Search results for ""Author""

This good girl is naked on the internet... By day, Frankie lives an ordinary life: doting daughter, supportive sister, adoring aunt and (mostly) capable colleague. The only trouble is that she also feels invisible. So by night, Frankie creates her alter ego, uploading risqué photos to a small community of online fans. She becomes sexy, confident and, most importantly, anonymous. That is, until Frankie's two worlds collide and she finds herself thrust into the limelight, along with her secret. Overnight, she becomes both a feminist icon and a target; wanted and worthless; powerful and petrified. Suddenly all eyes are on her. ...but is she ready to bare it all? Limelight is a funny, touching and provocative tale of sisterhood, sexuality and self-esteem. What would you gain - and lose - by being yourself, instead of who everyone wants you to be?

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PRE-ORDER PRECIPICE, THE THRILLING NEW NOVEL FROM ROBERT HARRIS, NOW - PUBLISHING AUGUST 2024'Harris is a master of pace and entertainment' Observer'Could scarcely be more of the moment' The TimesNothing spreads like fear . . .In the secretive inner circle of the ultra-rich, Alex Hoffmann is a legend.He has developed an algorithm for playing the financial markets that generates billions of pounds - and feeds on panic.When one day his system is threatened by a terrifying intruder who breaches the elaborate security of his lakeside home, his life becomes a waking nightmare of violence and paranoia.But who is trying to destroy him? And is it already too late?'There are moments when this book feels so up to date it could have been written next week . . . spookily exciting' Express

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A powerful new standalone novel from global bestseller Nora Roberts - a story of a mother, a daughter and a traumatic past reawakened'If you're after the perfect pick-me-up, take-me-away-from-the-world read, then she's your woman'The GuardianThe first time she met her father was the day he tried to kill her...Adrian Rizzo didn't have the easiest childhood, to put it mildly, but she's worked hard to put it behind her and to the outside world she is a beautiful young woman with a successful, high-profile career and a wonderful family and friends.When, out of the blue, she receives a death threat in the post, she is shocked but puts it down to someone's jealousy of her success and tries to forget about it. But Adrian doesn't realise that it's more than just spite. Someone is very, very angry about her happy life and will stop at nothing to bring it all crashing down.'Nora Roberts is, quite simply, a one-woman phenomenon'Heat'I love Nora Roberts'Stephen King

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Comet Street Kids reading books follow the adventures of Rav, Asha, Tess and Finn, four of the residents of Comet Street. There are 72 exciting stories in the series that children won't be able to put down. It’s World Book Day at school! Finn can’t wait, especially as his favourite author will be visiting the school. But when the day arrives, Finn is too nervous to speak to the author. Will he get another chance later in the day?Reading age: 6-7 years

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If you love the Bridgertons, wait until you discover the Blydons, the debut Regency romance trilogy by the author of the global phenomenon Bridgerton.

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The current focus on the theme of authorship in Medieval and Early Modern studies reopens questions of poetic agency and intent. Bringing into conversation several kinds of scholarship on medieval authorship, the essays in Author, Reader, Book examine interrelated questions raised by the relationship between an author and a reader, the relationships between authors and their antecedents, and the ways in which authorship interacts with the physical presentation of texts in books. The broad chronological range within this volume reveals the persistence of literary concerns that remain consistent through different periods, languages, and cultural contexts. Theoretical reflections, case studies from a wide variety of languages, examinations of devotional literature from figures such as Bishop Reginald Pecock, and analyses of works that are more secular in focus, including some by Chaucer and Christine de Pizan, come together in this volume to transcend linguistic and disciplinary boundaries.

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This book brings together critical essays on the role of the actor-author, spanning the period from the Renaissance to the present. It surveys the works of Dario Fo, De Filippo, and Bene, and casts light on a tradition which continues into Neapolitan and Sicilian theatre today.

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'Wickedly clever prose and a sense of humour that seems to loom up like a character in itself' – M John Harrison, GuardianIn her brilliantly inventive and haunting debut collection of stories, Julia Armfield explores the body, mapping the skin and bones of her characters through their experiences of isolation, obsession, love and revenge.Teenagers develop ungodly appetites, a city becomes insomniac overnight, and bodies are diligently picked apart to make up better ones. The mundane worlds of schools and sleepy sea-side towns are invaded and transformed, creating a landscape which is constantly shifting to hold on to its inhabitants. Blurring the mythic and the gothic with the everyday, Salt Slow considers characters in motion – turning away, turning back or simply turning into something new entirely.Winner of The White Review Short Story Prize 2018, Armfield is a writer of sharp, lyrical prose and tilting dark humour – Salt Slow marks the arrival of an ambitious and singular new voice.'Salt Slow is exemplary. A distinct new gothic, melancholy, powerful and poised.' – China Miéville, author of The City & The City'Armfield is an enormous, gut-wrenching talent.' – Daisy Johnson, author of Everything Under

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One Night in Italy is a charming, funny and heartwarming novel from Lucy Diamond, author of Anything Could Happen.Is Italian really the language of love? A new class of students hopes to find out . . .Anna’s recently been told the father she’s never met is Italian. Now she’s baking focaccia, whipping up tiramisu and swotting up on her vocabulary, determined to make it to Italy so she can find him in person.Catherine’s husband has walked out on her, and she's trying to pick up the pieces of her life. But she’ll need courage as well as friends when she discovers his deception runs even deeper than infidelity.Sophie’s the teacher of the class, who’d much rather be back in sunny Sorrento. She can’t wait to escape the tensions at home and go travelling again. But sometimes life – and love – can surprise you when you least expect it.As the evening class gets underway, friendships form and secrets from Italy begin to emerge. With love affairs blossoming in the most unlikely places, and hard decisions to face, it’s going to be a year that Anna, Catherine and Sophie will never forget.'Charming, funny and as satisfying as a giant tiramisu. Loved it' - Milly Johnson, author of The Sweet Shop of Second Chances

