Narrative theme: love / relationships
Vintage Publishing Sweet Mercies
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
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Carmen and Grace
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 *
£9.49
Alma Books Ltd The Beautiful and Damned
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
£7.59
Alma Books Ltd The Good Soldier
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
£6.99
HarperCollins Publishers Watching Women Girls
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
£9.49
Alma Books Ltd The Portrait of a Lady: Annotated Edition (Alma
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
£8.65
Pan Macmillan Young Mungo: The No. 1 Sunday Times Bestseller
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' *
£15.29
Cornerstone Before My Actual Heart Breaks
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 *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Star Sullivan Quick Reads S
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 *
£6.83
HarperCollins Publishers Floras Travelling Christmas Shop
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
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers A Scottish Country Escape
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
£8.99
Alma Books Ltd The House of Mirth
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.
£6.99
HarperCollins Publishers One Night With You The queen of the meetcute is
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
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Breathe Joyce Carol Oates
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
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers His Secret Wife An explosive and heartbreaking
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
£8.54
Vintage Publishing The Key
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 *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere
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 *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Half Moon
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! *
£15.29
Faber & Faber Geneva
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
£15.29
Headline Publishing Group Suburban Hell
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
£10.44
Little, Brown Book Group Obsessed
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
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Lost Language of Cranes
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 *
£11.69
Pan Macmillan The Secrets of Happiness
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 *
£8.54
Pan Macmillan The Bastard Factory
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
£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Ghost Lover: The electrifying short story
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 *
£8.54
Pan Macmillan Last Summer in the City
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 *
£13.49
Pan Macmillan The Strays of Paris
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.
£15.29
Pan Macmillan The Strays of Paris
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.
£9.49
Pan Macmillan The Christie Affair
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 *
£15.29
Pan Macmillan To Paradise: From the Author of A Little Life
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 *
£17.00
Cornerstone Run And Hide
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 *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Only Story
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 *
£8.54
Vintage Publishing Friendship: Vintage Minis
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
£5.99
Vintage Publishing The Ink Dark Moon
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
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Cereus Blooms at Night: The Booker-Longlisted
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 *
£9.49
Profile Books Ltd Alison: a stunning and emotional graphic novel
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
£11.69
Cornerstone A Fool's Alphabet
Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Ambitious and beautifully crafted' THE TIMES'Faulks writes with great emotional authority' SUNDAY TIMESAmidst the letters of the alphabet, a life reveals itself. Flashing backwards and forwards through time, we meet Pietro Russell. As a photographer in Sri Lanka, a schoolboy in Fulham and even before he was born to his wounded English father and young Italian mother. The extraordinary moments of Pietro's life are navigated with unique imagination, giving the reader a chance to view a life from a new and moving vantage point.A Fool's Alphabet is a novel of true invention from a master storyteller that sees life in all of its compelling, poignant glory.Trade Review“A Fool’s Alphabet is a poignant and highly readable novel that runs the gamut of experience from well, from A to Z.”–Herald“Sebastian Faulks’s third and most magnificent novel is a feel-good experience from cover to cover. At a time when writers seem obliged to present the seedy or the wicked as reflections of the dirty, real world, we have here something that goes deeper than greed and explores our emotional rather than material being.”–Daily Mail
