Narrative theme: love / relationships

Book SynopsisBe swept away with this breathtaking and beautifully written wartime romance set deep in the French Alps, from the bestselling author behind Channel 5''s Carol Drinkwater''s Secret Provence''A moving story of love and friendship'' KATE MOSSE''Each sentence shimmers'' MY WEEKLY''A virtual hug of a tale'' JOANNE HARRIS''Exciting, evocative'' DAILY MAIL''Emotional and moving'' FIONA VALPY''A beautiful book'' WOMAN & HOME, Historical Novels of the Year ________ France, 1943. Forced to flee war ravaged Poland, Sara and her parents are offered refuge in a beautiful but dilapidated house in the French Alps. It seems the perfect hideaway, despite haunting traces of the previous occupants who left in haste. But shadows soon fall over Sara''s blissful summer, and her blossoming romance with local villager Alain. As the Nazis close in, the Trade ReviewA lovely novel. A moving story of love and friendship with a wonderful sense of place -- Kate MosseAn exciting, evocative and beautifully written romance that views the war from an unusual angle * Daily Mail *Carol skilfully draws us in to the beautiful Alpes Maritimes region of France to tell the story of Sara, a Polish refugee who want to live her life her way. The writing is evocative and Sara's story is both moving and inspiring -- Sheila O'Flanagan, bestselling author of The Women Who Ran AwayA terrific story [...] skilfully written & heart-rending, we are pulled into the beauty and destruction of the French countryside in WW2, as a young Jewish girl discovers what matters in life & fights for her love & for freedom -- Miriam MargolyesA novel where the quality of the writing matches the intrigue of the story. An Act of Love is a beautiful book and the themes of displacement resonate with contemporary events * Woman & Home, Historical Novels of the Year *An outstanding and beautifully written story and one not to be missed. This compelling and meticulously researched WWII novel tells a part of history that should never be forgotten. Thoroughly recommend -- Shirley Dickson, author of The Lost ChildrenBeautifully written, each sentence provides atmosphere and shimmers in thought-provoking prose * My Weekly *An exciting, evocative and beautifully written romance that views the war from an unusual angle * Daily Mail *I loved An Act of Love: it's a virtual hug of a tale; warm, and engaging, and tender. Just what I needed -- Joanne Harris, Sunday Times bestselling authorRomantic, evocative and pulse-racingly dramatic, this novel views the war from an unusual and fascinating angle -- Wendy Holden, Sunday Times bestselling authorAn emotional and moving read. The beauty of the French landscape contrasts starkly with the fear and oppression of the war years in this story of love, loss and courage -- Fiona Valpy, bestselling author of The Beekeeper's PromiseDramatic and enthralling (...) will encourage emotions to dip and soar as it gives hope even in the darkness * LoveReading *Her detailed research and vivid characters bring an emotional depth to a novel that depicts poignantly a remarkable period of history. An Act of Love is an emotional and compelling novel about the power of first love and friendship . . . could be Drinkwater's best novel yet * Historical Novel Society *I enjoyed it very much. Her portrayal of damaged and fearful teenager is so good and believable ... I longed to be in France. It's her best -- Elizabeth Buchan, author of The Museum of Broken PromisesI loved reading An Act of Love. It kept me engaged, fascinated and eager to turn the pages ... It's a wonderful, enjoyable novel with courage and survival at its heart -- Elizabeth Chadwick, author of The Wild Hunt seriesA moving story of love, friendship and bravery that simply races along * Woman's Weekly *An evocative tale of courage and loss, of secrets and risk, in some of France's darkest days * France Magazine *Accomplished ... the narrative is beautifully paced and clever -- Anne Lucey, The Irish ExaminerIncluded in 'The Hot List' * Inside Soap *Praise for Carol Drinkwater * - *Secrets, tragedy, hidden pasts and family secrets - I loved thisPlenty of page-turning drama but also mouthwatering descriptions of Paris and Provence * Daily Mail *Carol Drinkwater's writing is like taking an amazing holiday in book formI was hooked from a start threaded with mystery and menace . . . The story kept me gripped as the past tragedy unfoldedCarol Drinkwater's writing is always guaranteed to sweep me off my feetEmotional and tenderly writtenBeautifully written, each sentence provides atmosphere and shimmers in thought-provoking prose * My Weekly *Carol Drinkwater writes with captivating eloquence . . . Full of secrets, tense moments and gorgeous descriptions * LoveReading *A great and compassionate writerAn emotionally charged, wartime story set in the French Alps . . . an evocative tale of courage and loss, of secrets and risk * France Magazine *

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Book SynopsisShe found love. Now, she needs to try and keep it. She spent years in the Veil as an invisible cupid. Unable to talk, touch or love anyone, which made her a little bitter.Now, Emelle has a life . . . and a bounty on her head. The fae prince wants her dead, and her three gorgeous genfins are arrested. The royal culling trials are about to begin, but Emelle isn''t going to let everything be taken from her without a fight.There''s rebellion in the air, a princess who''s not all she appears to be and a lamassu fae who claims to be Emelle''s mate.Love is getting complicated.But to a cupid, it always is.Bonds of Cupidity is Book Two in the fun, addictive and sexy Heart Hassle seriesGild, Glint and Gleam, Sunday Times bestsellers, April 2023

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Book SynopsisTHE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER''Vintage Jill Mansell, this is a real ray of sunshine'' FabulousLove, friendship and secrets revealed as the sun beats down on dazzling blue Cornish seas . . .It''s set to be a perfect day - until the chauffeur is asked to keep driving the bride around the church. This wedding definitely isn''t going as planned.Lottie is a guest at the wedding when she sees Max. No kiss has ever matched the last one they shared fifteen years ago. They were on the brink of a beautiful love story, until a shocking event tore them apart. Now here he is, still ridiculously good-looking, teasing Lottie in the old way - and that overwhelming electric attraction is back. But Max is way out of bounds.Freya owes Cameron everything. But she doesn''t love him. Which is a shame, because they''re about to be married.Ruby has been the perfect wife. When she discovers the truth about her husTrade ReviewI loved it. It has all the ingredients of a wonderful Jill novel, a lovely seaside town, community, new arrivals, twists and turns and fabulously satisfying ending. I devoured it like a huge slice of celebratory wedding cake! And left me wanting more -- Jo ThomasA delicious treat . . . Mansell doesn't shy away from suffusing The Wedding of the Year with an uplifting, joyous essence * My Weekly *A fun, witty romcom with a lot of heart * Woman & Home *Jill Mansell is the queen of romantic, witty and heartwarming novels . . . Uplifting and romantic, it's astory to devour this winter, set against a beautiful Cornish backdrop and spilling over with the feel-good factor. Jill Mansell has served up another delicious treat -- Anne Cater * Sunday Express *Vintage Jill Mansell, this is a real ray of sunshine * Fabulous *Three tales intertwine in this delightful romcom * Woman's Own *With a beautiful seaside setting - it's a guaranteed spirit-lifter * Best *

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Book Synopsis'An engrossing and inspiring story of loss, love and hope, set against a backdrop of art, activism and addiction.' – ObserverMoving from the Tompkins Square Riots and attempts by activists to galvanize a response to the AIDS epidemic, to the New York City of the future, Tim Murphy's Christodora recounts the heartbreak wrought by AIDS, illustrates the allure and destructive power of hard drugs, and brings to life the ever-changing city itself.The Christodora is home to Milly and Jared, a privileged young couple with artistic ambitions. Their neighbour, Hector, a Puerto Rican gay man who was once a celebrated AIDS activist but is now a lonely addict, becomes connected to Milly's and Jared's lives in ways none of them can anticipate. Meanwhile, the couple's adopted son, Mateo, grows to appreciate the opportunities for both self-realization and oblivion that New York offers.As the junkies and protestors of the 1980s give way to the hipsters of the 2000s and they, in turn, to the wealthy residents of the crowded, glass-towered city of the 2020s, enormous changes rock the personal lives of Milly and Jared and the constellation of people around them.'An impassioned, big-hearted, and ultimately hopeful chronicle of a changing New York that authoritatively evokes the despair and panic in the city at the height of the plague.' – Hanya Yanagihara, author of A Little LifeTrade ReviewBrilliantly kaleidoscopic . . . Murphy is exceptionally skilled at writing about addiction, the intertwining of bliss and abjection... What makes this novel remarkable, though, is the way it captures the full arc of Aids in New York . . . There have been several whopping New York novels in the last couple of years, but none of them possesses Christodora’s generosity, its weathered and unflinching faith in what people can achieve. -- Olivia Laing * Guardian *This novel is your next must-read . . . A captivating, multi-stranded New York epic about the AIDs crisis . . . An engrossing and inspiring story of loss, love and hope, set against a backdrop of art, activism and addiction. * Observer *This thrillingly accomplished novel... [Its] varied minds and voices are realized so convincingly that Christodora sometimes seems the product of spirit possession. And it is joyous despite its subject matter... Murphy's skills are most nakedly on display as he describes the addictions in which Mateo and others find solace, and their electrical-shocking, soul-warping, mind-annihilating trips. Desperately intense, it is the kind of scene that requires putting a book down for a moment to take a breather. * New York Times *Hugely ambitious . . . this rich, complicated story . . . compelling . . . The richness of Murphy's account . . . the most moving sections of the book deal not with the height of the [AIDS] crisis but with its aftermath . . . The book's overwhelmingly powerful final sections... the last hundred [pages] have a rare narrative sweep and force. For all the despair it documents, [it is] a book about hope -- Garth Greenwell * Washington Post *An impassioned, big-hearted, and ultimately hopeful chronicle of a changing New York that authoritatively evokes the despair and panic in the city at the height of the plague. -- Hanya Yanagihara[Murphy] writes about addiction with undeniable fluency and power. * Sunday Times *A moving portrait of New York in the time of AIDS, Tim Murphy's honest and insightful writing gives Christodora a particular vibrancy that causes the characters to leap, whole, into the reader's imagination. This spectacular novel is an important addition to literature that captures New York in all its glory and despair. -- Candace BushnellMurphy injects fresh vim into this tale . . . [He] jumps back and forth through the decades here, creating a fractured structure that neatly reflects the fractured lives of those caught up in the epidemic and its aftermath. And it’s the latter, in the end, that proves Murphy’s most poignant subject. * Daily Mail *An intimate portrait of a bohemian family, Christodora is also a capacious historical novel that vividly recreates the lost world of downtown Manhattan in the eighties - a nuanced portrait of an era in which artists were unwitting agents of gentrification and the bright dawn of gay liberation was brutally interrupted by the AIDS epidemic. -- Jay McInerneyAn ambitious, time-traveling novel textured with the detail and depth of a writer who spent years reporting from the front * New York magazine *A magnificent novel . . . I was struck by the unflinching generosity of Tim Murphy's vision. -- Olivia LaingAn impassioned and "devastating" story set in a real-life building . . . the breathtaking new novel from Brooklyn writer Tim Murphy . . . a powerful and rewarding reading experience. Stylistically challenging, emotionally devastating (both positive and negative), realistic (even when it shifts into an imagined future) and impassioned, it is one of the finest novels we are likely to encounter this year. * Toronto Star *Tim Murphy's rich saga of New York in the age of AIDS . . . To write a novel as full of truth as Christodora . . . Tim Murphy had to know Manhattan; he had to know AIDS; he had to be fluent in the languages of visual art, addiction, activism, bipolar disease and depression; he had to have American cultural history from 1981 at his fingertips . . . Then he had to make all that information disappear, more or less, by seamlessly embodying it in characters and plot . . . He pulls it off with very few lapses, developing a rich and complicated New York saga . . . An exciting read . . . While Christodora has the scope of other New York epics, such as Bonfire of the Vanities, The Goldfinch and City on Fire, it is slimmer than any of these by several hundred pages. Capacious yet streamlined, it is a very fine book. * New York Newsday *Brilliant . . . this year's most ambitious and devastating contribution to the New York City realist novel * Interview *Murphy has written The Bonfire of the Vanities for the age of AIDS, using the same reportorial skills as Tom Wolfe to re-create the changing decades, complete with a pitch-perfect deployment of period detail . . . A powerful evocation of the plague years. * Publishers' Weekly *An ambitious social novel informed by an extended perspective on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, from the early 1980s to the near future . . . A poignant . . . exploration of a health crisis that hasn't yet ended. * Kirkus Reviews *A textured, layered, tightly woven exploration of the AIDS epidemic and its impact on a community linked by proximity, love, drugs, and pain. -- Barnes and Noble blogOutstanding and judicious . . . This breathtakingly panoramic saga feels lithe and refreshingly current . . . Christodora is the most exciting New York novel since Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life. * Attitude *Christodora . . . has got it all: drugs, sex, music, race, class, art, activism, adoption, and tears. It’s a gut-wrenching, happy-ending story . . . Murphy’s troubled characters move deliberately toward but instinctively away from each other, too unsettled and sad to be comfortably together, too human and hopeful to stay apart for long. -- Salon.comSeveral times a year, a few books are published that are so compelling and immersive they simply demand the unadulterated free time of the reader. Tim Murphy's Christodora is one of those powerful, ambitious sagas . . . The folks who populate his pages are difficult to forget, and their legacy fully dramatizes the devastation and frenzied panic of the epidemic . . . Each scene is filled with atmospheric detail, period dialogue, and the intricate nuances of a character's movement, attitude, and emotion . . . A novel that reads like a contemporary motion picture beautifully acted by a durable cast with a been-there-done-that caliber of experience. Murphy has truly outdone himself with a perceptive and accomplished novel that is captivating and immensely entertaining. * Bay Area Reporter *Although it’s epic in scope, ultimately [Christodora] is about loneliness and the struggle to find love, accept love and to arrive at a state of self-love. A tremendous achievement. * Winq *Reminiscent of [Jay] McInerney at his peak, concerning itself with young Manhattanites and their relationships with sex, drugs, psychologists, art and real estate . . . There is no denying the quality of the writing and the deep integrity of this novel. -- John Boyne * Irish Times *

