Narrative theme: coming of age
Independently Published White Hyena
£15.99
Nighthawk Books A High Wind in Jamaica
£11.64
G & D Publishing No Heart for a Thief
£20.89
Maravilla LLC, DBA Krysta Maravilla Spark
£19.53
HarperCollins Publishers The Book of Goose The gripping new novel from the
Book Synopsis''A dazzling, subtle, skilful knockout I loved it'' Charlotte MendelsonOne of our finest living authors propulsively entertaining' New York TimesWonderfully strange and alive' Jon McGregorA propulsive, seductive new novel about friendship, exploitation and intimacy from the prize-winning author of Where Reasons EndFabienne is dead. Her childhood best friend, Agnès, receives the news in America, far from the French countryside where the two girls were raised the place that Fabienne helped Agnès escape ten years ago. Now, Agnès is free to tell her story.As children in a backwater town, they'd built a private world, invisible to everyone but themselves until Fabienne hatched the plan that would change everything, launching Agnès on an epic trajectory through fame, fortune, and terrible loss.A dark, ravishing tale winding from the rural provinces to Paris, from an English boarding school, to the quiet Pennsylvania home where Agnès can live without her past. The Book of Goose is a storyTrade Review‘Fans of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan trilogy won’t be disappointed, but the comparison undermines the skill with which Li tells her story, peeling back the layers to reveal the dark truths at the heart of Agnes and Fabienne’s friendship’ Marie Claire ‘[Li] has become … one of our finest living authors: Her elegant metaphysics never elide the blood and maggots … The most propulsively entertaining of Li’s novels… an existential fable that illuminates the tangle of motives behind our writing of stories’ New York Times ‘Beguiling … A shimmering, unsettling tale of exploitation and manipulation’ Daily Mail ‘These two perverse, dangerous, glorious girls are their own creation and their own destiny, captured in the high noon of their lives’ Observer New Review ‘Resonant with echoes of… My Brilliant Friend, as well as authors including Elizabeth Strout and William Trevor … For all its surface lushness, this is a novel of meticulous philosophical inquiry’ Observer ‘Brilliant … A novel of deceptions and cruelty’ Spectator 'Dazzling, subtle, skilful … I loved it' Charlotte Mendelson, author of The Exhibitionist ‘In a story about love and creation, Yiyun Li slips in a satire of the business of marketing authors… deft and delicious’ Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Starling Days ‘Yiyun Li has, again, done something new and gone somewhere wonderfully strange and alive. Beautiful, sad, funny and claustrophobic’ Jon McGregor, author of Lean Fall Stand ‘A haunting novel about loss, friendship and storytelling … Few writers match Yiyun Li’s ability to explore human desire and ambition’ Tash Aw, author of Strangers on a Pier ‘Meet Agnès and Fabienne…Come for the writerly scheming, stay for the exquisitely calibrated examination of how our most tender and important bonds involve the manipulation of power and devotion’ LA Times
£12.34
HarperCollins Publishers All This Twisted Glory
Book SynopsisFrom the award-winning and bestselling author of Shatter Me comes All This Twisted Glory, the highly anticipated third novel in the Persian inspired mythology This Woven Kingdom series As the long-lost heir to the Jinn throne, Alizeh has finally found her peopleand she might've found her crown. Cyrus, the mercurial ruler of Tulan, has offered her his kingdom in a twisted exchange: one that would begin with their marriage and end with his murder.Cyrus's dark reputation precedes him; all the world knows of his blood-soaked past. Killing him should be easyand accepting his offer might be the only way to fulfill her destiny and save her people. But the more Alizeh learns of him, the more she questions whether the terrible stories about him are true.Ensnared by secrets, Cyrus has ached for Alizeh since she first appeared in his dreams many months ago. Now that he knows those visions were planted by the devil, he can hardly bear to look at hermuch less endure her company. But despite their best efforts to despise each other, Alizeh and Cyrus are drawn together over and over with an all-consuming thirst that threatens to destroy them both.Meanwhile, Prince Kamran has arrived in Tulan, ready to exact revengeLayered with exquisite tension and heart-stopping romance, All This Twisted Glory is the explosive third book in the captivating, bestselling This Woven Kingdom series.Trade Review Praise for This Woven Kingdom “In a tale as exquisitely crafted as one of Alizeh’s own garments, Mafi weaves a spell of destiny and danger, forbidden love and courtly intrigue, magic and revolution.”—Cassandra Clare, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Last Hours "This story is so magical and transportive that I fully expected the book would know the moment I'd finished — within hours, no less — and promptly unravel into a pile of jewels and silks in my hands. Mafi's diamond-bright lyrical voice weaves a tale that is gilded in magic, laced with subterfuge, adorned with the brocade of a tortuous romance, and richly embroidered with Persian mythology. I cannot wait for more."—Roshani Chokshi, NYT bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves “This Woven Kingdom is an exquisite fantasy. Rich with clever prose, delicious twists, and breathtaking world building. Prepare to be destroyed—this one will wrench at your heart and make it pound, and in the end it will leave you entirely speechless.”—Stephanie Garber, #1 NYT bestselling author of the Caraval series ‘Richly textured, descriptive prose coupled with agonizing romance combine in this fantastical epic. Gut-wrenchingly beautiful.’ – Kirkus Reviews “In a heart-wrenching novel, Mafi complements rich worldbuilding with lushly descriptive, sensorial prose that inspires the novel’s mythological backdrop, against which plays out an emotional plot, and a tortured romance, layered with court intrigue.” – Publishers Weekly “Tahereh Mafi continues her reign as a master of YA fantasy” – PopSugar "[An] illustrious tale of magic, court intrigue, and romance. Captivating readers from the very first chapter" – Booklist
£10.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Orphan Train
