Narrative theme: coming of age

Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE JOHN MCGAHERN PRIZE 2022This critically acclaimed debut will be a guaranteed hit with literary fiction lovers this Christmas._____________A young woman comes of age in the shadow of her family's tragic pastWhen Beth Crowe starts university, she is shadowed by the ghost of her potential as a competitive swimmer. Free to create a fresh identity for herself, she finds herself among people who adore the poetry of her grandfather, Benjamin Crowe, who died tragically before she was born. She embarks on a secret relationship - and on a quest to discover the truth about Benjamin and his widow, her beloved grandmother Lydia. The quest brings her into an archive that no scholar has ever seen, and to a person who knows things about her family that nobody else knows.Holding Her Breath is a razor-sharp, moving and seriously entertaining novel about complicated love stories, ambition and grief - and a young woman coming fully into her powers.SHORTLISTED FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2021SHORTLISTED FOR THE KATE O'BRIEN AWARD 2022__________'A stunning debut from this new Irish talent' STELLAR'A beautiful coming-of-age story told with impressive skill and lightness of touch . . . I absolutely loved it' LOUISE O'NEILL'Whip smart observations and addictive prose' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'Precise, sure, engaging, and a joy to read' RODDY DOYLE'A moving debut with a satisfying conclusion' IRISH INDEPENDENT'Brilliant, vivid - I enjoyed this book ENORMOUSLY' MARIAN KEYES'Enthralling' IMAGE'A nimble account of student life with a darkly enjoyable undercurrent of secrecy and emotional turmoil' SARA BAUME'A truly compelling read, and one I wholeheartedly recommend' BUZZ'Through the dark sky of our times, Eimear Ryan arrives like a comet, a bright talent scorching through every page' DOIREANN NÍ GHRÍOFA, author of A Ghost in the Throat'Brilliantly realised, gripping, and moving . . . This is absolutely the real thing' KEVIN POWER'Written with a wonderful clarity and insight, Holding Her Breath lingers in the imagination. Beth's unravelling and re-ravelling is drawn with great skill and empathy. A brilliant debut' DONAL RYANTrade ReviewFunny, dark and unexpected -- Kevin Power * The Last Word with Matt Cooper *A stunning debut from this new Irish talent, as well as being an exciting page turner it's also a perfect depiction of how it feels to be lost as you embark on a new chapter of your life * Stellar *From the first sentence to the last, this is a great piece of writing - precise, sure, engaging, and a joy to read -- Roddy DoyleRichly accomplished . . . a true pleasure to read -- Dermot Bolger * Business Post *A moving debut with a satisfying conclusion * Irish Independent *Through the dark sky of our times, Eimear Ryan arrives like a comet, a bright talent scorching through every page. To read this book is to feel it blaze to life. I can't stop thinking about it -- Doireann Ní Ghríofa, author of A Ghost in the Throat

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Book SynopsisI may be a fourth grader, but I know more than some adults. After all, I take notes every day, and I read all kinds of books.But now, there's penguins in my town! I know it has something to do with that girl at the dentist and her weird powers, so I'm gonna get to the bottom of it...

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Book SynopsisExpect to be heartbroken' ElleOne of the most eagerly awaited debuts of 2022' Sunday TimesIts ending brought me close to tears' Beth O'Leary, author of The FlatshareEver fallen in love with messy, confusing consequences for everyone involved? Then Good Intentions is for you' StylistAn unforgettable debut novel about first love, family obligation and finding your way.As Nur's family counts down to midnight on New Year's Eve, Nur is watching the clock more closely than most: he has made a pact with himself, and with his girlfriend, Yasmina, that at midnight he will finally tell his Pakistani parents the truth. That he has built a life with a woman he loves and she is Black.Nur wants to be the good son his parents ask him to be, and the good boyfriend Yasmina needs him to be. But as everything he holds dear is challenged, he is forced to ask, is love really a choice for a second-generation immigrant son like him?This powerful story will stay with me for a very long time' Louise O'Neill, aTrade Review‘Family obligation and racial prejudice sit alongside the flush of first love. Expect to be heartbroken’ Elle ‘[A] clever novel about vulnerability and victimhood that subtly subverts the reader’s expectations’ Sunday Times ‘Ever fallen in love with messy, confusing consequences for everyone involved? Then Good Intentions is for you’ Stylist ‘Kasim Ali boldly grasps the nettle of South Asian prejudice … what a tonic’ The Times ‘Good Intentions is so absorbing, compelling and beautifully written. Its ending brought me close to tears – what an incredibly assured debut. I can't wait to see what Kasim Ali writes next’ Beth O’Leary, author of The Flatshare ‘A beautiful and honest story… from a fantastic new talent’ Sareeta Domingo, author of If I Don't Have You ‘[A] compelling debut reminiscent of The Big Sick in storyline and Ordinary People in feel’ Living Magazine ‘Moving, modern and utterly engaging. What a talent’ Rhik Samadder, author of I Never Said I Love You ‘A love story full of hard choices and tensions, family obligations and racial prejudices. Not to be missed by fans of Modern Love’ Vogue India ‘A gorgeous, unbelievable debut’ Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek ‘[A] clever debut… Ali explores racism, the difficulty of navigating cultural heritage and the travails of early adulthood [with] a climactic sucker punch’ Metro

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Book SynopsisExpect to be heartbroken' ElleOne of the most eagerly awaited debuts of 2022' Sunday TimesIts ending brought me close to tears' Beth O'Leary, author of The FlatshareEver fallen in love with messy, confusing consequences for everyone involved? Then Good Intentions is for you' StylistAn unforgettable debut novel about first love, family obligation and finding your way.As Nur's family counts down to midnight on New Year's Eve, Nur is watching the clock more closely than most: he has made a pact with himself, and with his girlfriend, Yasmina, that at midnight he will finally tell his Pakistani parents the truth. That he has built a life with a woman he loves and she is Black.Nur wants to be the good son his parents ask him to be, and the good boyfriend Yasmina needs him to be. But as everything he holds dear is challenged, he is forced to ask, is love really a choice for a second-generation immigrant son like him?This powerful story will stay with me for a very long time' Louise O'Neill, aTrade Review‘Family obligation and racial prejudice sit alongside the flush of first love. Expect to be heartbroken’ Elle ‘[A] clever novel about vulnerability and victimhood that subtly subverts the reader’s expectations’ Sunday Times ‘Ever fallen in love with messy, confusing consequences for everyone involved? Then Good Intentions is for you’ Stylist ‘Kasim Ali boldly grasps the nettle of South Asian prejudice … what a tonic’ The Times ‘Good Intentions is so absorbing, compelling and beautifully written. Its ending brought me close to tears – what an incredibly assured debut. I can't wait to see what Kasim Ali writes next’ Beth O’Leary, author of The Flatshare ‘A beautiful and honest story… from a fantastic new talent’ Sareeta Domingo, author of If I Don't Have You ‘[A] compelling debut reminiscent of The Big Sick in storyline and Ordinary People in feel’ Living Magazine ‘Moving, modern and utterly engaging. What a talent’ Rhik Samadder, author of I Never Said I Love You ‘A love story full of hard choices and tensions, family obligations and racial prejudices. Not to be missed by fans of Modern Love’ Vogue India ‘A gorgeous, unbelievable debut’ Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek ‘[A] clever debut… Ali explores racism, the difficulty of navigating cultural heritage and the travails of early adulthood [with] a climactic sucker punch’ Metro

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Book SynopsisTrade Review‘[A] playful, powerful debut… Speaking to the pressure Black people often feel to stifle their feelings in predominantly white spaces… A poignant reminder of how tight a hold mental illness can have’ Zakiya Dalila Harris, The New York Times Book Review ‘Chukwu meticulously and brilliantly balances tough topics like depression with biting comedy, crafting a narrative about a young woman trying to survive and help others do the same’ Shondaland ‘Chukwu has written an extraordinary coming-of-age novel, with a fascinating protagonist and a tone that is just right for her material. The book’s dark atmosphere is enhanced by the presence of the author's own black-and-white illustrations. The result is a tour de force’ Booklist (starred review) ‘Formidable…powerful. This blistering anthem brims with rage and hope’ Publishers Weekly ‘The Unfortunates is a powerful call to arms by a promising young writer who is not afraid to take risks, and for that we are very fortunate indeed’ Bookpage ‘Required reading…What do you do when your fellow Black co-eds are disappearing, and you fear you’re next? Sahara, a queer, half-Nigerian student at an elite college, pens her opus, a no-holds-barred thesis to the racist institution that has stolen a part of her soul, but she and her community of BIPOC women won’t give up without a fight’ Ebony GLOWING READER REVIEWS 'I have not been able to put this book down' 'A very powerful, dark, upsetting, devastating, enthralling… IMPORTANT read' 'One of the most unique reading experiences I've had in a while… feels one-of-a-kind from start to finish' 'Well-written and thought-provoking' 'Powerful and razor-sharp' 'A smart and important story. One we all need to hear and think about'

