Satirical fiction and parodies
Transworld Publishers Ltd Monstrous Regiment
Book SynopsisTerry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.www.terrypratchettbooks.comTrade Review'Like Jonathan Swift, Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own, and like Swift he is a satirist of enormous talent ... incredibly funny ... compulsively readable.' * The Times *'A true original among contemporary writers - a fantasist who loves naff humour and silly names, and yet whose absurd world is, at heart, a serious portrait of the jingoistic fears that keep us at each other's throats.' * The Times *'The great Terry Pratchett, whose wit is metaphysical, who creates an energetic and lively secondary world, who has a multifarious genius for strong parody as opposed to derivative manipulation of past motifs, who deals with death with startling originality. Who writes amazing sentences.' -- A.S. Byatt * The New York Times *
£13.49
Alma Books Ltd Utopia
Book SynopsisIn Thomas More's hugely influential Utopia, a traveller recounts his discovery of an island nation in which the inhabitants enjoy unprecedented social cohesion and justice. The book imagines a community in which laws, personal relations and professional ambition are based on reason, in contrast with the tradition-bound superstitions of Europe, which were, in More's eyes, impediments to equality and peaceful coexistence.One of the indicators of the profound cultural and political influence of More's masterpiece is today's common use of the word "Utopia" - a term he invented. This extraordinary treatise on the values of rationality and reason - here presented in a sparkling new translation by Roger Clarke and accompanied by copious notes and additional texts - questions what a philosopher can do to enact change in society, and how idealized visions can inform political practice.Trade Review"Astonishingly radical stuff." - Terry Eagleton
£7.59
Little, Brown Book Group Squeeze Me
Book Synopsis''One of the world''s funniest novelists''SUNDAY TIMES ''Scabrous and unrelentingly hilarious . . . the Trump era is truly Carl Hiaasen''s moment''WASHINGTON POSTFrom the highly acclaimed author of Bad Monkey and Razor Girl comes this hilarious new novel of social and political intrigue, set against the glittering backdrop of Florida''s gold coast. It''s the height of the Palm Beach charity ball season: for every good cause, there''s a reason for the local luminaries to eat (minimally), drink (maximally), and be seen. But when prominent high-society dowager Kiki Pew suddenly vanishes during a swanky gala, and is later found dead, panic and chaos erupt.Kiki was an ardent fan of the Winter White House resident just down the road, and a founding member of the POTUSSIES, a group of women dedicated to supporting their President - who immediately declares that Kiki was the victim of rampagingTrade ReviewCarl Hiaasen remains the undefeated, unscored-upon conscience of Florida, maybe the conscience of the whole country. I laughed and laughed and laughed while I read Squeeze Me - until I remembered, hey, I live in Palm Beach! * James Patterson *Scintillating, driven and very, very funny. Sheer comic genius * Metro *Hiaasen is wondrously fertile in devising fizzing plots and zany characters, but also as a comic prose stylist he can give Wodehouse and Waugh a run for their money * The Sunday Times *Creating laughter in a tough world may be Hiaasen's hallmark * Independent *If you could use some wild escapism right now, Hiaasen is your guy. In its themes and its wild imagination, Squeeze Me offers some familiar pleasures, akin to a Greatest Hits collection. Anyone who's read him will know what a prime recommendation that is * New York Times *By the evidence of the scabrous and unrelentingly hilarious Squeeze Me, the Trump era is truly Carl Hiaasen's moment * Washington Post *Rampagingly funny satire * Kirkus *Splendid satire [...] One of his best * Crime Club *Will have you crying with laughter * Best *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Adjustment Day
Book SynopsisThe author of Fight Club takes America beyond our darkest dreams in this timely satire. People pass the word only to those they trust most: Adjustment Day is coming. They’ve been reading a mysterious blue-black book and memorising its directives. They are ready for the reckoning. In this ingeniously comic work, Chuck Palahniuk’s first novel in four years, he does what he does best: skewer the absurdities in our society. Smug, geriatric politicians hatch a nasty fate for the burgeoning population of young males; working-class men dream of burying the elites; and professors propound theories that offer students only the bleakest future. When it arrives, Adjustment Day inaugurates a new, disunited states. In this mind-blowing novel, Palahniuk fearlessly makes real the logical conclusion of every separatist fantasy, alternative fact, and conspiracy theory lurking in the American psyche.‘His best book in years’ Irish IndependentTrade ReviewHis best book in years… Mashing up the current febrile mood in America and the destructive impulses of Fight Club, Adjustment Day… skewers every tribe in the identity politics rainbow… Welcome back, Chuck. -- Ian O'Doherty * Irish Independent *An heir to Chuck Palahniuk's most famous novel, Fight Club, Adjustment Day is one of the most ingeniously fucked-up and enticingly original novels to be published this year... Think Will Self, George Orwell, Stephen King and William Burroughs mixed up in a Molotov cocktail. * attitude *There is more than a mere whiff of Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Purge in Palahniuk’s latest novel, and it could be read as a treatise on contemporary America. * Irish Times *The Fight Club author is on a mission to offend everyone with his new satire about America… his humour expresses a genuine anger, and that gives his book a crackling energy… This is one of those books that is best enjoyed in a bad mood, when you’re thinking that a good cull is really what the human race needs, although even when feeling quite sunny, I found the glee Palahniuk takes in his Book of Revelation-esque scenario rather infectious. -- Jake Kerridge * Daily Telegraph *Timely… with crosshairs fixed on the absurdity of both sides of the political divide. Set in contemporary America, the novel seizes hold of dark separatist ideas and drags them to their ultimate conclusion. * iNews *
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers That Old Ace in the Hole
Book SynopsisA brilliant novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning Annie Proulx, author of The Shipping News' and Brokeback Mountain'.That Old Ace in the Hole' is a richly textured story of one man''s struggle to make good in the inhospitable ranch country of the Texas panhandle, told with razor-sharp wit and a masterly sense of place.Some folks in the Texas panhandle do not like hog farms. But Bob Dollar, the newly hired hog site scout for Global Pork Rind, intends to do his job. Bob must contend with tough men and women like ancient Freda Beautyrooms, who controls a ranch he covets, and Ace Crouch, the windmiller who defies the hog farms. As Bob settles in at La Von Fronk's bunkhouse and lends a hand at Cy Frease's Old Dog Café, he is forced to question everything.Trade Review‘Sometimes the laughs are prompted by joyously well-jointed plot devices, or by Proulx’s small, absurd observations. As often as not, the humour comes from the unmistakable edginess and quirkiness of Proulx’s prose. It is hard to think of any living writer who deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Dickens, with the exception of Proulx.’A N Wilson, New Statesman ‘Proulx’s own ace in the hole is her brilliance at evoking place and landscape. She sets about drawing the vast distances and parched flatlands of Texas with almost immeasurable skill.’ Alex Clark, Guardian ‘The travels and travails of Bob Dollar, and his habit of asking garrlous locals to tell stories about the old days, allow her to build up a rich and many-layered portrait of the region. The reader gets to pluck the fruits of all that research and through the magic of her prose become engrossed in subjects like windmill repairs and the history of barbed wire.’ Richard Grant, Telegraph Magazine ‘A kind-hearted and intelligent novel.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Proulx has a first class eye and ear.’ Adam Mars-Jones, Observer ‘Brilliantly written.’ Peter Kemp, Sunday Times
