman who feels her ambition impeded either by her gender or class - should read her. I've never met a character in literature quite like Ada - or one I admired more. And it goes without saying that Joanne's writing, her use of language and skilful world-building, go from strength to glorious strength. -- ANNIE GARTHWAITE, author of CECILYI devoured this in a couple of days. So beautifully and brilliantly written. Every word dripped with atmosphere, I absolutely loved it. -- CAROLE MATTHEWSThe Bone Hunters is a beautiful and extraordinary book, bringing to life a time and place in breathtaking detail and lyrical prose. At its heart it is the story of a young woman learning to discover and embrace who she is, and find her place in an unwelcoming world. I fell in love with Ada from the first page. -- ELIZABETH LEE, author or CUNNING WOMENThe Bone Hunters by Joanne Burn is that rare combination, a beautifully written book that is also a gripping page-turner. I was drawn in by the intelligence and passion of the main character, Ada Winters, and read with a growing sense of dread of the dangers, both societal and environmental, that she faces. I adored this novel. Highly recommended. -- LAURA SHEPPERSON, author of THE HEROINESA wonderfully lyrical story of intrigue that spirals into obsession. Based loosely on the Victorian fossil hunter Mary Anning, the story is delicate and beautiful. I loved it. -- POLLY CROSBY, author of THE UNRAVELLINGA beautifully-written tale of obsession, friendship, betrayal, retribution, and love -- ROZ WATKINS author of THE DEVIL'S DICEJoanne Burn is fast becoming my go-to historical fiction writer. The writing is both beautiful and brutal, the pace an incredibly tense, deftly-handled unearthing of something monstrous. A tale of hardships and social misfits and finding liberty in a world designed to deny it. -- EMMA CARROLL, author of ESCAPE TO THE RIVER SEAThe Bone Hunters has cemented Joanne Burn's place as one of my favourite writers. Ada had the same magical combination of vulnerability and grit as the 'Marsh Girl' in Where the Crawdads Sing. This is a gripping and beautifully written tale of a woman fighting for her worth to be recognised. Like the fossils she loves, Ada will leave a lasting impression -- SONIA VELTON, author of BLACKBERRY AND WILD ROSEOnce again, Joanne Burn's flight of imagination takes a real historical context as its starting point, rooting the story and characters in an authentic period setting, vividly realised. Her original, readable prose keeps us in the moment-to-moment lives of her characters, rooting for Ada every step of the way. Enjoyable and satisfying. -- SARAH BURTON author of The Strange Adventures of H and co-author, with Jem Foster, of Eliza MaceThe Bone Hunters is a rich and compelling novel that simultaneously illuminates one fascinating element of history, while fully immersing you in early 19th century life more broadly. Ada Winters is everything I like in a protagonist - eccentric, driven, brave and engaging - and the plot takes you in unexpected and continually rewarding directions -- KATIE LUMSDEN, author of THE SECRETS OF HARTWOOD HALLA perfect historical novel. The Bonehunters is a novel of resistance, of non-conformity; a celebration of passion and curiosity and a glorious tribute to all those truthseekers locked out of the hallowed halls of learning for being the wrong sex or class. I absolutely adored it. -- NIKKI MARMERY, author of LILITHExceptional. A must-read. Exquisitely written, this immersive and fascinating tale will draw you in and leave you reeling. Absolutely outstanding. One of those rare books that you're desperate to charge through to find out what might happen but that you also want to take your time with, savouring every twist and turn and every beautiful paragraph. One to savour and re-read again and again. If this doesn't win all the prizes, I will eat both my hat and yours. -- LIZ HYDER, author of THE GIFTSA gloriously fiery heroine & a propulsive plot make this poetic novel a haunting and vivid page-turner -- CAROLINE LEA author of THE GLASS WOMANI LOVED this book. I loved Ada and her independent spirit, the wild landscapes, the poetry of the language, the sweeping atmosphere, the determination and kindness of the characters. -- REBECCA F. JOHN author of The Haunting of Henry TwistA brilliantly atmospheric and captivating read, steeped in all the drama and discovery of a fascinating period in the history of science. I loved everything about Ada, her hunger and her struggle for recognition - a struggle that is all-too-relevant, even now -- C. E McGILL, author of OUR HIDEOUS PROGENYThe perfect tribute to real-life fossil hunter Mary Anning * WOMAN & HOME *A gorgeously written, expertly plotted tale, The Bone Hunters draws heavily on the life of Mary Anning to create a rich, rewarding exploration of moral regression in the name of scientific advancement * Buzz Magazine *This remarkable story is written with such an open lyrical simplicity your mind cannot help but be immersed in a vivid image-stream, akin to watching an epic work by an Oscar-winning cinematographer. In particular the shorelines, seascapes and weather are excellently described, bringing these, and Ada's bond with them, to glorious life. This is a grand tale of fortitude and determination, superstition, mystery and wonder. Completely enthralling * Historical Novel Society *

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Book SynopsisTHE BRAND-NEW WARTIME SAGA SERIES BY MAGGIE MASON, MUCH-LOVED AUTHOR OF THE HALFPENNY GIRLS Troubles lie ahead - will friendship see them through? BLACKPOOL, 1918.Martha is seventeen and alone in the world. Of Irish descent, her flashing green eyes see into your soul. Foretelling the future is a gift passed down by her late grandmother and is how she earns her living on Blackpool Promenade. Though she spends hours in a little tent, waiting and hoping for a customer.Trisha is Martha''s neighbour and quickly becomes her dearest friend, but she is pregnant and married to a brutal man. And when tragedy strikes, she finds herself alone, her future uncertain.Together, on one of the poorest streets in Blackpool, the girls face poverty, as is their lot, but they''re determined to help each other any way they can, and they never stop dreaming of a brighter future.Will a chance encounter on the promenade

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Book SynopsisFollowing on from the events of The Fortune Tellers, this heart-warming family saga can be enjoyed as a standalone, and is guaranteed to warm your heart.BLACKPOOL, 1922.Martha and Trisha may have escaped poverty, but their fortunes have yet to turn. Blissfully happy on her wedding day, Trisha''s new fairy-tale romance soon darkens as her husband, Walter, keeps her at arms length. Between his secrecy, and her mother-in-law''s coldness , Trisha feels a stranger in her own home, and lonelier than ever...Meanwhile a spectre from Martha''s past threatens the happiness she has found with Joshua and Bonnie. When she is called to help in her past love''s hour of need, she must decide whether to risk exposing a secret that could cost her the trust of her daughter...With winter fast approaching, Martha and Trisha take warmth and comfort in the strength of their friendship. But will Martha''s gift of foresight be enough to see them