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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER"Don't start a Freida McFadden book late at night. You won't be able to put it down!"— Natalie Barelli, bestselling author of UnforgivableTwo women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can't be taken back.Dawn Schiff is strange.At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.So when Dawn doesn't show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell—beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running—is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything…It turns out Dawn wasn't just an awkward outsider—she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who's the real victim?But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.The Coworker is a tense, unputdownable thriller from New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden that explores the dark ways the past can echo through the present—with deadly consequences.

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As a longstanding fan of bestselling author Jivan Childering, aspiring young novelist Jessica Lord is dismayed on encountering the man himself to find him aloof, arrogant and stand-offish. But, some months later, many thousands of miles away in Western Australia, Jessica's path is destined to cross with Jivan's once more - and she begins to see a different side to this talented yet reserved and private man. For his part, Jivan finds himself increasingly drawn to the unpretentious Jessica, and impressed by her single-minded determination to follow her dreams of becoming a successful writer. But following a bitter divorce, Jivan has vowed never to get romantically involved with a woman again. Can Jessica break down his emotional barriers?

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Discover this funny and warm novel for anyone who has ever been curious about their partner's past from the bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Meet Buffy. With three ex-wives, a failing career and only his dog George for company, Buffy's bachelorhood is looking worryingly confirmed. Until he meets Celeste. Dazzled by love, Buffy has no idea that Celeste is systematically researching his ex-wives, children and step-children, and unearthing secrets that will change all their lives... 'Wonderfully funny' Daily Mail 'Marries comedy and canniness into a novel that's warm, tolerant, shrewd and exuberant' Sunday Times

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Welcome to the page-turning, twisty, gasp-inducing world of the Debutantes - an addictive YA mystery duology from the author of #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation INHERITANCE GAMES series. 'A plot twist every twenty pages . . . Barnes is at her page-turning best.' E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars A six-figure offer. A family mystery to solve. A town of buried secrets. When Auto mechanic Sawyer Taft's estranged grandmother offers her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season, Sawyer's first instinct is to run a mile. But then she realizes her grandmother's offer might mean solving the biggest mystery of her life - her father's identity. So she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses and even bigger egos. . .However, Sawyer doesn't expect to find a group of fellow debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own and soon it's clear that the truth about her father is just one of the shocking secrets buried deep in this high-society world . . . And no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past.Shocking twists, family secrets, a fish-out-of water protagonist and a page-turning mystery combine in Little White Lies and Deadly Little Scandals (The Debutantes Duology) - perfect for fans coming from THE INHERITANCE GAMES series looking for their next addictive read from the Master of YA Mysteries, Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

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From Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of MEXICAN GOTHIC, comes UNTAMED SHORE, a dark cocktail mixing a nuanced coming-of-age story with a classical noir. 'Brutality takes on an almost divine quality' LA Review of BooksBaja California, 1979: Viridiana spends her days under the harsh sun, watching the fishermen pulling in their nets and the dead sharks piled beside the seashore. Her head is filled with dreams of romance, travel and of a future beyond this drab town where her only option is to marry and have children.When a wealthy American writer arrives with his wife and brother-in-law, Viridiana jumps at the offer of a job as his assistant, and she's soon entangled in the glamorous foreigners' lives. They offer excitement, and perhaps an escape from her humdrum life. When one of them dies, eager to protect her new friends, Viridiana lies - but soon enough, someone's asking questions. It's not long before Viridiana has some of her own questions about the identities of her new acquaintances.Sharks may be dangerous, but there are worse predators nearby, ready to devour a naïve young woman unwittingly entangled in a web of deceit.

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A story in verse chronicling the misadventures of a recently divorced Lebanese woman dating in America. Laila Halaby’s second collection of poetry, why an author writes to a guy holding a fish is a story in verse. This honest, sensual, and often funny series of narrative poems chronicles the author’s decision to leave her two-decades-long relationship with her Palestinian husband. Halaby suddenly finds herself in the world of American dating where she searches for idealized love and genuine connection. Always treated as an “other” and having never dated a white man or an American before, Halaby writes about misadventures and heartbreak amid misread cues and lost nuances. Halaby reassesses her role as a woman, a mother, and a writer, and she learns how to dispense with labels and imagined expectations. In the process, she becomes reacquainted with her womanhood and power.