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers SeventyTwo Virgins
Book SynopsisBoris Johnson's first novel, Seventy-Two Virgins is a no-holds-barred political satire, a comic romp peopled with a gallery of grotesques which lampoons both the absurdities and the extremes of modern society.Trade Review'A hectic comedy thriller…a rip-roaring knockabout farce…refreshingly unpompous, faintly dishevelled and often very funny.' Mail on Sunday 'At the centre of his first novel, a light comedy, is a terrorist plot of frightening ingenuity…the comedy is reminiscent of Tom Sharpe.' Sunday Times 'Johnson scores in his comic handling of those most sensitive issues…he succeeds in being charming and sincere…Boris Johnson has written a witty page-turner.' Observer 'Among the hilarious scenes of events and the wonderful dialogue which keeps the story moving at a cracking pace, Johnson uncovers some home truths…I can give no higher praise to this book than to say that I lapped it up at a single uproarious sitting.' Irish Examiner 'As an author, the Shadow Arts Minister is in a class of his own: ebullient, exhausting but irresistible.' Daily Mail 'fluent, funny material…the writing is vintage, Wodehousian Boris…it has been assembled with skill and terrific energy and will lift morale in the soul of many.' Evening Standard 'This is a comic novel, but Johnson is never far away from making serious points, which he leads us towards with admirable stealth.' Daily Telegraph
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers The Average American Male
Book SynopsisThe controversial bestseller that sparked a Youtube frenzyTrade Review‘This funny and explicit tale is pure filth…’ Maxim ‘Morally irredeemable yet completely unputdownable’ Arena ‘This is a bit SCARY! It’s like someone’s writing a diary of your every waking moment’ Daily Sport ‘It’s a controversial bestseller that’s sparked a youtube frenzy’ Knave ‘WARNING: do not let your girlfriend read this…actually let her read it. The duchess might learn a thing or two’ Zoo 'I can't figure out if this book is a heartfelt dispatch from the front line in the battle of the sexes or a brilliant send-up of the way the male point of view has been misrepresented by militant feminists. I suspect both' Toby Young 'It's so primal, so dangerous, it might be the most ingenious book i've ever read' Josh Kilmer-Purcell 'The most brilliant author of the twenty-first century. But enough about me, buy Chad's book. It's a blueprint of how the mind – and penis-of the typical American male works' Maddox
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Portable Veblen
Book SynopsisA laugh-out-loud love story with big ideas - and squirrelsSHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016Can squirrels speak? Do snails scream?Will a young couple, newly engaged, make it to their wedding day? Will their dysfunctional families ruin everything? Will they be undone by the advances of a very sexy, very unscrupulous heiress to a pharmaceuticals corporation?Is getting married even a remotely reasonable idea in the twenty-first century?And what in the world is a Veblen' anyway?Raw and weird and hilarious' GuardianA touching, wildly funny and peculiarly elegant look at the travails of love of all kinds' Sunday ExpressElizabeth McKenzie is clearly some sort of genius' Paul MurrayI can't remember a book I enjoyed more' Nina StibbeSeriously funny and extraordinarily well written' Jonathan Franzen, Guardian books of the yearTrade Review‘Man oh man, do I love this book! Audacious, imaginative and totally wonderful’ Karen Joy Fowler ‘I can’t remember a book I enjoyed more’ Nina Stibbe 'Smart, funny, charming and profound. Elizabeth McKenzie is clearly some sort of genius’ Paul Murray ‘The squirreliest novel I ever read. I enjoyed it completely’ Ursula K. Le Guin ‘Raw and weird and hilarious . . . very entertaining’ Scarlett Thomas, Guardian ‘Ambitious, spirited, funny, daring’ Financial Times ‘A touching, wildly funny and peculiarly elegant look at the travails of love of all kinds’ Sunday Express ‘Utterly charming. A true joy of a book’ Irish Examiner ‘Full of life and humour and compassion’ Times Literary Supplement ‘Darkly funny, irrepressibly quirky and very, very hard to put down’ Sam Baker, The Pool ‘Quirky and smart. If you loved Karen Joy Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, you’ll love this’ Glamour ‘Wildly brilliant. Razor-sharp, intimate, hilarious and profound. Every page is a delight’ Emma Jane Unsworth ‘Terrifically entertaining . . . hard to resist’ Daily Mail ‘Offbeat, thoughtful, mischievous . . . McKenzie [has] a pin-sharp eye for the tragic-comic, and for dialogue’ Herald (Scotland) ‘A novel of festive originality’ The New York Times ‘Unforgettable. A wild ride that you will not want to miss’ San Francisco Chronicle ‘If The Portable Veblen has a flaw, it is that its caricatures are so on the nose as to make the reader hope to flee the human race’ Boston Globe ‘Oddball characters and plot turns abound, including talking squirrels and bureaucratic ironies worthy of "Catch-22." But a sober question occupies its core: Do our parents' best intentions do us harm?’ Minneapolis Star Tribune ‘Accurately and funnily capture[s] the complexities of modern families . . . The Corrections meets The Wallcreeper’ Huffington Post
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Walls of Jericho
Book SynopsisThe first novel by one of the legends of the Harlem Renaissance, a classic in the annals of Black fiction.When Black lawyer Fred Merrit purchases a house in the most exclusive white neighbourhood bordering Harlem, he has to hire the toughest removal firm in the area to help him get his belongings past the hostile neighbours. The removal men are Jinx Jenkins and Bubber Brown, who make the move anything but straightforward.This hilarious satire of jazz-age Harlem derides the walls people build around themselvescolour and class being chief among them. In their reactions to Merrit and to one another, the characters provide an invaluable view of the social and philosophical scene of the times.First published in 1928, The Walls of Jericho is the first novel by Rudolph Fisher, author of The Conjure-Man Dies, whom Langston Hughes called the wittiest of the Harlem Renaissance writers, whose tongue was flavoured with the sharpest and saltiest humour'.This new edition includes Fisher's short storTrade Review‘Fisher is an unusual individual. A physician by trade, he also published several books, including The Conjure-Man Dies, the first hard-boiled detective novel by an African American. This, Fisher's first novel, introduces protagonist Merrit, who buys a house on the border between the white and black sections of Harlem in the 1920s. The novel details the difficulties faced by educated African Americans who tried to enter into predominantly white society.’–Library Journal ‘One feels, smells, and tastes Fisher’s Harlem; its people come alive and one cares about them.’–New York Times Book Review
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers The Unfortunates The powerful and darkly funny