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Book Synopsis''A triumph... tender and gut-wrenching, honest and riveting. A book of astonishing accomplishment and bravery'' Guardian A searing, sunlit debut about the powerful bonds that make and break one Iranian-American familyThree young brothers leave Los Angeles in the dead of night for Iran, taken by their father from their mother to a country and an ancestral home they barely recognize. They return to the Valley months later, spit back into American life and changed in inexorable ways.Under the dazzling light of the California sun, our protagonist, the youngest brother, begins to piece together a childhood shattered by his father''s violence, a queer adolescence marked by a shy, secret love affair with a boy he meets on the basketball court, and his ever-changing status as a Muslim in America at the turn of the new millennium.Lyrical and open-hearted, I WILL GREET THE SUN AGAIN is an unforgettable portrait of a family beTrade ReviewA triumph... tender and gut-wrenching... a book of astonishing accomplishment and bravery * Guardian *Exquisite, heart-breaking, incredibly beautiful * Caleb Azumah Nelson *Life-affirming... Khabushani is a talented writer * Sunday Times *A heartbreaking debut * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisThe hardscrabble Chase women - Mary, Hannah, and their mother Diane - have been eking out a living running a tiny seaside motel that has been in the family for generations, inviting trouble into their lives for just as long. Eighteen-year-old Mary Chase is a force of nature: passionate, beautiful, and free-spirited. Her much younger sister, Hannah, whom Mary affectionately calls ''Bunny'', is imaginative, her head full of the stories of princesses and adventures that Mary tells to give her a safe emotional place in the middle of their troubled world.But when Diane dies in a car accident, Mary discovers the motel is worth less than the back taxes they owe. With few options, Mary''s finely tuned instincts for survival kick in. As the sisters begin a cross-country journey in search of a better life, she will stop at nothing to protect Hannah. But Mary wants to protect herself, too, for the secrets she promised she would never tell - but now may be forced to reveal - hold the we

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE WRITERS'' GUILD FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2020ELLE ONES TO WATCH 2019''Terribly moving. A clear-sighted, poignant rumination on loneliness, love, the melancholy of age and of youth'' China Mieville ''An imaginative, atmospheric and original novel that lingers in the memory long after reading'' Bernadine Evaristo ''A sad, funny, highly original novel'' Blake Morrison''Wholeheartedly enjoy(able)'' Lauren Wilkinson, The Millions ''Season Butler is an extraordinary writer. Like Colson Whitehead, her work is fearless in its inventiveness'' Julia Bell__________________________________________________________It''s too hot for most of the clothes I packed to come here, when I thought this would only be for a week or two. My mother kissed me with those purple-brown lips of hers and said, we''ll be back, hoTrade ReviewComing-of-age fiction is a well-established genre but I doubt there's ever been a novel in which the narrator turns 18 on an island exclusively occupied by oldsters. And not since Holden Caulfield have I been so captivated by a first-person voice as the one Season Butler creates in Cygnet: 'kiddo' or 'small-fry' as the Wrinklies call her is super-bright but also naive, tough-minded but also vulnerable, self-reliant but also adrift. How long will she remain on the island? How long will the island itself remain, increasingly eroded by the ocean as it is? Will her parents arrive in time to celebrate her birthday? We don't know, but this sad, funny, highly original novel keeps us turning the pages to find out * Blake Morrison, Author of Things my Mother Never Told Me *Season Butler is an extraordinary writer. In this wonderful novel the narrative voice is rhythmic and compelling, telling a coming of age story which resonates with our times. Like Colson Whitehead, her work is fearless in its inventiveness. I've always thought Season was the real deal, this book proves that she has arrived * Julia Bell, Author, The Dark Light *Terribly moving. A clear-sighted, poignant rumination on loneliness, love, the melancholy of age and of youth - and, in its quiet way, the end of the world * China Miéville *Season Butler has written an imaginative, atmospheric and original novel that lingers in the memory long after reading . . . A bright new voice in literature * Bernardine Evaristo *An original novel with a memorable narrator * Elle (Eight Books to Devour) *An uncanny meditation on mortality and intergenerational distrust * Metro *[A] potent debut . . . A strange, promising beginning * Observer *[A] vivid, poetic debut * Daily Mail *As sixteen-year old environmental activist Greta Thunberg has shown us, teenagers are the ideal candidates for raising consciousness about our planetary plight. Kid's ardent voice powers Cygnet. Her expression of the loneliness, boredom and rage she feels at her circumstances is reminiscent of Holden Caulfield . . . the characters have real emotional depth . . . Cygnet is both very funny and convincingly tragic, its young narrator memorably charismatic and self-aware * Literary Review *Season Butler (in her novel Cygnet) describ[es] an island occupied, with one exception, by geriatrics - the exception being the narrator, whose wise reflections on age, race, class and global warming belie her tender youth -- Blake Morrison * New Internationalist *

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Book SynopsisDancing to the rhythm of Jazz Era San Francisco, On the Rooftop is a stunning story of ambition, success, and three sisters who long to pursue their own dreamsTrade Review'Beautiful, moving, and truly unforgettable!' Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies'It will get inside your heart, break it wide open and stay there for a long time.' Good Housekeeping'In On the Rooftop, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s mellifluous third novel, readers have a front-row seat to a timeless drama about a mother with dreams that don’t quite line up with her daughters’ realities... Riveting.' New York Times'An utterly original and brilliant story about learning how to mother children who have very different dreams and how to encourage them to reach for the stars.' Reese Witherspoon'The kind of expansive, lush novel that envelops with charm while provoking with its fierce intelligence.' Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of Libertie'The exceptional storytelling hooks you in and before you know it, you're rooting for every single one of the characters. Their dreams become yours.' Melody Razak, author of Moth'In this stellar novel, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton takes us deeply into the dynamics of mothers and daughters, their individual—and collective—dreams and struggles.' Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The House of Broken Angels'Richly observed and beautifully written, On the Rooftop weaves the lives of its characters together into a story bursting with music and feeling.' Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown'A creative exploration of family, community and resilience... On the Rooftop is a quiet page turner that can serve as a beacon of hope in any trying time.' BookPage (starred review)'Narrating duties rotate among Vivian and each of her daughters, illuminating the stressors and conflicting values that the women must navigate as they try to find themselves within their singing family, their Black community, and their unjust country. Once again, Sexton delivers.' Booklist'A powerful drama set during a pivotal moment in US history.' Real Simple'A showstopper of a third novel… On the Rooftop is a powerhouse novel that reflects both how high we can fly and how quickly we can be knocked down.' San Francisco Chronicle'This novel about The Salvations, a trio of singing sisters, hits the right note… A great exploration of ambition and success.' Sunday Post (Dundee)

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Book SynopsisIn the aftermath of the 1960s, tensions simmer beneath the surface of a small town in rural Massachusetts. Watergate and the war in Vietnam have shaken Americans'' faith in their government, the energy crisis clouds the future, and the civil rights movement has given way to uneasy race relations. But identical twin sisters April and Pilgrim live happily on their parents'' farm, sharing a secret language and uncanny closeness. The twins shelter each other from the wider world, until adolescence and the hard realities of adult life catch up to them. In 1975, when the girls are sixteen years old, their father single handedly recruits a young Bahamian doctor to minister to the town''s residents. While racial prejudice keeps patients away from his door, the idle Dr. Panama, as April and Pilgrim refer to him, spends much of his time with the family. While the relationship between the girls and the young doctor begins to strain the bounds of propriety and comes to light, the family is torn ap

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Book SynopsisSharply witty and highly relatable - KATE SMITH When a junior on her team pitches an exciting new idea to her boss, Briony is so preoccupied by her fear of public speaking that she misses the concept entirely, and ends up in a spiralling web of lies and excuses as she tries to manage a project she knows nothing about. When everything comes to a head with a colossal panic attack, she is signed off work for a month on mental health leave.To make matters worse, Briony''s boyfriend Ben is being distant, and her best friend Sami seems to have replaced her with a new work friend. And then there is her dad, who needs a lift home from jail - again. Briony feels like she will never be enough for any of them. Briony decides that she needs to make a change, to become a better employee, a better girlfriend, a better friend and a better daughter, and signs up to a local social anxiety support group in order to deal with her issues. It is there that she meetTrade ReviewSharply witty and highly relatable . . . a story of friendship, family, and heartache; and learning to love yourself when you think no-one else will. * KATE SMITH *Heartwarming, bold and very funny! * Joanna Bolouri, author of THE LIST and ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS *Mary's writing is sharp, funny, and sings with relatability. She knows how to pack an emotional punch in the form of Briony, who I was cheerleading from the side. Mary has her finger on the pulse when it comes to young women taking huge strides in their lives. * ABIGAIL MANN *Engaging and richly drawn [with] plenty of warmth and humour throughout. This is a well plotted, engaging and lovely read I'll be hugely recommending! * Suzanne Ewart *