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From the author of the widely acclaimed Heat, an exhilarating account of Bill Buford's adventures in the world of French cooking.'A romping, chomping, savoury tour de force... Hilarious' Simon SchamaWhat does it take to master French cooking? This is the question that drives Bill Buford to abandon his perfectly happy life in New York City and (with his wife and three-year-old twin sons in tow) move to Lyon, the so-called gastronomic capital of France.But what was meant to be six months in a new city turns into a wild five-year odyssey. As Buford apprentices at Lyon's best boulangerie, studies at a legendary culinary school and cooks at a storied Michelin-starred restaurant, he discoveries the true grit, precision and passion of the French kitchen.'Hugely entertaining' Observer'Rollicking, food-stuffed entertainment... Gourmets and gourmands will savour this' Spectator

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The original classic that revealed the truth about ambition, greed and excess in London and Wall Street, by the author of bestsellers THE BIG SHORT and THE PREMONITION. __________The time was the 1980s. The place was Wall Street. The game was called Liar's Poker.Michael Lewis was fresh out of Princeton and the London School of Economics when he landed a job at Salomon Brothers, one of Wall Street's premier investment firms. During the next three years, Lewis rose from callow trainee to bond salesman, raking in millions for the firm and cashing in on a modern-day gold rush.From mere trainee to lowly geek, to triumphal Big Swinging Dick: that was Michael Lewis's pell-mell progress through the dealing rooms of Salomon Brothers in New York and London during the heady mid-80s when they were probably the world's most powerful and profitable merchant bank.Funny, frightening, breathless and heartless, Liar's Poker is the original story of hysterical greed and excessive ambition, one that is now more potent and enthralling than ever.__________'If you thought Gordon Gekko of the Wall Street movie was an implausibly corrupt piece of fiction, see how you like the real thing. This rip-the-lid-off account of the bond-dealing brouhaha is the work of a real-life bond salesman.' The Sunday Times'So memorable and alive . . . one of those rare works that encapsulate and define an era.' Fortune'The funniest book on Wall Street I've ever read.' Tom Wolfe'Wickedly funny' Daily Express'Hilarious' New York Times

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The Akunin Project is the first book to study the fiction and popular history of Grigorii Chkhartishvili, one of the most successful writers in post-Soviet Russia. In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Chkhartishvili published over sixty books under the pen names Anatolii Brusnikin, Anna Borisova, Akunin-Chkhartishvili, and, most commonly, Boris Akunin. His series featuring the tsarist secret policeman Erast Fandorin has sold over 15 million books in Russia alone, making Akunin one of the bestselling authors of the post-Soviet era. Combining intertextuality, allusions, pastiche, and other markers of postmodern playfulness, many of Akunin’s works have been translated into English and have also been adapted for film and television. Akunin’s public profile has been further enhanced by his active involvement in mass political protests against Vladimir Putin. Despite Akunin’s international reputation as a celebrated writer, there is very little critical work on his literary output and his mysterious persona. Bringing together scholars of literature, history, and culture, The Akunin Project fills this gap by exploring the author’s bestselling adventure novels and recent histories of the Russian state. The book includes translations of five short works previously unavailable in English as well as an interview with the author.

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The Number One Sunday Times Bestseller and one of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022.From Hanya Yanagihara, author of the modern classic A Little Life, To Paradise is a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.'Three stories far apart in space and time but each unique in their power to summon the joy and complexity of love, the pain of loss . . . It’s rare that you get the opportunity to review a masterpiece, but To Paradise, definitively, is one.' – The Observer'Awe-inspiring . . . The characters are so well drawn and the plot so well paced, I couldn’t put it down.' – Daily TelegraphIn an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love whomever they please (or so it seems). The fragile young scion of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a charming music teacher of no means. In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father. And in 2093, in a world riven by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist’s damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him – and solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearances.These three sections are joined in an enthralling and ingenious symphony, as recurring notes and themes deepen and enrich one another: A townhouse in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village; illness, and treatments that come at a terrible cost; wealth and squalor; the weak and the strong; race; the definition of family, and of nationhood; the dangerous righteousness of the powerful, and of revolutionaries; the longing to find a place in an earthly paradise, and the gradual realization that it can’t exist. What unites not just the characters, but these Americas, are their reckonings with the qualities that make us human: Fear. Love. Shame. Need. Loneliness.To Paradise is a fin-de-siecle novel of marvellous literary effect, but above all it is a work of emotional genius. The power of this novel is driven by Yanagihara’s understanding of the aching desire to protect those we love – partners, lovers, children, friends, family and even our fellow citizens – and the pain that ensues when we cannot.'This magisterial follow-up to A Little Life offers three books in one . . . Yanagihara weighs up damage and privilege - social, emotional, political, colonial in a gripping, immersive ride through alternative Americas.' – The Guardian 'Best Reads For Summer'

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An unputdownable, edge-of-your-seat thriller full of twists and turns from Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Kernick - the UK's answer to Harlan Coben. Guaranteed to keep you gripped. Perfect for fans of David Baldacci, Stuart MacBride and Peter James.'Simon Kernick writes great plots, great characters, great action' -- Lee Child'Simon Kernick writes with his foot pressed hard on the pedal. Hang on tight!' -- Harlan Coben'Simon Kernick uses every trick in the book to keep the action breakneck' -- Time Out'Highly recommend this book. I couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'What an amazing read, it had me hooked!' -- ***** Reader review'From the first page to the last this story keeps you on the edge' -- ***** Reader review'Thriller writing at its best' -- ***** Reader review'Kept me engrossed all the way through' -- ***** Reader review*******************************************************************************************ONE NIGHT STAND. ONE DEAD GIRL.You wake up in a strange room on a bed covered in blood.You have no idea how you got there.Beside you is a dead girl. Your girlfriend.The phone rings, and a voice tells you to press play on the room's DVD machine.The film shows you killing your girlfriend. Then you're told to go to an address in East London where you're to deliver a briefcase and await further instructions.There's no way out.If you're to survive the next 24 hours, you must find out who killed your girlfriend, and why. Before they come for you too...

