Narrative theme: coming of age

Book SynopsisThe second book in the ground-breaking HUNGER GAMES trilogy. After winning the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta return to theirdistrict. But their victory has caused rebellion to break out ... and then comes the cruellest twist: the contestants for the nextHunger Games are announced, and Katniss and Peeta are forced intothe arena once more.

Read more less

Book Synopsis**DREAM COUNT, the searing new bestselling novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is out now!**A haunting tale of an Africa and an adolescence undergoing tremendous changes from the talented bestseller and award-winning author.''A tale for our times'' DAILY MAILImmensely powerful' THE TIMESThe limits of fifteen-year-old Kambili's world are defined by the high walls of her family estate and the dictates of her fanatically religious father. Her life is regulated by schedules: prayer, sleep, study, prayer.When Nigeria is shaken by a military coup, Kambili's father, involved mysteriously in the political crisis, sends her to live with her aunt. In this house, noisy and full of laughter, she discovers life and love and a terrible, bruising secret deep within her family.This extraordinary debut novel from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of Half of a Yellow Sun', is about the blurred lines between the old gods and the new, childhood and adulthood, love and hatred the grey spaces in which truths are revealed and real life is lived.''I could not put it down' IRISH TIMES''An intoxicating story that is at once distinctly feminine, African and universal'' OBSERVERTrade Review‘Immensely powerful.’ The Times 'An intoxicating story that is at once distinctly feminine, African and universal.' Observer ‘There’s a quiet confidence about the writing which is very attractive – it isn’t showy, it isn’t brash, but on the contrary both captivating and mature.’ Margaret Forster ‘A sensitive and touching story of a child exposed too early to religious intolerance and the uglier side of the Nigerian state.’ J. M. Coetzee ‘A beautifully judged account of the private intimate stirrings of a young girl…Adichie is a fresh new voice out of Africa.’ Telegraph ‘Political brutality and domestic violence, religion and witchcraft all merge with subtle force in this memorable novel. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie uses childhood innocence to write Nigerian history with the eye of a family insider.’ Hugo Hamilton ‘One of the finest debut novels of recent years…as punchy and characterful as Monica Ali’s “Brick Lane”.’ Evening Standard ‘Assured and evocative…a tale for our times.’ Daily Mail ‘Grips the reader from start to finish. I could not put it down.’ Irish Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisHarper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. She attended Huntington College and studied law at the University of Alabama. She is the author of the acclaimed novels To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and numerous other literary awards and honours. She died on 19 February 2016.Trade ReviewLee explores with exuberant humourthe irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. * The Week *Someone rare has written this very fine novel, a writer with the liveliest sense of life and the warmest, most authentic humour. A touching book; and so funny, so likeable. * Truman Capote *There is humour as well as tragedy in this book, besides its faint note of hope for human nature; and it is delightfully written * Sunday Times *No one ever forgets this book * Independent *One of the best novels I remember ... uniquely unsentimental * Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSunburn is an astute and tender portrayal of first love, adolescent anxiety and the realities of growing up in a small town where tradition holds people tightly in its grasp....Trade ReviewLucy tells her story in a true, compelling voice, with an eye for minutiae, quaint apercus, and confidences that make her account moving and convincing * SAGA Magazine *A deeply moving, heartfelt love story * Daily Mail *Intense and all-consuming - like the first love it describes - Sunburn transported me to the heart of summer and the heady days of late adolescence. I won't soon forget Chloe Michelle Howarth's addictive, lushly written debut -- Laura Sims, author of Looker,This is a compassionate take on the push and pull between what's expected and what is felt. * The Herald *A literary coming-of age that captures the similar minutiae of romance as Normal People, and the gorgeous poetic descriptions of Call Me By Your Name... Whether you're looking for a great beach read, something for your book club, or a queer romance, Sunburn is a book you need to get on your shelves * Turnaround (Book of the Month) *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIntroducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience classics which will endure for generations to come.That girl didn't want to die. She just wanted out of that house. She wanted out of that decorating scheme.The five Lisbon sisters beautiful, eccentric and, now, gone had always been a point of obsession for the entire neighbourhood.Although the boys that once loved them from afar have grown up, they remain determined to understand a tragedy that has defied explanation. The question persists why did all five of the Lisbon girls take their own lives?This lyrical and timeless tale of sex and suicide that transforms and mythologizes suburban middle-American life announced the arrival of one of the greatest American novelists of the last thirty years.A flare from my own secret world, all the inchoate longings and obsessions of being a teenager somehow rendered into book form' Emma Cline, author of The GirlsTrade Review'A Catcher in the Rye for our time' Observer 'Entire and unstoppable … a sparkling work' The Times 'Wonderfully original' Independent ‘Eugenides is blessed with the storyteller's most magical gift, the ability to transform the mundane into the extraordinary’ New York Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe astounding must-read first title in the bestselling Kingkiller chronicles.'The best epic fantasy I read last year... He's bloody good, this Rothfuss guy'-George R. R. MartinTrade ReviewThe best epic fantasy I read last year...He's bloody good, this Rothfuss guy -- George R R MartinPatrick Rothfuss' debut is set in an unnamed but fully realised fantasy world, and his characters are detailed and convincing. * WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY *Patrick Rothfuss has real talent, and his tale of Kvothe is deep and intricate and wondrous -- Terry BrooksThis is a magnificent book -- Anne McCaffreyThe Name of the Wind has everything: magic and mysteries and ancient evil, but it's also humorous and terrifying and completely believable -- Tad WilliamsAs absorbing on a second reading as it is on the first, this is the type of assured, rich first novel most writers can only dream of producing * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *It is a rare and great pleasure to find a fantasist writing ... with true music in the words -- Ursula K Le GuinThe characters are real and the magic is true -- robin Hobb, New York Times-bestselling author of Assassin’s ApprenticeMasterful ... There is a beauty to Pat's writing that defies description -- Brandon Sanderson, New York Times-bestselling author of Mistborn[Makes] you think he's inventing the genre, instead of reinventing it -- Lev Grossman, New York Times-bestselling author of The MagiciansHail Patrick Rothfuss! A new giant is striding the land -- Robert J. Sawyer, award-winning author of WakeI was reminded of Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and J. R. R. Tolkein, but never felt that Rothfuss was imitating anyone * THE TIMES *This fast-moving, vivid, and unpretentious debut roots its coming-of-age fantasy in convincing mythology * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY *This breathtakingly epic story is heartrending in its intimacy and masterful in its narrative essence * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY starred review *Reminiscent in scope of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series ... this masterpiece of storytelling will appeal to lovers of fantasy on a grand scale * LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred) *Shelve The Name of the Wind beside The Lord of the Rings...and look forward to the day when it's mentioned in the same breath, perhaps as first among equals * The A.V. Club *"Patrick Rothfuss' debut is set in an unnamed but fully realised fantasy world, and his characters are detailed and convincing." * WATERSTONE'S BOOKS QUARTERLY *

Read more less

Book SynopsisCharlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper and the gentle butt of everyone''s jokes - until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius. But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental transformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.Winner of the 1960 Hugo Award for Best Short Story, and subsequently expanded into a Hugo-nominated novel, Flowers for Algernon earned Daniel Keyes the honour of SFWA Author Emeritus in 2000 for his contribution to Science Fiction and Fantasy.''Heartbreaking and beautiful. Required reading, as far as I am concerned'' - Wil Wheaton''A masterpiece of poignant brilliance . . . heartbreaking, and utterly, completely brilliant'' - The Guardian''Excellent . . . extremely moving'' - The Encyclopedia of Science FictionWelcome to The Best Of The Masterworks: a selection ofTrade ReviewThis is one of the greats: a story and a central character that have stayed with me for thirty years, from the first moment I picked it up * Conn Iggulden *A masterpiece of poignant brilliance . . . heartbreaking, and utterly, completely brilliant * Guardian *A timeless tearjerker * Independent *Excellent . . . extremely moving * The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction *Unflinchingly honest . . . it will make you reflect on your own life . . . and completely and utterly break your heart * Guardian Online *A narrative tour de force, very moving, beautiful and remorseless in its simple logic * Science Fiction, 100 Best Novels *Strikingly original * Publishers Weekly *A tale that is convincing, suspectful and touching * New York Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisOver 2.5 million copies sold 'Funny, touching and unpredictable' Jojo Moyes 'Heartwrenching and wonderful' Nina Stibbe Winner of Costa First Novel Award, a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller and the Book of the Year Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive - but not how to live Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted - while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she's avoided all her life. Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than... fine? 'Moving,Trade Review‘A truly original literary creation: funny, touching and unpredictable. Her journey out of the shadows is expertly woven and absolutely gripping’ Jojo Moyes ‘Original [and] unexpectedly funny’ SUNDAY TIMES ‘As perceptive and wise as it is funny and endearing… Warm, funny and thought-provoking’ OBSERVER ‘A narrative full of quiet warmth and deep and unspoken sadness… Wonderful and joyful’ Jenny Colgan, GUARDIAN ‘Unforgettable, brilliant, funny and life-affirming’ Wendy Holden, DAILY MAIL ‘I adored it. Skilled, perceptive, Eleanor's world will feel familiar to you from the very first page. An outstanding debut!’ Joanna Cannon ‘Hugely original, a funny and sad tale of a survivor who tackles the challenges of emotional reconnection with grave courage. Unmissable.’ SUNDAY EXPRESS ‘A truly original voice and so good on loneliness: I sobbed and sobbed’ Cathy Rentzenbrink ‘An outstanding debut about loneliness and the power of a little kindness’ MAIL ON SUNDAY ‘So powerful – I completely loved Eleanor Oliphant’ Fiona Barton ‘An absolute joy, laugh-out-loud funny but deeply moving’ DAILY EXPRESS ‘Heartbreaking’ Bryony Gordon ‘Deft, compassionate and moving’ Paula McLain ‘Heartwrenching and wonderful’ Nina Stibbe ‘Heartbreaking and heartwarming’ STYLIST ‘Brave, smart and funny… the most refreshing and heartwarming debut I’ve read in some time’ YORKSHIRE POST ‘Moving, funny and devastating’ THE HERALD ‘Quirky, witty and absorbing’ HEAT ‘Warm and funny, moving and deeply original, Eleanor Oliphant is completely marvellous’ Gavin Extence ‘A beautiful and delicate balance between funny and heartbreaking… restores your faith in humanity’ RED ‘You’ll laugh and cry reading this fine debut’ PRIMA ‘Impeccable’ Dawn O’Porter ‘Delightful, dark and moving’ Sarah Pinborough ‘Warm, quirky and fun, with a real poignancy underneath’ Julie Cohen ‘A stunning debut! I laughed, wept and reflected’ Lucy Clarke ‘Satisfyingly quirky’ NEW YORK TIMES