£9.49
Pushkin Press In Love
Book SynopsisAn exquisite depiction of a doomed love affair, set in noirish 1950s New York In a hotel bar, a disenchanted writer tells a beautiful stranger the story of his latest doomed love affair. Sipping cocktails, the man reveals how he became transfixed by a lonely divorcée living in a cluttered apartment across the city. When they first met, he had been aloof, uncommitted. But this changed irrevocably when a millionaire waltzed into his lover's life, offering her a thousand dollars to spend the night. With betrayal lurking in the shadows and proclamations of feeling arriving too late, In Love is an exquisite examination of heartbreak set in 1950s New York.Trade Review'A little masterpiece' - Elizabeth Bowen'Moving and convincing ... a lyrical, intelligent book' - Guardian'My favorite of the Hayes novels... I have read and reread this small book as though it were a poem rather than a fiction: not a description of experience but the thing itself' - Vivian Gornick'A small masterpiece ... Compelling and flawless ... A gem' - Frederic Raphael'Hayes has done for bruised men what Jean Rhys does for bruised women, and they both write heartbreakingly beautiful sentences' - Paul Bailey
£9.49
Atlantic Books Fools
Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDWhen is it wise to be a fool for something? From New York to India to Paris, from the Catholic Worker movement to Occupy Wall Street, the characters in Joan Silber's dazzling connected stories tackle this question head-on.Vera, the shy, anarchist daughter of missionary parents, leaves her family for love and activism in New York. A generation later, her doubting daughter insists on the truth of being of two minds, even in marriage. The adulterous son of a Florida hotel owner steals money from his family and departs for Paris, where he finds himself outsmarted in turn. Fools ponders the circle of winners and losers, dupers and duped, and the price we pay for our beliefs, offering readers an unforgettable look at work, faith, love and the eternal quest for personal integrity.Trade ReviewStructurally, the intricacy is skillful; emotionally, it's astounding...Beautiful, intricate and wise * New York Times Book Review *Excellent . . . the pleasure of Ms. Silber's overlapping tales is that in all of them characters do something to surprise you. * Wall Street Journal *Silber deftly constructs whole, fully realized lives in just a few pages, and her use of first-person narratives gives these stories an intimate, confessional feeling, as if you've struck up a conversation with a particularly talkative stranger. * Boston Globe *Astonishing for its range, for its sweeping sense of time and place, and most especially for its deep insight into the way small choices can circle out to shape lives, and even human history. This is a beautiful book and an important literary achievement. -- Dan ChaonJoan Silber's stories charm us. And amuse us. And engage us. And move us. And even enlighten us. Fools embraces us all. -- Amy BloomJoan Silber's stories are like compressed novels. They are interlocking tales that fill in the history of revolutionary politics in the twentieth century. -- Edmund WhiteFools consists of cunningly, surprisingly interlinked short stories, which in this case wind their way through the last American century - in particular, the last one hundred years of belief, commitment, monogamy, integrity, all the things that complicate our lives and take us out of ourselves..."You don't know what you're going to be faithful to in the world, do you?" asks the narrator of "Two Opinions" plaintively, and Silber's characters illustrate this unpredictability with a whole range of dilemmas, all of them carefully and intricately imagined. Silber, I can tell, is never going to let me down, and I will keep a copy of one of her books, one I haven't yet read, on a special emergency get-out-of-book-jail-free shelf. -- Nick Hornby * The Believer *
£9.49
Alma Books Ltd This Side of Paradise: Deluxe Annotated Edition
Book SynopsisThis Side of Paradise charts the life of Amory Blaine, an ambitious young man loosely based on Fitzgerald himself, as he moves from his well-heeled Midwest home to study at Princeton and then starts frequenting the circles of high society as an aspiring writer. Experiencing failure and frustration in love and in his career, Blaine finds his youthful enthusiasm gradually giving way to disillusionment, cynicism and a life of dissolution. A critical account of its own era, introducing many themes which would be developed in later works, Fitzgerald’s first novel was an instant critical and commercial success, propelling him into the limelight as a literary celebrity.Trade ReviewHe was better than he knew, for in fact and in the literary sense he invented a generation. * The New York Times *