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Book SynopsisTHE BRAND-NEW WARTIME SAGA BY MAGGIE MASON - PERFECT FOR READERS OF VAL WOOD, KITTY NEALE AND ROSIE GOODWIN''Reading a Maggie Mason book is like having a warm hug'' - NB MAGAZINE1939The threat of war is looming over Blackpool, but Martha and Trisha are determined not to let it dampen their spirits.With two young evacuees for Martha to take care of, and Trisha''s market garden business growing as Britain digs for victory, the friends have their hands full.Both are proud to see their daughters making their own way in the world, even in wartime. Sally has become a ballerina and Bonnie is training to become a doctor. The girls'' friendship brings them all happiness and hope.But Martha is troubled by her visions for their daughters'' futures. War, tragedy and falling in love will put Sally and Bonnie''s lifelong friendship to the test. But can their families pull together and see them through?

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Book SynopsisThe third novel in the Ashmore Castle series, perfect for fans of DOWNTON ABBEY, from the author of the hugely successful MORLAND DYNASTY novelsBehind the doors of the magnificent Ashmore Castle, secrets are waiting to be uncovered . . . England, 1903.Giles, the Earl of Stainton, has fled from his stifling duties to resume his research in Egypt, leaving behind his wife Kitty, and his infant son. Kitty, still reeling from Giles'' sudden departure, struggles to keep spirits high in the castle and establish herself as the true mistress of the house, an impossible task given how many secrets the inhabitants are hiding from her...The Earl''s younger sisters, Rachel and Alice, are both pursuing forbidden romances, and his brother Richard begins a new business venture, spurred on by his clandestine lover. And below stairs, a shocking crime sends distrust rippling through the staff, more so when one of their ow

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Book SynopsisThe landmark 100th novel by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

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Book Synopsis1338: England has declared war on France, and Jeanette of Kent, cousin to King Edward III, says goodbye to her family and travels overseas with the royal court for the first time. Once in Antwerp, she is captivated by talented household knight, Thomas Holland, just as he in turn is powerfully drawn to her. Although both know their romance is forbidden, their love for each other grows stronger than the danger they face, and they marry in secret. But before they can make their tryst known, Thomas has to leave for war, and in his absence, Jeanette is forced into a second marriage and locked away from the world. Then Thomas returns, and the real fight begins. As hostile family members battle to keep Jeanette and Thomas apart, the defiant lovers vow to be reunited - whatever the cost...From the award-winning and bestselling author, Elizabeth Chadwick, comes an epic love story set against the tumultuous backdrop of hi

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Book SynopsisAn astonishing story set in 1800s China. Little Flower is sold into slavery, and Linjing into marriage . . .

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Book SynopsisAre some patterns destined to be repeated? Spellbinding and decadent . . . an astounding debut SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN, author of PANDORA___________________Paris, 1789. The Oberst Factory, which crafts exquisite wallpaper for the most fashionable French homes, is a place shrouded in mystery. Most enigmatic is the woman pictured in each of its prints, rumoured to be the late Mrs Oberst, who died in peculiar circumstances.When sisters Lara and Sofi arrive there for work, they quickly form a friendship with Josef Oberst, the motherless heir to the factory. Whilst Sofi''s political fervour intensifies, Lara is disturbed by the uncanny way her life appears mirrored in the wallpaper. Meanwhile Hortense, Josef''s spoilt aristocratic wife, is similarly unnerved by the scenes that line the walls of her new home. With the mobs growing ever more violent, is she in danger of meeting the same untimely end as the last Mrs Oberst?As revolution blazes

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Book SynopsisWinner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardWinner of the Alfaguara PrizeWinner of the Gregor von Rezzori Prize''A powerful, humane novel about a man trying to make sense of a war he didn't choose to fight'' The Times''The story is compelling but through Vásquez's vivid prose (rendered brilliantly into English by the award-winning translator Anne McLean) it also becomes haunting A poignant and perturbing tale about the inheritance of fear in a country scrabbling to regain its soul'' Financial TimesNo sooner does he get to know Ricardo Laverde in a seedy billiard hall in Bogotá than Antonio Yammara realises that the ex-pilot has a secret. Antonio''s fascination with his new friend''s life grows until the day Ricardo receives a mysterious, unmarked cassette.Shortly afterwards, he is shot dead on a street corner.Yammara''s investigation into what happened leads back to the early 1960s, marijuana smuggling and a time beforTrade ReviewA powerful, humane novel about a man trying to make sense of a war he didn’t choose to fight * Kate Saunders, The Times *The story is compelling but through Vásquez’s vivid prose (rendered brilliantly into English by the award-winning translator Anne McLean) it also becomes haunting … A poignant and perturbing tale about the inheritance of fear in a country scrabbling to regain its soul * Financial Times *Compelling ... He holds his narrative together with admirable stylistic control as he shows a world falling apart and the powers of love and language to rebuild it * Anita Sethi, Observer *A compelling and original psychological thriller * Daily Telegraph *Excellent ... Vasquez follows Balzac's maxim that "novels are the private history of nations" -- Alastair Smart * Sunday Telegraph *A gripping novel, absorbing right to the end * Edmund White, New York Times Book Review *The narrative escalates, the mystery deepens, and the scope of the story widens with each page. This terrific novel draws on Colombia’s tragic history and cycles of violence to tell the story of a troubled man trying to come to grips with the distant forces and events that have shaped his life * Khaled Hosseini, Books of the Year 2013 *