Read more less

Book SynopsisShortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2022From the bestselling author of Breasts and Eggs and international literary sensation Mieko Kawakami comes a sharp and illuminating novel about a fourteen-year-old boy subjected to relentless bullying.In Heaven, a fourteen-year-old boy is tormented for having a lazy eye. Instead of resisting, he chooses to suffer in silence. The only person who understands what he is going through is a female classmate, Kojima, who experiences similar treatment at the hands of her bullies. Providing each other with immeasurable consolation at a time in their lives when they need it most, the two young friends grow closer than ever. But what, ultimately, is the nature of a friendship when your shared bond is terror?Unflinching yet tender, sharply observed, intimate and multi-layered, this simple yet profound novel stands as yet another dazzling testament to Mieko Kawakami’s uncontainable talent. TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of the Year'Mieko Kawakami is a genius' - Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times'An expertly told, deeply unsettling tale of adolescent violence' - VogueTranslated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd.Trade ReviewTaking two outcast teens as its unhappy protagonists, it is an expertly told, deeply unsettling tale of adolescent violence that will, no doubt, only grow the author's fan base * Vogue *This is the real magic of Heaven, which shows us how to think about morality as an ongoing, dramatic activity. -- Merve Emre * New Yorker *To read Heaven, by the author of Breasts and Eggs, and newly translated into English from Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd, is to bear witness to an unrelenting horror film of one boy’s youth * The Washington Post *The second novel to appear in English by the bestselling Japanese author Mieko Kawakami is tauter and even more perceptive than its predecessor . . . Heaven is less than half the length and holds double the emotional force * New Statesman *For me this is a perfect novel, and one I know I will return to before long -- Megan Nolan, author of Acts of DesperationHeaven is a thoughtful novel about the value of the flaws that make us who we are * Literary Review *Short but assured. . .by the end, the reader is so dizzily absorbed in its visceral details and philosophical complexity that, when the twist comes, it hits you with a strange and unexpected force * Financial Times *Impeccably translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd, the book is full of masterly set pieces of violence, scenes of senseless bullying so lucid you can almost feel the pain yourself . . . * New York Times Book Review *Heaven is told with astonishing frankness and economy. It will cut through all your defences down to every layer of fear, isolation, hope and need you’ve ever felt . . . Mieko Kawakami is a genius -- Naoise DolanA raw, painful, and tender portrait of adolescent misery, reminiscent of both Elena Ferrante's fiction . . . I cannot, in good conscience, endorse it without a warning: This book is very likely to make you cry * NPR *Brilliant . . . This captivating, quietly devastating book is about the relationship between two school misfits. The same vulnerabilities that expose them to their tormentors allow them to see one another with a pure sort of attention -- Megan Nolan * New Statesman *In this horror film, oblivious authority figures walk on by as you grope for breath, wondering what it even means to be alive and free * Independent *Simple and profound, Heaven is an undeniable masterpiece -- Mitsuyoshi NumanoA poignant odyssey into the haunted caverns of adolescence . . . Kawakami writes with jagged, visceral beauty about those early antagonists we carry around in our heads, scars we bear into adulthood, ‘caught in the undertow’ of hormones and sorrow * Oprah Daily *Mieko Kawakami pulls from the all too familiar places we learn to accept as normal in our youth and gives them to us to reflect on as adults in a painful yet necessary way. Even if we could never learn the absolute truths behind humans' capacity for violence as well as empathy, we are certainly closer now with Heaven -- An Yu, author of Braised PorkKawakami unflinchingly takes the reader through the abyss of depraved, dehumanizing behavior with keen psychological insight, brilliant sensitivity, and compassionate understanding. With this, the author’s star continues to rise * Publishers Weekly *Mieko Kawakami has spun a poignant tale on the theme of bullying . . . Heaven is a tour de force * Tokyo Shimbun *Heaven covers new terrain, masterfully broadening the literary landscape * Yomiuri Shimbun *Kawakami has a unique knack for burrowing into discomfort, and she does it in a startlingly graceful way. Like her last novel—an unsparing treatise on the pressures of being a woman in male-dominated Japan—this book isn’t for the fainthearted. Told from the perspective of a 14-year-old boy in present-day Japan, Kawakami’s tale follows the volatile lives of two teenagers relentlessly bullied by their peers . . . An unexpected classic * Kirkus *Rises above the philosophical questions at its depths and delivers the reader to a devastating conclusion * Elle Japan *Kawakami’s powerful and unassuming novel explores horrific accounts of bullying in a Japanese school . . . Her sensitive, evocative storytelling sets her apart as an incredible literary talent * BookList *Kawakami is a writer who doesn’t shy away from hard truths and painful experiences, so Heaven will not be an easy read, but it’s guaranteed to be a rewarding one * The Japan Times *It is difficult to write young voices well: easy to forget how smart teenagers are, or to portray them in terms of what adults might wish for them. Mieko Kawakami, however, is adept at understanding their perspective and capturing the despair and intractability of those difficult years . . . As with Kawakami's previously translated work, Breasts and Eggs, this is an adroit novel of real feeling and insight from a writer who wants her readers to think for themselves -- Rónán Hession * Irish Times *Mesmerizing . . . Kawakami is a master of the interior voice. There is something about her prose that is so immediate and pressing it blocks out the future almost as if it were a threatening force. We are forced to deal with her characters as they are living now: alone, vulnerable, and unprotected * World Literature Today *These raw and realistic portrayals of bullying are counterbalanced by textured exposition of the philosophical and religious debates concerning violence to which the weak are subjected * Paperback Paris *Moving and intelligent. Kawakami gives us characters who speak to the heart and illustrate in one form or another the dilemma facing everyone in adolescence. Hopeful yet chilling in equal measures * American Booksellers Association *Heaven takes on the issue of bullying, and why a victim might choose not to fight back. Two teenagers bond over their torment, and their passive response reveals many kinds of societal injustice * Washington Post *This sharp new novel from Mieko Kawakami [is] a sucker-punch of a story that implores you to question even your own morality * Cosmopolitan *With grace and clarity, Kawakami explores destructive nature of adolescent violence, and the power of empathetic friendships * The Millions *How can a relationship really last when its foundation is built on shared experiences of humiliation? The author moves toward an answer in this quietly devastating tale of middle school drama * TIME *If you enjoyed Mieko Kawakami’s brilliant Breasts and Eggs, you’re certain to be astonished by her latest novel exploring violence and bullying with fierce, feminist and damning candor * Ms. Magazine *While Kawakami refuses to give us answers, the elegance and care with which she describes her characters’ lives invite the reader to ask such questions of themselves. This is not a cruel story, but rather one that understands hurt and pain for what it is: universal, unjust and material for new life * BookPage *Mieko Kawakami is the reigning queen of contemporary Japanese literature for good reason * Japan Times *Kawakami is taking the reader by the hand and guiding us through someone’s small, interior life as a method of contemplating wide-ranging, universal issues such as the body, ethics, and meaning * Bad Form Review *A poignant and unsettling look at what makes a friendship and, on a macro level, what makes an unequal society. Kawakami’s writing is meticulous and assured, and Heaven leaves a bruise * The Skinny *Exceptional -- David Hayden * White Review 'Books of the Year' *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you''ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don''t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.''The first of J. D. Salinger''s four books to be published, The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most widely read and beloved of all contemporary American novels.''The handbook of the adolescent heart'' The New YorkerTrade ReviewI liked it very much indeed, more than anything for a long time. -- Samuel Beckett

Read more less

Book SynopsisA devastating story of love, loss and one woman''s terrible choice between duty and personal freedom. Fall in love with Brooklyn ahead of its bestselling follow-up, Long Island.It is Ireland in the early 1950s and for Eilis Lacey, as for so many young Irish girls, opportunities are scarce. So when her sister arranges for her to emigrate to New York, Eilis knows she must go, leaving behind her family and her home for the first time.Arriving in a crowded lodging house in Brooklyn, Eilis can only be reminded of what she has sacrificed. She is far from home - and homesick. And just as she takes tentative steps towards friendship, and perhaps something more, Eilis receives news which sends her back to Ireland.There she will be confronted by a terrible dilemma - a devastating choice between duty and one great love.***''With this elating and humane novel, Colm Tóibín has produced a masterwork'' Sunday Times''Unforgettable'' Spectator''The most compelling and moving portrait of a young woman I have read in a long time'' Zoë Heller, Guardian''Magnificent'' Sunday TelegraphThe book that inspired the major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan.Trade ReviewWith this elating and humane novel, Colm Tóibín has produced a masterwork * Sunday Times *The most compelling and moving portrait of a young woman I have read in a long time -- Zoë Heller * Guardian, Books of the Year *A work of such skill, understatement and sly jewelled merriment could haunt your life -- Ali Smith * TLS, Books of the Year *Suffused with humane depth, funny, affecting, deftly plotted ... a novel of magnificent accomplishment -- Peter Kemp * Sunday Times, Novel of the Year *Brooklyn moved me more than any other book this year -- Nicholas Hytner * Observer, Books of the Year *A beautifully crafted work that transformed ordinary lives into something extraordinary * Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *No book this year gave me greater pleasure -- Nell Freudenberger * Financial Times *Not a sentence or a thought out of place. It takes over as his finest ficiton to date * Irish Times *Remarkable freshness and immediacy ... with a lovely comedic lightness * Daily Mail *A lovely, thoughtful book ... alive with authentic detail, moved along by the ripples of affection and doubt that shape any life: a novel that offers the reader serious pleasure * Daily Telegraph *Tremendously moving and powerful * New Statesman *Full of sly fun, lovely comic observation and an almost tangible pleasure in storytelling * Observer *Refreshingly authentic . . . Eilis is so vivid it's difficult to believe she did not actually exist * Financial Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisShortlisted for Best Novel in the Irish Book Awards Longlisted for the 2020 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction From the acclaimed author of Man Booker-longlisted History of the Rain ‘Lyrical, tender and sumptuously perceptive’ Sunday Times ‘A love letter to the sleepy, unhurried and delightfully odd Ireland that is all but gone’ Irish Independent After dropping out of the seminary, seventeen-year-old Noel Crowe finds himself back in Faha, a small Irish parish where nothing ever changes, including the ever-falling rain. But one morning the rain stops and news reaches the parish – the electricity is finally arriving. With it comes a lodger to Noel’s home, Christy McMahon. Though he can’t explain it, Noel knows right then: something has changed. As Noel navigates his coming-of-age by Christy’s side, falling in and out of love, Christy’s buried past gradually comes to light, casting a glow on a small world and making it new.Trade ReviewAdmirers of Niall Williams’s Booker-longlisted History of the Rain will not be disappointed to learn that his latest novel is possibly even better … What makes this so compelling and enjoyable is Williams’s transparent love of his characters and delight in his setting -- Alexander Larman * Observer *Charming is one word for Williams’ prose. It is also life-affirming and written with a turn of phrase that makes the reader want to underline something on every page. I suggest we all buy his books, pushing him into that realm of globally fashionable Irish writers, but more importantly, sharing with a vast audience his humane and poetic world view -- Isabel Berwick * Financial Times *Williams has the eye of a poet and the raconteur’s knack for finding a tale in the most unpromising nook of everyday life, as a now-adult Noel, summoning the Faha of his nostalgic imagination, narrates an elegiac novel that’s careful always to offset the antic rural eccentricity with darker notes of loss * Daily Mail *This is Happiness returns to the beguiling gloom of Faha … [A] wise and redemptive novel … It dares, in addition, to be wildly comic … With his silver ear for speech and extreme attentiveness to the Heaneyesque “music of everyday”, Mr Williams treads softly on the dreams of youth and memories of old age -- Caroline Jackson * Country Life *Lovingly written, the text is brimming with humanity, truth and humour – and then there’s the pitch perfect language, with not a word out of place … Magnificent -- Sue Leonard * Irish Examiner *Sharp as a tack, bright as a button, and engorged with rich humour, this is a love letter to the sleepy, unhurried and delightfully odd Ireland that is all but gone * Irish Independent *A surge of language, beautiful and enchanting, a novel that weaves a love of literature into its own moving tale -- Praise for 'History of the Rain' * Guardian *Extremely moving, poignantly capturing Ruth’s doomed childhood relationship with her twin brother. By the final chapter I was weeping -- Praise for 'History of the Rain' * Sunday Times *Deeply allusive, infectiously hopeful … Somewhere between bildungsroman, epic and family saga, History of the Rain is an unashamedly unfashionable, lyrical paean to the pleasure of reading and to serendipity -- Praise for 'History of the Rain' * Daily Telegraph *A delicate and graceful love story that is also an exaltation of love itself . . . A luminously written, magical work of fiction -- Praise for 'Four Letters of Love' * New York Times Book Review *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisEMILIA HART''S STUNNING NEW BOOK THE SIRENS IS OUT NOWTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLEROVER 700,000 COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDEAs seen on BBC's BETWEEN THE COVERS''A bewitching debut. I can't wait to see what Emilia Hart writes next'' KATE MORTONA much-heralded epic' OBSERVEREmpowering' GLAMOURThree women, five centuries, one spellbinding storyIn the present day, Kate flees a traumatic relationship to the Cumbrian cottage she inherited from her great-aunt; but the cottage hides secrets of its own.In 1942, Violet rebels against her father's ideas of a proper young lady' until he takes matters into his own hands.In 1619, Altha is on trial for witchcraft, implicated in the gruesome death of a local man.Three women they tried to cage but Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamedWeyward was a Times bestseller w/e 18-02-2023.Trade Review‘Alive, vivid and gripping’ ABIGAIL DEAN ‘Humming with a sly, exhilarating magic’ BRIDGET COLLINS ‘Totally unique’ GILLIAN MCALLISTER ‘Utterly absorbing’ ABI DARÉ ‘Fierce and moving… magnificent’ ROSIE ANDREWS ‘A stunning debut’ LUCY CLARKE ‘Relevant, empowering and brilliantly written… I just love it!’ JOANNA CANNON ‘A magical read’ WOMAN & HOME ‘[A] bold witchy debut’ RED ‘It seems to be the year of the witch book – and this is the best I’ve read so far’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ‘An absolute beauty… a riveting page turner for wild women everywhere’ JULIE OWEN MOYLAN, author of That Green Eyed Girl ‘Beautifully written and intricate as a spider's web’ SUNYI DEAN, author of The Book Eaters ‘A brave and original debut – spellbinding’ SARAH PENNER, author of The Lost Apothecary ‘Beguiling, absorbing and exquisitely-rendered’ LIZZIE POOK, author of Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter ‘A fabulous debut’ PRIMA ‘An entertaining read’ THE TIMES ‘Leave[s] you keen to turn the page and find out more’ INDEPENDENT ‘A beautifully powerful debut’ LOVE READING ‘An empowering read that will keep you glued to the final word… Buy this book’ GLAMOUR ‘An outstanding debut’ FABULOUS magazine ‘2023 is set to be the year of witchy reads, and Weyward is one of the most exciting new titles’ COSMOPOLITAN

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Playful, obstinate and courageously humorous ... hilarious and later heartbreaking'' Guardian''Sweet, funny, highly inventive'' Yorkshire PostThe personal, funny and poignant tale of a young refugee, from acclaimed storyteller Benjamin ZephaniahAcclaimed performance poet and novelist Benjamin Zephaniah''s honest, wry and poignant story of a young refugee left in London is of even more power and pertinence today than when it was first published.Life is not safe for Alem. His father is Ethopian, his mother Eritrean. Their countries are at war, and Alem is welcome in neither place.So Alem is excited to spend a holiday in London with his father until he wakes up to find him gone. What seems like a betrayal is in fact an act of love, but now Alem is alone in a strange country, and he must forge his own path...____________________Brilliantly written and with a real ear for dialogue, fans of Angie Thomas and Malorie Blackman will love BenjamTrade ReviewThe playful, obstinate and courageously humorous tone of Zephaniah's writing shines through ... hilarious and later heartbreaking * Alfred Hickling, Guardian on REFUGEE BOY *Sweet, funny, highly inventive * Yorkshire Post on REFUGEE BOY *Humour and innocence are both to the fore as is a sweetness of tone ... more street than poetic, and personal yet universal, Refugee Boy is well told by impassioned writer * York Press on REFUGEE BOY *A brilliant first novel * Guardian on FACE *A lively and positive account of a boy who is badly scarred in a joyriding crash, and how he comes to terms with it ... incredibly well told * Irish Times on FACE *An impressive debut, carefully researched ... Zephaniah writes wonderfully natural dialogue with the same ease as he spins out rhyming couplets * Herald on FACE *The authority with which the story is written leaves the reader no choice but to be drawn in – and indeed educated – into the world of gangsta rap, with all the appropriate vocabulary. Not for a long time have I read a book with such a 'pick me up again' factor * Independent on Sunday on GANGSTA RAP *A fairytale of hip-hop success ... teens will enjoy the thrilling music fantasy, while many will identify with the smart, talented boys who grow up quickly and rescue themselves * Booklist on GANGSTA RAP *Benjamin Zephaniah rides straight through everybody's taboos, everybody's prejudices, everybody's niceties and gets straight to the heart of the matter … Strong, honest, democratic, accessible to all, Teacher's Dead comes highly recommended * The Bookbag's Jill Murphy on TEACHER'S DEAD *

