Narrative theme: coming of age

Book SynopsisBrown Girls flows like a late night FM-radio dedication to the crew, the block, and the mission. This book's a gift' Paul Beatty, author of The SelloutAn ode to girlhood' Raven Leilani, author of LusterA fiercely poetic coming-of-age novel following a group of young women of colour in Queens, New York.Brown Girls dives deep into the lives of a group of young women of colour growing up in Queens, New York. Here, streets echo with many languages, subways rumble above dollar stores and the briny scent of the ocean wafts in from Rockaway Beach. Here, girls like Nadira, Gabby, Naz, Trish, Angelique, and many others, struggle to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture they come of age in. Here, they become friends for life. Or so they vow.Brown Girls is a blazingly original, sweeping debut novel told by an unforgettable chorus of voices.Joyous, bittersweet, hilarious a coming of age story for us all' Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown BabyInfectious holds worlds within its pages' GuardianGorgeous incredibly moving'IndependentIf you liked LUSTER try BROWN GIRLS'Sunday Times StyleA cracker of a first novel' GlamourTransporting not to be missed' StylistA daring debut fearless' New York TimesSHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTRE FOR FICTION 2022 FIRST NOVEL PRIZEONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, GUARDIAN, INDEPENDENT, GLAMOUR, STYLIST, INEWS, SUNDAY TIMES STYLE, LITERARY FRICTION PODCAST AND MORE.Trade Review'Brown Girls achieves immediate lift-off … [at] times, audaciously, it’s as if she’s talking about every brown girl alive during the past century … Fearless' New York Times 'Strikingly exuberant … The book certainly has spiky, thought-provoking things to say … but it is most memorable in its gorgeous depictions of friendship. It is also an incredibly moving meditation on growing up … This gives a novel set in Queens a powerful universality’ Independent ‘Attracting huge amounts of buzz … a fierce examination of race, class and marginalisation in America today’ ipaper ‘Brown Girls flows like a late night FM-radio dedication to the crew, the block, and the mission … This book is a gift’ Paul Beatty, author of The Sellout ‘Transporting and energising … it’s not to be missed’ Stylist ‘Glorious … While there is much that many brown girls will relate to—including experiences that feel stolen straight from my memories—Andreades succeeds in making the stories feel specific beyond a singular experience … breadth, depth and enormous richness’ New York Times Book Review ‘An acute study of those tender moments of becoming. An ode to girlhood, inheritance, and the good trouble the body yields’ Raven Leilani, author of Luster ‘Brown Girls is filled with an unforgettable cast of characters …Precise and powerful, this is a coming-of-age story for us all’ Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby 'A heady, poetic exploration of growing up … It left me speechless' Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love ‘Brown Girls is a song—of celebration, of mourning, of rage, of fierce living’ Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Starling Days ‘Seething with raw, exuberant life … It's hard to think of another book with more spirit or a keener eye’ Alexandra Kleeman, author of Something New Under the Sun

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Book SynopsisDanny Boy is gloriously nostalgic' My Weekly Books of 2023 choiceA terrific, edge-of-the-seat story whose ending had me in the right kind of tears' Maggie GeeAs evocative as Graham Green''s iconic Brighton Rock ***** Amazon reviewerFantastic storytelling' ***** Amazon reviewerGripping story engaging, entertaining and moving. A terrific read' ***** Amazon reviewerDanny Byrne has grown up on a sprawling council estate in Pimlico. He knows every stone of it, and until now, his life has followed the same pattern as all his friends.Danny is heading for A-levels and then university. Dodds is following his dad into the family butcher's business, Crockett will sail on opportunity's wings as it comes his way, and Nobby is flirting with drugs, and disaster.As the long summer unfolds, the boys focus on girls, trade banter and test their friendships to the limit. When things take a darker turn, Danny must wrestle with his conscience and is pushed to breaking point. Can Danny find love and work oTrade Review Reviews for The Pimlico Kid: ‘Perfectly evokes the era’ Daily Mail ‘A beautifully written tale… poignant’ Andrew Blackman, author of A Virtual Love ‘A must-read’ ElementaryvWatson Blog ‘Refreshing… a nostalgic and heartfelt novel’ Pen and Paper Blog 5 STAR Reviews: ‘Sentimental yet profound’ Goodreads ‘A vibrant slice of recent history… memorable’ Goodreads ‘A wonderful story’ Goodreads ‘Beautifully written… moving beyond words’ Goodreads ‘Engaging and absorbing’ Goodreads ‘Blew me away, stunning’ Goodreads ‘A non-stop read… terrifically good’ Amazon ‘Powerfully portrayed … a must read’ Amazon ‘Utterly wonderful book… a page-turner’ Amazon ‘Had me hooked from the first page’ Amazon ‘A book you don’t want to put down’ Amazon

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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 SleepSunday Times BestsellerShortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year 2023Longlisted for the McIlvanney PrizeOne of Cosmopolitan''s Best Books for 2023------In there, them, us, it's everything you've ever wanted, and you're going to love it.I promise. I'll look after you.All her life Clare has never fit in.So when she arrives at Edinburgh University, she seizes the chance to reinvent herself.Then she meets Tabitha who is everything she's not: charismatic, dazzling and intimidatingly wealthy.Soon Clare is sucked into Tabitha's enigmatic circle of friends, and it's all she hoped it would be. Until it's not.Because they are not all they seem.And they've been waiting for Clare.With friends like these, who needs enemies?An intoxicating feminist page-turner with shades of The Secret History and Promising Young Woman, this novel will take youon a journey from Edinburgh''s dazzling spires to the dripping staircases and dark alleyways of its underbelly.------''Startlingly lovely, like a fine, dark silk shivering on your skin'' Julia Heaberlin, We Are All the Same in the Dark''Perfect for fans of dark academia stories like The Secret History and If We Were Villains'' Cosmopolitan''A deeply compelling story of friendships turned rotten'' Rosemary Hennigan, The Truth Will Out''Darwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her'' Sunday Times''Dark academia and twisted friendships in gothic Edinburgh - what more could you want?'' Cailean Steed, Home''Creepy yet compulsive, this impressive novel will stay with you long after reading'' Heat''Dark and compulsive, this will have you turning the pages late into the night'' Sarah Bonner, Her Perfect Twin''Themes of obsession, revenge and desire collide in a twisty, dark and delicious feminist thriller'' Big Issue''An intriguing and complex heroine'' Phoebe Wynne, Madam''Darwent keeps the reader guessing. Any time the balance of power appears to settle, the plot takes another twist'' Scotland on Sunday''Such an immersive, surprising, impressive debut'' Niamh Hargan, Twelve Days In May''Power, privilege and the most toxic of friendships. All set against the stunning backdrop of Edinburgh'' Carys Jones, The ListSunday Times bestseller, January 2023Trade 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 SynopsisThe Quicksilver Court continues the wildly original epic fantasy series bursting with intrigue and ambition, questioned loyalties and broken magic that began with The Obsidian Tower.Ryxander has failed. Unsealed by her blood, the Door hidden within the black tower of Gloamingard has opened. Now, for the first time since the age of the Graces, demons walk the world.As tensions grow between nations, all eyes - and daggers - are set on Morgrain, which has fallen under the Demon of Discord''s control. When an artefact with the power to wipe out all life in a domain is stolen, Ryx will do whatever it takes to save her home from destruction. But success may demand a larger sacrifice from Ryx than she could have imagined.Praise for Melissa Caruso''Caruso is a terrific writer who weaves fascinating and intricate fantasy tales'' Grimdark Magazine''With this novel, Melissa Caruso solidifies herself as one of my favoTrade ReviewCaruso is a terrific writer who weaves fascinating and intricate fantasy tales -- GRIMDARK MAGAZINEThis is a truly ex­cellent fantasy, and an epic beginning for a new trilogy. I can't wait to see what [Caruso] does next -- LOCUS on THE OBSIDIAN TOWERWith this novel, Melissa Caruso solidifies herself as one of my favourite authors. The Obsidian Tower is a masterpiece of character driven fantasy . . . I was enthralled from the first page -- FANTASY BOOK REVIEW on THE OBSIDIAN TOWERCaruso's world-building is brilliant and complex -- LIBRARY JOURNALBlock out time to binge this can't-stop story filled with danger and unexpected disaster . . . The Obsidian Tower is a must-read for lovers of high fantasy -- C. L. Polk, World Fantasy Award-winning author of WITCHMARKA classic, breathtaking adventure brim-full of dangerous magic and clever politics. This is a book that will thrill and delight any fantasy fan -- Tasha Suri on THE OBSIDIAN TOWER

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Book SynopsisThe final volume in Philip Pullman's incredible HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy.

