Narrative theme: love / relationships

Book SynopsisA surprise inheritance will open the doors to her future, and also the past…When Aunt Meg leaves her cottage to Anna Redding in her will, Anna immediately packs up and heads to Polkerran, the Cornish fishing village where she was so happy as a child.With ambitions to turn the cottage into a B&B, a job working for the enigmatic historian, Oliver Seymour, and the return of her childhood crush, Alex Tremayne, it seems the stars have all aligned for Anna.But Aunt Meg left behind a mystery for her to solve, and a shock discovery reveals she may be living a dream that isn’t really hers to hold. Can Anna rescue the new life she’s made for herself? Who in Polkerran can she really count on in her time of need?A charming and cosy romance for fans of Trisha Ashley, Cressida McLaughlin and Suzanne Snow.Previously published as The Cottage in the Cornish Cove.Praise for New Dreams at Polkerran Point ‘What a fabulous start to a new series! A gorgeous setting, fantastic characters and a wonderfully romantic story’ Jessica Redland‘A gorgeous read, infused with love, a true sense of community and delightful characters finding their way into the future as they come to terms with the past.’ Suzanne Snow‘The perfect read to curl up with and escape to Cornwall. Cass's descriptions of the county made me feel as if I were there, I could see Polkerran beautifully in my mind and hear the characters calling to each other as they made their way around the village.’ Kitty Wilson‘A beautiful slow burn love story with lots of twists. Fantastic ending.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘A well written story with characters I felt I knew. A great romance with a few twists and turns and a hint of mystery. I really enjoyed it from start to finish.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

Read more less

Book SynopsisDumped by Instagram post. Not a whiff of a social life. Can it get any worse?After a string of failed relationships - romantic and platonic - Lea’s had enough of watching life happen without her. When she bumps into Shep, a comedian at the Edinburgh festival in need of accommodation, it feels like destiny. And voilá – Lea now has a lodger and some company.The two get on like a flat on fire, and Lea can’t resist falling for outgoing Shep. But she knows it’s a mistake that will cost her heart – he’s just another guy passing through, after all. And with Shep’s stand up routine edging him closer to his big break, there’s no way he’ll stick around.Love is no laughing matter as the festival draws to a close. Can Lea find the confidence to step up and confess her feelings to Shep? Will he want to stay?A feel-good, heartwarming romance for anyone desperate to break out of their shell and find their true self. Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary, Laura Jane Williams and Miranda Dickinson.Praise for Stand Up Guy ‘A heartwarming, laugh-out-loud romance with all the feels’ Sandy Barker‘Warm, witty, with just the right balance of poignancy ... Nina Kaye’s writing really brings the setting, story, and characters to life.’ Zoe Allison‘Nina Kaye has done it again, with another of her trademark warm, funny reads that also shines a gentle light on social issues. I really felt for the main character Lea, and rooted for her all the way to the heartwarming conclusion’ Fiona Leitch‘A 5-star read that nestles into your heart, leaving you with that lovely afterglow of a beautifully told story – a true gem for any bookworm.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘The banter back and forth between the characters is great. A story of romance, friendship, chasing your dreams and finding self-confidence. Definitely give this book a read!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘Full of laughter and tears, this book took me on a journey. There is so much that you can relate to… brilliant!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘This is genuinely my new favorite romance novel. No miscommunication tropes, just two adults telling each other how they’re feeling consistently. Amazingly well-written.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘This book had me in tears twice in the first three chapters… I really related to Lea and was totally invested in her story. Deserves to be a smash hit.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘I didn’t want it to end, but equally couldn’t put it down – I read it in a day… the best rom-com I’ve read all year. Lea and Shep are one of my favourite bookish couples ever.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘This is a great book. I was able to both laugh and have some tears.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘I have hoovered up all of Nina Kaye’s books so far, and Stand Up Guy was no different. The romance that develops is a brilliant ‘will they/won’t they?’ story. A wonderful read and highly recommended.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Lyrical' Daily Mail'Beautiful' Spectator'Skilled' Financial Times'Vulnerable' Guardian'Deft' Independent'Profound' Observer'The beginning of summer. Perhaps it crosses my mind even now while I wait for news of Amy that something is coming towards us. Like sighting the first slow swell of a wave.'Years ago, in an almost accidental moment of heroism, Ed saved Amy from drowning. Now, in his thirties, he finds himself adrift. He's been living in London for years - some of them good - but he's stuck in a relationship he can't move forward, has a job that just pays the bills, and can't shake the sense that life should mean more than this. Perhaps all Ed needs is a moment to pause. To exhale and start anew. And when he meets Amy again by chance, it seems that happiness might not be so far out of reach. But then tragedy overtakes him, and Ed must decide whether to let history and duty define his life, or whether he should push against the tide and write his own story.Filled with hope and characteristic warmth, Undercurrent is a moving and intimate portrait of love, of life and why we choose to share ours with the people we do.Trade ReviewNorris hits this universal note squarely and successfully. Undercurrent is a defiantly unfashionable, heartfelt, emotionally vulnerable novel about mothers and sons, letting go of the past and saying what you need to say to your loved ones before it's too late. * Guardian *A profound meditation on dealing with loss and finding your moorings in destabilising times * Observer *Always skilled at creating character and voice... Norris demonstrates how seemingly insignificant moments impact a life. * Financial Times *Beautiful and useful. His writing untangles the knots that tie us down, to families, to history. He writes to free us and deserves our thanks. * Spectator *Lyrical, yearning, elegiac * Daily Mail *