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Book Synopsis''A heady mix of thrills and heartbreak . . . I enjoyed it so so much'' GRAHAM NORTON''What [Macmanus has] managed to do with London, and what London means to different generations of Irish people, is terrific, and deeply moving'' RODDY DOYLEI''m a Londoner now. I''m a voice in the noise. I''m ready.It''s the turn of the millennium and, landing in London with nothing but her CD collection and demo tape, Orla Quinn moves into a squalid Kilburn house with her best mate and a band called Shiva.Orla wants to make music, but juggling two jobs and partying every night isn''t helping. Back in Ireland her parents'' marriage has crumbled, she''s not speaking to her father, and her mother and sister are drinking too much.While Orla''s own dreams seem to be going nowhere, Shiva are on the brink of something big. But as the hype around the band intensifies, so does the hedonism, and relationships in the house are growing strainTrade ReviewA dizzyingly good read. * iPaper *[An] immersive, music-infused coming-of-age story . . . Captures a time and a place with heart and irresistible momentum in a prose that can be bracingly lyrical. -- Hephzibah Anderson * Observer *A brilliant coming-of-age novel. * Bella Magazine *Macmanus perfectly captures both the hedonism and uncertainty of being a twentysomething in a new city. * Heat Magazine *The Mess We're In is a visceral, raw account of the music business' allure for young people and the trappings that are best avoided. Annie McManus proved herself to be a fine debut author with Mother Mother, and this cements her an exciting literary voice. * Sunday Business Post *I really liked the book. I loved the pace of it, it belts along but never feels rushed. The writing is so vivid - I could almost feel Orla's hangover, and everyone else's too. [Macmanus has] created a great gang of characters, and a great variety too, all of them very human . . . All the music in the novel is cleverly and very successfully achieved. And London - what [she's] managed to do with London, and what London means to different generations of Irish people - is terrific, and deeply moving. -- Roddy DoyleThe book is so, so good...It's so beautifully written. I could have read on and on, I was so sad when it ended. -- Joanne McNallySuch a gorgeous book . . . I absolutely ate up every word . . . It has been so long since a book has stopped me from, not just checking my phone, but actively made me want to put my phone to the side and focus completely on the story. I loved Orla, I can see the TV show or the movie already. I loved the world - oh my God was it nostalgic about moving to London . . . It's just so grounded in someone who knows the world and place they're talking about and it just fully comes through . . . It's just done so brilliantly and needless to say at the end I cried... I loved this book. -- Aisling BeaI felt like I'd joined Orla on a mad twisted fairground ride, clinging on with her as she's thrown about and has her ups and downs . . . Beautifully painted. -- Sara CoxA heady exploration of home, identity and belonging. Dark and funny, it's a dizzying tale of young adulthood and the glimmering freedom and not-so-good decisions that come with it. -- Chloë AshbyA warm and beautiful coming-of-age novel that made me nostalgic for an upbringing that wasn't even mine. I will read anything Annie Macmanus writes. -- Annie LordPerfectly evokes that heady mix of thrills and heartbreak we experience as young Irish newcomers trying to find our own London. I enjoyed it so so much. -- Graham NortonThe Mess We're In is a dynamic novel, charting Orla Quinn's move from Dublin to Kilburn. The story follows a group of friends as they come of age in a new and exciting London, filled with opportunity. But the shadows of lonely figures lurk on the High Road, and Macmanus deftly traces the Irish immigrant experience from intergenerational viewpoints. Awash with beautiful musical imagery, sharp dialogue, and colourful characters--this book searches for belonging, identity, camaraderie and new starts. A very moving read. -- Elaine FeeneyA gloriously unsentimental trip through youth, friendship and music. Always relatable, sometimes heartbreaking, it's a life-affirming survey of the triumphs, failures and messes of young adulthood. -- Séamas O'ReillyA pounding, immersive kaleidoscopic trip right into the heart of London's clubland, I loved The Mess We're In for the wild trip that it is. Annie is such a generous writer, and she brings her extraordinary knowledge of the music industry to this gorgeous novel which thrums with the rhythm of many, many beats. Her depiction of the misogyny running through the music industry at the start of the millennium is eye opening, but this is a beautiful, optimistic novel which is so rich in both the strange, difficult, extraordinary experience of being a human, and the deeply redemptive power of music. It's a fantastic read and Annie is a wonderful writer. -- Clover Stroud, author of THE RED OF MY BLOODThis is a well-written novel, perceptive about the music business and the fleeting connections made at the after parties of gigs. * Irish Examiner *A brilliant coming of age novel. * Closer *Annie Macmanus writes with remarkable verve and wisdom, and in Orla she has created easily my favourite character of recent years. Tender, hilarious, sad and ultimately hopeful... I love this book. -- Louise KennedyMacmanus makes deft work of capturing the Irish emigrant intergenerational experience. To prevent the characters who frequent the pub from tipping into caricature they are written with humour and grace, offering an illuminating foil to the new Irish experience that Orla represents...[Macmanus] has spun a moving story from the threads of her own history. Orla is written with unsentimental authenticity...It is her flaws, her vulnerability and her complexity that make her such a compelling character that will resonate with anyone who has ever left home in search of themselves... This novel is constructed of Macmanus's DNA - her Irish emigrant experience, music industry insight, her passion for music, people and stories - and the world that is built is deeply human, provocative and enriching. Orla is searching for a voice in the noise - Macmanus articulates that hunger with confidence and compassion. And in so doing, finds her own. -- Helen Cullen * Irish Times *I adored this. I think in twenty years it will be just as vital - a historical document, saying, "Yes, this is how we lived." Beautiful and messy -- Karl Geary

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisGods, demons, and even more dragons . . . Jenn Lyons' powerful epic fantasy continues in The Memory of Souls.The longer he lives, the more dangerous he becomes . . .The city of Atrine lies in ruins. And now Relos Var has revealed his plan to free the monstrous god, Vol Karoth, the end of the world is closer than ever.To buy time for humanity, Kihrin and his friends need to convince a king to perform an ancient ritual. The power released would imprison the god for an age to come. But this may come at too high a price for the King of the Vane, as the ritual would strip his people of their immortality. As a result, some will do anything to prevent this ritual – including assassinating those championing this solution.Worse, Kihrin must come to terms with a horrifying possibility. It seems his connection to Vol Karoth is growing in strength . . . but what does it mean? And how can Kihrin hope to save his world, when he might be the greatest threat of all?The Memory of Souls is the third book in the thrilling series, A Chorus of Dragons, which begins with The Ruin of Kings. Continue the action with The House of Always.'What an extraordinary book . . . everything epic fantasy should be: rich, cruel, gorgeous, brilliant, enthralling and deeply deeply satisfying. I loved it' – Lev Grossman on The Ruin of Kings'Delightful and entertaining . . . it’s a fast, pacey read' - Locus Magazine‘Lyons raises stakes to a fever pitch' - Publishers WeeklyTrade ReviewLyons braids multiple points of view, tenses, and time lines into a richly detailed and elaborate story with increasing tension and stakes -- Library Journal starred reviewWhat an extraordinary book. The Ruin of Kings is everything epic fantasy should be: rich, cruel, gorgeous, brilliant, enthralling and deeply deeply satisfying. I loved it -- Lev Grossman on The Ruin of KingsA fantastic page-turner with a heady blend of great characters, fast-moving action and a fabulously inventive magic system . . . I loved it -- John Gwynne on The Ruin of KingsIt’s impossible not to be impressed with the ambition of it all, the sheer, effervescent joy Lyons takes in the scope of her project. Sometimes you just want a larger-than-life adventure story about thieves, wizards, assassins and kings -- New York Times on The Ruin of KingsThis follow up to Lyon's brilliant debut takes a similar, assured (and sassy) narrative approach as The Ruin of Kings . . . Lyons proves she is worthy of comparison to other masters of epic fantasy, such as Patrick Rothfuss, Stephen R. Donaldson (particularly in GrandGuignol action), and Melanie Rawn -- Booklist starred review on The Name of All ThingsSimply put: This is top-notch adventure fantasy written for a 21st-century audience - highly recommended -- Kirkus starred review on The Name of All ThingsLyons is creating a complex and wonderful series that will immerse and delight -- Library Journal on The Name of All Things