Book SynopsisTrade Review"A compelling story about loss, adaptability, and courage ... With compassion and delicacy Kline presents a little-known chapter of American history and draws comparisons with the modern-day foster care system." -- Library Journal "In ORPHAN TRAIN, Christina Baker Kline seamlessly knits together the past and present of two women, one young and one old. Kline reminds us that we never really lose anyone or anything or--perhaps most importantly--ourselves." -- Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle "I loved this book: its absorbing back-and-forth story, its vivid history, its eminently loveable characters. ORPHAN TRAIN wrecked my heart and made me glad to be literate." -- Monica Wood, author of When We Were the Kennedys "One of the most powerful novels I've ever read...I am compelling all of you, even begging you, to make this novel your next read. You'll be talking about it for years to come!" -- Naples Daily News (FL) "A gem." -- Huffington Post "Absorbing...a heartfelt page-turner about two women finding a sense of home...Kline lets us live the characters' experiences vividly through their skin...The growth from instinct to conscious understanding to partnership between the two is the foundation for a moving tale." -- Publishers Weekly "Kline draws a dramatic, emotional story from a neglected corner of American history." -- Kirkus Reviews "I was so moved by this book. I loved Molly and Vivian, two brave, difficult, true-hearted women who disrupt one another's lives in beautiful ways, and loved journeying with them, through heartbreak and stretches of history I'd never known existed, out of loneliness toward family and home." -- Marisa de los Santos, New York Times-bestselling author of Belong to Me and Falling Together "A lovely novel about the search for family that also happens to illuminate a fascinating and forgotten chapter of American history. Beautiful." -- Ann Packer, New York Times-bestselling author of The Dive from Clausen's Pier and Swim Back to Me "Christina Baker Kline writes exquisitely about two unlikely friends ... each struggling to transcend a past of isolation and hardship. ORPHAN TRAIN will hold you in its grip as their fascinating tales unfold." -- Cathy Marie Buchanan, New York Times-bestselling author of The Painted Girls "Christina Baker Kline's latest wonder, ORPHAN TRAIN, makes for compulsive reading...Meticulously researched and yet full of the breath of life, Kline's novel takes us on an historical journey where survival depends upon one's own steely backbone, and the miracle of a large and generous heart." -- Helen Schulman, New York Times-bestselling author of This Beautiful Life "A poignant and memorable story of two steadfast, courageous women...A revelation of the universal yearing for belonging, for family, for acceptance and, ultimately, the journeys we must all make to find them." -- Kathleen Kent, New York Times-bestselling author of The Heretic's Daughter and The Traitor's Wife "Reminiscent of Elizabeth Strout's Amy and Isabel, this Orphan Train carries us along until the stories of these two women become one." -- Mary Morris, author of, most recently, Revenge "This superbly composed novel tells two parallel stories of suffering and perseverance, capturing the heart and mind equally and remaining mesmerizing through the intensely heart-wrenching conclusion." -- Romantic Times, Top Pick "The intertwined stories in this novel will surely please those looking for a compelling new read." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer "One of the most intriguing, tender novels of 2013...This is a warm, satisfying, and inspirational story." -- The New Maine Times Book Review
£7.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc My Oxford Year
Book Synopsis
£14.44
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Brooklyn Crime Novel
Book Synopsis
£22.50
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Orchard
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£25.19
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Evergreen Heir
Book Synopsis
£14.24
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Evergreen Heir
Book Synopsis
£27.00
Penguin Putnam Inc We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club introduces a middle-class American family that is ordinary in every way but one in this novel that won the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize. Meet the Cooke family: Mother and Dad, brother Lowell, sister Fern, and Rosemary, who begins her story in the middle. She has her reasons. “I was raised with a chimpanzee,” she explains. “I tell you Fern was a chimp and already you aren’t thinking of her as my sister. But until Fern’s expulsion...she was my twin, my funhouse mirror, my whirlwind other half and I loved her as a sister.” As a child, Rosemary never stopped talking. Then, something happened, and Rosemary wrapped herself in silence. In We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler weaves her most accomplished work to date—a tale of loving but fallible people whose well-intentioned actions
£14.80
Redhook The Magicians Daughter
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Little, Brown & Company Youll Thank Me for This
Book SynopsisA pulse-pounding psychological thriller based on the popular Dutch tradition of blindfolding and dropping teens and pre-teens in the middle of a forest — and what happens when it goes horribly wrong. Twelve-year old Karin is blindfolded and dropped into the Hoge Veluwe National Forest with three other children. With nothing but a few basic supplies and emergency food, the children are tasked with working together to navigate one of the Netherlands' most beautiful and wild locations and return to where their families are anxiously waiting. Karin quickly finds herself at odds with two of the older teens, and suddenly looks up to see that the other children have vanished. As Karin struggles against the elements to find her way back, she soon realizes that something far more sinister lurks in the woods. Grace, Karin’s mother and an American married to a Dutch husband, has been nervous about this practice from the start. At first she tells herself the space is good for her daughter, but as the hours begin to tick by and the children fail to arrive at their designated campsite, she becomes certain something has gone horribly wrong. As Karin fights for survival, and Grace hastens to find her daughter, the night culminates in the reveal of a deadly secret—and a shocking confrontation—that will push each of them to her edge.
£22.50
Random House USA Inc Keepern Me
Book Synopsis
£16.19
Penguin Putnam Inc How Much of These Hills Is Gold
Book SynopsisA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEARONE OF BARACK OBAMA''S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEARONE OF NPR''S BEST BOOKS OF 2020 LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 BOOKER PRIZEFINALIST FOR THE 2020 CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZEWINNER OF THE ROSENTHAL FAMILY FOUNDATION AWARD, FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERSA NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION 5 UNDER 35 HONOREENATIONAL BESTSELLER “Belongs on a shelf all of its own.” —NPR “Outstanding.” —The Washington Post “Revolutionary . . . A visionary addition to American literature.” —Star Tribune An electric debut novel set against the twilight of the American gold rush, two siblings are on the run in an unforgiving landscape&md
£12.75
Penguin Putnam Inc Such a Fun Age
Book SynopsisA Best Book of the Year: The Washington Post?Chicago Tribune?NPR? Vogue?Elle?Real Simple?InStyle?Good Housekeeping ? Parade? Slate?Vox ?Kirkus Reviews ?Library Journal ?BookPage Longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize An Instant New York Times BestsellerA Reese''s Book Club Pick The most provocative page-turner of the year. --Entertainment Weekly I urge you to read Such a Fun Age. --NPR A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains'' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store''s security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right. But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix''s desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix''s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other. With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone family, and the complicated reality of being a grown up. It is a searing debut for our times.
