Search results for ""transworld""

At the end of the Second World War some of the highest ranking members of the Nazi party escaped from justice. Some of them are names that have resonated deeply in twentieth-century history - Eichmann, Mengele, Martin Bormann and Klaus Barbie - not just for the monstrosity of their crimes, but also because of the shadowy nature of their post-war existence, holed up in the depths of Latin America, always one step ahead of their pursuers. The nature of their escape was as gripping as any good thriller. They were aided and abetted by corrupt Catholic priests in the Vatican, they travelled down secret 'rat lines', hid in foreboding castles high in the Austrian alps, and were taken in by shady Argentine secret agents. The attempts to bring them to justice are no less dramatic, with vengeful Holocaust survivors, inept politicians, and daring plots to kidnap or assassinate the fugitives. Guy Walters has travelled the world in pursuit of the real account of how the Nazis escaped at the end of the war, the attempts, sometimes successful, to bring them to justice, and what really happened to those that got away. He has interviewed Nazi hunters, former members of Mossad, and poured through archives across the globe to bring this remarkable period of our recent history to dramatic and vivid life.

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'Phenomenal woman' The Oprah Magazine'Dazzles you with the amazing change that is possible in one lifetime.' Washington Post-This is the heart-wrenching true story of a girl named Cupcake Brown.Orphan, runaway, addict, all before she was twenty. That's when things got really interesting...Cupcake was just eleven years old when, orphaned, she entered the child welfare system. Moved from one disastrous placement to the next, like so many, she was neglected and sexually abused.She fed her appetite for drink and drugs by selling the only thing she had. Her body. Before long she had stumbled head first into a world of gangs and extreme violence. After one crack binge she woke up behind a dumpster. Half-dressed and more than half-dead, she knew she had a choice. Change her life or die.Brutally frank and startlingly funny, A Piece of Cake is the remarkable true story of a resilient spirit who triumphed over the very worst that life could throw at her.

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Even among the Mob, the Westies were feared. Out of a partnership between two sadistic thugs - James Coonan and Mickey Featherstone - the gang dominated the decaying slice of New York City's West Side known as Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s and '80s. Excelling in extortion, numbers running, loansharking and drug-peddling, they became the most notorious gang in the history of organized crime. The then prosecutor Rudolf Giuliani called them 'the most savage organisation in the long history of New York street gangs'. Upping the ante on brutality and depravity, their speciality when it came to punishment and killings was dismemberment. Their reign lasted almost twenty - their end would come as their own violent natures got the best of them and precipitated a downfall as infamous as their rise. This revised and updated edition, brings the story of the Westies up to date with 'where are they now' snapshots of the men - and women - of the Westies.

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In 1866 Britain's foremost explorer, Dr David Livingstone, went in search of the answer to an age-old geographical riddle: where was the source of the Nile? Livingstone set out with a large team, on a course that would lead through unmapped, seemingly impenetrable terrain into areas populated by fearsome man-eating tribes. Within weeks his expedition began to fall apart - his entourage deserted him and Livingstone vanished without trace. He would not be heard from again for two years.While debate raged in England over whether Livingstone could be found in the unmapped wilderness of the African interior, James Gordon Bennet, a brash young American newspaper tycoon, hatched a plan to capitalise on the world's fascination with the missing legend. He commissioned his star reporter, Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands in Wales!), to search for Livingstone. Stanley undertook his quest with gusto, filing reports that captivated readers and dominated the front page of the New York Herald for months.INTO AFRICA traces the journeys of Livingstone and Stanley in alternating chapters. Livingstone's is one of trials and set-backs, that finds him alone and miles from civilisation. Stanley's is an awakening to the beauty of Africa, the grandeur of the landscape and the vivid diversity of its wildlife. It is also a journey that succeeds beyond his wildest dreams, clinching his place in history with the famous enquiry: 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?'. In this, the first book to examine the extraordinary physical challenges, political intrigue and larger-than-life personalities of this legendary story, Martin Dugard has opened a fascinating window on the golden age of exploration that will appeal to everyone's sense of adventure.

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The Millionaire Mind targets a population of millionaires who have accumulated substantial wealth and live in ways that openly demonstrate their affluence. Exploring the ideas, beliefs, and behaviours that enabled these millionaires to build and maintain their fortunes, Dr Thomas J Stanley provides a fascinating look at America's financial elite and how they got there. For example:* What were their school days like?* How did they respond to negative criticism?* What are the characteristics of the millionaire's spouse?* Is religion an important part of their lives?The author uncovers surprising answers, showing readers just what it is that makes the wealthy prosper while others feel dejected or beaten. The Millionaire Mind delves deep into the minds of America's wealthy and answers universal questions with solid statistical evidence in an approachable, anecdotal style.

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Originally built to house the workers of Victorian London, Balaklava Street is now an oasis in the heart of Kentish Town and ripe for gentrification. But then the body of an elderly woman is found at Number 5. Her death would appear to have been peaceful but for the fact that her throat is full of river water. It falls to the Met's Peculiar Crimes Unit, led by London's longest-serving detectives, Arthur Bryant and John May, to search for something resembling a logical solution. Their initial investigations draw a blank and Bryant's attention is diverted into strange and arcane new territory, while May finds himself in hot water when he attempts to save the reputation of an academic whose knowledge of the city's forgotten underground rivers looks set to ruin his career. In the meantime, the new owner of Number 5 is increasingly unsettled by the damp in the basement of her home, the particularly resilient spiders and the ghostly sound of rushing water . . .Pooling their information to investigate hitherto undiscovered secrets of the city, Bryant and May make some sinister connections and realize that, in a London filled with the rich, the poor and the dispossessed, there's still something a desperate individual is willing to kill for - and kill again to protect. With the PCU facing an uncertain future, the death toll mounts and two of British fiction's most enigmatic detectives must face madness, greed and revenge, armed only with their wits, their own idiosyncratic practices and a plentiful supply of boiled sweets, in a wickedly sinuous mystery that goes to the heart of every London home.