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Book SynopsisA tender and unflinching portrait of modern adolescence told through the shifting perspectives of nine female students, All Girls explores what it means to grow up in a place that promises you the world - when the world still isn't yours for the taking.An all-girls boarding school in a hilly corner of Connecticut, Atwater is a haven for progressive thinking and feminist intellectuals. The students are smart, driven and worldly; they are also teenagers, learning to find their way. But when they arrive on campus for the start of the Fall term, they're confronted with startling news: an Atwater alumna has made a troubling allegation of sexual misconduct against an unidentified teacher. As the weeks wear on and the administration's efforts to manage the ensuing crisis fall short, these extraordinary young women come to realise that the adults in their lives may not be the protectors they previously believed.All Girls unfolds over the course of one tumultuous academic year and is told from the point of view of a small cast of diverse, interconnected characters as they navigate the social mores of prep school life and the broader, more universal challenges of growing up. The trials of adolescent girlhood are pitched against the backdrop of sexual assault, consent, anxiety and the ways that our culture looks to young women as trendsetters, but otherwise silences their voices and discounts their opinions. The story that emerges is a richly detailed, impeccably layered, and emotionally nuanced depiction of what it means to come of age in a female body today.'A sincere and poignant and moving story of a group of teenage girls coming to terms with the world they've inherited' Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones and the SixTrade ReviewThe pages turn fast and the girls are complex, compelling and written with incredible tenderness. Layden excels at rendering the everyday details of boarding school life * Kate Elizabeth Russell, New York Times *An exciting, innovative debut from a fresh and assured new voice * Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones and the Six *A shimmering, intelligent portrait of young women on the cusp of adulthood * Therese Anne Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z *An engrossing novel from start to finish, with characters who feel as real as your best friends * Carola Lovering, author of Tell Me Lies *All Girls kept me turning pages * Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists *Sexual awakening and institutional reckoning intertwine in Emily Layden's rich, kaleidoscopic debut * Elizabeth Ames, author of The Other’s Gold *Incisive, astute . . . Layden succeeds at bringing the effects of an institutional cover-up into sharp relief * Publishers Weekly *An important take on sexuality and #MeToo from the perspective of the young * Library Journal *Astutely captures the claustrophobic and toxic culture of conformity among teenage girls * Observer *Readers will find themselves thinking about the vividly and compassionately rendered characters long after their chapters end . . . Give it to grown-up fans of Gossip Girl and readers of Curtis Sittenfeld and Emma Straub * Booklist *Call it a 21st-century Prep or a Litchfield County Gossip Girl, but don't miss what's sure to become a touchstone among the beloved niche of boarding-school novels * Town & Country *Diving into the unprocessed underworld of adolescence, Layden creates space for a conversation about feminism and the unsung difficulties of surviving in a male-dominated world. Intelligent, evocative, and empathetic * Kirkus *

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Book Synopsis'Exceptional debut' - Tommy Orange, New York Times David has a mind that never stops running. He reads Dante and Moby Dick, he sinks into Hemingway and battles with Milton. But on Florida's Gulf Coast, one can slip into deep water unconsciously.At the age of fourteen, David runs away from home to pursue a girl. He tries crack cocaine for the first time and is hooked instantly. Over the course of the next decade, he fights his way out of jail and rehab, trying to make sense of the world around him - a sunken world where faith in anything is a privilege. He makes his way to a tenuous sobriety, but it isn't until he takes a literature class at a community college that something within him ignites.All Day is a Long Time is a spectacular, raw account of growing up and managing, against the odds, to carve out a place for hope. David Sanchez's debut resounds with real force and demonstrates the redemptive power of the written word.Trade ReviewThis book has it all . . . the voice is so insightful, so poetic, so absolutely alive to the world, that you won't be able to put it down. David Sanchez is a wonder, an important, essential new voice. -- JUSTIN TORRES, author ofWe The Animals (October 2021)David Sanchez has poured all of himself into this debut, a terrifying, moving and profound exploration of the liminal space between addiction and connection. -- KAREN RUSSELL, author of Swamplandia! (October 2021)With unflinching, razor-sharp precision, David Sanchez guides us through the labyrinthine heart of addiction and recovery. Wild, brutal, and tender, All Day is a Long Time is a novel of devastating truth and beauty. -- PATRICIA ENGEL, author of Infinite Country (October 2021)To call this a novel of addiction would be like calling The Sound and the Fury a novel of regret - yes, each is that, but each is also so much more . . . This beautiful poem of a book. -- NICK FLYNN, author of The Reenactments and Another Bullshit Night in Suck City (October 2021)This journey into the mind of a young addict is like nothing I've ever read - a terrifying, and often ecstatic, struggle for survival. It's an obsessive world of chemical equations and philosophical conundrums, an attempt to reckon with a breathless descent into madness. Sanchez's hero looks the devil in the eye and returns to tell a death-defying tale of redemption. -- CHRIS RUSH, author The Light Years (October 2021)David Sanchez's first novel - brilliant, lyrical, hilarious, heartbreaking- is the definitive handbook to hell and back. I haven't read anything as toughly vulnerable since Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son. A stunning debut. -- CRISTINA GARCIA, author of Dreaming in Cuban (October 2021)David Sanchez has written the rarest kind of novel. His subject matter, spanning so many aspects of contemporary American pain, is incredibly important, but it is his beautifully constructed sentences which make the narrative sing. -- GARRARD CONLEY, author of Boy Erased (October 2021)This exceptional debut is not a cautionary tale about the perils of drugs, but it certainly is the story of so many people right now, and it somehow leaves us with hope. What's more, the rare if dark gems found along its ocean floors, all sharp and brittle and made of base desire, let us glean a part of what's at the heart of addiction itself. -- Tommy Orange * New York Times *A semi-autobiographical novel of trauma and addiction offers hope for narrator, author and reader...This is raw, semi-autobiographical fiction at its most painfully honest... in David's quieter moments, when Sanchez's writing has a fine, almost hallucinatory quality, it's also a thought-provoking portrait of the vulnerability present in family life and how easily that can turn into damage... Literature has saved him. * The Observer *

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Book SynopsisThe Essence of Nathan Biddle is a coming-of-age novel set in the American South in the 1950s. Narrator Kit Biddle, near the end of his high school career, finds himself tangled in a web of family secrets, including a crazy uncle who hears God and literally sacrifices (murders) his own son, Kit's cousin-landing him in a mental institution. Kit is also vexed by the pressing questions that haunt all teenagers: Who am I? Why am I here? When Anna, the beautiful, brilliant object of his affections, rejects him, Kit spirals into despair. Even his witty best friend, Lichtman, is of no help. Kit's impulsive decision to steal the golf club's maintenance truck one night and speed down the highway ends in a horrific accident and months of convalescence, including interesting hours spent in a therapist's office where Kit tries to piece his life together. Yet tragedy leads to light in this gentle tale; even a new girlfriend appears. "It was calamity that gave me a moment of pause, an occasion for reassessment and redirection. I suffered both a breakdown and a breakthrough," Kit says near the end of his ordeal. Readers will rejoice as Kit closes in on answers to his search for the meaning of life

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Book SynopsisSearing and lyrical, Marie-Sissi Labrèche's auto-fictional novel, Borderline, describes a young girl's experience growing up in Montreal's working-class neighbourhood of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Raised by her "two mothers" - a stern grandmother and a mother struggling with schizophrenia, the story's protagonist, Sissi, is artistic, feral, fragile, insightful, and wild. The novel flicks between the traumas of Sissi's young childhood and early adulthood, spinning a web of connections between her history and the stories she begins to unspool as she studies writing in school. Raw, violent, and at times absurd, Borderline treats all things - the city, class, education, mental health, despair, sexuality, love, and art, with an unflinching, unblinking regard.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted, Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction1971. Lilac Welsh lives an isolated life with her parents at Rough Rock on the Winnipeg River. Her father, Kal, stern and controlling, has built his wealth by designing powerful guns and ammunition. He’s on the cusp of producing a .50 calibre assault rifle that can shoot down an airplane with a single bullet, when a young stranger named Gavin appears at their door, wanting to meet him before enlisting for the war in Vietnam. Gavin’s arrival sparks an emotional explosion in Lilac’s home and inspires her to begin her own life as a journalist, reporting on the war that’s making her family rich.The Gunsmith’s Daughter is both a coming-of-age story and an allegorical novel about Canada-US relations. Psychologically and politically astute, and gorgeously written, Margaret Sweatman’s portrait of a brilliant gunsmith and his eighteen-year-old daughter tells an engrossing story of ruthless ambition, and one young woman’s journey toward independence.Trade Review“I was thrilled by The Gunsmith's Daughter, by how cinematic and engrossing it is, what big questions it asks.” -- Joan Thomas, author of Five Wives“In this beautifully written and tightly plotted novel, Margaret Sweatman gives us a searing look into ourselves. Lilac Welsh is faced with a moral dilemma. She loves her father but is conflicted about the way he makes his living — he makes guns that kill people. Set in the time of the Vietnam War, Lilac's dilemma is Canada's: we criticize U.S. foreign policy, even while our economic well-being remains entangled in America's. The Gunsmith's Daughter delivers uncomfortable home truths as sharply and poetically as George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man.” -- Wayne Grady, author of The Good Father“The Gunsmith’s Daughter, possessing the forward thrust of a whodunit, makes for compulsive reading and is clearly the work of a seasoned writer who knows what she’s doing every step of the way.” -- Ian Colford * Atlantic Books Today *“Throughout the novel, dialogue sparkles with authenticity and wit comparable to the novels of Patrick deWitt (The Sisters Bothers, French Exit). Sweatman’s unpredictable but convincing snippets of conversation go a long a long way in revealing the characters and their relationships, particularly the complex relationship between Lilac and her father.” -- Faith Johnston * Winnipeg Free Press *