Read more less

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

Read more less

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 *

Read more less

Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR TV DRAMA on Channel 5, starring Jason Watkins, Aneurin Barnard, Poppy Gilbert and Cathy Belton.She says he's perfect. I know he's lying . . .He caught me watching, and our eyes met. That was when it hit me. There was something not quite right about my daughter's new boyfriend . . .The doting fatherEd finally meets his daughter's boyfriend for the first time. Smart, successful and handsome, Ryan appears to be a real catch. Then Abbie announces their plan to get married.The perfect fiancéThere's just one problem. Ed thinks Ryan is lying to them.Who would you believe?All of Ed's instincts tell him his daughter is in terrible danger - but no-one else can see it. With the wedding date approaching fast, Ed sets out to uncover Ryan's secrets, before it's too late . . .'Tense, tight and totally absorbing' Adele Parks, Sunday Times bestselling author of Lies, Lies, Lies'Smart, intense, and with a humdinger of a mid-point twist. I loved it' Gillian McAllister, Sunday Times bestselling author'Taut, tense and compelling. T.M. Logan's talent is in creating characters with whom the reader instantly relates, and then thrusting them into situations that reflect our deepest fears. Thriller writing at its finest' Simon Lelic 'T.M. Logan's best yet. Fully delivers on its killer premise. Unsettling and so, so entertaining. The perfect thriller' Caz Frear'Tricksy, twisting, instantly relatable and utterly compulsive. T.M. Logan excels at creating characters you really care about and exposing them to your very worst fears in a way that is always smart, suspenseful and thoroughly entertaining' C.M. EwanPraise for the master of the 'it-could-be-you' thriller, T.M. Logan:'Assured, compelling, and hypnotically readable - with a twist at the end I guarantee you won't see coming' Lee Child'I loved the intrigue - it makes you think twice about going on holiday with friends' B A Paris'Perfect summer reading' S R Masters'Perfectly plotted and riveting with an exceptional ending' Diane Jeffrey'Heart-thumping suspense and the greatest twist since Gone Girl' Michele Campbell'A moral dilemma + a pacy plot = one gripping thriller. I stayed up far too late reading this one!' Louise Jenson**DON'T MISS T.M. LOGAN'S INCREDIBLE NEW THRILLER THE MOTHER - OUT NOW!**Trade ReviewThe complexities of this drama play out against the beautifully evoked backdrop of the Derbyshire landscape . . . Logan's storytelling is assured, the plotting is precise and the conclusion is convincing * Daily Mail *Smart, intense, and with a humdinger of a mid-point twist. I loved it * Gillian McAllister *Taut, tense and compelling. Thriller writing at its finest * Simon Lelic *T.M. Logan's best yet. Unsettling and so, so entertaining. The perfect thriller * Caz Frear *Action-packed and full of tension . . . Logan keeps the twists going up to the dramatic ending * Independent *Smartly laid red herrings keep you guessing. Delivered in short, punchy chapters, the pace of this crisp and clever thriller doesn't let up until the dramatic climax * Sunday Mirror *Brace yourself, this one's a thrill ride * Crime Monthly *This is a thriller sure to give you nightmares * Woman *A gripping narrative. T.M. Logan has a real flair for creating tension * Woman's Weekly *The Catch delivers the best kind of suspense thriller entertainment as Logan plays with our perceptions and tugs on our inner fears in this unsettling, twisting, turning journey through the fraught and complex landscape of our principal narrator Ed's troubled mind * NW Newspapers Syndication *A winner of a thriller if ever there was one * Weekend Sport *Gripping * Bell Magazine *I read it in a day and it kept my attention away from current world events. If you enjoyed The Holiday, then you will love The Catch * Trip Fiction *The best summer books are those that you simply can't put down and The Catch certainly fits the bill - offering up a tense and gripping thriller that will keep you hooked throughout * Culture Fly *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'If there's one book you need to read this summer it's Finding Mr Perfectly Fine' Yousra ImranLast week I turned 29. Along with the usual homemade Victoria sponge, helium balloon and Selfridges gift vouchers, my Mum's birthday present to me was the threat that if I'm not engaged by my 30th birthday, she's sending me off to the Motherland to find a fresh-from-the-Desh husbandWhen Zara's Mum puts together the most archaic of arranged marriage resources (not exactly the romcom-worthy love story she had envisioned for herself), she is soon exhausted by her family's failed attempts to set her up with every vaguely suitable Abdul, Ahmed and Farook that they can find. Zara decides to take matters into her own hands. How hard can it be to find a husband at twenty-nine?With just a year to go, time is of the essence, so Zara joins a dating app and signs up for speed dating.She meets Hamza, a kind British Egyptian who shares her values and would make a good husband. Zara knows that not all marriages are based on love (or lust) at first sight but struggles with the lack of spark. Particularly when she can't stop thinking of someone else . . .As her next birthday looms, and family pressure intensifies, Zara knows she must make a decision, but will she make the right one?Trade ReviewFull of heart and brimming with emotion, Finding Mr. Perfectly Fine is a delightfully charming story about finding yourself before you can find love. I couldn't put it down * Sara Desai, Author of The Singles Table *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'A superb romcom, with relatable and loveable characters that literally burst from the pages. With laugh-out-loud moments, woven between a heartwarming and hopeful story, it charmed me from the first page'Carmel HarringtonTrue love is only just a swipe away? Right?Iris lives by numbers. The only thing missing from her perfectly calibrated life is a partner - and not for lack of trying. After decades of disappointment, Iris practically has a PhD in online dating. But something still eludes her: that unquantifiable spark.Kim is too busy being the life of the party to look for love. Her terrible dates make great stories for her friends and co-workers, as long as she's not caught by her tyrannical boss, Iris.Connie, Kim's recently widowed mum, is single for the first time since the 1970s. The dating game has changed a lot since her day . . .Sick of being let down, Iris takes matters into her own hands - using her analytical skills to create the first real formula for love. With Kim and Connie on board, they launch Analyzed, a dating app like no other.As Analyzed takes the world by storm, are the three women in over their heads? Is love really just a numbers game?'A laugh on every page, entirely empathetic characters and a warm heart in the middle of the story. I found this book highly entertaining and totally satisfying' Liz NugentPraise for Claudia Carroll:'Brilliantly funny' Sun'An immensely talented writer' Sinéad Moriarty'Brilliant' BellaTrade ReviewA superb romcom, with relatable and loveable characters that literally burst from the pages. With laugh-out-loud moments, woven between a heartwarming and hopeful story, it charmed me from the first page. In short, I couldn't put it down, the perfect summer read! * Carmel Harrington *A laugh on every page, entirely empathetic characters and a warm heart in the middle of the story. I found this book highly entertaining and totally satisfying * Liz Nugent *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'A funny and touching insight into music, autism and motherhood' Dawn French'A truthful book that dives headfirst into the realities of motherhood that will make you laugh out loud and touch your heart in equal measure' Izzy Judd________________________________Your family doesn't fit the mould. So what?Since giving birth to her second child, Lucy's life is totally unrecognisable: the romance in her marriage is officially dead and so is the career it took her years to build.Instead of playing the cello behind superstars at packed-out arenas, Lucy now spends most days mopping up broccoli vomit whilst listening to her four-year-old recite facts about the gallbladder. Something needs to change.With a little help from her friends, Lucy comes up with a plan to get her life on track, claw back her career and help her extraordinary son to find his place in an ordinary world.Trade ReviewA funny and touching insight into music, autism and motherhood * Dawn French *A truthful book that dives headfirst into the realities of motherhood that will make you laugh out loud and touch your heart in equal measure * Izzy Judd *A relatable yet original read you won't be able to put down ... will make you laugh out loud. Simply brilliant! * Vicki Broadbent (The Honest Mum) *Honest, heartfelt and frankly bloody hilarious * Rowan Coleman *Will make you snort with laughter, wince in recognition and then punch you in the heart - often all in one page * Laura Vaughan *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'A funny and touching insight into music, autism and motherhood' Dawn French'A truthful book that dives headfirst into the realities of motherhood that will make you laugh out loud and touch your heart in equal measure' Izzy Judd________________________________Your family doesn't fit the mould. So what?Lucy had it all: an exciting career, a rock-star husband, and pelvic floor muscles that could crack a walnut. And then, she had kids...Since giving birth to her second child, Lucy's life is totally unrecognisable: the romance in her marriage is officially dead and so is the career it took her years to build.Instead of playing the cello behind superstars at packed-out arenas, Lucy now spends most days mopping up broccoli vomit whilst listening to her four-year-old recite facts about the gallbladder. Something needs to change.With a little help from her friends, Lucy comes up with a plan to get her life on track, claw back her career and help her extraordinary son to find his place in an ordinary world.Trade ReviewA funny and touching insight into music, autism and motherhood * Dawn French *A truthful book that dives headfirst into the realities of motherhood that will make you laugh out loud and touch your heart in equal measure -- Izzy Judd, bestselling author of Dare to DreamA relatable yet original read you won't be able to put down ... will make you laugh out loud. Simply brilliant! * Vicki Broadbent (The Honest Mum) *Honest, heartfelt and frankly bloody hilarious * Rowan Coleman *Will make you snort with laughter, wince in recognition and then punch you in the heart - often all in one page * Laura Vaughan *