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND RADIO 2 SUMMER BOOK CLUB PICK''The new Little Fires Everywhere . . . The perfect summer read'' STYLIST''Stunning! An absolutely brilliant, gorgeously-written novel. A must-read for our time'' LISA TADDEO''Immersive and deeply moving'' ANNA HOPE''I absolutely adored it'' LIANE MORIARTY*Features an extract from Mary Beth Keane''s new novel The Half Moon!*_____________Two ordinary families. One life-changing day . . .When the Gleesons and the Stanhopes become neighbours, lonely Lena Gleeson wants a friend. But Anne Stanhope - cold, elegant, unstable - wants to be left alone.It''s left to their children - Lena''s youngest, Kate, and Anne''s only child, Peter - to find their way to one another.To form a friendship whose resilience and love will be almost broken by the fault line dividing both families, and a Trade ReviewStunning! An absolutely brilliant, gorgeously-written novel by a fearless writer. Ask Again, Yes is both haunting and hopeful, like life itself. It's the consummate epic family story, one I can't stop thinking and talking about. A must-read for our time * Lisa Taddeo, author of Three Women *The new Little Fires Everywhere . . . Exploring mental health, grief, forgiveness and love, this conjures up the work of Celeste Ng and Anne Tyler - and we can't give higher praise than that. The perfect summer read * Stylist *Immersive and deeply moving -- Anna Hope, author of ExpectationA wonderful novel about a lifetime of love . . . Focusing on a small cast over several decades allows Keane to explore universal themes: marriage, family, betrayal and forgiveness. Above all, what is a good life well lived? * Daily Mail *One of the most exceptional novels of the summer . . . Has the makings of a future classic. Keane's prose is spare and elegant and she writes about mental illness and alcholism with compassion. It's a remarkable achievement * Sunday Express *I adored this book. I sank completely into the world of this novel and loved being there from beginning to end. Ask Again, Yes reminds us that after happily-ever-after comes the grit and grief of everyday love: in-laws, illnesses, betrayals and, scariest of all, the flaws that each partner will uncover in the other. It's an absolute stunner, an ode to family and forgiveness that has been crafted with compassion and insight * Sara Collins, bestselling author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton *Compelling . . . it is neighbourly conflict, not love, that drives this quietly devastating story . . . There are multiple twists skilfully delivered. The novel raises a series of profound questions . . . [and] as an exploration of parent-child relationships, the novel is both thoughtful and powerful * Hannah Beckerman, i news *This is one beautiful book. I was wowed by Keane's writing and narrative skill - and by what she knows about trouble -- Stephen KingI absolutely adored Ask Again, Yes. I was only a few chapters in when I knew Mary Beth Keane was about to become one of my favourite authors. I'll read everything she writes * Liane Moriarty *A pleasantly accessible novel that will be popular with book clubs ... Keane is a nuanced observer * The Sunday Times *A novel of great compassion and understanding . . . rich with story * John Boyne, Irish Times *Powerful and moving . . . Mary Beth Keane is a writer of extraordinary depth, feeling and wit. Readers will love this book, as I did * Meg Wolitzer, bestselling author of The Female Persuasion *One of the most exceptional novels of the summer . . . Has the makings of a future classic * Daily Mirror *Leaves one shaking one's head in frank admiration. A triumph * Matthew Thomas, bestselling author of We Are Not Ourselves *Keane takes on one of the most difficult problems in fiction - how to write about human decency . . . a compelling case for compassion over blame, understanding over grudge, and the resilience of hearts that can accept the contradictions of love * Louise Erdrich, National book award winning author of The Round House *A shocking tragedy turns what had been a portrait of domestic tension into a profound story of trauma and blame. Keane's gracefully restrained prose gives her characters dignity * Vogue *A beautiful novel, bursting at the seams with empathy * Elle *A powerful tale * Woman & Home *A captivating, authentic and intricately-woven story . . . Immensely affecting, this book poses big questions. Can we ever escape our history? Are we prisoners of our bloodlines? Ultimately, this book is an examination of love - familial and romantic. It is an epic story, quietly told. And it is all the better for that * Irish Sunday Independent *A story with real heart - moving and subtle and often very touching * Literary Review *If tense family dramas are your thing, you'll love this. I found this story hugely engrossing and the characters so well-drawn, I became completely invested in their lives * Good Housekeeping *A candidate for one of my best books of the year. I savoured every word of this eloquent, lyrical novel, which explores how the secrets that families carry can effect future generations . . . I was swept up in the drama * Prima *An explosive study of family dynamics . . . moving and thought-provoking . . . a gripping family saga that tackles mental illness and addiction and explores how childhood can inescapably shape the future * Daily Express *Fans of Liane Moriarty, meet your new favourite author * Red *Family ties are stretched to breaking point in the baking hot New York summer of 1973 . . . A book that's full of life lessons for people in a particular stage of their lives * Mariella Frostrup, BBC Radio 4 Open Book *Keane draws two families in sharp, moving detail, effortlessly peeling back decades of history to look at friendship, mental health, and the changing and sometimes warped face of love * Sunday Post *A rare example of propulsive storytelling infused with profound insights about blame, forgiveness and abiding love * People *Displaying impressive reach . . . Keane delivers an epic of domestic emotional turmoil . . . Tender and patient, the novel avoids excessive sweetness while planting itself deep in the soil of commitment and attachment. Graceful and mature. A solidly satisfying, immersive read * Kirkus, starred review *An immersive read about family secrets and redemption * Editor's Choice, Bookseller *A gut-wrenching tale centered around the families of two rookie, next-door neighbor NYPD cops and a tragedy that reverberates over four decades. The book revolves around the bond between their children, the daily intimacies of marriage and the power of forgiveness * Good Morning America Summer Reads *One of the most unpretentiously profound books I've read in a long time . . . As a writer, Keane reminds me a lot of Ann Pratchett; Both have the magical ability to seem to be telling "only" a closely-observed domestic tale that transforms into something else deep and, yes, universal. In Keane's case, that "something else" is a story about forgiveness and acceptance - qualities that sound gooey, but are so hard to achieve in life . . . Modestly magnificent * Maureen Corrigan, NPR Fresh Air *An Updikean epic of intertwined families destabilized by grief and estrangement following a mother's breakdown, then redeemed by their enduring compassion for one another * Best Books by Women Summer 2019, OPRAH Magazine *10 new books to read this August * SheerLuxe *A powerful tale of two neighbouring families forever entwined by love and tragedy. . . A touching read * Woman's Weekly *Mary Beth Keane draws two families in sharp, moving detail . . . With hints of Curtis Sittenfeld about it - the way it effortlessly unspools years, but buffets you with a huge amount of detail - it considers friendship and mental ill health, how love changes and warps, and despite a fairly slow start, does so beautifully * The Herald *Poignant and powerful * Image *A miniature epic . . . like Elizabeth Strout, Keane is good at creating distinctive characters - flawed, empathetic men and women whose inner landscapes she captures in powerful, pared-down prose. The novel is a nuanced portrait of the impact of mental illness and addiction, the limitations and endurance of love and of how 'we repeat what we don't repair' * Belfast Telegraph *A thought-provoking read exploring mental illness, alcoholism and violence * Candis *Fans of Celeste Ng will love this modern American novel based on two families linked by tragedy and passion . . . A lovely mix of childhood memories growing in to adulthood, and its really powerful * Stellar *With the author's deftness of touch, characters are rendered as real as those you encounter in daily life, and it's hard not to think about them even after reading the last pages * Connaught Telegraph *An engrossing drama about family, forbidden love, the toll of mental illness and the power of mercy * People Magazine *A powerful novel about mental illness, alcoholism, love and redemption * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2022WINNER OF THE CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE FOR FICTION 2023In this heartrending, lyrical debut work of fiction, Fatimah Asghar traces the intense bond of three orphaned siblings who, after their parents die, are left to raise one another. The youngest, Kausar, grapples with the incomprehensible loss of her parents as she also charts out her own understanding of gender; Aisha, the middle sister, spars with her ''crybaby'' younger sibling as she desperately tries to hold on to her sense of family in an impossible situation; and Noreen, the eldest, does her best in the role of sister-mother while also trying to create a life for herself, on her own terms.As Kausar grows up, she must contend with the collision of her private and public worlds, and choose whether to remain in the life of love, sorrow and codependency she''s known or carve out a new path for herself. When We Were Sisters tenderly examines the Trade ReviewWhen We Were Sisters is a beautiful, richly layered exploration of the generosity that is required to raise oneself, to raise others, to build a world where the people you love can feel safe and whole. Fatimah Asghar is an impressive writer precisely because of how she doesn't withhold tenderness, and lets it play and flourish amongst all of the brilliant lyricism, narrative sharpness, and vibrant characters who fill this incredible book -- Hanif AbdurraqibWhen We Were Sisters is a stunning accomplishment in form, storytelling, and heart. This novel works language into its most jeweled form, into characters, sisters, that will stay with me for the rest of my life -- Safia ElhilloA spellbinding tale of three sisters in an explosion of grief and orphaned heartbreak. A fearlessly raw and heart-stopping portrait of the intimacy of violence, When We Were Sisters pulses with poetic lyricism and raw beauty. A journey into the dark crevices of childhood trauma and loneliness, Fatimah Asghar has written a truly dazzling story -- Julián Delgado LoperaIn this captivating, gorgeously written book, Asghar weaves a tale of sisters in the wake of unspeakable loss. Propulsively readable and experimental in form, this is an unflinching look at family, grief and reclamation - of self and other -- Hala AlyanCompelling. . . sometimes lyrical, sometimes heartbreaking. . . skillfully crafted. . . a moving journey. An assured first novel explores the bonds and divides among three orphaned sisters * Kirkus, starred review *