£7.59
Alma Books Ltd Eugene Onegin: Newly Translated and Annotated -
Book SynopsisWhen the world-weary dandy Eugene Onegin moves from St Petersburg to take up residence in the country estate he has inherited, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with his neighbour, the poet Vladimir Lensky. Coldly rejecting the amorous advances of Tatyana and cynically courting her sister Olga – Lensky’s fiancée – Onegin finds himself dragged into a tragedy of his own making. Eugene Onegin – presented here in a sparkling translation by Roger Clarke, along with extensive notes and commentary – was the founding text of modern Russian literature, marking a clean break from the high-flown classical style of its predecessors and introducing the quintessentially Russian hero and heroine, which would remain the archetypes for novelists throughout the nineteenth century.Trade ReviewPushkin’s novel in verse, Eugene Onegin, is the book that has most influenced my life. -- Vikram Seth
£7.99
Alma Books Ltd Diaries of Adam and Eve: Annotated Edition
Book SynopsisMark Twain's gloriously funny Diary of Adam and Eve, which John Updike described as a paradigm of the relations between sexes, is presented here with a number of other Twain pieces on our two oldest ancestors, showing the writer's interest in this most famous episode of the Bible. By giving a voice to Adam and Eve, and by hitting all the notes on the literary scale - from the intimate to the comical, from the journalistic to the idyllic - Twain displays the brilliance and wit for which he is rightly considered one of the greatest satirists of all time.Trade ReviewThe father of American literature. -- William Faulkner
£7.59
Everyman Poems Of Friendship
Book SynopsisThere are many anthologies of love poems but friendship has proved a more elusive theme. Yet it is no less important. Like the Everyman Love Poems and Erotic Poems, to which it is a companion, the present selection draws on the literature of many periods and languages to illuminate aspects of friendship, ranging from social acquaintance through personal devotion to estrangement and antipathy. The tone ranges from comic to elegiac and there is certainly something here for everyone. The volume is divided thmatically into sections: What are Friends?; The Pleasure of Friendship; Good Neibours; Social Life; Dumb Chums; Portraits; Poets Together; Strangers; Absent Friends and Looking BackTable of ContentsWhat are friends?;the pleasures of friendship; good neighbours; social life; dumb chums; portraits; poets together; strangers; absent friends; looking back.
£10.80
HarperCollins Publishers The Italian Job
Book SynopsisDream job. Dream house. Fake fiancé. A year in a gorgeous Italian castleWhen Anna Roberts' life implodes, an online search leads her to an ad for the ultimate dream job management of a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como, accommodation included. The only catch? Anna can't do it aloneWith the last man on earth she'd choose!The castle owners will only accept a couple as caretakers, which means Anna needs a man on her arm at the interview. Enter her neighbour, Jake Tucker. Though Anna and Jake have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake's had a rough few years and an escape to Italy sounds ideal. Yet, when they get the job and jet off, Anna and Jake face an unexpected challenge. Pretending to be a couple is difficult but pretending the tension simmering between them doesn't exist is quickly proving impossible!Readers are loving Anna and Jake's romance:I see fake dating, I see Italy, I readIt felt like the author had gone into my brain and pretty much wrote the romantic comedy of my dreams' Trade Review Readers can’t get enough of The New Guy: ‘Seriously love this twist on an office romance’ Christina Parker, Netgalley ‘Their chemistry was off the charts’Mad Mom Life ‘Better than most rom coms I’ve watched and read!’ Jennifer Arnold, Netgalley ‘Reads like the perfect rom-com movie’ Sinead, Librarian ‘Very sexy and very sweet’ Morgan Shulman, Goodreads ‘Warmed my heart and read like a movie…What a beautiful sweet surprise this was’ Kelsey Peterson, Goodreads ‘You have yourself a page turning, don’t want it to end story, in essence an absolutely cracking read!’ Margaret Harris, Netgalley ‘A gorgeously sweet romance!’ From Rachael Claire ‘It's got laugh out loud moments, heart wrenching moments but most important that feel good factor’ Chantiece Bates, Goodreads
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Falling Hard for the Royal Guard TikTok made me