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Book Synopsis_______________''Kerry Young is a stand-alone talent in the new emerging generation of writers from the Caribbean region. Her stories are gritty and also funny and very real'' - Monique Roffey_______________A story of revolution and oppression, privilege and poverty, love and betrayal from the critically acclaimed author of PaoFay Wong is caught between worlds. Her father is a Chinese immigrant who conjured a fortune from nothing; her African heritage mother grew up on a plantation and now reigns over their mansion in Lady Musgrave Road.But her father's Chinatown haunts are out of bounds and the airy rooms of their home are filled with her mother's uncontrollable rages rages against which Fay rebels as she grows into a headstrong woman.As she tries to escape the restraints of her privileged upbringing, Fay's eyes are opened to a Jamaica she was never meant to see. And when her mother decides that she must marry the racketeer Yang Pao, she finds herseTrade ReviewKerry Young is a stand-alone talent in the new emerging generation of writers from the Caribbean region. Her stories are gritty and also funny and very real * Monique Roffey *Impressive ... With grace, authenticity and humour, Young lets Jamaica's political history shine through the life story of her charming yet fallible hero. Brilliant * Daily Mail on Pao *A vivid portrayal ... Kerry Young's heartfelt, sparky and affecting debut novel is a chronicle of multicultural Jamaica, both in its cultural richness and in its strife and tensions * Guardian on Pao *A pacy but absorbing saga of domestic struggle and gangland manoeuvring set against the violent backdrop of postwar Jamaican politics * Independent on Sunday *Kerry Young tells the absorbing, uplifting story of a young woman’s escape from the brutal poverty of rural Jamaica to a new life in the violent world of its capital, Kingston ... Written in the gentle, hypnotic patois and encompassing the birth pangs of Jamaican independence, this is a highly evocative portrait of a country in transition, and of one woman’s search for self-awareness and self-respect * Mail on Sunday *Gloria is a brilliant, observant, sometimes complex read, but with clear and simple messages, it speaks to the feminist and equal rights campaigner in all of us ***** * Western Mail *

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Book SynopsisBuenos Aires, 1976. Osvaldo Ferrero, a distinguished doctor, and his wife Yolanda escape the city with their daughters, sensible Julieta and wilful Graciela, who is nineteen and madly in love. On their return, the Argentine military stages a coup. Friends disappear overnight, and Osvaldo is forced to flee to Europe. When her fiancé is abducted, Graciela goes into hiding, then she vanishes in turn. As Yolanda fights on the ground for some trace of their beloved daughter, she soon realises she may be fighting for an unknown grandchild as wellTrade ReviewThe story honors the heroism of the mothers and grandmothers of the missing … The first half is tense and dramatic, yet the story becomes truly remarkable later on * Booklist *Brothers, who as a journalist spent time in Latin America, is at her best capturing the pitched atmosphere of Buenos Aires as the coup unfolds … Enjoyable * Kirkus Reviews *A sublimely told and heartbreaking story. While devastating in its depiction of the depths to which humanity can sink, its evocative language and splendid characters make it a pleasure to read * Better Reading *Heart-wrenching … a story all of us should read * Daily Mail on Hinterland *A moving account ... Brothers’ elegant prose holds sentimentality at bay, complementing some impressive reportage * Financial Times *Intensely evocative … Impressively accomplished * Independent *An illuminating and timely story … a book that haunts and shames in equal measure * Guardian *There is poetry on every page, as well as pity, and the poetry is not always in the pity but in the joy of being alive on this earth * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisFrom award-winning writer David Park, an absorbing account of the lives of the women most important to three poets: William Blake, Osip Mandlestam and an imagined contemporary Irish poet''An outstanding novel, written in luminous accessible prose, thoroughly enjoyable and much deeper even than the sum of its excellent parts'' Irish Times''The Poets' Wives is a marvellous triptych: lyrical, respectful of creativity but also sharply sceptical'' Sunday Times__________________Three women, each destined to play the role of a poet's wife: Catherine Blake, the wife of William Blake a poet, painter and engraver who struggles for recognition in a society that dismisses him as a madman; Nadezhda Mandelstam, wife of Russian poet Osip Mandelstam, whose poetry costs him his life under Stalin's terror; and the wife of a fictional contemporary Irish poet, who looks back on her marriage during the days after her husband's death as she seeTrade ReviewHe writes prose of gravity and grace ... Line for line, it is hard to think of a more skilful contemporary Irish novelist. He shares with John McGahern a refusal of cheap flamboyance, with Dermot Bolger a sense of suppressed fury … There is a Coetzeean accuracy to the writing * Joseph O’Connor, Guardian *Recent years have seen an explosion of books about wives of famous men ... The Poets’ Wives ... Is a fine contribution to this genre ... The Poets’ Wives is a marvellous triptych: lyrical, respectful of creativity but also sharply sceptical * David Grylls, Sunday Times *Sparse, lyrical and yet clear-headed prose leaves no room for false notes, nostalgia or self-serving mythologies. One of the quiet men of Irish writing, he also possesses one of its truest voices and has built up a deeply impressive oeuvre without fuss or pyrotechnics ... infused with the depth of character and emotion that are hallmarks of his work as a novelist of enormous sensitivity -- Dermot Bolger * Irish Mail on Sunday *Marvellous * Sunday Times Must Reads *Intriguing and impressive ... With its stylistic felicity ... its concern with integrity and with upholders of humane, and humanistic values, The Poets' Wives displays without ostentation its author's resourcefulness and versatility * Patricia Craig, Times Literary Supplement *An outstanding novel, written in luminous accessible prose, thoroughly enjoyable and much deeper even than the sum of its excellent parts * Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Irish Times *Beautifully wrought -- Holly Williams * Independent on Sunday *Intensely evocative, thought-provoking -- Anita Sethi * Observer *

