Narrative theme: love / relationships

Book SynopsisGoodreads Choice Award winning poet Trista Mateer "expertly exposes the intensity of first love" in this confessional collection of poetry.You will meet people in your lifetime who demand to have poems written about them. It''s not something they say. It''s something about their hands, the shape of their mouths, the way they look walking away from you.Honeybee is an honest take on walking away and still feeling like you were walked away from. It''s about cutting love loose like a kite string and praying the wind has the decency to carry it away from you. It''s an ode to the back and forth, the process of letting something go but not knowing where to put it down. Honeybee is putting it down. It''s small town girls and plane tickets, a taste of tenderness and honey, the bandage on the bee sting. It''s a reminder that you are not defined by the people you walk away from or the people who walk away from you. Consider Honeybee a memoir in verse, or at the very least, a story written by one of today''s most confessional poets.Perfect for fans of Caroline Kaufman, Atticus, Clementine von Radics, Nina LaCour, Adam Silvera, and Becky Albertalli; or anyone interested in bisexuality, heartbreak, running away from your problems, and coming out.

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick, from the acclaimed author of Room. The Pull of the Stars is set during three days in a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu. 'Moving, gripping and dazzlingly written' – StylistDublin, 1918. In a country doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city centre, where expectant mothers who have come down with an unfamiliar flu are quarantined together. Into Julia’s regimented world step two outsiders: Doctor Kathleen Lynn, on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney.In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over the course of three days, these women change each other’s lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work.In The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue tells an unforgettable and deeply moving story of love and loss.'A visceral, harrowing, and revelatory vision of life, death, and love in a time of pandemic. This novel is stunning' – Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven'Reads like an episode of Call The Midwife set during a pandemic' – Mail on SundayGuardian, Cosmopolitan and Telegraph's 'Books of the Year'Trade ReviewA visceral, harrowing, and revelatory vision of life, death, and love in a time of pandemic. This novel is stunning -- Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station ElevenExtraordinarily prescient * Daily Telegraph *The Pull of the Stars has a fever dream-like quality . . . about as moving and absorbing as it gets * Evening Standard *An immersive, unforgettable fever-dream of a novel * Times *A timely, exquisite and unputdownable reminder of love and compassion -- Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold FryA story that is as timeless as it is urgent * New York Times *Fascinating and resonant * Sunday Times *Emma Donoghue is one of our greatest living prose stylists . . . a must-read novel * The Australian *Emma Donoghue’s best novel since Room * Metro *Eerily topical, Donoghue’s new novel reads like an episode of Call The Midwife set during a pandemic * Mail on Sunday *Moving, gripping and dazzlingly written * Stylist *It is rare for such a fast-paced story to be told so beautifully, and the writing is comical & exquisite * Irish Independent *Moving and memorable * Daily Mail *As strong and compelling as Jack in Room and Lib in The Wonder . . . a haunting and finely balanced literary novel -- Sarah Moss * Guardian *One of the Emerald Isle’s most glittering literary lights, Donoghue here delivers a historical fiction turned timely reminder of human resilience * Oprah Magazine, 'Best Books of Summer 2020' *Enticingly written . . . a felicitous comment on our new times * The Irish Times *Remarkably prescient * Irish Independent *Rarely can a novel have been as prescient or as timely as The Pull of the Stars . . . the book flies by like a hospital shift, as drama follows crisis and victory chases tragedy in a never-ending cycle of suffering, joy and bodily fluids * Business Post *Certainly, the currency of The Pull of the Stars gives it a gripping edge, but at its heart this is a story about friendship, love and compassion in extraordinary times . . . It's an engrossing read. Donoghue's writing is visceral and her female characters strike a powerful chord of humanity that stays with you * Australian Women's Weekly *Donoghue offers vivid characters and a gripping portrait of a world beset by a pandemic and political uncertainty. A fascinating read in these difficult times. * Booklist *Donoghue’s searing tale . . . Her blunt prose and detailed, painstakingly researched medical descriptions do full justice to the reality of the pandemic and the poverty that helps fuel it. Donoghue’s evocation of the 1918 flu, and the valor it demands of health-care workers, will stay with readers * Publishers Weekly *[Julia and Bridie’s] relationship forms the emotional core of a story rich in swift, assured sketches of achingly human characters coping as best they can in extreme circumstances . . . Darkly compelling, illuminated by the light of compassion and tenderness: Donoghue’s best novel since Room * Kirkus (starred review) *Eerily reminiscent of our current global health crisis, The Pull of the Stars brings readers intimately close to a world where health care workers risk it all to keep their patients alive * Time *Emma Donoghue's latest is getting an early release, and it's clear to understand why: In 1918 at the height of the Great Flu in Ireland, sick, pregnant women are quarantined together in a hospital while a group of overworked nurses tries to navigate their patients through the darkness * Marie Claire *Timely, punchy and gripping * Evening Standard *A powerful, persistent, highly detailed and incredibly moving book that speaks through time. Donoghue is a marvel of a writer * Press Association *Emma Donoghue has a gift for taking details from the past and creating believable and absorbing worlds around them * The Tablet *Gripping . . . fans of Call The Midwife will relish the true-to-life accounts of labour * S Magazine *Although compassion, female solidarity and dedicated service are at the novel’s core, suffering and terrible conditions are front and centre . . . Donoghue [excels] in strong characterisation and a vivid sense of time and place * The Herald *

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

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Book 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

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Book SynopsisThe tender and moving novella from the author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People''I read this beautifully imagined and moving novella in one sitting, utterly wowed, wanting to share it with everyone I know'' Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice_________Grandpa and Noah are sitting on a bench in a square that keeps getting smaller every day.As they wait together on the bench, they tell jokes and discuss their shared love of mathematics. Grandpa recalls what it was like to fall in love with his wife, what it was like to lose her. She''s as real to him now as the first day he met her, but he dreads the day when he won''t remember her.Sometimes Grandpa sits on the bench next to Ted, Noah''s father - Ted who never liked maths, prefers writing and playing guitar, and has waited his entire life for his father to have time for him, to accept him. But in their love of Noah, they have foTrade ReviewWinsome, bittersweet ... Wise and heartbreaking. Backman's slim novella celebrates the joy of connecting even in the midst of letting go * People Magazine *A novella to be savoured and reread about a boy, his dad and his grandpa as they learn to say goodbye. It's a little book with a big message * San Francisco Chronicle *I read this beautifully imagined and moving novella in one sitting, utterly wowed, wanting to share it with everyone I know -- Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still AliceBeautiful, dreamlike, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. Bring tissues. Bring all the tissues * RealSimple.com *The saddest, sweetest book ever ... It is heartbreakingly sad, but also beautiful and uplifting in the end * LaSalle News Tribune *

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Book Synopsis The Sunday Business Post Fiction Book of the Year | Shortlisted for Popular Fiction Book of the Year – An Post Irish Book Awards A heart-warming and hilarious novel about life, love, and the weight of all we leave unsaid, Duffy & Son is a quietly moving masterpiece from one of Ireland’s most gifted comic writers.Trade Review‘Funny, sweet, charming and just a little bit heart-breaking’ – Dara O’Briain “Enormously entertaining … a universal story told in a uniquely Irish way” ’ – Liz Nugent