Book SynopsisDespite living in an actual castle, happily ever after is evading Margaret Maggie' Moore.From her bedroom in the Tower of London, twenty-six-year-old Maggie has always dreamed of her own fairy-tale ending.Yet this is twenty-first century London, so instead of knights on white horses, she has catfish on Tinder. And with her last relationship ending in spectacular fashion, she swears off men for good.And then a chance encounter with Royal Guard Freddie forces Maggie to admit that she isn't ready to give up on love just yet But how do you catch the attention of someone who is trained to ignore all distractions?Can she snare that true love's first kiss or is she royally screwed?Love is in the heir in this royally good rom com perfect for anyone who likes relatable heroines (with great hair), hot and aloof book boyfriends (with great hats), near misses, almost kisses and a corgi or two.Readers are loving Falling Hard for the Royal Guard:As light and airy as meringue' Entertainment WeeklyA Trade ReviewReaders can’t put down FALLING HARD FOR THE ROYAL GUARD! ‘As light and airy as meringue.’ Entertainment Weekly ‘A towering love story.’ Daily Express ‘Readers will be charmed.’ Publishers Weekly ‘A novel that you’ll pick up for the promise of a very British romance story in a very unique setting, but will keep reading for the wonderful characters, sweet slow-burn relationship and Maggie’s heartwarming personal journey.’ Culture Fly ‘A perfect royal rom com.’ Bella ‘It’s fair to say I was captivated with this one… A great storyline, superb setting and a cheeky lead… Royally brilliant. I stand and salute this read.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I really loved this story and how much fun it was… The characters are great and the story was just spot on!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A great cast of characters… I read it in a day. Really enjoyed it!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I believe this author is new – you would never know this by reading the book. This has to be one of the best books I’ve read this year! Maggie was a phenomenal main character… Freddie was swoonworthy… I absolutely loved the facts woven into this story! Five stars!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I highly recommend Falling Hard for the Royal Guard. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and then you’ll swoon! For me, this is one of those books that you feel happy and glad to have discovered.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved the history of this book… Freddie and Maggie’s relationship gave me the warm fuzzies.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A brilliant debut! Completely unique… Great MC and perfect love interest.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This books was SOOO good!!! I loved the setting… the trials and tribulations of tinder dates was relatable and Freddie was just so charming!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
£8.54
Pan Macmillan The Body Artist
Book SynopsisA sad, beautiful novel, The Body Artist is an elliptical meditation on the mysteries of love, life and time.Trade ReviewAmerica's greatest living writer. * Observer *A novel that is both slight and profound, a distilled meditation on perception and loss, and a poised, individual ghost story for the twenty-first century. * Observer *A masterly portrait of the impact of death on those who live. * Evening Standard *
£8.54
Saraband Case Study
Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 GORDON BURN PRIZE 'A page-turning blast.' Times 'Genuinely affecting … a very funny book.' Guardian 'Burstingly alive and engaging.' Telegraph FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOKER PRIZE-SHORTLISTED HIS BLOODY PROJECT. 'I have decided to write down everything that happens, because I feel, I suppose, I may be putting myself in danger.' London, 1965. An unworldly young woman suspects charismatic psychotherapist Collins Braithwaite of involvement in a death in her family. Determined to find out more, she becomes a client of his under a false identity. But she soon finds herself drawn into a world in which she can no longer be certain of anything. In Case Study, Graeme Macrae Burnet presents both sides: the woman’s notes and the life of Collins Braithwaite. The result is a dazzling, page-turning and wickedly humorous meditation on the nature of sanity, identity and truth itself, by one of the most inventive novelists writing today.Trade Review'Enormous fun … a mystery and a psychological drama wrapped up in one. Case Study is a triumph.' -- Alex Preston * Observer *'Brilliant, bamboozling … Burnet captures his characters’ voices so brilliantly that what might have been just an intellectual game feels burstingly alive and engaging.' -- Jake Kerridge * Telegraph *“Sinister and cleverly done … punctures the myth-making of the period.” -- Anthony