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__________________________________________________________________Bestselling author and psychologist Dr Susan Forward offers effective alternatives for achieving inner peace and freeing yourself from frustrating patterns of relationships with your parents. Millions of lives are damaged by the legacy of parental abuse:· Parents who ignored their children's needs or overburdened them with guilt. · Parents who were alcoholic or addicted to drugs. · Parents who were exploitative and cruel, or simply indifferent and inadequate. When these children reach adulthood the damage done by their toxic parents manifests itself in depression, or difficulties with relationships, careers and decision-making. In Toxic Parents, Dr Susan Forward shows why it is so difficult to put the past behind you and helps readers to confront this painful legacy with tested self-help techniques. With this book as your guide, you will discover an exciting new world of self-confidence, inner strength and emotional independence.

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To some it's antisocial anathema, to others it is a harmless way to relax, or provides relief from crippling pain. Some fear it is a dangerous drug that leads to 'reefer madness' and addiction; to others still it is a legal anomaly and should be decriminalized. Whatever the viewpoint, and by whatever name it is known, cannabis - or marijuana, hashish, pot, dope, kif, weed, dagga, grass, ganja - incites debate at every level. In this definitive study, Martin Booth - author of the acclaimed OPIUM: A HISTORY - charts the history of cannabis from the Neolithic period to the present day. It is a fascinating, colourful tale of medical advance, religious enlightenment, political subterfuge and human rights; of law enforcement and customs officers, smugglers, street pushers, gang warfare, writers, artists, musicians, hippies and pot-heads.Booth chronicles the remarkable and often mystifying process through which cannabis, a relatively harmless substance, became outlawed throughout the Western world, and the devastating effect such legislation has had on the global economy. Above all, he demonstrates how the case for decriminalization remains one of the twenty-first century's hottest topics.

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In this eagerly awaited follow-up to his international bestsellers Anam Cara and Eternal Echoes, John O'Donohue turns his attention to the subject of beauty - the divine beauty that calls the imagination and awakens all that is noble in the human heart.In these uncertain times of global conflict and crisis, we are riven with anxiety; our trust in the future has lost its innocence, for we know now that anything can happen from one second to the next. In such an unsheltered world, it may sound naive to suggest that this might be the moment to invoke and awaken beauty, yet this is exactly the claim that this book seeks to explore.DIVINE BEAUTY is a gentle but urgent call to awaken. O'Donohue opens our eyes, hearts and minds to the wonder of our own relationship with beauty. Rather than 'covering' this theme, he uncovers it, exposing the infinity and mystery of its breadth. His words return us home to the dignity of silence, the profundity of stillness, the power of thought and perception, and the eternal grace and generosity of beauty's presence. In this masterful and revelatory work, O'Donohue encourages our greater intimacy with beauty, and celebrates it for what it really is: a homecoming of the human spirit.As he focuses on the classical, medieval and Celtic traditions, on art, music, literature, nature and language, O'Donohue reveals how beauty's invisible embrace invites us towards new heights of passion and creativity. DIVINE BEAUTY is an exquisite treasury of Forms of the Beautiful. Its surface employs narrative, image, anecdote and myth, while into the silence of its subtext are sown seeds of reflection that gradually blossom in the heart.

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A fresh and innovative route to business and personal success - Polar Bear Pirates contains a whole new universe of characters and terminology that everyone will instantly recognize and relate to. Polar Bear Pirates, highly focused, successful, fun-loving people who truly believe in life before death, are on a quest to reach Fat City. But as we follow the fortunes of these highly motivated bears, we see how they must fight off some pretty ruthless and often highly elusive enemies - enemies who are determined to block their paths and shatter their dreams...Here's a brief sketch of just some of these treacherous characters... Sinkers...the bitter losers who, as disciples of the pear shape, despise anyone else's success and derive immense pleasure from torpedoing it...Head treads...those who block anyone coming up the success ladder; they are devoid of talent, having only got where they are through brown nosing, knife throwing and luck! Neg ferrets...the pessimistic warriors of doom with insatiable appetites for other people's problems...Molasses Man.. the sweet but slow, well-meaning people who are burdened by the beliefs of others...Bloaters...boasting, lazy, obnoxious and tediously egotistical reptilian saddos who are absolutely full of it!Written in the tradition of the bestselling, Who Moved My Cheese, Polar Bear Pirates is a uniquely entertaining and often hilarious look at business and personal development. A 'game book' of questions, answers, traps and signposts, this book delivers powerful, inspirational messages as it helps you to unravel a series of complex motivational issues on your journey to personal and professional success.

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On 8 March 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China. The ships, some nearly five hundred feet long, were under the command of Emperor Zhu Di's loyal eunuch admirals. Their mission was 'to proceed all the way to the end of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas' and unite the world in Confucian harmony. Their journey would last for over two years and take them around the globe but by the time they returned home, China was beginning its long, self-imposed isolation from the world it had so recently embraced. And so the great ships were left to rot and the records of their journey were destroyed. And with them, the knowledge that the Chinese had circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan, reached America seventy years before Columbus, and Australia three hundred and fifty years before Cook...The result of fifteen years research, 1421 is Gavin Menzies' enthralling account of the voyage of the Chinese fleet, the remarkable discoveries he made and the persuasive evidence to support them: ancient maps, precise navigational knowledge, astronomy and the surviving accounts of Chinese explorers and the later European navigators as well as the traces the fleet left behind - from sunken junks to the votive offerings left by the Chinese sailors wherever they landed, giving thanks to Shao Lin, goddess of the sea.Already hailed as a classic, this is the story of an extraordinary journey of discovery that not only radically alters our understanding of world exploration but also rewrites history itself.