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Book SynopsisM.C. Beaton meets Miss Marple in the second book in the charming Laetitia Rodd Mysteries, which sees Kate Saunders' Victorian lady detective on the hunt for a missing Oxford scholar who is soon to be the heir to a fortuneIt is 1851 and Laetitia Rodd is enjoying a well-earned holiday when she receives an urgent request for her services.Wealthy businessman Jacob Welland implores Mrs. Rodd to find his beloved brother, a brilliant Oxford scholar who took to wandering the countryside and one day simply failed to return. The last sighting was in a gypsy camp ten years before where it was rumoured he was learning great secrets that would one day astound the world. Mrs. Rodd travels to Oxford and begins her search for the wandering scholar. But as the investigation unfolds, she discovers something sinister is lurking in this peaceful landscape.Trade ReviewA Dickensian glow pervades this immensely satisfying novel. Hugely enjoyable * James Runcie on The Secrets of Wishtide *Saunders’s prose is precise and a pleasure to read. The plot twists and turns, and Laetitia is a warm and engaging heroine -- Praise for 'The Secrets of Wishtide' * The Times *Pure delight -- Praise for 'The Secrets of Wishtide' * Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis______________**A SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER*****A BOOK CLUB PICK FROM THE QUEEN CONSORT''S READING ROOM***______________Stunning' - Lisa Taddeo, author of THREE WOMENWarm and wise'' - Stephanie Merritt, ObserverGlamorous, sexy, compelling' - Dolly Alderton, Sunday TimesI fell in love with Vivian from page one' - Daisy BuchananAn education in love, and an iridescent delight' - Rowan Pelling, Spectator______________New York, 1940. Young, glamorous and inseparable, Vivian and Celia are chasing trouble from one end of the city to the other. But there is risk in all this play that's what makes it so fun, and so dangerous. Sometimes, the world may feel like it's ending, but for Vivian and Celia, life is just beginning.City of Girls is about daring to break conventions and follow your desires: a celebration of glamour, resilience, growing up, and the joys of female friendship and aTrade ReviewA glamorous, sexy, compelling romp of a novel about showgirls in New York in the 1940s. It is an addictive story, with vivid, brazenly drawn female characters, that brims with fascinating historical details of the time … Radical and refreshing to read -- Dolly Alderton * Sunday Times *I adored this story, I fell in love with Vivian from page one, she has an utterly singular voice, and I was captivated by tcombination of glamour and grit - it's a dazzling escapist fantasy with characters and emotions that are thrillingly real -- Daisy BuchananA glorious, multi-layered, emotionally astute celebration of womanhood … An eloquently persuasive treatise on the judgment and punishment of women, and a heartfelt call to reclaim female sexual agency -- Sam Baker * Guardian *Glamorous and vivid * Independent, Top 15 novels of the year so far *Breezily funny and vividly written, City Of Girls is a quietly radical celebration of feminine sexual inhibition that slips down as easily as a gin martini. Expect to see it on multiple beaches this summer -- Claire Allfree * Metro *A rollicking, beautifully rendered ride of glitter and fun … Gilbert’s novel is something of a masterpiece of flapdoodle itself … Gilbert has a knack for storytelling and her plot doesn’t so much twist as twirl, high-kicking all the way … A rambunctious anthem to living a life joyous and satisfyingly full — and that deserves an ovation * Evening Standard *City of Girls will be a hit ... Readers will adore its bolstering message of hope * Sunday Times *Written with such wit, verve and emotional honesty that you feel you've washed down 100 life lessons within a vodka martini … There are some of the most brilliant and truthful evocations of youthful sexual exploration that you'll ever read … She has triumphed. City of Girls is an education in love, and an iridescent delight -- Rowan Pelling * Spectator *Brilliant on female friendship, desire and the influence a good mentor can bring to enrich a young woman's life * Grazia Summer Reads *Compelling … works with themes of freedom, responsibility and empowerment that feel both timeless and timely. In a moment when women’s desires are still being governed, this is a story about a woman who recognises – and embraces – hers * Time *There is so much to love in City of Girls. Vivian’s voice is strong and leaves you yearning for more time with her * Independent *A romantic misadventure written with such wit, verve and emotional honesty that you feel you’ve washed down 100 life lessons within a vodka martini … She has triumphed. City of Girls is an education in love, and an iridescent delight -- Rowan Pelling * Spectator *City of Girls is about women throwing off the shackles of marriage and convention in order to explore their desires … What I loved about Vivian, is that she seizes the day * BBC Radio 4 *The self-portrait of a woman whose truest intimacy is with her own being … It’s the story of a woman who’s made an independent life as best she can. If the usual narrative shapes don’t fit most lives – neither she nor her creator seems to be worrying about it * New York Times *Expect to spot a copy on every beach towel come June * Vogue, Must-Reads *Hugely enjoyable and goes down with a smacking of lips while bringing a sparkle to the eye * i *Her wise, funny, ballsy voice is one that's given countless women the courage to change their lives… A glamorous romp of a tale that dazzleswith sequin-clad showgirls -- Clover Stroud * Red *Wherever Liz Gilbert goes, we’ll follow * Oprah magazine, Best book releases, 2019 *Fizzy, fabulous … As bubbly as a champagne cocktail but with a real kick in the tail * Sunday Express *Funny, bittersweet … Explores female desire in a radically refreshing way * independent.co.uk *‘For years, I have wanted to write a novel about women who have a lot of sex, and who like it, and whose lives aren’t destroyed by it,” says Eat Pray Love author Gilbert. This is that book, set across the glittering fabric of a lost New York * Red, The books we can’t wait to read 2019 *I freaking adored this book. Its heroine, Vivian Morris, will absolutely steal your heart and probably do a good job of breaking it, too -- Sarra ManningThe Eat Pray Love author transports us to New York in the summer of 1940 and a vibrant theatre scene studded with raucous showgirls * Net-a-Porter.com, Best Summer Reads *Young women come of age in war time New York, in the new novel from the author of Eat, Pray, Love * Guardian, 2019 in books: what you’ll be reading this year *This cracker of a book manages to be funny, playful and thoughtful all at once … A real joy to read … A frothy sequin clad frolic … a dazzling read * Good Housekeeping, ‘10 Books to Read Right Now’ *Sensational * Cosmopolitan *A classic coming-of-age story * Daily Express *A fizzing portrait of a giddy young female hedonism * Irish Times *