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Book SynopsisFunny, heart-warming and ultimately triumphant, The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard is a story for anyone who doesn’t quite fit in – and for everyone who chooses not to. Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.'Wonderful' – Rosie Walsh, author of The Man Who Didn't Call.Elvira Carr is twenty-seven, neuro-atypical, and has never lived alone. But her father – who she suspects was in the secret service – is dead, and when her mother has a stroke and is taken into care, Elvira suddenly finds herself home alone. In order to cope, Elvira – who knows a lot about biscuits and supermarkets, but not much about life – develops Seven Rules for interacting with others. Not even her rules can help her, however, when she’s faced with solving a mystery she didn’t know existed . . .'Big-hearted and charming' – James Hannah, author of The A to Z of You and Me.Trade ReviewAbsolutely fantastic -- Rosie Walsh, author of The Man Who Didn't CallFunny and heart-warming, Elvira is our new hero * The Sun, Fabulous magazine *Big-hearted and charming . . . Elvira manages to conjure up the one thing we could all do with: a cheat sheet for the painful puzzle of everyday life -- James Hannah, author of The A to Z of You and MeCharming . . . Ellie will make readers smile and occasionally want to take her under a protective arm -- Booklist'A heartwarming coming-of-age story. Perfect for book clubs and for readers who enjoyed The Rosie Project' * Library Journal *A novel which will stick in your mind long after reading, stalking your thoughts as you go about everyday life . . . When I finished the book, I couldn’t help but wish there was a sequel . . . Marvellous -- Ronnie Turner, bloggerFunny and heartwarming * My Weekly *Memorable and touching . . . The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr is an important novel and a great read, with elements of mystery, discovering friendship, and working out how to be independent in the world * Siobhan Dunlop, blogger at FiendfullyReading *Sometimes characters come along in books that are so utterly exquisite you feel blessed to have experienced them and indebted to their author for having gifted to them. Such is the case with Elvira Carr . . . A tale that is full of joy, empathy, honesty and warmth -- Jade Craddock, nudge-book.comFans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Rosie Project will love this endearing book . . . Heartwarming with a mystery at its centre . . . Elvira’s character is written with such genuine affection that you can’t help but root for her * bookriot.com *

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Book SynopsisFor fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel, comes a story about mothers, daughters and second chances . . . It’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? Written in Joanna Nadin’s trademark dazzling prose, The Talk of Pram Town tells the story of three generations of Earnshaws and asks whether it always has to be like mother, like daughter . . .Trade ReviewAnother triumph . . . I absolutely loved it -- Kate Eberlen, author of Miss You and Only YouFabulous on mothers and daughters, guilt and ambition and what it means to be alienated from the life you’ve always known * Daily Mail *I 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

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Book Synopsis'One of the most exquisite debuts I've read' Daily Telegraph'Affecting and haunting' ObserverAfter the death of his wife, a father in a forgotten corner of France raises his two sons alone. But their town is not one of opportunity, and the boys are heading down different paths. Gillou sets his sights on university in Paris while Fus falls in with the local far-right group, searching for meaning and belonging with dangerous friends.How can a father and son find common ground when everything seems set to break them apart? A sudden act of violence will force them to find an answer.Tense, sharp and ultimately heartbreaking, Laurent Petitmangin's first novel, What You Need From The Night, asks what acts can truly be forgiven.'A tragedy of unconditional love' - L'Obs'Heartbreaking . . . haunts you long after you've put it down'- Libération'As sublime as it is painful' - Le ParisienTrade ReviewA triumph of tamped power and unsutured emotion . . . one of the most exquisite debuts I’ve read for some time * Daily Telegraph *Affecting and haunting * Observer *A short blast of a novel: a howl of pain, impotence and rage. The prose, fluently translated by Shaun Whiteside, is precise and unadorned * Spectator *Heartbreaking . . . haunts you long after you've put it down * Libération *A tragedy of unconditional love * L'Obs *As sublime as it is painful * Le Parisien *A poignant, modest, moving book * Télérama *It's impossible not to devour this heartbreaking and beautiful short text in one gulp * Psychologie Mag *An unforgettable first novel, Laurent Petitmangin writes as one lives. And it's dazzling * L'Est Républicain *Petitmangin tells his story of generational shock with a painful quality, a deep voice charged with sadness and a touching efficiency. Memorable * El País *A block of raw emotion * Paris Match *He describes with inifinite accuracy the violence of a father not being able to recognise his son anymore * Femme Actuelle *It shines with the dazzling yet minimalist style that probes hearts and consciences * La Provence *Magnificent! * France Inter *Everytime, Laurent Petitmangin finds the right word * Le Figaro *

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Book SynopsisAt the Bottom of the River is Jamaica Kincaid’s first published work, a selection of inter-connected prose poems told from the perspective of a young Afro-Caribbean girl.Collecting pieces written for the New Yorker and the Paris Review between 1978 and 1982, including the seminal ‘Girl’, these stunning works announced a fully-formed, generational talent and firmly established the themes that Kincaid would continue to return to in her later work: the loss of childhood, the fractious nature of mother–daughter relationships, the intangible beauty of the natural world, and the striving for independence in a colonial landscape.Powerful and lyrical, this is an unforgettable collection from a unique and necessary literary voice.Part of the Picador Collection, a new series showcasing the best of modern literature.Trade ReviewThis book will burn on your shelf. It is too choked with love to incite envy, too humble for admiration, and still too startling to escape astonishment -- Derek WalcottWhat a writer – elegant, uncompromising, simultaneously direct and layered and complex. -- Ali SmithI’ve read everything by Jamaica Kincaid, and I’ve still never read anyone like her. If you are new to Kincaid, I envy you -- Jackie Kay

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Book Synopsis'A sincere, 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 SixAn 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.Trade 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 SynopsisRecipient of the 2019 Alex Award??“Mike Muñoz Is a Holden Caulfield for a New Millennium--a '10th-generation peasant with a Mexican last name, raised by a single mom on an Indian reservation' . . . Evison, as in his previous four novels, has a light touch and humorously guides the reader, this time through the minefield that is working-class America.” --The New York Times Book ReviewFor Mike Muñoz, life has been a whole lot of waiting for something to happen. Not too many years out of high school and still doing menial work--and just fired from his latest gig as a lawn boy on a landscaping crew--he’s smart enough to know that he’s got to be the one to shake things up if he’s ever going to change his life. But how? He’s not qualified for much of anything. He has no particular talents, although he is stellar at handling a lawn mower and wielding clipping shears. But now that career seems to be behind him. So what’s next for Mike Muñoz?In this funny, biting, touching, and ultimately inspiring novel, bestselling author Jonathan Evison takes the reader into the heart and mind of a young man determined to achieve the American dream of happiness and prosperity--who just so happens to find himself along the way.