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FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNAP'Extraordinarily powerful and evocative . . . will leave you breathless.' Daily MirrorVOTED CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR when it was first released, and still the most gripping, powerful thriller debut you will read this year.___Steven Lamb is 12 when he writes his first letter . . . to a serial killerEvery day after school, whilst his classmates swap football stickers, twelve-year-old Steven digs holes on Exmoor, hoping to find a body. His uncle disappeared aged eleven and is assumed to have fallen victim to the notorious serial killer Arnold Avery - but his body has never been found.Steven's Nan does not believe her son is dead. She still waits for him to come home, standing bitter guard at the front window while her family fragments around her. Steven is determined to heal the widening cracks between them before it's too late - even if that means presenting his grandmother with the bones of her murdered son.But when Steven realises this is an impossible task, he crafts a careful letter to Arnold Avery in prison. And there begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game between a desperate child and a bored psychopath . . .Readers love Blacklands:'A dark, gripping story . . . full of tension' *****'A truly chilling and disturbing read' *****'An intelligent crime thriller that seeps with atmosphere' ******Belinda Bauer's pulse-pounding new thriller, EXIT, is out now*

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John Kenneth Galbraith's international bestseller The Affluent Society is a witty, graceful and devastating attack on some of our most cherished economic myths. As relevant today as when it was first published over forty years ago, this newly updated edition of Galbraith's classic text on the 'economics of abundance', lays bare the hazards of individual and social complacency about economic inequality. Why worship work and productivity if many of the goods we produce are superfluous - artificial 'needs' created by high-pressure advertising? Why begrudge expenditure on vital public works while ignoring waste and extravagance in the private sector of the economy? Classical economics was born in a harsh world of mass poverty, and has left us with a set of preconceptions ill-adapted to the realities of our own richer age. And so, too often, 'the bland lead the bland'. Our unfamiliar problems need a new approach, and the reception given to this famous book has shown the value of its fresh, lively ideas. 'A compelling challenge to conventional thought' The New York Times 'He shows himself a truly sensitive and civilized man, whose ideas are grounded in the common culture of the two continents, and may serve as a link between them; his book is of foremost importance for them both' The Times Literary Supplement John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) was a Canadian-American economist. A Keynesian and an institutionalist, Galbraith was a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism and progressivism. Galbraith was the author of 30 books, including The Economics of Innocent Fraud, The Great Crash: 1929, and A History of Economics.

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THE SPINE-TINGLING AND GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH, BREATHLESS'Enthralling. Combines an intricate murder mystery with lyrical passages describing ice cliffs and spectacular skies' SUNDAY TIMES'Chillingly atmospheric, with sub-zero tension and a creeping plot that makes it impossible to look away' JANICE HALLETT'A chilling, atmospheric rollercoaster of a read filled with clever unpredictable twists' CLAIRE DOUGLAS'Transportive, absorbing and perfectly paced. You won't want to miss it!' LUCY CLARKE___________With her life back in London falling apart, Olivia cannot believe her luck when she's invited on a once-in-a-lifetime Antarctic cruise with her boyfriend, Aaron.Olivia has never been anywhere so spectacular: huge cliffs of ice loom high on the horizon, penguins dive through the sparkling sea, and above it all, the sun never sets in the eerie twilight sky.Then Aaron disappears. And a body is discovered on board.Surrounded by strangers, Olivia has no idea who she can trust.If she can't figure it out soon, she might not make it back alive . . .___________'Chills, thrills and intense suspense . . . A clever mystery, a twisting page-turner, and a blistering adventure' CHRIS WHITAKER'An atmospheric, chilling book. It was difficult to put down' CATHERINE COOPERPraise for Amy McCulloch:'A high-altitude, high-stakes thriller. I loved it' MATT HAIG'Had me on the edge of my seat. A must read' SARAH PEARSE'Suffocatingly tense, highly original and exhilarating' DAILY EXPRESS'Tense, chilling and terrifying' CLAIRE DOUGLAS'An addictive, tightly plotted thriller that will leave you chilled to the bone' LUCY CLARKE'Chilling, vivid and entirely unique' ABIGAIL DEAN'A real page-turner. Tense, terrifying and fascinating in equal measure' CATHERINE COOPER'A truly terrifying thriller with a tense and twisty plot. Superbly executed' ALLIE REYNOLDS

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**FROM THE AUTHOR OF INSIDE THE WAVE, THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017** Leningrad, September 1941. Hitler orders the German forces to surround the city at the start of the most dangerous, desperate winter in its history. For two pairs of lovers - Anna and Andrei, Anna's novelist father and banned actress Marina - the siege becomes a battle for survival. They will soon discover what it is like to be so hungry you boil shoe leather to make soup, so cold you burn furniture and books. But this is not just a struggle to exist, it is also a fight to keep the spark of hope alive...A brilliantly imagined novel of war and the wounds it inflicts on ordinary people's lives, and a profoundly moving celebration of love, life and survival. 'Remarkable, affecting...there are few more interesting stories than this; and few writers who could have told it better' Rachel Cusk, Daily Telegraph 'Literary writing of the highest order set against a background if suffering so intimately reconstructed it is hard to believe that Dunmore was not there' Richard Overy, Sunday Telegraph 'Utterly convincing. A deeply moving account of two love stories in terrible circumstances. The story of their struggle to survive appears simple, as all great literature should. . . a world-class novel' Antony Beevor, The Times Novelist and poet Helen Dunmore has achieved great critical acclaim since publishing her first adult novel, the McKitterick Prize winning, Zennor in Darkness. Her novels, Counting the Stars, Your Blue-Eyed Boy, With Your Crooked Heart, Burning Bright, House of Orphans, Mourning Ruby, A Spell of Winter, and Talking to the Dead, and her collection of short stories Love of Fat Men are all published by Penguin. This edition includes the first chapter of Betrayal, the sequel to The Siege.