Book SynopsisTrade Review‘[A] playful, powerful debut… Speaking to the pressure Black people often feel to stifle their feelings in predominantly white spaces… A poignant reminder of how tight a hold mental illness can have’ Zakiya Dalila Harris, The New York Times Book Review ‘Chukwu meticulously and brilliantly balances tough topics like depression with biting comedy, crafting a narrative about a young woman trying to survive and help others do the same’ Shondaland ‘Chukwu has written an extraordinary coming-of-age novel, with a fascinating protagonist and a tone that is just right for her material. The book’s dark atmosphere is enhanced by the presence of the author's own black-and-white illustrations. The result is a tour de force’ Booklist (starred review) ‘Formidable…powerful. This blistering anthem brims with rage and hope’ Publishers Weekly ‘The Unfortunates is a powerful call to arms by a promising young writer who is not afraid to take risks, and for that we are very fortunate indeed’ Bookpage ‘Required reading…What do you do when your fellow Black co-eds are disappearing, and you fear you’re next? Sahara, a queer, half-Nigerian student at an elite college, pens her opus, a no-holds-barred thesis to the racist institution that has stolen a part of her soul, but she and her community of BIPOC women won’t give up without a fight’ Ebony GLOWING READER REVIEWS 'I have not been able to put this book down' 'A very powerful, dark, upsetting, devastating, enthralling… IMPORTANT read' 'One of the most unique reading experiences I've had in a while… feels one-of-a-kind from start to finish' 'Well-written and thought-provoking' 'Powerful and razor-sharp' 'A smart and important story. One we all need to hear and think about'
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers If I Survive You
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZEDazzling' GUARDIANBlistering' THE TIMES''A delight'' DIANA EVANSFiction written at the highest level' ANN PATCHETT''Hilarious, revelatory'' MARLON JAMESAn electrifying, hilarious and deeply moving tragicomic debut novel following a Jamaican family grappling with a new life in the US.What are you?'This is the puzzled question that greets a young Trelawny growing up in a Miami where his racial ambiguity is regarded with confusion and suspicion. It's not just his neighbours, his Jamaican parents Topper and Sanya don't seem to understand him either. Then there's his stubborn older brother Delano, who is determined to secure a better future for his own children, no matter what it takes.As both brothers navigate the challenges littered in their path a woefully unreliable father, racism, recession and even a hurricane they find themselves increasingly at odds. Will they make it through together or must one brother's future come at the cost of the other?STrade Review‘Blistering … Escoffery writes stinging sentences’ The Times ‘All of life is here in unflinching detail: the fragility of existence, the American dream and the road not taken’ The Booker Prize Judges ‘Thrilling … With much tenderness in the gulf between father and son’ Observer ‘So brilliant it stopped me in my tracks … Astonishing’ iNews ‘Brilliantly energetic… his talent feels fully formed and raring to go’ Financial Times ‘Unmissable… rare in that it has the heft and heart of a novel, with the refined finesse of the short story’ Irish Times ‘Surges with the symphonic, imaginative, propulsive energy of Gabriel García Márquez’ Guardian ‘A compelling hurricane of a book’ Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House Profound, tender, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, If I Survive You will knock you off your feet and keep you spellbound to the very last page … A must-read. Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King, shortlisted for The Booker Prize ‘Superb… a much-needed new voice’ Percival Everett, author of Erasure 'This I adore… Sumptuous and astute' Diana Evans, author of Ordinary People ‘An elegant meditation on belonging from a powerful new writer’ Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby ‘A dazzling mirror held up to our identity-obsessed time’ Joyce Carol Oates, author of Blonde ‘A gifted, sure-footed storyteller’ New York Times ‘Like nothing you've read before’ Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings ‘So damn funny’ Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind
£13.49
HarperCollins Publishers If I Survive You
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZEDazzling' GUARDIANBlistering' THE TIMES''A delight'' DIANA EVANSFiction written at the highest level' ANN PATCHETT''Hilarious, revelatory'' MARLON JAMESAn electrifying, hilarious and deeply moving tragicomic debut novel following a Jamaican family grappling with a new life in the US.What are you?'This is the puzzled question that greets a young Trelawny growing up in a Miami where his racial ambiguity is regarded with confusion and suspicion. It's not just his neighbours, his Jamaican parents Topper and Sanya don't seem to understand him either. Then there's his stubborn older brother Delano, who is determined to secure a better future for his own children, no matter what it takes.As both brothers navigate the challenges littered in their path a woefully unreliable father, racism, recession and even a hurricane they find themselves increasingly at odds. Will they make it through together or must one brother's future come at the cost of the other?Shortlisted for the 2024 Gordon Burn PrizeAn astonishingly assured debut novel clarity, variety and fizzing prose' BOOKER PRIZE JUDGESSo damn funny' RUMAAN ALAMAstonishing' I NEWSPAPER''Utterly unstoppable' IRISH TIMESWhat readers say:So good it was hard to put down'Humour, real feeling totally recommend'So engrossing and entertaining'A must read'Trade Review‘Blistering … Escoffery writes stinging sentences’ The Times ‘All of life is here in unflinching detail: the fragility of existence, the American dream and the road not taken’ The Booker Prize Judges ‘Thrilling … With much tenderness in the gulf between father and son’ Observer ‘So brilliant it stopped me in my tracks … Astonishing’ iNews ‘Brilliantly energetic… his talent feels fully formed and raring to go’ Financial Times ‘Unmissable… rare in that it has the heft and heart of a novel, with the refined finesse of the short story’ Irish Times ‘Surges with the symphonic, imaginative, propulsive energy of Gabriel García Márquez’ Guardian ‘A compelling hurricane of a book’ Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House Profound, tender, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, If I Survive You will knock you off your feet and keep you spellbound to the very last page … A must-read. Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King, shortlisted for The Booker Prize ‘Superb… a much-needed new voice’ Percival Everett, author of Erasure 'This I adore… Sumptuous and astute' Diana Evans, author of Ordinary People ‘An elegant meditation on belonging from a powerful new writer’ Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby ‘A dazzling mirror held up to our identity-obsessed time’ Joyce Carol Oates, author of Blonde ‘A gifted, sure-footed storyteller’ New York Times ‘Like nothing you've read before’ Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings ‘So damn funny’ Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind
£12.34
HarperCollins Publishers If I Survive You
