Search results for ""Author James Bailey""

A compelling reappraisal of Spark's approach to literary experimentation Offers a distinctive reappraisal of Spark's fiction, which challenges the rigid critical framework that has long been applied to her writing Interrogates how Spark's literary innovations work to facilitate moments of subversive satire and gendered social critique Presents nuanced re-readings of some of Spark's major works, as well as lesser-discussed texts such as her only stage play, Doctors of Philosophy, and early short stories Draws upon detailed archival research to offer a unique insight into the social contexts and personal preoccupations that informed Spark's writing This book presents a detailed critical analysis of a period of significant formal and thematic innovation in Muriel Spark's literary career. Spanning the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, it identifies formative instances of literary experimentation in texts including The Comforters, The Driver's Seat and The Public Image, with an emphasis on metafiction and the influence of the nouveau roman. As the first critical study to draw extensively on Spark's vast archives of correspondence, manuscripts and research, it provides a unique insight into the social contexts and personal concerns that dictated her fiction.

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FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS HILARIOUSLY ROMANTIC STORY ABOUT A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE . . . 'Charming, funny and very relatable!' JOSIE SILVER 'Made me laugh out loud, cry my heart out and put a big grin on my face' 5***** Reader Review 'Utterly adorable and romantic. I feel uplifted!' GIOVANNA FLETCHER ________ It's love . . . what could go wrong? When Josh proposes in a pod on the London Eye at New Years' Eve, he thinks it's perfect. Until she says no. And they have to spend the next 29 excruciating minutes alone together. Realising he can't trust his own judgment, Josh decides from now on he will make every decision through the flip of a coin. Maybe the coin will change his life forever. Maybe it will find him find the girl of his dreams . . . Hilarious, feel-good and uplifting. Fans of The Flatshare, Don't You Forget About Me and Richard Curtis will LOVE this. A romantic comedy perfect for anyone who has ever failed at love. ________ 'A funny, sparky read that feels fresh and modern . . . this book is fab' SOPHIE COUSENS 'Really sweet, warm hearted story with some very funny moments . . . Thoroughly enjoyed it' CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER 'Refreshing, funny and heart-warming . . . we could not get enough of this' HEAT, Read of the Week 'It's like finding yourself in the middle of the warmest, funniest, most amazing romantic comedy you've ever comes across. Everyone is going to fall in love with it' MIRANDA DICKINSON 'Lovely, very funny' i newspaper, best new books for the autumn 'I devoured this book in a few hours and couldn't put it down . . . a laugh-out-loud, heart-warming romantic comedy that will leave you pondering whether you could ever leave fate up to the flip of a coin' *****'It's always a good sign when a story has me laughing out loud from the first few chapters!' *****'It was fantastic! A perfect summer read!!' *****'A lovely story for modern times with lovely characters throughout' *****'A hilarious book that I enjoyed reading from beginning to end. There wasn't a dull moment' *****'A lovely, laugh out loud romcom ... I read The Flip Side in two sittings, and didn't want it to end' *****

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Fall in love with the hilarious and heart-warming new novel of long lost loves and second chances, from the author of The Flip Side'Chances are you will fall in love with this rom-com packed with wit, long lost love and second chances' COSMOPOLITAN'S BEST NEW BOOKS IN JUNE'A charming story filled with wit and romance. I loved it' OLIVIA BEIRNE'I literally couldn't put it down, beautifully written. A tale of pen pals, pretty French towns and sweet friendships - I loved it! LORRAINE BROWN'A delightful read, full of warmth and humour' CAROLINE KHOURY ______Three friends. Two summers. One chance to find the way back to you . . .When Simon reconnects with his first love Sylvie - the French pen pal he never met - he is determined to not let her go again.However, life isn't so straight-forward at sixty as it was at sixteen. His daughter's getting married, he's got a B&B to run, and his larger-than-life school friend, Ian, has abruptly waltzed back into his life.Deciding to seize this second chance, Simon sets off on a bike ride from Bristol to Bordeaux with Ian in tow, on the very same route they covered as teenagers in pursuit of love.But although they now have better bikes, more acceptable haircuts, and Google Maps, some things never change, and it soon becomes clear that this trip will have even more bumps in the road than the first . . .______'A joyful gem of a book that will have you cheering on its protagonist' CULTUREFLYPraise for THE FLIP SIDE!'Refreshing, funny and heartwarming, we could not get enough of this' HEAT'Utterly adorable and romantic. I feel uplifted!' GIOVANNA FLETCHER'Utterly charming, funny and very relatable!' JOSIE SILVER'A wonderful, feel-good gem of a book' SUN'A funny, sparky read that feels fresh and modern . . . this book is fab' SOPHIE COUSENS'Really sweet, warm hearted story with some very funny moments . . . Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a lovely way to start the new year' CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER'The ultimate rom-com' INDEPENDENT

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What is the relationship between the British woman writer and the short story? This collection examines what this versatile genre offers women writers and what this can tell us about the society and culture they inhabit. From the rise of the modern printing press at the end of the 19th century through to the present digital age, these essays examine how the short story has been deployed and reworked by women writers and how they have influenced and shaped the genre's development. Considering the effect of literary inheritances, societal and cultural change and shifting publishing demands, this collection traces the evolution of the genre through to its continued appeal to women writing today. From the New Woman to contemporary feminisms, women's anthologies to microfiction, modernist writers to the contemporary works of Ali Smith and Helen Simpson, the chapters in this collection investigate a crucial yet underexamined field of British literature.

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A vast and desolate region, the Texas-New Mexico borderlands have long been an ideal setting for intrigue and illegal dealings-never more so than in the lawless early days of cattle trafficking and trade among the Plains tribes and Comancheros. This book takes us to the borderlands in the 1860s and 1870s for an in-depth look at Union-Confederate skullduggery amid the infamous Comanche-Comanchero trade in stolen Texas livestock. In 1862, the Confederates abandoned New Mexico Territory and Texas west of the Pecos River, fully expecting to return someday. Meanwhile, administered by Union troops under martial law, the region became a hotbed of Rebel exiles and spies, who gathered intelligence, disrupted federal supply lines, and plotted to retake the Southwest. Using a treasure trove of previously unexplored documents, authors James Bailey Blackshear and Glen Sample Ely trace the complicated network of relationships that drew both Texas cattlemen and Comancheros into these borderlands, revealing the urban elite who were heavily involved in both the legal and illegal transactions that fueled the region’s economy.Confederates and Comancheros deftly weaves a complex tale of Texan overreach and New Mexican resistance, explores cattle drives and cattle rustling, and details shady government contracts and bloody frontier justice. Peopled with Rebels and bluecoats, Comanches and Comancheros, Texas cattlemen and New Mexican merchants, opportunistic Indian agents and Anglo arms dealers, this book illustrates how central these contested borderlands were to the history of the American West.

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