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Book SynopsisVINTAGE CLASSICS' AMERICAN GOTHIC SERIESSpine-tingling, mind-altering and deliciously atmospheric, journey into the dark side of America with nine of its most uncanny classics.A gripping and dark fictionalised account of life inside the Manson family from one of the most exciting young voices in fiction.If you're lost, they'll find you...Evie Boyd is fourteen and desperate to be noticed.It's the summer of 1969 and restless, empty days stretch ahead of her. Until she sees them. The girls. Hair long and uncombed, jewelry catching the sun. And at their centre, Suzanne, black-haired and beautiful.If not for Suzanne, she might not have gone. But, intoxicated by her and the life she promises, Evie follows the girls back to the decaying ranch where they live.Was there a warning? A sign of what was coming? Or did Evie know already that there was no way back?'Taut, beautiful and savage, Cline's novel demands your attention' Guardian

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Book SynopsisShe points the lens of the camera. The artist turns his head slightly. The light catches his brow and his silver-white hair. She snaps. He is lit like a Vermeer.Ireland. County Wexford, 1951. A father and son go swimming in the sea. The waves crash. The wind rises. Only one comes backColin, aged six. His mother, Eileen, runs to seek help, but this is a tragedy that will haunt them forever. Colin won't speak a word. He is mute and struggling to cope. But Eileen can see he has a talent for painting. She shows him his father's artwork and gives him a print of a Paul Henry landscape, and slowly, with her encouragement, he begins to follow his dream.Years later on Inishbofin island off the west coast of Ireland, out walking with his dog on the sand, Colin meets Laura, a young woman on holiday, and a tentative friendship starts to develop. Gradually his past comes to life in a story filled with love and frustration, loss and betrayal, but above all with the passion he has held through his life for the light in the sea and the sky and his search for that distant shore where the sky sweeps down to the water.One man. The sea. One painting.

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Book SynopsisThe brand NEW instalment in the bestselling Harpers Emporium series by Rosie Clarke. Can the Harpers Girls look forward to some happy times as a new dawn rises over London?Sally Harper is busy juggling running London’s Oxford Street Store Harpers and looking after her beautiful new-born daughter, whilst husband Ben is overseas on another dangerous mission, this time to rescue a friend in need.Young Becky Stockbridge finds herself in a difficult situation which could bring shame to her and her family. Will Becky, with the help of her friends find her happy ever after and keep her secret? Marion Jackson is blessed with a son as she eagerly awaits the return of her husband Reggie. But all is not right when Reggie returns. Is Marion strong enough to save her family from yet another crisis?As the war clouds retreat and the victory bells ring, tears and joy mingle with those of sadness as the world counts the true toll of war and celebrates peace.

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Book Synopsis***J. M. G. Le Clézio is the Winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Fiction***On the isle of Mauritius at the turn of the century the young Alexis L'Etang enjoys an idyllic existence with his parents and beloved sister - sampling the pleasures of privilege, exploring the onstellations and tropical flora, and dreaming of treasure buried long ago by the Unknown Corsair. But with his father's death, Alexis must leave his childhood paradise and enter the harsh world of privation and shame.Years later, Alexis has become obsessed with the idea of finding the Corsair's treasure; and through it, the lost magic and opulence of his youth. He abandons job and family, setting off on a quest that will take him from the remote tropical islands to the hell of the First World War, and from a love affair with the mysterious Ouma to a momentous confrontation with the search that has consumed his life.By turns harsh and lyrical, pointed and nostalgic, The Prospector is a 'parable of the human condition' (Le Monde) by one of the most significant literary figures in Europe today.Trade ReviewLe Clézio expresses an unusual sensibility towards a dimension wherein human beings can breathe naturally in response to the seasonal rhythms of the planet, and thereby recover some hope of achieving ultimate wholeness and serenity * Times Literary Supplement *With its echoes of other famous quests, Alexis's search takes on mythical proportions and brings him face-to-face with the elemental forces of nature... A novel of intense beauty * Review of Contemporary Fiction *The Prospector offers a wonderful one-volume compendium of all the grand myths rooted in the European colonial experience, combining elements from Paul et Virginie, Robinson Crusoe, and Indiana Jones * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisKipling's masterpiece is perhaps the most remarkable literary product of British India. The story of a half-caste boy, part Indian part Irish who journeys throughout the subcontinent with an aged lama in search of religious enlightenment, the nominal plot revolves around the Great Game: the struggle between Britian and Russia for control of Afghanistan. But the glory of the book lies less in the amusing picaresque adventures than in the unsurpassed panorama of Indian life they evoke: brilliant, moving and intensely alive.

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Book SynopsisDespite living in an actual castle, happily ever after is evading Margaret Maggie' Moore.From her bedroom in the Tower of London, twenty-six-year-old Maggie has always dreamed of her own fairy-tale ending.Yet this is twenty-first century London, so instead of knights on white horses, she has catfish on Tinder. And with her last relationship ending in spectacular fashion, she swears off men for good.And then a chance encounter with Royal Guard Freddie forces Maggie to admit that she isn't ready to give up on love just yet But how do you catch the attention of someone who is trained to ignore all distractions?Can she snare that true love's first kiss or is she royally screwed?Love is in the heir in this royally good rom com perfect for anyone who likes relatable heroines (with great hair), hot and aloof book boyfriends (with great hats), near misses, almost kisses and a corgi or two.Readers are loving Falling Hard for the Royal Guard:As light and airy as meringue' Entertainment WeeklyA Trade ReviewReaders can’t put down FALLING HARD FOR THE ROYAL GUARD! ‘As light and airy as meringue.’ Entertainment Weekly ‘A towering love story.’ Daily Express ‘Readers will be charmed.’ Publishers Weekly ‘A novel that you’ll pick up for the promise of a very British romance story in a very unique setting, but will keep reading for the wonderful characters, sweet slow-burn relationship and Maggie’s heartwarming personal journey.’ Culture Fly ‘A perfect royal rom com.’ Bella ‘It’s fair to say I was captivated with this one… A great storyline, superb setting and a cheeky lead… Royally brilliant. I stand and salute this read.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I really loved this story and how much fun it was… The characters are great and the story was just spot on!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A great cast of characters… I read it in a day. Really enjoyed it!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I believe this author is new – you would never know this by reading the book. This has to be one of the best books I’ve read this year! Maggie was a phenomenal main character… Freddie was swoonworthy… I absolutely loved the facts woven into this story! Five stars!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I highly recommend Falling Hard for the Royal Guard. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and then you’ll swoon! For me, this is one of those books that you feel happy and glad to have discovered.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved the history of this book… Freddie and Maggie’s relationship gave me the warm fuzzies.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A brilliant debut! Completely unique… Great MC and perfect love interest.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This books was SOOO good!!! I loved the setting… the trials and tribulations of tinder dates was relatable and Freddie was just so charming!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Bailey puts a fun, super-sexy spin on the classic ‘hot for teacher’ trope [...] The love scenes in Need Me are practically incendiary, and the author’s sharp sense of humor provides a refreshing change from the usual heavy dose of dark angst that characterizes many other NA romances.” — Booklist “The tenderness, vulnerability and heat I am always guaranteed with a Tessa Bailey book are the reasons she is one of my all-time favorite authors.” — Sally Thorne “One of the genre’s very best.” — Kate Clayborn “Tessa Bailey’s writing stands out in all the right sexy ways.” — Buzzfeed “Bailey writes banter and rom-com scenarios with aplomb, but for those who like their romance on the spicier side, she’s also the Michelangelo of dirty talk. She wields filth like Da Vinci does a paintbrush, and there’s a lot to be said for an author who can fill such exchanges with all the requisite heat, enthusiastic consent, and yes, even humor, of such a scenario without veering into corny territory.” — Entertainment Weekly “Tessa Bailey has fast become one of my favorite authors!” — Monica Murphy, New York Times bestselling author “I loved every character, and I’m dying to see what Tessa Bailey comes up with next!” — Cora Carmack, New York Times bestselling author “a laugh-out-loud raunchy romantic comedy.” — Heroes & Heartbreakers “Louis and Roxy are a terrific match from the start. But Bailey is a master at portraying a heroine with a complex core, and Roxy’s proud character carries the novel— making readers wish she was their roommate, empty bank account be damned.” — Washington Post (April's Best Romance Column) “I can’t remember the last time I read a romance as funny as this one. Roxy is one of the most hardworking heroine’s in contemporary romance and she’s so incredibly dedicated to making ends meet. The book, for me, truly embodies what modern romance is all about. ” — BookRiot (Best Books of March 2015)