£10.80
Dutton Books for Young Readers A Scatter of Light
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn NPR Best Book of the YearA Parents Magazine Best Book of the YearA BuzzFeed Best Book of the Year“Full of yearning, ponderances about art and what it means to be an artist, and self-revelation, A Scatter of Light has a simmering intensity that makes it hard to put down."—NPR "The intimate details and complex relationships of this perfectly rendered story of first love between two young women is reminiscent of Judy Blume's classic Forever."—Parents Magazine"Beautifully rendered and instantly captivating. Malinda Lo writes queer desire like no other."—Diva Magazine★ "Raw and bittersweet ... [an] expansive tale of yearning, self-discovery, and first love."—Publishers Weekly, starred review★ "Aria’s story is...about what it means to be an artist, a friend, a daughter and a granddaughter, and about how identities of all kinds can converge and crystallize as part of the process of growing up."—BookPage, starred review★ "Tells the powerful story of one young woman's life-changing summer of self-discovery....Both newcomers and longtime fans of Lo's work should enjoy this narrative of a young woman coming to understand herself and her wants better."—Shelf Awareness, starred review★ "An excellent coming-of-age and coming-out story. Characters are complicated and messy but in a realistic and relatable way. The story is driven by Aria’s truthful narration, which is beautifully reflective of an 18-year-old at that time…. A must-have.”—SLJ "A Scatter of Light is not one but many love letters—to art, to first crushes, and to friendships that span decades and ground you while letting you grow."—Booklist"This deeply perceptive bildungsroman thoughtfully explores several absorbing topics, but first and foremost it is an intimate, exhilarating story of first love."—Horn Book"A Scatter of Light is a book of crashes (and crushes) with effects that reverberate across time. It is queer in the best of ways — messy, raw, heartbreaking, freeing, and imperfect."—Autostraddle Praise for Last Night at the Telegraph Club, a New York Times Bestseller and Winner of the National Book Award“Lo's writing is so rich you can practically feel the glow of neon bar lights radiating off the page.”—bestselling author Casey McQusiton for Entertainment Weekly"A must-read."—Us Weekly“Lush, ambitious and layered, Malinda Lo’s sweeping historical novel is the queer romance we’ve been waiting for.”—Ms. Magazine"This stunning work of historical fiction effectively depicts both the thrills of young queer love and the horrors of racism and the Red Scare."—Boston Globe"This queer coming-out and coming-of-age story reverberates with dangers, dilemma and a dream deferred."—San Francisco Chronicle "An enthralling historical lesbian romance."—WBUR"A joy to read."—The Advocate"Tender and meditative."—Glamour "Malinda Lo is an absolute icon."—BuzzFeed
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd The World According to Garp
Book SynopsisWinner of the National Book Award“Nothing in contemporary fiction matches it.” —The New Republic“Wonderful . . . full of energy and art, at once funny and horrifying and heartbreaking.” —Washington Post Powerful and political, with unforgettable characters and timeless themes, The World According to Garp is John Irving’s breakout novel. The precursor of Irving’s later protest novels, it is the story of Jenny, an unmarried nurse who becomes a single mom and a feminist leader, beloved but polarizing—and of her son, Garp, less beloved but no less polarizing. From the tragicomic tone of its first sentence to its mordantly funny last line—“we are all terminal cases”—The World According to Garp maintains a breakneck pace. The subject of sexual hatred and violence—of intolerance of sexual minorities,
£999.99
Random House USA Inc Commitment
Book SynopsisA NEW YORKER AND LOS ANGELES TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A masterful and engrossing novel about a single mother’s collapse and the fate of her family after she enters a California state hospital in the 1970s.“A sweeping family epic that took me from one American coast to another…Simpson is so attuned to the family heart.” —Weike Wang, author of Joan Is OkayWhen Diane Aziz drives her oldest son, Walter, from Los Angeles to college at UC Berkeley, it will be her last parental act before falling into a deep depression. A single mother who maintains a wishful belief that her children can attain all the things she hasn’t, she’s worked hard to secure their future in caste-driven 1980s Los Angeles, gaining them illegal entry to an affluent public school. When she enters a state hospital, her closest friend tries to keep the children safe and their mother’s dreams for them alive.
£15.30
Random House USA Inc The Violin Conspiracy
Book SynopsisGOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK!?Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise?undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world?when a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather?s heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.?I loved The Violin Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queen?s Gambit: a surprising, beautifully rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating, cutthroatworld I knew nothing about?in this case, classical music.? ?Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the WitchGrowing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian?s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream?he?s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can?t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music.When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenlyseem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition?the Olympics of classical music?the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it, Ray feels like he''s lost a piece of himself.As the competition approaches, Ray must not only reclaim his precious violin, but prove to himself?and the world?that no matter the outcome, there has always been a truly great musician within him.
£12.75
Random House USA Inc Once More with Feeling
Book Synopsis
£11.48
Penguin Putnam Inc Guys Girl
Book SynopsisThe boy who couldn?t love and the girl who wouldn?t. Ginny Murphy is a total guy?s girl. She?s always found friendships with boys easier to form and keep drama-free ? as long as they don?t fall for her, and she doesn?t fall for them. She and her best guy friends have stuck to that. But then she meets Adrian Silvas, the only one who?s ever made her crave more, and Ginny begins to question her own rules. Piece by piece, Ginny and Adrian begin to fall into something intoxicating, something dangerous. Ginny threatens to destroy the belief Adrian''s held ever since witnessing his own mother?s heartbreak: that love isn?t worth the risk. For Ginny, the stakes could be even higher. Letting Adrian get close could mean exposing a secret she?s long protected: her disordered eating. Ginny isn?t looking to be saved by someone. But maybe she and Adrian can help each other ? if they don?t destroy each other first. Heartfelt and evocative, Guy''s Girl is a powerful story about true love, self-love, and growing up.