Read more less

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 *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDSet in modern-day America and France, Renaissance Italy and Boxer Rebellion China, these stories embrace whole lifetimes, much in the manner of Alice Munro and William Trevor. Joan Silber skilfully and subtly ties one story to the next, as a minor element in one becomes a major element in the next, until the last is tied convincingly to the first. Intense in subject yet restrained in tone, they are about longings - often held for years - and the ways in which sex and religion can become parallel forms of dedication and comfort. From a wannabe dancer in contemporary New York City to missionaries in China, Ideas of Heaven showcases Joan Silber's extraordinary deftness as she illuminates love, faith and sex with great originality and profundity.Trade ReviewJoan Silber renders the thirsts and devotions of six lives with clarifying exactitude. The sometimes gentle, sometimes raw connections between these people will move you, and the ardour with which they yearn for their respective heavens will break your heart. -- Anthony Doerr[There are] books whose pieces are linked not by mere repetition of the protagonist but by genuine artfulness and imaginative necessity: Joan Silber's splendid new Ideas of Heaven, for example, in which the smallest wisp of one story will, in the next, sometimes blaze to full, unexpected life. * New York Times Book Review *Love, like these beautiful stories, offers devotion, consolation and transcendence. * Boston Globe *Luminous, stunning...The stories gather wholeness through deepening meditations on devotion...and through the startling use of language. * Chicago Tribune *Like William Trevor's writing and Alice Munro's, [Silber's] prose embraces both particularity and grandeur...Her characters remind us that we will have other lives in this world, and that nothing ever stays the same. * Washington Times *Silber covers a lot of ground in these stories, which have an epic sweep. Years pass. People grow and change. She has an ear for language, a way of turning a phrase to make it mean more than it should. * Charlotte Observer *Wonderfully evocative of time and place, this is a collection to be read and savored by all. * Booklist *Silber's wise, compassionate chronicles of longing, devotion and the search for comfort, both spiritual and physical, will move readers to contemplation and delight. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *A standout...Silber travels the globe and centuries with ease. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Prepare to ugly cry and snort laugh with abandon' - Heat'An emotional read with an OMG ending' - Jill MansellOne moment in time can change everything...The day Scarlett dies should have been one of the most important of her life. It doesn't feel fair that she'll never have the chance to fulfil her dreams - all because she stopped to help a stranger. And now, she's still ... here - wherever here is - watching the ripple effect of her death on those she loved the most.Evie cannot contemplate her life without Scarlett, and she certainly cannot forgive Nate, the man she blames for her best friend's death. But Nate keeps popping up when she least expects him to, catapulting Evie's life in directions she'd never let herself imagine possible. If you could go back, knowing everything that happens after, everything that happens because of one choice you made, would you change the course of history or would you do it all again?'A gorgeous love story with a twist' Veronica Henry'An unexpected ending that leaves you reeling' - Good HousekeepingTrade ReviewA thought-provoking and moving novel about loss, love, and the unique and life-affirming power of friendship. Poignant yet unwaveringly hopeful, One Moment is a fresh look at how grief can not only break us, but put us back together again. An unmissable debut. * Holly Miller *'Completely involving. An emotional read about love and trust, with an OMG ending -- Jill MansellA beautiful, bittersweet examination of friendship, love and grief, prepare to ugly cry and snort laugh with abandon * Heat *Wonderful * Marie Claire *This heart-wrenching tale is beautifully written * Sun *A beautifully written novel that captures the joy of a lifelong friendship and the horror of grief. Fans of JoJo Moyes will devour Becky Hunter's stunning tale * Sunday Express *A joy from start to finish -- Sheila O'Flanagan. No. 1 bestselling authorThis emotional read about friendship, love and loss is touching and relatable with an unexpected ending that leaves you reeling * Good Housekeeping *Full of heart and humour and the characters are all so well written * Prima *One Moment is so many things. A gorgeous love story with a twist, a tender portrait of the kind of friendship that transcends everything, and an exploration of the important things in life. It will make you question who you are, and what you want, and how to make the most of every opportunity and every relationship you have. Intimate, thoughtful, beautiful and deeply moving. Becky Hunter will steal your heart! -- Veronica HenryI adored this emotional debut from Becky Hunter. It's such a gorgeous tale of love and friendship, beautifully written and with characters you really believe in. * Georgina Moore, author of The Garnett Girls *An exquisitely written novel about grief, hope and the power of love. I loved every word. -- Cathy Bramley, Sunday Times bestselling authorBeautiful, hopeful, deeply emotional, incredibly wise and wonderfully romantic. One of those books I feel stronger for reading -- Cressida McLaughlinFantastic. Incredibly moving and very thoughtfully written -- Harriet TyceThis stunning debut explores grief, love and friendship in a beautiful and original way - a powerful read full of both moving and joyful moments * My Weekly *A story of friendship, loss and how one moment can change your whole life. A gorgeous debut. * Woman *Sharp, funny, tear-jerking, so assured and well observed. What a debut! -- Elizabeth BuchanA compelling read * Bella *A beautiful story about love and loss * Best *A warm and thoughtful novel that skewers friendship, loss and negotiating grief in a touching and relatable way. I was completely caught up in Evie and Scarlet's stories. -- Fanny BlakeA page-turner to grip you * Chat *Deeply moving ... truly packs an emotional punch. Heatwarming, witty and brilliantly written. * Press and Journal *A poignant, uplifting and life-affirming tale of friendship, love, grief and learning to let go. It'll have you welling up one moment and smiling the next. And by the end, your heart will feel a little fuller. * CultureFly *A hugely