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Book Synopsis'A profound examination of friendship, romantic confusion and mortality' John BoyneOne summer's evening, two men meet up in a Dublin restaurant. Old friends, now married and with grown-up children, their lives have taken seemingly similar paths. But Joe has a secret he has to tell Davy, and Davy a grief he wants to keep from Joe. Both are not the men they used to be. As two pints turns to three, then five, Davy and Joe set out to revisit the haunts of their youth. With the ghosts of Dublin entwining around them - the pubs, the parties, the broken hearts and bungled affairs - the men find themselves face-to-face with the realities of friendship.Trade ReviewMasterly... A first-rate novel about the different bonds between men and the ineffable mysteries of love. -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail *Doyle is justly renowned for his whip-smart dialogue... And there is beauty and compassion in Mr Doyle's sculpted, spare writing. Among all the banter and gags he manages to articulate feelings that are rarely expressed so fittingly... Love is a reminder that its author is one to treasure. * Economist *Fast-paced and deceptively easy to read... Goes down as smoothly as gulps of beer. * Boston Globe *Love is altogether spellbinding... The whole book is audacious, richly layered and often comic, but ultimately deeply moving... Move over Socrates and watch an Irish master of dialogue at work. -- David Monagan * Irish Examiner *So perfectly constructed it is hard to believe it is really just about two old school friends getting drunk, and drunker... [Love] seems to bottle what male friendship can be like. -- Chris Harvey * Irish Independent *

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Book Synopsis'Short but very special. ... funny, touching and quite beautiful.' Matt Cain'A powerful finale to her classic trilogy of heartbreak and healing.' Clare Chambers'An unforgettable story. It's beautiful all through, but the closing chapters are just astonishing, transcendent and hope-filled and life-affirming.' Donal Ryan'Just brilliant' Patrick Gale'Profoundly moving and deeply human, this story of self-discovery and forgiveness is essential reading. I loved every word.' Bonnie Garmus'Astonishingly powerful... Truly stunning' Ruth Jones......................................................................................................................................Ten years ago, Harold Fry set off on his epic journey on foot to save a friend. But the story doesn't end there. Now his wife, Maureen, has her own pilgrimage to make.Maureen Fry has settled into the quiet life she now shares with her husband Harold after his iconic walk across England. Now, ten years later, an unexpected message from the North disturbs her equilibrium again, and this time it is Maureen's turn to make her own journey.But Maureen is not like Harold. She struggles to bond with strangers, and the landscape she crosses has changed radically. She has little sense of what she'll find at the end of the road. All she knows is that she must get there.Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North is a deeply felt, lyrical and powerful novel, full of warmth and kindness, about love, loss, and how we come to terms with the past in order to understand ourselves and our lives a little better. Short, exquisite, while it stands in its own right, it is also the moving finale to a trilogy that began with the phenomenal bestseller The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and continued with The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy.This is a slender book but it has all the power and weight of a classic.Trade ReviewJoyce bestows tenderness and grace, revealing how forgiveness and a reckoning with the past can transform the present for the better. -- Eithne Farry * Mail on Sunday *Joyce is a fearless explorer of emotional landscape; Maureen's pilgrimage north becomesa moving account of healing and acceptance. -- Patricia Nicol * Sunday Times *Exquisite and beautifully crafted -- Ruth Jones * Daily Mail *A beautiful novella ... with compassion and tenderness ... the novel's conclusion is deeply moving and life-affirming. -- Hannah Beckerman * Observer *Very rarely, there is a writer who can touch the deepest and most hidden parts of the soul, by using the everyday matter of our daily lives to reveal the sacred that always surrounds us. This writer is Rachel Joyce, and her trilogy starting with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, then The Love Song of Queenie Hennessy and finally Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North does just that, as well as delighting by her assured story-telling. To read her work is to think at first you are being invited to a perfect and delicious afternoon tea - then realise that you are intimate communion with what it means to be human: to suffer, to love, and to be understood. There is beauty, and the reason for art. -- Laline Paul

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Book SynopsisA TIMES BOOK OF THE MONTH AND STYLIST BOOK OF THE WEEKA BAD FORM REVIEW PAPERBACK BOOK OF THE MONTH'Sharp, swiftly moving, darkly funny . . . [a] compassion filled delight' The Times'[A] sharp, assured debut' Daily Mail'A sensitive, sharp-eyed, slyly funny novel of venturing back into the foreign country that is your past— and discovering that you can never really shake the places and people that shaped you' Celeste Ng, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Missing Hearts'Delia Cai fully renders the uneasy marriage between past and present. Central Places is honest about the strangeness and revelation of returning home' Raven Leilani, New York Times bestselling author of LusterAudrey Zhou left Hickory Grove, the tiny central Illinois town where she grew up, as soon as high school ended, and she never looked back. She moved to New York City and became the person she always wanted to be, complete with a high-paying, high-pressure job and a seemingly faultless fiancé. But if she and Manhattan-bred Ben are to build a life together, in the dream home his parents will surely pay for, Audrey can no longer hide him, or the person she's become, from those she left behind.But returning to Hickory Grove is . . . complicated. Over the course of one disastrous week, Audrey's proximity to her family and to Kyle, her unrequited high school crush, forces her to confront the past and reexamine her fraught connection to her roots before she undoes everything she's worked toward and everything she's imagined for herself. But is that life really the one she wants?Trade ReviewDelia Cai’s sharp, swiftly moving, darkly funny debut novel….[is a] compassion filled delight * The Times, Book of the Month *[A] sharp, assured debut * Daily Mail *A sensitive, sharp-eyed, slyly funny story of venturing back into the foreign country that is your past--and discovering that you can never really shake the places and people that shaped you . . . This book will resonate with anyone who's tried to navigate the confusing terrain of family tensions, lost friendships, or embarrassing memories of youth: in short, pretty much everyone. * Celeste Ng, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Missing Hearts *Delia Cai fully renders the uneasy marriage between past and present. Central Places is honest about the strangeness and revelation of returning home. * Raven Leilani, New York Times bestselling author of Luster *An incandescent debut shedding light on old friendships, half-forgotten selves, and ferocious longings past and present, Central Places is a revelation, disquieting and so very moving, and dazzling with insight. * R. O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries *A moving, nuanced novel about race, class, and the unspoken power dynamics of an interracial relationship, Central Places negotiates the personal and the political with unsparing precision. Delia Cai has created an indelible cast of uniquely complicated characters. A spiky, intelligent narrator leads the story--readers will root for Audrey to win, even as her definition of triumph shifts with every chapter in this masterful debut. * Jean Chen Ho, author of Fiona and Jane *Burns with complexity and compassion . . . A fiercely narrated and deeply affecting novel about imperfect love, the willingness to try again, and generosity?to ourselves and to each other. Audrey's unforgettable story of self-discovery will speak to anyone who has ever stood on the precipice of change, who has ever felt in between, and who has ever wondered if looking back is part of moving forward. * Elaine Hsieh Chou, author of Disorientation *Sharply observed and humorous, and filled with Cai's trademark pop cultural geekiness. * Stylist, Book of the Week *

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Book SynopsisFrom the prizewinning author of God's Own Country and A Natural comes a moving and intimate exploration of marriage, devotion and sacrifice, and a woman's enduring search for freedom.'One of our best novelists' Daily Mail'A superb achievement' Guardian'Moving...and beautiful' Irish TimesAnita is a talented sous-chef at a high-end London restaurant. At home, however, her husband Patrick is suffering from dementia and declining rapidly.As she is thrown between two conflicting worlds, Anita must make a decision: should she free them both by acting on his last plea for mercy, or should she remain faithful to the person Patrick used to be?It's a decision complicated by ambition and the guilt of her own past - and by her intensifying friendship with another man, Peter, and the temptation of a new life.Trade Review[A] beautifully observed heart-wringer... for me there was no better novel published in 2022. * Daily Mail, *Books of the Year* *There can be no doubt he's one of our best novelists...Dealing sensitively with love, ambition and duty - not to mention the bodily experience of womanhood, from youth to late middle age...absolutely not to be missed. -- Anthony Cummings * Daily Mail *Ross Raisin's deeply thought out and beautifully unshowy fourth novel... is a superb achievement. * Guardian, *Book of the Day* *Raisin is ambitious...and impressive in his execution. * Financial Times *Raisin's... most ambitious achievement yet... The attention to detail with which Anita is drawn means she steps outside the pages and lives enduringly in the reader's mind. -- John Self * Observer *

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Book Synopsis'He must know by now, I should think, that I can give as good as I get!'This is the story of Gigi, educated as a future courtesan in Paris, her days are filled with cigars, lobster, lace and superstitions. Bored and unconvinced by what she's taught, Gigi surprises everyone with her earnest approach to love.In this classic turn-of-the-century novella, Colette unveils Gigi's journey into womanhood in rich and supple prose.Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world.Trade Review“A perpetual feast to the reader…her prose is rich, flawless, intricate, audacious and utterly beautiful.” -- Raymond Mortimer