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Book Synopsis''Brisk, smart, witty, elliptical ... Recalls the directors of the New Wave ... Bracing and brilliant''IndependentWhen Patrick Modiano was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize for Literature he was praised for using the art of memory' to bring to life the Occupation of Paris during the Second World War. Born in 1945, Modiano's brilliant, angry writings burst onto the Parisian literary scene and caused a storm.His first, ferociously satirical novel, La Place de l'Étoile, was remarkable in seriously questioning both Nazi collaboration in France and the myths of the Gaullist era. The Night Watch tells the story of a man caught between his work for the French Gestapo and for a Resistance cell. Ring Roads recounts a son's search for his Jewish father, who disappeared ten years previously. These brilliant, almost hallucinatory, evocations of the Occupation attempt to exorcise the past by exploring the morally ambiguous worlds of collaboration and resiTrade ReviewA swirling cacophony of characters in the tense, nervily hysterical world of the shady near-criminal types who stayed behind in Paris after the Nazis arrived … Powerfully Pinteresque, as characters bristle with menace and barely-contained violence * Sunday Times *Like a cartoon strip in prose, caricatural and explosive … A disturbing evocation of the terror and treachery of the Occupation, and a mordant reminder of the tense relationship between Jewishness and Frenchness * The Times *Self-consciously outrageous ... Conventions and pieties are torn to pieces in a manner befitting a book published in Paris in 1968 … The more Modiano you read, the more seductive his work becomes ... Hypnotic and compulsive -- Duncan White * Daily Telegraph *Brisk, smart, witty, elliptical ... Recalls the directors of the New Wave – Godard, Truffaut, Louis Malle – as much as the opaque narrators of the nouveau roman … Frank Wynne captures this scattergun savagery with formidable bite … Bracing and brilliant ... Deepens the twilit mood of 1940s film noir or mid-period Graham Greene with an immersive intensity * Boyd Tonkin, Independent *A Marcel Proust of our time * Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy *Modiano is a pure original * Adam Thirlwell *Modiano is the poet of the Occupation and a spokesman for the disappeared, and I am thrilled that the Swedish Academy has recognised him * Rupert Thomson, Guardian *Europe’s home-grown divisions haunt the edgy, atmospheric Parisian fictions of 2014 Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano: sample the three early novels of The Occupation Trilogy * Independent, 2015’s Finest Books *Usually when we think of French novels or films about Vichy France we think of the heroism of the Resistance. Modiano has a much darker subject: the grey zone of French collaboration. He is drawn to the murky worlds of gangsters, informers, collaborators and black marketeers … This is Modiano’s world as it was in the time of his father in wartime Paris … La Place de l’Étoile is very unusual for Modiano. It’s a shocking, almost hysterical rant by a French, Jewish anti-Semite, Raphael Schlemilovitch. It is nasty, brutish and short. It’s a very knowing, literary work with references to French writers, Jewish and anti-Semitic alike, from Proust and Sartre to the notorious Jew-hater Brasillach … Schlemilovitch constantly changes his identity. Few of Modiano’s characters are sympathetic but Schlemilovitch is easily the least likeable … The Night Watch marks Modiano’s breakthrough … The real change is in style. The narrative moves between a hazy, imprecise world where things are ‘blurred’ and ‘fogged’ to a precise world where everything is described in minute detail. Above all, there is a sense of mystery … By the end of Ring Roads, Modiano had found his voice and was on his way to becoming one of France’s most fascinating contemporary writers -- David Herman * Jewish Chronicle *

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Book SynopsisA beautiful, powerful and utterly devastating novel from Orange-prize shortlisted author Georgina Harding''Georgina Harding's novel is the finely tuned work of a writer exceptionally at ease with her craft and a testament to the power and poetry of clean and disciplined prose'' GuardianThe memory of war will stay with a man longer than anything else. Dawn, mist clearing over rice fields, a burning Vietnamese village, and a young photographer takes the shot that might make his career. The image, of a staring soldier in the midst of mayhem, will become one of the great photographs of the war. But what Jonathan has seen in that village is more than he can bear... He flees to Japan, to lose himself in the vastness of Tokyo, and to take different kinds of pictures: of streets and crowds and cherry blossom and of a girl with whom he is no longer lost. Yet even here his history will catch up with him: that photograph and his responsibility in taking it; hiTrade ReviewGeorgina Harding’s novel is the finely tuned work of a writer exceptionally at ease with her craft and a testament to the power and poetry of clean and disciplined prose -- Sadie Jones * Guardian *Quietly and restrainedly, The Gun Room is a book that provokes searching questions * Daily Mail *Graceful and considered ... The dreamlike quality is heightened by Harding’s sharply observed prose ... As befits a writer adept at carefully cropped scenes, Harding has the measure of photography. The novel plays with its ability to captivate, shock, inform and misdirect * Sunday Telegraph *In delicate, hypnotic prose, Harding describes the devastating effects of war and the trauma of bearing witness * Sunday Express *A moving story * Elle Summer Reading *Harding has the descriptive skills to do her subject justice … Elegant * Mail on Sunday *Her writing is so gentle and beautiful and takes you so confidently on a journey. I let myself be carried away -- Esther Freud

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Book Synopsis''A Japan that never was, a future lost, ghosts that are not dead ... not even a partial list of ingredients can do justice to this wonderful cake of a book ... A time-defying thriller'' ROBIN HOBBStrange things are happening in Tokyo. As war with Russia looms, the city is plagued by strange electricity storms, while the staff at the British Legation have gone on strike, claiming that the building is haunted. Thaniel Steepleton is sent over from London to act as interpreter, bringing with him his partner, Keita Mori the watchmaker, their adopted daughter, Six, and Mori's clockwork octopus, Katsu. Thaniel is dazzled by life in Tokyo, but he feels increasingly out of his depth especially when he meets Takiko Pepperharrow, and learns of her connection to Mori.But then Mori disappears, and Thaniel and Takiko's paths diverge as they desperately try to find him. As their searches lead them to snow-steeped prisons and mountainside shrines, Thaniel is faced with the terrifying reveTrade ReviewInventive, immersive and entirely unputdownable -- Eithne Farry * Daily Mail *Wildly inventive, full of eeriness and magic, and fiendishly intricate plots * The Times *Pulley combines H Rider Haggard-style historical adventure with bizarre fantasy, but also excels at portraying the emotionally charged interplay of her charming cast * Guardian *A romantic, inventive, wonderfully immersive read * Sunday Express * As intricate as an origami sculpture * Spectator *With Pepperharrow, I think Natasha has outdone herself. The characters have reached iconic status already, and it’s so rare to find an author who marries such a sparkling imagination with the storytelling flair of a maestro thriller writer – this was her most unputdownable novel yet and I loved it -- Claire Evans, author of The Fourteenth LetterA Japan that never was, a future lost, ghosts that are not dead, random numbers, clairvoyant Samurai ... not even a partial list of ingredients can do justice to this wonderful cake of a book. Mori may know what to expect, but the reader will not! A lovely blending of steam punk ether science, Japanese historical figures, and a time-defying thriller. -- Robin HobbPulley’s intricate plot, vibrant setting, entrancing magic, and dynamic ensemble of characters make for an un-put-downable historical fantasy. New readers will be pulled in and series fans will be delighted by this tour de force * Publisher's Weekly *Plotted as intricately as clockwork, this weaves together historical political warfare with electromagnetic science research and magical clairvoyance. The characters are what really makes this sing, though ... I love them all, and would happily read a whole series of their adventures -- Lauren JamesPraise for The Watchmaker of Filigree Street: ‘Ten out of ten * Spectator *Charming … Elegant plotting, lashings of invention and jump-off-the-page characterisation * Guardian *Intricate, charming and altogether surprising * New York Times *Excellent * Independent on Sunday *Historical fiction, magic realism and elements of gothic fiction combine in this ambitious debut * Irish Times *Delightful, relentlessly charming and deeply moving … Remarkable * Los Angeles Times *