Cummins * Daily Mail *“What’s real and what’s not is beside the point in this skilful portrait of a disturbed woman and her encounters with an experimental 1960s psychotherapist … Both strands quickly become compelling … I was hooked like a fish.” -- Leyla Sanai * Spectator *'A thrilling investigation into the nature of sanity and identity' -- Alice O'Keefe * Bookseller *“Poses questions about the nature of the self and the authenticity of identity … fine comic passages … shed[s] light on the dark places of the mind … He is an uncommonly interesting and satisfying novelist.” -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *“Undoubtedly one of the best books of the year.” -- Alistair Braidwood * Scots Whay Hae *'A masterclass of diversion … blurring the lines of fiction and reality … serious and witty at once … an enthralling read.' -- Heather McDaid * The Skinny *'A novel of mind-bending brilliance. Graeme Macrae Burnet is a master of muddying the waters, of troubling ideas of truth and identity, fiction and documentary, and Case Study shows him at the height of his powers' * Hannah Kent *
£13.49
Simon & Schuster Ltd Preloved
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPreloved is one for your keeper shelves. * Red *An absolute gem of a novel, like finding vintage Dior in your local chazza. It's hard to believe that this tender-hearted, wryly observed and exquisitely written story is a debut and its heroine Gwen, as lost as the unwanted donations she prices up, will resonate with so many readers. Preloved is one for your keeper shelves. -- Sarra ManningI think I’ve been waiting for a novel like Preloved for my whole reading life. This is a luscious, shimmering book of depth and delicacy. It’s sad, hilarious, sad, tender, brutal, brilliantly observed – there is a sense of magic on every page. -- Daisy Buchanan, author of InsatiablePreloved is full of sharp observations on life, loss, regret and self-preservation... spilling over with wit and hope. Cleverly interwoven with stories of the myriad reasons items find their way into charity shops, the joy, friendship and ultimate enlightenment Gwen discovers offers a quirky and poignant reminder that one person's trash is always somebody else's treasure. -- Julietta Henderson, author of The Funny Thing about Norman ForemanPreloved has taken up residence in my heart and I will be recommending it to everyone I know. It's completely enchanting, completely captivating, completely brilliant, I adored everything about it. It has so much heart and warmth, while Gwen is so well-written and relatable. I was already a fan of Lauren Bravo's writing, and now I'm officially obsessed. -- Lucy VineLaugh-out-loud funny but also poignant and tender, Preloved is an absorbingly special debut novel. I devoured in equal measure the delicious descriptions of food and the moving vignettes of preloved treasures peppered throughout the book, while the nineties and noughties nostalgia had me gasping with pleasure. -- Laura Price, author of Single Bald FemaleFull of relatable anecdotes, lively, funny and modern, Preloved is a moving tale of emancipation and friendship. I loved it! -- Margaux Vialleron, author of The Yellow KitchenBeautifully considered and wonderfully crafted with characters who feel true to life. Full of witty observations and dazzling retorts and withering reactions… it won’t disappoint. -- Justin Myers/The GuylinerPreloved is a beautiful, funny novel full of pitch perfect insight and detail. In a world of fast fashion, fast friendships and fast opinion, this is a refreshing and relatable alternative, celebrating and challenging our ideas about objects and ownership. For anyone (like me) who has ever stood behind the counter of a charity shop, it will spark particular joy. Political, delightful and very very funny. -- Nell Frizzell‘While all Gwen’s friends are “procreating in the countryside”, she is single, lonely and now, jobless. So she begins anew in the place where all things get a second chance: a charity shop. Preloved is a funny and touching read.’ -- The I, best April books‘When Gwen is made redundant she volunteers at a charity shop, where encountering objects that come with incredible stories changes her life. Poignant and funny’ -- BestA hot water bottle of a novel – in that it’s best enjoyed on the sofa when you’re in need of something warming and comforting -- StylistOptimistic and engaging… intimate and joyful… We’re waiting for Preloved to be optioned by Reese Witherspoon or at least adapted into a binge-worthy Netflix series… -- GlamourA love letter to charity shops and the treasures within, this is a tale that will warm your heart. -- My WeeklyGenerous, hopeful, and big-hearted, Preloved’s warm sweetness is perfectly balanced by sharp observation, and a deeply moving exploration of grief. A glorious find of a book; one worth holding onto -- Kate Young
£13.49