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Imagine a world where you were as sexually confident, physically uninhibited and as intensely orgasmic as you have always wanted to be... Now, acclaimed sex therapist Dr Barbara Keesling tells you how. Based on the understanding that inside every good girl is a bad girl struggling to get out, THE GOOD GIRL's GUIDE TO BAD GIRL SEX teaches women how to express their natural impulses with dignity and panache. Bad girls know no shame. Bad girls are comfortable in their bodies. Bad girls always feel gorgeous and desirable!Learn how to optimize your sexual power with this frank, funny and all-embracing book. Packed with practical exercises, THE GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE includes insider information on the sex toys you never knew you had, how to seduce a man by simply walking into a room, how to enjoy your G-spot and how to give (and receive!) mind-blowing orgasms. THE GOOD GIRL's GUIDE TO BAD GIRL SEX is the key to your sexual future - an indispensable guide to pleasure and seduction for the modern woman.

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Why do some people heal, while others do not. Caroline Myss has studied this question for many years, working with hundreds of people and motivating them to examine their souls and change their lives. Now, in Why People Don't Heal and How They Can, Dr Myss builds on her earlier teaching to reveal the cultural and individual contexts in which people become physically and spiritually ill. With her practical approach to healing, readers will learn to overcome the mental and emotional blocks to becoming well. Why People Don't Heal and How They Can...- Brings together Dr Myss's breakthrough views on energy medicine and the development of human consciousness and spirituality over the ages.- Teaches you how to perceive the seven different energy centres of the body and interpret the spiritual challenges they present.- Provides healing rituals and prayers that will help you to get and stay on the path to wellness.Through her characteristic no-nonsense style and high-voltage storytelling, Caroline Myss provides non-stop insights and practical advice that will enable you to disconnect from a culture of wounds and reconnect with an inner and outer spiritual energy and purpose.

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Millions have experienced the nine insights of The Celestine Prophecy, glimpsed the emerging world view that it describes and benefitted from its ability to renew our understanding of life. Now multi-million copy bestselling author James Redfield introduces us to a new insight which is emerging: The Tenth Insight. Perfect for fans of Paulo Coelho and Eckhart Tolle.'In another spellbinding adventure tale, James Redfield packs thrills, suspense and spiritual wisdom into a book you cannot put down.' -- Brian Weiss, MD, author Many Lives, Many Masters'Couldn't put this book down' -- ***** Reader review'What an amazing book.' -- ***** Reader review'A must read again and again.' -- ***** Reader review'I have really enjoyed this book. I truly found it inspirational, the insights that the prophecy unfold are breath-taking.' -- ***** Reader review'Life-changing'-- ***** Reader review******************************************************************************************THE BOOK YOU WISH YOU HAD READ LONG, LONG AGO...With words that resonate with our deepest intuitions and illuminate both the world outside us and within us, James Redfield offers us all, in The Tenth Insight, a unique, revelatory and ultimately joyful vision of human spirituality.As you grasp The Tenth Insight, your memories will expand to include an understanding of the long expanse of human history and the special mission we all share to bring humanity to answer, as never before, the unspoken questions that loom over all of human experience and in every human heart: Why are we here? What are we to do? Where are we going?One that could change your life - and perhaps the world.

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Never before has so much weight been placed on mindfulness, self-care and mental health. By embracing this empowering guide to self-discovery by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Ban Breathnach, you'll be joining the millions of people giving themselves permission to take time out, simplify their lives and see beauty in little things surrounding us. Perfect for readers of Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman.'This book is pure joy to read' -- ***** Reader review'Thought provoking and inspiring; a comforting read' -- ***** Reader review'Interesting, inspiring and comforting' -- ***** Reader review'This book has given me such a sense of peace and inspiration' -- ***** Reader review'This is one of the best books that I have ever read!' -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************************By providing a meditation for each day of the year, Simple Abundance illuminates our journey of self-discovery and shows us that simplicity does not imply doing without - true simplicity illuminates our lives from within.Teaching us how to reorder our priorities, this enduringly positive handbook for living helps readers:- carve out time for the personal pursuits that bring contentment- savour the joy of simple pleasures- restore serenity to daily endeavours- delight in the everyday elegies of home and garden- nurture creativity- nourish the imaginationSimple Abundance is a book of daily meditations, quotations, poems, extracts and reflections - perfect for those who want to create a simple, more abundant way of living by bringing more simplicity, harmony, beauty, order and joy into their lives.

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Anatomy of the Spirit is the first book to unify Eastern and Western spiritual healing into a programme for physical healing and personal power. In this breakthrough view of mind, body and spirit, Caroline Myss demonstrates that the seven stages through which everyone must pass in the search for consciousness and spiritual maturity are the same in all traditions and are also the same seven stages for healing.During her many years of research into the power centres of the body, Myss has uncovered strong evidence that each illness we develop corresponds to a very specific pattern of emotional and psychological stress and that certain beliefs and attitudes influence corresponding areas of the human body. For example, fears regarding financial stress affect the health of the lower back; emotional barriers to experiencing love undermine the health of the heart. A strong need to control others or your environment influences the health of the sexual area of your body. Caroline also discusses in depth why people do not heal and the reasons why we often find ourselves in difficult circumstances that never seem to change.

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Readers worldwide know the work of Stephen Hawking through his phenomenal bestseller A Brief History of Time. In this collection of essays and other pieces - on subjects that range from warmly personal to the wholly scientific- he is revealed variously as the scientist, the man, the concerned world citizen, and - as always - the rigorous and imaginative thinker. Whether remembering his first experience of nursery school; puncturing the arrogance of those who think science can best be understood only by other scientists and should be left to them; exploring the origins and the future of the universe; or reflecting on the phenomenon of A Brief History of Time, Stephen's wit, directness of style and absence of pomp are vital characteristics at all times.