£11.25
Random House USA Inc Black Cake A Read with Jenna Pick
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£15.72
Penguin Putnam Inc The Immortalists
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£13.88
Penguin Putnam Inc The Lincoln Highway
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£11.48
Black Cat Young Mungo
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£17.99
Atlantic Books The Heat of the Sun
Book SynopsisDavid Rain is an Australian writer who lives in London. He has taught literature and writing at Queen's University of Belfast, University of Brighton, and Middlesex University, London.Trade ReviewThe more I read The Heat of the Sun, the more I admired it: for its imaginative reach, its emotional power, and the lit-up beauty and exactitude of its writing. I thought it breathtakingly good. * Sue Gee, author of The Mysteries of Glass *
£12.34
Atlantic Books When Hoopoes Go To Heaven
Book SynopsisGaile Parkin was born and raised in Zambia, and studied at universities in South Africa and England. She has lived in many different parts of Africa, including Swaziland, where When Hoopoes go to Heaven is set. She is currently a freelance consultant in the fields of education, gender and HIV/AIDS.Trade ReviewWith gentle humour and a gift for detail, [Gaile Parkin] brings Rwanda to life, with its physical beauty, food and customs... [Baking Cakes in Kigali] is fluent and deeply moving * Independent *With a lightness of touch, and a cast as colourful as one of Angel's cakes, debut novelist Parkin deftly uncovers the joys and sorrows of the survivors. Fans of Precious Ramotswe will love this * Marie Claire *
£8.54
Oneworld Publications The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years
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£14.24
Hodder & Stoughton The Brittle Star
Book SynopsisAn epic debut novel telling the story of a young man's unquenchable spirit, perfect for fans of Cormac McCarthy and True Grit.Trade ReviewTotally brilliant -- Dan SnowLangdale is excellent at delineating landscapes both natural and human . . . She puts it on the page with such detail and self-confidence that I believe every word -- Jane Smiley * Guardian *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton Generation Next
Book SynopsisThe bestselling debut novel from YouTube sensation Oli WhiteTrade ReviewWe loved this book...if you've ever wondered what it's like to have YouTuber fame overnight, this book tells all. We laughed and cried but enjoyed it from beginning to end. * Nickelodeon UK *Love, family, cyberbullying, and illness...amazing...may remind readers of novels by John Green * Orlando Sentinel *Best New Book of July * B&N Teen Blog *Amazon reader reviews'This book is amazing! I couldn't put it down, I had to keep reading!''I love the book. Good job Oli'.'Really recommended 10/10''A really enjoyable read''Absolutely love this book' * : *
£12.34
Hodder & Stoughton Generation Next The Takeover
Book Synopsis** THE #1 BESTSELLER!**The thrilling sequel to YouTube sensation Oli White''s smash-hit debut GENERATION NEXT. *Contains exclusive bonus content, including a Q&A with Oli!*School has finished for good, and Jack and his friends - Ella, Austin, Ava and Sai - are giving their online social media platform, Generation Next, the ultimate relaunch: a stage takeover at the world''s biggest music festival. When you''re interviewing famous stars and streaming the footage all over the globe, what could possibly go wrong? The takeover is the gang''s most epic task yet, and when they meet TV producer Ethan, he seems like the perfect person to help out. Everyone loves Ethan: he''s smart, talented and a natural addition to the group. But Jack isn''t so sure. Ethan seems to be hiding something... and why can''t the rest of GenNext see it? If Jack isn''t careful, his dreams for Generation Next - and his relationships with Ella and his closest frTrade ReviewPraise for Generation Next * : *We loved this book...if you've ever wondered what it's like to have YouTuber fame overnight, this book tells all. We laughed and cried but enjoyed it from beginning to end. * Nickelodeon UK *Love, family, cyberbullying, and illness...amazing...may remind readers of novels by John Green * Orlando Sentinel *Amazon reader reviews'This book is amazing! I couldn't put it down, I had to keep reading!''I love the book. Good job Oli'.'Really recommended 10/10''A really enjoyable read''Absolutely love this book' * : *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton The Barrowfields
Book SynopsisA stunning, heart-breaking literary debut with the feel of a big American classic.Trade ReviewA work of abundant talent * New York Times *A beautiful, evocative novel with an amazing sense of place and an understated, dark sensibility. A brilliant debut. I loved it! * Jenni Fagan, author of The Panopticon *A novel this good is a rare thing. Elegiac and timeless, THE BARROWFIELDS is an unforgettable evocation of an American saga gone wrong. Reading it is like cracking open the tattered first edition of a classic you somehow missed but just pulled from your father's bookshelf. * David Gilbert, author of & Sons *THE BARROWFIELDS knows that the worst hauntings happen not in old houses but in troubled minds. The psychological landscape is craggy in this vivid update on Southern Gothic steeped in gorgeous vernacular and full of characters ready to walk off the page. A narrator cultivated from birth like a hothouse flower to redeem his father's thwarted ambitions finds the ruthless strength to escape the gravity of a doomed life, but at great cost. Revelations abound about family secrets as the dextrous narrative shifts between viscerally urgent and beautifully languorous. Lewis goes down to the depths and back up in this powerfully hopeful book, and the reader is helpless in his hands. * Matthew Thomas, author of We Are Not Ourselves *Majestic and rich with the textures of life, Phillip Lewis's THE BARROWFIELDS is one of the great discoveries of the year. This is adebut so assured in its sense of place and history that it will leave you in awe of what Lewis has accomplished here: a sorrowful, beautiful ode to the bond of family, the ghosts that haunt us, and the stories that shape us.' * Paul Yoon, author of Snow Hunters *Beautifully written and deeply moving, THE BARROWFIELDS is a novel that centers on a man conflicted between his love of family and his devotion to literature. Phillip Lewis is a very talented writer, and his debut deserves a wide and appreciative readership. * Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of Serena and Above the Waterfall *In this charming, absorbing, and assured debut novel, a young man tries to make sense of his father's life and the passions that unite them-namely, a devotion to literature and a rueful nostalgia for their Appalachian homeland. . . . Lewis evokes his settings beautifully, and his prose is bracingly erudite. This debut has the ability to fully immerse its readers. * Publishers Weekly *Stunning . . . rich in character and place, steeped in literature and music, and fraught with family drama. . . . With clear echoes of Poe and Wolfe, THE BARROWFIELDS also gives a nod to Richard Russo by reflecting an appreciation for the eccentricities of regional characters. . . . Lewis has put Old Buckram firmly on the map. * Shelf Awareness *In his evocative debut about disenchantment and identity, Lewis captures the longing of a southerner separated from his home, his family, and his ambition... Like fellow North Carolinian Thomas Wolfe, Lewis tackles the conflicting choice between accepting one's roots and rejecting the past, and he does so with grace, wit, and an observant eye. * Booklist *
£8.99
Scribner Book Company Green on Blue
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£16.20
Simon & Schuster SelfPortrait with Boy
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£16.15
Pan Macmillan Little Big Man