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Alexander Solzhenitsyn was one of the Cold War's most iconic writers. This book offers an in-depth analysis of his reception in the US, UK, and Germany before and after 1991. Elisa Kriza skilfully explores how Solzhenitsyn's work can be understood with the paradigm of witness literature and uncovers the dynamics behind the politicised reception of his writing. From the mid-1980s onwards, Solzhenitsyn's popularity dwindled -- was this for ideological reasons? What about the rumours linking him with Russian nationalism? This study does not shy away from stretching beyond anti-communism and touching more contentious subjects -- such as anti-feminism, anti-Semitism, and revisionism -- in Solzhenitsyn's work and reception. Bringing Solzhenitsyn back from his 'critical exile' and redefining his work as memory culture, Kriza's book is a crucial scholarly intervention, unveiling the mechanism that can transform a controversial figure into a moral icon.

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PRE-ORDER PRECIPICE, THE THRILLING NEW NOVEL FROM ROBERT HARRIS, NOW - PUBLISHING AUGUST 2024WHAT IF YOUR FUTURE LIES IN THE PAST?'One word: wonderful. Two words: compulsive reading. Three words: buy it tomorrow. Four words: tonight, if possible.' STEPHEN KING'A thoroughly absorbing, page-turning narrative.' SUNDAY TIMES'Genuinely thrilling.' DAILY TELEGRAPHDusk is gathering as a young priest, Christopher Fairfax, rides across a silent land.He must arrive at a remote village in the wilds of Exmoor before night falls. He's lost and he's becoming anxious as he slowly picks his way across a countryside strewn with the ancient artefacts of a civilisation that seems to have ended in cataclysm.What Fairfax cannot know is that, in the days and weeks to come, everything he believes in will be tested as he uncovers a secret that is as dangerous as it is terrifying . . .'[Harris] takes us on a thrilling ride while serving up serious food for thought.' SUNDAY EXPRESS'A truly surprising future-history thriller. Fabulous, really.' EVENING STANDARD'The book's real power lies in its between-the-lines warning that our embrace of the internet represents some kind of sleepwalk into oblivion. It's a provocative, tub-thumping sci-fi of which H. G. Wells might have been proud.' DAILY MAIL'Harris' latest work intelligently warps historical fiction and tackles issues of religion, science and the apocalypse in the process. As he flexes his imagination, you will be left pondering as often as you are page-turning.' HERALD'A brilliantly imaginative thriller' READER'S DIGESTAct of Oblivion, Sunday Times bestseller, June 2023

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Six days to stop a deadly attack. And no one else believes it's real.'Ingenious and turbocharged with suspense. A writer to surely put on your reading list.' David Baldacci 'Very well done - tight action and a smart central character.' Anthony Horowitz'Utterly engrossing' The Sun 'A nail-biter of a thriller that will keep your heart in your throat all the way through' Lisa Regan'As propulsive as a Bourne movie, Committed is a first-class blend of intrigue, suspense, and action.' Charles Cumming'One of the best thrillers I've read this year.' Imran Mahmood Former CIA undercover operative Ellen McGinley is battling to overcome PTSD when she stumbles upon a domestic terror plot. The deadly attack is due to take place in six days and will strike at the very heart of her homeland.For Ellen, it's a chance to find redemption for her greatest mistake - one she will never allow herself to forget. But no sooner than she alerts the authorities, she finds herself diagnosed as delusional and locked in a psychiatric ward. No one believes her story. She's the only one who thinks the danger is real, which means she's the only one who can stop it. Ellen must draw on all her old skills to escape, stay alive, protect her family, and find those responsible - before all hell breaks loose. Committed is the propulsive thriller you won't want to miss this summer. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, David Baldacci, JB Turner and Robert Dugoni.'A standout mix of high-octane action and sinister conspiracy... first-class.' Financial Times'A blistering, heart-pounding, edge-of-the-seat, adrenaline rush of a read. Absolutely outstanding and without doubt the best book I have read this year.' Carol Wyer'Heart-pounding suspense until the very last page. I absolutely loved it!' Ava Glass'A fast-paced thriller to rival the best. Full of unexpected twist and turns, with impeccable research and insights, this is a must-read for all crime fans.' Matt Brolly'Committed is a smart, of-the-moment action thriller that will have you turning the pages past bedtime.' Mason Cross'Committed is a tight, compelling thriller that never misses a beat. Digging into both sides of a planned terror attack adds fascinating dimension and depth to a story that is so very timely.' Lou Berney

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'A high-paced thriller' Radio TimesIt was supposed to be a quiet family weekend away. But for Senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson, nothing is ever that simple...Kidnapped in Venice by a Russian defector, Kate knows she's in trouble. But all is not as it seems. The spy offers her conclusive evidence that the British Prime Minister is a live agent working for Moscow. Kate's holiday quickly becomes the start of her next mission.With proof of the PM involved in a sordid scandal and a financial paper trail that undeniably links him to the Russians, the evidence seems bulletproof. But the motives of the defector are anything but clear. And, more worryingly, it seems that there are key people at the heart of the British Establishment who refuse to acknowledge the reality in front of them.Kate can trust no one, and this mission will push her dangerously close to the edge... but is that the price to pay for the truth?Readers are gripped by Double Agent:***** 'Couldn't put it down. A thrilling tale.'***** 'Loved everything about this book, especially the lead character.'***** 'A page turning and addictive read!'BOOK 3: Triple Cross is out in hardback on 13 May 2021