Read more less

Book SynopsisNow a major Netflix series, Firefly Lane is an unforgettable coming of age story about friendship and betrayal, by the bestselling author of The Four Winds and The Nightingale.It is 1974 and the summer of love is drawing to a close. Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the secondary school social food chain. Then, to her amazement, Tully Hart – the girl all the boys want to know – moves in across the street and wants to be her best friend. Tully and Kate became inseparable and by summer’s end they vow that their friendship will last forever.For thirty years Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship, jealousy, anger, hurt and resentment. Tully follows her ambition to find fame and success. Kate knows that all she wants is to fall in love and have a family. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and a mother will change her.They think they’ve surTrade Review(An)upbeat message of the power of friendship and family. * Publishers Weekly *A tearjerker that is sure to please the author’s many fans. * Library Journal *A moving and realistic portrait of a complex and enduring friendship. * Booklist *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"A boldly original piece of fiction, plumbing the depths of the human condition with plenty of humor along the way." — Entertainment Weekly "In her debut novel, film director and screenwriter Sohn Won-pyung (with the assistance of translator Sandy Joosun Lee) has created a tender exploration of adolescence — a universal experience complicated here by extraordinary circumstances. This is one of those books that deftly straddles the line between young adult and adult fiction; it has such a gentle heart that readers of all ages will recognize and sympathize with the characters' struggles and celebrate when they ultimately triumph." — Salon “Won-pyung Sohn understands that those who think, feel, and communicate differently aren't society's villains, they are its saviors. Her writing possesses seemingly unlimited empathy and tenderness.” — Madeleine Ryan, author of A Room Called Earth “In what might be the first novel to feature a protagonist with alexithymia—an inability to identify and express one’s feelings—Korean novelist Sohn’s affecting debut arrives stateside. Raised by his grandmother and mother who worked diligently to guide him through everyday social interactions, Yunjae at 15 is effectively orphaned…. As Yunjae risks communication and connection, the eponymous almond—the undeveloped amygdalae of his brain—takes seed, and gives Yunjae the courage to claim 'an entirely different story. New and unknown.' Winner of the prestigious Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction in Korea, Sohn presents a 15-year-old neurodiverse protagonist with much resonance.” — Booklist (starred review) “Almond is a tour de force -- deeply engaging, engrossing, and troubling -- a poignant allegory of the contemporary Korean condition that marks the debut of a new international talent." — Heinz Insu Fenkl, author of Memories of My Ghost Brother and translator of The Nine Cloud Dream by Kim Man-jung “Delicate and heartbreaking. Like peeling a fruit, Sohn bares human emotion and questions the human condition with a gentle hunger.” — -Jamie Marina Lau, author of Pink Mountain on Locust Island “In her debut novel, director and screenwriter Sohn makes the bold decision to choose an emotionally constricted first-person narrator, but the risk pays off. With the aid of a skillful translation…the novel will appeal fully to adults, but mature young readers who must cope in their everyday lives with the struggles of late adolescence will find themselves identifying with Yunjae and moved by his plight. A sensitive exploration of what it's like to live at life's emotional poles.” — Kirkus Reviews "The narration by a young protagonist with a disorder that affects his ability to identify and express feelings will rightly draw comparisons to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, but Sohn's insightful depiction of an outsider's perspective on society around him will also please fans of other narrators who sharply consider the world at a remove, such as in The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Readers will treasure the opportunity to see the world through Yunjae's eyes and watch him as he grows." — Shelf Awareness "Intense and moving...a phenomenal book that deserves a wide audience among readers." — Wall Street Journal

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES 1# BESTSELLER & BOOKER PRIZE WINNER*One of Goodreads Most Popular Books of the Past Decade*This is Britain as you''ve never read it.This is Britain as it has never been told.From Newcastle to Cornwall, from the birth of the twentieth century to the teens of the twenty-first, Girl, Woman, Other follows a cast of twelve characters on their personal journeys through this country and the last hundred years. They''re each looking for something - a shared past, an unexpected future, a place to call home, somewhere to fit in, a lover, a missed mother, a lost father, even just a touch of hope . . .''The most absorbing book I read all year'' Roxane Gay''[Bernardine Evaristo] is one of the very best that we have'' Nikesh Shukla''Beautifully interwoven stories of identity, race, womanhood, and the realities of modern Britain. The characters are so vivid, the writing is beautiful and it brims with humanity'' Nicola Sturgeon''A choral love song to black womanhood in modern Great Britain'' Elle''Bernardine Evaristo can take any story from any time and turn it into something vibrating with life'' Ali Smith''Exceptional. You have to order it right now'' StylistTrade ReviewGive [Evaristo] more prizes! All the prizes! It has the pace of a whistle stop tour and yet it seems no detail of the myriad of lives we encounter is missed. -- Graham Norton via TwitterIf you haven't discovered [Evaristo] yet, I urge you to read all and any of her books. Devoured one a day already and ordered more. Hilarious, compassionate, moving and brutally honest. -- Richard E Grant via TwitterBeautifully interwoven stories of identity, race, womanhood, and the realities of modern Britain. The characters are so vivid, the writing is beautiful and it brims with humanity. -- Nicola Sturgeon via TwitterWeaves through time and space with crackling originality * Vogue *Exuberant, bursting at the seams in delightful ways... Evaristo continues to expand and enhance our literary canon. If you want to understand modern day Britain, this is the writer to read * New Statesman *An exceptional book that unites poetry, social history, women's voices and beyond. Order it right now * Stylist *Evaristo's prose hums with life as characters seem to step off the page fully formed. At turns funny and sad, tender and true, this book deserves to win awards * Red *Brims with vitality * FT *With this rich composition, Evaristo deserves a toast * Literary Review *Masterful... A choral love song to black womanhood in modern Great Britain * Elle *'Girl, Woman, Other is about struggle, but it is also about love, joy and imagination. * Guardian *Threads together the diverse life stories of 12 black British women in ways that deliberately resist categorisation * Metro *Such a satisfying read, funny and true, the characters are so real you feel you know them already -- Miranda Sawyer via TwitterA warm, humorous and ambitious novel, and one that is enjoyably playful in style. It is both a product of its time and unlike any book ever written about Britain * Economist *My favorite book of 2019 . . . the most absorbing book I read all year. This novel is a master class in storytelling. It is absolutely unforgettable. When I turned the final page, I felt the ache of having to leave the world Evaristo created but I also felt the excitement of getting to read the book all over again. It should have won the Booker alone. It deserves all the awards and then some. -- Roxanne Gay'Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo is the best book in recent years to have embodied the idea that there are as many ways to be joyful as there are to be Black. Polyphonic and nuanced, it celebrates the lives of Black British women rather than commiserating with them, which is a crucial - and rare - distinction.' * Sara Collins *

Read more less

Book Synopsis ***Out now: David Nicholls''s new novel YOU ARE HERE*** A NOSTALGIC LOOK AT FIRST LOVE FROM BELOVED BESTSELLER DAVID NICHOLLS A tragicomedy about the rocky path to adulthood and that one summer that changes your life forever ''A beautiful paean to young love'' OBSERVER ''Fizzing'' GUARDIAN ''A glorious escape to the sunlit uplands of the 1990s'' FINANCIAL TIMES ''Exquisite'' DAILY TELEGRAPH ''The sense of nostalgia is visceral and intense, almost time-bending'' SUNDAY TIMES It''s summer 1997, school is over and Charlie Lewis''s life is in shambles. His family is breaking up, his father is falling apart and the long, empty holidays stretch ahead towards an uncertain future. And then, quite by chance, Charlie meets Fran Fisher and it''s as if a new world has opened before him. But can it last?Trade ReviewVery funny and heart wrenchingly tender * Grazia *A beautiful paean to young love . . . Here he proves that he can still pull off that most rare and coveted of literary feats: a popular novel of serious merit, a bestseller that will also endure -- Alex Preston * Observer *This is Nicholls' talent - what really sets this story apart is the dialogue: funny, telling, laughter-inducing, he's hard to beat * Stylist *He's such a genius. His novels are relatable and recognisable, but also surprising, breath-taking and life-enhancing -- Nina Stibbe, author of LOVE, NINAA classic coming of age novel with universal truths teased out with remarkable perception * Irish Times *Affirms once again Nicholls' talent for unearthing the special in the ordinary * Metro *Full of the joy and pain of first love, fans who fell for bestseller One Day, ten years ago, won't be disappointed * Sunday Mirror *A big-hearted book with wonderful set-pieces . . . beautifully funny and touching . . . his books always seem as fresh as they are wise and funny * Literary Review *I don't think anyone writing right now captures youth and adolescence better; I'm not sure anyone even gets close -- Jenny Colgan, author of THE LITTLE SHOP OF HAPPY-EVER-AFTERSuch a beautiful book. Captures perfectly a moment in time we've all experienced -- Graham NortonWritten with great comic panache and generosity of spirit, it is Nicholls' most mature and compelling novel so far * i paper *Nicholls' literary talents are impressive . . . the sense of nostalgia is visceral and intense, almost time-bending * Sunday Times *It's just perfect in every way -- Jill Mansell, author of SHOULD I TELL YOU?Funny, engaging and moving, another triumph from the brilliant David Nicholls -- John Boyne, author of THE HEART'S INVISIBLE FURIESA compassionate, intelligent look at the raw pain and loneliness of a teenage boy, the everyday miracle of first love and the perennial power of Shakespeare's language * Spectator *Fizzing . . . a funny, affectionate exploration of first love * Guardian *Astutely observed, and almost painfully nostalgic, Sweet Sorrow reads like a true story -- Clare Mackintosh, author of THE LAST PARTYIt's everything a story should be. Beautiful and clear and heartfelt, and it will do what all brilliant stories do: it will find the very pinpoint of who you are and it will stay there -- Joanna Cannon, author of WILL YOU READ THIS, PLEASE?A master of the bittersweet coming-of-age novel * Herald *Pitch perfect . . . Exquisite . . . Terrific . . . Very funny . . . Though Sweet Sorrow is certainly pulse-quickening enough to absorb readers through this summer's airport delays and rained-off beach days, it's no escapist fantasy. The tale of Charlie and Fran will linger long beyond your tan * Daily Telegraph *Nicholls perfectly captures the dizzying highs and lows of first love * Daily Express *Adrian Mole meets The Swish Of The Curtain in this lovely coming-of-age romcom about acting and the class divide * Daily Mail *Full of wisdom, poignancy and laughs * Mail on Sunday *Interesting, moving, hilarious and sad at the same time * Scotsman *A funny, relatable coming-of-age story * Sun *A superbly written, beautifully observed account of teenage life, love, family dysfunction and friendship, which builds to a stunningly poignant ending * Heat *No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does -- Alex Peake-Tomkinson * Evening Standard *A delicious, pensive summer read * Press Association *Piercingly observant, gloriously funny and achingly sad, this is David Nicholls' best book yet * Daily Mirror *Sweet Sorrow manages to be interesting, moving, hilarious and sad at the same time. I know when my heartstrings are being pulled, but tugged they assuredly were * Scotland on Sunday *A glorious escape to the sunlit uplands of the 1990s, where a teenager first finds love * Financial Times *Funny and nostalgic tale of first love * Sydney Morning Herald *If ever there was an author perfect to take with you on holiday (so to speak), it's David Nicholls * Stella *I'm not sure there has ever been a better book to read while by the sea. The nostalgia, the humour, the deep understanding of adolescent love and indeed the sorrow. It's such a brilliant book * i News *A witty and tender evocation of young love -- Robert Webb * Guardian *A devastatingly honest exploration of first love, razor-sharp reflections on friendship - oh, and some snort out loud funny moments -- George Aligiah * Guardian *David Nicholls is that rarest of literary creatures: a genuinely brilliant, genuinely popular novelist. His latest, Sweet Sorrow, is more than just poignant and warm and funny. There are piercing apercus and writing that's both precise and poetic, lyrical and tough -- Stuart Maconie, Best Books of the Year * New Statesman *Eloquent . . . dazzles with wit and shrewd self-reflection * People *A tale of first love that hits all the right notes . . . [it] just might be the sweetest book to brighten your late summer * Washington Post *Delectable . . . Nicholls treats you to a satisfying glimpse into the future, where characters make a curtain call as adults . . . Bombshells abound * New York Times Book Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2021WINNER OF DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2022A No.1 BESTSELLER IN THE TIMES''A tender and touching love story, beautifully told'' Observer ''Hands-down the best debut I''ve read in years'' The Times ''A beautiful and powerful novel about the true and sometimes painful depths of love'' Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of QUEENIE ''An unforgettable debut... it''s Sally Rooney meets Michaela Coel meets Teju Cole'' New York Times''A love song to Black art and thought'' Yaa Gyasi, bestselling author of HOMEGOING and TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM Two young people meet at a pub in South East London. Both are Black British, both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong, both are now artists - he a photographer, she a dancer - trying to make their mark in a city that by turns celebrates and rejects them. Tentatively, tenderly, they fall in love. But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence.At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity, Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to find safety in love, only to lose it. With gorgeous, soulful intensity, Caleb Azumah Nelson has written the most essential British debut of recent years.''An amazing debut novel. You should read this book. Let''s hear it for Caleb Azumah Nelson, also known as the future'' Benjamin Zephaniah''A short, poetic and intellectual meditation on art and a relationship between a young couple'' Bernardine Evaristo, author of GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER''A very touching and heartfelt book'' Diana Evans, award-winning author of ORDINARY PEOPLE''A lyrical modern love story, brilliant on music and art, race and London life, I enjoyed it hugely'' David Nicholls, author of ONE DAY and SWEET SORROW''Caleb is a star in the making'' Nikesh Shukla, editor of THE GOOD IMMIGRANT and BROWN BABY''A stunning piece of art'' Bolu Babalola, bestselling author of LOVE IN COLOUR''For those that are missing the tentative depiction of love in Normal People, Caleb Azumah Nelson''s Open Water is set to become one of 2021''s unmissable books. Utterly transporting, it''ll leave you weeping and in awe.'' Stylist ''An exhilarating new voice in British fiction'' Vogue''A poetic novel about Black identity and first love in the capital from one of Britain''s most exciting young voices'' Harper''s Bazaar''An intense, elegant debut'' GuardianWINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD WINNER OF DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDSSHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER OF THE BAD FORM BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEARLONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE, THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE AND THE GORDON BURN PRIZE A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD ''5 UNDER 35'' HONOREE Caleb Azumah Nelson''s new novel SMALL WORLDS is available nowTrade ReviewOpen Water is a beautifully, delicately written novel about love, for self and others, about being seen, about vulnerability and mental health. Sentence by sentence, it oozes longing and grace. Caleb is a star in the making. -- Nikesh Shukla, editor of THE GOOD IMMIGRANT and author of BROWN BABYFor those that are missing the tentative depiction of love in Normal People, Caleb Azumah Nelson's Open Water is set to become one of 2021's unmissable books. Utterly transporting, it'll leave you weeping and in awe. * Stylist *An exhilarating new voice in British fiction * Vogue *A short, sharp poetic burst of a novel; it crystallises the torments and heat of young love brilliantly -- Andrew McMillan, award-winning author of PHYSICAL