Book SynopsisMeet 10-year-old Zac – a boy on a mission – in Katy Regan’s Little Big Man . . .You can't see the truth from the outside, that's what I've worked out. Ten-year-old Zac has never met his dad, who allegedly did a runner before he was born. But when his mum lets slip that he’s the only man she’s ever loved, Zac turns detective and, roping in his best friend, hatches a plan to find his father and give his mum the happy-ever-after she deserves. What he doesn’t realize, though, is that sometimes people have good reasons for disappearing . . .Little Big Man is a story about family secrets and fierce, familial love. It's about growing up and being accepted; grief and lies, and the damage they can do. Most of all though, it’s about a little boy determined to hunt down the truth; a boy who wants to give the Dad he’s never met a second chance to be a father – and his mum a second chance at love.Trade ReviewKaty Regan broke my heart and put it back together again with Little Big Man . . . Humour, poignancy, secrets, love – everything you could ask for from a book -- Lucy DiamondA beautifully written love story, with authentic, compelling characters. You’ll love Katy Regan’s new book -- Clare MackintoshA big-hearted, brilliantly pitched tale about family, love and finding your place in the world * Heat *As uplifting as it is heart-breaking in places, this sweeping story of one boy’s courage will effortlessly win your heart -- Rowan ColemanBeautifully written and brimming with people to love and root for, Little Big Man had me from the first page. Zac's voice is arresting, compelling and completely original – I absolutely loved this book -- Lisa JewellWith exquisitely drawn characters you’ll fall in love with, Little Big Man packs a huge emotional punch * The Sun, Fabulous magazine *Katy Regan's writing is effortlessly emotional and authentic, and Little Big Man had me hooked from the first page. Zac's voice is wonderful – vulnerable and tough and entirely convincing. It's a heartfelt novel about love, family, and self-belief, and I loved it -- Julie CohenSometimes you just need to read a novel that lets you sob. Little Big Man is that sort of novel. And Zac, its brave yet bullied 10 year old narrator, is an absolute TRIUMPH -- Sarah VaughanPoignant, funny and heartbreaking with a story that stays with you long after you have put it down * Psychologies magazine *Delightful, heart-wrenching, poignant, and absolutely real, Katy Regan has created a uniquely brave and beautiful voice. She writes with tremendous acuity and tenderness, with a story that you will not be able to stop reading -- Jane GreenAn extraordinary and wonderful book. A real 'just-one-more-page-before-bedtime' story . . . Lovely, clever and incredibly touching -- Milly JohnsonIt is Zac's bright, observant voice which pulls you into his world and exposes the truth – that love and loss make grown-ups do the silliest things * Sunday Express *A towering achievement: wise, funny, sad, deeply human – a perfectly timed reminder of the fundamental values of love and family . . . A book that provokes tears and sorrow as skilfully as it delivers deep belly laughs. It kept me up all night and will stay with me for years to come -- Rosie WalshFunny, sweet and brilliantly written -- this book totally stole my heart -- Eve ChaseA beautiful story about growing up and keeping those we love close to us . . . A heartfelt tale of courage, grief and familial love * Candis magazine *From the moment I started reading I couldn't put it down and I felt bereft when I finished. It's a beautiful, warm story about love, family and friendships, which will leave you laughing one minute and heartbroken the next . . . I was expecting a good story, but this exceeded all my expectations, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it -- Clare SwatmanConvincing and endearing . . . A compelling, provocative and astute story of families and long-hidden secrets * Daily Express *Juliet and her son Zac lodged themselves in my heart from the very first page, and are still there now. Katy Regan makes friends of her characters, and I couldn’t put Little Big Man down until I’d uncovered all their bittersweet, painfully real secrets, wrapping around their Grimsby family like fishing nets. Regan's writing is smart, funny and full of emotional truths that linger; Juliet’s brave and redemptive lifestory will stay with me for a long, long time. This is a wonderful one-sitting treat of a novel -- Lucy DillonHeartwarming * Bella *A touching, funny and original story of a little man with a big heart, with a cast of authentic characters that’ll have you laughing and crying in equal parts -- Jimmy Rice, co-author of The Best Thing That Never Happened to Me and The Night That Changed EverythingTouching * Sunday Mirror *
£13.49
£22.49
Penguin Books Ltd An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel
Book Synopsis
£9.45
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Come and Get It: One of 2024's hottest reads –
Book SynopsisTHE UNMISSABLE NEW NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF BESTSELLING PHENOMENON SUCH A FUN AGE * THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * * FEARNE COTTON'S HAPPY PLACE BOOK CLUB PICK FOR FEBRUARY * ‘I couldn’t put it down, and I didn't want to either’ EMILY HENRY ‘The drama is just too juicy – how could anyone resist a binge?’ GUARDIAN ‘Razor-sharp … Packs a huge emotional punch’ DAILY MAIL Everything comes at a price. But not everything can be paid for… Millie wants to graduate, get a job and buy a house. She’s slowly saving up from her job on campus, but when a visiting professor offers her an unusual opportunity to make some extra money, she jumps at the chance. Agatha is a writer, recovering from a break-up while researching attitudes towards weddings and money for her new book. She strikes gold when interviewing the girls in Millie’s dorm, but her plans take a turn when she realises that the best material is unfolding behind closed doors. As the two women form an unlikely relationship, they soon become embroiled in a world of roommate theatrics, vengeful pranks and illicit intrigue – and are forced to question just how much of themselves they are willing to trade to get what they want. Sharp, intimate and provocative, Come and Get It takes a lens to our money-obsessed society in a tension-filled story about desire, consumption and bad behaviour. ‘Smart, funny and perceptive’ i ‘A perfect read’ STYLIST ‘Wonderfully immersive, propulsive and beautifully paced’ PAUL HARDING ‘Quiet and intense … A joy to read’ JESSICA GEORGE ‘Witty and nuanced’ RED ‘[An] incisive novel everyone will be talking about’ TOWN AND COUNTRYTrade ReviewA brilliant book ... Really interesting, looks at the lengths we’ll go to get money, and how it informs our decision making and also our relationships. It’s a really good read -- Fearne Cotton, Happy Place Book ClubAn utter joy * Sunday Times *A deliciously chewy, politically charged novel ... The kind of book I want to debate with a room full of women drinking fishbowl-sized glasses of cheap Pinot Grigio with too much ice in it * Vogue *A zippy, laugh-out-loud campus novel ... Reid’s writing is so very funny, always rooted in the everyday * i *Reading Kiley Reid’s fiction feels a bit like watching a prestige TV series. There are expansive casts of characters ... The plots are pacy and compelling, motored by flashbacks and cliffhangers and twists, while also dealing with social issues – particularly race and class – that add intellectual heft. Dialogue is hyper-realistic ... so that you can hear it aloud in your head ... Reid is a talented comic writer. But it also raises deeper questions about how we view the lives of other people, as material for our own consumption. Are the attractions of books and TV so different from those of eavesdropping? * Guardian *A master storyteller ... As fun to read as it is thought-provoking ... In heart-breaking and deeply recognisable details ... we see Reid’s pen at its sharpest * Stylist *A master plotter who’s engineering a spectacular intersection of class, racism, academic politics and journalistic