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZEDazzling' GUARDIANBlistering' THE TIMES''A delight'' DIANA EVANSFiction written at the highest level' ANN PATCHETT''Hilarious, revelatory'' MARLON JAMESAn electrifying, hilarious and deeply moving tragicomic debut novel following a Jamaican family grappling with a new life in the US.What are you?'This is the puzzled question that greets a young Trelawny growing up in a Miami where his racial ambiguity is regarded with confusion and suspicion. It's not just his neighbours, his Jamaican parents Topper and Sanya don't seem to understand him either. Then there's his stubborn older brother Delano, who is determined to secure a better future for his own children, no matter what it takes.As both brothers navigate the challenges littered in their path a woefully unreliable father, racism, recession and even a hurricane they find themselves increasingly at odds. Will they make it through together or must one brother's future come at the cost of the other?STrade Review‘Blistering … Escoffery writes stinging sentences’ The Times ‘All of life is here in unflinching detail: the fragility of existence, the American dream and the road not taken’ The Booker Prize Judges ‘Thrilling … With much tenderness in the gulf between father and son’ Observer ‘So brilliant it stopped me in my tracks … Astonishing’ iNews ‘Brilliantly energetic… his talent feels fully formed and raring to go’ Financial Times ‘Unmissable… rare in that it has the heft and heart of a novel, with the refined finesse of the short story’ Irish Times ‘Surges with the symphonic, imaginative, propulsive energy of Gabriel García Márquez’ Guardian ‘A compelling hurricane of a book’ Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House Profound, tender, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, If I Survive You will knock you off your feet and keep you spellbound to the very last page … A must-read. Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King, shortlisted for The Booker Prize ‘Superb… a much-needed new voice’ Percival Everett, author of Erasure 'This I adore… Sumptuous and astute' Diana Evans, author of Ordinary People ‘An elegant meditation on belonging from a powerful new writer’ Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby ‘A dazzling mirror held up to our identity-obsessed time’ Joyce Carol Oates, author of Blonde ‘A gifted, sure-footed storyteller’ New York Times ‘Like nothing you've read before’ Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings ‘So damn funny’ Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Divorced Not Dead
Book Synopsis''Hugely relatable!'' HeatFans of Alexandra Potter, Marian Keyes and Caroline James will love Divorced Not Dead, a no-holds-barred, heartfelt and laugh-out-loud hilarious romcom about being fifty, but absolutely not yet dead yet!-We're going to need a bigger drinkMeet Frankie: fifty, divorced and getting back on the horse.After leaving Twatface her husband of twenty years she''s starting again from scratch. And when her son also flees the nest for university, Frankie decides it's time to throw herself back into the dating game with a vengeance.On best friend Bel''s recommendation, Frankie signs up to two dating apps: one for love, another for casual hook-ups (because why the f**k not?!).However, as she navigates this new frontier of catfishing, kittenfishing, ghosts, GILFs and everything in between, she realises the whole dating thing has changed quite a bit and it really is a bloody jungle out thereWill Frankie find love on the apps? Or the perfect shag?Or if there's any justice iTrade Review Sneak peek of Divorced Not Dead: “I’d have been content to stay with my dementor-ex until doomsday because I thought that’s what middle age was all about. Being somewhere between vaguely and violently unhappy. Making do; putting up; sticking it out. Staying for the sake of the kids. Sleepwalking through midlife in a general malaise. But, somewhere along the way, I woke up. There’s that bit in When Harry Met Sally where Harry says, ‘When you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.’ Well, that’s how I felt the day I left the marital home and moved into the flat above my shop. Except that the somebody I want to spend the rest of my life with is me. She’s been missing for a while, you see. Me, that is. Frances Brumby. More commonly known as Frankie. And I just found her again…” –––––––––––––––––––––- ‘This book is like a (very big) glass of wine with a friend – honest, unfiltered, hilarious. Your cheeks will hurt from laughing so much!’ Louise Pentland, author of Time After Time ‘Brilliantly observed, hilariously documented, a celebration of life at fifty…Personal, funny, relatable and motivational.’ Shazia Mirza, award-winning stand-up comedian and writer ‘It's a blast – defiantly funny. We need more books like this!’ Georgie Hall, author of Woman of a Certain Rage ‘Entertaining and enlightening …Sex education was never like this the first time around!’ Julie Ma, author of Happy Families ‘Whipsmart, feminist and sex-positive…I defy anyone to read this without cackling!’ Kitty Wilson, author of The Love Experiment 'A funny, frank and loving book. Enjoy!' Award-winning actress Lesley Sharp ‘Hugely relatable…you will cheer on Frankie as she navigates a minefield of single men!’ Heat ‘A useful handbook for anyone back on the dating scene!’ Platinum
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Jesus Cow
Book Synopsis
£20.79
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Motion of the Body Through Space
Book Synopsis
£23.19
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Motion of the Body Through Space
Book SynopsisIn Lionel Shriver’s entertaining send-up of today’s cult of exercise—which not only encourages better health, but now like all religions also seems to promise meaning, social superiority, and eternal life—an aging husband’s sudden obsession with extreme sport makes him unbearable.After an ignominious early retirement, Remington announces to his wife Serenata that he’s decided to run a marathon. This from a sedentary man in his sixties who’s never done a lick of exercise in his life. His wife can’t help but observe that his ambition is “hopelessly trite.” A loner, Serenata disdains mass group activities of any sort. Besides, his timing is cruel. Serenata has long been the couple’s exercise freak, but by age sixty, her private fitness regimes have destroyed her knees, and she’ll soon face debilitating surgery. Yes, becoming more active would be good for Remington’s heart, but then why not just go for a walk? Without several thousand of your closest friends?As Remington joins the cult of fitness that increasingly consumes the Western world, her once-modest husband burgeons into an unbearable narcissist. Ignoring all his other obligations, he engages a saucy, sexy personal trainer named Bambi, who treats Serenata with contempt. When Remington sets his sights on the legendarily grueling triathlon, MettleMan, Serenata is sure he’ll end up injured or dead. And even if he does survive, their marriage may not.The Motion of the Body Through Space is vintage Lionel Shriver written with psychological insight, a rich cast of characters, lots of verve and petulance, an astute reading of contemporary culture, and an emotionally resonant ending.
£16.14
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules
Book Synopsis#1 International BestsellerThe Best Exotic Marigold Hotel meets The Italian Job in internationally-bestselling author Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg’s witty and insightful comedy of errors about a group of delinquent seniors whose desire for a better quality of life leads them to rob and ransom priceless artwork.Martha Andersson may be seventy-nine-years-old and live in a retirement home, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to stop enjoying life. So when the new management of Diamond House starts cutting corners to save money, Martha and her four closest friends—Brains, The Rake, Christina and Anna-Gretta (a.k.a. The League of Pensioners)—won’t stand for it. Fed up with early bedtimes and overcooked veggies, this group of feisty seniors sets about to regain their independence, improve their lot, and stand up for seniors everywhere.Their solution? White collar crime. What begins as a relatively straightforward robbery of a nearby luxury hotel quickly escalates into an unsolvable heist at the National Museum. With police baffled and the Mafia hot on their trail, the League of Pensioners has to stay one walker’s length ahead if it’s going to succeed….Told with all the insight and humor of A Man Called Ove or Where’d You Go Bernadette?, The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is a delightful and heartwarming novel that goes to prove the adage that it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.