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Atlas Six by Olivie Blake is the runaway TikTok sensation – a must-read fantasy novel with gorgeous illustrations. If you loved Ninth House and A Deadly Education, you’ll love this.Secrets. Betrayal. Seduction.Welcome to the Alexandrian Society.When the world’s best magicians are offered an extraordinary opportunity, saying yes is easy. Each could join the secretive Alexandrian Society, whose custodians guard lost knowledge from ancient civilizations. Their members enjoy a lifetime of power and prestige. Yet each decade, only six practitioners are invited – to fill five places.Contenders Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona are inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds. Parisa Kamali is a telepath, who sees the mind’s deepest secrets. Reina Mori is a naturalist who can perceive and understand the flow of life itself. And Callum Nova is an empath, who can manipulate the desires of others. Finally there’s Tristan Caine, whose powers mystify even himself.Following recruitment by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they travel to the Society’s London headquarters. Here, each must study and innovate within esoteric subject areas. And if they can prove themselves, over the course of a year, they’ll survive. Most of them.'As much a delicious contest of wit, will, and passion as it is of magic, this book is half mystery, half puzzle, and wholly a delight' – Holly Black, author of The Cruel PrinceThe story continues in The Atlas Paradox, the heart-stopping sequel.Reader reviews:‘I don’t think anything will ever compare with this’‘To say I can't wait for the sequel is an understatement. Do yourself a favour and buy this immediately!’‘I had to convince myself magic isn’t real’Originally a self-published sensation, this edition has been fully edited and revised.Trade ReviewLethally smart. Filled with a cast of brilliantly realized characters, each entangled with one another in torturously delicious ways, The Atlas Six will grip you by the throat and refuse to let go. Olivie Blake is a mind-blowing talent -- Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent DelightsThe Atlas Six introduces six of the most devious, talented, and flawed characters to ever find themselves in a magical library, and then sets them against one another in a series of stunning betrayals and reversals. As much a delicious contest of wit, will, and passion as it is of magic, this book is half mystery, half puzzle, and wholly a delight -- Holly Black, author of Book of Night and the Folk of the Air seriesCompelling, entertaining, and addictive. This is academic Darwinism – survival of the smartest -- T. L. Huchu, author of The Library of the DeadWith a fascinating magic system explored through the lens of philosophy and morality, narrated by dynamic, enthralling characters, The Atlas Six is a tour de force. I read this book in two sittings – once I picked it up, I found it almost impossible to put down -- Christine Lynn Herman, author of All of Us VillainsThis chilling story of ambition and magic will make you question your own morals as you grow to love (and hate) its fascinating, ruthless cast of characters. I utterly devoured this book -- Amanda Foody, author of All of Us VillainsThe Atlas Six will thrill those who love twisted plots, twisted relationships, and morally grey characters ready to kill for knowledge and power. Dark, ambitious, and engaging -- H. G. Parry, author of The Unlikely Escape of Uriah HeepWith a cast of complicated hate-to-love-them characters and enough delicious philosophizing to satisfy even the pickiest dark academia heart, this book will drag you into its undertow and refuse to let you go 'til morning -- Victoria Lee, author of A Lesson in VengeanceCoolly horrific, brilliantly brainy and utterly compelling -- Daily MailDense with ideas, with a compelling premise . . . a richly satisfying head-trip -- SFX MagazineRich characters and richer prose, The Atlas Six is a fun, twisty page-turner that left me wanting more. Olivie Blake is an author to look out for! -- Susan Dennard, author of The Luminaries

Read more less

Book SynopsisJames Baldwin''s electrifying first novel.''I had to deal with what hurt me most. I had to deal with my father.''Drawing on James Baldwin''s own boyhood in a religious community in 1930s Harlem, his first novel tells the story of young Johnny Grimes. Johnny is destined to become a preacher like his father, Gabriel, at the Temple of the Fire Baptized, where the church swells with song and it is as if ''the Holy Ghost were riding on the air''. But he feels only scalding hatred for Gabriel, whose fear and fanaticism lead him to abuse his family. Johnny vows that, for him, things will be different. This blazing tale is full of passion and guilt, of secret sinners and prayers singing on the wind. ''His prose hit me, almost winding me with its intensity. I''d never read a novel that described loneliness and desire with such burning eloquence'' Douglas Field, Guardian''A beautiful, enduring, spirtual song of a novel'' Andrew O''HaganTrade ReviewIt broke my heart and made me want to jump up and down... It captures an essential aspect of life in America, its contradictions and seductions, that bittersweet mix of love and hate that so many feel towards the country -- Azar Nafisi * Independent *His prose hit me, almost winding me with its intensity. I'd never read a novel that described loneliness and desire with such burning eloquence -- Douglas Field * Guardian *Vivid imagery, with lavish attention to details * The New York Times *A beautiful, enduring, spiritual song of a novel -- Andrew O'HaganOne of the few essential novelists of our time * New Statesman *

Read more less

Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Booktok Book of the Year.The Number One Sunday Times Bestseller.‘Prepare your hearts, for Douglas Stuart is back. After the extraordinary success of Shuggie Bain, his second novel, Young Mungo, is another beautiful and moving book, a gay Romeo and Juliet set in the brutal world of Glasgow’s housing estates.’ – The ObserverThe extraordinary, powerful second novel from the Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain, Young Mungo is both a vivid portrayal of working-class life in 80s Glasgow, and the deeply moving story of the dangerous first love of two young men.Born under different stars, Protestant Mungo and Catholic James live in a hyper-masculine world. They are caught between two of Glasgow’s housing estates, where young working-class men divide themselves along sectarian lines, and fight territorial battles for the sake of reputation.They should be sworn enemies if they’re to be seen as men at all, and yet they become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the doocot that James has built for his prize racing pigeons. As they begin to fall in love, they dream of escaping the grey city, and Mungo must work hard to hide his true self from all those around him, especially from his elder brother Hamish, a local gang leader with a brutal reputation to uphold.But the threat of discovery is constant and the punishment unspeakable. When Mungo’s mother sends him on a fishing trip to a loch in western Scotland with two strange men behind whose drunken banter lie murky pasts, he needs to summon all his inner strength and courage to get back to a place of safety, a place where he and James might still have a future.Douglas Stuart’s Young Mungo is a gripping and revealing story about the meaning of masculinity, the push and pull of family, the violence faced by so many queer people, and the dangers of loving someone too much.Trade ReviewPrepare your hearts, for Douglas Stuart is back. After the extraordinary success of Shuggie Bain, his second novel, Young Mungo, is another beautiful and moving book, a gay Romeo and Juliet set in the brutal world of Glasgow’s housing estates. * Observer *I wasn't sure Young Mungo could live up to Shuggie Bain, but it surpasses it. Deeply harrowing but gently infused with hope & love. And so exquisitely written. It's a joy to watch, in real time, as Douglas Stuart takes his place as one of the greats of Scottish literature. -- Nicola Sturgeon, former First Minister of ScotlandFew novels are as gutsy and gut-wrenching as Young Mungo in its depiction of a teenage boy who finds love amid family dysfunction, community conflict and the truly terrible predations of adults. Vividly realised and emotionally intense, this scorching novel is an urgent addition to the new canon of unsung stories. -- Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, OtherSome novels can be admired, others enjoyed. But it is a rare thing to find a story so engrossing, bittersweet and beautiful that you do not so much read it, as experience it. It is this quality Young Mungo possesses - an intense, lovely, brutal thing. Stuart is a masterful storyteller. -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Dance Tree and The MerciesI can honestly say that the second novel from the author of Shuggie Bain . . . surpassed my (high) expectations. Stuart makes you care deeply about all of his characters but none more than Mungo, Mo-Maw's beloved, "the softest, sweetest boy she had ever known". * Bookseller, 'Fiction Book of the Month' *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDonna Tartt's huge selling second novel, follow up to the worldwide bestseller The Secret HistoryTrade Review‘In a literary age of diet and dearth, Tartt invites us to feast ... the opening tragedy strikes a note of rich, flamboyant Southern Gothic that resonates throughout' * Independent *‘You will rarely have read better ... Because of Tartt's mastery of suspense, this book will grip readers all the way through to its bitter end' * Guardian *‘Tartt's grip on this billowing plot is glue-like and her ability to evoke the Deep South of last century exceptional ... excellent, enthralling' * Marie Claire, Book of the Month *‘Destined to become a special kind of classic - a book that precocious young readers pluck from their parents' shelves and devour with surreptitious eagerness, thrilled to discover a writer who seems at once to read their minds and to offer up the sweet-and-sour fruits of exotic, forbidden knowledge' * New York Times Book Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe classic novel about a daring experiment in human intelligence'A masterpiece of poignant brilliance . . . heartbreaking, and utterly, completely brilliant' Guardian'A timeless tearjerker' IndependentCharlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper and the gentle butt of everyone's jokes - until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius.But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental transformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.Readers can't stop reading Flowers For Algernon:'I am finding it hard to put into words the vast range of emotions I experienced while reading this tale of hope, perseverance, truth and humanity . . . I'm a huge fan of science fiction that doesn't seem too far away; something that I could imagine being just around the corner - and that's how I felt about Flowers for Algernon' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'You're watching Charlie, the main character, go through an experimental procedure that increases his IQ. The whole book, written in diary entries, let us see how it affects his life and how he struggles through it. I rarely cry while reading a book but I couldn't help myself here. It's a classic for a reason. Read it. You won't be able to put it down' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Heartbreaking and beautiful. Required reading, as far as I am concerned' Wil Wheaton'This book is extraordinary, one of my favorites. It is a fast read but is is very powerful and heartbreaking. I read it in the plane and I felt a little embarrassed when I started to weep at the end of the book' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'One of those stories I wish I would have read years earlier. It's simply marvellous. It's about the nature of intelligence and how intelligence can be divisive. It's a very emotional book' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐Trade ReviewThis is one of the greats: a story and a central character that have stayed with me for thirty years, from the first moment I picked it up * Conn Iggulden *A masterpiece of poignant brilliance . . . heartbreaking, and utterly, completely brilliant * Guardian *A timeless tearjerker * Independent *Excellent . . . extremely moving * The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction *Unflinchingly honest . . . it will make you reflect on your own life . . . and completely and utterly break your heart * Guardian Online *A narrative tour de force, very moving, beautiful and remorseless in its simple logic * Science Fiction, 100 Best Novels *Strikingly original * Publishers Weekly *A tale that is convincing, suspectful and touching * New York Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWinner of the Booker PrizeWinner of 'Book of the Year' and 'Debut of the Year' at the British Book AwardsThe Million-Copy Bestseller'An amazingly intimate, compassionate, gripping portrait of addiction, courage and love.' – The judges of the Booker Prize'Douglas Stuart has written a first novel of rare and lasting beauty.' – ObserverIt is 1981. Glasgow is dying and good families must grift to survive. Agnes Bain has always expected more from life, dreaming of greater things. But Agnes is abandoned by her philandering husband, and as she descends deeper into drink, the children try their best to save her, yet one by one they must abandon her to save themselves.It is her son Shuggie who holds out hope the longest. Shuggie is different, he is clearly no’ right. But Shuggie believes that if he tries his hardest, he can be normal like the other boys and help his mother escape this hopeless place.Shuggie Bain lays bare the ruthlessness of poverty, the limits of love, and the hollowness of pride. For readers of A Little Life and Angela's Ashes, it is a heartbreaking novel by a brilliant writer with a powerful and important story to tell.'A heartbreaking novel' – The Times'Tender and unsentimental . . . The Billy Elliot-ish character of Shuggie . . . leaps off the page.' – Daily MailTrade ReviewA heartbreaking novel, a book both beautiful and brutal . . . All that grief and sadness and misery has been turned into something tough, tender and beautifully sad. * The Times *Leaves us gutted and marvelling: Life may be short, but it takes forever. * New York Times *I think it’s the best first book I’ve read in many years. -- Karl Ove Knausgård * Guardian *Rarely does a debut novel establish its world with such sure-footedness, and Stuart’s prose is lithe, lyrical and full of revelatory descriptive insights. -- Alex Preston * Observer *An astonishing portrait, drawn from life, of a society left to die . . . Shuggie Bain has been longlisted for the Booker Prize. In a just world, it would win. * Daily Telegraph *Shuggie Bain comes from a deep understanding of the relationship between a child and a substance-abusing parent, showing a world rarely portrayed in literary fiction . . . Admirable and important. -- Sarah Moss * Guardian *This is a dysfunctional love story . . . between a boy and his mother . . . what makes his book a worthy contender for the Booker is his portrayal of their bond, together with all its perpetual damage. * Financial Times *Douglas Stuart’s startling Glasgow-set debut novel creates a world of poverty and suffering offset by pure, heart-filling, love . . . It’s a novel that deserves, and will surely often get, a second reading. -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *Shuggie Bain is a novel that aims for the heart and finds it. -- John Self * The Times *Tender and unsentimental . . . and the Billy Elliot-ish character of Shuggie . . . leaps off the page. * Daily Mail *Beautiful and bleak but with enough warmth and optimism to carry the reader through. -- Graham Norton (via Twitter)A boy's heartbreaking love for his mother . . . as intense and excruciating to read as any novel I have ever held in my hand . . . The book’s evocative power arises out of the author’s talent for conjuring a place, a time, and the texture of emotion . . . brilliantly written. * Newsday *An outstanding book . . . Magnificently done . . . Wonderful. -- Lee Child * Sunday Post *A debut novel that reads like a masterpiece, Shuggie Bain gives voice to the kind of helpless, hopeless love that children can feel toward broken parents. * Washington Post *This heartfelt and harrowing debut novel – which has been compared to the work of Édouard Louis, Frank McCourt, and Hanya Yanagihara, and which Kirkus has already called “a masterpiece” . . . is rightly being heralded for its visceral, emotionally nuanced portrayal of working class Scottish life and its blazingly intimate exploration of a mother-son relationship. * LitHub *A formidable story, lyrically told, about intimacy, family, and love. -- 12 Best Books of 2020 So Far * ELLE (US) *The way Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting carved a permanent place in our heads and hearts for the junkies of late-1980s Edinburgh, the language, imagery, and story of fashion designer Stuart's debut novel apotheosizes the life of the Bain family of Glasgow… Readers may get through the whole novel without breaking down—then read the first sentence of the acknowledgements and lose it. The emotional truth embodied here will crack you open. You will never forget Shuggie Bain. Scene by scene, this book is a masterpiece. -- Kirkus Reviews starred reviewA rare and haunting ode to 1980s Glasgow and its struggling communities, Shuggie Bain tells the story of a collapsing family that is lashed together by love alone. Douglas Stuart writes with startling, searing intimacy. I fell hard for these characters; when they have nothing left, they cling maddeningly—irresistibly—to humor, pride and hope * Chia-Chia Lin *Shuggie Bain is an intimate and frighteningly acute exploration of a mother-son relationship and a masterful portrait of alcoholism in Scottish working class life, rendered with old-school lyrical realism . . . I kept being reminded of Joyce's Dubliners. -- Sandra Newman, author of The HeavensThere’s no way to fake the life experience that forms the bedrock of Douglas Stuart’s wonderful Shuggie Bain. No way to fake the talent either. Shuggie will knock you sideways * Richard Russo *A dark shining work. Raw, formidable, bursting with tenderness and frailty. The effect is remarkable, it will make you cry. -- Karl Geary, author of Montpelier ParadeEvery now and then a novel comes along that feels necessary and inevitable. I’ll never forget Shuggie and Agnes or the incredibly detailed Glasgow they inhabit. This is the rare contemporary novel that reads like an instant classic. I’ll be thinking and talking about Shuggie Bain - and teaching it - for quite some time. -- Garrard Conley, New York Times-bestselling author of Boy ErasedGlasgow, Scotland, in the 1980s is the backdrop for this story of the fraught bond between a young boy and his mother. -- ‘The 22 Best Books to Read This Winter’ * Vogue (US) *Compulsively readable… As [the novel] beautifully and shockingly illustrates how Shuggie ends up alone, this novel offers a testament to the indomitable human spirit. Very highly recommended -- Library Journal starred review