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This extremely readable and addictive parable has become a breakout word-of-mouth hit for its uncanny ability to renew your understanding of life, connections and perspective with fresh vigour. From the multimillion-bestselling author, James Redfield, and perfect for fans of Paulo Coelho and Eckhart Tolle.'The Celestine Prophecy has already reached cult status... It homes in on the deepest, most urgent search of our times - the search for meaning... This is a book like no other.' - THE TELEGRAPH'If you've ever wondered what the formula is for an "inspirational" bestseller, with promising potential for cult status, look no further' ? GUARDIAN'A spiritual classic... A book to read and reread, to cherish, and to give to friends' - JOAN BORYSENKO, author of Fire in the Soul*******************************************************************************You have never read a book like this before...The Celestine Prophecy contains secrets that are currently changing our world. Drawing on the ancient wisdom found in a Peruvian manuscript, it tells you how to make connections between the events happening in your own life right now...and lets you see what is going to happen to you in the years to come.The story it tells is a gripping one of adventure and discovery, but it is also a guidebook that has the power to crystalize your perceptions of why you are where you are in life...and to direct your steps with a new energy and optimism as you head into tomorrow.A book that comes along just once in a lifetime to change lives forever.

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In his new book, Steve Jones takes on the challenge of going back to the book of the millennium, Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. Before The Origin, biology was a set of unconnected facts. Darwin made it into a science, linked by the theory of evolution, the grammar of the living world.It reveals ties between cancer and the genetics of fish, between brewing and inherited disease, between the sex lives of crocodiles and the politics of Brazil. Darwin used the biology of the nineteenth century to prove his case. Now, that science has been revolutionized and his case can be reargued using the twentieth century's astonishing advances.From AIDS to dinosaurs, from conservation to cloned sheep, bursting with anecdotes, jokes and irresistible facts, Almost Like a Whale is a popular account of the science that makes biology make sense. It will catch the millennial mood and tell all those for whom Darwin is merely a familiar name what he really meant. It exposes the Darwinian delusions which try (and fail) to explain human behaviour in evolutionary terms, and, while giving an up-to-date account of our own past, shows how humans are the first species to step beyond the constraints of biology.

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Kate Atkinson's brilliant and unforgettable first novel, which won the Whitbread (now Costa) Book of the Year Prize.'Delivers its jokes and its tragedies as efficiently as Dickens...outrageously funny...will dazzle readers for years to come' - HILARY MANTEL, author of The Mirror and the LightRuby Lennox was conceived grudgingly by Bunty and born while her father, George, was in the Dog and Hare in Doncaster telling a woman in an emerald dress and a D-cup that he wasn't married. Bunty had never wanted to marry George, but here she was, stuck in a flat above the pet shop in an ancient street beneath York Minster, with sensible and sardonic Patricia aged five, greedy cross-patch Gillian who refused to be ignored, and Ruby...Ruby tells the story of The Family, from the day at the end of the nineteenth century when a travelling French photographer catches frail beautiful Alice and her children, like flowers in amber, to the startling, witty, and memorable events of Ruby's own life.'Little short of a masterpiece...Fizzing with wit and energy, Kate Atkinson's hilarious novel made me laugh and cry' Daily Mail'An astounding book...without doubt one of the finest novels I have read for years' THE TIMES

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'Rollicking, bawdy' People'Superbly controlled satire' Washington Post'Joyously madcap' Publishers WeeklyDiscover the bestselling novel that inspired the classic Oscar-winning film._______________________________It's Forrest Gump as you've never seen him before, but just as lovable as ever.At 6'6", 240 pounds, Forrest Gump is a difficult man to ignore, so follow Forrest from the football dynasties of Bear Bryant to the Vietnam War, from encounters with Presidents Johnson and Nixon to powwows with Chairman Mao. Go with Forrest to Harvard University, to a Hollywood movie set, on a professional wrestling tour, and into space on the oddest NASA mission ever.The wonderfully warm, savagely barbed, and hilariously funny novel that inspired iconic film starring Tom Hanks.______________________________What readers are saying:'A brilliant read''Loved the book just as much as I loved the film''Very well written and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish'

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A gripping page-turner set in occupied France from international multi-million copy seller Joanne Harris. With the sensuous writing we come to expect from her, this book has a darker core. Perfect for fans of Victoria Hislop, Fiona Valpy, Maggie O'Farrell and Rachel Joyce, this fascinating and vivid journey through human cruelty and kindness is a gripping and compelling read.'Her strongest writing yet: as tangy and sometimes bitter as Chocolat was smooth' -- Independent'Harris indulges her love of rich and mouthwatering descriptive passages, appealing to the senses... Thoroughly enjoyable' -- Observer'Outstanding...beautifully written' -- Daily Mail'Very thought provoking. I read the book in two days and am still thinking about it a few days down the line' -- ***** Reader review'Absolutely gripping from the very first page' -- ***** Reader review'Joanne Harris at her very best!'-- ***** Reader review'Superb' -- ***** Reader review'I just couldn't put this one down'-- ***** Reader review 2*********************************************************THE PAST WILL ALWAYS CATCH UP WITH YOU...Beyond the main street of Les Laveuses runs the Loire: smooth and brown as a sunning snake - but hiding a deadly undertow beneath its moving surface. This is where Framboise, a secretive widow, plies her culinary trade at the crêperie - and lets her memory play strange games.As her nephew attempts to exploit the growing success of the country recipes Framboise has inherited from her mother - a woman remembered with contempt by the villagers - memories of a disturbed childhood during the German Occupation flood back, and expose a past full of betrayal, blackmail and lies...