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Book SynopsisIan McEwan's celebrated novel, now an unmissable film starring Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, Brooklyn) It is July 1962. Edward and Florence, young innocents married that morning, arrive at a hotel on the Dorset coast. At dinner in their rooms they struggle to suppress their private fears of the wedding night to come and, unbeknownst to them both, the events of the evening will haunt them for the rest of their lives.Trade ReviewWonderful...exquisite...devastating * Independent on Sunday *On Chesil Beach is more than an event. It is a masterpiece * Times Literary Supplement *Superb... The protagonists have everything to lose, and their faltering journey towards a point of no return is conjured into life my McEwan with irresistible subtlety, tact and force * Financial Times *Exquisitely crafted * Evening Standard *Written with a fierce pursuit of the truth and an utterly modern self-awareness, what a confidant tour de force this turns out to be * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisMarigold Green calls herself ''hideous, quaint and barmy''. Other people calle her Bilgewater, a corruption of Bill''s daughter. Growing up in a boys'' school where her father is housemaster, she is convinced of her own plainness and peculiarity. Groomed by the wise and loving Paula, upstaged by bad, beautiful Grace and ripe for seduction by entirely the wrong sort of boy, she suffers extravagantly and comically in her pilgrimage through the turbulent, twilight world of alarming adolescenceTrade ReviewShe does fiction as it should be done, with confidence and insight -- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie * Observer *Lively....excellent * The TIMES *One of the funniest, most entertaining, most unusual stories about young love * EVENING STANDARD *A striking story * TLS *

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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 SynopsisPages for You is story of the beginning, blossoming and falling apart of a delirious love affair, by Sylvia Brownrigg.‘A love letter written for a lost lover . . . mesmerizing’ – Helen Dunmore, The TimesWhen Flannery Jansen arrives at university, she is totally unprepared for an encounter that will rock her existence. But when she comes across Anne Arden in a local diner, Flannery falls dramatically and desperately in love.Flannery is quickly embarrassed in the face of the older woman’s poise and sophistication, and under the gaze of those impossible green eyes, but slowly their paths intertwine, and soon Flannery becomes Anne’s eager student in life and love.Trade ReviewA love letter written for a lost lover . . . mesmerizing -- Helen Dunmore * The Times *Candid, fresh and vivid * Sunday Telegraph *Bathed in a joyful, cloistered mood of sensual celebration * New York Times *Exuberant and wistful * TLS *Language is the real object of infatuation here . . . words are as seductive as bodies * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisA diary for her innermost thoughts, a china ornament, a ten-shilling note, and a roll of flame-coloured silk for her first evening dress: these are the gifts Olivia Curtis receives for her seventeenth birthday. She anticipates her first dance, the greatest yet most terrifying event of her restricted social life, with tremulous uncertainty and excitement. For her pretty, charming elder sister Kate, the dance is certain to be a triumph, but what will it be for shy, awkward Olivia? Exploring the daydreams and miseries attendant upon even the most innocent of social events, Rosamond Lehmann perfectly captures the emotions of a girl standing poised on the threshold of womanhood.Trade ReviewEvery emotional ripple is beautifully observed: the hideous anticipation, the agony of the empty dance card, the brief flutters of hope as various men take her for a turn around the dance floor, the many small disappointments that follow and the sudden vivid need to escape from the crowd, to flee, to breathe * Guardian *Lehmann legitimised a type of writing that took on deep personal themes -- English PENA novelist in the grand tradition, and, more than this, an innovator, the first writer to filter her stories through a woman's feelings and perceptions -- Anita BrooknerLehmann has always written brilliantly of women in love, of mothers, of daughters, of suffering -- Margaret DrabbleNo English writer has told of the pains of women in love more truly or more movingly than Rosamond Lehmann -- Marghanita LaskiA novelist in the grand tradition, and, more than this, an innovator, the first writer to filter her stories through a woman's feelings and perceptions * Anita Brookner *Lehmann has always written brilliantly of women in love, of mothers, of daughters, of suffering * Margaret Drabble *No English writer has told of the pains of women in love more truly or more movingly than Rosamond Lehmann * Marghanita Laski *

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Book SynopsisThe accomplished and evocative first novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Confederacy of Dunces.John Kennedy Toole wrote The Neon Bible for a literary contest at the age of sixteen. The manuscript was finally published twenty years after Toole's death.The Neon Bible opens with the narrator, a young man named David, on a train, leaving the small Southern town he's grown up in for the first time. What unspools is the tender and tragic coming-of-age story of a lonely child, a story that revolves around David's unorthodox friendship with his great-aunt Mae - a former stage performer who is fiercely at odds with the conservative townspeople - and the everyday toll of living in an environment of religious fanaticism. From the opening lines of The Neon Bible, David is fully alive, naive yet sharply observant, drawing us into his world through the sure artistry of John Kennedy Toole.Trade ReviewHeartfelt emotion, communicated in clean direct prose . . . a remarkable achievement. -- Michiko Kakutani * New York Times *A powerful novel that belongs on the shelf with the works of Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers and Eudora Welty. * Orlando Sentinel *John Kennedy Toole's tender, nostalgic side is as brilliantly effective as his corrosive satire. If you liked To Kill A Mockingbird you will love The Neon Bible. -- Florence KingShockingly mature. . . . Even at sixteen, Toole knew that the way to write about complex emotions is to express them simply. * Chicago Tribune *

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Book SynopsisThe magnificent new novel from the Booker Prize-winning author of The White Tiger: LONGLISTED FOR THE 2013 IMPAC AWARD. 21st Century Mumbai is a city of new money and soaring real estate, and property kingpin Dharmen Shah has grand plans for its future. His offer to buy and tear down a weathered tower block, making way for luxury apartments, will make each of its residents rich - if all agree to sell. But not everyone wants to leave; many of the residents have lived there for a lifetime, many of them are no longer young. As tensions rise among the once civil neighbours, one by one those who oppose the offer give way to the majority, until only one man stands in Shah's way: Masterji, a retired schoolteacher, once the most respected man in the building. Shah is a dangerous man to refuse, but as the demolition deadline looms, Masterji's neighbours - friends who have become enemies, acquaintances turned co-conspirators - may stop at nothing to score their payday...

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Book SynopsisAs the storm clouds of war gather, Cordelia seeks refuge in the grounds of her family estate. Handsome landscaper Isaac has recently arrived to tend to the gardens, and the connection between him and Cordelia is as immediate as it is forbidden. Isaac begins to secretly teach her how to cultivate the gardens, so when he and all the young men are called away to war, Cordelia takes over. From the battlefields of Europe, Isaac sends her letters, that give her hope for their future in peacetime. But when these messages abruptly cease, Cordelia must face up to the worst and take her future - and the fate of the garden they both loved - into her own hands...--Trade Review‘A beautiful emotional story of love and strength’ Liz Fenwick, author of The River Between Us ‘With shades of Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth, and her trademark combination of unputdownable plot and beautiful writing, Lorna Cook has had me utterly captivated with her latest. The Hidden Letters has it all – heartbreak and redemption, intense love and desperate loss. It's the type of book that first made me fall in love with reading, I adored every sumptuous, atmospheric page, and can't recommend it highly enough.’ Jenny Ashcroft, author of Under the Golden Sun ‘This book perfectly evokes that spirit of a lost age. What a gorgeous writer Lorna Cook is. A book to lose yourself in. I loved it.’ Mollie Walton, author of The Ironbridge Saga and The Raven Hall Saga. ‘A beautiful, evocative story of love and coping with loss that kept me turning the pages late into the night. A triumph!’ Rachel Burton, author of The Secrets of Summer House ‘Magnificent. Broke my heart and put it back together again’ Amanda Geard, author of The Midnight House ‘Kept me guessing right up to the last poignant page, I found it difficult to put down and impossible to stop thinking about when I did’ Iona Grey, author of The Glittering Hour ‘Lorna Cook’s lyrical novel transports us back to the last golden summer of innocence. Against the backdrop of a garden so beautifully depicted that I could smell the roses, she leads us through loss, heartbreak and heroism – and shows us that love can triumph over even the greatest adversity.’ Judy Summers, author of The Forgotten Sister