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR_______________'A masterpiece' SCOTSMAN'A wise, refreshing novel ... Runcie has an expert imagination' HILARY MANTELA masterclass in writing about the power of music and grief' THE TIMES, 100 best books for summer 2022_______________Love and Death. Grief and Joy. Music that lasts forever. Leipzig, 1726. Eleven-year-old Stefan Silbermann has just lost his mother. Sent to Leipzig to train as a singer in the St Thomas Church choir, he is rescued from his homesickness and grief by the Cantor: Johann Sebastian Bach himself. Stefan is brought into the Bach household as an apprentice - until a devastating loss brings his period of sanctuary to a close. Something is happening, though. In the depths of his loss, the Cantor is writing a new work. As Stefan watches the work rehearsed, he realises he is witness to the creation of one of the most extraordinary pieces of music that has ever been written. _______________Brilliant ... Readers will be enriched bTrade ReviewA beautifully calibrated novel ... Bach emerges as an intense, flawed, deeply religious man, and through a poignant exploration of grief and love, Runcie brings his glorious music thrillingly to life * MAIL ON SUNDAY *A riveting meditation on grief and the possibilities of music * SUNDAY TIMES, Best Books of 2022: Historical Fiction *A novel which deserves to last and will surely do so. It is surely James Runcie’s masterwork, a novel written with love and understanding * SCOTSMAN *Runcie is brilliant at chronicling Bach’s mission to take the messiness of grief and love and turn them into something beautiful and sacred. Even readers as tone-deaf as I am will be enriched by this novel and its glimpse at genius * THE TIMES, Historical Fiction of the Month *This wise, refreshing novel takes us to the heart of Bach’s life and work. James Runcie’s expert imagination makes his picture of Leipzig specific and convincing, and behind the music’s echo lies a touching human story. It offers a glimpse into a world more faithful and attentive than our own, but not alien to us: "we listen to music as survivors," the great Cantor says -- HILARY MANTELTo conjure him as a man, a writer needs to focus very sharply, and, whether in his bestselling Grantchester stories or award-winning documentaries, Runcie is expert at focus … Warmly, reverently, Runcie bring s alive what it is like to take part, for the very first time, in one of the most extraordinary pieces of music ever written * DAILY TELEGRAPH *In this moving and fascinating portrait of a rare moment in musical history, Runcie turns a legend into a real man, compellingly unveiling the intricate connection between passion, grief and the greatest art. Careful research and beautiful writing make this a memorable and rewarding read -- LUCY JAGOThe Great Passion is a novel revering the life and work of JS Bach, as told by a young boy soprano in Leipzig * IRISH INDEPENDENT, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2022 *This is historical fiction of the highest order ... intricate and accessible * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review *I loved this book. Runcie’s description of the familiar music being rehearsed and performed for the first time is extraordinary * CHURCH TIMES *Like the St Matthew Passion, this is a novel filled not just with loss and lamentation but with transcendent joy. Runcie’s prose sings. Soli Deo gloria! * SAGA MAGAZINE *Wonderfully imagined * COUNTRY LIVING *A delightful novel filled with warmth, music, and an obvious love of Bach * KIRKUS *Praise for James Runcie: ‘Runcie has the gift of the born storyteller * DAILY MAIL *Tremendous: shrewd, compelling and full of insight -- WILLIAM BOYDA triumph of inspired imagination * FINANCIAL TIMES *It’s a warm, tender novel, brimful of emotion and empathy, as the fascinating characters grapple with faith, feelings and fellowship. But it’s Runcie’s description of the music that is truly marvellous. Intoxicating, insightful and revelatory, he brilliantly tackles the difficult task of using words to capture the intricacies of Bach’s fervent work on the beautiful, groundbreaking masterpiece, St Matthew Passion * DAILY MAIL *Runcie ... has a gift for capturing the past * INDEPENDENT.CO.UK *

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Book SynopsisAn Observer, Guardian, Financial Times, Sunday Times South Africa, Irish Times, Irish Independent, Big Issue and Strong Words Pick of the Year An Irish Times and The Times Summer Reading Pick Shortlisted for the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year AwardShortlisted for the London Magazine Debut Fiction Prize 2020Longlisted for HWA Debut Crown 2020Beautifully written and emotionally devastating' Daily MailA beautiful and heart-breaking story set in South Africa where two mothers - a century apart - must fight for their sons, unaware their fates are inextricably linked.Orange Free State, 1901. At the height of the Boer War, Sarah van der Watt and her six-year-old son Fred can only watch as the British burn their farm. The polite invaders cart them off to Bloemfontein Concentration Camp promising you will be Trade ReviewPowerful -- MAGGIE O'FARRELLAn exceptional book * SUNDAY TIMES SOUTH AFRICA *Remarkable * OBSERVER *Beautiful -- MAX PORTERStunning -- JOHN BOYNEBarr has achieved something remarkable – a powerfully moving tale that weaves dazzlingly -- ALEX PRESTON * OBSERVER *Eye-opening * SPECTATOR *An incredible novel -- NATALIE HAYNES * i *This is a book that tilts the world … Full of heart and emotion * STYLIST *Epic … Immersive, moving, horrifying and beautiful. You will LOVE it -- MARIAN KEYESI want you to read this -- PHILIPPA PERRYA gripping, heartbreaking tale of uncomfortable histories and the resilience of love -- GRAHAM NORTONBarr has a keen eye for wincingly evocative detail ... Lyrical * NEW STATESMAN *Brutal, haunting, redemptive and with not an ounce of fat left on it. Beautiful -- JOJO MOYESEye-opening and meticulously researched -- EMILY RHODES * SPECTATOR *Both a damning indictment of one of the most ignoble periods in British history and a haunting portrait of modern South Africa * METRO *Funny, tender, and heartbreaking ... A gifted storyteller * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *Epic … Immersive, moving, horrifying and beautiful. You will LOVE it -- MARIAN KEYESSkilfully interweaves interlocking stories from the Boer War and contemporary South Africa as it unflinchingly brings the horrors of hidden colonial history into the light of day and shows how hurt seeps down the generations -- Anita Sethi * Scotland on Sunday *This would be an achievement for a third or fourth novel; for a first, it’s an astonishing one. Barr’s handling of his bravely chosen material - the conjoined shames of British and Afrikaaner history - is deft and the results will haunt you -- PATRICK GALEDevastating and formally ingenious, it traces the paths by which historical grief engenders present violence … A vitally brave and luminously compassionate book -- GARTH GREENWELLIt’s rare for a novel to go so deep that you come out of reading it a different person from when you went in. Damian Barr’s investigation of a part of South Africa’s history the British have been trying to forget for many many years is such a book. It was a very brave book to write, and parts of it call for some courage to read, but nothing more unusual and impressive has appeared for years -- DIANA ATHILLDamian Barr has written a novel concerned with single strain of human history, of how a people are made and unmade and how they go on to make and unmake others, of the stories they tell themselves to allow such things to pass. In so doing he has captured the threads of all of human history. You Will Be Safe Here is as unexpected as it is unsettling, both in the telling and in the way that telling works to reveal hidden trails through the points of light and darkness, such that the reader arrives at the end to stand before a view over one hundred years in the making and says, I see it now -- AMINATTA FORNAYou Will Be Safe Here is eviscerating in its rendering of violence and masculinity in South Africa [and] exquisite in its depiction of suffering and love. You will see the world differently after reading this – it speaks so eloquently and compassionately against a world defined by dominance and brute force and the blind repetition of history. It brought me to tears – the beauty of the language, Barr's tenderness with his characters, and the horror that is done in the name of power -- MARGIE ORFORD[Barr] has achieved something remarkable – a powerfully moving tale that weaves dazzlingly between the Boer war and contemporary South Africa -- PICKS FOR 2019 * OBSERVER *Few writers can wind you with a word. But Damian Barr doesn't just do that, he tickles and then floors you, delights only to devastate, within a single phrase -- PATRICK STRUDWICKDamian Barr splits open lost history, sunlit moments of love and all private grief with this novel, a chisel at one end and a telescope at the other. Insightful and compassionate, open-hearted and unblinking, Barr gives us three unforgettable stories in this powerful, groundbreaking book -- AMY BLOOMWonderful. I finished the book in tears ... [Barr] writes beautifully, emotively and yet cleanly, without pressing any point so hard that it becomes polemic instead of truth -- JESSICA FELLOWESSweeping yet intimate, heart-breaking yet often very funny … This book confirms Barr as one of our most brilliant and big-hearted writers -- ALEX PRESTONBrave, compassionate and beautifully written -- FANNY BLAKEA gorgeously written novel * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *Barr proves that the future has the power to reshape the past. He also reminds us of the effects of time mean people living in the same place can inhabit different worlds … Time is almost too quaint itself, too neutral a concept if we think about it only in terms of measurement, to properly capture what Barr sets out to achieve. This is a book about time as the accumulation of experience, both personal and collective. Experience is the same as history and history is the things people do. This is a book about the things people do to each other * HERALD *Pulls you in, breaks your heart and then ultimately repairs it. -- JOJO MOYES * OBSERVER BOOKS OF THE YEAR *There is pain on these pages and poetry too. I left this book bruised yet somehow better for it -- TAYARI JONES * OBSERVER, BOOKS OF THE YEAR *