£17.09
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Motion of the Body Through Space
Book Synopsis
£27.89
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Santa Monica
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£16.14
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Santa Monica
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£18.69
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Minister Primarily
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Killens has read his Shakespeare. With the surprises in its plot and its quadrilles of mistaken identities, ‘The Minister Primarily’ is right up there with ‘The Tempest’ and ‘The Comedy of Errors.’ The choreography of his set pieces has an effulgent warmth that is as passionately expressed as it is disarming, creeping up on the reader with such skill you hardly realize you’re being stalked by a master." — The New York Times Book Review "Killens casts a broad net, skewering everything from the heady early days of African independence to the pan-Africanism of the period among Black Americans, and, most sharply, race relations in the United States. This is a brilliantly scathing, outrageous satire as important today as when it was written." — Library Journal (starred review) “The Minister Primarily is not only a brilliantly imagined work of fiction, it is also a side-splittingly funny tale. In this newly discovered last novel, Killens’ puts on his literary fabulist hat and hands us a rich, unforgettable tale packed with ribald, humorous scenes, and wacky characters. Read this book, you will never forget it!” — Quincy Troupe, author of andMiles and Me “John O. Killens inspired many writers, myself included. Killens is a genius at his craft. He taught it, he perfected it. And Killens' mastery of satire, (please read The Cotillion as well) is on full display in his last novel. His dialogue is as clever and sly as ever.” — Tina McElroy Ansa, The Hand I Fan With and Taking After Mudear “John Oliver Killens’ The Minister Primarily highlights his exceptional skills in the use of dialogue, irony and satire. The novel is ultimately a parody of American, African and European presidents and political leaders and an exposé of the hypocrisy and exploitation generated by colonialism in Africa. His use of humor and adaptation of the trope of the trickster for his protagonist are reminiscent of Ishmael Reed, Charles W. Chestnutt, and Ralph Ellison.” — Dr. Brenda M. Greene, Founder & Executive Director, Center for Black Literature, Medgar Evers College, CUNY “It is good to see another work by Baba John Killens, a master of voice illuminating everything that stumbles within range of his biting irony and expansive literary heart. The Minister Primarily reminds us why John Killens occupies such a unique place in literature. Read The Minister Primarily and you too will understand the joy of ‘found work’ by Baba John Killens, the Great Griot Master of Brooklyn at the top of his satiric game.” — Arthur Flowers, author of The Hoodoo Book of Flowers: The Great Black Book of Generations “The absurd situation gives Killens a perfect vantage from which to satirize international race relations.” — The New Yorker “Vividly and skillfully written, this vibrant, long-missing novel, published 34 years after the death of this Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, civil rights activist, and key figure in the Black Arts Movement, is certain to be a timeless classic of satirical fiction.” — Booklist (starred review) "An audacious final testament of an underappreciated craftsman." — Kirkus Reviews
£13.30
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Impostor Syndrome
Book Synopsis
£26.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Minister Primarily
Book Synopsis
£26.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Should We Stay or Should We Go
Book Synopsis
£14.44
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Should We Stay or Should We Go
Book Synopsis
£21.59
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Rebecca Not Becky
Book SynopsisTrade Review“A deep exhale of a narrative, REBECCA, NOT BECKY kept me laughing… and thinking. This is a reminder that talking about race doesn’t have to be hard. It simply requires us to be honest.” — New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Woodson — New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Woodson “Platt and Wigginton Greene have gifted us with a story that is beautiful, honest, funny, and unapologetic. Exploring the complexities of motherhood, interracial friendships, and community, REBECCA, NOT BECKY pushes readers to examine their biases and lean into discomfort. Y’all this is the book we need to read if we want to grow and cultivate a deeper understanding that everyone can work towards racial justice and it’s best when we do it together!” — Tiffany Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Book Is Antiracist "Platt and Wigginton Greene drop a big spoon into the stewpot of race, relationship, class, and age, and serve the reader one sip at a time. Some of it is sweet. Some, sour. Some of it is even a bit spicy. But all of it…yes all of it, is delicious (and might even be healthy). Masterfully done!” — #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds “Through vivid storytelling and relatable characters, Platt and Wigginton Greene have crafted a deeply moving and relevant novel addressing the intricate intersections of race, parenting, and friendship. It is a must-read for anyone seeking a better understanding of the world around them… and themselves.” — Glory Edim, author and founder of The Well-Read Black Girl book club “REBECCA, NOT BECKY reminds us that learning to navigate the complexities of womanhood, motherhood, and sisterhood can lead us to healing cultural and generational trauma. And it is indeed worth ‘doing the work.’” — Alex Elle, New York Times bestselling author of How We Heal “An incisive story of two stay-at-home moms, one Black, one white, whose complex friendship roils their northern Virginia suburb….The authors carefully demonstrate how each of the protagonists is hampered by preconceived notions of the other, and the social satire smoothly evolves into a propulsive page-turner. Fans of Such a Fun Age ought to check this out.” — Publishers Weekly “Written in exuberant style…. having savvy fun with stereotypes and the sub rosa operations of female social networks.” — Kirkus Reviews “Rebecca, Not Becky is a hugely enjoyable novel that nonetheless takes a hard look at prejudice and performative allyship in an affluent Northern Virginia community, alternating between the perspectives of a white woman and a Black woman reconsidering their biases and privilege. . . .Two women--one white and one Black--navigate the nuances of racism in their Northern Virginia community in this addictively readable collaborative novel.” — Shelf Awareness “The book’s characters are initially cast as stereotypes of suburban mothers who spend their days planning committee meetings, complaining about busy, inattentive husbands, sipping wine and doing yoga, but they eventually emerge as more complex protagonists with whom we empathize. Despite their differences, the women at the center of the story aspire to be more than wives and mothers and, despite their insecurities, have a greater vision for a more inclusive community. It is a charming tale of class, race, motherhood and relationships.” — Washington Post
£14.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Rebecca Not Becky
Book SynopsisIn the vein of Such a Fun Age, a whip-smart, compulsively readable novel about two upper-class stay-at-home mothers—one white, one Black—living in a perfect suburb that explores motherhood, friendship, and the true meaning of sisterhood amidst the backdrop of America’s all-too-familiar racial reckoning. De’Andrea Whitman, her husband Malik, and their five-year-old daughter, Nina, are new to the upper-crust white suburb of Rolling Hills, Virginia—a move motivated by circumstance rather than choice. De’Andrea is heartbroken to leave her comfortable life in the Black oasis of Atlanta, and between her mother-in-law’s Alzheimer''s diagnosis, her daughter starting kindergarten, and the overwhelming whiteness of Rolling Hills, she finds herself struggling to adjust to her new community. To ease the transition, her therapist proposes a challenge: make a white girlfriend. When Rebecca Myland lear