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Random House presents the audiobook edition of Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan, read by Billy Howle. Britain has lost the Falklands war, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. In a world not quite like this one, two lovers will be tested beyond their understanding.Machines Like Me occurs in an alternative 1980s London. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans. With Miranda’s assistance, he co-designs Adam’s personality. This near-perfect human is beautiful, strong and clever – a love triangle soon forms. These three beings will confront a profound moral dilemma. Ian McEwan’s subversive and entertaining new novel poses fundamental questions: what makes us human? Our outward deeds or our inner lives? Could a machine understand the human heart? This provocative and thrilling tale warns of the power to invent things beyond our control.

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From Sunday Times bestselling novelist Rose Tremain comes a gripping novel of murder and revenge set in Victorian England Nobody knows yet that she is a murderer... London, 1850. On a freezing winter's night, a baby is abandoned at the gates of a park only to be saved by a young policeman and taken to the Foundling Hospital.After suffering years of brutal hardship at the Hospital, Lily is released into the world of Victorian London. But she is hiding a dreadful secret...When Lily and the policeman meet again, Lily is convinced that he holds the key to her happiness. But might he also be the one to uncover her crime and so condemn her to death?'Enthralling... Tremain evokes Victorian London with visceral intensity in a gripping and deeply humane novel exploring themes of rejection, poverty, guilt and redemption' Observer

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Give yourself up. Whatever you've done. They'll find you. In the end.A man with no name staggers down a lonely stretch of road that cuts through the simmering veld of rural South Africa. He is exhausted and hungry yet dives for the long grass whenever cars approach. He is on the run. When a minister on his way to a new congregation offers help - at a price - the fugitive's desperation boils over. Stealing the minister's identity, he is successfully taken in by the township. But when a body is discovered in a nearby quarry, and the local police captain's suspicions grow, the hunt reignites with devastating consequences.'One of South Africa's great literary voices' Economist'Galgut's prose feels as if it's been fired through a crucible, burning away all the comfortable excess until only a hard, concentrated purity remains' Daily Telegraph

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Armistice Day, London, 1918. Fiercely independent Georgie is tired of being told what's best for her by men. When she defies her father's wishes by going out into the peace festivities, she tries to help a woman being attacked and encounters Patrick, a gallant, wounded ex-soldier looking for a new calling now that the fighting is done. But the war isn't over for everybody. Enemy forces have infiltrated the bureau and sent her father into hiding. And they are coming for her too. Georgie knows there's only one place where she'll be safe: Honeyfield. But there are traitors in the bureau and she doesn't know who she can trust.

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‘A cul-de-sac, a dead-end track,A sandbanked strand to sink a fleet,A bay, a bar, a strip, a trap, A wrecking ground, that’s Shingle Street.’Blake Morrison’s first two collections, Dark Glasses (1984) and The Ballad of a Yorkshire Ripper (1987) established him as one of our most inventive and accomplished contemporary poets.In his first full-length collection for nearly thirty years, Shingle Street sees a return to the form with which he started his career. Set along the Suffolk coast, the opening poems address a receding world – an eroding landscape, ‘abashed by the ocean’s passion’. But coastal life gives way to other, more dangerous, vistas: a wave unleashes a flood-tide of terror; a sequence of topical poems lays bare pressing political issues; while elsewhere portraits of the past bring forth the dear and the departed. Ardent and elegiac, and encompassing an impressive range of mood and method, this is a timely offering from a poet of distinct talents.

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'THRILLING...a terrific book, accomplished in its poised, imaginative storytelling and its vivid, sensual rendering of landscape and character, emotion and memory' The TimesIn a silent valley in southern France stands an isolated stone farmhouse, the Mas Lunel. Its owner is Aramon Lunel, an alcoholic haunted by his violent past. His sister, Audrun, alone in her bungalow within sight of the Mas Lunel, dreams of exacting retribution for the unspoken betrayals that have blighted her life. Into this closed world comes Anthony Verey, a wealthy but disillusioned antiques dealer from London seeking to remake his life in France. From the moment he arrives at the Mas Lunel, a frightening and unstoppable series of consequences is set in motion...

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FOR FANS OF PERSONS UNKNOWN AND ANGELA MARSONS, NO TURNING BACK IS A GRIPPING READ THAT HAS ENOUGH TWISTS AND TURNS TO KEEP READERS GUESSING UNTIL THE VERY END. Even perfect families have secrets . . .Orla and Conor Quinn are the perfect power couple: smart, successful and glamorous. But then the unthinkable happens. Their only son, Tom, is the victim of a deliberate hit-and-run. Detective Garda Cathy Connolly has just left Tom's parents when she is called to the discovery of another body, this time in Dillon's Park, not far from where Tom Quinn was found. What led shy student Lauren O'Reilly to apparently take her own life? She was a friend of Tom's and they both died on the same night - are their deaths connected and if so, how?As Cathy delves deeper, she uncovers links to the Dark Web and a catalogue of cold cases, realising that those involved each have their own reasons for hiding things from the police. But events are about to get a lot more frightening . . .