ethics. Reid spots all the grains of irritation and deceit that get caught in the machinery of social life until the whole contraption suddenly lurches to a calamitous halt. Come and get it, indeed! * Washington Post *A biting comedy of campus manners * Mail on Sunday *With her perceptive eye and ear, Reid imbues her novel with the stuff, literally and figuratively, of life ... As I read Come and Get It I found myself thinking of certain writers who have, over the years, elected themselves as “capital C” Chroniclers of contemporary America. With this book, Reid demonstrates that she deserves a place in the running * New York Times Book Review *At once highly readable and an important comment on the lose-lose decisions millennials face in a bleak economy, this is a book you'll devour in days * Harper's Bazaar *It gets to the heart of what Reid is: a consummate storyteller * Service 95 *Reid brings her sharp gaze to the classic campus novel, and university life provides her with similarly rich material when it comes to deconstructing privilege ... She also cleverly turns some of the genre’s dustier tropes on their heads ... Part of what has always made campus stories so captivating is that they show us character as a work in progress – because our university days have always been about working out our sense of self. But contemporary tales like Reid’s are a necessary reminder: this leisurely exploration is a luxury not everyone can afford * Independent *Reid has an excellent ear for speech: you get the impression that she, like Agatha, has put in the hours listening to 20-year-olds chatter, bitch and plot. She’s also a sharp observer of the way in which money confers power or withholds it, and how this can intersect with race ... The decision to foreground money is unusual, yet Reid pulls it off * Telegraph *A wonderfully written and intimate portrayal of entwined lives on campus. Quiet and intense all at the same time, it was a joy to read -- Jessica George, author of MY NAME IS MAAMEExploring hustle culture and capitalist attitudes, it weaves a compelling story that confronts the consequences of insatiable appetites for success * Elle *Kiley Reid is an expert at teasing apart the messy, complicated, nuanced layers of social dynamics, and has a rare gift for making the unknown feel intimately familiar and the familiar feel brand new. In Come and Get It, she's crafted a story that moves with the momentum and inevitability of a snowball rolling down a mountain. I couldn't put it down, and I didn’t want to either’ -- Emily Henry, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of HAPPY PLACEKiley Reid’s books make me feel lucky to be a reader. I’m in awe – Come and Get It is a page-turning pleasure – stylish, sharp and breathtakingly smart. I can’t believe that one book can be this clever, cool and this much fun to read -- Daisy Buchanan, author of INSATIABLEAnother razor-sharp, character-driven, coming-of-age story, which packs a huge emotional punch * Daily Mail *Smart, funny and perceptive * i news, Best Books to Read in January *Multi-layered and complex relationships between seriously flawed characters once again take centre stage as its narrative smartly delves into racism, social and economic status, and university campus politics in the 21st century. A perfect read for anyone who loved Netflix’s brilliant The Chair and Jean Hanff Korelitz’s Admission * Stylist *Wonderfully immersive, propulsive, and beautifully paced. On page one, there is a story that is already happening, and you’re plunged right into the novel’s world, already up and running, full of real people, and complicated – that is, substantive – as all hell. Just great -- Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THIS OTHER EDEN and TINKERSCome and Get It is an engrossing novel full of intimately portrayed characters and the seemingly innocuous choices that lead to life-altering mistakes -- Elizabeth Acevedo, author of FAMILY LORE and THE POET XThe book has a Netflix box-set breezy pace and knowing tone as it satirises staff and student attitudes towards money, hierarchy and status … An absorbingly twisty page-turner * i paper *The pleasure of Come and Get It lies in its plunge into the unfamiliar. This is a society in which poorer students work for richer ones — the Tyler types can call up Millie at all hours to settle dorm disputes or shift furniture — or save money by camping overnight outside a new branch of Chick-fil-A to win a year’s worth of free fried chicken. The tone is breezy and comic, but what’s really happening is shocking * The Times *Reid...masterfully captures the quiet misalignments that stem from a varying sense of what’s at stake…[A] novel of manners that acutely captures the modern moment * Vogue, The Best Books of 2024 So Far *A witty and nuanced exploration of race and female-occupied spaces – I loved the thread of menace running through it * Red *Kiley Reid's next must-read ... It's packed with those awkward moments Reid is so talented at creating, making your toes curl as you read * Grazia, Hot to Drop *A brilliant author who creates ultra-memorable characters * Glamour, Best New Books of January 2024 *If you loved the smash hit Such a Fun Age, don't sleep on Reid's newest ... This is a story of indiscretions and gray areas, power dynamics and privilege that's wound as tight as a violin string. Just don't forget to breathe while you're reading (go ahead and thank us later) * Good Housekeeping *A deft exploration of how microaggressions can lead to macro consequences, Reid’s second outing will appeal to readers who enjoy slow-burn, character-driven novels * Booklist *Kiley Reid returns with another incisive novel everyone will be talking about … A riveting and fascinating tale * Town & Country, Best Books of Winter *Kiley Reid's characters are always layered with ethical dilemmas … Subterfuge, sex and self-seeking make things compellingly messy * Sainsbury’s Magazine *A sardonic and no-holds-barred comedy of manners ... Reid is a keen observer – every page sparkles with sharp analysis of her characters. This blistering send-up of academia is interlaced with piercing moral clarity * Publishers Weekly, starred review *An illuminating study of power, responsibility, and the bad choices we sometimes make, written in the fresh, bright language for which she’s known * Library Journal *Reid’s fiction, which highlights the ordinary social interactions in which larger forces – of class and racial inequality, financial and cultural capital – make themselves known. There are few outright villains in her stories; her characters often blunder along with good intentions, to comic and disastrous effect * Guardian *Reading a Kiley Reid novel is like watching a docuseries designed exactly for you. She captures those exceedingly awkward and real human interactions with such precision and specificity that you’re fully invested by the first page. Come and Get It is genius. It’s perfect -- Liz Moore, author of LONG BRIGHT RIVER[A] sharp, edgy social novel … Reid is a genius of mimicry and social observation * Kirkus *Beautifully told through the eyes of multiple characters, this intimate and revealing story from the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age is not to be missed * BookBub, The 22 Best Books of Winter *An exciting new portrait of desire, consumption and recklessness, we have no doubt Reid’s new novel will be just as popular as the first * Luxury London, Best New Books *Come and Get It is a festival of micro-aggressions; it’s uneasy, and Reid doesn’t give any character a free ride. She skewers mean girls, mummy’s girls and freeloaders with both clarity and subtlety ... The dialogue and little details [are] so excruciatingly accurate * AnOther magazine, Best Fiction for 2024 *Come and Get It is a page-turning read filled with vengeful pranks and intrigue, but at its heart, it is a fascinating portrait of our obsession with material wealth * Chicago Review of Books, Must-Read Books of January 2024 *It’s a perfect recipe ... in a college setting, about discretion and desire, about money, want, and, most importantly, it’s by Kiley Reid * LitHub, Most Anticipated Books of 2024 *The result is heartbreak that money can’t fix, and a smart novel that says a lot about race, money and female friendships * Heat *A thrilling, delectable look at wealth, privilege and desire * People Magazine, Best Books To Read in January 2024 *The book is funny …The dialogue is particularly snappy … Most importantly, “Come and Get It” offers a deft examination of how young people negotiate their first brushes with independence and responsibility. Reid is particularly attuned to how her characters navigate matters of money and consumption… Reid’s novel carves its own path, capturing a sort of tragic malaise that itself suggests a state of young adulthood * Arkansas Times *Reid’s skillful storytelling and vibrant characters are sure to give you a great time * Book Riot *