Read more less

Book SynopsisMeg, Jo, Amy and Beth - four 'little women' enduring hardships and enjoying adventures in Civil War New England.Trade Review"The American female myth."—Madelon Bedell

Read more less

Book SynopsisBrideshead Revisited is Evelyn Waugh''s stunning novel of duty and desire set amongst the decadent, faded glory of the English aristocracy in the run-up to the Second World War.The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh''s novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder''s infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian Flyte at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, Charles comes finally to recognise his spiritual and social distance from them.Evelyn Waugh (1903-66) was born in Hampstead, second son of Arthur Waugh, publisher and literary critic, and brother of Alec Waugh, the popular novelist. In 1928 he published his first work, a life of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and his first novel, Decline and Fall, which was soon followed by Vile Bodies (1930), A Handful of Dust (1934) and Scoop (1938). In 1939 he was commissioned in the Royal Marines and later transferred to the Royal Horse Guards, serving in the Middle East and in Yugoslavia. In 1942 he published Put Out More Flags and then in 1945 Brideshead Revisited. Men at Arms (1952) was the first volume of ''The Sword of Honour'' trilogy, and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; the other volumes, Officers and Gentlemen and Unconditional Surrender, followed in 1955 and 1961.If you enjoyed Brideshead Revisited, you might like Waugh''s Vile Bodies, also available in Penguin Classics.''Lush and evocative ... Expresses at once the profundity of change and the indomitable endurance of the human spirit''The Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFROM THE AUTHOR OF RULES OF CIVILITY AND A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW'Deserves a place alongside Kerouac, Steinbeck and Wolfe as the very best of the genre' OBSERVER'An absolute beauty of a book. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read it again' TANA FRENCH'Welcome to the enormous pleasure that is The Lincoln Highway . . . in which the miles fly by and the pages turn fast' ANN PATCHETTIn June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett returns home to his younger brother Billy after serving fifteen months in a juvenile facility for involuntary manslaughter. They are getting ready to leave their old life behind and head out to sunny California.But they're not alone. Two runaways from the youth work farm, Duchess and Wolly, have followed Emmett all the way to Nebraska with a plan of their own, one that will take the four of them on an unexpected and fateful journey in the opposite direction - to New York City.'Already feels like an American coming of age classic' RED'The best novel I've read in years' CHRIS CLEAVE'Wise and wildly entertaining . . . permeated with light, wit, youth' THE NEW YORK TIMESTrade Review[A] novel that is as much about the literary history of the American road as it is about the journey itself, and deserves a place alongside Kerouac, Steinbeck and Wolfe as the very best of the genre * Observer *The best novel I've read in years. Epic and original, mesmeric and life-affirming, in The Lincoln Highway Amor Towles takes his unmatched gift for storytelling and puts it on the road. Every beautiful paragraph takes the reader a mile further into a world where our choices matter, where life surprises us, and where people are worth the trouble. This is one of those rare and special books that drive us home to ourselves -- Chris CleaveAn absolute beauty of a book. Every character is a gem, the many locations spring to vivid life, the book is an intricate and moving exploration of journeys and the infinite unexpected turns they can take - and somehow Towles makes it all seem effortless. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read it again. -- Tana FrenchWelcome to the enormous pleasure that is The Lincoln Highway, a big book of camaraderie and adventure in which the miles fly by and the pages turn fast. Set over the course of ten riveting days, the story of these four boys unfolds, refolds, tears, and is taped back together. When you aren't actually reading the book, you'll be worrying about the characters, so you might as well stay in your chair and keep reading -- Ann PatchettFinely observed and beautifully written. Amor Towles is that rare combination of writer and storyteller. -- Jeffrey ArcherWise and wildly entertaining . . . permeated with light, wit, youth * The New York Times Book Review *A big hearted adventure told with brio * Mail on Sunday *Magnificent . . . Towles is a supreme storyteller, and this one-of-a-kind kind of novel isn't to be missed * Publishers Weekly *Amor Towles's third novel is fantastic!...Wise, witty and entirely wonderful, this is a superlative slice of storytelling * Daily Mail *A delight from beginning to end * Good Housekeeping *With exquisitely drawn characters, beautiful writing and a real sense of moral integrity, The Lincoln Highway already feels like an American coming of age classic to sit alongside The Catcher In The Rye and To Kill A Mockingbird * Red *CRAMMED full of emotion, madcap escapades and hugely endearing characters, Towles' outstanding third novel criss-crosses 1950s America as three wayward young men, and one sweet kid brother, go in search of fresh starts and family fortunes. Damaged by their pasts and heading into uncertain futures, their unruly ten-day odyssey is a beautiful, bittersweet adventure * Daily Mail *Towles's myth-making, masterful storytelling is no humane, uplifting and compelling that I didn't want the journey to end * Church Times *This deeply enjoyable read cements Towles' reputation as one of the best of today's historical novelists * Express *'[A] gorgeously crafted novel' * The Washington Post *A sweet, charming and wonderfully astute take on humanity and its foibles, this is gorgeous storytelling * Psychologies, Book of the Month *The Lincoln Highway is a joyride...[a] delightful tour de force .. There's so much to enjoy in this generous novel packed with fantastic characters * NPR.org *Following the runaway success of A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles returns with his third major novel, and we're pleased to say it's another stunner... A gem of a book * Woman and Home, Book of the Month *[The Lincoln Highway] is reason to rejoice for Towles's millions of fans, who made his first two novels, Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow, runaway international bestsellers * The Millions *Towles' third novel is even more entertaining than his much-acclaimed A Gentleman in Moscow (2016)... A remarkable blend of sweetness and doom, Towles' novel is packed with revelations about the American myth, the art of storytelling, and the unrelenting pull of history. An exhilarating ride through Americana. * Kirkus starred review *"[The] notion of American openness, of ever-fractalizing free will, coming up against the fickle realities of fate is the tension that powers Towles' exciting, entertaining [...] picaresque . . . Stories can bring us back to ourselves, Towles seems to say, if only we are open to receiving their power . . . Anyone who follows The Lincoln Highway will relish the trip * Los Angeles Times *An enthralling odyssey * People *Absorbing * USA Today *A wild ride through Americana * BuzzFeed *History [and] adventure collide in The Lincoln Highway . . . The pace is fast and writing concise, making it a digestible read whether in bed or at a loud coffee shop * Associated Press *Magnificent . . . Towles is a supreme storyteller, and this one-of-a-kind kind of novel isn't to be missed * Publishers Weekly *[A] playfully thought-provoking novel . . . [Towles] juggles the pieces of his plot deftly, shifting from voice to voice, skirting sentimentality and quirkiness with a touch of wistful regret, and leading up to an ending that is bound to provoke discussion * Booklist *A new author to me- but I'll be reading Amor's A Gentlemen in Moscow, as I was blown away by this... A heartfelt read, one that makes me think of coming of age film Stand By Me * Prima *A natural storyteller, Towles keeps the plot ticking over nicely in a solid holiday listen destined for the big screen * Irish Examiner *A perfect paperback * The Herald *A book to lose yourself in * Muddy Stilettos *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA truly captivating work of immense power and beauty -- Philippe SandsHaunting, moving, beautifully written -- Peter FrankopanA rich, sensual novel... This is a novel that gives voice to the invisible, the untouchable, the abused and the damaged, weaving their painful songs into a thing of beauty. -- Francesca Segal * Financial Times *One of the best writers in the world today -- Hanif KureishiShafak is the most exciting Turkish novelist to reach western readers in years * Irish Times *A terrific book. Poetic, poignant, trenchant -- Ian Rankin on 'Three Daughters of Eve'A thoughtful, charming book that offers a connection to other worlds, perspectives and possibilities * Sunday Times on 'Three Daughters of Eve' *A brave and passionate novel -- Paul Theroux on 'Bastard of Istanbul'A vivid carnival of life and death, cruelty and kindness, love, politics and deep humanity. This is only possible in the hands of a consummate storyteller. Elif Shafak's lyrical command of language and narrative is breathtaking. Brilliant! -- Helena KennedyElif Shafak brings into the written realm what so many others want to leave outside. Spend more than ten minutes and 38 seconds in this world of the estranged. Shafak makes a new home for us in words -- Colum McCannElif Shafak's extraordinary Ten Minutes, 38 Seconds in this Strange World is a work of brutal beauty and consummate tenderness, a wild shout of life from out of the lower depths of destitution and prostitution, indeed from beyond the grave itself. Every page throbs with unruly vitality, the sense- saturating colours scents and sounds of raw Istanbul, all registered with poetic sharpness. It's a book which for all its ordeals is a profoundly moving, at times lyrical, celebration of humanity's obstinate fight for life against the steepest of odds -- Simon SchamaA heartbreaking meditation on the ways in which social forces can destroy a life. Elif Shafak can be unsparing, lyrical, political, intimate... Several novels live in this one, and all of them are moving, generous and elegantly written -- Juan Gabriel Vasquez

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWitty, touching without ever being sentimental, hugely enjoyable -- David NichollsIt's incredibly moving. The idea of believing in everything and nothing in the same moment. The female friendships were beautifully drawn -- Billie PiperGhosts is wonderful. Funny, sharply observed, poignant, and full of truths about life and love and friendship. * Matt Haig *This debut novel is a tender, effervescent and deliciously well-observed guide to the complexities of thirty-something life -- Jane Shilling * The Daily Mail *Ghosts is an absolute knock-out. Wickedly funny and, at turns, both cynical and sincere, Dolly Alderton's voice feels like your very favourite friend. I devoured it -- Taylor Jenkins-ReidA sharp-eyed debut . . . Tests the boundaries of what used to be called chick-lit * Guardian *There are sharply skewered set pieces, but also tender observations . . . a promising, deftly written, often entertaining and poignant debut novel * Sunday Times *Loved it from start to finish, really laugh out loud: well-written, packed with ideas and observations and so engaging I can't put it down * Philippa Perry *I absolutely adored it. So clever and funny and such a treat. The pages really did turn themselves * Cathy Rentzenbrink *A stunning achievement: I was laughing out loud, doing my best a few minutes later not to burst into tears and then angry that it had all come to an end. So moving, so funny, so beautifully written and so poignant. Brilliant * Stanley Tucci *Utter BRILLIANCE. Dolly is such an insightful commentator on love, longing, friendship and emotional landscapes. I absolutely LOVED it! * Marian Keyes *Dolly Alderton's writing is incredibly intimate, tender, and observant. Ghosts is a fantastic novel about friendship, family, and love * Holliday Grainger *I loved it - Dolly Alderton has clearly mastered every form of writing. Which is a surprise to nobody * Candice Carty-Williams *This is a lovely, funny, modern comedy of manners. It's shrewd and sharp -- Russell T Davies * Instagram *I love this book. It is wise, funny, tender and true, sharply-observed and utterly hilarious. Alderton's gift is always to give the mundane its beautiful due and in Ghosts, she manages to write a compulsively readable novel. Dolly Alderton's talent is phenomenal * Elizabeth Day *I loved it. Had me howling with laughter and recognition! * Bryony Gordon *You know a book has hit the spot when you've decided before finishing which friend you're going to pass it to. The writer's skill at dissecting love and relationships translates seamlessly into fiction * Evening Standard *This brilliantly observed novel will make you nod, laugh and cry in recognition * The Sun *Such clever writing, wonderfully funny; fab characters and delightful details. Divine * Nina Stibbe *If you've ever been disappointed by a man it will vindicate every mixed-up emotion you've ever had about it * Laura Jane Williams *Hilariously cutting, but also sad and insightful. Reading Dolly's writing is like having one of those glorious girls night in, where you drink till the early hours - laughing, venting, and feeling warm and seen * Holly Bourne *Whip-smart . . . a heartwarming tale of family and friendship * Evening Standard *So brilliantly perceptive, packed with pin-sharp observations on every page. Dolly is such a fantastic writer * Jill Mansell *Witty, tender, big-hearted * Sainsbury’s Magazine *A few years ago, Alderton seamlessly taped into our psyches with her 2018 memoir Everything I Know About Love. Now she's back with that same signature wit and blistering honesty in her debut novel, Ghosts * Cosmopolitan *Alderton masterfully exposes the hideous reality of dating in your 30s and how unfair it can be on women who enter the fray in honesty and hope. Hugely emotionally intelligent and often very funny. I adored it * Daily Mail *A fascinating, perceptive look at what it means to be a thirty-something woman right here, right now . . . Sharply observed, sometimes tender, sometimes tart, Ghosts will resonate with so many women * Red, The Best Books to Read this October *Dolly sums up life in your thirties with such wit, warmth and accuracy, you won't want it to end * Heat *Alderton balances heartrending emotion with keen-eyed satire, displaying a flair for metaphor and comic set pieces * Mail on Sunday *Funny and insightful, it's a brilliant look at the way we can be haunted by doubts, memories and home * Psychologies *Alderton has a talent for believability, realism and the knack to reach into the pages and pull out the characters onto the sofa next to you. Topical, relevant with a touch of tender humour * Weekly *As warm-hearted, wise and observant as her bestseller Everything I Know About Love. In this heartfelt, funny and insightful tale, Alderton cleverly explores the way memories, doubts and home can haunt us * Sunday Express *Alderton explores the ideas of relationships, friendships, love, memory and the way in which we live in a beautifully written and poignantly powerful novel * GQ *Stuffed full of insights and adroit observations . . . a masterpiece of modern manners. Alderton's life-enriching social anthropology will be the antidote for flagging spirits in the next lockdown' Spectator * Spectator *Achingly relatable. A darkly funny-melancholic novel about the rich variety of relationships in our lives - and the importance of showing up for them * i *This modern love story has lashings of arch humour and gentle wisdom, and slides down as pleasingly as a slice of cake and a nice cuppa * Spectator *Explores the ideas of relationships, friendships, love, memory and the way in which we live in a beautifully written and poignantly powerful novel * GQ *If you need a good rom-com escape, Dolly Alderton more than delivers in Ghosts. . . it's darker than Everything I Know About Love - but just as fantastically relatable * Vogue 12 of the Best Autumn Reads to Curl Up With Now *