accomplished debut about dying, grief and loss, but also learning to live again. It's about love in all its forms, and, despite its subject matter, it manages to be uplifting and life-affirming. It's a story that will stay with me for a long time. -- Claire FrostSo moving and uplifting - I have no doubt that readers will fall in love -- Emylia HallAn engaging story about love, true friendship and sacrifice * Candis *A touching tale focusing on friendship, grief, and hope * That's Life *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Prepare to ugly cry and snort laugh with abandon' - Heat'An emotional read with an OMG ending' - Jill MansellOne moment in time can change everything...The day Scarlett dies should have been one of the most important of her life. It doesn't feel fair that she'll never have the chance to fulfil her dreams - all because she stopped to help a stranger. And now, she's still ... here - wherever here is - watching the ripple effect of her death on those she loved the most.Evie cannot contemplate her life without Scarlett, and she certainly cannot forgive Nate, the man she blames for her best friend's death. But Nate keeps popping up when she least expects him to, catapulting Evie's life in directions she'd never let herself imagine possible. If you could go back, knowing everything that happens after, everything that happens because of one choice you made, would you change the course of history or would you do it all again?'A gorgeous love story with a twist' Veronica Henry'Fans of Jojo Moyes will devour Becky Hunter's stunning tale' Sunday ExpressTrade ReviewA thought-provoking and moving novel about loss, love, and the unique and life-affirming power of friendship. Poignant yet unwaveringly hopeful, One Moment is a fresh look at how grief can not only break us, but put us back together again. An unmissable debut. * Holly Miller *'Completely involving. An emotional read about love and trust, with an OMG ending -- Jill MansellA beautiful, bittersweet examination of friendship, love and grief, prepare to ugly cry and snort laugh with abandon * Heat *Wonderful * Marie Claire *This heart-wrenching tale is beautifully written * Sun *A beautifully written novel that captures the joy of a lifelong friendship and the horror of grief. Fans of JoJo Moyes will devour Becky Hunter's stunning tale * Sunday Express *A joy from start to finish -- Sheila O'Flanagan. No. 1 bestselling authorThis emotional read about friendship, love and loss is touching and relatable with an unexpected ending that leaves you reeling * Good Housekeeping *Full of heart and humour and the characters are all so well written * Prima *One Moment is so many things. A gorgeous love story with a twist, a tender portrait of the kind of friendship that transcends everything, and an exploration of the important things in life. It will make you question who you are, and what you want, and how to make the most of every opportunity and every relationship you have. Intimate, thoughtful, beautiful and deeply moving. Becky Hunter will steal your heart! -- Veronica HenryI adored this emotional debut from Becky Hunter. It's such a gorgeous tale of love and friendship, beautifully written and with characters you really believe in. * Georgina Moore, author of The Garnett Girls *An exquisitely written novel about grief, hope and the power of love. I loved every word. -- Cathy Bramley, Sunday Times bestselling authorBeautiful, hopeful, deeply emotional, incredibly wise and wonderfully romantic. One of those books I feel stronger for reading -- Cressida McLaughlinFantastic. Incredibly moving and very thoughtfully written -- Harriet TyceThis stunning debut explores grief, love and friendship in a beautiful and original way - a powerful read full of both moving and joyful moments * My Weekly *A story of friendship, loss and how one moment can change your whole life. A gorgeous debut. * Woman *Sharp, funny, tear-jerking, so assured and well observed. What a debut! -- Elizabeth BuchanA compelling read * Bella *A heart-warming and often heartbreaking read * Daily Express *A beautiful story about love and loss * Best *A warm and thoughtful novel that skewers friendship, loss and negotiating grief in a touching and relatable way. I was completely caught up in Evie and Scarlet's stories. -- Fanny BlakeA page-turner to grip you * Chat *The must-read debut of the year ... brings joy, happiness and pleasure in a story simply not to be missed' * People's Friend *Deeply moving ... truly packs an emotional punch. Heatwarming, witty and brilliantly written. * Press and Journal *A poignant, uplifting and life-affirming tale of friendship, love, grief and learning to let go. It'll have you welling up one moment and smiling the next. And by the end, your heart will feel a little fuller. * CultureFly *A hugely accomplished debut about dying, grief and loss, but also learning to live again. It's about love in all its forms, and, despite its subject matter, it manages to be uplifting and life-affirming. It's a story that will stay with me for a long time. -- Claire FrostSo moving and uplifting - I have no doubt that readers will fall in love -- Emylia HallAn engaging story about love, true friendship and sacrifice * Candis *A touching tale focusing on friendship, grief, and hope * That's Life *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe critically acclaimed second novel from the author of ‘The Corrections’. ‘Strong Motion’ is the brilliant, bold second novel from the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of ‘The Corrections’ and ‘Freedom’. Louis Holland arrives in Boston in a spring of strange happenings – earthquakes strike the city, and the first one kills his grandmother. During a bitter feud over the inheritance Louis falls in love with Renée Seitchek, a passionate and brilliant seismologist, whose discoveries about the origin of the earthquakes complicate everything. Potent and vivid, ‘Strong Motion’ is a complex story of change from the forceful imagination of Jonathan Franzen.Trade Review'By sheer force of his imaginative writing and his unsheathed views of American life, Franzen succeeds in joining together a love story, a family story, and a corporate-cum-environmental story…Distinctly original.' The New York Times 'No doubt about it: Jonathan Franzen is one of the most extraordinary writers around.' Newsweek 'Ingeniously put together…His ear for American vernacular is flawless…His gift for description has a kinetic immediacy.' The Seattle Times 'Bold, layered…an elaborate construct, with the stuff of several books crammed into one…An affirmation of Franzen's fierce imagination and distinctive seriocomic voice.' New York Times Book Review