£14.24
Pan Macmillan The Talk of Pram Town
Book SynopsisFor fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Joanna Nadin's The Talk of Pram Town tells a story about mothers, daughters and second chances . . .'Beautifully written and deliciously clever - the characters will stay with you for a long time and you’ll find joy on every page.' – Matson Taylor, author of Richard and Judy Book Club pick, The Miseducation of Evie EpworthIt’s 1981. Eleven-year-old Sadie adores her beautiful and vibrant mother, Connie, whose dreams of making it big as a singer fill their tiny house in Leeds. It’s always been just the two of them. Until the unthinkable happens.Jean hasn’t seen her good-for-nothing daughter Connie since she ran away from the family home in Harlow – or Pram Town as its inhabitants affectionately call it – aged seventeen and pregnant.But in the wake of the Royal Wedding, Jean gets a life-changing call: could she please come and collect the granddaughter she’s never met?We all know how Charles and Diana turned out, and Jean and Sadie are hardly a match made in heaven – but is there hope of a happy ending for them?Trade ReviewBeautifully written and deliciously clever - the characters will stay with you for a long time and you’ll find joy on every page. Really can’t recommend it enough -- Matson Taylor, author of Richard & Judy Book Club pick, The Miseducation of Evie EpworthFabulous on mothers and daughters, guilt and ambition and what it means to be alienated from the life you’ve always known * Daily Mail *Another triumph . . . I absolutely loved it -- Kate Eberlen, author of Miss You and Only YouI adored The Talk Of Pram Town. A brilliantly written, emotional and honest novel set in Essex and Leeds about mothers and daughters, dreams and dark secrets. It pulled at my heartstrings and the characters stayed inside my head long after I had finished reading. Highly recommend this wonderful book -- Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl and The Hiding PlaceAn enchanting, heartfelt and nostalgic read -- Prima, on The Queen of Bloody Everything
£8.54
Pan Macmillan Western Lane: Shortlisted For The Booker Prize
Book Synopsis'A beautiful and evocative novel about grief, about growing up, about losing and winning. The people and places in this book will stay with me for a long time.' – Sally RooneyA 'Book of the Year' in The Economist, The Independent, The Week, The New York Times and The GuardianA deeply moving novel about grief, sisterhood, squash and a teenage girl's struggle to transcend herself.Eleven-year-old Gopi has been playing squash since she was old enough to hold a racket. When her mother dies, her father enlists her in a quietly brutal training regimen, and the game becomes her world. Slowly, she grows apart from her sisters. Her life is reduced to the sport, guided by its rhythms: the serve, the volley, the drive, the shot and its echo.But on the court, she is not alone. She is with her pa. She is with Ged, a thirteen-year-old boy with his own formidable talent. She is with the players who have come before her. She is in awe.An unforgettable coming-of-age story, Chetna Maroo’s first novel is a moving exploration of the closeness of sisterhood, the immigrant experience, and the collective overcoming of grief.'With this gorgeous debut, Maroo blows most of the competition off the court.' – The Times'Stunning . . . Spare, tender, brilliantly achieved . . . A novel that unfolds in silences . . . and dares to leave much unsaid.' – The GuardianTrade Review'Western Lane is a beautiful and evocative novel about grief, about growing up, about losing and winning. The people and places in this book will stay with me for a long time.' -- Sally RooneyA slim, subtle debut novel of grief and growing up that conjures a powerful panoply of emotions * The Economist, 'The Best Books of 2023' *Stunning . . . Spare, tender, brilliantly achieved . . . A novel that unfolds in silences . . . and dares to leave much unsaid. * The Guardian *A deeply evocative debut about a family grappling with grief, conveyed through crystalline language -- The Judges of the Booker PrizeThis gorgeous tale about a family reeling from loss stands out from the debut crowd… This quiet, elegantly compressed coming-of-age novel . . . operates most powerfully in the gaps outside the plot . . . Few novelists write this simply and richly. With this gorgeous debut, Maroo blows most of the competition off the court. * The Times *Maroo’s quiet sentences contain multitudes on cultural tensions and grief, on the wordless love between a father and a daughter. * The Telegraph *Terrific . . . A symphony of emotion . . . A bold book and a quietly brilliant one * The Economist *The beauty of Maroo’s novel lies in [its] unfolding, the narrative shaped as much by what is on the page as by what’s left unsaid . . . In this graceful novel, the game of squash becomes a way into Gopi’s grief and her attempts to process it. * The New York Times *Melancholy is only one of the moods of this short but brimming book. Squash is also a channel for Gopi’s rage; for connections with other players and her longsuffering father; and for a joyous kind of freedom of expression. The novel ends with the tournament, as it must, and Ms. Maroo’s writing achieves its most graceful rhythms and prescient insights. You’ll want to applaud. * The Wall Street Journal *A vivid depiction of grief, love and sisterhood * Independent *Starting off as an intimate tone poem, this story of a squash-obsessed teenager expands into something with the amplitude, depth, and ringing power of a great symphony. In other words--WOW. Western Lane is glorious. You’ll want to read it over and over again. -- Aravind Adiga, author of The White TigerCombining the precision and the efficiency of an athlete with the mysteries of childhood loss and memory, Western Lane is a novel in which we linger on every breathing line and relish every close observation. What an exceptionally talented writer Chetna Maroo is!' -- Yiyun Li, author of A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and Where Reasons End[A] slim, subtle, moving story . . . about grief and growing up in a Gujarati family in Britain . . . A bold book [and] a quietly brilliant one. -- A D Miller, Booker-shortlisted author of SnowdropsChetna Maroo captures with great poignancy and accuracy the bewilderment and groping for meaning that loss brings—but also how small acts of kindness ultimately redeem us from this loss. Truly a gem of a novel, this deceptively simple story told in a sparse, elegant style kept revealing its depths long after I had closed its pages. -- Shyam Selvadurai, author of Funny BoyLean, agile, and quietly deadly, Western Lane is a coming-of-age story of extraordinary artistic maturity. It is a book of young people muscling themselves through unreconciled grief, and it is a book of simmering intensities, reverberating silences, and exquisite literary timing. This is a book to both share and treasure. -- David Chariandy, author of BrotherThere are no villains in this exquisite novel (unless you include Death); everybody wants what is best and behaves with kindness. It could be syrupy-sweet, like Aunt Ranjan’s gulab jamun, but it isn’t. * TLS *A profoundly resonant novel . . . This is a debut in which Chetna Maroo gets every choice right, even the riskier ones. It reminds me of Kazuo Ishiguro’s A Pale View of Hills in that sense, and it has the same quality of being so calm, so confident, so close to the profound and yet rooted in real experience. The writing is beautiful and wise. * The Irish Times *