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Book SynopsisEven saints need second chances...Discover the new heartwarming Christmas adventure with the Sisters of Saint Philomena, about friendship, family, and forgiveness. Perfect for fans of AJ Pearce, Katie Fforde and Call the Midwife.Everyone loves Sister Bridget. The cheerful Mother Superior of St Philomena's convent is friend to many in the town of Fairbridge and the irrepressible caller at the weekly Parish Bingo. There is nothing she can't sort out with a kind word, a cup of tea and a slice of her amazing chocolate cake.But as the Christmas tree goes up and festive cheer rises, a visitor arrives at the convent who doesn't like Sister Bridget one bit. Sister Bridget soon learns that secrets are bubbling to the surface back home in Ireland - especially for her younger sister Mary. She will need to face up to past deeds, however well-intended.With the help of her friends, and the power of love and forgiveness, maybe she can finally make things right.Sweet Mercies reminds us that none of us is perfect, and everybody deserves another chance at finding peace and happiness.Praise for Anne Booth:'Charming, witty and warm, Small Miracles is a gentle gem of a novel, a cheery balm in troubling times.' AJ Pearce, bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird'With gentle humour, and surprising twists and turns, this is just the book we need in these difficult times. I didn't want it to end' Katie FfordeReaders adore Sweet Mercies:‘A lovely feel good story…I raced through this’‘The whole book left me smiling’‘This book is like receiving the best Christmas present all wrapped up with a bow!’‘This book was a joy to read, full of community and kindness’‘What a lovely hug of a book!’Trade ReviewAlthough this charming book is indeed heartwarming, it has the spice of reality which prevents it from becoming too sweet. I really enjoyed it -- Katie FfordeA wonderful, cheering Christmassy book about forgiveness and faith of all kinds. A perfect gift! -- Julie Mae CohenI absolutely adored Sweet Mercies, which is if possible, even better than its predecessor, Small Miracles. Beautifully drawn characters, full of a resounding zest for life, mingle with others not so lucky. The result is uplifting, joyful and bursting with hope.... A triumph! -- Celia Anderson, author of 59 Memory LaneOn one level, Sweet Mercies is an accessible, light read, ideal to curl up with at Christmas. There's lots of laughter - the havoc unwound by two playful kittens; Sister Bridget's shenanigans with the bingo balls; the tragi-comic decapitation of a statue. But like its predecessor, the book touches on deeper themes... When the folk of Fairbridge experience divine tenderness and forgiveness through people of faith they are encountering for themselves the sweet mercies of God * Inverness Courier *Charming, witty and warm, Small Miracles is a gentle gem of a novel, a cheery balm in troubling times -- AJ Pearce, bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird, on Small Miracles

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Book Synopsis*** FROM THE #1 EBOOK BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF CALL ME MUMMY *** 'Gripped my throat and didn't let go until the final sentence' - CAROLINE ENGLAND 'A slow-burn thriller, both horrifying and touching. Compelling' - CATHERINE COOPER 'A heart-stopping rollercoaster of a read' - J.M. HEWITT WHEN YOUR MARRIAGE IS THIS BROKEN, YOU MAY NOT MAKE IT OUT ALIVE. A nightmare jolts Debs awake. She leaves the kids tucked up in their beds and goes downstairs. There's a man in her kitchen, holding a knife. But it's not an intruder. This is her husband Marc, the father of her children. A man she no longer recognises. Once their differences were what drew them together, what turned them on. Him, the ex-army officer from a good family. Her, the fitness instructor who grew up over a pub. But now these differences grate to the point of drawing blood. Marc screams in his sleep. And Debs hardly knows the person she's become, or why she lets him hurt her. Neither of them is completely innocent. Neither is totally guilty. Marc is taller, stronger, and more vicious, haunted by a war he can't forget. But he has no idea what Debs is capable of when her children's lives are at stake... A completely addictive story of a relationship built on passion, poisoned by secrets and violence. Perfect for readers of Blood Orange and Big Little Lies.Trade ReviewA brilliantly written psychological thriller, its twists and turns executed with devastating precision. Everyone *needs* to read this -- Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEALWhat I love most is the prodigious humanity Tina Baker manages to heap into her characters. She dares you to make judgements, delighting as you trip over your own assumptions. Every sentence is splinter-sharp, making the whole thing sing like the edge of an unsheathed knife -- Kate Simants, author of A RUINED GIRLA slow-burn thriller which is both horrifying and touching but also manages touches of humour. Compelling -- Catherine Cooper, author of THE CHALETThis exquisitely dark, disturbing and explosive thriller gripped my throat and didn't let go until the final, searing sentence -- Caroline England, author of MY HUSBAND'S LIESA pacy, heart-stopping, brutal yet humorous roller coaster of a read -- J.M. Hewitt, author of THE LIFE SHE WANTSBy the last third of the book, I was scared to pick it up and scared to put it down. Brilliantly executed -- Eddie MairI couldn't put it down from the first page to the last ... a whirlwind of emotions. Compulsive and tense -- Louise Mullins, author of I KNOW YOUAn addictive, brutal read * Woman's Own *

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Book Synopsis'Powerful' Sunday Times 'Electric' Danya Kukafka 'Vital' Katie Gutierrez 'A triumph' Alice Ryan 'A powerful read' Heat 'Read this book!' Angie Cruz 'An instant classic' Morning Star 'Deserves all the hype' Glamour 'Crackles with life' Xochitl Gonzalez 'The book of the year' Rene Denfeld Carmen and Grace have been inseparable since they were little girls – more like sisters than cousins, survivors of a childhood marked by neglect and addiction. For too long, all they had was each other. That is, until Doña Durka swept into their lives and changed everything, taking Grace into her home and playing an outsize role in Carmen’s upbringing too. But Durka is more than a beneficent force in their Bronx neighbourhood. She’s also the leader of an underground drug empire, a larger-than-life matriarch who understands the importance of taking what power she can in a world too often ruled by violent men. So when Durka dies suddenly, Carmen and Grace’s lives are thrown into chaos. Grace has been primed to take over and has grand plans to expand the business, but Carmen is ready to move on – from Durka’s shadow, and from always looking over her shoulder in fear. As tough and tender as its main characters, Carmen and Grace is a devastatingly wise and intimate story about the bonds of female friendship, ambition and found family. Trade ReviewIn a world fraught with violence, Melissa Coss Aquino brilliantly delivers a heartwarming, loving novel with characters you are inspired to ride or die with. From page one, I was deeply invested in Carmen and Grace and their wild predicament of having to negotiate between their tight bonds and their ambitions. It had me up late turning the pages wanting to know if they will make it out without destroying everything. If you love reading novels about creative, ambitious, and relentless women who are committed to community and making a way out of no way, read this book! -- Angie Cruz'Electric, heartrending, and exceptionally tender – this novel examines the limits of familial loyalty, twisted cycles of poverty and violence, and how far we'll go to protect those we love most. Carmen and Grace are unforgettable characters, vital and flawed and relentlessly enthralling. Every sentence of Melissa Coss Aquino's debut feels acute and deliberate, a shard of glass held up to the light.' -- Danya Kukafka'Prepare to not breathe. This is a remarkable, heart-pounding book based on the best kind of tension – the real kind. Carmen and Grace is the story of two young women swept into the underground drug trade, each trying desperately to gain freedom, in their own ways. It is by turns touching, terrifying, and mesmerising. Melissa Coss Aquino is a brilliant writer and this is the book of the year.' -- Rene Denfeld'I was crying like I lost my best friend as I finished. Carmen and Grace crackles with life: its cruelty and kindness in equal measure. This book is an act of love, a story about found family, the magic sacred space that is created in a circle of women and, above all, the power and lessons of intuition. It will break you apart and remind you that we can all be put back together again, stronger, and wiser than before.' -- Xochitl GonzalezCarmen and Grace is everything I could want in a novel: a wise and ferocious exploration of mothers and motherlessness; an urgent, heart-pounding journey to power and safety; and an all-too-human rendering of what we choose when choice is an illusion. In Carmen and Grace, Melissa Coss Aquino offers us two of the most indelible, vital characters in modern literature. If this novel were a lifetime achievement, it would be enough – but it's only the beginning for Aquino, and for that we should all be thankful. -- Katie GutierrezCousins Carmen and Grace share a traumatic childhood that has bonded them together tightly. That is, until they meet a sisterhood of women known as the D.O.D, who are guided by a leader of an underground drug empire, Doña Durka. This plot-driven novel explores the bonds of found family and the ways in which power and ambition can sever relationships -- Lupita Aquino * Today.com *A grittily realistic book... a writer to watch' * Daily Mail *This is superbly written, the characters are complex and a presence on the page, you can feel their frustration, despair, and bond as they persevere against all the odds. A Latinx drama that deserves all the hype and praise. * Glamour *A powerful read **** * Heat Magazine *A powerful portrait of two women trying to make it in the Bronx... Melissa Coss Aquino offers a rich portrait of a dystopian matriarchy where shelter and security come at a high price. -- Erica Wagner * The Sunday Times *This passionate, uninhibited book, written with great craft as well with great feeling, has the air of an instant classic. * Morning Star *The characters are gripping, the story is fast-paced and the NYC Bronx setting is incredibly evocative – all the makings of a perfect summer read. * STYLIST *

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Book SynopsisThe heir to his grandfather's considerable fortune, Anthony Patch is led astray from the path to gainful employment by the temptations and distractions of the 1920s Jazz Age. His descent into dissolution and profligacy is accelerated by his marriage to the attractive but turbulent Gloria, and the couple soon discover the dangerous flip side of a life of glamour and debauchery.Trade ReviewHe was better than he knew, for in fact and in the literary sense he invented a generation. * The New York Times *Table of ContentsContains notes and an extensive apparatus on Fitzgerald's life and works

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Book SynopsisThe Good Soldier tells the stories of two outwardly happy couples who meet at a health spa in Germany just before the start of the First World War, and whose loveless, adultery-ridden relationships are strained and gradually disintegrate, with tragic consequences. Drawing inspiration from his personal life, Ford Madox Ford innovatively used non-chronological flashbacks as well as an unreliable narrator to reveal the scandalous affairs, lies and betrayals behind the facade of respectability, and craft a masterly work of fiction and a subtle investigation of the notions of truth and deception.Trade ReviewFord was the only Englishman who stood alongside the great 'moderns'. -- Peter Ackroyd

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Book SynopsisTrade Review‘Watching Women and Girls is a searing meditation on the moments that make, and break, us. As canny as they are entertaining, these stories are packed with emotional intelligence, capturing the dark and the light of the female experience in a series of vignettes that every one of us will in some way relate to. I loved it.’CHARLOTTE PHILBY, AUTHOR OF THE SECOND WOMAN Vibrant, intense and darkly comic this is a powerful and thoughtful collection told through closely observed, spellbinding characters that stay with you.’ABIGAIL BERGSTROM, AUTHOR OF WHAT A SHAME ‘A page-flipping joy of a read. Pender is a generous writer and observer of society who incisively captures what it is to be a woman in our times.’CHARLOTTE JANSEN, AUTHOR OF GIRL ON GIRL ‘Smart and astute, funny and wry; a catalogue of the modern conditions of dating, working and being. It encouraged me to pay more attention to the world around me and the secret lives of those in it.’AMELIA ABRAHAM, AUTHOR OF QUEER INTENTIONS ‘To see, be seen and know that you are, always, being watched. That is the experience of being a woman today. This thoughtful, meditative and, at times, absurdly funny collection is a reminder that someone is, always, looking right back.’VICKY SPRATT, AUTHOR OF TENANTS ‘A beautifully written exploration of woman and girlhood, with all of its contradictions and quirks. Danielle is a sharp new talent.’SIRIN KALE Chosen as one of the ‘best new book releases’ by COSMOPOLITAN A ‘best summer read’ by ELLE MAGAZINE