Read more less

Book Synopsis***Pre-order Abi Daré's new novel AND SO I ROAR now - Coming August 2024***'Unforgettable' New York Times 'Impressive' Observer 'Remarkable' Independent 'Important' Guardian 'Captivating' Mirror 'Luminous' Daily Mail 'Sparkling' Harper's Bazaar 'Beautiful' HeraldTHE NEW YORK TIMES AND TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE FOR FICTIONRECOMMENDED BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI, ELIZABETH DAY, ANDI OLIVER AND DOLLY PARTON___________________________________________________I don't just want to be having any kind voice . . .I want a louding voice.At fourteen, Adunni dreams of getting an education and giving her family a more comfortable home in her small Nigerian village. Instead, Adunni's father sells her off to become the third wife of an old man. When tragedy strikes in her new home, Adunni flees to the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, where she becomes a house-girl to the cruel Big Madam, and prey to Big Madam's husband. But despite her situation continuously going from bad to worse, Adunni refuses to let herself be silenced. And one day, someone hears her.__________________________________________________'A story of courage that will win over your heart' Stylist'Daré's characters leap off the page, powering this funny, luminous and heart-swelling tale' Daily Mail'Such a vibrant, tender, beautiful novel . . . I fell in love with her, and fell in love with the book' Elizabeth DayTrade ReviewA brave, fresh voice . . . Daré draws the reader in with a vivid character whose dire circumstances are contrasted with her natural creativity . . . Unforgettable * New York Times Book Review *An impressive debut novel * Observer *Adunni's humour and fierce determination to change her destiny shine through this remarkable book * Independent *The story told in this novel is an important one . . . The Girl with the Louding Voice joins a long and fine tradition of issue-led novels that have sparked conversations resulting in social change * Guardian *Narrated by Adunni herself in a brilliantly sustained broken English, this ultimately uplifting debut novel shines a penetrating light on the barbaric practices of child labour and child marriage * Mail on Sunday *This is a compelling, captivating and unforgettable debut * Mirror *Daré's characters leap off the page, powering this funny, luminous and heart-swelling tale * Daily Mail *A vibrant, tender, beautiful novel -- Elizabeth Day, author of FRIENDAHOLICAbi Daré makes a sparkling literary debut . . . and marks the appearance of a strong and stylish new talent * Harper's Bazaar *Incredible . . . packs an emotional punch -- Eithne Farry * Sunday Express *Adunni's humour and fierce determination to change her destiny shine through this remarkable debut novel * i *Compelling and captivating . . . an unforgettable novel and, in Adunni, the author has created a truly unforgettable voice * Daily Express *Abi Daré is a writer who not only knows how to create a powerful sensory impression, but also one who can really work the rhythm, texture and music of language. The words jump off the page . . . The Girl with the Louding Voice never feels like standard fare. It's lifted not only by the verve of its prose, but also its touching explorations of friendship and solidarity. It has an emotional connection that remains strong even in the final pages -- Sam Jordison * Guardian *Gives an eloquent voice to the victims of modern slavery * Independent *A stunning novel - original, beautiful and powerful. I was utterly captivated by Adunni and her mesmerising louding voice -- Rosamund Lupton, author of SISTER and THREE HOURSA powerful debut novel . . . Compelling . . . Readers will fall in love with Adunni . . . The writing is addictive and deeply evocative. A beautiful debut from a talented author * Herald *Despite the heartbreaking subject matter, this is a story of hope . . . a compelling read * Sunday Post *A bravely determined heroine * Sunday Times *A story of courage that will win over your heart * Stylist *Abi Daré's book is compulsive reading * Irish Tatler *A true original, this will open your eyes * Cosmopolitan *Winning comedy sparkles through the grimness . . . it's the vividly alive characters that keep you hooked, all the way to Daré's rousing, heart-swelling conclusion * Daily Mail *A bold new storyteller . . . Abi Daré's fearless debut is a celebration of girls who dare to dream and those who help them unfurl their wings so that they might soar -- Imbolo Mbue, author of HOW BEAUTIFUL WE WEREAdunni's voice weaves and dances its way across the pages with a rhythm that captivated me, astonished me and, more than once, broke my heart -- Tara Conklin, author of THE HOUSE GIRLHeartbreaking and inspiring. Daré provides a valuable reminder of all the young women around the world who are struggling to be heard and how important it is that we listen to them. A moving story of what it means to fight for the right to live the life you choose * Kirkus *Pick the novel up now * Radio Times *Resilience and beauty of language are at the heart of this story of domestic slavery * Sainsbury's Magazine *It's an amazing book . . . I heartily recommend -- Jo Whiley * Radio 2 Book Club *A virtuosic study of female loss, determination, and of the subversive potential of words . . . It magnificently reveals how language constructs us as humans. With immense skill, Daré creates an irresistible energy and powerfully sustains it on every page -- Preti TanejaA character for the ages. Adunni is a girl who narrates her own suffering with levity, who paints depth and texture and beauty into her Nigerian homeland, who tenderly cultivates her own humanity even while everything around her seeks to thwart it. She is an ambassador for girls everywhere. She is important, funny, brave, and enduring. Abi Daré has written an unforgettable novel, by the strength of her own louding voice -- Jeanine Cummins, author of AMERICAN DIRTA dazzling year for debut novelists . . . This 2018 Bath Novel Award winner takes a long, hard look at modern slavery through the eyes of 14-year-old Adunni -- Timothy Harrison * Vogue *Inspiring . . . explores a spirit and hope that cannot be contained even in the grimmest of circumstances * Entertainment Weekly *In Nigeria, and around the world, girls are fighting for their right to learn. I'm grateful to Abi for showing the challenges Nigerian girls face and showcasing the power of their voices -- Malala YousafzaiA courageous story * New York Times *I'm a big fan of hyper-realistic dialogue and using the sounds of a world to shape the energy of a novel, and so I was immediately drawn to The Girl with the Louding Voice . . . Adunni is a youthful, dynamic guide with serious bite and poetic language -- Kiley Reid, author of SUCH A FUN AGEGorgeous, devastating and unforgettable. I am enraptured by this book -- Elizabeth Gilbert, author of CITY OF GIRLSThe book character I love the most is . . . Abi Daré's brilliant Adunni -- Maggie O'Farrell * Red Magazine *

Read more less

Book SynopsisChiltern Publishing creates the most beautiful editions of the World's finest literature. Your favourite classic titles in a way you have never seen them before; the tactile layers, golden edges, fine details and beautiful colours of these remarkable covers make these titles feel extra special and will look striking on any shelf.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2008Balram Halwai is the White Tiger - the smartest boy in his village. His family is too poor for him to afford for him to finish school and he has to work in a teashop, breaking coals and wiping tables. But Balram gets his break when a rich man hires him as a chauffeur, and takes him to live in Delhi. The city is a revelation. As he drives his master to shopping malls and call centres, Balram becomes increasingly aware of immense wealth and opportunity all around him, while knowing that he will never be able to gain access to that world. As Balram broods over his situation, he realizes that there is only one way he can become part of this glamorous new India - by murdering his master. The White Tiger presents a raw and unromanticised India, both thrilling and shocking - from the desperate, almost lawless villages along the Ganges, to the booming Wild South of Bangalore and its technology and outsourcing centres. The first-person confession of a murderer, The White Tiger is as compelling for its subject matter as for the voice of its narrator - amoral, cynical, unrepentant, yet deeply endearing.Trade ReviewBlazingly savage and brilliant * Sunday Telegraph *A masterpiece * The Times *Dazzling... With The White Tiger, Adiga sets out to show us a part of [India] that we hear about infrequently: its underbelly... [Balram's voice is] brimming with idiosyncrasy, sarcastic, cunning. * Independent on Sunday *Adiga's portrait of the Indian capital is very funny but unmistakably angry... Keeps you guessing to the final page and beyond. * Financial Times *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisLiz Moore is the author of the acclaimed novels Heft, recently optioned as a feature film, and The Unseen World, which was optioned for television. A winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia.Trade ReviewIn sparse, urgent prose, Liz Moore delivers a staggeringly beautiful meditation on love, legacy, and the emotional necessities that make life worth living. That lump in your throat? You won’t quite know how it got there?nor believe how long it will stick around once the final page is turned. * Tea Obreht, author of The Tiger's Wife *I was so thoroughly engaged with The Unseen World. What a wonderful, fulfilling, riveting read, alive with complex characters, a thrilling story, wit, and, above all, a deep sense of compassion. * Jami Attenberg, author of Saint Mazie *Fiercely intelligent....Moore evocatively renders the remoteness of even our closest loved ones * New York Times Book Review *A cerebral, page-turning thriller … an elegant and ethereal novel about identity and the dawn of artificial intelligence, and a convincing interior portrait of a young woman. * Washington Post *[A] captivating page-turner … a wry, gentle coming-of-age story and an intriguing glimpse into the development of artificial intelligence and virtual reality … It is also an incisive, insightful, and compassionate examination of the complexities of family and identity * Boston Globe *I absolutely love this wise, compassionate novel that challenges our definitions of family, of intelligence, and of love. Equal parts cerebral and heartbreaking, The Unseen World is utterly compelling, and its heroine Ada Sibelius is irresistible in all her thorny vulnerability. Liz Moore has given us a masterful version of our own modern condition, and I cannot wait to place this book in the hands of my most ardent reader friends. * Robin Black, author of Life Drawing *Smart and touching * Good Housekeeping *A striking examination of family, memory, and technology… Mysteries build, and Moore’s gift for storytelling excels. This is a smart, emotionally powerful literary page-turner. * Publishers Weekly *Intelligent and brilliantly absorbing... Filled with achingly memorable scenes and beautifully nuanced writing, Moore's latest is a stunner in its precise take on identity and the compromises even the most righteous among us must make to survive life's challenges with grace. * Booklist *Moore creates a continually compelling drama ... She is masterful at evoking powerful personal connections as well as the intellectual excitement of the dawning computer era. * BBC Culture *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewUnsettling, challenging and gloriously written, Hot Milk by Deborah Levy is the multi-generational story of a hallucinatory sort of summer * Juliet Nicolson, Evening Standard *Leaves the reader enraptured and unnerved * Jackie Annesley, Evening Standard *Publisher's description. Shortlisted for the Man Booker and Goldsmiths prizes, a hypnotic tale of female sexuality and power under the scorching midday sun. Sofia and her mother arrive on the Spanish coast looking for answers - what they find there will be strange, seductive and fearsome beyond their wildest dreams. * Penguin *

Read more less

Book SynopsisNight Train to Lisbon follows Raimund Gregorius, a 57-year-old Classics scholar, on a journey that takes him across Europe. Abandoning his job and his life and travelling with a dusty old book as his talisman, he heads for Lisbon in search of clues to the life of the book's Portuguese author, Amadeu de Prado. As he gets swept up in his quest, he finds that the journey is also one of self-discovery, as he reencounters all the decisions he has made - and not made - in his life, and faces the roads not travelled.Trade Review"* 'One reads this book almost breathlessly, can hardly put it down... A handbook for the soul, mind and heart.' Die Zeit (Germany) 'If you liked Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind, you'll love international bestseller, Night Train to Lisbon.' Image 'Night Train to Lisbon is a novel of ideas that reads like a thriller: an unsentimental journey that seems to transcend time and space. Every character, every scene, is evoked with an incomparable economy and a tragic nobility redolent of the mysterious hero, whom we only ever encounter through the eyes of others... Pascal Mercier now takes his rightful place among our finest European novelists.' Daniel Johnson, Sunday Telegraph 'A meditative novel that builds uncanny power...Night Train to Lisbon maintains a remarkable immediacy that makes for a rare reading pleasure.' Joseph Olshan, San Francisco Chronicle"