£13.49
Hodder & Stoughton Innocence: two novellas
Book SynopsisTwo wonderfully evocative short novels from the author of There Was A Time - surely the last novel about the Second World War to have been written by someone who served in it.Innocence is paired here with a complementary story, A Morse Code Set, first published in 1964 and available recently only as an eBook.In A Morse Code Set, set in Manchester in 1939, a boy finds his world turned upside down by the outbreak of war. When his own father is called up by the Army and Freddy accepts an offer from the father of one of his friends to repair his beloved morse code set, the youngster sets in motion a potentially tragic turn of events.In Innocence, young Tony grapples with the consequences of his father leaving his family, and a growing awareness of his own sexuality. The narrative brilliantly conjures a place and time - a Yorkshire village in the 1960s - and is yet quite universal, a story of family, community and heartbreak, of growing up and growing away.Trade ReviewA wonderful read * Telegraph *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton All Day Is A Long Time
Book SynopsisThis is raw, semi-autobiographical fiction at its most painfully honest' Observer'Brilliant, lyrical, hilarious, heartbreaking' Cristina GarcíaDavid is only fourteen when he first tries crack cocaine. He is instantly hooked, and spends the next decade fighting his way out of jail and rehab. Though he reaches a tenuous sobriety, it is only when he takes a literature class at the local community college that something within him ignites.Set on Florida's Gulf Coast, All Day Is a Long Time is a spectacular account of what it takes to return from the brink to the world around us. In this unforgettable debut, David Sanchez demonstrates the importance of hope, and the redemptive power of the written word.'A wonder, an important, essential new voice' Justin TorresTrade 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 *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton The Little French Recipe Book: the heartwarming
Book Synopsis'A magnificent love story, to be savoured like a delicious meal' Le ParisienFor fans of Antoine Laurain, When All is Said and Julie and Julia comes this emotional and heartwarming story of love between a father and son, told through their shared passion for food.For thirty years, Julien has lived with the question as to why his mother, Helene, suddenly walked out on him and his father - and why his father Henri refused to ever speak of her again.Now, as he sits by his father's bedside preparing to say goodbye, Julien remembers his father's long-lost notebook: a gift from Helene in which he jealously kept the recipes that made him the renowned chef of the Relais Fleuri restaurant.Julien is determined to find this last link to the father he so fiercely loves, and the mother he has never forgotten. But can the secrets to his father's cooking finally help him understand the other secrets Henri has kept all these years?Readers love The Little French Recipe Book'Rich, scrumptious, bittersweet, The Little French Recipe Book is a wonderful novel dipped in a mix of nostalgia, love, and secrets' Meggy'Heartwarming and a beautiful trip down memory lane' Jacky'A poignant and heartwarming book that kept me hooked and crave the food described' Anna Maria'My mouth positively watered with the descriptions of the food . . . If you have already discovered the novels of Antoine Laurain you will love this as well' Linda'What a treat for all lovers of French cooking, a vivid story with the bonus of lovely recipes spiced with a twist of mystery' JoanTrade ReviewLike a French meal - elegant, perfectly-paced and satisfying -- Anne YoungsonJacky Durand's debut novel is a love letter to family, memory and the art of French cooking, as authentic and satisfying as the recipes it describes. I devoured this poignant and evocative feast of a book, which explores the complex, bittersweet ingredients of the relationship between a father and son. -- Fiona ValpyI devoured this bittersweet debut novel set in a small town near Dijon ... an affecting tale with terroir recipes thrown in * Saga *A lovely emotional story. * My Weekly Special *A bittersweet book * Woman *
£8.99
Little, Brown & Company Meadowlark: A Graphic Novel
Book SynopsisSet against the quiet and unassuming city of Huntsville, Texas, Jack "Meadowlark" Johnson, and his teenage son, Cooper embark on a journey of epic proportions. Told over the course a single day, this electrifying graphic novel recounts Cooper's struggle to survive the increasingly catastrophic consequences of his father's mistakes and the dangers they have brought home to his estranged family. As Cooper and his father desperately navigate cascading threats of violence, they must also grapple with their own combative, dysfunctional, but loving relationship.Drawing on inspiration from the authors' childhoods in Texas, their relationships with their own sons and from ancient myths like The Odyssey that resonate throughout the ages, this contemporary crime noir is a propulsive coming-of-age tale of the shattering transition into manhood. While both father and son strive to understand their place in the world and each other's lives, tension and resentment threaten to boil over. As emotionally evocative as it is visually stunning, this captivating graphic novel will appeal to fans of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men and Terrence Malick's Badlands.
£19.80
Little, Brown & Company Nobody's Magic
Book SynopsisA GMA Buzz Pick!A Most Anticipated Book by Essence · The Millions · Atlantic Journal Constitution · Bustle · BookPage · Nashville Scene A Best Book of February by Washington Post · NylonIn this glittering triptych novel, Suzette, Maple and Agnes, three Black women with albinism, call Shreveport, Louisiana home. At the bustling crossroads of the American South and Southwest, these three women find themselves at the crossroads of their own lives. Suzette, a pampered twenty-year-old, has been sheltered from the outside world since a dangerous childhood encounter. Now, a budding romance with a sweet mechanic allows Suzette to seek independence, which unleashes dark reactions in those closest to her. In discovering her autonomy, Suzette is forced to decide what she is willing to sacrifice in order to make her own way in the world.Maple is reeling from the unsolved murder of her free-spirited mother. She flees the media circus and her judgmental grandmother by shutting herself off from the world in a spare room of the motel where she works. One night, at a party, Maple connects with Chad, someone who may understand her pain more than she realizes, and she discovers that the key to her mother's death may be within her reach.Agnes is far from home, working yet another mind-numbing job. She attracts the interest of a lonely security guard and army veteran who's looking for a traditional life for himself and his young son. He's convinced that she wields a certain "magic," but Agnes soon unleashes a power within herself that will shock them both and send her on a trip to confront not only her family and her past, but also herself.This novel, told in three parts, is a searing meditation on grief, female strength, and self-discovery set against a backdrop of complicated social and racial histories. Nobody's Magic is a testament to the power of family-the ones you're born in and the ones you choose. And in these three narratives, among the yearning and loss, each of these women may find a seed of hope for the future.
£19.00