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Book SynopsisHaving travelled from her native New York to London to meet her relatives, Isabel Archer, a young, independently minded young woman, rejects the marriage proposals of two suitors in her determination to stay in control of her destiny. When she suddenly comes into a large legacy, Isabel believes that this windfall will finally ensure the freedom that she yearns for and embarks on an exhilarating journey through France and Italy, only to find her endeavours thwarted by the sinister plotting of some of her acquaintances. Considered by many to be Henry James’s finest novel, The Portrait of a Lady is a subtle examination of Victorian society and power relations, providing a groundbreaking psychological study of its protagonist. This volume is based on the authoritative New York Edition, and includes the author’s seminal preface.Trade ReviewHenry James’s great, humane masterpiece. -- Hermione Lee

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

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD__________________________________________________'Fresh, entertaining, funny and moving' RODDY DOYLE'A touching tale of how one woman survives a tough beginning to eventually end up exactly where her heart belongs' ANNE GRIFFIN, author of When All is Said__________________________________________________'If I could go back to being sixteen again, I'd do things differently.''Everyone over the age of forty feels like that, you total gom,' says my best friend Lizzie Magee.When she was young Mary Rattigan wanted to fly. She was going to take off like an angel from heaven and leave the muck and madness of troubled Northern Ireland behind. Nothing but the Land of Happy Ever After would do for her.But as a Catholic girl with a B.I.T.C.H. for a Mammy and a silent Daddy, things did not go as she and Lizzie Magee had planned.Now, five children, twenty-five years, an end to the bombs and bullets, enough whiskey to sink a ship and endless wakes and sandwich teas later, Mary's alone. She's learned plenty of hard lessons and missed a hundred steps towards the life she'd always hoped for. Will she finally find the courage to ask for the love she deserves? Or is it too late?Trade ReviewThis is in many ways a familiar story but it is told in such a fresh, entertaining, funny and moving way, it felt like I was reading something brand new. * Roddy Doyle *Two pages into this book you know you've unlocked something special . . . the book is brightened up plenty by sunshine characters and the magnificence of Tyrone nature . . . Tish knows what she's talking about. * Irish Examiner *A really lovely book. I loved reading it. -- Mariella FrostrupDelaney's writing is a beautiful wave flowing lyrically through the life of Mary Rattigan. A touching tale of how one woman survives a tough beginning to eventually end up exactly where her heart belongs. -- Anne Griffin author of WHEN ALL IS SAIDI did not expect this debut to turn into the most exquisite love story, but it did, and I was besotted. * Red *

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Book SynopsisMaeve Binchy''s highly successful Quick Read.''She is the Queen of Fiction and one of the funniest and best-loved storytellers in the world . . . once you read Maeve you are hooked for life'' IRISH TIMES''Maeve Binchy''s work continues to inspire ... thought-provoking, warm and funny in equal measure'' WOMANMolly Sullivan said that the new baby was a little star. She was no trouble at all and she was always smiling - so she became known as Star and no one remembered that her name was Oona.Star Sullivan just wanted everyone to be happy - her father to stop gambling, her mother not to work so hard, her brother to stay out of trouble, her sister to stop worrying about every little thing she ate. Then the Hale family moved in next door, and from the moment Star saw 23-year-old Laddy Hale, everything began to change - until Star was no longer the sweet, thoughtful girl everyone loved and no one worried about...Trade ReviewWarm, witty and with a deep understanding of what makes us tick, it's little wonder that Maeve Binchy's bewitching stories have become world-beaters * OK MAGAZINE *Reading her books is like gossiping with old friends * DAILY EXPRESS *She is the Queen of Fiction and one of the funniest and best-loved storytellers in the world . . . once you read Maeve you are hooked for life * IRISH TIMES *What is Maeve Binchy's magic? Every time she publishes a novel the race is on to the armchair or the poolside seat, telephones fall eerily silent . . . Her great gift is to suck her reader into the drama of everyday lives without fuss . . . She relies on dialogue and on keeping up a cracking pace * DAILY MAIL *Maeve Binchy is a master storyteller * NEW YORK TIMES *Binchy . . . is a class act * DAILY EXPRESS *

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Book SynopsisA gloriously festive, warm and cosy hug of a book. If this doesn't get you in the mood for mince pies, eggnog and pine tree scents, nothing will!' NetGalley reviewer, ?????'Tis the season for mulled wine, mince pies, and magic under the mistletoeFlora loves Christmas more than anything else in the world, so she's gutted when her Scrooge-like boss fires her from Deck the Halls Christmas emporium. But now she finally has a chance to follow her dreams and what better place to start than the home of Christmas?Before she can say sleigh bells', Flora's on her way to Lapland in a campervan-Christmas-shop. She can't wait to spend her days drinking hot chocolate and taking reindeer-drawn carriage rides, but something Flora didn't expect was meeting Connor, a Norse god of a man who makes her heart flutter and snowflakes swirl in her stomach. There's just one problem: Connor hates Christmas.Can Flora convince Connor of the joys of Christmas and will she find a festive romance along the way?Tropes:?? Enemies-to-lovers?? Grumpy x sunshine?? Festive?? Small-townReaders LOVE Flora's Travelling Christmas Shop!An absolutely delightful festive feel good book! Perfect for snuggling up with a steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire!'?????A quirky heroine, a lovely story and filled with festive vibes just fabulous!' ?????Rebecca Raisin has done it againI've loved all of [her] books and this is no different, it just has a little Christmas sparkle on top!' ?????A gloriously festive, warm and cosy hug of a book. If this doesn't get you in the mood for mince pies, eggnog and pine tree scents, nothing will!' ?????Trade Review Praise for Rebecca Raisin: ‘A charming page-turner of a book. This is a delightful story of new beginnings…Definitely not to be missed!’ Bella Osborne, bestselling author of Meet Me at Pebble Beach ‘A poignant and whimsical second-chance-at-love story.’ Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author of Sisters by Choice ‘A heart-warming adventure that sweeps you along.’ Woman’s Weekly ‘A story with a LOT of heart… a truly wonderful cast of characters!’ Lucy Coleman, bestselling author of Summer in Provence ‘Exuberant and funny… refreshing as a breath of country air, it warmed my heart like a summer's day.’ Jane Linfoot, bestselling author of The Little Cornish Kitchen ‘WONDERFUL! I could not put this book down!… A book to warm your heart and spirit you away to a brighter place. 5 big glittering gold stars! I love it!’ Colleen Coleman, bestselling author of Don’t Stop Me Now

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Book Synopsis‘A true page-turner’ Chat Monthly ‘Emotional, humorous and heartening, Julie Shackman knows how to bring the feel-good factor to fiction’ Woman’s Weekly Escape to the Scottish Highlands with a brand new spring romance from bestselling author, Julie Shackman

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Book SynopsisAn impoverished member of the privileged high society of old New York, Lily Bart is beautiful and socially agreeable, but she is almost thirty and still unmarried. Now she is keen to secure a wealthy husband to confirm her status, but the debts she contracts at the card table, her reduced circumstances and the constant gossip she attracts from malevolent tongues through her heedless behaviour and faux pas make her prospects look bleak. As suitor after suitor appears and fades away, and she is drawn further and further down a spiral of loneliness and unhappiness, she realizes that she is just one step away from losing everything she has. Published in 1905 to immediate critical and commercial success, Edith Wharton’s enduringly popular novel of manners is a brilliant evocation of the economic and social changes wrought by the Gilded Age, as well as a universal satire on the constraints and follies of upper-crust conventions.

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Book SynopsisSexy, fun and full of heart.' Beth O'Leary, author of The FlatshareA charming, uplifting contemporary romance this is Laura Jane Williams at her best!' Sophie Cousens, author of This Time Next YearI have three words of advice: ADD TO CART.' Hannah Doyle, author of The A to Z of UsIt's his first night in London. And her lastRuby's leaving London. She's not running away from her ex per se, but an exciting opportunity in a new city has landed at the perfect time.Nic is moving to London. After a bad break-up, he's excited to see where big-city life could take him.When a chance meeting throws the pair of them together for just one night, it's clear that this could be the start of something special. But there's one problem: she's leaving, and he's just arriving. So, after tonight, they'll never see each other again . . . will they?From the international bestseller comes a story of two strangers, two cities, and one night that changes everything. Readers love One Night With You:What a book! Trade Review Praise for Laura Jane Williams: ‘I can’t remember the last time a book made me forget I had a phone. Pure escapist fiction!’ Stacey Halls, author of Sunday Times bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick The Familiars ‘The Lucky Escape is Laura's best book yet. It whisked me away on a much-needed holiday – this is exactly the book we all need right now!’ Beth O’Leary, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Flatshare and The Road Trip ‘What an absolute delight! A romantic, relaxing, inspiring not-quite-honeymoon in book form, with a surprising emotional heft behind it. I love it!’ Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read ‘Smart and funny. The perfect escape.’ Sarah Morgan, bestselling author of The Summer Seekers ‘This was exactly the escapist book I've been craving – a witty, warm romance with a narrator so relatable she felt like a friend. Full of fun and charm, I'd recommend it to anyone wishing to be whisked away by an utterly feel-good love story.’ Holly Miller, author of Richard & Judy Bookclub Pick The Sight of You ‘Like a big cup of steaming coffee, it's energetic, comforting and uplifting. Full of fun and gorgeous characters’ My Weekly ‘Brilliant and funny’ Bella ‘The perfect tonic for these uncertain times – real escapism with warmth, a lightness of touch and vivid characters you really root for’ Ella Dove, author of Five Steps to Happy ‘We couldn’t put down this funny page-turner’ Closer ‘Laura Jane Williams’ writing has such a power to make you laugh and cry like no other’ Lucy Vine, author of Hot Mess