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HE DISAPPEARED FOR 15 YEARS...UNTIL THE DAY OF THE MURDER. *** THE INTERNATIONAL TOP TEN BESTSELLER***'Taut, beautifully observed...with an explosive finish.' PETER MAY'Original, compelling and highly recommended. S. R. White is the real deal.' CHRIS HAMMER'A fascinating case' SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB PICKAfter a puzzling death in the wild bushlands of Australia, detective Dana Russo has just 12 hours to interrogate the prime suspect - a silent, inscrutable man found at the scene of the crime, who disappeared without trace 15 years earlier.But where has he been? Why won't he talk? And exactly how dangerous is he? Without conclusive evidence to prove his guilt, Dana faces a desperate race against time to persuade him to speak. But as each interview spirals with fevered intensity, Dana must reckon with her own traumatic past to reveal the shocking truth . . .Compulsive, atmospheric and stunningly accomplished, HERMIT introduces a thrilling new voice in Australian crime fiction, perfect for fans of Jane Harper's THE DRY and Chris Hammer's SCRUBLANDS.'It draws you in - and rewards with a truly powerful ending.' HEAT (Read of the week)'This slow-burn novel catches light' THE SUN'A dark and compulsive read' WOMAN & HOME

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Welcome to the page-turning, twisty, gasp-inducing world of the Debutantes - an addictive YA mystery duology from the author of #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation INHERITANCE GAMES series. 'A plot twist every twenty pages . . . Barnes is at her page-turning best.' E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars Be careful where you bury your secrets . . . Reluctant debutante Sawyer Taft joined Southern high society for one reason and one reason alone: to identify and locate her biological father. But the answers Sawyer found during her debutante year only left her with more questions and one potentially life-ruining secret. When her cousin Lily ropes her into joining a mysterious and elite secret society called the White Gloves, Sawyer soon discovers that someone in the group's ranks may have the answers she's looking for. Things are looking up . . . until Sawyer and the White Gloves make a disturbing discovery near the family's summer home - and uncover a twisted secret, decades in the making.Shocking twists, family secrets, a fish-out-of water protagonist and a page-turning mystery combine in Little White Lies and Deadly Little Scandals (The Debutantes Duology) - perfect for fans coming from THE INHERITANCE GAMES series looking for their next addictive read from the Master of YA Mysteries, Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

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Flappy returns in the fabulously fun follow-up to Flappy Entertains from bestselling author Santa Montefiore, and this time something is amiss in the village of Badley Compton . . . Binoculars at the ready, Flappy Scott-Booth is set to investigate. Newcomers have moved in, a young couple from London, delightful no doubt but they do need to know their place. Who better to teach them the ways of this close-knit community than Flappy herself? But Flappy has other distractions. An ardent admirer, a New Year’s Ball to organize and manifold appearances to be kept up. How much time and effort it all takes! Add to the mix the sudden arrival of her son Jasper with his utterly charming persona and total lack of ambition and drive, accompanied by his pretentious wife and their two highly-strung children - and Flappy is on ultra-high alert.Endlessly entertaining and gorgeously gossipy, Flappy Investigates is the perfect escape.Praise for Flappy Entertains: ‘Santa Montefiore is a born storyteller’ Woman’s Weekly ‘A friendly, undemanding read in unfriendly, demanding times’ Daily Mail ‘A keeping up with the Joneses tale that will lift your spirits in no time’ New! ‘Another winner from the author who writes about relationships so astutely’ Belfast Telegraph 'Packed with wickedly funny insights and throwaway lines and written with an extra-large helping of heart, this is the perfect escape for anyone in need of of a book hug!' Lancashire Post

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The side-splitting new novel form the bestselling author The Women of Primrose Square, perfect for fans of Marian Keyes, Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella. Meet Meg Monroe, the fixer. If you want to get rid of someone you call Meg. (No, not like that - this would be a very different book!)Using her brilliant intuition, people reading skills and with masterful manipulation Meg befriends her mark and tells them what they want to hear, using it to convince them to see the error of their ways. She's never once found a case she can't handle - affairs, clingy former-friends, useless employees and exes that can't take the hint. But when a blast from the past turns up on Meg's doorstep, will she get caught in her own web of lies?

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The legend of Podkin One-Ear continues in this second Five Realms' adventure from the winner of the Blue Peter Best Story Award.The bard tiptoes out of his room, the crow-dream still echoing in his head, making him twitch at imaginary creaks of iron wings . . .The bard must leave Thornbury. It is not safe for him to stay. Rue, his new apprentice, travels with him - keen to learn his trade - and hear the next installment in the legend of Podkin One-Ear . . .Podkin and his fellow rabbits have been sheltering in Dark Hollow after their battle with Scramashank. Paz tends to the rabbits with sleeping sickness; Crom meets with the war council . . . Podkin has nothing to do! Frustrated, Podkin goes exploring and discovers an abandoned underground chamber. Armed with the Gift of Dark Hollow, Podkin learns to moonstride, and Paz is rewarded with a magical gift of her own . . .'A spellbinding story full of friendship, excitement and magic.' Guardian'Kieran Larwood's talent and his passion for his wonderful characters leap off every page.' David Long, author of Survivors'One of the best books I have ever read.' Cally Evans, age 10, Lovereading4kids