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis breathtakingly beautiful debut is a love letter to the written word and the power of stories to open doors to other worldsTrade ReviewA gorgeous, aching love letter to stories, storytellers and the doors they lead us through . . . absolutely enchanting -- Christina Henry, bestselling author of ALICEMany worlds, vanishing doors, mind-cracking magic: I clung to each page, searching for answers. This is one of the most unique works of fiction I've ever read - I hope there's more ahead -- Tamora Pierce, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling authorA gorgeously written story of love and longing, of what it means to lose your place in the world, and then have the courage to find it again. This book is a door I'm glad to have opened -- Kat Howard, author of AN UNKINDNESS OF MAGICIANSA love letter to imagination, adventure, the written word and the power of many kinds of love -- KIRKUSThe Ten Thousand Doors of January healed hurts I didn't even know I had. An unbearably beautiful story about growing up, and everything we fight to keep along the way -- Amal El-Mohtar, Hugo Award-winning authorThe Ten Thousand Doors of January is devastatingly good, a sharp, delicate nested tale of worlds within worlds, stories within stories, and the realm-cracking power of words -- Melissa Albert, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE HAZEL WOODThe Ten Thousand Doors of January begins as a simple adventure, but like its mysteriously transportive doors, leads deeper and deeper the further you read. Each page dazzles with things to be discovered: a mansion of priceless artifacts, a secret journal, a tantalizing quest through strange and beautiful places, and a love story that spans time, worlds and magic. I couldn't put it down -- Peng Shepherd, author of THE BOOK OF MAll the magic you once knew but have almost forgotten waits in these pages for you to discover again. With a masterful voice and a spellbinding story, reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January feels like coming back to a beloved childhood classic to find it unexpectedly grew up with you. It's a deeply satisfying pleasure to read, and lingers in your heart afterwards. I loved it! -- Melissa Caruso, author of THE TETHERED MAGETo open this book is to open a door to a brand new world that you'll never want to leave. With the masterful prose of a true Wordworker, Harrow has created a richly imagined, multi-layered narrative full of wonder, sorrow, and strength -- Jordanna Max Brodsky, author of THE WOLF IN THE WHALEBeautifully written and absorbing . . . an ambitious, expansive story that never loses its sense of intimacy . . . a wonderful, insightful and imaginative book. I highly recommend it -- Josiah Bancroft, author of SENLIN ASCENDSThe Ten Thousand Doors of January is quite possibly the most achingly beautiful novel I've ever read, and I find it mind-boggling that anything this lovely could possibly be a debut novel . . . Harrow is more than an author; she is a Wordsmith, a sorceress wielding a pen in place of a wand . . . I can already tell that January is going to be one of my dearest friends, and that I'll be revisiting her often -- NOVEL NOTIONSHarrow has created a gorgeous world of magic and portal universes that is at once familiar and startlingly new. With lush writing and a sense of wonder, The Ten Thousand Doors of January examines power, progress and identity. It is an adventure in the best and grandest sense -- Erika Swyler, author of THE BOOK OF SPECULATIONEvery page of this smart, heartfelt expedition celebrates an abiding love of stories and slips between genres in wonderful ways. Readers are going to relish every sentence and surprise in this book - I know I did! -- Matthew Sullivan, author of MIDNIGHT AT THE BRIGHT IDEAS BOOKSTOREThis book was amazing . . . a phenomenally written tale, that felt a little like falling into a door to a different world -- SUPER STARDRIFTERGorgeous and magical . . . One of the most beautifully-written debuts I've ever read -- NOVEL NOTIONSHas real depth . . . Engrossing -- IMAGE MAGAZINEA stunning debut novel with inventive worlds, sumptuous language and impeccably crafted details -- BOOKPAGEThe buzz is warranted. The writing is beautiful and lush. The story is sad and sweet in equal measure. The world is captivating and I truly felt transported -- SPECULATIVE SHELFOne giant love letter to the written word . . . The storytelling is a joyful kind of magic. Alix E. Harrow has a beautifully dreamy style that is irresistible, even at the book's darkest moments, and her imagination feels limitless . . . this book is an infectious celebration of courage and wonder that feels like a massive, life affirming hug -- SCIFINOWThe Ten Thousand Doors of January is a celebration of books; it is a reflection of the power of stories, of words, and it is, honestly, a remarkable read to escape into -- FANTASY HIVEImaginative, gripping, and beautifully written * SFX *Beautiful, achingly gorgeous ode to storytelling, magic and family * S. A. Chakraborty, author of THE CITY OF BRASS *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA QUEEN'S READING ROOM PICK 2023The multi-million-copy bestseller. A New York Times bestseller for over two years. Long-listed for the Orange Prize.Trade ReviewMoving, original, and accomplished ... wonderfully written, powerful, poignant, and humorous, and takes a line which is - refreshingly - strongly female without being cliche-feminist. It is also deliciously eccentric, which lifts it out of the usual category of a rite-of-passage novel into the realms of real distinction. Do read it * Joanna Trollope *Charming, funny, moving and unmistakeably from the American South... a story that whips together heat, violence, eccentricity, madness and the Gothic * The Times *This is a wonderful book, by turns funny, sad, full of incident and shot through with grown-up magic reminiscent of Joanne Harris. * The Daily Telegraph *Eccentric, inventive, and ultimately forgiving... a truly original Southern voice * Anita Shreve *Monk Kidd has created a narrative as skilful and sweet as a honeycomb. Uplifting and warm-hearted, this is a moving novel and Lily is a fascinating, funny and clever narrator * Literary Review *Sue Monk Kidd... Illuminates what is beautiful... THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES is a gift, filled with hope * Luanne Rice *This is the story of a young girl's journey toward healing, and of finding, at its end, not only wholeness, but the intrinsic sacredness of living in the world. I think it is simply wonderful * Anne Rivers Siddons *A wonderfully written debut novel * Kirkus Reviews *With imagination as lush and colorful as the American South, a clutch of deliciously eccentric characters, and vivid prose, Sue Monk Kidd creates a rich, maternal haven in a harsh world * Christina Schwarz *As original as its title and rivetingly so... It is one of the most inventive books I have read in a long time, and utterly compelling... This book demands to be read again and again, for it is not so much the solving of the mystery that is compulsive, but the gentle, sensitive, humorous and intensely colourful creation of a world far from our own * Oxford Times *Sue Monk Kidd has written a wonderful novel about mothers and daughters and the transcendent power of love * Connie May Fowler *Lily is a wonderfully petulant and self-absorbed adolescent, and Kidd deftly portrays her sense of injustice as it expands to accomodate broader social evils...August and her sisters, June and May, are no mere vehicles for Lily's salvation; they are individuals as fully imagined as the sweltering, kudzu-carpeted landscape that surrounds them * New York Times Book Review *What a splendid novel! It's wonderfully thoughtful and sensitive and compulsively readable * Susan Isaacs *An incredibly original and imaginative book with great charm and atmosphere * Glasgow Evening Times *A wonderful modern fairy tale...a touching story with a memorable cast of characters * The Big Issue *A hive's worth of appealing female characters, an off-beat plot and a lovely style... Deeply satisfying * Publishers Weekly *A honey-sweet novel * Elle *Superb * Woman & Home *Maybe it is true that there are no perfect books, but I closed this one believing that I had found perfection. The language is never anything short of crystalline and inspired. The plotting is subtle and careful and exquisitely executed...The characters are lovable and deep-hearted, fully dimensional, never pat. The story endures long after the book is slipped back onto the shelf * Book magazine *I am amazed that this moving, original, and accomplished book is a first novel. It is wonderfully written, powerful, poignant, and humorous, and takes a line which is - refreshingly - strongly female without being cliche-feminist. It is also deliciously eccentric, which lifts it out of the usual category of a rite-of-passage novel into the realms of real distinction. Do read it * Joanna Trollope *Charming, funny, moving and unmistakeably from the American South... a story that whips together heat, violence, eccentricity, madness and the Gothic * The Times *Lily is a wonderfully petulant and self-absorbed adolescent, and Kidd deftly portrays her sense of injustice as it expands to accomodate broader social evils...August and her sisters, June and May, are no mere vehicles for Lily's salvation; they are individuals as fully imagined as the sweltering, kudzu-carpeted landscape that surrounds them * New York Times Book Review *This is a wonderful book, by turns funny, sad, full of incident and shot through with grown-up magic reminiscent of Joanne Harris. * The Daily Telegraph *Eccentric, inventive, and ultimately forgiving... a truly original Southern voice * Anita Shreve *Sue Monk Kidd... Illuminates what is beautiful... THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES is a gift, filled with hope * Luanne Rice *This is the story of a young girl's journey toward healing, and of finding, at its end, not only wholeness, but the intrinsic sacredness of living in the world. I think it is simply wonderful * Anne Rivers Siddons *A wonderfully written debut novel * Kirkus Reviews *With imagination as lush and colorful as the American South, a clutch of deliciously eccentric characters, and vivid prose, Sue Monk Kidd creates a rich, maternal haven in a harsh world * Christina Schwarz *As original as its title and rivetingly so... It is one of the most inventive books I have read in a long time, and utterly compelling... This book demands to be read again and again, for it is not so much the solving of the mystery that is compulsive, but the gentle, sensitive, humorous and intensely colourful creation of a world far from our own * Oxford Times *Sue Monk Kidd has written a wonderful novel about mothers and daughters and the transcendent power of love * Connie May Fowler *What a splendid novel! It's wonderfully thoughtful and sensitive and compulsively readable * Susan Isaacs *Monk Kidd has created a narrative as skilful and sweet as a honeycomb. Uplifting and warm-hearted, this is a moving novel and Lily is a fascinating, funny and clever narrator * Literary Review *An incredibly original and imaginative book with great charm and atmosphere * Glasgow Evening Times *A wonderful modern fairy tale...a touching story with a memorable cast of characters * The Big Issue *A hive's worth of appealing female characters, an off-beat plot and a lovely style... Deeply satisfying * Publishers Weekly *A honey-sweet novel * Elle *Superb * Woman & Home *Maybe it is true that there are no perfect books, but I closed this one believing that I had found perfection. The language is never anything short of crystalline and inspired. The plotting is subtle and careful and exquisitely executed...The characters are lovable and deep-hearted, fully dimensional, never pat. The story endures long after the book is slipped back onto the shelf * Book magazine *'Kidd's first novel is well placed, gentle and deeply moving' The Times * The Times *'A personal favourite, one of those infectiously written books you can't get out of your mind...a lovely tale' Bookseller * Bookseller *'A tale that's beautifully and movingly written' Buzz * Buzz *

Read more less

Book Synopsis WINNER OF THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2018 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION, THE WILLIAM SAROYAN INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR WRITING 2018 & FRANCE'S PRIX LITTÉRATURE MONDE (2019) Winter is closing in and Ireland is in the grip of famine. Early one October morning, Grace's mother snatches her from sleep, brutally cuts her hair and tells her: ‘You are the strong one now.’ Her mother fits her up in men's clothes and casts her out, as she is no longer safe at home. With her younger brother Colly in tow, she sets off on a remarkable journey against the looming shadow of her country's darkest hour.Trade Review‘The Irish writer’s third novel raises timeless questions about suffering and survival through the story of two children expelled from their impoverished home in the midst of the Great Famine. When you’re starving, Lynch seems to be asking, are you truly alive?’ Editors' Choice, The New York Times Book Review‘This book is one of the most beautiful I have read in a long time. Heart wrenching and so moving, with language that makes your soul sing.’ Caitriona Balfe, actress and star of Outlander‘A profound and unusual coming-of-age story.’ The Sunday Times‘A shudderingly well written, dead-real, hallucinatory trip across Famine Ireland.’ Emma Donoghue, author of Room‘Haunting and poetic… Lynch has given us poignant glimpses of the human body’s limits, that peculiar messiness of identity, and what happens when parts of a society fail to help, or even acknowledge, those in need.’ Irish Times‘Lynch is frighteningly skilled...searing images into the mind and forcing you to press carefully through sentences as if they are strips of long grass.’ Sunday Independent, (Dublin)‘Lynch…has a particular gift for finding the unexpected yet compelling image that conveys the anomalous nature of this otherworld…. [The] poetic prose is at deliberate odds with the stark horror it depicts, and yet the four blank, black pages at the terrible climax of Grace’s journey are as eloquent as anything else on the unspeakable tragedy of the Famine.’ TLS‘Lynch brilliantly conveys the rabid effects of the famine on his characters…and he offers us a worthy heroine to guide us through it.’ Irish Examiner‘A literary beauty… It is the saddest, heaviest, most beautiful, lyrical [novel], one of the most stunning books I’ve read in recent times. I would urge you to read it.’ Ryan Tubridy, The Tubridy Show, RTE‘An epic tale of endurance, which in Lynch's deft hands is harrowing and simultaneously starkly beautiful.’ Esquire, (Best Books of 2017 So Far)‘When you finish, you feel like saying "wow". Under your breath perhaps, but do not be hard on yourself if you shout it out, because this is a work of staggering beauty and deep insight.’ Sydney Morning Herald‘Lynch’s wonderful third novel follows a teenage girl through impoverished Ireland at the height of the Great Famine…Lynch’s powerful, inventive language intensifies the poignancy of the woe that characterizes this world of have-nothings struggling to survive.’ Publishers Weekly, (starred review)‘A beautifully written novel, with a haunting story and deep echoes of the Ancients.’ Edna O’Brien, author of The Country Girls‘Lynch makes the page sing like the old masters.’ Philipp Meyer, author of The Son ‘The power of Paul Lynch's imagination is truly startling; his ability to inhabit and deeply understand the moments, both slight and shattering, of a life and of an era translates into an instinct not just for story, but for the most hidden, most forceful currents of language and what they can do.’ Belinda McKeon, author of Tender'As a writer, Lynch is sui generis. His style is bold, grandiose, mesmeric. He strives for large effects, wrestles with big ideas... Lynch has been compared to greats such as Cormac McCarthy, Faulkner and Beckett, while others have located him in the Irish gothic tradition of Stoker and le Fanu.' The Sunday Times (Ireland)‘A work of great lyricism. Its beautiful prose is put to devastating effect in his vivid story of the Irish potato famine, which killed at least a million people... Lynch’s narrative gripped us from the start and never let us go. It haunted the judges long after the final line.’ The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction Judges‘A mesmerizing, incandescent work of art... An exhilarating, Odyssean, heartpounding, glorious story, wrought by a novelist with the eye and the ear and the heart of an absolute master.’ Donal Ryan, Booker-nominated author of The Spinning Heart‘Lynch never shies away from the subject matter—the impossibly gruelling winters Grace faces, the people she meets and can never trust, the heartbreak of losing a family member... In Lynch’s deft hands I found myself enthralled as Grace cuts herself a path through a forbidding world.’ Johanna Zwirner, The Paris Review‘It’s not just style that makes this an unforgettable book. Its heroine, 14-year-old Grace, may not have much to say for herself, but her younger brother, Colly, is a gleefully riddling, smutty delight. Gradually [the book] becomes a darker book as hunger eats away at humanity — and the darker it gets, the more [Lynch’s] unerring gifts are confirmed.’ Daily Mail