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Book SynopsisAmerica's preeminent fiction writer' New YorkerA raw, propulsive tale of love and grief' Mail on SundayA novel of love and loss from the bestselling and prizewinning author of Blonde.Michaela and her husband have moved to the starkly beautiful but uncanny landscape of New Mexico, to take up an academic residency. But when Gerard is struck by a fatal illness, their life begins to resemble a nightmare. At thirty-seven, Michaela must first face the terrifying prospect of widowhood, then the chaos of the days when Gerard is gone.Haunting and utterly heart-wrenching, Breathe explores the intense madness of grief and what happens when a love cannot be surrendered.A fever dream of a novel' New York TimesSimply the most consistently inventive, brilliant, curious and creative writer going, as far as I'm concerned' Gillian Flynn, author of Gone GirlTrade Review Praise for Breathe: ‘The dizzyingly prolific Oates returns with a raw, propulsive tale of love and grief. It unfolds against the stark landscape of New Mexico, where 37-year-old Michaela’s older husband, a Harvard professor, has taken up an academic residency, only to be stricken with a fatal illness. In the nightmarish moths that follow, Michaela cares for him with desperate devotion; in the aftermath, her struggle to accept his loss sends her hurtling towards a hallucinatory denouement’ Hephzibah Anderson, New York Times ‘The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and the demon-gods of the Native American Pueblo people combine to nightmarish effect in Joyce’s unrelenting latest, which is set against the uncanny landscape of New Mexico … nothing in her hallucinatory horror equals the simple, devastating awfulness of the moment when Michaela discovers her dying partner, his brilliant mind now addled with opioids, trying to read his paper upside down’ Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail ‘Breathe is a fever dream of a novel, and it’s as an allegory of grief that it most sparkles. What appears to be hallucination is actually more emotionally complicated’ Joshua Henkin, New York Times ‘The dizzyingly prolific Oates returns with a raw, propulsive tale of love and grief ’ Mail on Sunday ‘Breathe is a fever dream of a novel, and it’s as an allegory of grief that it most sparkles. What appears to be hallucination is actually more emotionally complicated’ New York Times

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Book SynopsisWow. Fans of Jodi Picoult will love this!' Real Reader Review, ?????What happens when his secret wife is the only one who can save your child?Elle has the perfect life. A hard-working husband, a clever little boy, and a gorgeous home in a quaint neighbourhood.Jen also has the perfect life. A passionate relationship with a doting husband, a creative little girl, and an exciting career.When a strange coincidence throws them together, they become close friends. But then they uncover a shocking truth: they share the same husband.As they both grapple with this devastating revelation, Elle receives worrying news about her son's health. When things go from bad to worse and Elle has no one else to turn to, will Jen help the woman who shattered her world? And can Elle trust the other woman with her child's life?An emotional and powerful novel about motherhood, friendship and a shocking secret that will tear life as they know it apart. Guaranteed to keep you hooked until the very last page. PerfTrade ReviewPraise for Lisa Timoney: ‘Heartbreaking and life affirming…it had me turning the pages late into the night… A fantastic read!’ – Emma Robinson the bestselling author of My Husband’s Daughter 'A moving, compelling family drama which keeps you turning the pages.' Linda Green 'A warm-hearted, page-turning read about a family shattered by a disastrous past event.' – Ali Mercer author of His Secret Family 'A thoughtful family drama, with well-rounded characters and a tangle of past secrets.' – USA Today and Amazon bestseller Jill Childs ‘An assured debut about family, loyalty and secrets…I loved it.’ – Laura Pearson ‘A gripping story of family secrets, love and past tragedy. It kept me hooked from beginning to end. A seriously impressive debut.’ – Annie Lyons

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Book SynopsisJunichiro Tanizaki was one of Japan's greatest twentienth century novelists. Born in 1886 in Tokyo, his first published work - a one-act play - appeared in 1910 in a literary magazine he helped to found. Tanizaki lived in the cosmopolitan Tokyo area until the earthquake of 1923, when he moved to the Kyoto-Osaka region and became absorbed in Japan's past.All his most important works were written after 1923, among them Some Prefer Nettles (1929), The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi (1935), several modern versions of The Tale of Genji (1941, 1954 and 1965), The Makioka Sisters, The Key (1956) and Diary of a Mad Old Man (1961). He was awarded an Imperial Award for Cultural Merit in 1949 and in 1965 he was elected an honorary member of the American Academy and the National Institute of Arts and Letters, the first Japanese writer to receive this honour. Tanizaki died later that same year.Trade ReviewA story about sex and marriage that is as explicit as any novel on the theme since Lady Chatterley's Lover * Time *At once sensational and serious... a middle-aged man's last bout of sexual passion * New York Times *That this is a work of rare art can never be in doubt * New Statesman *A story about sex and marriage that is as explicit as any novel on the theme since Lady Chatterley's Lover * The Times *Tanizaki tells the delicate and, in the end, frightening story with great skill...this is not a book you will soon forget * Boston Herald *

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Book SynopsisI Wish Someone Were Waiting For Me Somewhere explores how a life can be changed irrevocably in just one fateful moment. A pregnant mother''s plans for the future unravel at the hospital; a travelling salesman learns the consequences of an almost-missed exit on the motorway in the newspaper the next morning; while a perfect date is spoilt by a single act of thoughtlessness. In those crucial moments Gavalda demonstrates her almost magical skill in conveying love, lust, longing, and loneliness.Someone I Loved is a hauntingly intimate look at the intolerably painful, yet sometimes valuable consequences that adultery can have on a marriage and the individuals involved. A simple tale, yet long in substance, Someone I Loved ends like most great love affairs, forever leaving you wanting just one more moment.Trade ReviewHer books have both wit and a whimsical charm * Sunday Telegraph *Gavalda sees through ordinary appearances to people's hidden longings... A gifted literary stylist * Vogue *A distant descendant of Dorothy Parker * Voici *A collection as tender as it is scathing * Le Monde *

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Book SynopsisThe highly-anticipated new novel from the New York Times bestselling authorFor fans of Sorrow and Bliss and The Paper Palace___________''Best Book of 2023'' in Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, People, Book Page, Literary Hub''I could not put this book down'' MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER''Compelling, touching, exquisitely crafted'' LIANE MORIARTY''Prepare to lose yourself in this book'' SARA COLLINS___________There are two sides to every story. . .Malcolm is a bartender at the Half Moon in Upstate New York. He has always dreamed of owning a bar, and so when his boss finally retires, he seizes his chance, despite his wife''s protests.Jess has devoted herself to her law career. After years of trying for a baby, she''s struggling to accept the idea that motherhood might not be in her future. She finds herself slipping away fromTrade ReviewMary Beth Keane writes to the heart of the human heart. She shows us how love can deepen, how love can stall - hang in the sky like a half moon, waxing and waning in the same moment, equal parts shadow and light. I could not put this book down' -- Miranda Cowley Heller, author of Sunday Times bestseller The Paper PalaceAbsorbing ... Keane excels at moments of interior deliberation ... it's such a pleasure to sink into Keane's quietly luminous prose ... Her recordings of the small, significant moments of life have a way of standing for something larger... [Keane's] perceptive, generous observations and attention to her characters' inner lives make for a book that is much, much more than the sum of its characters. She manages to find the extraordinary grace in our achingly ordinary world * New York Times *I adored this compelling, touching, exquisitely crafted story about a marriage in crisis. As a devoted fan of Mary Beth Keane, I'm already looking forward to whatever she chooses to write next! -- Liane MoriartyI fell in love with The Half Moon from the first page, and barely looked up until I'd finished. Mary Beth Keane has written another brilliantly absorbing novel about complicated marriages and family dynamics - how they shape us, yes, but how they undo us as well. Prepare to lose yourself in this book -- Sara Collins, bestselling author of The Confessions of Frannie LangtonMary Beth Keane is one of our finest writers on the interior complexities of marriage and family. She shines a flashlight on the intricate clockwork of love and longing that runs inside us; and because of the thoughtfulness of that examination, beauty and possibility are visible. I ran my finger over sentences while reading, thinking: Yes, exactly. This kind of fiction recognizes us, and allows us to look around our own lives with respect and kindness, and is therefore a great gift -- Ann Napolitano, author of New York Times bestseller Dear EdwardKeane writes in a sturdily realist vein-the vivid, domesticated world of Anne Tyler, of William Trevor, of Elizabeth Strout-but her insights into matters of the heart, longing and restlessness especially, have astonishing delicacy * Vogue US *A quietly marvellous story of dreams, disappointments and second chances, but, mostly, love -- Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black CakeKeane explores the sacrifices of a marriage . . . The tension is undeniable and deeply compelling . . . with an unexpected twist, Keane's charming, tautly-paced, and introspective novel will delight * Booklist *Here, a full marriage story is compressed within the span of a single week as charming, gregarious bartender Malcolm and his conscientious lawyer wife Jess confront the longtime fissures in their union and the many dreams deferred * The Best in Upcoming Fiction, Entertainment Weekly *You'll root for both sides in this deftly written novel * Grazia *A man walks into a bar... at the start of this remarkable novel, and how does Mary Beth Keane do it? Because I walked right on in there after him, into this sublime, shaken snow globe of a story. A story that unpeels the human psyche with compassion and wisdom and extraordinary insight. She is hands down one of my favourite writers -- Fran Littlewood, author of Amazing Grace AdamsI LOVED The Half Moon. She's an extraordinary writer who explores the complications of human relationships with so much perceptive brilliance. Every character in this wonderful book is so nuanced - I've thought about it often since finishing -- Caroline Lea. author of Prize WomenPoignant * LA Times *Keane is an expert at writing about the complexities of marriage and family * Good Housekeeping *Another beautifully written book * Hello! *

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Book SynopsisThe gripping story of an affair gone horribly wrong, from one of Japan''s greatest twentieth-century writersKoji, a young student, has fallen hopelessly in love with the beautiful, enigmatic Yuko. But she is married to the literary critic and serial philanderer Ippei. Tormented by desire and anger, Koji is driven to an act of violence that will bind this strange, terrible love triangle together for the rest of their lives. A starkly compelling story of lust, guilt and punishment, The Frolic of the Beasts explores the masks we wear in life, and what happens when they slip.''One of the greatest avant-garde Japanese writers of the twentieth century'' New YorkerTrade ReviewThis morose little gem boasts its share of sensuous depravity * Wall Street Journal *Mishima was one of literature's great romantics, a tragedian with a heroic sensibility, an intellectual, an esthete, a man steeped in Western letters who toward the end of his life became a militant Japanese nationalist * New York Times *Mishima is the Japanese Hemingway * Life Magazine *A writer of immense energy and ability * Time Out *A sexually and psychologically complex novel... in a honed translation by Andrew Clare * TLS *

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Book SynopsisLoved it!! Gripping from first page to last, there is no let up!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review''Absolutely fantastic debut novel. Intelligent thriller, great twists, strong women . . . Loved it!'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader reviewThe twists are fast and furious. What an ending. Be still my racing heart!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader reviewDISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE THRILLER Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier has started to show the same tell-tale signs of Alzheimer's disease as her father: memory loss, even blackouts. So she is reluctant to accept the invitation to be the guest of honour at a prestigious biotech conference until her husband Daniel, a neuroscientist, persuades her that the publicity storm will be worth it. The technology being unveiled at this conference could revolutionise medicine forever. More than that, it could sa

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Book Synopsis''Massively entertaining and fun as hell!'' RACHEL HARRISON''The pages turn themselves'' SAMANTHA DOWNING''The hell-arious Desperate Housewives novel that dreams are made of'' BUZZFEEDA Chicago cul-de-sac is about to get a new neighbour...of the demonic kind.After moving from the city to the suburbs, Amy Foster found her place with neighbours Liz, Jess and Melissa. Snarking the elite PTA-mom crowd, the four concoct a plan for a clubhouse for themselves - a ''She Shed'' in Liz''s backyard, no spouses or kids allowed.The night they christen the space with a ceremonial drink, things begin to change. What they didn''t expect was for Liz''s home-improvement project to release a demonic force that turns their quiet suburban enclave into something from a nightmare.Cases of haunting activity in the neighbourhood intensify, and Liz begins to act . . . different. Even the calmest moms can''t justify the strange