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Maybe the Moon, Armistead Maupin's first novel since ending his bestselling Tales of the City series, is the audaciously original chronicle of Cadence Roth -- Hollywood actress, singer, iconoclast and former Guinness Book of Records holder as the world's shortest woman. All of 31 inches tall, Cady is a true survivor in a town where -- as she says -- 'you can die of encouragement'. Her early starring role as a lovable elf in an immensely popular American film proved a major disappointment, since moviegoers never saw the face behind the stifling rubber suit she was required to wear. Now, after a decade of hollow promises from the Industry, she is reduced to performing at birthday parties and Bar Mitzvahs as she waits for the miracle that will finally make her a star. In a series of mordantly funny journal entries, Maupin tracks his spunky heroine across the saffron-hazed wasteland of Los Angeles -- from her all-too-infrequent meetings with agents and studio moguls to her regular harrowing encounters with small children, large dogs and human ignorance. Then one day a lanky piano player saunters into Cady's life, unleashing heady new emotions, and she finds herself going for broke, shooting the moon with a scheme so harebrained and daring that it just might succeed. Her accomplice in the venture is her best friend, Jeff, a gay waiter who sees Cady's struggle for visibility as a natural extension of his own war against the Hollywood Closet. As clear-eyed as it is charming, Maybe the Moon is a modern parable about the mythology of the movies and the toll it exacts from it participants on both sides of the screen. It is a work that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit from a perspective rarely found in literature.

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Lose yourself in Chocolat - the mesmerising and heart-warming bestseller that celebrates kindness, courage and chocolate. Multi-million copy bestselling author Joanne Harris's delightful novel set in rural France is perfect for fans of Victoria Hislop, Fiona Valpy, Maggie O'Farrell and Rachel Joyce.'A feel-good book of the first order. One to curl up with... Read it' -- OBSERVER'Sensuous and thought-provoking... subtle and brilliant' -- DAILY TELEGRAPH'You are transported to another world. It's perfect escapism.' -- ***** Reader review'A wonderful story told by a world-class storyteller.' -- ***** Reader review'I became totally immersed in this story. I loved it.' -- ***** Reader review**************************************************************************************In the small French village of Lansquenet, nothing much has changed in a hundred years. Then an exotic stranger, Vianne Rocher, blows in on the changing wind with her young daughter, and opens a chocolate boutique directly opposite the church. Soon the villagers cannot keep away, for Vianne can divine their most hidden desires.But it's the beginning of Lent, the season of abstinence, and Father Reynaud denounces her as a serious moral danger to his flock. Perhaps even a witch.If Vianne's chocolaterie is to survive, it will take kindness, courage and a little bit of magic...Chocolat is Joanne Harris's first book about Vianne Rocher, and was turned into the Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. The story of Vianne and her daughters continues in The Lollipop Shoes, Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, and The Strawberry Thief.

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'The brown bears paced, brushing their thick coats against the bars; their heads swayed low to the ground, in rhythm with some ritual of stealth they were born knowing and pointlessly never forgot'It is 1967 and two Viennese university students decide to liberate the Vienna Zoo, as was done after World War II. The eccentric duo, Graff and Siggy, embark on an adventure-filled motorbike tour of Austria as they prepare for "the great zoo bust." But their grand scheme will have both comic and gruesome consequences, as they are soon to find out...

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In this searing indictment of the rationale behind the First World War, Paul Ham argues that European leaders did not ‘sleepwalk’ into war, but that they fully accepted and understood the consequences of the decisions they were making.In August 1914, the European powers plunged the world into a war that would kill or wound 37 million people, tear down the fabric of society, uproot ancient political systems and set the world on course for the bloodiest century in human history.On the eve of the 100th anniversary of that terrible year, Ham takes the reader on a journey into the labyrinth, to reveal the complexity, the layered motives, the flawed and disturbed minds that drove the world to war. What emerges is a clear sense of what happened and why. 'To understand the past,' Ham concludes, 'and share that understanding, is the chief role of the historian. To understand the past is to liberate ourselves from its awful shadow and steel ourselves against it happening again.'

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Was the Battle of Hastings a French victory?Non! William the Conqueror was Norman and hated the French.Were the Brits really responsible for the death of Joan of Arc?Non! The French sentenced her to death for wearing trousers.Was the guillotine a French invention?Non! It was invented in Yorkshire.Ten centuries' worth of French historical 'facts' bite the dust as Stephen Clarke looks at what has really been going on since 1066 ...From the Norman (not French) Conquest, to XXX, it is a light-hearted - but impeccably researched - account of all out great-fallings out.In short, the French are quite right to suspect that the last 1,000 years have been one long British campaign to infuriate them. And it's not over yet...

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THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERA RICHARD AND JUDY BOOKCLUB PICK'Utterly engrossing' GuardianIt is wash-day for the housemaids at Longbourn House, and Sarah's hands are chapped and raw. Domestic life below stairs, ruled with a tender heart and an iron will by Mrs Hill the housekeeper, is about to be disturbed by the arrival of a new footman, bearing secrets and the scent of the sea.What readers are saying:'A novel to be savoured''Highly recommended''Very enjoyable exploration of the background to Pride and Prejudice'