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES, NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR''Vivid, illuminating and unbearably tense ... A masterly meditation on trauma, on beauty, on the idea of home and the limits of love'' GuardianCharlie's experiences at the Battle of Kohima and the months he spent lost in the remote jungles of Nagaland during the Second World War are now history. Home and settled on a farm in Norfolk and newly married to Claire, he is one of the lucky survivors. Starting a family and working the land seem the best things a man can be doing. But a chasm exists between them. Memories flood Charlie's mind; at night, on rain-slicked roads and misty mornings in the fields, the past can feel more real than the present. Though hidden even to himself, the darkest secrets of Charlie's adventures in the strange and shadowy ridges of the Nagaland mountains, his dream-like encounters with the mysterious and ancient tribesmen, leak and bleed through his consciouTrade ReviewVivid, illuminating and unbearably tense, Land of the Living is a masterly meditation on trauma, on beauty, on the idea of home and the limits of love * Guardian *Georgina Harding’s beautiful novels tell of wars, and troubled homecomings as traumatised fighting men try to re-enter interrupted marriages and homes grown strange ... Land of the Living is as wise and haunting as its predecessors * New Statesman, Books of the Year *Georgina Harding’s beautiful novels tell of wars, and troubled homecomings as traumatised fighting men try to re-enter interrupted marriages and homes grown strange … Her Land of the Living is as wise and haunting as its predecessors -- Lucy Hughes Hallett * New Statesman, Books of the Year *A quietly powerful novel * Observer *Audacious and moving … Elegiac, often elliptical vignettes that immaculately simulate Charlie’s shame, regret and grief … Masterly * Sunday Times *Remarkable and rare * Daily Mail *Elegant and precise, Georgina Harding wonderfully describes Charlie’s sense of dislocation, his emotional unease and the impossibility of communicating complex feelings to those who haven’t experienced war * Sunday Express *Tremendously imaginative, really compassionate … Manages to make them almost tangibly real, really immersive -- Frances Macmillan * BBC Radio 4 ‘Open Book’ *A lyrical novel about war and memory * Guardian, Ones to Watch 2018 *In sombre, elegant prose, Harding wonderfully describes Charlie’s sense of dislocation, his emotional unease and the impossibility of communicating his complex feelings and fears to those closest to him -- Eithne Farry * Mail on Sunday, The Best New Fiction *Revelatory in many ways, shining a light on the darker aspects of war … Quiet power and unexpected grace … Adds to Harding’s reputation as an incisive chronicler of war and its aftermath * Financial Times *Written with an admirable precision, and the dark of the narrative has to be teased out … It is a novel of ideas, for it invites you to think of questions of responsibility, exploitation, cruelty, brutality ... One of those rare novels which has you thinking, when you reach the end, that there is much you have passed over which demands a second reading to be fully felt and understood -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *Over several restrained, poetic novels, Georgina Harding has carved out a space for herself as one of the most incisive explorers of physical adversity and its psychological effects … Harding’s graceful style and self-control illuminate the crushing weight of history on the individual, and how different strategies for survival can cause a lifetime of pain and regret … Land of the Living is a poised and carefully crafted novel of powerful, submerged emotions, taking an under-explored aspect of Britain’s war and finding in it something graceful and strange, mythic as well * Herald *Disquieting * Times Literary Supplement *Perfect – a flawless gem of a novel from start to finish … Wonderful, strange and wise -- Patrick McGrath