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Book Synopsis'A legendary writer entirely on his own account' Observer 'Stunningly good' Guardian Gloria Goltz's intellectual ambitions are derailed when she meets Leonard at college. Self-taught, blue-collar, possessor of an aggressive intelligence, Leonard claims to hold the key to unlocking her potential. After making her pregnant, he disappears. Her son Corey grows up without a father, looking for a male role model ­- and restless, dreaming of a great adventure. Instead, when Corey is fifteen, Gloria is diagnosed with motor neuron disease, and his estranged father - this man of domineering charisma and dubious moral character - returns. Determined to be his mother's hero at any cost, Corey begins shouldering responsibility for her expensive medical care, pushing himself to his physical and emotional limits as her disease progresses. And as Leonard's influence over son and mother grows, Corey must dismantle the myth of his father's genius and confront the evil that lurks beneath it. Atticus Lish won a Pen/Faulkner award for his debut Preparation for the Next Life, a novel 'described as the finest and most unsentimental love story of the new decade' in The New York Times. His second novel confirms Lish as a beguiling storyteller and a prose stylist of extraordinary emotional reach and beauty.Trade ReviewPraise for Preparation for the Next Life -- :A stunning, brilliant novel ... Every word, every encounter, rings true -- 'Pick of the Week' * Observer *Extraordinary ... "Make it new" was Ezra Pound's exhortation ... Lish does exactly that ... astonishing ... nothing less than a triumph, worthy of every heroic adjective a critic could throw. It is a reminder, plain and simple, of what fiction is for * FT *Impressive ... Charged with breathless momentum ... substantial and beguiling * Guardian *A complex exploration of masculinity, veering from the fierce, destructive aggression of Corey's encounters with his father to the tender, attentive dedication he displays toward his mother. Lish writes with unhurried precision, avoiding sentimentality yet generating enormous emotional resonance -- New YorkerThis behemoth of a novel packs an emotional punch that will send you reeling...a disturbing and compelling picture of lives in the margins * Mail on Sunday *Into the field of post-9/11 literature wades America's latest literary darling, Atticus Lish...Lish was awarded the PEN/Faulkner award for this book. Those who have read it will agree with the decision * The Times *Extraordinarily powerful ... Lish's remarkable debut fuses raw realism with narrative poetry to memorable effect * Sunday Times *Devastatingly good. My heart was a different size by the time I finished: swollen from the terrible beating it took, but also, I think, permanently augmented -- Ned Beauman, author of The Teleportation AccidentLish keeps you nothing but rapt by his last-gasp gear change... in years to come he'll be spoken of as a legendary writer entirely on his own account. * Observer *Magnificent ... one of the best recent novels I have read about work as it exists for millions of people ... attests to a more profound and intimate knowledge of how life functions on the margins * New Statesman *Here is a raw first novel with a low center of gravity. Set in Queens, it dilates upon blinkered lives, scummy apartments, dismal food and bad options. At its heart is a love story between a Chinese immigrant and a veteran of the Iraq war. Mr. Lish's narrative is intense, moving and somehow necessary -- Dwight Garner, '2014 Books of the Year' * The New York Times *Astonishing, gorgeous ... It is hard to imagine a more daunting task for a novelist than to say something new about 9/11. Preparation for the Next Life is dizzying in its ambition and exhilarating in its triumph -- Clancy Martin * New York Review of Books *A stunning debut novel ... Lish's prose is at once raw and disciplined, and every word feels necessary * Publishers Weekly *A tour de force of urban naturalism ... a love story that's as bold and urgent as any you'll read this year -- Sam Sacks * Wall Street Journal *A significant contribution ... striking ... [Lish] isn't catching a mood but building a world ... we look to long novels for richness, not perfection, for power, not precision, so we should savour Lish's audacity and open heart, his refusal to coddle or console * Daily Telegraph *Punches its way, bare-knuckled, through every millennial New York novel centring around middle-class intellectual characters ... kicking typical tales of artsy, east-coast intelligentsia romance into a dumpster. But its real target, sought out with a heat-seeking precision, is far weightier, and that is America itself * Observer *Lish's prose is superlucid, propulsive but always beautifully controlled, authoritative yet selfless, wrought with an exactitude that is the toughest but deepest kind of compassion a book can have -- Colin BarrettA remarkable portrait of a sensitive boy forced into a life of hardness and violence . . . a superbly original talent -- Wall Street JournalWhat a strange genius, this author, of a novel full of such tenderness and violence. The portrait is heartbreaking -- Christian Lorentzen * Harper's *like an American cousin of Shuggie Bain ... Heavyweight prose and highminded commitment * Daily Mail *Stunningly good * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'Absorbing, intelligent and atmospheric... Genius' Elizabeth Haynes_________________________Fortune favours the fraud...When she was thirteen years old, Ada Howell lost not just her father, but the life she felt she was destined to lead. Now, at eighteen, Ada is given a second chance when her wealthy godmother gifts her with an extravagant art history trip to Italy.In the palazzos of Venice, the cathedrals of Florence and the villas of Rome, she finally finds herself among the kind of people she aspires to be: sophisticated, cultured, privileged. Ada does everything in her power to prove she is one of them. And when a member of the group dies in suspicious circumstances, she seizes the opportunity to permanently bind herself to this gilded set.But everything hidden must eventually surface, and when it does, Ada discovers she's been keeping a far darker secret than she could ever have imagined...'Intelligent, elegant and immersive' Claire Kendal'A compulsive story, written with steely intelligence and wicked prose' Elizabeth BuchanTrade ReviewA treat ... excellent insights ... elegant prose * Daily Mail *With a frisson of uneasiness throughout, this intensely captivating thriller will cast its spell, leaving you on edge with unexpected twists. * Heat Magazine *Intelligent, elegant and immersive. I found myself absorbed by the voice and story, and fascinated by a complex narrator who made me feel both empathy and horror. -- Claire Kendal, bestselling author of 'The Book of You'Absorbing, intelligent and atmospheric, full of cool, incisive observations on class, loyalty and friendship - and oh my goodness, a razor-sharp twist. Genius. -- Elizabeth HaynesAmbition, lust, family secrets and lashings of Italian art - what could go wrong? A compulsive story, written with steely intelligence and wicked prose, that should propel the author into the bestseller lists. -- Elizabeth BuchanA heady tapestry of desires, secrets and entitled cruelties, suffused with the heat and shimmer of Italy... beautifully written, intoxicating... Fab! -- Philippa EastGlamour and art with a very dark underbelly of deceit and jealousy, that kept me guessing (and gasping) to the very end. -- Cressida McLauglinThe Favour is a refreshing, fun and compelling read about deception and consequences that had me hooked from the start. Ada is a wonderful creation who will stay with me for some time. * Lisa Ballantyne *Intense and intelligent, with a deliciously dark and dangerous atmosphere, and a story suffused with secrets and lies. Not to mention the intrigue of Italy, a fascinating central character and a killer twist. I loved it! * Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl *Devious and manipulative, she pulls the reader through this tale of gilded youth misbehaving and paying the price. The tension comes not so much from whether the truth about the crime will emerge as from whether or not Ada will ultimately get what she wants or the punishment she so richly deserves. * Literary Review *Riveting ... an enormously engrossing, satisfying book - darkly funny, sharply ironic, keenly observed and elegantly written * Western Mail *A gripping plot, fascinating characters and a glorious backdrop ... a hugely ambitious debut that delivers handsomely on its promise * Irish Times *