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In An Appetite for Wonder Richard Dawkins brought us his engaging memoir of the first 35 years of his life from early childhood in Africa to publication of The Selfish Gene in 1976, when he shot to fame as one of the most exciting new scientists of his generation. In Brief Candle in the Dark he continues his autobiography, following the threads that have run through the second half of his life so far and homing in on the key individuals, institutions and ideas that inspired and motivated him. He paints a vivid picture, coloured with wit, anecdote and digression, of the twenty-five postgraduate years he spent teaching at Oxford. He pays affectionate tribute to past colleagues and students, recalling the idiosyncrasies of an establishment steeped in ancient tradition and arcane ritual while also recording his respect for the profound commitment to learning and discovery that lies at its core. He invites us to share the life of a travelling scientist, from fieldwork on the Panama Canal to conferences of stratospheric eminence in exotic locations in the company of some of the most prominent of the world’s scientific luminaries. And he describes his experiences with his many publishers, television producers, interviewers and partners in debate, not least in the heady period when, after publication of The God Delusion in 2006, he is dubbed the world’s most outspoken and controversial atheist. Most important of all, for the first time he reviews with fresh and stimulating insights the evolving narrative of his ideas about science over the course of his highly distinguished career as thinker, teacher and writer. In Brief Candle in the Dark we are invited to enter with him a constantly stimulating world of discovery and to meet a fascinating cast of exceptional characters described by the talented pen of one of the most exceptional of them all.

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'This is an essential read for every gay person on the planet' - Elton John'A really brilliant and moving read for everybody, especially LGBTQI+ people' - Olly Alexander, star of It's A SinStraight Jacket is a revolutionary clarion call for gay men, the wider LGBT community, their friends and family. Part memoir, part ground-breaking polemic, it looks beneath the shiny facade of contemporary gay culture and asks if gay people are as happy as they could be - and if not, why not? Meticulously researched, courageous and life-affirming, Straight Jacket offers invaluable practical advice on how to overcome a range of difficult issues. It also recognizes that this is a watershed moment, a piercing wake-up-call-to-arms for the gay and wider community to acknowledge the importance of supporting all young people - and helping older people to transform their experience and finally get the lives they really want.WINNER BOYZ BEST LGBT BOOK 2017SHORTLISTED FOR THE POLARI BOOK PRIZE 2017'Insightful, inclusive, clever and engaging' - Jeremy Langmead'Utterly brilliant' - The Guardian

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It was Patrick's idea that they should have the tennis party. After all, he has the perfect setting - the White House, bought out of his bonuses as an investment banker. He hasn't actually told Caroline, his brash and beautiful wife, what the real reason for the party is. She is glad to welcome Stephen and Annie, their impoverished former neighbours, less glad to see newly wealthy Charles and his aristocratic wife Cressida, and barely able to tolerate the deadly competitive Don and Valerie.But as the first ball is served over the net it signals the start of two days of tempers, shocks, revelations, the arrival of an uninvited guest, and the realization that the weekend is about anything but tennis.

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Life is the most extraordinary phenomenon in the known universe; but how does it work? Even in this age of cloning and synthetic biology, the remarkable truth remains: nobody has ever made anything living entirely out of dead material. Life remains the only way to make life. Are we missing a vital ingredient in its creation? Like Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, which provided a new perspective on evolution, Life on the Edge alters our understanding of life's dynamics as Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe Macfadden reveal the hitherto missing ingredient to be quantum mechanics. Drawing on recent ground-breaking experiments around the world, they show how photosynthesis relies on subatomic particles existing in many places at once, while inside enzymes, those workhorses of life that make every molecule within our cells, particles vanish from one point in space and instantly materialize in another. Each chapter in Life on the Edge opens with an engaging example that illustrates one of life’s puzzles – How do migrating birds know where to go? How do we really smell the scent of a rose? How do our genes manage to copy themselves with such precision? – and then reveals how quantum mechanics delivers its answer. Guiding the reader through the maze of rapidly unfolding discovery, Al-Khalili and McFadden communicate vividly the excitement of this explosive new field of quantum biology, with its potentially revolutionary applications, and also offer insights into the biggest puzzle of all: what is life?

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When Vavara, a young Polish orphan, arrives at the glittering, dangerous court of the Empress Elizabeth in St Petersburg, she is schooled in skills ranging from lock-picking to love-making, learning above all else to stay silent - and listen. Then Sophie, a vulnerable young princess, arrives from Prussia as a prospective bride for the Empress's heir. Set to spy on her, Vavara soon becomes her friend and confidante, and helps her navigate the illicit liaisons and the treacherous shifting allegiances of the court. But Sophie's destiny is to become the notorious Catherine the Great. Are her ambitions more lofty and far-reaching than anyone suspected, and will she stop at nothing to achieve absolute power?

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Berlin 1920Two babies are born.Two brothers. United and indivisible, sharing everything. Twins in all but blood.As Germany marches into its Nazi Armageddon, the ties of family, friendship and love are tested to the very limits of endurance. And the brothers are faced with an unimaginable choice....Which one of them will survive?Ben Elton's most personal novel to date,Two Brothers transports the reader to the time of history's darkest hour.

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-----------------------------------------------------The fabulous first Shopaholic novel by international No. 1 bestselling author Sophie Kinsella. The perfect pick-me-up when life is hanging in the (bank) balance . . . !-----------------------------------------------------Meet Rebecca Bloomwood. She has a great flat, a fabulous wardrobe full of the season's must-haves, and a job telling other people how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time ... shopping.Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can't. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The letters from the bank are getting harder to ignore. Can Becky ever escape from this dreamworld, find true love, and regain the use of her credit card?Everybody loves Sophie Kinsella:"I almost cried with laughter" Daily Mail"Hilarious . . . you'll laugh and gasp on every page" Jenny Colgan"Properly mood-altering . . . funny, fast and farcical. I loved it" Jojo Moyes"A superb tale. Five stars!" Heat