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Book SynopsisSoon to be a major filmTracy Flick, star of Election and one of the most memorable characters of our time, returns in this dark and insightful comedy about midlife.Ambitious and hardworking Tracy Flick feels underappreciated and stuck. Her job as a high school assistant principal isn't the political career she dreamed of as an over-achieving teen, so when the longtime principal abruptly announces his retirement, offering a rare chance of promotion, Tracy is filled with zeal at the prospect of success.But nothing ever comes easily to Tracy Flick, no matter how diligent or qualified she happens to be. As she takes her shot at the top job, her male colleagues' determination to honour Vito Falcone, a star quarterback of dubious character, triggers troubling memories of her high school experience, and storm clouds brewing in her present her goals, career and relationships send Tracy spiralling.One of the great writers that we have today. I love this book' Harlan CobenEngrossing and mordanTrade Review‘Engrossing and mordantly funny’ People ‘Told with Perrotta’s piercing wit, wisdom, and exquisite insight into human folly, Tracy’s second act delivers acerbic insight about frustrated ambition’ Esquire ‘One of the great writers that we have today. I love this book’ Harlan Coben ‘This is the rare sequel that lives up to the original’ Publishers Weekly ‘Brilliant, biting satire’ Associated Press ‘Humorous yet humane . . . prescient, darkly comical’San Francisco Chronicle ‘Short chapters from many perspectives keep readers alternately laughing and gasping’ Los Angeles Times ‘Perrotta’s great gift is that he lets his love for his characters, flaws and all, shine through. . . . I was rooting hard for Tracy Flick to, finally, win’ Seattle Times

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Book Synopsis*Over 50 Best of 2018 listings worldwide* ''Gary Shteyngart hears America perfectly; its fatuity, its poignant lament, its boisterous self-loathing. Its heartbeat. Reading him sometimes makes me want to scream - with recognition and with pure hilarity'' - Richard FordA riotously satirical road trip through modern America from the brilliant author of Super Sad True Love Story and AbsurdistanBarry Cohen, master of the universe, has just had a very public meltdown involving a dinner party, an insider trading investigation and a $30,000 bottle of Japanese whisky. So he flees New York City, leaving behind his beautiful young wife and son, but remembering to bring his six favourite designer watches. Zig-zagging south through Trump''s America on a Greyhound Bus pilgrimmage he is singularly unprepared for, Barry heads to Texas - to find his old college girlfriend and, with her, a shot at a second chance...LaTrade ReviewShteyngart, perhaps more than any American writer of his generation, is a natural. The wit and the immigrant's sense of heartbreak just seem to pour from him * The New York Times *Uproariously funny, bitingly satiric, yet also warm and big-hearted * Boston Globe *SPECTACULAR... More than just an artistic tour de force, Lake Success succeeds in saying something big about America today. By turns compassionate and mournful, wickedly satirical and ultimately aspirational. He captures what Philip Roth once called the 'indigenous American berserk' * NPR/Fresh Air *A novel in which comedy and pathos are exquisitely balanced * Washington Post *Gary Shteyngart hears America perfectly; its fatuity, its poignant lament, its boisterous self-loathing. Its heartbeat. Reading him sometimes makes me want to scream - with recognition and with pure hilarity -- Richard FordAn unforgettable road trip through an America that's ominously divided, wildly diverse, and weirdly familiar. Gary Shteyngart writes with brutal honesty, virtuoso wit, and stubborn compassion for his deeply flawed but still somehow lovable characters -- Tom Perrotta, bestselling author of 'The Leftovers'The funniest book you'll read all year. A rollicking and zinger-filled road trip [and] a poignant tale of a man trying to outrace his problems. Epic, melancholy, staggeringly beautiful -- Maria Semple, author of 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette?'A trip through the American wasteland - from the people who have too little, to the people who have too much. Incredibly smart, incredibly funny, incredibly tragic, and therefore incredibly human, this is the perfect novel for these dysfunctional times -- Nathan Hill, author of 'The Nix'A novel reflecting with perfect comedy and horrible tragedy exactly what America feels like right this minute. I barked with laughter, at the same time as wincing in pain. Shteyngart has held up a mirror to American culture that is so accurate and so devastating... Stupendous -- Elizabeth GilbertLake Success is a genial and warm-hearted book...a virtuoso piece of work, full of brilliant noticings...an unhysterical novel about a hysterical country at a hysterical time - the work of a novelist who believes in the power of fiction to illuminate out shared world. * Literary Review *Shteyngart does slapstick as well as ever, but he stakes out new terrain in the expert way he develops his characters' pathos.... A stylish, big-hearted novel. Shteyngart made his name as a sharp satirist, and he'll undoubtedly widen his appeal with this effort * Publisher's Weekly *The satirical layering is masterful. Dark - so dark - yet delicious. * Esquire *Lake Success is undeniably enjoyable, rattling along with good jokes and sharp set pieces, and shot through with Shteyngart's good-natured melancholy. * The Times *Referencing classic novels like The Great Gatsby and On the Road, Shteyngart whips up a novel that's part-satire and part-comedy of manners, humanising the super-rich while casting a critical eye over their world. It's funny, cutting, but above all compassionate * The Herald Magazine *Shteyngart's comic energy is well deployed on the ridiculously rich, especially amid Trump's campaign and his election by, perhaps, many Greyhound riders. * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis*PRE-ORDER BRIDGET COLLINS'' STUNNING NEW NOVEL, THE SILENCE FACTORY, NOW*LOSE YOURSELF IN THE MOST EPIC BOOK OF THE YEAR.Mesmerising' Erin KellySumptuous' ObserverDizzyingly wonderful' The TimesWINNING WAS EVERYTHINGUNTIL IT DESTROYED THEMTwo young men, Léo and Carfax, close friends and fierce rivals.A family ripped apart by madness and tragedy.One woman, her life built upon a lie, with a mysterious connection to them allINGENIOUS' GUARDIANA STORYTELLER OF RARE IMAGINATION' MAIL ON SUNDAY''BEAUTIFUL'' JOANNA CANNONBRILLIANT' WOMAN & HOMEA RICH DELIGHT' SANDRA NEWMAN''TOTALLY ADDICTIVE'' JOANNA GLENCAPTIVATING' DAILY MIRRORAN IMMERSIVE, IMAGINATIVE SLICE OF STORYTELLING' DAILY EXPRESSMAGICAL' IRISH INDEPENDENTTrade Review‘Dizzyingly wonderful … a perfectly constructed work of fiction, with audacious twists that clumsier hands would fumble, and irresistibly moving emotional beats’ The Times ‘Another sumptuous act of imaginative world-building … If you’re looking for an absorbing, transporting work of fiction – and why would you not be? – The Betrayals is just the thing … settle in, and enjoy getting lost in this captivating book’ Observer ‘Ingenious … Collins’s story holds everything up its sleeve for as long as possible’ Guardian ‘The Betrayals is a beautiful dystopian romance about coming of age as an artist and the love affair artistic collaboration can be, while also being an acute political novel about the fate of spiritual values in a totalitarian system. A rich delight’ Sandra Newman ‘Captivating’ Daily Mirror ‘An immersive, imaginative slice of storytelling’ Daily Express ‘It’s just beautiful – written with such elegance and poise. What I love about Bridget's books is her ability to write the most magical worlds of escapism and yet anchor those worlds very much in today’ Joanna Cannon ‘She’s done it again: this is another triumph from the incomparable imagination of Bridget Collins. The Betrayals sinks its teeth into you and won’t let you go. It’s a mesmerising, intimate and ambitious story about art, love and what it means to be human. If you loved The Binding, you’ll adore The Betrayals’ Erin Kelly ‘More lavish magical escapism from the unit-shifting author of The Binding’ Irish Independent ‘Brilliant … a captivating, imaginative tale’ Woman & Home ‘A storyteller of rare imagination … This intricate symphony of a novel is both a disturbing portrait of fascism and a soaring meditation on artistic expression’ Mail on Sunday