£22.50
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Yellowface
Book Synopsis
£22.50
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Jameela Green Ruins Everything
Book SynopsisHer quest soon lands her at the center of an international plan targeting the leader of the terrorist organization—a scheme that puts Jameela and count-less others, including her hapless husband and clever but disapproving daughter, at risk.Trade ReviewA Shondaland's "Best Books for May 2022" * A Pop Sugar "New Book That Is A Must Reads in 2022" — "Jameela Green Ruins Everything" by Zarqa Nawaz is a deliciously dark comedy that takes on America's foreign policy in the Middle East, the lengths people are willing to go to for success, and one woman's search for meaning." — Popsugar “A satire about ISIS is a big swing to take—but Zarqa Nawaz knows a thing or two about taking chances. Jameela Green Ruins Everything may be her first foray into the world of fiction, but Nawaz has made a career of being a trailblazer. . . . The book manages to weave American foreign policy and thwarting a terrorist organization with one woman’s search for faith, meaning and redemption.” — Chatelaine “Nawaz’s understated humour shines in this lovely comedy of errors—and faith.” — Maclean’s “International politics is personal in this brilliant satire from the always provocative—and deeply funny—mind of Zarqa Nawaz.” — Rick Mercer “A breezy dark comedy about serious contemporary issues." — Quill and Quire “Zarqa Nawaz is a comic genius who has done the impossible in this brilliant fiction debut: Jameela Green Ruins Everything is, all at once, an incisive examination of recent Middle East history, a biting indictment of Western imperialism, and a darkly comic satire on terrorism. Follow Jameela Green, the comic she-ro for our modern times, as she bumbles through the unimaginable on this hilarious whirlwind adventure. I guarantee you will never think about the phrase ‘East meets West’ in quite the same way again. Three cheers for Jameela Green!” — Uzma Jalaluddin, author of Ayesha at Last and Hana Khan Carries On “Zarqa Nawaz is one of the few writers around who can deftly navigate that minefield between high-stakes, war-torn, geopolitical upheaval, and one woman’s hilarious but meaningful journey to find her place in her family and community. Is it a searing satire on America’s war on terror, or a side-splitting family adventure? Well . . . yes, it is, and a crazy ride, too. Funny, moving, brilliant.” — Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour “Finally, an action plot featuring a middle-class Muslim mom from North Dakota! Zarqa Nawaz makes ample room for her protagonist, Jameela Green, to be a multidimensional woman of color who flexes between a flawed insecure instigator to a championing hero in one humor-filled international ride.” — Pooja Reddy, comedian and cohost of Kutti Gang “Jameela Green Ruins Everything is zany, daring, and hilarious, and exactly the type of novel we’d expect from Zarqa Nawaz, creator of CBC’s award-winning sitcom, Little Mosque on the Prairie. . . . the story is a wild and humorous one—Zarqa’s use of comedy is gutsy as hell. . . . The result is a satirical masterpiece that few on earth would dare to do.” — shedoesthecity.com “A comedy of errors about an ordinary Muslim woman thrust into a high-stakes international crisis. It’s also a tale of internal struggle, interspersed with characters’ private prayers to God. . . . provocative and cheeky.” — Maclean’s “What I love about this biting satire is the initially unlikeable main character Jameela, who is messy and selfish and unapologetic—rare for a Muslim, South Asian female character, who are most often portrayed as submissive victims or perfect model minorities. But then, Nawaz has always been ahead of her time (full disclosure, she is a friend).” — Uzma Jalaluddin, Toronto Star “This black comedy explores the price of success and one woman’s search for meaning — Chatelaine “[A] biting yet warm-hearted satire from the Regina-based creator of the groundbreaking CBC sitcom Little Mosque On The Prairie [that] somehow . . . manages to interrogate everything from prejudice to foreign policy to what it means to be a ‘good person.’” — TheKit.ca “Canadians are funny people—that’s a given—and when our special brand of humour is coupled with the skill of a writer like Zarqa Nawaz, creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie, brilliant things happen.” — Canadian Living “Jameela Green Ruins Everything will keep you laughing all the way to the end. A heartwarming story of faith, family, and friendship that is only amplified by Zarqa Nawaz’s sharp and brilliant wit. All the sacred cows are skewered—what you are left with at the end is the power, beauty, and humour of one woman’s journey back to faith.” — Ausma Zehanat Khan, author of A Deadly Divide “Nawaz writes about religion and faith in an easily digestible way.” — The Canadian Press
£13.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Bookworm
Book Synopsis“Imagine if Patricia Highsmith had written The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and instead of heroic daydreams she gave her protagonist murderous ones—that would be Bookworm. Robin Yeatman’s story is subversive, surprising, and satisfying in a way that only the best comic noir can be.”—Claire Oshetsky, author of ChouetteA wickedly funny debut novel—a black comedy with a generous heart that explores the power of imagination and reading—about a woman who tries to use fiction to find her way to happiness.Victoria is unhappily married to an ambitious and controlling lawyer consumed with his career. Burdened with overbearing in-laws, a boring dead-end job she can’t seem to leave, and a best friend who doesn’t seem to understand her, Victoria finds solace from the daily grind in her beloved books and the stories she makes up in her head. One day, in
£15.19
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Crying of Lot 49
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£22.50
HarperCollins Yellowface
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£25.50
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Poor Things Movie TieIn
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£15.72
HarperCollins Publishers Inc A Stroke of the Pen
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£20.24
Vintage Publishing While Mortals Sleep
Book SynopsisKurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis in 1922 and studied biochemistry at Cornell University. During the Second World War he served in Europe and, as a prisoner of was in Germany, witnessed the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombers, an experience which inspired his classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five. He is the author of thirteen other novels, three collections of stories and five non-fiction books. Kurt Vonnegut died in 2007.Trade ReviewVonnegut is masterful at quickly sketching a character who you instantly recognise and immeadiately are willing to follow... no matter the plot, you as the reader know that by the end of the story, you will get somewhere. That Vonnegut will tell you something with candour and clarity -- Dave EggersA cool writer, at once throwaway and passionate and very funny * Financial Times *A satirist with a heart, a moralist with a whoopee cushion, a cynic who wants to believe -- Jay McInerneyUnimitative and inimitable social satirist * Harper's *A laughing prophet of doom * New York Times *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Catch22 50th Anniversary Edition