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Book Synopsis*FEATURED IN SUNDAY TIMES, NEW YORK TIMES, APPLE'S BEST BOOKS, AMAZON'S BEST BOOKS OF JUNE,CRIMEREADS RECOMMENDS AND LITHUB'S TOP BOOKS*'SARAH WATERS AND DONNA TARTT SQUAD, BUCKLE UP: Killingly is hitting the Plain Bad Heroines place in my heart again' Autostraddle'Impressive' Sunday Times'Gothic atmosphere, great period detail and a genuine shock at the end' Guardian1897, New England. Agnes and Bertha are best friends. Clever, eccentric misfits at an elite college for young women, they study earnestly, write poems for each other and explore the woods around campus at night. One morning, Bertha vanishes.Called down from Boston, renowned missing person expert Detective Higham arrives to find the tranquil college in chaos. A treasured pearl dagger has disappeared from a student's bedroom. The most popular debutante on campus is losing her mind. There are rumours of a ghostly woman at the train station.As he questions the students and teachers, Higham unearths a strange story of doomed love, ambition and tragedy which could shatter the college's glittering reputation forever . . .A gothic, turn-of-the-century campus thriller about female desire, rage and ambition, perfect for fans of TRIFLERS NEED NOT APPLY, THE BINDING and FINGERSMITH . . .*EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT KILLINGLY:'A haunting story . . . will stay with me long after reading' ELIZABETH LEE, author of Cunning Women'Completely engrossing. Unforgettable!' MARTHA CONWAY, author of The Physician's Daughter'Beutner is masterful at depicting the intrigue and innuendo of a women's college. Perfect pacing . . . grows increasingly shocking as the pages turn' The Akron Beacon JournalTrade ReviewAn impressive, multistranded story -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *SARAH WATERS AND DONNA TARTT SQUAD, BUCKLE UP: Killingly, the latest from Katharine Beutner, is hitting the Plain Bad Heroines place in my heart again. * Autostraddle *A haunting story of the disappearance of a young woman and the devastating aftermath for those who love her, Killingly is a moving portrayal of loss, sisterhood and the quiet heroism of women. This book and its characters will stay with me long after reading. -- Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning WomenKatharine Beutner has spun a lost scrap of history into a campus mystery novel set in the late 1800s, when an elite women's college is consumed by the search for a missing student. Gossip and clues to her whereabouts-or her death-fester with accusation and suspicion. In their longing to find the beloved young woman, her best friend Agnes and her older sister Florence must each grapple with their own dangerous secrets. A story of women who defy strict rules, Killingly is a gripping novel of intrigue and surprising twists. -- Kate ManningSecrets upon secrets unfold in this completely engrossing story about the disappearance of a Mount Holyoke girl in the late 1800s. I was half-charmed, half-horrified by every peculiar character and every unexpected twist. Unforgettable! -- Martha Conway, author of The Physician’s DaughterKILLINGLY moves deliberately, achingly, through one young woman's disappearance in 1897. Out of the real-life facts of the case, Katharine Beutner makes extraordinary fiction, pushing against the limits of her characters' situations and propelling us to the heights of their ambitions. Beutner's novel is able to discover an answer to Bertha Mellish's mystery. Now, more than ever, we need to know the truth this story reveals. -- Julia Phillips, author of National Book Award Finalist Disappearing EarthThis is a superb novel, suffused with dread, riddled with covert motivations and desires, reckoning with painful secrets, artfully rendering the myriad facets of this mysterious case while bearing witness to the sacrifices many women have made to live-and die-authentically. -- —Elizabeth McKenzie, author of The Dog of the North and The Portable Veblen...investigate[s] the nature of those who stand apart from the crowd, and are punished for their independence. * CrimeReads *Almost all the characters guard secrets of their own, secrets that Beutner exposes one by one as she skillfully stretches out the tension. * Historical Novel Society *An atmospheric reimagining (...) gothic atmosphere, great period detail, and a genuine shock at the end. * The Guardian *Beutner is masterful at depicting the intrigue and innuendo of a women's college. With perfect pacing, she drops casual revelations that grow increasingly shocking as the pages turn. * The Akron Beacon Journal *Startling. * WAMC The Roundtable *The storyline will keep you guessing and engaged as it also deals with issues still in the news today. I predict this mystery will be in a lot of beach bags this summer. * The Enterprise *Beutner keeps us on the edge of our seats as she unravels their tangle of secrets and lies. * New Books Network *Katharine Beutner has written a stunning historical mystery, based on a true missing person case. Killingly hits all the high notes! -- Jayne Rowsam, Mystery to Me

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Book SynopsisRandom House presents the audiobook edition of Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak. Loved THE BOOK THIEF? take a look at this!Ten years in the making the epic new novel from the acclaimed, prize-winning, bestselling author of THE BOOK THIEFHere is a story told inside out and back to front:The five Dunbar brothers are living – fighting, dreaming, loving – in the perfect squalor of a house without grownups. Today, the father who walked out on them long ago is about to walk right back in.But why has he returned, and who have the boys become in the meantime?At the helm is Matthew, cynical, poetic; Rory, forever truanting; Henry, the money-spinner; and Tommy, the pet collector who has populated the house with dysfunctional pets, including Achilles the mule and Rosy the border collie. And then there’s Clay, the quiet one, his whole young life haunted by an unspeakable act.From a grandfather, whose passion for the ancient Greeks still colours their lives, to a mother and father fell in love over a mislaid piano, to a present day, where five sons dwell in a house with no rules, BRIDGE OF CLAY is an epic portrait of how a ramshackle family, held together by stories and by love, come to unbury one boy’s tragic secret. Markus Zusak's epic new novel BRIDGE OF CLAY is due out this October 2018Trade Review[Zusak] flings his readers straight into the deep end of his new vast, teeming novel . . . Warm and heartfelt . . . This is a tale of love, art and redemption; rowdy and joyous, with flashes of wit and insight, and ultimately moving. -- Kate Saunders * Times *If The Book Thief was a novel that allowed Death to steal the show... [its] brilliantly illuminated follow-up is affirmatively full of life. -- Alfred Hickling * Guardian *The wait is over. * New York Times *This vast novel is a feast of language and irony. There is sly wit on every page... it is hard not to fall a bit in love with it. -- Michael McGirr * Sydney Morning Herald *Bridge of Clay has been more than a decade in the making, and it shows: The characters are clearly loved, and the artistry of language will leave you gasping at times. * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisA story of one girl 's struggle with herself, her life and her family. And the story of a family's struggle with a daughter/sister they can never hope to understand. She lies in the bed and she is sick. Sicker than she's ever been before. But with the sickness comes a pain and in that pain she finds a glory. And it's the glory that gets her through. When her body heals and she is out of the hospital and home with her family, she finds she needs to seek out a new glory, a stronger glory. She finds it in starvation. But her family, her friends, and her teachers intrude, and she decides she needs a different life, one where her glory is truly safe. A story of one girl's struggle with herself, her life and her family. And the story of a family's struggle with a daughter/sister they can never hope to understand. An impressive new voice in youth literature, Sarah Brill's novel Glory tells the powerful story of a fifteen-year-old girl, who has just woken up in a hospital after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Sarah Brill began writing for the theatre at the age of 15. She attended four National Young Playwrights Workshops before graduating to the National Playwrights Conference.Since then she has had several plays produced and broadcast on the ABC. Glory is her first novel.

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Book SynopsisRecently bereaved Jamie is staying at a rural steading in the heart of Scotland with his actor boyfriend Alex. The sudden loss of both of Jamie’s parents hangs like a shadow over the trip. In his grief, Jamie finds himself sifting through bittersweet memories, from his working-class upbringing in Edinburgh to his bohemian twenties in London, with a growing awareness of his sexuality threaded through these formative years. In the present, when Alex is called away to an audition, Jamie can no longer avoid the pull of the past: haunted by an inescapable failure to share his full self with his parents, he must confront his unresolved feelings towards them. In spare, evocative prose, Allan Radcliffe tells a wistful coming-of-age story and paints a tender portrait of grief in all its complexities.Trade Review'Equally heart-warming and sorrowful. Each and every sentence has been so elegantly penned' -The Scots Magazine; 'Written with an honesty and understanding that is rare, it's a novel full of love, kindness, and compassion' -Skinny Magazine; 'A rippling, multifaceted jewel of a novel - Poignant and compelling, it is resonant with vivid images' -Kevin MacNeil, author of 'The Brilliant & Forever'; 'Allan Radcliffe's debut touched my heart. Both insightful and observant, warm and infinitely relatable' -Henry Fry, author of 'First Time for Everything'; 'This poignant Bildungsroman is at once a tender tale of queer awakening in the Edinburgh of the 80s and 90s and a heartbreaking love letter' -Mary Paulson-Ellis, bestselling author of 'The Other Mrs Walker', 'The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing' and 'Emily Noble's Disgrace'

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Book SynopsisAccustomed to being an only child, adoptee Brian Gumbo Guillemot''s teenage hobby was searching for his birth parents. After years without a lead, when he finally finds his birth mother, Kim, he''s unprepared for the boisterous instant family that comes with her.No one, besides Kim, knows anything about Gumbo''s birth father. With Kim refusing to answer any questions, Gumbo must choose whether to continue the search, even if it means alienating his few friends and both his families. And the more he learns, the more he wonders whether some things are better left unknown.Captivating and playful, The Home For Wayward Parrots explores friendship, romance, modern families and geek pop culture with wit, compassion and extremely foul-mouthed birds.