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Book Synopsis______________ 'Elegant, filthy – and quite possibly the queerest thing you will read all year.' - Guardian 'Intriguing and inventive.' - Electric Literature, "Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book of the Year" 'A dizzyingly enticing and kaleidoscopic take on the spectrum of sexual experiences.' - Publishers Weekly, starred review _____________ A daring, category-confounding, and ruthlessly funny novel from National Book Award honored author Edmund White that explores polyamory and bisexuality, ageing and love. Sicilian aristocrat and musician, Ruggero, and his younger American wife, Constance, agree to break their marital silence and write their Confessions. Until now they had a ban on speaking about the past, since transparency had wrecked their previous marriages. As the two alternate reading the memoirs they’ve written about their lives, Constance reveals her multiple marriages to older men, and Ruggero details the affairs he’s had with men and women across his lifetime—most importantly his passionate affair with the author Edmund White. Sweeping outward from the isolated Swiss ski chalet where the couple reads to travel through Europe and the United States, White’s new novel pushes for a broader understanding of sexual orientation and pairs humor and truth to create his most fascinating and complex characters to date. As in all of White’s earlier novels, this is a searing, scintillating take on physical beauty and its inevitable decline. But in this experimental new mode—one where the author has laid himself bare as a secondary character—White explores the themes of love and age through numerous eyes, hearts and minds. Delightful, irreverent, and experimental, A Previous Life proves once more why White is considered a master of American literature.Trade ReviewElegant, erudite, raunchy and fun, America’s great Man of Letters is working at the top of his form, giving us a pair of portraits hung against the pattern of history. What a joy to read this master of prose and invention! * Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winning author of LESS *The best book in Edmund White's long and extraordinary career * Benjamin Moser, Pulitzer Prize winning author of SONTAG: HER LIFE AND WORK *White's project, as always, is to show us the human: the human body as defined by its urges and needs, and the human heart as it evolves through time and experience. In A Previous Life, he also gives us daring experiments of form, of autofiction, and of storytelling. Fresh and inventive and wise * Rebecca Makkai, author of THE GREAT BELIEVERS *An erotically charged and ingenious metafictional story of a married couple … A dizzyingly enticing and kaleidoscopic take on the spectrum of sexual experiences * Publishers Weekly, starred review *Humorous and nearly always irreverent ... An erotically charged literary romp facing the loss of physical beauty and the inevitable passage of time * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisThe Orphanage Girls come back together in The Orphanage Girls Reunited, the second installment of a moving wartime saga set in London’s East End, from the bestselling author of The Jam Factory Girls, Mary Wood.EllenAbandoned by her father for the second time, left scarred from the orphanage, Ellen finally finds happiness and hope – reunited with her long-lost gran. But it cannot compensate for being torn apart from her beloved friends Ruth and Amy. When a devastating encounter leaves Ellen broken and desperate, she is forced to fight her past demons.Ruth Ruth has found peace, building a new life as an actress and surrounded by new friends. But still she longs to be with Ellen and Amy, after everything they endured together in the orphanage. Amy was shipped to Canada with hundreds of other orphans – what hope have they of finding her?One wish comes true when Ruth’s acting career leads her to Ellen. No sooner than has the dust settled, war is on the horizon. Friendship locked them into each other’s her hearts forever.Will they find Amy? Can the Orphanage Girls ever unite?Trade ReviewWood is a born storyteller * Lancashire Evening Post *

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Book SynopsisOne of our finest living authors propulsively entertaining' New York Times''Sly, profound Electrifying'' ObserverWonderfully strange and alive' Jon McGregorA propulsive, seductive new novel about friendship, exploitation and intimacy from the prize-winning author of Where Reasons EndFabienne is dead. Her childhood best friend, Agnès, receives the news in America, far from the French countryside where the two girls were raised the place that Fabienne helped Agnès escape ten years ago. Now, Agnès is free to tell her story.As children in a backwater town, they'd built a private world, invisible to everyone but themselves until Fabienne hatched the plan that would change everything, launching Agnès on an epic trajectory through fame, fortune, and terrible loss.Beguiling A shimmering, unsettling tale of exploitation and manipulation' Daily MailHaunting and strange Li has made her style her own' Tessa Hadley, GuardianA dazzling, subtle, skilful knockout' Charlotte Mendelson, author of Trade Review‘Fans of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan trilogy won’t be disappointed, but the comparison undermines the skill with which Li tells her story, peeling back the layers to reveal the dark truths at the heart of Agnes and Fabienne’s friendship’ Marie Claire ‘[Li] has become … one of our finest living authors: Her elegant metaphysics never elide the blood and maggots … The most propulsively entertaining of Li’s novels… an existential fable that illuminates the tangle of motives behind our writing of stories’ New York Times ‘Beguiling … A shimmering, unsettling tale of exploitation and manipulation’ Daily Mail ‘These two perverse, dangerous, glorious girls are their own creation and their own destiny, captured in the high noon of their lives’ Observer New Review ‘Resonant with echoes of… My Brilliant Friend, as well as authors including Elizabeth Strout and William Trevor … For all its surface lushness, this is a novel of meticulous philosophical inquiry’ Observer ‘Brilliant … A novel of deceptions and cruelty’ Spectator 'Dazzling, subtle, skilful … I loved it' Charlotte Mendelson, author of The Exhibitionist ‘In a story about love and creation, Yiyun Li slips in a satire of the business of marketing authors… deft and delicious’ Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Starling Days ‘Yiyun Li has, again, done something new and gone somewhere wonderfully strange and alive. Beautiful, sad, funny and claustrophobic’ Jon McGregor, author of Lean Fall Stand ‘A haunting novel about loss, friendship and storytelling … Few writers match Yiyun Li’s ability to explore human desire and ambition’ Tash Aw, author of Strangers on a Pier ‘Meet Agnès and Fabienne…Come for the writerly scheming, stay for the exquisitely calibrated examination of how our most tender and important bonds involve the manipulation of power and devotion’ LA Times

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Book Synopsis‘Compelling' Marie Claire * 'Immensely enjoyable' Observer * 'Fascinating' Red *One week into lockdown, the tenants of a Manhattan apartment building have begun to gather on the rooftop each evening and tell stories in this exciting new twist on the novel.With each passing night, more and more neighbours gather, bringing chairs and milk crates and overturned buckets. Gradually the tenants – some of whom have barely spoken to each other before now – become real neighbours.With each character secretly written by a different, major literary voice - from Margaret Atwood to John Grisham and Celeste Ng, Fourteen Days is a heart-warming ode to the power of storytelling and human connection.‘An immensely enjoyable product of an immensely unenjoyable time, Fourteen Days is lively, freewheeling… An impressive achievement’ Observer‘Fourteen Days serves as a valuable reminder that stories can teach, console, provide a place of acceptance and perhaps even change their readers (or listeners)’ Financial TimesIncludes writing from: Margaret Atwood, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Erica Jong, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Doug Preston, R.L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Meg Wolitzer and many more.Trade ReviewFourteen Days serves as a valuable reminder that stories can teach, console, provide a place of acceptance and perhaps even change their readers (or listeners) * Financial Times *If you want to feel well read in double-quick time, try Fourteen Days, which is set in a New York city tenement in the early days of the pandemic. It has a novel twist (pardon the pun) - each character has been secretly written by a different author from Margaret Atwood and John Grisham to Dave Eggers and Celeste Ng * BBC *While we're really not in a rush to think about the pandemic again, we'll make an exception for Margaret Atwood. Fourteen Days is a collaborative novel edited by Atwood and Douglas Preston, and includes writing from Celeste NG and John Grisham, amongst others. In the novel, the inhabitants of a Manhattan apartment block gather on the roof and tell stories, as more neighbours join people start to form real bonds * Cosmopolitan *Reading Fourteen Days is like sitting by a campfire, with characters taking turns telling tales about their lives * Economist *A heart-warming and surprising narrative, Fourteen Days is an ode to the power of storytelling and human connection * SheerLuxe *

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis‘Compelling' Marie Claire * 'Immensely enjoyable' Observer * 'Fascinating' Red *One week into lockdown, the tenants of a Manhattan apartment building have begun to gather on the rooftop each evening and tell stories in this exciting new twist on the novel.With each passing night, more and more neighbours gather, bringing chairs and milk crates and overturned buckets. Gradually the tenants – some of whom have barely spoken to each other before now – become real neighbours.With each character secretly written by a different, major literary voice - from Margaret Atwood to John Grisham and Celeste Ng, Fourteen Days is a heart-warming ode to the power of storytelling and human connection.‘An immensely enjoyable product of an immensely unenjoyable time, Fourteen Days is lively, freewheeling… An impressive achievement’ Observer‘Fourteen Days serves as a valuable reminder that stories can teach, console, provide a place of acceptance and perhaps even change their readers (or listeners)’ Financial TimesIncludes writing from: Margaret Atwood, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Erica Jong, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Doug Preston, R.L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Meg Wolitzer and many more.Trade ReviewFourteen Days serves as a valuable reminder that stories can teach, console, provide a place of acceptance and perhaps even change their readers (or listeners) * Financial Times *If you want to feel well read in double-quick time, try Fourteen Days, which is set in a New York city tenement in the early days of the pandemic. It has a novel twist (pardon the pun) - each character has been secretly written by a different author from Margaret Atwood and John Grisham to Dave Eggers and Celeste Ng * BBC *While we're really not in a rush to think about the pandemic again, we'll make an exception for Margaret Atwood. Fourteen Days is a collaborative novel edited by Atwood and Douglas Preston, and includes writing from Celeste NG and John Grisham, amongst others. In the novel, the inhabitants of a Manhattan apartment block gather on the roof and tell stories, as more neighbours join people start to form real bonds * Cosmopolitan *Reading Fourteen Days is like sitting by a campfire, with characters taking turns telling tales about their lives * Economist *A heart-warming and surprising narrative, Fourteen Days is an ode to the power of storytelling and human connection * SheerLuxe *