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Book Synopsis''COMPELLING AND COMPULSIVE'' Victoria Selman''GRIPPING'' Claire McGowan''EXHILARATING AND DARKLY THRILLING'' J A Corrigan''KEPT ME GLUED TO THE PAGES'' Zoe Lea________Laura has a husband, children, a home in a city she loves. She thinks she can be happy, despite her past.If they only knew my secret.Until someone walks back into her life who she knows will shatter everything. Alexis was her first love. A love so exhilarating, it is impossible to resist.I know I should end it. But I can''t.Then Alexis is found dead, and the police are knocking at Laura''s door. They''re asking her questions and she''s telling them lies. I didn''t kill him. I promise.Someone wants Laura to pay for what she''s been running from. Someone with an obsession that they can''t let go.________A dark, addictive psychological thriller that wTrade ReviewDeftly told . . . the author is particularly good at creating just enough doubt and suspicion to keep the plot interesting . . . An accomplished debut and a fascinating study of the dangerous power of obsessive attraction * Daily Mail *Will have you turning pages long into the night * Scots Magazine *An impressive debut . . .Wonderfully constructed, this is at once a brilliant murder story, with enough spins of uncertainty to satisfy whilst remaining all-too-credible, and also a richly-perceptive account of female needs for connection, affection, love and sex * The Critic *Compelling and compulsive. A perfectly crafted 'just one more chapter' read. I loved it! -- Victoria Selman, Sunday Times bestselling author of TRULY DARKLY DEEPLYI struggled to put down this gripping tale of obsessive love and the dark shadow of the past -- Claire McGowan, author of WHAT YOU DIDEasy to get 'obsessed' with this book. Tautly plotted with memorable characters . . . a suspenseful read right up to its shockingly unexpected conclusion -- Lisa Ballantyne, Richard & Judy Book Club bestselling author of THE GUILTY ONECompelling, engrossing, and dark with secrets and passions, Liza North's debut had me guessing right to the last page -- E. S. Thomson, author of NIGHTSHADEA stunning debut. Daring, exhilarating, and darkly thrilling. I could not put this book down. -- J A Corrigan, author of THE NURSEAn addictive read: gripping from the first page. A stunning debut -- Samantha Lee Howe, author of THE STRANGER IN OUR BEDI absolutely loved this book . . . It kept me guessing right until the end with fast paced twists and turns and a gripping love story at its heart that kept me glued to the pages! -- Zoe Lea, author of THE SECRETARYAn addictive thriller, perfect for fans of Erin Kelly and Sarah Vaughan. Liza North is a major new talent -- Tom Harper, co-author of STORM TIDE

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Book Synopsis''One of his generation''s most gifted writers.'' New York Times''An amazingly perceptive novel.'' San Francisco Chronicle''Fascinating... lingers in the mind'' New York Times Book ReviewOwen and Rose are facing serious challenges to their married life of routine and monotony as New York City grows and changes around them. They spend most Sundays apart; while Rose buries herself in crosswords and newspapers, Owen visits gay porn theaters.But when they discover they may lose their apartment and their son, prompted by his new relationship, reveals his homosexuality, their lives cannot continue as they were. Owen and Rose are forced to confront not only their son's revelation but also Owen's latent homosexuality. Poignant and lingering, this is a tale of love and relationships, secrets and unspoken desires.Trade ReviewAn amazingly perceptive novel. * San Francisco Chronicle *One of his generation's most gifted writers. * New York Times *Fascinating... lingers in the mind * New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Summer at Shell Cottage and The Beach Cafe, a tale of what it means to be protected and saved by those you love.Trade ReviewStuffed with guilty secrets and characters you'll root for from the start, this warm and emotional summer novel about a family in crisis makes for delicious summer reading * Sunday Express on Summer at Shell Cottage *A great summer read from Lucy Diamond * Hello on Summer at Shell Cottage *Enthralling drama about family secrets * Heat on Summer at Shell Cottage *

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Book SynopsisChris Kraus’ The Bastard Factory tells the story of an entire epoch: a drama of betrayal and self-delusion spanning the years 1905 to 1975, taking us from Riga and Moscow, Berlin and Munich, all the way to Tel Aviv.Hubert and Konstantin Solm are brothers, born in Riga at the beginning of the twentieth century. They will find themselves – along with their Jewish adopted sister, Ev Solm – caught up in in the maelstrom of their changing times.As the two brothers climb the rungs of society – working first for the government in Nazi Germany, then as agents for the Allied forces, and eventually becoming spies for the young West Germany – Ev will be their constant companion, and eventually a lover to them both. The passionate love triangle that emerges will propel the characters to terrifying moral and political depths.The story of the Solms is also the story of twentieth-century Germany: the decline of an old world and the rise of a new one – under new auspices but with the same familiar protagonists.Translated from the German by Ruth Martin

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Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author of Three Women and Animal comes an electric masterclass in short fiction 'Fearless . . . This summer's must-read literary thriller' EVENING STANDARD 'Showcases Taddeo’s dark imagination, confronting prose and vodka-dry humour' RED ---------------- Behind anonymous screens, an army of cool and beautiful girls manage the dating service Ghost Lover, a forwarding system for text messages that promises to spare you the anguish of trying to stay composed while communicating with your crush. At a star-studded political fundraiser in a Los Angeles mansion, a trio of women compete to win the heart of the slick guest of honour. In a tense hospital waiting room, an inseparable pair of hard-partying friends crash into life’s responsibilities, but the magic of their glory days comes alive again at the moment they least expect it. In these nine riveting stories, Lisa Taddeo brings to life the fever of obsession, the blindness of love and the mania of grief. Featuring Taddeo’s arresting prose that continues to thrill her legions of fans, Ghost Lover dares you to look away. ---------------- PRAISE FOR LISA TADDEO: 'One of my favourite writers of all time' DUA LIPA ‘A pre-eminent channeller of women's interior lives’ FINANCIAL TIMES 'A brilliant writer, and a storyteller possessed of almost supernatural humanity' ELIZABETH GILBERTTrade ReviewFearless . . . This summer’s must-read literary thriller. The writer’s skilful depiction of female rage amid a world of predatory men will have you laughing, crying . . . and unable to put it down * Evening Standard *Showcases Taddeo’s dark imagination, confronting prose and vodka-dry humour . . . Taddeo is at her best when she’s writing about female friendship, with all its fraught nuances * Red *Taddeo can deliver turns of phrase so perfect, they feel like they’ve been on the tip of your tongue for ever . . . When it comes to describing some of femininity’s ugliest double binds, Taddeo is as brutal as the best of them. She is funny, too * i *Explores female desire and sexual power dynamics in a collection of stories that often feel shockingly true . . . Some readers will feel a shock of recognition – Taddeo has a knack for saying what women often feel they can’t say aloud * Guardian *These nine stories from the bestselling author of Three Women and Animal simmer with poisonous energy . . . Candid and caustic, these portraits are bold, bleak and entirely believable * Daily Mail *Dizzying, dripping and highly addictive * Tatler *Devastating stories of women’s pain, loss and compensatory behaviour. Taddeo is the 21st century’s more excoriating Edna O’Brien * Spectator *I’d be jealous of Lisa Taddeo if I didn’t love her so damn much * Refinery 29 *

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Book SynopsisA cult classic of Italian literature published in English for the first time, with a foreword by André Aciman, author of Call Me By Your Name In the late 1960s, Leo Gazzara left his family in Milan and moved to Rome for work. Soon unemployed, he has spent his time in an alcoholic haze, bouncing between hotels, bars, romantic entanglements, and the homes of his rich and well-educated friends. Rome is indifferent. Leo drifts, aimless and alone.On the evening of his thirtieth birthday, he meets Arianna, a young woman who is both fragile and seductive. All night they drive the city in Leo’s run-down Alfa Romeo, talking and talking. They eat brioche for breakfast, drink through the dawn, drive to the sea and back. A whirlwind beginning. This is the story of the year Leo fell in love and lost everything.Intense, brief, witty and devastating, Last Summer in the City is a newly rediscovered classic of Italian literature. Translated into English for the first time by Howard Curtis, Gianfranco Calligarich’s romantic and despairing debut is reminiscent of The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises and The Catcher in the Rye.Trade ReviewThe true quality of this novel is the way it enlightens, with a desperate clearness, a relationship between a man and a city, that is, between crowd and loneliness -- Natalia GinzburgThe most beautiful love story of the year * Il Giornale *A masterpiece * Le Figaro *Dazzling in every detail * Elle *[A] sublime text, of extraordinary languid beauty and sadness * Sud Ouest *Calligarich’s time capsule of love and existential drift in a lost Rome, translated into sparkling prose by Curtis, is ripe for a rediscovery * New York Times Book Review *A sad, seductive declaration of love for Rome * Il Messaggero *Romantic, raw and lyrical, this is a novel of rare honesty which depicts with devastating accuracy a world of missed connections and failed intimacy -- Alice JollyA short, gorgeous, moving and magnificent story of love and solitude -- Il Sole 24 OreThis book, at once painful and ironic, remains a small gem * La Repubblica *A heartrending marvel * L’Echo *Charming, decadent, and emotionally ruthless . . . equal parts Fitzgerald and Antonioni . . . It's wonderful to have this devastating gem at large in the world again -- Andrew Martin, author of Cool for AmericaDeeply haunting . . . A marvel of a novel * Booklist *Calligarich’s rendering turns la dolce vita into something more akin to Camus’s L’Etranger in a contemporary-ish urban setting. Out of print for years, this welcome new translation is elegiac and heart-rending * Vogue, Best Books to Read This Summer 2021 *The account of a lost generation in Rome in the early 1970s (possibly the children of the children of Hemingway’s lost generation) carries the weight of both family history and generational saga * Kirkus *Evocative . . . Calligarich conjures Italy’s piazzas, parties, beaches, and bars with a mood reminiscent of A Movable Feast . . . the feeling that Leo is alone in the world is poignantly conveyed * Publishers Weekly *

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Book Synopsis'Sunshine in book form' – Daily Mail'A joyfully escapist celebration of friendship and freedom' – Mail on Sunday'Delightful, heartwarming . . . An especially welcome reminder of the bright spots even in dark times' – NPRParas is a spirited young racehorse living in a stable in the French countryside. That is until one afternoon when she pushes open the gate of her stall and, travelling through the night, arrives quite by chance in the dazzling streets of Paris.She soon meets a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated crow, and life amongst the animals in the city’s lush green spaces is enjoyable for a time. But everything changes when Paras meets a human boy, Étienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the secluded, ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother live quietly and keep to themselves. As the cold weather of Christmas nears, the unlikeliest of friendships blooms between human and animals.But how long can a runaway horse live undiscovered in Paris? And how long can one boy keep her all to himself? Charming and beguiling in equal measure, Jane Smiley’s novel celebrates the intrinsic need for friendship, love and freedom, whoever you may be . . .From Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, The Strays of Paris is a captivating story of a group of extraordinary animals – and one little boy – whose lives cross paths in Paris.

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Book Synopsis'Sunshine in book form' – Daily Mail'A joyfully escapist celebration of friendship and freedom' – Mail on Sunday'Delightful, heartwarming . . . An especially welcome reminder of the bright spots even in dark times' – NPRParas is a spirited young racehorse living in a stable in the French countryside. That is until one afternoon when she pushes open the gate of her stall and, travelling through the night, arrives quite by chance in the dazzling streets of Paris.She soon meets a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated crow, and life amongst the animals in the city’s lush green spaces is enjoyable for a time. But everything changes when Paras meets a human boy, Étienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the secluded, ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother live quietly and keep to themselves. As the cold weather of Christmas nears, the unlikeliest of friendships blooms between human and animals.But how long can a runaway horse live undiscovered in Paris? And how long can one boy keep her all to himself? Charming and beguiling in equal measure, Jane Smiley’s novel celebrates the intrinsic need for friendship, love and freedom, whoever you may be . . .From Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, The Strays of Paris is a captivating story of a group of extraordinary animals – and one little boy – whose lives cross paths in Paris.