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Book SynopsisSan Francisco in the early 1990s. Cab is on the deep end of a losing streak. After having been dumped yet again, he moves to Haight-Ashbury fresh out of college. It is the middle of a recession, before the dot-com boom, and AIDS is an immediate and untreatable reality. He finds himself working in a housing program for people with HIV/AIDS. The entire city is reeling. His clients are dying. Cab records their every word. He starts drafting a narrative of every person with whom hes slept: those who dropped him, those he adored, and those he let go of without a second thought, to reassess what he has left behind from the South of his childhood of dyslexia and infatuations, football and ecstasy, divorce and sex panics. In between girlfriends, acting up, attempts at romance, and trying to find his place in the greater San Francisco narrative, Cab is looking for something, tracing the interconnecting stories of the people hes meeting, sleeping, and drinking with, as everyone tries to find a space in the city. As treatments emerge and the economy changes, a new story takes shape in Cabs life and the city.

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Book SynopsisThe novel, Tomboy, is a coming of age sports fiction based on true events. The setting -- the waning days of the Balkan War, is followed by the two main characters, Jarmila Bartanovic and her mother Sanela, as they struggle to survive their war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina. Having escaped the carnage and devastation of their homeland, mother and child soon face a different set of life challenges living in their new home of America.This book is a paean to the unconquerable spirit of hope and survival, as the protagonist rose from a homeless refugee to becoming the highest paid female athlete in the world. Her story is a testament to all who dreamed, believed, and achieved, despite formidable adversities. As we travel with the Bartanovics, from one continent to another, the story expands slowly, becoming emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

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Book SynopsisLavinia Greenlaw’s mesmerising debut novel about growing up in the surreal banality of mid-’70s Essex.Trade Review‘A poet’s eye clearly informs Greenlaw’s beautifully observed portrait of Seventies provincial life. In prose layered like paint, Greenlaw conjures up the period through details that will strike endless chords with readers who grew up at that time … This is a suggestive, elusive novel, which achieves a magical effect by the gradual accumulation of images.’ Vogue ‘This is a terrific first novel, a meteorological force in its own right.’ Evening Standard ‘A composed and sensuous first novel.’ Financial TImes ‘A spacious and compassionate read.’ Time Out ‘What is most impressive, ultimately, is the strength and solidity of the house Greenlaw builds around the reader: every brick carefully aligned, necessary and true.’ Independent on Sunday

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize, this is a superb second novel from the author of the multiple-award winning ‘Saraswati Park’.Trade Review‘Beautifully delineated…The writing throughout is cool and clear, and whilst the overall tone of the novel is hauntingly melancholic, it is also distinguished by a refreshingly abrasive wit’ Peter Parker, Sunday Times ‘Joseph has an unerring instinct for detail that brings a scene to life … Her descriptions … are gorgeously vivid’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Joseph's writing is rich and original. She can describe silences and what is left unsaid between her characters just as well as she describes what they do and say’ Observer ‘A readable and entertaining book’ Guardian ‘Subtle and affecting’ Catherine Taylor, Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year ‘Joseph’s eye for the myriad disappointments of young professional life is excruciatingly accurate, especially in the London section… Joseph is a skilled observer’ Metro

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Book SynopsisAn engaging portrait of an indomitable woman at the heart of Golden Age Hollywood' Gill Paul, bestselling author of The Manhattan Girls????? I was hooked from the first page it had what I was looking for in the Golden Age of Hollywood' NetGalley reviewer????? Really reminded me of City of Girls, the lifestyle, the glamour but also the tenderness Wonderful!' NetGalley reviewerFor fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and City of Girls.You're young and beautiful. The world is your oyster it's up to you to find your pearl'When Maybelle Crabtree, a God-fearing farm girl from Kentucky, has a chance encounter with a charismatic stranger, her life changes forever. With an invitation to join the infamous Alla Nazimova and her Sewing Circle, Maybelle's eyes are opened to a life of decadence and glamour.Able to freely discover her own sexuality, Maybelle embraces all that Hollywood has to offer in the hedonist roaring twenties.But both Maybelle and Alla have secrets that threaten to bring tTrade Review‘A vibrant tribute to a mesmerising screen icon of the 1920s. Lamond skilfully reimagines the way Alla Nazimove’s traumatic past gives her the courage to turn heartbreak into art’ Louisa Treger, author of Madwoman ‘Evocative and titillating, this beautifully written tale of Alla Nazimova, one of Hollywood’s brightest stars of the 1920s, and her circle of talented, rule-breaking women, swept me away’ USA Today bestselling author, Adrienne Chinn ‘A tragic yet beautiful story. Equal parts glitz, glamour, and closed-door secrets, this fabulous book is a must-read for fans of historical fiction’ USA Today bestselling author, Andie Newton ‘A sweeping tale of self-discovery and forbidden desires… captivating’ Anita Frank, author of The Return ‘Dazzling, delicious and definitely one you won’t forget’ Louise Swanson, author of End of Story ‘A great insight into a forgotten star who did it her way at a less accepting time’ Historical Novel Society

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Joyce Maynard is in top-notch form with Labor Day. From the perfect pitch of a teenaged boy narrator to the eloquent message of how loneliness can bind people together, this is simply a novel you cannot miss." -- Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper and Handle With Care "[The] story is moving and fast-moving, affirming Maynard's reputation as a master storyteller and showing her to be a passionate humanist with a gifted ear and heart... Maynard illuminates the human experience." -- People (Four Stars) "Maynard expertly tugs heartstrings in a tidy tale. " -- Kirkus Reviews "Maynard's inventive coming-of-age tale indelibly captures the anxiety and confusion inherent in adolescence, while the addition of a menacing element of suspense makes this emotionally fraught journey that much more harrowing." -- Booklist "Maynard is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal, and forgiveness." -- Associated Press "Maynard deftly pulls the reader into the fragile lives of these three vulnerable characters and their preordained march toward the novel's denouement. A marvelous read--perfect for one long sitting--this novel leaves the reader wishing it didn't ever have to end." -- BookPage "Maynard...is in top form in this tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness." -- Record Searchlight (Redding, CA) "beautifully written" -- New Orleans Times-Picayune "Maynard offers fresh insight into what constitutes family." -- USA Today "It is a testament to Maynard's skill that she makes this ominous setup into a convincing and poignant coming-of-age tale." -- Washington Post "Maynard details Henry's roller-coaster emotions for Frank - he is both jealous and grateful - and his mother's emotional journeys - with skill and tenderness for the uncertain willingness of broken hearts to mend. The poignant results are revealing of our ability to forgive and to grow." -- Smart Money "Labor Day is suffused with tenderness, dreaminess and love...first and foremost a page-turner...[it] puts back together the world that it destroys...you definitely need to get a box of tissues." -- Newsday "a haunting and hopeful story" -- Hartford Courant "[A] sweet, swift read that will leave you feeling good." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune "surprisingly moving" -- Arizona Republic "The novel is an extended meditation on the nature of love, grief and loneliness... Maynard has created an ensemble of characters that will sneak into your heart, and warm it while it breaks. " -- St. Petersburg Times "Maynard gets inside the head of an adolescent boy who is grappling with his own identity and the mysteries of sex (while revealing the secrets of making perfect pie crust). " -- Salt Lake City Tribune "Maynard spins a fascinating story of damaged people seeking the one thing they long for - love. " -- Wichita Falls, TX, Times Record News "Labor Day is a startling novel of love, friendship, trust, treachery, betrayal, and the deep lessons that we learn in life... It's a powerful, poignant mix in the hands of author Joyce Maynard and a novel no one should miss." -- www.Gather.com "Labor Day is both a coming-of-age story and a love story- a tale of profound loss, redemption and soul searching that is not to be missed." -- www.MyDailyFind.com "Maynard has created an ensemble of characters that will sneak into your heart, and warm it while it breaks." -- St. Petersburg Times "But apart from being a successful thriller, this book is a fascinating portrait of what causes a family to founder, and how much it can cost to put it back on the right path. " -- NPR.org "At once beautiful and disturbing, this remarkable novel...is a moving read." -- BookPage.com on LABOR DAY "an uplifting story told by a boy who is just beginning to understand what life is all about." -- St. Petersburg Times