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Book Synopsis'A glorious love story' – Sarah Winman, author of Still LifeLonglisted for the Dublin Literary AwardA stunning story about the impossible lengths we go to for the ones we love, with a breathtaking twist, from the bestselling author of Burial Rites, Hannah Kent.Hanne and Thea’s friendship is a miracle. Before, Hanne always felt apart from the local girls, but with Thea it all came easy. Suddenly she could imagine a future for herself, a happy one, by Thea’s side.But when their tight-knit community embarks on a long and brutal journey to Australia, in search of new freedoms on old land, Hanne and Thea’s bond must find a way to survive the most impossible devastation.Will their love prove too strong for even Nature to break?'Extraordinarily daring . . . a remarkable novel, an almost visionary celebration of the death-defying power of the women’s love' - Sunday Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month'Exquisite . . . it's taken root in my heart' – Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies'So beautiful and so raw . . . Devotion is impossibly good' – Evie Wyld, author of The Bass RockTrade ReviewPiercingly beautiful . . . [Hanne and Thea's] story is an elegy, freighted with loss and longing * Guardian *With an extraordinarily daring twist halfway through its narrative Devotion is a remarkable novel, an almost visionary celebration of the death-defying power of the women’s love * Sunday Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month *A modern classic, on par with heart wrenching love stories such as Wuthering Heights and Pride And Prejudice. It tells the story of an achingly beautiful love and a brutal search for freedom . . . A moving tale with a breathtaking twist * The Herald *Devotion is rare and exquisite, both beautiful and muscular in its portrayal of love found and denied. It’s a story of love as a radical act . . . this is masterful storytelling with pull-no-punches stakes. It’s taken root in my heart -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The MerciesKent tells her heroine's burgeoning love story beautifully * The Times *Such a glorious love story. And the poetry of the landscape had, for me, a Whitmanesque sensibility. A mighty impassioned cry to love and the land -- Sarah Winman, author of Still LifeHannah Kent’s latest novel is stunning - full of magic and adventure. I fell in love with language again reading it. So beautiful and so raw. Devotion is impossibly good -- Evie Wyld, author of The Bass RockAbsolutely stunning. The writing, the characters and the twist were just perfect. Any Hannah Kent novel is guaranteed to be powerful, moving and so imaginative, but this was something else. It is a story that will stay with me -- Elizabeth Macneal, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Doll Factory and Circus of WondersA poetic story of friendship, nature and what it means to step into a new world - both physically and spiritually * Cosmopolitan *A superb novel. A fantastic merging of exquisite lyrical writing and page-turning adventure. Devotion had me constantly surprised, always entertained, and ultimately deeply moved: it deserves to be a glittering success -- Emma Stonex, Sunday Times bestselling author of The LamplightersKent combines lyrical writing with a strong sense of place in this novel that takes us from a 19th-century Prussian village to the dusty plains of Australia * Good Housekeeping *It is a love story, ardent and wholesome, and it drapes its reader in lush historical detail. Fans will find a lot to savour * Guardian Australia *[A] marvellous queer love story * InDaily *Draped in rich historical detail, Hannah Kent's luminous and poignant story explores kindred spirits and an epic search for freedom * Woman's Own *Devotion, is nothing short of divine. Kent uses prose like a magician might use a wand. I could say so much about the depth and scope of this novel, its raw, powerful connection to nature and human emotion, and it still wouldn’t do it justice. Simply put, this is a beautiful book. A liturgy of love, full of grace and wonder. -- Nydia Hetherington, author of A Girl Made of AirOne of my favourite reads of the year . . . While there is great sadness and hardship here, this surprising novel is ultimately about beauty, nature and an epic love. I adored it * ABC Arts *A tale of the refiguring might of faithful hearts; of love that sustains and love that ruins; of exile and dominion * Sydney Morning Herald *Exceptional . . . there are not many novelists writing today who can conjure a European past as vividly as Hannah Kent . . . she is a master at immersing the reader in a particular place and a particular period, specialising in stories of women on the margins trapped in close-knit communities and claustrophobic situations * New European *Devotion is utterly original. A glorious heartbreaking love story of infinite beauty -- Heather Rose, author of The Museum of Modern Love

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Book SynopsisTHE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING NOVELWINNER OF THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2024Dancing is the one thing that can solve Stephen''s problems.At Church with his family, the shimmer of Black hands raised in praise. With his band, making music speaking not just to their hardships, but their joys. Grooving with his best friend, so close their heads might touch. Dancing alone to his father''s records, uncovering parts of a man he has never truly known. His youth, shame and sacrifice.Stephen has only ever known himself in song. But what becomes of him when the music fades?Set over the course of three summers, from South London to Ghana and back again, SMALL WORLDS is a novel about the worlds we build for ourselves. The worlds we live, dance and love within. *****''Caleb Azumah Nelson''s stunning second novel confirms his status as a literary star'' Observer''Beautiful, unforgeTrade ReviewNelson writes about closeness, with family, with lovers, with art, as careful, essential labour -- Raven Leilani, author of LusterA mesmerising Peckham love story * i *An affecting meditation on the migrant experience * Guardian *Caleb Azumah Nelson's writing is touching, heartfelt, and musically rich -- Diana Evans

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Book SynopsisA cult classic of Italian literature, published in English for the first time, with an afterword by André Aciman, author of Call Me By Your Name.'A masterpiece' - Le Figaro'Dazzling in every detail' - ElleIn the late 1960s, Leo Gazzara leads a precarious life in Rome. He spends his time in an alcoholic haze, bouncing between hotels, bars, uninspiring jobs, romantic entanglements and the homes of his rich friends. Leo drifts, aimless and alone.But on the evening of his thirtieth birthday, he meets Arianna. 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. What follows is the story of the year Leo fell in love and lost everything.Intense, romantic, witty and devastating, Last Summer in the City is a forgotten classic of Italian literature which offers an intoxicating portrait of two lonely people, pushing and pulling each other away and back again.'The most beautiful love story of the year' - Il GiornaleTrade 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 *A short, gorgeous, moving and magnificent story of love and solitude -- Il Sole 24 OreThis book, at once painful and ironic, remains a small gem * La Repubblica *A heartrending marvel * L’Echo *Charming, decadent, and emotionally ruthless . . . equal parts Fitzgerald and Antonioni . . . It's wonderful to have this devastating gem at large in the world again -- Andrew Martin, author of Cool for AmericaDeeply haunting . . . A marvel of a novel * Booklist *Calligarich’s rendering turns la dolce vita into something more akin to Camus’s L’Etranger in a contemporary-ish urban setting. Out of print for years, this welcome new translation is elegiac and heart-rending * Vogue, Best Books to Read This Summer 2021 *The account of a lost generation in Rome in the early 1970s (possibly the children of the children of Hemingway’s lost generation) carries the weight of both family history and generational saga * Kirkus *Evocative . . . Calligarich conjures Italy’s piazzas, parties, beaches, and bars with a mood reminiscent of A Movable Feast . . . the feeling that Leo is alone in the world is poignantly conveyed * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisRediscover the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry. The pair met when Clare was just six and Henry thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty.Impossible but true.Now adapted into the major Sky TV series, The Time Traveler's Wife is the international bestselling novel of a time-altering love. Henry is a librarian who suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets, finding himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. Meanwhile, Clare is an artist waiting all her life for her great love Henry to appear. In the face of this force neither can prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.'Dark, unpredictable, incredibly clever and a modern romance' GraziaTrade ReviewMoving, but worth the heartbreak * Daily Express *At its core The Time Traveler's Wife is an old-fashioned love story. A terrific book - startlingly original construction * Observer *I was ridiculously entranced by Audrey Niffenegger's big, reckless novel...utterly convincing * Daily Telegraph *Niffenegger exploits the possibilities of her fantasy scenario with immense skill: no wonder this novel has spent weeks on the bestseller lists in the US. This is one of those books that makes you want to eat it up from start to finish * Guardian *Wonky, sexy, incredible * The Times *Pick up Niffenegger's book and you'll experience a visceral thrill that only a few novels provide. An elegy to love and loss * Independent on Sunday *Truly original * Vogue *Magical - memorable...poignant, amusing and intensely moving portrait of a unique relationship - quirky, romantic, and kept the right side of cute * Mail on Sunday *The central story is so strong and touching...ingenious... A rare book * Evening Standard *A sweet, original fantasy - its flights of authorial fancy balanced by down-to-earth characters and the matter-of-fact language * Sunday Telegraph *Henry's journeys back and forth are by turns slapstick noir and unbearably poignant, and Clare's child and teen narrations disturbingly pitch-perfect. Philosophical speculation occurs in the most unlikely devices and morality, despite the temptations of plot, remains intact. This is alarmingly close to perfection, and balm to the jaded * Scotland on Sunday *One of those books where you read the first paragraph and you're hooked... Unmissable * Irish Independent *From the first page to the last, The Time Traveler's Wife works its unique magic... A beautiful, lyrical book * The Times *After I read it I wanted to share it with everybody, and even gave a copy to Madonna when she co-presented my show * Easy Living *Dark, unpredictable, incredibly clever and a modern romance * Grazia *A delight * Bookseller *A love affair that will totally capture your heart * Glamour Magazine *An irrestible romance * InStyle *A beautifully written, compulsive look at a couple trying to live an ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances * Image *An intriguing, often funny love story * Eve *