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Book SynopsisFlorence Nightingale, a historical drama, a superb love story - from the Richard & Judy bestselling author of EAST OF THE SUN.Catherine Carreg has grown up a tomboy, spending her days racing her ponies with Deio, the drover''s son, in a small Welsh village. But Catherine is consumed by a longing to escape the monotony of village life and, with Deio''s help, runs away to London. Alone in the unfamiliar bustle of the city, Catherine finds a position in a rest home for sick governesses in Harley Street, run by Miss Florence Nightingale. Then, as the nation is gripped by reports of the war in the Crimea, Catherine volunteers as a nurse - and her life changes beyond all recognition.Arriving in Scutari, she is pitched into a living nightmare and, against the passion and heroism of one of the most traumatic wars in history, she is forced to grow up quickly and painfully, and learn the hardest lessons of love and war.Trade ReviewLively, atmospheric novel ... the writing is skilful, vivid and explicit * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Recent biography has debunked the romance of Florence Nightingale as angelic "Lady of the Lamp" ... Julia Gregson breathes life into this new interpretation * GUARDIAN *A vivid tale of love and war -- Fanny Blake * WOMAN & HOME *lively, atmospheric novel...the writing is skillful, vivd and explicit * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Recent biography has debunked teh romance of Florence Nightingale as angelic 'Lady of the Lamp'...Julia Gregson breathes life into this new interpretation * GUARDIAN *a wonderful evocation of the rugged Welsh coastlne and Catherine's home life * HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW *

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of the Richard and Judy Book Club summer read, East of the Sun, Julia Gregson returns with this compelling love story set in India - perfect for fans of The Tea Planter's WifeTrade ReviewI adored this wonderful story. I loved the characters who leapt from the page and lived in my mind: I wept at the heart break, and my heart lifted at the hope and the joy. The depth of detail covering the life of an Indian family and the conflict between the two cultures was totally convincing. The big dramatic moments were terrific, but where it truly shone for me was in the small but telling moments when I felt as if I could see into the hearts and minds of the characters. I believed every word and from the moment I began reading I truly felt as if I was there. Astonishingly good -- Dinah Jefferies, author of THE TEA PLANTER'S WIFEHeartbreaking poignant lovestory set in post-war India * HEAT MAGAZINE *Gregson draws on accounts of the experience of English midwives in India to weave a compelling tale of the complex ties of family, class and culture. * Booklist *A sweeping romance between a young Indian doctor and a British midwife. * Good Housekeeping *This engaging novel perfectly captures the last days of the Raj * DAILY EXPRESS on EAST OF THE SUN *What a gorgeous read. Exciting, romantic, unpredictable and funny. I didn't want it to end. You'll crave curry for weeks. * Tracey Ullman on EAST OF THE SUN *Exotic, decadent, dangerous and terrific storytelling * Fanny Blake, WOMAN & HOME on JASMINE NIGHTS *A tenderly told and wonderfully evocative story * DAILY EXPRESS on JASMINE NIGHTS *Lively, atmospheric novel ... the writing is skillful, vivid and explicit * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH on THE WATER HORSE *A wonderful evocation of the rugged Welsh coastline and Catherine's home life * HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW on THE WATER HORSE *

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Two sisters. One heartbreaking secret. And a past that cannot stay buried.In the depths of a harsh winter, Erica and Beth Calcott return to the house where they spent idyllic summers as children. As Erica sorts through her late grandmother's belongings, strange fragments of family history and vivid memories break from the surface of the present day...Memories of their cousin, Henry, who disappeared one summer long ago, and of their grandmother, a bitter woman, full of a deep, dark hatred. As Erica sifts through remnants of the past, a secret emerges, reaching all the way back to a beautiful heiress in turn-of-the-century Oklahoma. As past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with two terrible acts of betrayal and the heartbreaking legacy left behind.Your favourite authors love Katherine Webb's sweeping historical dramas:'An enormously talented writer' Santa Montefiore'Webb have a true gift for uncovering the mysteries of the human heart and exploring the truth of love' Kate Williams'Katherine Webb's writing is beautiful' Elizabeth Fremantle'A truly gifted writer of historical fiction' Lucinda Riley'Katherine's writing is rich, vivid and evocative' Iona Grey

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of the acclaimed debut THE LEGACY comes a compelling tale of love, deception and illusion.England, 1911. When a free-spirited young woman arrives in a sleepy Berkshire village to work as a maid in the household of The Reverend and Mrs Canning, she sets in motion a chain of events which changes all their lives. For Cat has a past - a past her new mistress is willing to overlook, but will never understand . . .Then her husband invites a young man into their home, he brings with him a dangerous obsession . . .During the long, oppressive summer, the rectory becomes charged with ambition, love and jealousy - with the most devastating consequences.Your favourite authors love Katherine Webb''s sweeping historical dramas:''An enormously talented writer'' Santa Montefiore''Webb have a true gift for uncovering the mysteries of the human heart and exploring the truth of love'' Kate Williams''Katherine Webb''s writing is beautiful'' Elizabeth Fremantle''A truly gifted writer of historical fiction'' Lucinda Riley''Katherine''s writing is rich, vivid and evocative'' Iona GreyTrade ReviewOccult happenings, romantic passion and murder disrupt the peace of a Berkshire village in 1911 in this hauntingly good novel from the author of THE LEGACY * MARIE CLAIRE *Really, truly outstanding * CHICKLITREVIEWS BLOG *An atmospheric page-turner -- Fanny Blake * WOMAN & HOME *This is an engrossing and totally convincing piece of storytelling, a perfect curl-up-by-the-fire read. -- John Koski * YOU MAGAZINE *'A mixture of the occult, mysterious beings in the water meadows, love, ambition, jealousy - and murder - make this an exciting, engrossing book. * OXFORD TIMES *

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Book SynopsisA warm and compelling tale, part of Lilian Harry's terrific Dartmoor-based series.Trade ReviewShe writes gentle romances that have real characters and real heart and soul * EVENING TELEGRAPH *

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Book SynopsisTwo and a half thousand years ago, the Greeks and the Persians fought an epic battle to decide the future of the world...Arimnestos of Plataea grew up wanting to be a bronzesmith, like his father. Then, in the chaos of war, he was taken to a city in the Persian empire and sold as a slave. To win his freedom he had to show that he could fight and kill. Now, to preserve that freedom, he must kill again.For the Persians are coming. A vast army sent by King Darius to put down the rebellious Greeks and burn the city of Athens to the ground. Standing against them on the plain of Marathon is a much smaller force of Athenians, alongside their Plataean allies. To defeat such overwhelming force seems impossible. And yet to yield would mean the destruction of everything the Greeks have dreamed of. In the dust and heat of Marathon, in the clash of shields and the rush of spears, amid the thunder of hooves and the screams of the dying, those dreams will undergo th

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