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Book SynopsisA Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and an instant New York Times bestseller.Nina de Gramont's The Christie Affair is a stunning novel which reimagines the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926 that captivated the world.'A novel that literally out-Christies Agatha.' - Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal'Scintillating' - Daily MailIn 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. Only I know the truth of her disappearance.I’m no Hercule Poirot.I’m her husband’s mistress.Agatha Christie’s world is one of glamorous society parties, country house weekends, and growing literary fame.Nan O’Dea’s world is something very different. Her attempts to escape a tough London upbringing during the Great War led to a life in Ireland marred by a hidden tragedy.After fighting her way back to England, she’s set her sights on Agatha. Because Agatha Christie has something Nan wants. And it’s not just her husband.Despite their differences, the two women will become the most unlikely of allies. And during the mysterious eleven days that Agatha goes missing, they will unravel a dark secret that only Nan holds the key to . . .Romance, enigma and wit in bucketloads’ - Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory‘A genuine marvel’ - Kristin Hannah, author of Firefly Lane‘Ingenious’ - AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs BirdTrade ReviewNina De Gramont’s beautifully written imaginative history of Agatha Christie's disappearance plays out alongside a parallel murder mystery that could have flowed straight from the pen of the great AC herself. An inspired tapestry of fact and fiction places the story perfectly in its historical context. The result is a novel that literally out-Christies Agatha. An exciting, moving and delightful read -- Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The AppealI was enthralled, moved and entertained by The Christie Affair. This is a book which has it all - romance, enigma and wit in bucketloads. What's more, its devilishly good plot could out-do those written by Agatha Christie herself -- Elizabeth Macneal, bestselling author of The Doll Factory and The Circus of WondersElegant, ingenious and hugely enjoyable, Nina de Gramont’s The Christie Affair is both an infamous mystery wonderfully explored, and a compelling story of love, adversity, determination and hope -- AJ Pearce, bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird and Yours, CheerfullyThe Christie Affair is a genuine marvel. An astonishingly clever novel that manages to be both a deeply satisfying mystery and a profoundly moving story about lost love and the many ways in which grief can shape one’s character. Full of unexpected twists and written in beautiful prose . . . Nina de Gramont takes this thread of a story and weaves it into a rich and vibrant tapestry -- Kristin Hannah, bestselling author of Firefly Lane and The Four WindsA completely fascinating and fabulous piece of storytelling. I paced myself as I did not wish to miss one detail of its clever and twisty plot. Bravo to the skill and imagination of the author -- Elizabeth Buchan, author of Two Women in RomeA delightful puzzle of a book, so cleverly constructed but with real heart and soul. The ingenious yet playful mystery keeps you turning the pages right till the end, but the real treasure of the book is the poignant tragedy buried deep in its core. Such a moving and satisfying read. -- Mary Paulson-Ellis, author of The Other Mrs Walker and Emily Noble's DisgraceA scintillating, speculative tale that takes in lost love, revenge, Irish mother-and-baby homes and a double murder at an upmarket spa in Harrogate * Daily Mail *The story unfolds in a series of carefully placed vignettes you may find yourself reading and rereading, partly to get the details straight, partly to fully savor the well-turned phrases and the dry humor, partly so the book won't have to end, damn it. Devilishly clever, elegantly composed and structured -- simply splendid * Kirkus (Starred Review) *I loved this novel. A clever re-imagining of what happened in the days when Christie disappeared as well as a stunning murder mystery which will keep the reader guessing. The Christie Affair is stylish, compelling and multi-layered, exploring the themes of love, loss, revenge and sacrifice, tugging at our emotions as the truth is revealed. An original and captivating read that has stayed inside my head. -- Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl and The Hiding PlacePulls off the trick of being both a gripping mystery and a stirring story about lost love * Good Housekeeping *The Christie Affair is a pitch-perfect hat-trick of a novel, delivering a fascinating glimpse into history, with the sensational and unexplained disappearance of Agatha Christie, a layered and completely satisfying murder mystery, and a moving, emotional rendering of love, loss, revenge and redemption – all with effortlessly stunning prose. I loved every page, and will be recommending this to everyone I know! -- Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go DarkA delight: intriguing, fast-paced, and elegantly written. Nina de Gramont takes you on an adventure through the English countryside with as many twists and turns as, well, an Agatha Christie novel. The unlikely alliances, complex motivations and jaw-dropping surprises will keep you riveted until the very last page -- Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train and The ExilesNina de Gramont’s skilful storytelling is exceeded only by her tenderness for her characters, and I was swept up, turning the pages and savoring them, too. This is a cracking good read -- Therese Fowler, author of A Good NeighborhoodImmersive, reflexive and propulsive, The Christie Affair is an extremely impressive literary debut which reveals its hidden themes and secrets through a narrative dance brilliantly done. This tale of two very different women who want the very same things in life forges surprising bonds both with its characters and the reader, deliciously subverting our notions of what makes a heroine, mother, writer and wife -- Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen SocietyNina de Gramont’s novel shines on so many levels, it’s hard to keep count: as an ode to Agatha Christie’s legacy, as a dashing love story, and as a tribute to complicated, determined women. Magnificent -- Fiona Davis, author of The Lions of Fifth AvenueI read [The Christie Affair] in a single sitting . . . The story combines dark pasts, dangerous liaisons and unforeseen twists into a masterful work reminiscent of one of Christie’s enigmatic works. The Christie Affair is both enthralling and beguiling, and will keep readers guessing until the very last page -- Pam Jenoff, author of The Lost Girls of ParisIngeniously plotted . . . This book is so much more than a cleverly plotted mystery - with incredibly moving multi-layered stories about lost love, second chances, hope and revenge, this novel is storytelling at its very finest * My Weekly *A clever, highly original, mesmerizing tale filled with strange and unexpected turns and concludes it in an unexpected butwholly satisfying manner. With its superb writing, strong characterizations, and wonderfully imaginative plot, this is a must-read * Booklist, Starred Review *Gripping . . . [A] series of unexpected twists and turns that Christie herself would be proud of . . . There’s no better time to hunker down with this cosy murder mystery which packs a surprising emotional punch * Reader's Digest *An ingenious premise * Daily Express *Inventive * The Sun *Pulsates with mystery, intrigue, love affairs and drama . . . A tortuous treat for murder mystery fans and one that Christie herself might enjoy * Sunday Post (Dundee Edition) *The Christie Affair is an ingenious new psychological suspense novel... richly imagined; inventive and, occasionally, poignant * Washington Post *This story is all about murder and lies and love and discovery. I loved it so much. I could not put it down. I read it in one sitting -- Reese WitherspoonSizzles from its first sentence * Wall Street Journal *A compelling read * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisThe Number One Sunday Times Bestseller and one of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022.From Hanya Yanagihara, author of the modern classic A Little Life, To Paradise is a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.'Three stories far apart in space and time but each unique in their power to summon the joy and complexity of love, the pain of loss . . . It’s rare that you get the opportunity to review a masterpiece, but To Paradise, definitively, is one.' – The Observer'Awe-inspiring . . . The characters are so well drawn and the plot so well paced, I couldn’t put it down.' – Daily TelegraphIn an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love whomever they please (or so it seems). The fragile young scion of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a charming music teacher of no means. In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father. And in 2093, in a world riven by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist’s damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him – and solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearances.These three sections are joined in an enthralling and ingenious symphony, as recurring notes and themes deepen and enrich one another: A townhouse in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village; illness, and treatments that come at a terrible cost; wealth and squalor; the weak and the strong; race; the definition of family, and of nationhood; the dangerous righteousness of the powerful, and of revolutionaries; the longing to find a place in an earthly paradise, and the gradual realization that it can’t exist. What unites not just the characters, but these Americas, are their reckonings with the qualities that make us human: Fear. Love. Shame. Need. Loneliness.To Paradise is a fin-de-siecle novel of marvellous literary effect, but above all it is a work of emotional genius. The power of this novel is driven by Yanagihara’s understanding of the aching desire to protect those we love – partners, lovers, children, friends, family and even our fellow citizens – and the pain that ensues when we cannot.'This magisterial follow-up to A Little Life offers three books in one . . . Yanagihara weighs up damage and privilege - social, emotional, political, colonial in a gripping, immersive ride through alternative Americas.' – The Guardian 'Best Reads For Summer'Trade ReviewAfter the painfully affecting [A Little Life] To Paradise gives us three stories far apart in space and time but each unique in their power to summon the joy and complexity of love, the pain of loss. I’m not sure I’ve ever missed the world of a book as much as I miss To Paradise now I’ve left it. * Observer *To Paradise is a transcendent, visionary novel of stunning scope and depth. A novel so layered, so rich, so relevant, so full of the joys and terrors – the pure mystery – of human life, is not only rare, it’s revolutionary. -- Michael Cunningham, author of The HoursHanya Yanagihara's To Paradise is as good as War and Peace -- Edmund White, author of A Boy's Own Story One of the most anticipated books of 2022 – if not the decade . . . Prepare to weep in public and be utterly transformed. * Stylist *To Paradise becomes unputdownable . . . Amidst the worst travails and political pressures, the primacy of human bonds is irreducible, a truth that lies at the heart of this frightening and very beautiful novel.' * Literary Review *A future classic . . . For those captivated by Yanagihara’s A Little Life, her next is equally gripping . . . Ultimately, it asks the question: is love really all we need? * Telegraph *A bravura achievement . . . Behind this impressive, significant novel stands the question: what is a life, if it is not lived in freedom? * Guardian *A very unusual sensibility and a burning subject matter have come together here . . . Highly affecting. Read it and hope not to revisit it in your dreams. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisFor three years Song Yan has filled her Beijing apartment with the tentative notes of her young piano students.She finds herself adrift, but her husband seems reluctant for a child of their own. It takes the arrival of her mother-in-law, together with sudden strange parcels and stranger dreams, to shake Song Yan from her malaise. Summoned to an ancient house in the heart of the city, can she find the notes she needs to make sense of the pain and beauty in her life?'There's something here of early Murakami's graceful, open-ended approach to the uncanny... Ghost Music is an evocative exploration of what it means to live fully' New York Times Book Review'Knits together music and life to touch on something profound' GuardianTrade ReviewAn intriguing book that knits together music and life to touch on something profound * Guardian *Vivid descriptions of contemporary Beijing ... Yu writes in clear, unadorned prose and deftly threads the magic-realist elements through the main narrative * Financial Times *Transporting, searching and poetic * List *This playful, often surreal novel packs in plenty ... an elusive tale, steeped in atmosphere * Mail on Sunday *Ghost Music has beautiful prose and claustrophobic imagery that intensely evokes its protagonist's alienation * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF AGE OF ANGER COMES A GATSBY-ESQUE TALE OF WEALTH AND AMBITION'A book that demands to be read' MOHSIN HAMID 'Terrific . . . deeply satisfying to read' KAMILA SHAMSIEArun and his two classmates, Aseem and Virendra, are the success stories of their generation. As graduates of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, they have smashed social barriers and played-out Gatsby-style fantasies across the globe.Run and Hide is a lyrical and piercing story of morality, materialism and upheaval in an every-changing world.'Sharp, provocative and engaging . . . Run and Hide might be the most zeitgeisty novel you could read' SPECTATOR'One of the finest, bravest writers we have' JUNOT DIAZ'It'll entertain the hell out of you' MOHAMMED HANIF'A novel of loss and moral collapse worthy of Henry James' JOSHUA FERRISTrade ReviewPankaj Mishra transforms a visceral, intimate story of one man's humble origins into a kaleidoscopic portrait of a society bedazzled by power and wealth - what it means on a human level, and what it costs. Run and Hide is a spectacular, illuminating work of fiction -- Jennifer EganIn his first novel in more than 20 years, acclaimed essayist Mishra splices a cautionary tale with elegant examination of globalisation and the perils of the changing world order. Immensely thought-provoking * Mail on Sunday *The first novel in more than 20 years from the essayist and cultural analyst Pankaj Mishra is as sharp, provocative and engagé as you'd expect... As an exuberant chronicle of a late capitalist world fatally mediated by Twitter and Instagram, Run and Hide might be the most zeitgeisty novel you could read * Spectator *A wonderfully rich and enjoyable novel . . . a work for our time and one that will surely be read many years on for what will then be its historical interest . . . a novel built to last * Scotsman *A lyrical letter from the new India...a profoundly literary voice, as interested in how to write about a subject as the subject itself * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, finally, the only real question.First love has lifelong consequences, but Paul doesn’t know anything about that at nineteen. At nineteen, he’s proud of the fact his relationship flies in the face of social convention.As he grows older, the demands placed on Paul by love become far greater than he could possibly have foreseen.Tender and wise, The Only Story is a deeply moving novel by one of Britain's greatest mappers of the human heart.Trade ReviewA novelist at the height of his powers ... Quietly devastating. -- Robert Douglas-Fairhurst * The Times *Exquisite. -- Kate Clanchy * Guardian *Emotionally acute, profoundly beautiful, as droll as it is deep... this has to be one of the smartest novels that 2018 has to offer. -- Hephzibah Anderson * Mail on Sunday *A gentle, bleak, and brilliant novel. -- Jon Day * Financial Times *Immensely powerful. -- Alex Clark * New Statesman *This intense, taut, sad and often beautiful tale may well be Barnes’ best novel for years. -- Lara Feigel * Spectator *A tender and heartbreaking novel. -- Alex Preston * Observer *As quiet and aching and intimate as a James Blake ballad. -- Rupert GooldA sensitive look at what makes lovers tick. -- Robbie Millen * The Times *A vivid dramatization of the narcissism of obsessive love. * Economist *