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Book SynopsisA literary psychological thriller about the 'perfect' marriage.Trade Review‘On the surface the book is a highly competent, creepy little chiller, but beneath, like a silent, bolted and half-dark room, there’s a much bigger, equally disconcerting story about the nature of feminine experience.' Hilary Mantel, Man Booker Prize winning author of Wolf Hall‘Taut, elegant and pitch-perfect. As soon as you've read it you'll want to talk about it’. Evie Wyld, author of After the Fire, A Still Small Voice‘Compelling, edgy and dark – I read How To Be a Good Wife in one sitting’. Jane Rusbridge, author of Rook and The Devil's Music‘An impressive debut novel. Here’s hoping there’ll be more from Emma Chapman’ M. J. Hyland, Man Booker prize shortlisted author of Carry Me Down and This is How‘A tense, unnerving debut, told with precision and control. As unsettling as any ghost story’ Simon Lelic, author of Rupture and The Child Who‘A compelling debut: tightly plotted, tensely written, and subtle in its explorations of motive. Emma Chapman is very accomplished and a bright hope for the future’. Sir Andrew Motion‘Claustrophobic, startling and hauntingly beautiful. It’s that amazing, awful kind of book that will stay with you long after you wish it would let you go’ Liza Klaussmann, author of Tigers in Red Weather ‘This taut debut will have you rooting for Marta as she rediscovers who she was before her marriage. A must-read for fans of S.J.Watson’. Easy Living‘The after-effects of the dark and uncomfortable story linger long after the last page . . . a gripping piece of writing where everything is not quite as it seems’. Psychologies‘An intensifying mood of menace pervades this mesmerising debut. Is the fragile Marta slipping into paranoia? Or glimpsing agonising insights into a devastating nightmare about herself and her “perfect” marriage…?’ David Hewson, author of The Killing‘A compelling, twisty tale of deception and distrust. Beautifully written, and very clever indeed’. Elizabeth Haynes, author of Into the Darkest Corner‘Fans of Before I Go To Sleep will love this chilling debut from Emma Chapman’. Grazia‘In her first novel, Emma Chapman has managed to walk a delicate, terrifying line. How To Be a Good Wife is at once claustrophobic, startling and hauntingly beautiful. It’s that amazing, awful kind of book that will stay with you long after you wish it would let you go’. Liza Klaussmann, author of Tigers in Red Weather‘A chilling study of paranoia and doubt… Chapman builds the tension, as Marta’s behaviour becomes more erratic and her seemingly benign husband begins to appear in a sinister light. An unnerving tale, where nothing is as it seems.’ Marie Claire‘Compelling and complex, this brave novel offers no safety nets… Not just a gripping read but an essential one. It will provoke questions long after the cover is closed’. Ruth Dugdall, author of The Woman Before Me, winner of the CWA debut dagger award.‘Chilling and original with plenty of tense moments to keep the pages turning'. Simple Things‘Mesmerising. A beautiful and disturbing novel. I loved it’. Susanna Jones, author of When Nights Were Cold‘There is something about the pared-down prose, the increasingly ominous isolation and the sense of unease that our narrator feels that saves the story from melodrama – instead the reader, trapped with a sympathetic yet unreliable narrator, begins to align themselves ever more closely to Marta’s position. This is a tremendous book’. The Huffington Post‘Chapman mines this vein of claustrophobic creepiness to great effect’. The Lady‘Wonderfully assured… This is a tale of the tricks repression, denial and memory can play on us… Set in an eerie, purposefully undefined part of Scandinavia, this is an unnerving, clever read. It’s one of those novels (think Gone Girl) with a big twist. Recommended for fans of S J Watson, Rosamund Lupton and Zoe Heller’. Viv Groskop, Red‘A powerful, original and haunting debut… hard to put down and impossible to forget.’Daily Examiner, Australia‘Something of the hit TV drama The Killing pervades this absorbing and multi-layered debut novel. On one level a chilling tale of suspense among the Norwegian fjords, it offers the reader so much more… You might like to set aside a long winter afternoon for this one. The chances are that one you open it, you’ll want to finish it all in one go.' Daily Mail‘Chapman’s debut can be read both as a taut thriller and an allegory of the female experience in an unhappy marriage, the waning sense of self felt by the woman who attends to the needs of her family before her own… Marta’s gradual slide into madness is brilliantly convincing. As with Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, the narrator’s psychological torment contrasts disconcertingly with the detached language in which it is described. It makes for a darkly fascinating debut’ Financial Times‘So tense. Brilliantly written and utterly gripping. I loved it.’ Hannah Richell, author of Secrets of the Tides‘It is, on the one hand, a taut, economically written and expertly woven thriller – deceptive in its simplicity and chilling in the claustrophobia that builds with each successive page. It is also a deeply unsettling exploration of a fragile mind unravelling, either through the weight of its own paranoid delusions or painful memories too-long suppressed… How To Be a Good Wife is a highly assured, powerful and thought-provoking offering from an author whose best work is surely yet to come. It will stay with you long after you turn the final page.’ Style etc magazine‘An impressive debut’ Sun-Herald, Sydney‘Chapman’s carefully constructed plot slowly but expertly builds the tension…Chapman’s writing is so assured it is difficult to believe this is her first novel… How To Be A Good Wife is not just enthralling fiction, but also social commentary, a combination that provokes the reader to reflect on the fraught and complicated nature of human existence. Chapman has written a book as chilling as a Scandinavian fjord in winter, but also as clear, clean and compelling’The Australian‘Replete with interesting topics and there are twists aplenty. Marta’s voice is compelling and convincing and the prose often Hemingway-esque in style… There’s a narrative bravery to this debut that is rare in contemporary fiction of any genre’ The Big Issue Australia ‘The unnamed Scandinavian setting has all the familiar elements of contemporary northern lights noir, yet its claustrophobic, interior-driven narrative harks back to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s disturbing feminist classic The Yellow Wallpaper, or even Ibsen's A Doll's House… The novel is Chapman's debut, and is eerily well-handled... Chapman shows real empathy for loneliness and the cruelty of ageing… A plausible tale of trauma, a ruthless examination of the many layers of marriage, and a woman's opaque role with it.’ Guardian

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Book SynopsisA complex and truly timeless emotion, love – whether passion or heartbreak, infatuation or flirtation – has provoked some of the greatest names in literature to write verses of outstanding beauty.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, cloth-bound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features an introduction by bestselling author and Romantic Novelist Association prize-winner Joanna Trollope.There has always been love, and we have been writing poetry about it for over 4,000 years. From John Donne and William Shakespeare to Emily Dickinson and Christina Rossetti, the very best classic love poetry is collected in this elegant anthology, Poems for Love. That we still read and enjoy these heartfelt poems today is a testament both to their individual genius and to the enduring power of love.Table of ContentsIntroduction - i: Introduction by Joanna Trollope Chapter - 1: What is Love? Chapter - 2: Madam, Will You Walk? - Longing and Courting Chapter - 3: If All the World and Love Were Young - It must be love Chapter - 4: Delight in Disorder - Kissing etc Chapter - 5: Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds - Love & marriage Chapter - 6: My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close - Lost love