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Book SynopsisA Small Revolution in Germany is about growing up, or refusing to accept what growing up means; it's about the small dishonest pacts that people make with their own futures; and it's about the rare and joyous refusal to be disillusioned.Everyone remembers what it's like to be seventeen. The conversations you have; the ideas that burst on you; the kiss that transforms you. And then you grow up, and make a deal with adulthood. A Small Revolution in Germany is about that rapturous moment when ideas, and ideals, and passion crash over one boy's head. And what happens in the decades afterwards? When you see the overwhelming truth when you are seventeen, why should you ever abandon that truth?Spike is brought into a small, clever group of friends, bursting with a passion for ideas, and the wish to change the world. They smash up political meetings; they paint slogans on walls; they long for armed revolution; they argue, exuberantly, until dawn. In the years to follow, they all change their mTrade ReviewPraise for A Small Revolution in Germany: ‘In A Small Revolution in Germany – a meditation on youth and constancy and reinvention – Philip Hensher has coalesced all the craft, skill, wit and intelligence of his previous work into something which is dazzling but also deeply thought and deeply felt. I just loved it’ Linda Grant ‘He brilliantly animates the lives of neglected people during big historical events.’ The Times, Thomas Adès ‘Hensher’s quietly brilliant novel opens in the Eighties and spans some 30 years, illuminating an entire social world with skill, humour and tenderness.’ Daily Mail, Max Davidson ‘Moments of sharp observation’ The Times, Alexander Nurnberg ‘On the one hand, he is writing the type of novel whose atmosphere relies for its attack on a certain amount of self-conscious cultural signalling. On the other, he is embarked on the kind of fictional high-wire act that both emphasizes and undermines the seriousness with which the people he writes about need to be taken…Rather like Mary Gaitskill, he specializes in extending sympathy to his creations and then suddenly withdrawing it, giving them enough rope to hang themselves with … some wonderful moments of off-kilter comedy’ TLS, D.J. Taylor ‘A beautiful, regret-soaked story about the marks left on our adult lives by the idealism of our youth’ Alex Preston, Observer ‘The novel moves easily between Thatcherite Britain and the present…. This book is bound to be seen as a satire on the left. But in fact its keynote is a deep anger and disillusionment with politics, a lack of faith in all systems…Positioning his story within the frame of current events is a clever move on Hensher’s part’ Elizabeth Lowry, Guardian ‘Hensher’s novel reads easily and has a controlled, rueful atmosphere - a cautionary tale’ John Maier, The Times

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Book SynopsisA charming and nostalgic read, perfect for fans of Coronation Street and readers who love stories set in wartime.They are digging for victory on the nation's favourite street.Vera Sharples longs for independence from her interfering mother, Coronation Street's tyrant in a hairnet, Ena Sharples.Vera's friend, Lily Longhurst, has found herself on the wrong side of a doomed romance and decides it's high time she and Vera took their lives into their own hands.The girls sign up for the Land Army and are sent to Kent, where life is very different from the familiar cobbles they know so well. Expected to work from daybreak until sunset, the routine and the constant air raids come as a shock.Even as the girls comes to grips with the country at war, back home Ena can't stop meddling. Will the two plucky Lancashire lasses come home to Coronation Street with their dreams intact, or is Ena about to shatter them forever?Readers love Maggie Sullivan A must read' AmazonA real page-turner' AmazonA wonderful trip down memory lane' GoodreadsTrade Review Praise for Maggie Sullivan: ‘A wonderfully nostalgic tale’ Choice Magazine ‘A perfect festive read’ Woman Magazine ‘A must read’ Amazon ‘A real page-turner’ Amazon ‘A wonderful trip down memory lane’ Goodreads

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Book SynopsisFunny, touching and wise, I loved it' Kit de Waal, bestselling author of My Name Is LeonWendy is lonely, misunderstood but coping. After her mum died, all she wants is to drive the 255 bus around Uddingston with her regulars on board, remember to buy milk when it runs out and just to be okay.But with the encouragement of her social worker, Wendy is ready to step out of her comfort zone and meet new people. Although as her carefully planned routine begins to change, Wendy wonders if things were easier before she met new best friend, Ginger. Because Ginger is hiding something and it's about to get them into a lot of troubleYour favourite authors love Elissa SoaveVivid, funny, sad, thought-provoking, acutely observed and full of compassion' Helen SedgwickA debut novel to treasure, by turns funny, dark and heartbreaking and I didn't want it to end!' Louise MumfordA fascinating and poignant take on friendship and obsession' Caron McKinlayStartling, sly and full of suspense. Not your ordinarTrade Review‘Set to make waves this summer’ Harper’s Bazaar

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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

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Book Synopsis?My favourite novel and one I wish I?d written.? ALAN BENNETTWinner of the McKitterick Prize for best first novel by an author aged over 40, and the Hawthornden Prize for imaginative literature.Everyone craves retirement from the Civil Service, don?t they? That time for an ageing patriarch to enjoy the fruits of a well-earned pension and the respect of his family; maybe even to indulge in a love of music halls and metropolitan life. If only people would listen and do as they were told?His fourth son William, the long-suffering narrator, is the constant butt of his father?s jokes and victim of his brothers? indifference. But as death, divorce and other darker dramas follow, father and son slowly establish a strange harmony.Trade Review‘There’s no other novel quite like it. Andrew Barrow has the most curious, in both senses, comic ear and, as if by magic, can turn everyday speech into the stuff of sublime comedy.’Craig Brown ‘Andrew Barrow’s The Tap Dancer . . . must be my favourite novel and one I wish I’d written.’Alan Bennett ‘Andrew Barrow’s first novel is reminiscent of John Mortimer’s A Voyage Round My Father. Both are portraits of ageing patriarchs whose behaviour is outrageously self-centred but who retain a place in their children’s affections by their sheer eccentricity.’Sunday Telegraph ‘A comic masterpiece . . . Andrew Barrow’s insight into the minutiae of English family life is absolutely brilliant . . . his ear for dialogue is matchless . . . this is a great literary creation.’Spectator ‘Weird but wonderful first novel . . . brilliantly funny . . . horribly true.’Harpers & Queen ‘A magnificent creation . . . Could rank alongside Mr Pooter and Nancy Mitford’s Uncle Matthew.’Independent ‘All the characters, even the minor ones, are perfectly realised, thanks largely to Barrow’s remarkable skill at pinpointing the social and psychological undercurrents of casual conversation.’Times Literary Supplement ‘Father, tap dancing weirdly across the kitchen in moments of glee, has immense vitality . . . A comic masterpiece.’ Financial Times

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Book SynopsisMeet the Wapshots of St Botolphs. There is Captain Leander Wapshot, venerable sea-dog and would-be suicide; his licentious older son, Moses; and Moses''s adoring and errant younger brother, Coverly. Tragic and funny, ribald and splendidly picaresque, and partly based on Cheever''s adolescence in New England, The Wapshot Chronicle is a family narrative in the finest traditions of Trollope, Dickens, and Henry JamesTrade ReviewCheever's debut novel is skittish, mercurial and ringing with life * Guardian *The best introduction to Cheever's work...richly inventive and vividly told * New York Times Magazine *A tapestry woven from the threads of emotion, tragedy, comedy...and the irony so wonderfully evident in the author's short stories...a literary mosaic...Cheever is a pleasure to read * San Francisco Chronicle *A brilliantly written novel, vastly and sometimes sadly, amusing * Time *

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Book SynopsisTHE STORIES THAT INSPIRED THE FILM COLETTE, out Jan 2019.The second book in Colette''s enchanting Claudine series.Seventeen-year-old Claudine is in despair having left her beloved village Montigny for a new life in Paris. Comforted by her devoted maid Melie, her slug-obsessed Papa, and the trustworthy cat Fanchette, Claudine's instinctive curiosity gradually leads to an awakened interest in the city. Ruthless and sensual, Claudine records her sharp observations and adventures amongst the intriguing characters that surround her, evoking all the glamour and excitement of Parisian life.Written with striking realism Claudine in Paris is an inspiring portrait of a precocious young girl on the brink of transformation into a woman for her, and our, time.Trade ReviewAccessible and elusive; greedy and austere; courageous and timid; subversive and complacent; scorchingly honest and sublimely mendacious; an inspired consoler and an existential pessimist—these are the qualities of the artist and the woman. It is time to rediscover them. -- Judith Thurman, biographer of ColetteHer sensual prose style made her one of the great writers of twentieth-century France * New York Times Book Review *She has been compared to a 20th-century female Montaigne, and it is true that her books offer a manual on how to live fearlessly and joyfully – greedily alive to every sensation and experience * Guardian *A perfectionist in her every word * Spectator *Her prose is rich, flawless, intricate, audacious and utterly beautiful -- Raymond Mortimer