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For once in Becky Bloomwood’s life, things are going smoothly. She’s got the dream job as a personal shopper (spending other people’s money – and getting paid for it). She’s got a fabulous Manhattan apartment with her boyfriend Luke. They’ve even opened a joint bank account (although they can’t quite agree on whether a Miu Miu skirt counts as a household expense).Then Luke proposes – and all of a sudden life gets hectic. Becky’s mum in rural Surrey wants one thing, Luke’s mother in New York wants the complete opposite. Becky knows she has to sit down and decide – but to be honest, it’s a lot more fun testing cake, trying on dresses and registering wedding presents. But time’s ticking by, plans are being made both sides of the Atlantic and soon she realizes she’s in trouble…Everybody loves Sophie Kinsella:"I almost cried with laughter" Daily Mail"Hilarious . . . you'll laugh and gasp on every page" Jenny Colgan"Properly mood-altering . . . funny, fast and farcical. I loved it" Jojo Moyes"A superb tale. Five stars!" Heat

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Jim Al-Khalili is about to untangle the world's greatest science conundrums...___________How does the fact that it gets dark at night prove the Universe must have started with a big bang? Where are all the aliens? Why does the length of a piece of string vary depending on how fast it is moving?Our subject is 'perceived paradoxes' - questions or thought-experiments that on first encounter seem impossible to answer, but which science has been able to solve. Our tour of these mind-expanding puzzles will take us through some of the greatest hits of science - from Einstein's theories about space and time, to the latest ideas of how the quantum world works. Some of our paradoxes may be familiar, such as Schrödinger's famous cat, which is seemingly alive and dead at the same time; or the Grandfather Paradox - if you travelled back in time and killed your grandfather you would not have been born and would not therefore have killed your grandfather. Other paradoxes will be new to you, but no less bizarre and fascinating.In resolving our paradoxes we will have to travel to the furthest reaches of the Universe and explore the very essence of space and time. Hold on tight.

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Following his hugely popular account of the previous 2000 years, John O'Farrell now comes bang up to date with a hilarious modern history asking 'How the hell did we end up here?' An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain informs, elucidates and laughs at all the bizarre events, ridiculous characters and stupid decisions that have shaped Britain's story since 1945; leaving the Twenty-First Century reader feeling fantastically smug for having the benefit of hindsight.

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Three women, smart and successful, working in the fast and furious world of magazines, meet for cocktails and gossip once a month.Roxanne: glamorous, self-confident, with a secret lover - and hoping that one day he will leave his wife and marry her.Maggie:capable and high-achieving, until she finds the one thing she can't cope with - motherhood.Candice:honest, decent, or so she believes - until a ghost from her past turns up, and almost ruins her life.A chance encounter in the cocktail bar sets in train an extraordinary set of events which upsets all their lives and almost destroys their friendship...

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What does it mean to be English? What does it mean to be British? Is the cross of St George a proud symbol of a great tradition, or the badge of a neo-Nazi? In a world where British citizens can lay bombs to kill their countrymen, where religious fundamentalism is on the increase and where the BNP are somehow part of the democratic process, what does patriotism actually mean?Our identity can change depending on what company we are in. For example, someone could describe themselves British to one person, Scottish to another and, say, a Londoner to another, and be right every time. But problems arise when someone tries to tell you what you are, based on your skin tone, religion, accent, surname, or whatever. This book is Billy Bragg's urgent, eloquent and passionate response to the events of 7 July 2005, when four bombs tore through a busy morning in London, killing 52 innocent people and injuring many more. A firm believer in toleration and diversity, he felt himself hemmed in by fascists on one side and religious fanatics on the other. The suicide bombers were all British-born and well integrated into our multicultural society. Yet they felt no compunction in murdering and maiming their fellow citizens. Inclusivity is important, but without a sense of belonging to accompany it, what chance social cohesion... But where does a sense of belonging come from? Can it be conferred by a legal document? Is it a matter of blood and soil? Can it be taught? Is it nature or nurture? The Progressive Patriot is a book we all need to read. It pulls no punches in its insights and its radical vision offers a positive hope for a country teetering on the brink of catastrophe.

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Matthieu Zela has lived his life well. In fact, he's lived several lives well. Because Matthew Zela's life is characterised by one amazing fact: his body stopped ageing before the end of the eighteenth century. Starting in 1758, a young Matthieu flees Paris after witnessing his mother's brutal murder. His only companions are his younger brother Tomas and one true love, Dominique Sauvet. The story of his life takes us from the French Revolution to 1920s Hollywood, from the Great Exhibition to the Wall Street Crash, and by the end of the twentieth century, Matthieu has been an engineer, a rogue, a movie mogul, a soldier, a financier, a lover to many, a cable TV executive and much more besides.Brilliantly weaving history and personal experience, this is a dazzling story of love, murder, missed chances, treachery - and redemption.

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THIRTY YEARS AFTER THE FEMALE EUNUCH, GERMAINE GREER RETURNS TO THE SUBJECT OF FEMINISM, WITH THE BOOK SHE VOWED SHE WOULD NEVER WRITE.Germaine Greer proclaims that the time has come to get angry again! Modern feminism has become the victim of unenlightened complacency, and what started out in the Sixties as a movement for liberation has become one that has sought and settled for equality.With fiery rhetoric, authoritative insight, outrageous humour and broad-ranging debate, Greer shows that, although women have indeed come a very long way in the last thirty years, the notion of our 'having it all' has disguised the persistent discrimination and exploitation that continues to exist for women in the basic areas of health, sex, politics, economics and marketing.Erudite, eccentric, provocative and invigorating, Germaine Greer once again sets the agenda for the future of feminism. Here is all the polemical power that sold over a million copies of The Female Eunuch and kept its author at the heart of controversy ever since. The Whole Woman was a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller for five weeks and was hailed by the critics as a 'polemical bomb' (Guardian) and as required reading for thinking adults everywhere.