Book SynopsisReading Joseph Heller's classic satire is nothing less than a rite of passage.Set in the closing months of World War II, this is the story of a bombardier named Yossarian who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him.Trade ReviewNever has a book been laughed and wept over so many times * Guardian *To my mind, there have been two great American novels in the past fifty years. Catch-22 is one -- Stephen KingCatch-22 is the only war novel I've ever read that makes any sense -- Harper LeeThe war novel to end all war novels * Independent *Blessedly, monstrously, bloatedly, cynically funny and fantastically unique. No one has ever written a book like this * Financial Times *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Monarch of the Glen
Book SynopsisChester Royde, an American millionaire, travels to Scotland with his new bride Carrie and sister Myrtle, to find out more about Carrie''s Scottish ancestry. Their new ''relatives'' turn out to be a little more authentically Scottish than they bargained for. Ben Nevis, Laird of Glenbogle Castle, is fiercely protective of his lands and the Macdonald clan spirit, but being cash-strapped he''s not above attempts to marry heiress Myrtle to one of his many brawny sons. But then a group of hikers stumble onto his moor and spoil a day''s hunting, sparking all-out war between gentry and commoners.Trade ReviewRollicking comedy * Observer *A riotous piece of virtuosity...divinely funny -- Elizabeth Bowen * Tatler *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Bonfire of the Vanities
Book SynopsisSherman McCoy is a WASP, bond trader and self-appointed 'Master of the Universe'. He has a fashionable wife, a Park Avenue apartment and a Southern mistress. His spectacular fall begins the moment he is involved in an accident in the Bronx. Prosecutors, newspaper hacks, politicians and clergy close in on him, determined to bring him down.Trade ReviewA noisy satire on Manhattan’s Wall Street cash-bloated plutocracy… Hugely readable. -- John Sutherland * The Times *If there is a set-book of the Eighties, it is Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities. No other novel has achieved such a precise place in the imagination of the reading classes. With his first attempt at fiction Wolfe has become the 'Dickens or Balzac of his age'; the dandy journalist has become the towering genius * The Times *Wolfe's modern morality tale displays the sardonic humour and sharp appreciation of the grotesque familiar to admirers of his non fiction... Savagely funny and compelling * Guardian *The air of New York crackles with an energy that causes the adrenalin to pump, until one has the illusion that this is where the whole of life is taking place. The feeling is perfectly reproduced in Wolfe's novel, which opens such cans of worms as racial hostility, dress codes, political labelling and the cynical opportunism that governs every action. It's, well, electric * Sunday Times *It's witty, sprawling and ambitious * Daily Telegraph *
£11.69
Vintage Publishing The Milkman in the Night
Book Synopsis''Good-hearted and brutal at the same time, The Milkman in the Night is a complex, unsettling mixture of bleakness and warmth'' Sunday TimesRead this eccentric epic from the author of cult classic Death and the PenguinSemyon is disturbed. He has woken up in the living room with blood on his shirt, an angry wife and no idea where he was the night before. When this happens several mornings in a row, he realises he needs to investigate. After his friend Volodka follows him one night, they discover he''s meeting a tall, blonde woman and accompanying her to her apartment. In the daytime he doesn''t know this woman or where her apartment is and, odder yet, someone is watching Volodka watching Semyon. Meanwhile, there are some strange goings-on in Kyiv - an unemployed sniffer-dog handler makes a dangerous discovery, a single mother is providing breast milk for an unusual recipient and a vengeful cat is on the loose...Trade ReviewA glorious, epic, eccentric and often hilarious satire, heavily tinged with Russian melancholy -- Kate Saunders * The Times *There is much to enjoy in this book. Kurkov works in the tradition of Nikolai Gogol and Mikhail Bulgakov, blending folkloric characters, magical realism and political satire to reveal a society riddled with greed, stupidity and corruption -- Marina Lewycka * Financial Times *Good-hearted and brutal at the same time, The Milkman in the Night is a complex, unsettling mixture of bleakness and warmth * Sunday Times *Kurkov is hugely talented * Time Out *This book is a joyride... Kurkov has a rollercoaster of fun between zig and zag. He defies the reader not to join him * Scotsman *
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Damned
Book Synopsis''Are you there, Satan? It''s me, Madison''Meet Madison, whip-tongued daughter of a narcissistic film star and a billionaire, abandoned at a Swiss boarding school over Christmas while her parents are off adopting more orphans. Madison dies of a marijuana overdose and awakes to find herself in Hell, sharing her cell with a motley crew of young sinners that''s almost too good to be true. Welcome to the afterlife as only Palahniuk could imagine it - he makes eternal torment, well, simply divine.Trade ReviewThe Lovely Bones meets The Shawshank Redemption via Judy Blume. Expect to be appalled * Vogue *True to Palahniuk form, Damned is gross in parts, scandalous in others and funny throughout * Time Out *Gleefully riffing on Judy Blume's 1970 coming-of-age classic Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, Palahniuk's dead heroine must traverse the infernal landscape in search of Satan - and of her true self - as she tries to discover exactly how she died * Financial Times *Vintage chuck - as dark as it gets * Dazed *The vistas of his underworld are engrossing * Metro *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing A Man In Full
Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIESA dissection of greed-obsessed America a decade after The Bonfire of the Vanities and on the cusp of the millennium, from the master chronicler of American culture Tom WolfeCharlie Croker, once a fabled college football star, is now a late-middle-aged Atlanta real estate entrepreneur-turned conglomerate king. His expansionist ambitions and outsize ego have at last hit up against reality. Charlie has a 28,000 acre quail shooting plantation, a young and demanding second wife and a half-empty downtown tower with a staggering load of debt. Wolfe shows us contemporary America with all the verve, wit, and insight that have made him our most admired novelist.Enthralling enough even to satisfy The Bonfire of the Vanities devotees...humane and redemptive' Sunday TimesTrade ReviewA hugely enjoyable and impressive read, 800-odd pages of splendid plot, terrific characterization and astounding detail... Dickens would have approved -- Harry Ritchie * The Times Books of the Year *Enthralling enough even to satisfy The Bonfire of the Vanities devotees...humane and redemptive -- Ruth Rendell * Sunday Times Books of the Year *Fiercely and instantly addictive...this book will be a good friend to you -- Martin Amis * Guardian *Powerful... Beautiful... As funny as anything Wolfe has ever written; at the same time it is also deeply, strangely affecting * New York Times Book Review *A masterpiece...the difference between seeing the world in slices and seeing it in full -- Andrew Ferguson * Wall Street Journal *
£11.69
Vintage Publishing Sabbaths Theater
Book Synopsis''A work of near heroic vitality and cunning'' Sunday TelegraphAt sixty-four Mickey Sabbath is still defiantly antagonistic and exceedingly libidinous; sex is an obsession and a principle, an instrument of perpetual misrule in his daily existence. But after the death of his long-time mistress - an erotic free spirit whose great taste for the impermissible matches his own - Sabbath embarks on a turbulent journey into his past. Bereft and grieving, tormented by the ghosts of those who loved and hated him, he contrives a succession of farcical disasters that take him to the brink of madness and extinction...Winner of the National Book Award for FictionTrade ReviewA post-war American masterpiece * Daily Telegraph *This is a wickedly splendid book -- Frank KermodeIn time this will be seen as Roth's best novel * Guardian *For me, the book of the year - maybe the decade - is Sabbath's Theater...funny...moving, imaginative, deep... A masterpiece * Times Literary Supplement *Sabbath explodes some mad genie out of his bottle... Sabbath's Theater has more firestorming prose than any other novel I have read this year * Observer *