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Book SynopsisNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR • A DUA LIPA BOOK CLUB PICK “Imagine Call Me By Your Name set in Communist Poland and you''ll get a sense of Jedrowski''s moving debut about a consuming love affair amidst a country being torn apart.” — O, The Oprah Magazine“Captivating both for its shimmering surfaces and its terrifying depths. Tomasz Jedrowski is a remarkable writer.” — Justin Torres, bestselling author of We the AnimalsSet in early 1980s Poland against the violent decline of Communism, a tender and passionate story of first love between two young men who eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide—a stunningly poetic and heartrending literary debut for fans of André Aciman, Garth Greenwell, and Alan Hollinghurst.When university student Ludwik meets Janusz at a summer agricultural camp, he is fascinated yet wary of this handsome, carefree stranger. But a chance meeting by the river soon becomes an intense, exhilarating, and all-consuming affair. After their camp duties are fulfilled, the pair spend a dreamlike few weeks in the countryside, bonding over an illicit copy of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. Inhabiting a beautiful, natural world removed from society and its constraints, Ludwik and Janusz fall deeply in love. But in their repressive Communist and Catholic society, the passion they share is utterly unthinkable.Once they return to Warsaw, the charismatic Janusz quickly rises in the political ranks of the party and is rewarded with a highly coveted government position. Ludwik is drawn toward impulsive acts of protest, unable to ignore rising food prices and the stark economic disparity around them. Their secret love and personal and political differences slowly begin to tear them apart as both men struggle to survive in a regime on the brink of collapse.Shifting from the intoxication of first love to the quiet melancholy of growing up and growing apart, Swimming in the Dark is a potent blend of romance, postwar politics, intrigue, and history. Lyrical and sensual, immersive and intense, Tomasz Jedrowski’s indelible and thought-provoking literary debut explores freedom and love in all its incarnations.

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Book SynopsisA week after Mary Jane starts, the rock star and his movie star wife move in.Over the course of the summer, Mary Jane introduces her new household to crisply ironed clothes and a family dinner schedule, and has a front-row seat to a liberal world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll (not to mention group therapy).Trade Review"Delightful...Blau is a deft hand with comic juxtaposition and domestic fantasy. She keeps it light, she keeps it moving and she’s got terrific visuals...You can watch the movie in your mind. Lady Gaga as Sheba? I’m already casting it." — New York Times Book Review "I LOVED Jessica Anya Blau’s novel. Mary Jane is about an oppressed teenager being given a jolt of life and joy by an eccentric found family of therapists, a child, a rock star and a movie star in the 1970s....If you have ever sung along to a hit on the radio, in any decade, then you will devour Mary Jane at 45rpm." — Nick Hornby "I dare you to find a more winning novel than Jessica Anya Blau’s Mary Jane. Filled with humor and sharpness and so much light, this book introduces an amazing cast of characters, all so unique and finely observed, held together by the clarity of Mary Jane’s voice. It evokes those rare moments when your world is on the precipice of change, almost a dream, and how thrilling it is to push your way toward something new." — Kevin Wilson "Blau’s intelligent, witty novel captures the essence of the ’70s with humor and immensely appealing characters. Highly recommended." — Library Journal (starred review) "Blau’s coming-of-age charmer will hit all of the nostalgia notes." — Parade "MARY JANE is that rare thing: An utterly charming, absurdly delightful novel that also makes you think deeply about the world around you. Jessica Anya Blau's clear-eyed wit reminded me of Curtis Sittenfeld and Laurie Colwin, and, of course, Jane Austen." — Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year “The experience of reading Jessica Anya Blau’s Mary Jane is a lot like eating quality candy: super enjoyable, crazy good. I am sad to have finished it.” — Marcy Dermansky "A serious book packed with funny moments and a lot of heart." — Boston Globe "A charming and poignant tale of desire, image, Americana, and chosen family." — Booklist "This novel is a week at the beach with rock stars, it’s a three-part harmony at a kitchen table, it’s finding a family where you fit in. Jessica Anya Blau is a smart, generous, sensitive storyteller, and Mary Jane is a loving, sexy, funny, and beautiful book." — Gabriel Brownstein, author of The Open Heart Club “Jessica Anya Blau is one of the funniest writers--EVER. No one captures the oddities, joys --and yes--the pain--of modern life with such frankness, humor and sly-witted style.” — ZZ Packer, author of Drinking Coffee Elsewhere "Both poignant and tremendously funny...unendingly charming and fun." — Shelf Awareness "Wonderful...A tale of clashing cultures and a slow awakening of ideas, hope and beliefs, this is one of those novels you’ll be so glad to lose yourself to. It’s also perfect for fans of Curtis Sittenfeld's books – and we can give it no higher praise…" — Stylist (UK)

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Book SynopsisPart of the Penguin Orange Collection, a limited-run series of twelve influential and beloved American classics in a bold series design offering a modern take on the iconic Penguin paperback Winner of the 2016 AIGA + Design Observer 50 Books 50 Covers competition For the seventieth anniversary of Penguin Classics, the Penguin Orange Collection celebrates the heritage of Penguin’s iconic book design with twelve influential American literary classics representing the breadth and diversity of the Penguin Classics library. These collectible editions are dressed in the iconic orange and white tri-band cover design, first created in 1935, while french flaps, high-quality paper, and striking cover illustrations provide the cutting-edge design treatment that is the signature of Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions today.On the Road Jack Kerouac’s masterpiece of the Beat era was first published in 1957 and continues to provide a vital portrait of a generation adrift, as well as inspiration for travelers, dreamers, and artists in every generation that has followed.Trade Review"An authentic work of art . . . the most beautifully executed, the clearest and the most important utterance yet made by the generation Kerouac himself named years ago as 'beat,' and whose principal avatar he is." --Gilbert Millstein, The New York Times "On the Road has the kind of drive that blasts through to a large public. . . . What makes the novel really important, what gives it that drive is a genuine new, engaging and exciting prose style. . . . What keeps the book going is the power and beauty of the writing." --Kenneth Rexroth, San Francisco Chronicle "One of the finest novels of recent years. . . a highly euphoric and intensely readable story about a group of wandering young hedonists who cross the country in endless search of kicks." --Leonard Feather, Downbeat

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Book Synopsis''Satisfyingly dark, cleverly plotted and pleasingly Donna Tarttish'' Emma Flint, Little Deaths''Seamlessly blends Gone Girl and Promising Young Woman. Smart, sophisticated, seductive'' S J Watson, Before I Go To Sleep''A deeply compelling story of friendships turned rotten'' Rosemary Hennigan, The Truth Will Out*Sunday Times Bestseller**Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year 2023**Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize**Top Ten eBook bestseller**One of Cosmopolitan''s Best Books for 2023**One of Apple''s Best of the Month**One of FT''s Best New Debut Fiction**Heat Book of the Week*------Clare arrives at the University of Edinburgh with a secret. This is her chance for a blank slate: to find the right people and reinvent herself.And then she meets Tabitha.Tabitha is charismatic, beautiful and intimidatingly wealthy. Soon Clare iTrade ReviewSeamlessly blends Gone Girl and Promising Young Woman. Smart, sophisticated, seductive' -- S J Watson, Before I Go To SleepSatisfyingly dark, cleverly plotted and pleasingly Donna Tarttish -- Emma Flint, Little DeathsPerfect for fans of dark academia stories like The Secret History and If We Were Villains -- CosmopolitanDarwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her' -- Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisBOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Long-listed for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in FictionA New York Times Book Review Editors' ChoiceA Slate Top Ten Book of the YearA TIME Best Fiction Book of 2022Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, NPR, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Los Angeles Review of Books, Financial Times, San Francisco Chronicle, LitHub, Buzzfeed, and more.A magnificent, beguiling tale winding from the postwar rural provinces to Paris, from an English boarding school to the quiet Pennsylvania home where a woman can live without her past, The Book of Goose is a story of disturbing intimacy and obsession, of exploitation and strength of will, by the celebrated author Yiyun Li.Fabienne is dead. Her childhood best friend, Agnès, receives the news in America,

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