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Book SynopsisWhen Helen offers her spare room to her old friend Nicola, she has little idea of what lies ahead. Nicola has cancer and, sceptical of the medical establishment, is in the city for a course of alternative treatment. She is determined to deal with her illness in her own way, regardless of the advice that Helen can offer.In the weeks that follow, Nicola's fight against cancer will turn not only her own life upside down but the lives of everyone around her. Told with humour and honesty, this unforgettable novel charts a friendship as it is tested in the face of death.Trade ReviewAt once artful, gripping and fiercely beautiful . . . even at the most painful moments Garner maintains a characteristic lightness of touch, a combination of wit and lyricism that is immensely alluring . . . [an] extraordinary, exhilarating novel [and] a burningly passionate account of the one experience we will all share -- OLIVIA LAING * * Observer * *A perfect novel, imbued with all Garner's usual clear-eyed grace but with some other magnificent dimension that hides between the lines of her simple conversational voice. How is it that she can enter this heartbreaking territory - the dying friend who comes to stay - and make it not only bearable, but glorious, and funny? There is no answer except: Helen Garner is a great writer; The Spare Room is a great book -- PETER CAREYOnly great fiction demands us to reset our moral compass and look at our value coordinates all over again. The Spare Room achieves this . . . And yet in a book this spare, written with such grace, Garner introduces in the interstices a calm, precise poetry * * The Times * *Exceptional . . . an unsettling and skilled work that raises important questions about the process of dying and what caring well for the dying requires . . . So powerful is The Spare Room's communication of the the triumphs and failures involved in dying . . . [that] the reader painfully ricochets between the various positions . . . Somehow as we read we actually become these characters . . . This extraordinary effect results in an uncomfortable read. Yet it is also an oddly exhilarating book - often funny, and grounded in a kind of ordinariness that is deeply restorative * * Financial Times * *A wise and affecting book * * Daily Mail * *In its bleak and highly comic storytelling, in spite, or perhaps, because of its subject matter, The Spare Room could be called a comedy of manners, in that its concern is how people behave towards each other and the repercussions of that behaviour. Its embattled characters are so real that by the last page you feel not just that you have read a magnificent novel but that you have experienced life itself -- PENNY PERRICK * * Sunday Times * *This is no mere cancer memoir. Rather, in Garner's brilliant retelling, it is a complex examination of the limits of friendship and of the problems of remaining a single woman into middle age . . . This is a superbly clever novel * * Guardian * *Swift, beautiful and relentless, The Spare Room is a brutal novel in the best sense -- ALICE SEBOLDCompulsively readable, searing . . . The best book I have read for years. Beautifully written, The Spare Room is terse and pacy. Every taut sentence rings with painful purity and attack -- STEVIE DAVIES * * Independent * *This novel's extraordinary feat is to be at once affecting, involving and sharply funny * * Sunday Times * *

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Book Synopsis''A writer the world should be reading right now.'' IndependentWho would you be, if you hadn''t turned out to be the person you are now?Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully.But when the plane she''s on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago - when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved.Against the odds, she survives, and the airline offers her a ticket to wherever she needs to get to - but the answer to that question suddenly seems uncertain.As the path of her life forks in two very different directions, Dawn must confront questions she''s never truly asked: What does a well-lived life look like? What do we leave behind when we go? And do we make our choices, or do our choices make us?Two possible futures. One impossible choice.----------------------------------------------------------------''It is hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes.'' Financial Times''Her intelligent, meticulously researched novels explore ethical dilemmas through heartrending, headline-grabbing scenarios.'' The Sunday Times''A matchless talent for hitting emotional notes.'' Irish TimesMAD HONEY, the stunning and compelling Sunday Times bestseller by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is available now.Trade ReviewA writer the world should be reading right now * Independent *It is hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes * Financial Times *A wise, cerebral, propulsive adventure . . . It eruditely spans the worlds of Egyptology, university physics and end-of-life care, while never losing sight of its high-stakes human story... a captivatingly immersive, multilayered, painstakingly researched and impressively realised exploration of deeply human geographies -- Patricia Nicol * Sunday Times *Ambitious * The Times *This complex, time-shifting romance combines moral hazard with Wuthering Heights echoes and degree-level Egyptology. And there aren't many books you can say that about. -- Wendy Holden * Daily Mail *The pull of the well-drawn characters and powerful themes of regret and love make this head-spinning story a compelling read * Sunday Mirror *Literary powerhouse Jodi Picoult writes novels that make you think and her latest is no exception * Sunday Express *This brilliant Sliding Doors-style novel will really get you thinking * Sun, Fabulous Magazine *Riveting * Hello *A consummate storyteller * Saga *A thrilling adventure ... one that will lead readers to both learn a lot and also ask themselves key questions about how to create happy lives for themselves * Associated Press *Similar to Alice Hoffman's depiction of complex family ties, Picoult's latest stretches the importance of recognizing our bonds to those we love. Highly recommended for open-minded readers. * Library Journal, starred review *The Book of Two Ways is a return for Picoult to the themes of her earliest books -motherhood, complicated romantic love . . . Picoult, at this point in her career, could skilfully build tension in a broom closet, but the best part of this book is not the suspense; it's the look at the complexity of a woman as she enters middle age . . . [Picoult] always tells both sides of a story not with judgment, but with grace. * Washington Post *Picoult's fans will appreciate this multifaceted, high concept work. * Publishers Weekly *Picoult's fans will be more than ready for this puzzle of a novel . . .[they] will find heady themes to consider. * Booklist *Powerful and compelling * VIP Magazine *You're sure to be moved by the questions it poses about the meaning of life and death. Food for thought in these current crazy times * Heat *If you've ever wondered if you could have lived another life, you'll like this * Sun *Picoult's writing is insightful and richly descriptive * Press Association *A stunning Sliding Doors-style novel about life, death, and missed opportunities * East Anglian Daily Times, Top 10 of 2020 *

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Book SynopsisA mother and son inhabit an isolated and increasingly dangerous private world.The third and final installment of Ariana Harwicz's "Involuntary Trilogy" finds us on familiar, disquieting ground. Under the spell of a mother’s madness, the French countryside transforms into a dreamscape of interconnected imagery: animals, desire, the functions of the body. Most troublingly: the comfort of a teenage son. Scorning the bourgeois mores and conventionality of their small town, she withdraws him from school and the two embark on ever more antisocial and dangerous behavior. Harwicz is at her best here, building an interior world so robust, and so grotesque, that it eclipses our shared reality. Savage, and savagely funny, she leaves us singed, if not scorched.Trade Review"As ever, Harwicz both impresses and repels with her blistering descriptions of the extremes of human behavior." —Publishers Weekly"It is hard to match this, or any of the books in this trilogy, for sheer searing memorability." —Irish Times"Disturbingly brilliant – and brilliantly disturbing – Tender is a satiating end to Harwicz’s unconventional collection." —The Wee Review**********Praise for Ariana HarwiczUncomfortable and fascinating, Harwicz drags us on a turbulent voyage of self-discovery via the characters’ analysis of their own past and present. VANITY FAIR (UK)Man Booker International Prize (Longlist)Society of Authors Valle-Inclán Prize (Shortlist)Best Translated Book Award (Finalist)Internationaler Literaturpreis (Shortlist)Republic of Consciousness Prize (Shortlist)"A touch of David Lynch." —The Guardian"Celebrating lust and bolshiness with an intensity worthy of Clarice Lispector." —The Times Literary Supplement"The over-all effect is exacting…. And yet “Die, My Love” isn’t truly beholden to plot. The thrill is in the human as animal, and even as parasite." —The New Yorker"Die, My Love is impressive for the force of the narrator’s insatiable rage, which fragments the boundaries of the self. [Anne Enright]" —New York Review of Books"Unrestrained and unadorned, Harwicz’s writing has a wild beauty.... A portrait of motherhood, passion, and mental illness that cuts to the bone." —Kirkus"We are used to female narrators who occupy one of several familiar niches: blandly ‘likeable’, ‘flawed’, or pathological; murderers or abusers who are profiled with just enough sympathy to make us feel humane as we judge them. Harwicz takes us somewhere more profound and forces us to confront the thought that these easy fictional ‘explanations’ are specious. Lurking inside all of us is the potential for horror."" —Hari Kunzru , author of THE IMPRESSIONIST and GODS WITHOUT MEN"The prose of Ariana Harwicz embarks on a vertiginous linguistic journey that joyfully shreds all vestiges of common sense."" —María Sonia Cristoff , author of FALSE CALM**********"Dangerously addictive." —The Guardian"A precise, intense, ruthless mosaic that demands we read carefully, never quickly." —Literary Hub"Celebrating lust and bolshiness with an intensity worthy of Clarice Lispector." —The Times Literary Supplement"Harwicz succeeds in luring the reader into the darker aspects of the human mind." —Publishers Weekly"Ariana Harwicz is the real deal, the very definition of an artist."" —Adam Biles , author of FEEDING TIME"Ariana Harwicz is wet respite from deathless, sexless, bloodless art. "" —Melissa Broder , author of THE PISCES and SO SAD TODAY"Ariana Harwicz is an intensely passionate and fearless writer whose irresistible prose deserves to be read far and wide."" —Claire-Louise Bennett , author of POND"A kick up the arse to the literary novel. Feebleminded disassembles form, sensibility, everything... at once a riot (a revolution!) and a headtrip."" —Joanna Walsh , author of VERTIGO and BREAK.UP"Harwicz achieves an asphyxiating writing, saturated with images of great beauty despite their disturbing character." —El País"The acoustic quality of her prose, the pulse of her voice, the intensity of her imagery make her subjects so daring, so relentless, so damned and unconventional - very hard to drop or ever to forget."" —Lina Meruane , author of FALSE CALM"Unrelenting and unforgettable, the Argentine author’s latest novel is a breathtaking, hectic ride, as well as a strangely exhilarating story that confirms her as one of the most formidable writers at work today." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's BookshopGlobetrotting: Your sneak preview of books in translation —New York Times"This is a novel whose characters’s conflicts spill out of the page and into the prose used to tell their story, making for a searing read." —Volume 1 Brooklyn"Feebleminded is a nuclear bomb of recent literature from Argentina, a book of exceptional power with febrile characters." —Pagina/12**********