Read more less

Book Synopsis**BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime** ________________________ A JOYFUL 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF A COMING-OF-AGE CLASSIC ________________________ ‘There are few modern tales of first love and its disillusions that are as thoroughly realised, as brilliantly lewd, and as hilariously satisfying to men and women of all ages as this one’ - Rachel Cusk Eighteen-year-old Katherine - bright, stylish, frustratedly suburban - doesn't know how her life will change when the brilliant Jacob Goldman first offers her a place at university. When she enters the Goldmans' rambling bohemian home, presided over by the beatific matriarch Jane, she realises that Jacob and his family are everything she has been waiting for. But when a romantic entanglement ends in tears, Katherine is forced into exile from the family she loves most. And her journey back into the fold, after more than a decade away, will yield all kinds of delightful surprises... ________________________ ‘The perfect book’ - Meg Mason ‘The best possible company in this difficult world’ - Ann Patchett ‘A daisy bomb of joy’ - Maria Semple ‘Funny, charming, teeming with life, and real’ - Nick Hornby ‘I adored it … Redolent of classics like The Constant Nymph with both its true voice and wonderfully sage and sanguine heroine’ - Sophie Dahl ‘One of those books that when people have read it, they just push it into your hands silently: "You have to read this book, you will love this book." There’s no other book I love more’ - Caroline O'Donoghue, Sentimental Garbage ‘Reading it again is as comforting as eating toast and Marmite between clean, fresh sheets’ - Rachel Cooke, Sunday Times ‘Think Brideshead Revisited set in the 1970s, only sexier and much funnier. It kills me that I didn’t read it at university, when I really needed it’ - Meg Rosoff, New StatesmanTrade ReviewThe fiction equivalent of a brisk walk followed by a hot buttered crumpet: fresh, invigorating, comforting and heartening * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Few writers give more pleasure and joy to their readers. Trapido has such a gift for seeing the world’s weight so clearly and writing about it so lightly -- KAMILA SHAMSIEIt is the perfect book. Beautiful, heartbreaking, funny, and utterly ageless. The first time I read it, I knew within pages that Brother of the More Famous Jack was going to become my favourite novel. The second time, that this brilliant, funny, intensely moving work is everything I aspire to as a writer. Every reading since, that devotion to Barbara Trapido is my only true requisite in a friend -- MEG MASONCan we talk about Barbara Trapido? I love those books so much … So charming, they’re absolutely gorgeous. For me, reading Barbara Trapido is like entering a entirely different world … I’d recommend everyone read Brother of the More Famous Jack -- MARIAN KEYESStill as fresh and funny after all those years; the perfect coming-of-age novel -- CLARE CHAMBERSWhy did it take me so long to discover the singular joys of Barbara Trapido's novels? Why, for so many years, had I missed these witty, soulful, heartbreaking, expansive, brilliant tales? What have I been wasting my time doing? Reading books that AREN'T perfect? Never again! -- ELIZABETH GILBERTI am wildly jealous of anyone who hasn’t yet read Barbara Trapido. They have yet to discover the joy of her often hilarious and always profound world; they are about to meet her intricate cast of recurring characters; they will soon have those glorious moments of Trapidean epiphany when they realise – oh! – the boy in this book is the child of a woman in that book. There is no-one like Barbara. Buy all her books, quick, and then sit back, crack the spines, and prepare to marvel -- MAGGIE O'FARRELLBrother of the More Famous Jack is the book we need right now: smart, funny, honest, painful and true. It is the best possible company as we make our way through this difficult world. I love it -- ANN PATCHETTA moving, intense, earthy and witty book, both illuminating and extraordinary as a first novel * THE TIMES *She is a writer I feel genuinely evangelical about, and I think she's criminally underread. I'd honestly go to Speaker's Corner and stand on a box and read out passages from Brother of the More Famous Jack, such is my love for it -- DAISY BUCHANANThe exuberance, the humour, the gritty toughness and the sadness ... I really love the way she writes -- MIRIAM TOEWSI adored Brother of the More Famous Jack. It is redolent of classics like The Constant Nymph with both its true voice and wonderfully sage and sanguine heroine -- SOPHIE DAHLBrother of the More Famous Jack is one of the funniest, warmest, sexiest, sharpest novels I’ve ever read. I must have read it a dozen times: I turn to it whenever the world seems drear, for it has such light and such joy in it -- KATHERINE RUNDELLIts high spirits are irresistible … the heroine is unstoppable * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Perfect characters and dialogue - the most satisfying book I've ever read * RED *A story, like Mansfield Park, of falling in love with a whole family -- A N WILSON * SPECTATOR *The style is hectic and passionate, the jokes thick and fast, the emotions full and right, the humanity total and engulfing ... a first fruit to savour and exalt * THE TIMES *A very funny book ... A complex and highly polished work ... Barbara Trapido has that rare ability to make her characters respond to small misfortunes and irritations exactly as people do * NEW YORK TIMES *I've given ... Brother of the More Famous Jack to dozens of people, and like me, they fall rapturously in love with Trapido's breezy, raunchy and unsentimental style -- MARIA SEMPLE * NEW YORK TIMES *A sort of bohemian Brideshead Revisited * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Very funny, very English, very sad * DAILY TELEGRAPH *A highly promising debut – fast, inventive, funny * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *This is a first novel ... but if established writers could get this good on the seventh try, readers would be the richer for it ... What a lovely novel – charming, intelligent and a happy ending too. Barbara Trapido, where have you been? * USA TODAY *If you've been looking for a modern love story that shines with off-beat charm and sprightly intelligence – not to mention elegance of style – take heart ... This brief account cannot do justice to the wry, civilized tone and understated wit that lights up Trapido’s writing * SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE *A pleasure … full of excellent things, enormously exuberant, carried along for the most part on vivid dialogue for which Ms Trapido has an uncannily perceptive ear * EVENING STANDARD *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Deeply compelling... sexy.'' Roxane Gay''Takes you on a dizzying tour of love addiction, rehab, homophobia, betrayal, obsession and the aching need for a mother''s unconditional love. At different times throughout, you''ll find the protagonist needy, reckless and selfish but also smart, intuitive and trapped between two cultures - because as we all know, humans are nothing if not complicated. Roxane is right: this deserves five stars.'' StylistTold in vignettes that flash between the US and the Middle East, Zaina Arafat''s powerful debut novel traces her protagonist''s progress from blushing teen to creative and confused adulthood.In Brooklyn, she moves into an apartment with her first serious girlfriend and tries to content herself with their comfortable relationship. Soon, her longings, so deeply hidden during her teenage years, explode out into reckless romantic encounters and obsessions with other people, which results in her seekinTrade ReviewA wonderfully written queer coming-of-age story * i newapaper *Navigating queerness, bisexuality, love, and addiction, this captivating story takes readers on a journey to find two of the things we all long for the most: love, and a place we can call home. If you're looking for a captivating, first-person read, this really is one you don't to want to miss * Happiful *Switching between New York, Beirut, Florence, Washington DC and the West Bank, You Exist Too Much takes you on a dizzying tour of love addiction, rehab, homophobia, betrayal, obsession and the aching need for a mother's unconditional love. At different times throughout, you'll find the protagonist needy, reckless and selfish but also smart, intuitive and trapped between two cultures - because as we all know, humans are nothing if not complicated. Roxane is right: this deserves five stars * Stylist *The first-person narrator has a distinctive voice and is a magnetic presence on the page; the scenes with her mother are electric . . . A nuanced, sparky debut * Observer *Powerful . . . With You Exist Too Much, Arafat announces herself as a provocative and insightful writer * Irish Times *A wonderful illustration of how our most significant formative relationships can be simultaneously the most positive and negative force in our lives -- The Arts DeskReal, non-fetishised bisexual characters can be few and far between in literature, but You Exist Too Much isn't just worth reading for its efforts in representation. It's a stunning debut . . . It's a devastating portrayal of what it's like to feel as though you never fit in - both in terms of the narrator's sexuality and racial identity. Arafat handles these weighty topics with real compassion * Press Association *Arafat's writing is fresh, witty and packs a heavy punch * The Skinny *An elegantly written debut . . . a thought-provoking exploration of love and belonging, and how the two come together to create a sense of self * New European *A stunning debut . . . Arafat handles . . . weighty topics with real compassion * Scotsman *You Exist Too Much is a first novel that is exquisitely written and crafted with a compelling lightness of touch * Living Magazine *

Read more less

Book SynopsisShe must face the terror of war alone to survive…1939 - India When headstrong Nadine Burton learns that the woman, she thought was her Indian Ayah was in fact her mother, she rebels against her father in a flamboyant display of disrespect and dares to dance with her two local best friends at a public party. Her father, local official, Roland Frederick Burton is furious. He arranges for her to be exiled from India and married off to Australian Martin McPherson, owner of a rubber plantation north of Singapore. Within a year Singapore falls to the Japanese. Martin is killed and Nadine becomes a prisoner of war, imprisoned in Sumatra, where her dancing skills don’t go unnoticed by her captors. Amidst the horror she finds a friend in a Japanese American major caught up in the war whilst visiting his grandparents in Japan. Much like her, he straddles two cultures and worlds. As their love deepens, boundaries are crossed and together they must unite to survive. Don't miss this emotional and powerful saga about a woman's determination to beat the odds, perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies and Fiona Valpy. Previously published as 'East of India' by Erica Brown

Read more less

Book Synopsis THE UNFORGETTABLE KOREAN BESTSELLER CAPTIVATING READERS ACROSS THE WORLD This is the story of a hen named Sprout. No longer content to lay eggs on command only to have them carted off to the market, she glimpses her future every morning through the barn doors, where the other animals roam free, and comes up with a plan to escape into the wild—and to hatch an egg of her own. An anthem for individuality and motherhood, The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly has captivated millions of readers in Korea. Now the novel is making its way around the world, where it has the potential to inspire generations of readers the way Jonathan Livingston Seagull or The Alchemist have. And with Nomoco’s evocative illustrations throughout, this first English-language edition beautifully captures the journey of an unforgettable character in world literature. 'Bewitching… a fabular bestseller told from the point of view of a homeless hen, which will make grown men and women cry.' Independent Trade Review'Already regarded as a modern classic… A fable for our time, outstanding in the quality of its layered, lyrical prose.' Carousel‘Bewitching… a fabular bestseller told from the point of view of a homeless hen, which will make grown men and women cry.’ Independent, 'Books of the Year''Will bring a tear to many a young eye.' School Librarian'Has charms for all ages.' Glasgow Herald“It has the plain language of a folktale but also its power of dark suggestion.” -- NPR.org, “The Best Books Coming Out This Week”“Beautifully and simply written . . . Sprout [is] one of the most likable protagonists of the year. With her defiance of the rules, curiosity and tireless efforts, Sprout stays with and inspires the reader long after the slim story is finished.” -- Bookreporter“Perfect to read in a single sitting, although the story’s loving spirit is sure to linger. It’s also the ideal gift to share with anyone and everyone who holds a place in your heart.” -- BookDragon"An adroit allegory about life..in the vein of classics like Charlotte's Web and Jonathan Livinvston Seagull...A subtle morality tale that will appeal to readers of all ages." * Kirkus Review *"A simply told but absorbing fable...Spare but evocative line drawing...add to the subtle charm." * Publishers Weekly *'The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly breaks down the boundaries between the animal and the human and takes us on the intensely personal journey of a lonely hen whose simple, fierce desires guide her to surprising places. This entertaining and plaintive tale is South Korea’s Charlotte’s Web for youth and adults alike.' Krys Lee, author of Drifting House'Everything wonderful about the world is contained in this small gem of a novel, which brims with dream-fulfilling adventures and the longing that underlies love.' Kyung-sook Shin, New York Times-bestselling author of Please Look After Mom'A note-perfect masterstroke of a novella that captures the contemporary indignation we often accept in tempering our own ambitions, so that we can at least lead undramatic lives.' Toronto Star

Read more less

Book SynopsisOn the Road swings to the rhythms of 1950s underground America, jazz, sex, generosity, chill dawns and drugs, with Sal Paradise and his hero Dean Moriarty, traveller and mystic, the living epitome of Beat. Now recognized as a modern classic, its American Dream is nearer that of Walt Whitman than Scott Fitzgerald, and it goes racing towards the sunset with unforgettable exuberance, poignancy and autobiographical passion.

Read more less

Book SynopsisZora Neale Hurston's masterpiece is perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature. Published as part of a beautifully designed series to mark the 40th anniversary of the Virago Modern Classics.Trade ReviewTo the last page that fills the soul with tears, Hurston's novel delivers. To me, it is also a welcome reminder that books are democratic, subversive and life-changing * The Times *This novel is a packet of surprises as we have no idea what's going to happen next. Many romantic novels basically have the same plot, but this novel is something no one would have ever imagined * Guardian *For me, Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of the very greatest American novels of the twentieth century. It is so lyrical it should be sentimental; it is so passionate it should be overwrought, but it is instead a rigorous, convincing and dazzling piece of prose, as emotionally satisfying as it is impressive. There is no novel I love moreThere is no book more important to me than this one. It speaks to me as no novel, past or present, has ever doneZora Neale Hurston was a knockout in her life, a wonderful writer and a fabulous person. Devilishly funny and academically solid: delicious mixtureA poignant story, told with almost rhythmic beauty * Kirkus Reviews *

Read more less

Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and Guardian First Book Award''Pigeon English is a book to fall in love with: a funny book, a true book, a shattering book'' The TimesSimultaneously accurate and fantastical, this boy''s love letter to the world made me laugh and tremble all the way through. Pigeon English is a triumph'' Emma Donoghue, author of RoomEleven-year-old Harrison Opoku, the second best runner in Year 7, races through his new life in England with his personalised trainers - the Adidas stripes drawn on with marker pen - blissfully unaware of the very real threat around him.Newly arrived from Ghana with his mother and older sister Lydia, Harri absorbs the many strange elements of city life, from the bewildering array of Haribo sweets, to the frightening, fascinating gang of older boys from his school. But his life is changed forever when one of his friends is murdered.As the victim''s nearly new football boots hang in tribute Trade Review‘Simultaneously accurate and fantastical, this boy's love letter to the world made me laugh and tremble all the way through. Pigeon English is a triumph' * Emma Donoghue, author of Room *Pigeon English is a book to fall in love with: a funny book, a true book, a shattering book * Erica Wagner, The Times *Stephen Kelman's [first novel] has a powerful story, a pacy plot and engaging characters. It paints a vivid portrait with honesty, sympathy and wit, of a much neglected milieu, and it addresses urgent social questions. It is horrifying, tender and funny ... Brilliant * Daily Telegraph *The humour, the resilience, the sheer ebullience of its narrator - a hero for our times - should ensure the book becomes, deservedly, a classic * Daily Mail *

Read more less