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisSupermarket checkout girl Tracy Pringle has a very lively imagination indeed. In front of her, as she blip-blips herself into a daydream, walk past not boring housewives with screaming children or tired office clerks, but the likes of Lord Byron, Lawrence of Arabia and Princess Leia. It comes as no surprise, then, that she turns a blind eye when Her Majesty herself pops a packet of Mr Kipling’s Bakewell tarts into her handbag without paying. Obviously, the management sees it differently, and Tracy is given the sack on the spot and forced to find herself another job. But nothing can prepare her for the new life that awaits her at the Taste of Persia restaurant, where she is flung headlong into a clash of cultures, languages, dinner plates, religions and a rather tricky domestic arrangement...Trade ReviewHigh farce laced with some acute observations on racial prejudice, bigotry, the strength of women's bonds, and an exploration of Islam. -- EveHe makes it all look so simple, but his classical, direct technique belies his daring choice of material. There is not a false sentiment or conventional genuflection in this book... Everyone who reads McCarten's generous, humane, funny and moving novel will come away enriched. -- Timothy MoMcCarten's novel hovers between indignant satire and engaging comedy of manners while sounding a clarion call against the bigotry and intolerance in our society. * Sunday Times *Anthony McCarten dares to speak of English multiculturalism in the satirical tone that most native writers keep mute. * The Observer *

Read more less

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

Read more less

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 *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA collection of early short stories which helped make Fitzgerald’s name, Tales of the Jazz Age combines period pieces – the most notable of which is the novella-length ‘May Day’ – with more fanciful creations, such as the fantastical ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, recently made into a Hollywood film. Also containing the now classic story ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’, as well as lesser-known sketches and tales, this diverse selection, compiled by Fitzgerald himself from material published in newspapers and magazines, showcases both the variety of his writing and early examples of the themes and characters which would find their way into his later novels.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: The Jelly Bean, The Camel's Back, May Day, Porcelain and Pink, The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Tarquin of Cheapside, O Russet Witch!, The Lees of Happiness, Mr Icky, Jemina, the Mountain Girl.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe tale of Heathcliff and Cathy's ungovernable love and suffering, and the havoc that their passion wreaks on the families of the Earnshaws and the Lintons, shocked the book's first readers, with even Emily's sister Charlotte wondering whether it is right or advisable to create beings like Heathcliff . Replete with unforgettable characters and situations that have seared themselves into our literary consciousness, Emily Bronte's intense masterpiece is one of the most haunting love stories in the canon of English literature.Trade ReviewShe looked out upon a world cleft into gigantic disorder and felt within her the power to unite it in a book... She could free life from its dependence on facts; with a few touches indicate the spirit of a face so that it needs no body; by speaking of the moor make the wind blow and the thunder roar. -- Virginia Woolf As I crouched in a corner with a copy of Wuthering Heights, I had the sensation that it was not the torch that was lighting up this intimate space, but the book itself. The book was radiant, the words shone. -- Jeanette Winterson A masterpiece... I still get shivers down my spine whenever I read the words of Cathy: `I am Heathcliff!' -- Bonnie Greer