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Book Synopsis'Her gallery of personages is huge, her scene painting superb, her pathos controlled, her humour quiet and civilised' Anthony Burgess'So glittering is the overall parade - and so entertaining the surface - that the trilogy remains excitingly vivid; it amuses, it diverts and it informs, and to do these things so elegantly is no small achievement' Sunday Times'A fantastically tart and readable account of life in eastern Europe at the start of the war' Sarah WatersThe Balkan Trilogy is the story of a marriage and of a war, a vast, teeming, and complex masterpiece in which Olivia Manning brings the uncertainty and adventure of civilian existence under political and military siege to vibrant life.At the heart of the trilogy are newly-weds Guy and Harriet Pringle, who arrive in Bucharest - the so-called Paris of the East - in the autumn of 1939, just weeks after the German invasion of Poland. Guy's lecturing job awaits, alongside friends and the ever-ardent Sophie - but for Harriet, alone and naive, it's a strange new life. Other surprises follow: Romania joins the Axis, and before long German soldiers overrun the capital. The Pringles flee south to Greece, part of a group of refugees made up of White Russians, journalists, con artists, and dignitaries. In Athens, however, the couple will face a new challenge of their own...Trade ReviewMagnificent ... full of wit, sharp insight and vivid description. * The Times *A fantastically tart and readable account of life in eastern Europe at the start of war -- Sarah WatersSo glittering is the overall parade- and so entertaining the surface that the trilogy remains excitingly vivid; it amuses, it diverts and it informs, and to do these things so elegantly is no small achievement. * Sunday Times *Wonderfully entertaining * Observer *One must salute the brilliance ... the exactness of sights and sounds, the precise touches of light and scent, the gestures and entrances * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisCaptivating, uplifting and heartfelt' Heat MagazineA wonderful ray of reading sunshine' Heidi SwainWhat a beautiful, heartwarming story the perfect book to lose yourself in' Zara StoneleyAbby Field loves every inch of Meadowsweet Nature Reserve on the idyllic Suffolk coast where she lives and works. Especially Swallowtail House, the rambling but empty country house that seems to look out at her each time she passes it's shut-up windows.When a TV wildlife programme choses a rival location for their new series, Meadowsweet is under threat unless Abby can whip up a plan to keep the visitors flocking. But she finds herself distracted by the arrival of a brooding and annoyingly handsome new neighbour bad-boy novelist, Jack Westcoat.With the pressure on, Abby and her cute rescue huskie, Raffle, must pull something special out of the bag. But with Jack in need of a good friend and Abby feeling the pull of attraction, she can sense her resolve fluttering awayTrade ReviewPraise for The House of Birds and Butterflies: ‘Oh, I just LOVED this story. All the characters are wonderful.’ Isabelle Broom ‘With a heroine that you root for this is a sweet read with real heart and soul’ Sarra Manning author of The House of Secrets ‘McLaughlin writes so warmly and vividly, the rest of the world melts away… I love that feeling!’ Kirsty Greenwood

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Book SynopsisContemporary fiction. Which of us wouldn't savour the chance at the end of a job or an entire career to have printed and published to all our former colleagues, without fear of reprisal, our considered opinion of the whole shooting match? A chance, once and for all, to be brutally honest? To put the record straight? To settle a few scores along the way? It happens sometimes at drunken leaving-dos or in rogue emails sent too late on a Friday night, but in the diplomatic service it has been a formal almost ceremonious tradition for centuries. Up till 2006, a British ambassador quitting his post abroad or retiring for good would write a valedictory despatch circulated widely across government, from other far-flung members of the service to the Prime Minister himself. This was the parting shot, the opportunity to offer a personal view of the country he was leaving, the alcoholic intake of its population, the appalling behaviour of the vice-president's wife, the state of the capital's drainTrade ReviewFast, fun, and remarkably deft: a sharp-edged portrait that manages at once to be vicious, generous, and utterly good-natured * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisThe Sonnets explore many of Shakespeare's most common themes: jealousy, betrayal, melancholy. They ache with unfulfilled longing, and, for many, they are the most complete and moving meditations on love ever written.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features an afterword by Peter Harness.The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, a cycle of 154 linked poems first published in 1609, are reproduced in full in this Macmillan Collector’s Library edition. Filled with ideas about love, beauty and mortality, the sonnets are written in the same beautiful and innovative language that we have come to know from Shakespeare's plays. The first 126 sonnets are addressed to a young man known as the 'Fair Youth', while others are directed at a 'Rival Poet', and a 'Dark Lady'.Trade ReviewEvery generation continues to be in his debt. Shakespeare’s plots, which are brilliantly polyvalent, continue to inspire ceaseless adaptations and spin-offs. His unforgettable phrase-making recurs on the lips of millions who do not realise they are quoting Shakespeare * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.for her, life was as cold as an attic with a window looking to the north, and ennui, like a spider, was silently spinning its shadowy web in every cranny of her heart.'Married to Charles, a provincial doctor, Emma Bovary yearns for a more glamorous life. Disenchanted with her husband and seeking an escape from their dull marriage she is soon tempted into a brief romantic liaison with another man. Although short-lived, she remains desirous of passion and the finer things in life and embarks on another affair, destroying her reputation.Considered scandalous at the time, Emma Bovary's superficial and immoral behaviour shocked readers and caused moral outcry. Flaubert holds up to ridicule not only Madame Bovary herself, but the society that dares to judge her.

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Book Synopsis''Lolita is comedy, subversive yet divine'' Martin Amis, ObserverPoet and pervert, Humbert Humbert becomes obsessed by twelve-year-old Lolita and seeks to possess her, first carnally and then artistically, ''to fix once for all the perilous magic of nymphets''. Is he in love or insane? A tortured soul or a monster? Humbert Humbert''s fixation is one of many dimensions in Nabokov''s dizzying masterpiece, which is suffused with a savage humour and rich, elaborate verbal textures. Filmed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, and again in 1997 by Adrian Lyne, Lolita has lost none of its power to shock and awe.''There''s no funnier monster in literature than poor, doomed Humbert Humbert'' IndependentTrade ReviewHe did us all an honour by electing to use, and transform, our language. * Anthony Burgess *Nabokov can move you to laughter in the way that masters can - to laughter that is near to tears. * The Guardian *There's no funnier monster in modern literature than poor, doomed Humbert Humbert. * The Independent *

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Book SynopsisWhile enjoying a six weeks' stay in fashionable Bath, the young and callow Catherine Morland is introduced to the delights of high society. Thanks to a new literary diet of the sensational and the macabre, Catherine travels to Northanger Abbey fully expecting to become embroiled in a Gothic adventure of intrigue and suspense - and, once there, soon begins to form the most gruesome and improbable theories about the exploits of its occupants. An early work, but published posthumously, Northanger Abbey is a parody of the Gothic genre typified by the novels of Ann Radcliffe, as well as a witty comedy of manners in the style of Jane Austen's later novels and, ultimately, an enchanting love story.Trade ReviewAs a creative realist, giving to her characters the very body and pressure of actual life, no writer, living or dead, has surpassed her. -- John Cowper Powys

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Book SynopsisThe brand new novel from bestselling author and TikTok sensation Ella Maise. Perfect for fans of Elena Armas and Ali Hazelwood. Charlie might work at her dad’s company but that doesn’t make her life easy. She’s the kind of person who always goes the extra mile for a client, remembers colleagues’ birthdays and arranges the cake. And yet her dad still favours her sister.   So Charlie shouldn’t be surprised when her dad brings someone in to manage her and the team. But what does surprise her is that the new boss is her guy.   The man who she went out with years ago and could never stop thinking about. Charlie wants to hide under the desk… but then she realises she doesn’t have to.   Because William doesn’t seem to remember her at all.        