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Book SynopsisWhat is the secret to true friendship? Is it really love’s quieter relation or something stronger and more profound? And where does the line between the two lie? Rose Tremain looks at two unlikely lifelong friendships, which – though tested – prove unbreakable. Thought-provoking and life-affirming, this is at once an examination and a celebration of friendship in all its glorious complexity.Selected from the books Restoration and The Gustav Sonata by Rose TremainVINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS.A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us humanAlso in the Vintage Minis series:Love by Jeanette WintersonLanguage by Xiaolu GuoDesire by Haruki MurakamiFreedom by Margaret Atwood

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Book SynopsisHere is a collection of sexy, brief, fleeting poems about love, lust and longing. They originate from a time in Japanese history where aristocratic women of the Heian court were free to marry and conduct love affairs according to their desires. Education and refinement were so highly valued that the courtly manner of expressing oneself, whether to give condolences for a death, to send back a forgotten fan, or to heighten the anticipation of a lover's visit, was with a poem of just five lines. A convention of secrecy surrounding love affairs fills these verses with palpable emotion.These vivid and erotic poems express love in all its forms, and do so with amazing economy of words, unforgettable imagery and breath-taking modernity.INTRODUCED BY NIKITA GILL'They are full of dreams, of autumns, of lovers known or not yet met, of desire, wonderment, loneliness' Irish Times Translated by Jane Hirshfield with Mariko Aratani, this is an edition that brings the story of the poems to life with a detailed introduction and notes on the translation.Trade ReviewThese poems take us to the back corridors of Heian Period life and reveal the sexual intrigues that so often occurred under the cover of darkness... the seductive, free-spirited erotic environment unfolds through these sensuous poems * Japan Times *A thousand years later we can read poems that remain absolutely accurate and moving descriptions of our most common and central experiences: love and loss, their reflection in the loveliness and evanescence of the natural world, and the effort to understand better the nature of being -- Jane Hirschfield

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Book SynopsisEVERYONE THINKS MALA IS A MURDERER'A Caribbean classic' Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch-------Everyone in Paradise thinks Mala Ramchandin is a murderer. But with no body, no evidence and no witnesses, Mala is sent to an Alms House as a madwoman instead of prison. Here she meets Tyler, the only openly queer person on the island of Lantanacamara with whom she feels an affinity as an outsider. Despite Mala's muteness, she manages to communicate with Tyler about her missing sister, Asha.This is Mala's story, and an appeal to find Asha, told in Tyler's words. He dives deeply into Mala's family history, uncovering years of trauma passed down through generations and - staggeringly, beautifully - the love that has survived through it all.With an introduction by Ingrid Persaud.'Visceral, sensual and heartbreakingly tender' Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, author of When We Were Birds'A story of magical power' Alice Munro, author of Dear Life'Will remind many readers of Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things' Kirkus'Clearly ahead of its time' BooksellerFINALIST FOR THE GILLER PRIZEFINALIST FOR THE ETHEL WILSON FICTION PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZETrade Review'A novel about otherness, queerness, and hidden domestic crimes, Shani Mootoo was writing well ahead of her peers around taboo subjects. Cereus Blooms at Night is of Trinidad's finest novels, a portrait of how things really are on an island where there's been so much past hurt. A Caribbean classic' -- Monique Roffey * author of THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH *'Visceral, sensual and heartbreakingly tender, Cereus Blooms at Night is that rare book which is not only critically acclaimed but has the devoted following of a cult classic. A generation of us in the Caribbean have held it close and pressed it into the hands and hearts of fellow readers knowing that it may never be returned, so strong was our desire to have others share in its wonder. It changed me, utterly, the first time I read it and there have been echoes of Mala Ramchandin and her teeming, crumbling house in everything I have written or tried to write since' -- Ayanna Lloyd Banwo * author of WHEN WE WERE BIRDS *'A story of magical power' -- Alice Munro * author of DEAR LIFE *'Vigorously inventive prose... The sinuous unwinding of Mootoo's clever plot will remind many readers of Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things' * Kirkus *'My first experience of reading this novel was at university. Revisiting it, the novel was clearly ahead of its time, dealing with the complex issues of racial identity, diaspora, colonialism, desire and trauma' * Bookseller *

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Book Synopsis'Alison is a haunting book, complex and intimate. Lizzy Stewart has written and drawn the aches and confusions of love and growing up with immense skill' Posy Simmonds Alison is newly married, barely twenty and struggling to find her place in the world. A chance encounter with an older artist upturns her life and she forsakes convention and her working-class Dorset roots for the thrumming art scene of London in the late seventies. As the thrill of bohemian romance leads inevitably to disappointment, Alison begins to find her own path - through art, friendship and love.Trade ReviewSubtle and deliciously complicated -- Tessa HadleyA delicious portrait of 80s and 90s London and a more universal tale of a working-class young woman making a life in a world that has not been designed for the likes of her. For all its effortlessness [...] Alison ends up carrying a great emotional heft. It's a lovely book, and I cried at the end. * Guardian *Every page is a marvel; I absolutely loved it to death -- Jenny ColganAlison is a haunting book, complex and intimate. Lizzy Stewart has written and drawn the aches and confusions of love and growing up with immense skill -- Posy SimmondsNuanced, lovely, and very real, Alison haunted me for days and left me wanting to give it to everyone I know -- Jessie Greengrass, author of The High HouseI totally loved Alison. It's the story of the life of an artist told with subtlety and truth. It made me cry and I immediately wanted to share it with female friends -- Amy LiptrotSad and sweet and joyful and hopeful. -- Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled GroundA genius graphic novel (but lots of words) about a young woman from Dorset who leaves her life to be with a much older famous artist in London. It's also brilliant on relationships, creativity and friendship (and the art world) -- India KnightHer compassionate depictions of women alone, women together, will undoubtedly find welcoming audiences * Shelf Awareness *Her every page looks exquisite, which is entirely fitting, given that this is a book about an artist. Alison is Posy Simmonds meets Edward Bawden - and really, what higher praise could there be? * Observer *A vivid and moving book about friendship, art and making hard choices to stay on a creative path -- Sinéad Gleeson, author of ConstellationsAlison absorbed, delighted and moved me with its quiet truthfulness. No shouting, no hatred, no bitterness-just a patient, determined tackling of the eternal question: how can a woman artist fight her way out of the back seat and get behind the wheel? -- Helen GarnerLizzy's work is beautifully executed with an eye for composition, colour and fine detail * It's Nice That *This book is a testament to the right to choose your own life. It is a tender, heartbreaking meditation on the bonds between women, the dazzle of the city, the struggle to become a female artist within the bounds of patriarchy, and the desire to make a mark on the world. It made me long for my friends; the dreams we have shared over the years and the ways in which they make the world feel possible. I want to give a copy to everyone I love. -- Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater and Milk TeethA captivating new graphic novel that could have been dreamt up by Edna O'Brien and Judith Kerr of The Tiger Who Came To Tea fame, had they ever collaborated. * The Gloss Ireland *What is it like to be a muse who is also an artist? Lizzie Stewart's Alison is a tender and powerfully precise work about class, gender, patriarchy and race in the art world of the late 20th century. And, like Alison's own paintings, its clear perspective on the wrongs of this world never overshadows its generous capacities for beauty, love and joy -- Joanna Walsh, author of Girl OnlineEvery now and again a book comes along that is such a bright joy, so true, so beautiful and moving. Alison is one of those books. I loved it -- Jessie Burton, author of The MiniaturistBeautiful ... A coming-of-age tale with stunning artwork that will resonate with women everywhere * Red *Alison's various relationships, which are few but complex, are beautifully drawn - both figuratively and literally - especially a friendship she strikes up with a female sculptor. And the author skilfully manages to tease out all the nuances of a life in a tale that, despite being as old as the hills, manages to feel fresh and relevant * the Crack *A beautiful depiction of life as an artist, of the movements of love and time. I absolutely loved it. -- Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start FromStewart does a wonderful job * Buzz Mag *Alison is a marvel. A compassionate story of art, friendship, agency and desire, beautifully told through pictures and prose -- Chloë AshbyA highlight ... subtle and sympathetic * Daily Telegraph *Stewart's artwork is sensuous, lush and gorgeously textured. The best-looking book of the year * Herald *Praise for It's Not What You Thought It Would Be: 'This brilliant debut collection explores the intensity of teenage ennui and female friendship, with a deft feel for its slights and tensions -- Rachel Cooke * Guardian *Mournful, lovely ... Stewart's dynamic, warm, flowing art invites the reader in * The New York Times *A quietly powerful book, and Stewart's well chosen and often witty dialogue goes straight to the heart. Her artwork is filmic and beautiful -- Isabel Greenberg, author of Glass Town

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