Read more less

Book SynopsisBeautiful Emma Rouault yearns for the life of wealth, passion and romance she has encountered in popular sentimental fiction, and when her doctor, the well-meaning but awkward and unremarkable Charles Bovary, begins to pay her attention, she imagines that she may be granted her wish. However, after their marriage, Emma soon becomes frustrated with the boredom of provincial life and finds herself seeking escape and contemplating adultery. As Emma’s efforts to make a reality of her fantasies become more dangerous, both she and those around her must face the shattering consequences of her actions. Causing widespread scandal when it was published in 1857, Madame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert’s masterpiece and one of the landmark works of nineteenth-century realist fiction.Trade ReviewMr Moncrieff has succeeded in rendering Madame Bovary in a flowing, modern style while not losing the flavour of Flaubert's French. * The Use of English *It has a perfection that not only stamps it, but that makes it stand almost alone. -- Henry James

Read more less

Book SynopsisBasil and Josephine charts the coming of age of two privileged youths from quiet Midwestern towns, Basil Duke Lee and Josephine Perry - based on Fitzgerald himself and a combination of his first love Ginevra King and his wife Zelda. As one struggles to gain the acceptance of his peers and becomes consumed by ambition, the other finds herself obsessed by teenage crushes and has to confront the pitfalls of popularity. Written for the Saturday Evening Post while the author was working on Tender Is the Night, these stories form a realistic and entertaining portrait of two young adults in the 1910s, fascinating both for the autobiographical insights they provide and the timeless satire that Fitzgerald's fiction has become synonymous with.Trade ReviewHe was better than he knew, for in fact and in the literary sense he invented a generation. * The New York Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisLeo Tolstoy’s most personal novel, Anna Karenina scrutinizes fundamental ethical and theological questions through the tragic story of its eponymous heroine. Anna is desperately pursuing a good, “moral” life, standing for honesty and sincerity. Passion drives her to adultery, and this flies in the face of the corrupt Russian bourgeoisie. Meanwhile, the aristocrat Konstantin Levin is struggling to reconcile reason with passion, espousing a Christian anarchism that Tolstoy himself believed in. Acclaimed by critics and readers alike, Anna Karenina presents a poignant blend of realism and lyricism that makes it one of the most perfect, enduring novels of all time.Trade ReviewThe truth is we are not to take Anna Karenina as a work of art: we are to take it as a piece of life. -- Matthew ArnoldAnna Karenina is a perfect work of art. This novel contains a humane message that has not yet been heeded in Europe and that is much needed by the people of the western world. -- Fyodor DostoevskyWhat I confidently named the greatest social novel of world literature is in fact a novel against society. -- Thomas MannTolstoy’s greatness lies in not turning the story into sentimental tragedy… His world is huge and vast, filled with complex family lives and great social events. His characters are well-rounded presences. They have complete passions: a desire for love, but also an inner moral depth. -- Malcolm BradburyIt’s so fantastic that it can be read over and over again… I don’t know any other writer who is so adept at peopling their pages. -- Maggie O’FarrellTolstoy is the greatest Russian writer of prose fiction. -- Vladimir NabokovThe new translation into accurate and readable English by Kyril Zinovieff and Jenny Hughes surpasses even the most recent version by Richard Pevear and Melissa Volokhonsky...[it] makes the word order sound as natural in English as was the original in Tolstoy's Russian. * The Times Literary Supplement *Kyril Zinovieff has produced a fine, intelligent, sensitive translation that brings the Russian text alive in a way that immediately enriches a reader's awareness of its intentions and nuances. * East West Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe pride of high-ranking Mr Darcy and the prejudice of middle-class Elizabeth Bennet conduct an absorbing dance through the rigid social hierarchies of early-nineteenth-century England, with the passion of the two unlikely lovers growing as their union seems ever more improbable. One of the most cherished love stories in English literature, Jane Austen's 1813 masterpiece has a lasting effect on everyone who reads it.Trade ReviewThis is the flowering of the English novel. It is witty and wise; there is not a single flaw in this book, or a single moment that you do not relish. -- Colm Toibin I read all of Jane Austen's novels very early on and learnt to love her economy of style and precision. She still seems to me the finest writer in the English language. Pride and Prejudice always bears another reading, and I think in many ways it is a perfect rendition of the novel form. -- Philippa Gregory Jane Austen is one of my favourite writers... very acute, very perceptive, and writing in close and honest detail about the tiny preoccupations of women's lives - preoccupations which speak of much larger social and human issues. -- Helen Fielding

Read more less

Book SynopsisA novel of high romance and great intensity, Jane Eyre has enjoyed popular success and critical acclaim ever since its first publication in 1847. Jane's journey from a troubled childhood to independence - and her turbulent love affair with the enigmatic Mr Rochester - electrified Victorian readers with its narrative power. With characters that are as unforgettable as the story they enact, and a striking use of language that amazed the readers of the day, Jane Eyre ranks among the most influential English novels ever written.Trade ReviewOne of the most perfectly structured novels of all time. -- Sarah Waters My all-time favourite classic is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. -- Jacqueline Wilson Jane Eyre is the first fictional heroine to give women permission, as it were, to have an intense inner life. -- Joanna Trollope At the end we are steeped through and through with the genius, the vehemence, the indignation of Charlotte Bronte... It is the red and fitful glow of the heart's fire which illuminates her page. -- Virginia Woolf