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Book SynopsisFor fans of IN FIVE YEARS and THE SIGHT OF YOU comes a life-affirming story about a woman who lives every year of her life in the wrong orderTrade Review[A] clever debut * Starburst *This witty, fantastical exploration of life's inevitable changes is surprising and touching * Publishers Weekly *The author has faultless control over her complicated plot in this hugely enjoyable book and makes excellent use of the possibilities of its key concept * Morning Star *Something truly lovely * Sci-Fi Now *Must Read * Daily Express *An enjoyable read! * SFX *By turns tragic and triumphant, heartbreakingly poignant and joyful, this is ultimately an uplifting and redemptive read * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisSometimes, only a dog's love can heal a family. A Dog’s Promise is the heart-warming and uplifting story about a dog who helps a family that are on the verge of breaking apart. From W. Bruce Cameron the international number one bestselling author of A Dog's Purpose, this novel is perfect of fans of Garth Stein's Art of Racing in the Rain. Bailey knows one thing for sure: all dogs who offer unconditional love, just like him, are destined for heaven.But before Bailey can rest in peace, there’s one family in particular that needs his help. A family that is on the verge of breaking apart. Bailey knows that helping this family means he won’t remember his previous lives, and the other families that he’s met and loved, but sometimes making the sacrifice to help those in need is its own reward. Deeply emotional and beautifully told, A Dog’s Promise will speak to dog lovers all over the world who know that their pets are sent to them for a reason and that their love can heal all wounds.Trade ReviewMarley and Me combined with Tuesdays With Morrie -- Kirkus Reviews on A Dog's Purpose

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

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Book SynopsisBad, mad, flame-haired cellist Stella, adulterous Jonathan and high-spirited sisters Ellen and Lydia Dent find their fates bound together through love, loss and literature in this dazzling tragicomedyTrade ReviewPungent with life, with wit, love yearning and grief, The Travelling Hornplayer is Barbara Trapido’s most entertaining and powerful novel to date. Her fans might be forgiven for thinking this writer couldn't get any better. She just has * GUARDIAN *Murdochian entertainment: a tragicomedy of errors. Trapido ... races along with a kind of nervy glamour * NEW YORKER *This woman is brilliant. She deserves to be up there, topping the bestseller lists and winning all the prizes. And she actually makes you laugh … I enjoyed every page of this book, which is so shimmering with wit, hectic energy and crazy convolutions of plots that I eneded up in a state of sublime, satiated exhaustion * DAILY MAIL *Sprinkled with magic * SUNDAY TIMES *An entrancing, quirky confection packed with such a rich mixture of fun and pathos that readers may need to pause occasionally, if only draw emotional breath … She has the mind-teasing skills of a crime-writer combined with a sense of humour as dry as a Martini * TELEGRAPH *Witty ... moving ... clever, warm-hearted * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *A funny, cunning and surprisingly sexy novel, which moved at least this reader to both tears and laughter * SUNDAY TIMES *The brilliant [Trapido] ... is one of the better-kept secrets of contemporary letters ... [She] is a great novelist; sooner or later the whole reading world will know it * SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE *Audacious, energetic and dazzing … The vividness, and the immediately engaging style, is as sure as ever, and the Dickensian swiftness with which she can draw a character is full of charm … There aren’t many novelists whose stories one doesn’t want to end, but Barbara Trapido is one of them -- PHILIP HENSHER * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Reading Barbara Trapido is sheer pleasure. Afterwards, I went out and bought everything else she has written - and am only disappointed I didn't do it earlier * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *

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Book SynopsisLove itself might be blind, but over millennia it has inspired some of the most perceptive and visionary poetry ever written. From the fragments of Sappho, to the sonnets of Shakespeare and the Romantic verses of Byron, Keats and Shelley, right through to Simon Armitage and Carol Ann Duffy, The New Penguin Book of Love Poetry collates and curates the very finest poems on this subject from across cultures and ages. Whether it''s the burning passion of two young lovers, the steady companionship of a married couple, the unconditional love of a parent for a child or the enduring affection of lifelong friendship, this is Penguin''s definitive collection of the most treasured writing on the most universal of themes.

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Book SynopsisA lyrical and profoundly moving story of love, loss and civil war, set in Sri Lanka, London and Venice.Trade Review‘Heart-rending…Readers of this powerful novel cannot fail to be moved…but they will also realise that, as well as being a rebuke to indifference, the book is also about hope and survival.’ Christopher Ondaatje, Spectator ‘“Mosquito” plays with sensuous mixes of human bestiality and natural beauty…It is in this continuing agency of remembered love – presented as the colours, sounds and smells of art, in dialogue with beauty and horror – that the uplifting politics of this fine novel lies.’ Independent ‘“Mosquito” lyrically captures a country drenched in both incomparable beauty and the stink of hatred.’ Guardian ‘Lovely, vividly described.’ The Times ‘Tearne brings her skills as a painter to her writing, creating some extraordinarily lovely portraits of Sri Lankan land and seascapes, a stunning backdrop to the changing horrors of the country’s 20-year civil war. Anyone who has visited, or has a passing interest in Sri Lanka, should read this beautiful novel.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘“Mosquito” is a complex, ambitious book from a writer with a real talent for language. We will be hearing a great deal about Ms. Tearne in the future.’ Lauren B. Davis, author of ‘The Stubborn Season’ and ‘The Radiant City’

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Book SynopsisA delicious Christmas delight' Katie FfordeAll the best things about Christmas wrapped into one gorgeous, romantic read' Phillipa AshleyThe gorgeous, Christmassy feel-good follow up to the Summer best-seller From Italy With Love'.Just until ChristmasThat's what Paris socialite Siena keeps telling herself. She'll hide away in her sister Laurie's cottage near London to escape her hot-tempered fiancé.However, when Jason gorgeous but a bit of a Grinch picks her up from the airport, he reveals that Laurie hasn't lived there for months, complicating Siena's holiday getaway.At first, Jason and Siena don't see eye to eye. But after a weekend in the most romantic city in the world, experiencing all it has to offer from the magic of a fir-lined Champs-Élysées, lit up by thousands of sparkling fairy lights, to the swoosh of skates on ice at the Eiffel Tower Siena shows Jason her Paris, and a whole other side to herself. Suddenly Siena's December deadline seems far too closeThis Christmas, jTrade ReviewPraise for ‘From Italy With Love’: 'This epic road-trip is full of glamour, romance and sizzling sexual tension, but at its heart is a truly heart-warming tale of self discovery – you’ll not want to miss a moment of it.' – Chick Lit Love ‘I completely and utterly enjoyed this book.’ – Rachel’s Random Reads ‘A unique and vibrant read about learning to be the ‘driver’ of your own future.’ – Honeybear Books ‘I finished the book wondering if it was feasible to take my Mini Cooper S on a road trip through Europe! Jules brings the scenery and villages to life with wonderful descriptions…I really hope this book is the first in a series!’ – Annie’s Book Corner ‘Such a fun ride with as many twists and turns both in the story and on the road…Laughs all the way.’ – The Book Trail

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Book SynopsisThis collection is stormy, romantic, strong the Full Brontë' The TimesA collection of short stories celebrating Charlotte Brontë, published in the year of her bicentenary and stemming from the now immortal words from her great work Jane Eyre.The twenty-one stories in Reader, I Married Him one of the most celebrated lines in fiction are inspired by Jane Eyre and shaped by its perennially fascinating themes of love, compromise and self-determination.A bohemian wedding party takes an unexpected turn for the bride and her daughter; a family trip to a Texan waterpark prompts a life-changing decision; Grace Poole defends Bertha Mason and calls the general opinion of Jane Eyre into question. Mr Rochester reveals a long-kept secret in Reader, She Married Me, and The Mirror boldly imagines Jane's married life after the novel ends. A new mother encounters an old lover after her daily swim and inexplicably lies to him, and a fitness instructor teaches teenage boys how to handle a pit bull terrTrade Review‘Dazzling’ DAILY MAIL ‘The success of this book owes much to [Chevalier’s] enthusiasm … it’s quite amazing to see the quality of work on show’ EVENING STANDARD ‘These stories will enrich and complicate future readings of Jane Eyre, as the best fan fiction should … If Brontë was going to drop in on any of the celebrations for her bicentenary, I can’t help but think she would get a kick out of this collection’ GUARDIAN ‘A terrific set of stories by some of our leading novelists, each of whom engages with a chosen aspect of Jane Eyre’ THE NEW STATESMAN ‘This collection is stormy, romantic, strong – the Full Brontë’ The Times ‘A clever idea well-executed; a treat for fans of short fiction and for Brontë's many ardent fans’ KIRKUS REVIEWS ‘Exemplary…written by some of today's best female writers’ THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE ‘Absorbing and entertaining, READER, I MARRIED HIM is an inventive and a satisfying tribute to a great novel’ Book Reporter ‘These pieces create a beguiling picture of women and men and desire, in which everyone is searching, like Jane, for happiness and wondering whether marriage is really an answer. The book acts as a prism spreading all kinds of literary and historical refractions, and it’s a reminder that Charlotte Brontë, too, has many sides’ GLOBE AND MAIL

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Book SynopsisUrsula Doyle was born in 1967. She lives in London.