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Book SynopsisLife as a film extra in Beijing might seem hard, but Fenfang won't be defeated. Determined to live a modern life, Fenfang works as a cleaner in the Young Pioneer's movie theatre, falls in love with unsuitable men and keeps her kitchen cupboard stocked with UFO instant noodles.Trade ReviewA nihilistic, Generation X-style manifesto... Its impudent, hand-on-hip attitude cannot fail to charm * New Statesman *Funny and melancholy, scintillatingly observed, and has a very big heart * The Times *Both a personal odyssey and an insightful commentary about modern Chinese society and life itself... Xiaolu Guo is an instinctive, humane witness, her atmospheric, unusually physical narratives are alive and attractively insistent, inspired variations on the theme of quest * Irish Times *A pure and bracing blast of universal youth... I loved it. It shines with the utterly blameless, scarily fragile arrogance of youth itself, the absolute certainty that death is better than middle age * Daily Telegraph *A breath of the freshest air imaginable. She cuts through the smog of hype and platitude -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *

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Book SynopsisLose yourself in this powerful historical novel based on a real life tragedy from the internationally bestselling author Lesley PearseFor one girl, betrayal goes hand in hand with trust . . .When their father tragically kills their mother, Dulcie and her sister are sent to an orphanage. Told that a ''better life'' awaits them in another country, they are shipped off to Australia.But the promises made turn out to be lies.And it seems to Dulcie that everyone who ever said ''trust me'' somehow betrayed that trust. So when she finds a kindred spirit in Ross, another orphanage survivor, hope swells in her heart.But can she ever get over the past betrayals and learn to trust again?And can she fight not only for herself, but also for her sister?Praise for Lesley Pearse:''With characters it is impossible not to care about . . . this is storytelling at its very best'' Daily MailTrade ReviewTrust Me is a powerful historical novel based on a real life tragedy. For one girl betrayal goes hand in hand with trust . . . This is just one of many captivating novels from the international NO.1 BESTSELLING author Lesley Pearse. * from the publisher's description *With characters it is impossible not to care about, this is storytelling at its very best * Daily Mail *An emotional and moving epic you won't forget in a hurry * Woman’s Weekly *

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Book SynopsisThese sumptuous new hardback editions mark the 70th anniversary of Fitzgerald''s death. Increasingly disillusioned by the rejection slips that studded the walls of his room and his on/off engagement to Zelda Sayre, Fitzgerald began his third revision of the novel that was to become This Side of Paradise. The story of a young man''s painful sexual and intellectual awakening that echoes Fitzgerald''s own career, it is also a portrait of the lost generation that followed straight on from the First World War, ''grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken'' and wanting money and success more than anything else.Trade Review“As nearly perfect as such a work could be . . . The glorious spirit of abounding youth glows throughout this fascinating tale. Amory, the romantic egotist, is essentially American.” –The New York Times“[A] bravura display of literary promise . . . Fitzgerald’s prose is capable of soaring like a violin, and of moving his readers with understated husky notes as well as with notes of piercing purity . . . Fitzgerald knew that glamour was bound to fail, that there is an ineradicable human instinct for it which is utterly mistaken.” –from the Introduction by Craig Raine

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES It''s not what you''ve lost . . . it''s what you''ve found.One summer morning, a flight takes off from New York to Los Angeles: there are 192 people aboard. When the plane suddenly crashes, twelve-year-old Edward Adler is the sole survivor.In the aftermath, Edward struggles to make sense of his grief, sudden fame and find his place in a world without his family. But then Edward and his neighbour Shay make a startling discovery; hidden in his uncle''s garage are letters from the relatives of other passengers - all addressed him.Following the passengers'' final hours and Edward''s unique coming-of-age, Dear Edward asks one of life''s most profound questions:What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?---------------------------------''Ann Napolitano''s writing is astonishing. I''m in awe'' Marian Keyes''A very moving and emotional read'' Anne Tyler''Gripping and elegiac, this is a captivating novel about loss, love and growing up'' Rosamund Lupton''That rare book that breaks your heart and stitches it back together . . . Don''t miss this one'' Jodi PicoultTrade ReviewA powerful book about living a meaningful life during the most difficult of times * New York Times *Outstanding, beautifully written, a compulsive read -- John BoyneThat rare book that breaks your heart and stitches it back together . . . Don't miss this one -- Jodi PicoultA very moving and emotional read -- Anne TylerGripping... a captivating novel about loss, love and growing up -- Rosamund LuptonWonderful... a beautifully written coming-of-age story -- Nina StibbeDear Edward made me think, nod in recognition, care about its characters, and cry, and you can't ask more of a novel than that -- Emma DonoghueStunning, life-affirming * Vogue *

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER''A sweeping saga about the Iranian revolution as it explodes . . . a Doctor Zhivago of Iran'' Margaret Atwood_____________________________________1950s Tehran. In an alleyway an abandoned baby cries into the night, attracting the attention of the young man who will save her.And so begins the story of Aria, an orphan girl who comes of age on the volatile streets. As Aria grows she is torn between the three women fated to mother her: the harsh wife of the man who rescued her; a wealthy widow, who offers her refuge but cannot offer her love; and the mysterious Mehri, whose secrets will shatter everything Aria thought she knew about herself. And then, just as the political turmoil in the country deepens, Aria falls in love with a boy caught on the wrong side of the revolution . . . _____________________________________''Sweeping, cinematic and oh-so-gripping'' Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewAn affecting portrait of the Iranian revolution . . . leaves you simultaneously heartbroken and full of hope * Sunday Times *Explores the darkness and hope of a city on the brink of revolution . . . Epic. An impressive debut, not easily forgotten * Observer *Warm-hearted, compelling, hugely enjoyable * Times *A sweeping saga about the Iranian revolution as it explodes - told from the ground level and centre of the chaos. A Doctor Zhivago of Iran Aria is a feminist odyssey, about a girl in a time of intolerance as the revolution in Iran is breaking out ... a poised and dramatic historical novel with contemporary relevanceA beautiful book set against the pains and passions of the Iranian Revolution . . . It is a book about a particular time and place yet also, and perhaps more importantly, about the common hopes and intimate longings of lives so forcibly invaded by national events * Hisham Matar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Return *Set in a vibrantly depicted Tehran and spanning a 30-year period leading up to the 1981 Iranian Revolution, Hozar's serpentine narrative shows how the inequality and corruption of Iranian society under the Shah gives way to something more sinister...it's a spellbinding debut * Mail on Sunday *This rags-to-riches-to revolution tale about an orphan girl's coming of age in Iran is sweeping, cinematic and oh-so gripping. In it we follow Aria as she searches for belonging and falls in love amid the political tumult of her age * Sunday Telegraph *Nazanine Hozar's immaculate first novel follows a group of Iranians in the lead-up to the 1979 revolution and marks the arrival of a major new voice * Alex Preston, Observer *The skilfully told story of a young woman struggling to find her place in intolerant, revolutionary Iran * i *An epic tale of turmoil in Iran. Its skilful blending of personal and political drama, along with its broad scope, richness of setting and vitality of character, gives it something of the quality of [Doctor Zhivago] * Guardian *Epic in scope . . . Hozar is a courageous and talented writer, excellent at capturing emotional complexity and interrogating her themes * The Irish Independent *Nazanine Hozar's stunning debut takes us inside the Iranian revolution - but seen like never before, through the eyes of an orphan girl . . . heart-pounding * Asia House Arts *An impeccable debut of a young girl's odyssey in the Iranian Revolution * Foyles newsletter *An alluring and enlightening read * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisThe cult classic novel of growing up in 1950s England from the writer of Withnail and ITrade ReviewThis book hums with particularity and vision ... Thomas Penman is the work of a genuine prose-writer - and a gifted one at that * OBSERVER *This book is in a league-table of revulsion all its own * SUNDAY TIMES *Never before has the painful, knotty journey to maturity been depicted with such gusto, and never has the venerable Bildungsroman received such riotously profane treatment. * NEW YORK TIMES *

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Book SynopsisKelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret after her mother – a monarch as vain as she was foolish – was murdered for ruining her kingdom.Trade ReviewI couldn’t put the bloody thing down. It would be fair to say I became obsessed with the role and the book -- EMMA WATSONDid you love The Hunger Games? Partial to an episode of Game of Thrones? Then you’re going to want to dive straight in to this new fantasy . . . brilliantly imagined and captivatingly written * HEAT *An assured and confident debut . . . featuring a strong female lead and a well-realised far-future post-apocalyptic world * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *Like Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games meets Pulp Fiction * DAILY MAIL *Destined to be a fantasy classic. Johansen’s writing is assured, confident and thrilling. I can’t wait for the next book. * AMY McCULLOCH, author of The Oathbreaker’s Shadow *

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