Read more less

Book SynopsisInspired by Fitzgerald’s own courtship of his future wife Zelda, ‘The Last of the Belles’ centres on the Southern beauty Ailie Calhoun from Tarleton, Georgia, who finds herself the object of attention of all the officers at a nearby army base, including the narrator, Andy. A wistful and melancholy exploration of unfulfilled dreams and lost youth, the story is considered one of Fitzgerald’s finest pieces of short fiction. This volume also includes other acclaimed stories – such as ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, ‘The Swimmers’ and ‘The Bridal Party’ – written by Fitzgerald between 1927 and 1931, during the prolonged period in which he was struggling to compose Tender Is the Night.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: Jacob's Ladder, A Short Trip Home, The Bowl, The Last of the Belles, Majesty, At Your Age, The Swimmers, Two Wrongs, The Bridal Party, One Trip Abroad, The Hotel Child

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1348, the plague ravages Florence, and ten young Florentines take refuge in the countryside, where they entertain themselves with tales of love, death and corruption, featuring a host of colourful characters, from lascivious clergymen and mad kings to devious lovers and false miracle-makers. Named after the Greek for ten days, Boccaccio’s book of stories draws on ancient mythology, contemporary events and everyday life, leaving an indelible mark on the works of future writers such as Chaucer and Shakespeare. J.G. Nichols’s new translation stays as faithful to the original as possible while being written in a clear and eminently modern English, capturing the timeless humour of one of the great classics of world literature.Trade ReviewThe first great masterpiece of European storytelling. -- Hermann Hesse

Read more less

Book SynopsisEmma is considered by many readers to be Jane Austen's crowning achievement, a timeless comedy of manners that lays bare the limits on women's autonomy in Regency England. The disparity between Emma Woodhouse's self-confidence and self-knowledge, and her determination to arrange marriages for her friends while avoiding one for herself, leads to a painful series of misunderstandings for everyone who suffers from her well-meaning altruism - and with Mr Knightley being the only person of her acquaintance who has the good sense to challenge her, Emma must eventually recognize her match in every sense. Long praised for its rich detail and perfect craftsmanship, Emma is one of those classic masterpieces that readers go back to again and again for its inexhaustible fund of humanity.Trade ReviewIt is the cleverest of books. I especially love the dialogue - every speech reveals the characters' obsessions and preoccupations, yet it remains perfectly natural. -- Susanna Clarke I read all of Jane Austen's novels very early on and learnt to love her economy of style and precision. She still seems to me the finest writer in the English language. -- Philippa Gregory A favourite from my school days, and it would always hold its place my heart. Austen's characters are always devastatingly good, and Emma is, for me, her best creation. -- Monica Ali

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisBathsheba Everdene is a headstrong young woman who attracts the attentions of a succession of ill-matched suitors: a quiet sheep farmer, a handsome soldier and an older, wealthy landowner. As the men vie for her affections, she struggles to retain her independence of spirit in the face of their declarations. Introducing readers to the fictional county of Wessex, Thomas Hardy’s fourth work of fiction was one of his greatest triumphs, both commercially and critically. Its tale of passion, jealousy and unrequited love is now regarded as one of the finest novels of the nineteenth century, and one of the greatest love stories of all time.Trade ReviewFar from the Madding Crowd is the first of Thomas Hardy’s great novels, and the first to sound the tragic note for which his fiction is best remembered. -- Margaret Drabble

Read more less

Book SynopsisThese inventive and entertaining pieces display the early sparkles of wit and imagination of Jane Austen’s mature fiction. Written when she was only in her teens, they are by turns amusing, acerbic and occasionally downright silly. ‘Love and Friendship’ and ‘Lesley Castle’ provide parodies of the gentry and the fashionable idea of sensibility of the time. ‘A History of England’ supplies us with a lively chronicle of English monarchic history. Also included in this collection are ‘The Three Sisters’, ‘Catharine’, the series of vignettes known as ‘A Collection of Letters’ and ‘Lady Susan’, an epistolary story which was recently adapted for the cinema. Taken together, these pieces display all the wry humour, shrewd observation and satirical insight of Emma or Pride and Prejudice.Trade Review“Jane Austen is one of my favourite writers... very acute, very perceptive, and writing in close and honest detail about the tiny preoccupations of women’s lives – preoccupations which speak of much larger social and human issues. -- Helen Fielding

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen Mrs Ramsay tells her guests at her summer house on the Isle of Skye that they will be able to visit the nearby lighthouse the following day, little does she know that this trip will only be completed ten years later by her husband, and that a gulf of war, grief and loss will have opened in the meantime. As each character tries to readjust their memories and emotions with the shifts of time and reality, this long-delayed excursion will also prove to be a journey of self-discovery and fulfilment for them. Rich in symbolism, daring in style, elegiac in tone and encapsulating Virginia Woolf's ideas on life, art and human relationships, To the Lighthouse is a landmark of twentieth-century literature and one of the high points of early Modernism.