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Book SynopsisA secret history of scent, memory and desire from the Sunday Times bestselling author of ELEGANCE and THE DEBUTANTE.One letter will turn newly-married Grace Munroe's life upside down:Our firm is handling the estate of the deceased Mrs Eva D'Orsey and it is our duty to inform you that you are named as the chief beneficiary in her will. We request your presence at our offices at your earliest convenience, so that we may go through the details of your inheritance.'There is only one problem. Grace has never heard of Eva D'Orsey.So begins a journey which leads Grace through the streets of Paris and into the seductive world of perfumers and their muses. An abandoned perfume shop on the Left Bank will lead her to unravel the heartbreaking story of her mysterious benefactor, an extraordinary woman who bewitched high society in 1920s New York and Paris.Trade ReviewPraise for The Perfume Collector: ‘This evocative novel spins you back a few decades to the grace and elegance of the ‘20s and ‘50s’ GLAMOUR ‘A mesmerising novel of passion and scent’ – WOMAN AND HOME ‘The joy in Tessaro’s books, however, is her knack for describing glamour. She leaves readers greedy for satin and lace, for angular cocktail dresses and complex scents spilling from beautiful bottles. It’s a voluptuous and desirable world to drop into, but her characters have enough depth and moral ambiguity to lift this above most’ EMERALD STREET Praise for The Debutante: 'It's an elegant and glamorous plot …which means lots of mouth-watering descriptions of decaying stately homes by the sea'Daily Mail ‘The latest from the author of bestseller Elegance. New Yorker Cate immerses herself in the mystery of the Mitford-esque 1920’s London debutante’Red ‘A shoebox filled with mementoes sets artist Cate on a hunt for the truth behind the disappearance of a dazzling 1920’s ‘it’ girl in Kathleen Tessaro’s The Debutante’Good Housekeeping ‘Tessaro gets her story-weaving wand out with a gloriously rich story of past and present love’InStyle ‘Reading The Debutante was the most delicious treat. Engrossing, romantic, wise and witty – the perfect read. I could not put it down’Gillian Greenwood, author of Satisfaction and The Ghost Lover

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Book SynopsisTHE MILLION-COPY NO.1 BESTSELLER''Enormously powerful'' Guardian''Hilarious, sophisticated, compulsive'' The Times___________________''I am in a car park in Leeds when I tell my husband I don''t want to be married to him any more. . . ''London GP Katie Carr always thought she was a good person. With her husband David making a living as ''The Angriest Man in Holloway'', she figured she could put up with anything. Until, that is, David meets DJ Goodnews and becomes a good person too. A far-too-good person who starts committing crimes of charity like taking in the homeless and giving their kids'' toys away. Suddenly Katie''s feeling very bad about herself, and thinking that if charity begins at home, then maybe it''s time to move. . . This laugh-out-loud novel, from the bestselling author of About a Boy and High Fidelity, will have you gripped from start to finish and will appeal to fans of David Nicholls and Jonathan Coe, as well as readers in need of a moral compass everywhere.___________________''Pins you in your armchair and won''t let go . . . How to be Good? How to be bloody marvellous, more like'' Mail on Sunday''It does exactly what it says on the cover. Hornby''s prose is artful and effortless, his spiky wit as razored as a number-two cut'' Independent''The writing is so funny, and the set-pieces so brilliant . . . Hornby''s best book since Fever Pitch'' Lynn Truss, The Times Trade ReviewVintage Nick Hornby. Very funny and very clever, and packed with wit and brilliance * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisThe House of Sleep - Jonathan Coe''s comic tale of love and obsessionSarah is a narcoleptic who has dreams so vivid she mistakes them for real events; Robert has his life changed for ever by the misunderstandings arising from her condition; Terry, the insomniac, spends his wakeful nights fuelling his obsession with movies; and the increasingly unstable Dr Gregory Dudden sees sleep as a life-shortening disease which must be eradicated. . .A group of students sharing a house. They fall in and out of love, they drift apart. Yet a decade later they are drawn back together by a series of coincidences involving their obsession with sleep - and each other. . . Winner of the 1998 Prix Médicis Étranger, The House of Sleep is an intensely moving and frequently hilarious novel about love, obsession and sleep.''Moving, clever, pleasurable, smart...one of the best books of the year'' Malcolm Bradbury, The Times''There are bits that mak

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Book SynopsisEvelyn Waugh''s celebrated tale of decadence and social disintegration, with an introduction by Philip EadeAfter seven years of marriage, the beautiful Lady Brenda Last is bored with life at Hetton Abbey, the Gothic mansion that is the pride and joy of her husband, Tony. She drifts into an affair with the shallow socialite John Beaver and forsakes Tony for the Belgravia set. Brilliantly combining tragedy, comedy and savage irony, A Handful of Dust captures the irresponsible mood of the ''crazy and sterile generation'' between the wars. This breakdown of the Last marriage is a painful, comic re-working of Waugh''s own divorce, and a symbol of the disintegration of society.''One of the twentieth century''s most chilling and bitter novels; and one of its best''Nicholas Lezard, Guardian''One of the most distinguished novels of the century''Frank Kermode''This is a masterpiece of stylish satire, and is funny, too ... a marvello

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Book Synopsis''Leon is a skilful plotter . . . Brunetti is a nicely shaded creation, a moral man who is also all too human'' The ObserverA sudden act of vandalism has been committed in the chill Venetian dawn and Commissario Guido Brunetti soon finds out that the perpetrator is no petty criminal. For the culprit waiting to be apprehended at the scene of the crime is none other than Paola Brunetti, his wife.As Paola''s actions provoke a crisis in the Brunetti household, Brunetti himself is under increasing pressure at work: a daring robbery with Mafia connections is linked to a suspicious death and his superiors want quick results. As his professional and personal lives clash, Brunetti''s own career is threatened and the conspiracy which Paola has risked everything to expose draws him inexorably to the brink . . .''Donna Leon has established Commissario Guido Brunetti as one of the most engaging of fictional detectives'' Sunday TimesTrade ReviewDonna Leon has established Commissario Guido Brunetti as one of the most engaging of fictional detectives ... Brunetti is ... back on track, sadder perhaps, but wiser and wittier than ever * Sunday Times *A splendid series ... with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can smell it * Sunday Telegraph *One of the most exquisite and subtle detective series ever * The Washington Post *No one knows the labyrinthine world of Venice . . . like Leon's Brunetti * Time *[Brunetti's] humane police work is disarming, and his ambles through the city are a delight * The New York Times Book Review *

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Book Synopsis''This delicious confection will work its magic on all'' Daily TelegraphThe discreet advertisement in The Times, addressed ''To Those who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine'', offers a small medieval castle for rent, above a bay on the Italian Riviera. Four very different women - the dishevelled and downtrodden Mrs Wilkins, the sad, sweet-faced Mrs Arbuthnot, the formidable widow Mrs Fisher and the ravishing socialite Lady Caroline Dester - are drawn to the shores of the Mediterranean that April. As each, in turn, blossoms in the warmth of the Italian spring and finds their spirits stirring, quite unexpected changes occur.The Enchanted April, published in 1922, is a witty and delightful depiction of what it is like to rediscover joy.''Brims with magic and laughter'' Amanda Craig, GuardianIncludes a new introduction by Salley Vickers, author of Miss Garnet''s Angel

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Book SynopsisBest selling international author, Isabel Allende tackles her homeland head-on in this staggering, epic romance.Portrait in Sepia' is both a magnificent historical novel set at the end of the nineteenth century in Chile and a marvellous family saga peopled by characters from Daughter of Fortune' and The House of the Spirits', two of Allende''s most celebrated novels.As a young girl, Aurora del Valle suffered a brutal trauma that has shaped her character and erased from her mind all recollection of the first five years of her life. Raised by her ambitious grandmother, the regal and commanding Paulina del Valle, she grows up in a privileged environment, free of the limitations that circumscribe the lives of women at that time, but tormented by terrible nightmares. When she finds herself alone at the end of an unhappy love affair, she decides to explore the mystery of her past, to discover what it was, exactly, all those years ago, that had such a devastating effect on her young life.RichTrade Review‘You’ll find it hard not to be beguiled by the charm and ingenuity of Allende’s storytelling.’ The Times 'Though its story is the life of Aurora del Valle, a privileged young girl growing up in 19th century Chile, its subject is history, and the way in which the lives of people and the lives of countries exist in uneasy limbo, caught between the shadows of the past and the mysteries of the future. It's a world of secrets and uneasy truces; all that is certain is death, and all that is valuable is love.' Jeremy Poolman, Daily Mail 'If you were thrilled by “The House of the Spirits”, you'll love this.' Marie Claire 'A wonderful, wide-ranging story, which moves back to Chile, and is told in a clever mix of first and third person. Allende's dramatic descriptions of hand-to-hand combat and bloody battle scenes are every bit as vivid and physical as her descriptions of wild passionate love-making. A compulsively readable, colourful, informative and entertaining novel.' Sunday Tribune

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