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Captivating, complex and compellingly intense, this psychological thriller from international multi-million copy seller Joanne Harris is perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Susan Hill, Nicci French and Val McDermid. Brilliantly written, expertly plotted and ingeniously structured...with its fair share of plot twists and unreliable narrators, this is one book that will not let you go...'Delivers an almighty twist in the tale late on...brilliantly atmospheric and at times heartbreaking' -- The Times'An ingenious, gripping read...it terrified the living daylights out of me' -- Daily Express'Engrossing psychological thriller...a novel of unusual complexity...Harris, best known for Chocolat, again shows her skill and versatility' -- Mail on Sunday'Joanne Harris never fails to deliver' -- ***** Reader review'A story superbly told with a brilliant, totally unexpected, twist at the end. Made my blood run cold!' -- ***** Reader review'I couldn't put this one down!' -- ***** Reader review'An enthralling read' -- ***** Reader review'I read this book in two days; I just couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review******************************************************************FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR JOANNE HARRIS COMES THIS GRIPPING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER...Once there was a widow with three sons, and their names were Black, Brown and Blue. Black was the eldest; moody and aggressive. Brown was the middle child; timid and dull. But Blue was his mother's favourite. And he was a murderer.blueeyedboy is a dark and intricately plotted tale of a poisonously dysfunctional family, a blind child prodigy, and a serial murderer who is not who he seems.Told through a series of anonymous posts on the internet, this is a thriller that makes creative use of all the multiple personalities, disguise and mind games that are offered by playing out a life online.

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Fans of Elizabeth Noble, Erica James and Amanda Prowse will love this absorbing, emotionally charged and beautifully written novel from multi-million copy bestselling author Joanna Trollope. Our lives are not always as rock-solid as we think...'Inventive, surprising and fascinating' - The Times'A page-turner that feels like sinking into a warm, deep bath. With Trollope you are always in safe hands. Highly recommended' -- Sunday Express'Trollope is shrewdly observant of human interaction' -- Daily Telegraph'Fascinating' -- ***** Reader review'Absolutely gripping' -- ***** Reader review'I could hardly bear to put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Another unputdownable book from Joanna Trollope' -- ***** Reader review******************************************************************SOME SECRETS ARE TOO BIG TO STAY HIDDEN...Chrissie had always believed that her husband Richie was the one. With their three daughters, a lovely house and a fulfilling career, things couldn't be much better. And even if he hadn't given her the one thing she really wanted, she knew he loved her.But suddenly Richie is no longer there and, without him, Chrissie's carefully constructed life comes tumbling down and the secrets start to come out.As the practicalities of Richie's will must be sorted out, Chrissie must tell her daughters of their father's other family, a wife and son he had abandoned years before and sworn never to see again. And now, it is finally time for the two families to face each other...

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Pat Conroy's inspired masterpiece relates the dark and violent chronicle of an astounding family: the Wingos of Colleton, South Carolina. No reader will forget them. And no reader can remain untouched by their story.All Wingos share one heritage ... shrimp fishing, poverty and the searing memory of a single terrifying event - the source of Tom Wingo's self-hatred and of his sister Savannah's suicidal despair.To save himself and Savannah, Tom confronts the past with the help of New York psychologist Susan Lowenstein.As Tom and Susan unravel the bitter history of his troubled childhood, in episodes of grotesque humour, poignant lyricism and shattering violence, the door opens vividly onto a world peopled by a cast of colourful, eccentric and unforgettable characters.

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‘Achingly moving, delightfully funny, and thoroughly uplifting.’ M L STEDMAN, author of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS‘This book BLEW ME AWAY' JODI PICOULT ‘Rowdy and joyous, with flashes of wit and insight, and ultimately moving’ TIMES ___ Our mother was dead. Our father had fledFive Dunbar brothers are living – fighting, loving, grieving – in the perfect chaos of a house without grown-ups. This is a family rocked by tragedy and long buried secrets. To understand his family’s story, Matthew Dunbar must travel to find three things. A lost typewriter -- A dead dog -- The bones of the snake that killed it.He will learn of a mother who crosses continents for a new home; of a father searching for love in the keys of an old piano; and, finally, of a brother named Clay, who will make the most challenging journey of them all, and change their lives for ever.___Readers love Bridge of Clay:***** ‘Page upon glorious page left my heart bruised, but gratefully beating’***** ‘A book rarely touches me so emotionally’***** ‘Original, compelling and richly resonant’ 'One of those monumental books that can draw you across space and time' WASHINGTON POST'This book blew me away' JODI PICOULT'Devastating, demanding, deeply moving' WALL STREET JOURNAL'Moving and epic' STYLIST

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Joey Perrone is a woman with a mission. She's just been pushed overboard from a cruise liner by Chaz, her scumbag husband, and survived to tell the tale. But rather than reporting him to the police, she decides to stay dead and - with a little help from her friends and a few of Chaz's enemies - instead of getting mad, she's going to get even.Filled with a host of endearingly offbeat characters, and a narrative that is hilarious, romantic and thought-provoking by turns, Skinny Dip takes us on a journey through the warped politics of Southern Florida and through the madness created by the human heart.

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Alice never imagined that she would end up like this. Is she the only mother who feels so permanently panic-stricken at the terrors of the modern world - or is it normal to sit up in bed all night popping bubble wrap? She worries that too much gluten and dairy may be hindering her children's mental arithmetic. She frets that there are too many cars on the road to let them out of the 4x4. Finally she resolves to take control and tackle her biggest worry of all: her daughter is definitely not going to fail that crucial secondary school entrance exam. Because Alice has decided to take the test in her place...With his trademark comic eye for detail, John O'Farrell has produced a funny and provocative book that will make you laugh, cry and vow never to become that sort of parent. And then you can pass it on to your seven-year-old, because she really ought to be reading grown-up novels by now...

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