Read more less

Book SynopsisNellie March and Jill Banford manage an ailing Berkshire farm at the time of the First World War, a task which is made all the more complicated by the frequent rampages of a local fox through their chicken coop. When a young soldier turns up and begins to interfere with the farm and the lives of the two women, they must find ways to react to this new fox in their midst. A compelling study of the question of power, gender and sexuality, as well as a realistic portrayal of wartime rural England, The Fox showcases Lawrence’s inimitable gift for psychological observation and dramatic description.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIt is a variable early summer's day, and there is an unusual bustle in the grounds of Pointz Hall, a country house in a remote village in the very heart of England. The local community is all astir, intent on putting the finishing touches to preparations for the annual pageant, which is to be performed there that evening. Among the medley of attendees are Mr Oliver, the owner of the house, the flirtatious Mrs Manresa and her friend William Dodge, who is rumoured to be homosexual, the troubled married couple Giles and Isa, as well as the eccentric spinster Miss La Trobe, the author of the pageant - an ambitious journey through England's past and literature. Highly symbolic, and dealing with many of the themes that were most dear to Virginia Woolf, such as the condition of the individual in the current of history, sexual ambiguity and the tension between life and art, Between the Acts was the author's final novel, offering a tantalising glimpse of the direction her fiction might have taken.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrapped in a loveless marriage and weighed down by poverty, Ethan Frome’s days are enlivened by the presence of Mattie, his ailing wife Zeena’s youthful and charming cousin, who provides help to the household. When Zeena realizes that her husband’s feelings for Mattie go beyond simple affection, and that they seem to be reciprocated, the scene is set for a confrontation that will lead to heartbreak, misery and tragedy. A marked contrast to the mordantly satirical novels of manners set among New York high society for which she is best known, this story set in rural Massachusetts is considered by many to be Edith Wharton’s highest achievement, and is unsurpassed as a study of forbidden love and thwarted desire.

Read more less

Book Synopsis ‘Chilling… You won't be able to stop turning the pages!’ Shari Lapena, Sunday Times bestselling author ‘One of the best books I have read this year!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You trusted him with your secret…and then he vanished. When Wren Greenwood meets a good-looking stranger from a dating app, she expects a casual fling – but they connect immediately. Adam Harper is her perfect match. She falls for him. She confides in him. And then he disappears… his profiles deleted, his phone disconnected, his Manhattan apartment emptied. First, Wren blames herself. Then she hears about the other girls – girls who fell in love with Adam, and are now missing. Wren needs answers, but as she follows the breadcrumb trail Adam left behind, it leads back to her own dark past. Suddenly, she’s no longer sure if she’s predator or prey. She only knows one thing: whatever it takes, she’ll be the last girl he ever ghosts… This unforgettable thriller will keep you hooked until the very final twist. Perfect for fans of Harriet Tyce’s Blood Orange and A.J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window. Readers LOVE Last Girl Ghosted! ‘WOW, what a read!… I couldn't put it down. ’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I flew through this – you just can’t put it down. Lots of delicious twists.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘It grabbed me from the get go… A must read… Highly recommend!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This book kept me riveted to my seat… I heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves a good suspense novel.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘[Lisa Unger] has knocked this one out of the park! Psychological suspense… at its finest.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Brilliant and compelling… I read straight through the night, couldn't put the novel down till I turned the last page…’ Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Box ‘Lisa Unger is our most inventive suspense author… Clear your calendar and lock the doors. You will not be able to stop reading.’ J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of Her Dark LiesTrade ReviewPraise for Last Girl Ghosted:‘Chilling… You won't be able to stop turning the pages!’ Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door ‘Brilliant and compelling, full of fascinating characters that take us to the darkest places imaginable… I read straight through the night, couldn't put the novel down till I turned the last page, and am haunted by it still.’ Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Box ‘Lisa Unger is our most inventive suspense author, and she's created another fascinating, timely, and insanely good story with LAST GIRL GHOSTED… Clear your calendar and lock the doors. You will not be able to stop reading." J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of Her Dark Lies Praise for Lisa Unger:‘Lisa Unger’s deliciously intense and addictive thriller got under my skin. I picked it up, was drawn into this dark, tangled tale, and couldn’t pull away until it was done. Gripping suspense at its best.’ Karin Slaughter ‘Lisa Unger is one of my favorite writers. And in this tilt-a-whirl of a psychological thriller, she’s at the top of her game.’ Lisa Gardner ‘Riveting psychological suspense of the first order. If you haven’t yet experienced Lisa Unger, what are you waiting for?’ Harlan Coben ‘Suspenseful, sensitive, sexy, subtle. The best nail-biter I have read for ages. Highly recommended.’ Lee Child ‘Deeply plotted and complex… This is one book that will have you racing to the last page, only to have you wishing the ride wasn’t over.’ Michael Connelly ‘A darkly thrilling tale of survival and obsession. Lisa Unger never disappoints.’ Riley Sager ‘A masterclass in storytelling. The pacing, the characters, and the story are all pitch-perfect. This is an unforgettable novel.’ Samantha Downing ‘Unger takes you deep into the minds of psychopaths… what wild, creepy places they are to visit. Unger is at the top of her game here.’ Linwood Barclay

Read more less

Book SynopsisThough it is more than seventy years since it was first written, Caisleáin Óir, Séamus Ó Grianna's best-known novel, still has the power both to touch the heart with its story of the blighting of young love and to delight the ear with the excellence of its idiomatic Irish. The story of Séimí Phádraig Dubh and his sweetheart Babaí Mháirtín growing up at the turn of the century in the rocky peninsula of Rannafast in the Rosses of Donegal is one of bitter sadness, as they are deprived by fate and economic necessity of the magic glimpsed as children:'A Shéimí, goidé an cineál tithe iad sin,' arsa sise, ag amharc ar na néalta, 'atá os cionn luí na gréine?''Tá,' arsa Séimí, 'sin caisleáin óir a bhfuil na daoine beaga ina gcónaí iontu . . . '

Read more less

Book SynopsisCarpenter Adam Bede is in love with the beautiful Hetty Sorrel, but unknown to him, he has a rival, in the local squire's son Arthur Donnithorne. Hetty is soon attracted by Arthur's seductive charm and they begin to meet in secret. The relationship is to have tragic consequences that reach far beyond the couple themselves, touching not just Adam Bede, but many others, not least, pious Methodist Preacher Dinah Morris. A tale of seduction, betrayal, love and deception, the plot of Adam Bede has the quality of an English folk song. Within the setting of Hayslope, a small, rural community, Eliot brilliantly creates a sense of earthy reality, making the landscape itself as vital a presence in the novel as that of her characters themselves.

Read more less