£9.49
Cornerstone The Fckit List
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewGripping, terrifying and hilarious – John Niven is our Hunter S. Thompson. -- Adam KayTerrifying and brilliant and gripping and tragic and humane ... it becomes progressively more tense … This should be mandatory reading for every U.S. citizen … Such a well-written book, with such vivid efficient prose, a powerful political plea disguised as a revenge novel. It’s brilliant. -- Marian KeyesLoved it. A ferocious revenge story which also manages to be sweetly uplifting. A book Donald Trump would call f*cking nasty. -- Robert Webb[The F*ck-it List] took me by surprise – a thriller with humanity as well as tension. -- Ian RankinOf course, of course, John Niven does it again. It is impossible to read him without laughing out loud one second, and feeling guiltily exhilarated the next. His perfectly observed writing has taken us to many dark places over the years, but this may be the darkest yet: an America of the very-near future, whose stifling horrors he conjours all-too-believably. Niven is a writer of wicked humour and outrageous charm – but he is a profoundly moral writer, too. And while this is a brilliantly observed revenge story, it’s also a terrifyingly unsettling satire of a world just around the corner. Its warnings will stay with me as long as its wit. -- Marina Hyde
£9.49
Cornerstone No Good Deed
Book Synopsis***Now available for preorder: KILL ''EM ALL, the stunning sequel to KILL YOUR FRIENDS***The viciously funny novel by John Niven, bestselling author of Kill Your Friends and Straight White Male.What do you do when a homeless man knows your name?How about when he turns out to be a friend you haven't seen in twenty years?Do you treat him to a hot meal and see him on his way?Give him a wad of middle-class guilt money?Or take him in and get him back on his feet?For Alan, there's no question only natural that he'd want to see his old mate Craig off the streets, even if only for a few nights, and into some clean clothes.But what if the successful life you've made for yourself good job, happy marriage, lovely kids, grand Victorian house (you did well out of the property boom, thank you very much) is one that that your old pal would quite like to have too?Even if it means taking it from Trade Review‘He’s a funny writer, John Niven. Not funny peculiar: funny ha ha. Properly funny, in a scabrous and scatological sort of way, and in his latest book he doesn’t disappoint. It’s a big, comic tableau, painted in bright, broad shades with plenty of splatter marks … Niven makes sentences beautifully – which, in whatever genre you are writing, is what matters most – and this novel clips along as enjoyably as all his others … There are two John Nivens in this novel. One provides the broad farce … But the other supplies something that’s closer to Nick Hornby territory … Niven is particularly good on how easy it is to resent our friends, how charity can be covertly aggressive, and how psychological power dynamics don’t really shift from our teenage years … There’s a poignancy here ... Always worth reading. He’s a writer – or two – who still has a lot more in the tank.’ -- Sam Leith * Guardian *Underneath the scabrous wit, the raucous brio, the bracing rudeness, Niven is genuinely, brilliantly warm and funny and wise about men and women and the things they do to one another and themselves. This is his best novel yet. -- Stuart MaconieNo Good Deed is about the fall that waits one floor down for every male member of the chattering classes. Charles Dickens with a good strong dollop of Martin Amis and Quentin Tarantino – vintage Niven. Loved it. -- Rick StroudNiven is a master at probing dark, uncomfortable areas of the male psyche that most novelists – indeed, most men – would rather not have to deal with. * Scotsman *Snort-in-public comic excellence … One darkly humorous episode after another … The fact that I had such a visceral reaction to this book is testament to Niven’s great skill as a writer. He is a master of probing the dark, uncomfortable areas of the male psyche that most novelists – and indeed, most men – would rather not have to deal with … No Good Deed always feels rooted in the real world, even in its most outrageously improbable moments. -- Roger Cox * Scotland on Sunday *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Satyricon
Book SynopsisThe Satyricon is one of the most outrageous and strikingly modern works to have survived from the ancient world. Most likely written by an advisor of Nero, it recounts the adventures of Encolpius and his companions as they travel around Italy, encountering courtesans, priestesses, con men, brothel-keepers, pompous professors and, above all, Trimalchio, the nouveau riche millionaire whose debauched feasting and pretentious vulgarity make him one of the great comic characters in literature. Estimated to date from 63 - 65 AD, and only surviving in fragments, The Satyricon nevertheless offers an unmatched satirical portrait of the age of Nero, in all its excesses and chaos.Trade Review"This version by a translator who understands the high art of low humor is conspicuously funny." Time"William Arrowsmith's translation of The Satyricon meets the two fundamental requirements of the translator's art: perfect fidelity to the original and a vitality of style that tempts the reader to believe that the English version is not a translation. A classic of literature." Allen Tate"Arrowsmith's brilliant translation at one stroke renders every other version obsolete." London Times Literary Supplement
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Dead Souls
Book SynopsisNikolai Gogol''s ''epic poem in prose'', Dead Souls is a damning indictment of a corrupt society, translated from the Russian with an introduction and notes by Robert A. Maguire in Penguin Classics.Chichikov, a mysterious stranger, arrives in the provincial town of ''N'', visiting a succession of landowners and making each a strange offer. He proposes to buy the names of dead serfs still registered on the census, saving their owners from paying tax on them, and to use these ''dead souls'' as collateral to re-invent himself as a aristocrat. In this ebullient picaresque masterpiece, Gogol created a grotesque gallery of human types, from the bear-like Sobakevich to the insubstantial fool Manilov, and, above all, the devilish con man Chichikov. Dead Souls (1842), Russia''s first major novel, is one of the most unusual works of nineteenth-century fiction and a devastating satire on social hypocrisy.In his introduction, Robert A. Maguire discusses Gogol''s liTrade ReviewGogol was a strange creature, but then genius is always strange. (Vladimir Nabokov)"
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Decline and Fall
Book SynopsisEvelyn Waugh''s hilarious debut novel, with an introduction by Barbara CookeSent down from Oxford in outrageous circumstances, Paul Pennyfeather is oddly unsurprised to find himself qualifying for the position of schoolmaster at Llanabba Castle. His colleagues are an assortment of misfits, rascals and fools, including Prendy (plagued by doubts) and Captain Grimes, who is always in the soup (or just plain drunk). Then Sports Day arrives, and with it the delectable Margot Beste-Chetwynde, floating on a scented breeze. As the farce unfolds and the young run riot, no one is safe, least of all Paul.''His first, most perfect novel ... ruthlessly comic'' John Mortimer, GuardianTrade Review'The funniest book I have ever read' -- Julian Symons * The Times *His first, most perfect novel ... a ruthlessly comic plot -- John Mortimer * Guardian *
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