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FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNAP'A remarkable achievement' Independent'One of the leading names in crime fiction.' Stylist Magazine___The eight-year-old boy had vanished from the car and - as if by slick, sick magic - had been replaced by a note on the steering wheel:You don't love himAt the height of summer a dark shadow falls across Exmoor. Children are being stolen.There are no explanations, no ransom demands...and no hope.Policeman Jonas Holly faces a precarious journey into the warped mind of the kidnapper if he is to find them. But there are some who would say that Jonas is the last man to entrust with this job...___Readers love Finders Keepers:'Taught, tense and unputdownable' *****'An incredible page turner' *****'Carefully crafted, intricately plotted and a joy to read' *****

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What do you do when your perfect life spins out of control? A gripping psychological thriller from bestselling author Tony Parsons.'Hard to put down, I tore through it in two sittings. This tale of an illicit one-night stand with devastating consequences is a hugely enjoyable read.' ALEX MICHAELIDES'Bears comparison with his 2000 novel, Man and Boy ... Laced with humanity and the shadow of guilt, this is Parsons at his very best.' DAILY MAIL'Such a compelling read - and a brilliant depiction of both marriage and infidelity. There's unputdownable and there's walking-into-lamp-posts with the latest Tony Parsons in your hand.' CELIA WALDEN____________________________Tara Carver seems to have the perfect life. A loving mother and wife, and a business woman who runs her own company, she's the sort of person you'd want to live next door to, who might even become your best friend.But what sort of person is she really?Because in one night of madness, on a work trip far from home, she puts all this at risk. And suddenly her dream life becomes a living nightmare when the married man she spent one night with tells her he wants a serious relationship with her. And that he won't leave her or her precious family alone until she agrees.There seems to be only one way out.And it involves murder...____________________________'Emotionally powerful, beautifully written and observed, this is one to savour.' CARA HUNTER, author of Close to Home and All the Rage'Tony Parsons excels at presenting his narratives in the clearest possible prose while revealing the toughest of human emotions ... fast-moving and involving' LITERARY REVIEW'I can testify it is a real humdinger!' PIERS MORGAN'100% unputdownable. High on my list for a lockdown read so an ideal gift to send to your locked-down Valentines ... No gift like the gift of an up to the Insta moment page-turner' OLIVIA COLE'A roller-coaster read' BELLA

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The bewitching first novel from the bestselling author of THE IMMORTALISTS'Benjamin is a gifted writer, a creator of quiet asides and haunting images' Financial Times'Matches the subtle surrealism of a dream with the underpinnings of a thriller' Emma Straub'You wonder if here is a writer who is truly capable of anything' Daily MailSylvie and Gabe meet and fall in love at boarding school in Northern California when they are just teenagers. Their headmaster is the enigmatic and mysterious Dr Keller, a man obsessed with the idea that people's waking stress and trauma can be cured in their dreams. The young couple can't help but be drawn into his magnetic pull and slowly become involved in his research. Years later, Sylvie and Gabe are once again working on Dr Keller's experiments and Sylvie slowly begins to realise there is more both to her employer and her lover than meets the eye, and that the line between dreams and reality has become dangerously blurred.

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THE ICONIC AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING PHENOMENON CRAZY RICH ASIANS RETURNS WITH THE GLITTERING TALE OF A YOUNG WOMAN WHO FINDS HERSELF TORN BETWEEN TWO MEN.'Your perfect summer read' Daily Mail'Delightful' Independent'Laugh-out-loud funny' Sunday MirrorWhen Lucie Tang Churchill meets George Zao at a lavish wedding in Capri, she can't stand him. She can't stand that he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so she can have a sea view, that he knows more about the island than she does, and worst of all, that he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins. What would her Mayflower-descended, Wall Street-wealthy family think of him? But years later, when Lucie is weekending with her fiancé in East Hampton, George unexpectedly appears and Lucie must decide - does she follow her head or her heart? A gloriously decadent homage to A Room with a View, Sex and Vanity is a glittering modern love story and a brilliantly funny comedy of manners set between two cultures.

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'A cracking good read' JESSIE KEANEThe must-read gangland crime novel from bestseller Roberta KraySHE'S BEEN BETRAYED . . .Judith Jonson has been a widow for five years, after the untimely death of her husband Dan. Then one day she sees a picture in the paper - the aftermath of a dramatic robbery in London's West End - and Judith can't believe her eyes. It's Dan, she'd stake her life on it. Or his life, rather.SHE WANTS REVENGE.Judith begins a hunt for the man she thought she married, and in amongst the lowlifes of the East End's underworld she finds more than she bargained for. But Judith had better be careful; the rule of law doesn't apply in Kellston. She's been deceived, but she doesn't want to end up dead . . .Full of the same danger and grit as it's London's setting, this is bestselling author Roberta Kray at the top of her game. Get ready for a KILLER read . . .Praise for ROBERTA KRAY:'Well into Martina Cole territory' Independent'Action, intrigue and a character-driven plot . . . sure to please any crime fiction fans' Woman'Gripping' Daily Express'Great writing, gripping story, loved it' Mandasue Heller

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Meet the Lakefront Billionaires . . .Get ready for another addictive romance from international bestselling author and TikTok sensation, Lauren AsherJulianIf I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Muñoz would fan the flames with a smile.So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer.At least until my meddling mother exploits my saviour complex.The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town.But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue.What happens if I want her to stay?DahliaPeople say the devil has many faces, but I know only one.Julian Lopez - my childhood rival and family frenemy.I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer.Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits.Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years' worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions.Giving into our desire is inevitable . . . but falling in love?That isn't part of the plan.'Lauren Asher is an expert at giving readers everything they could ever want in a romance book. It's impossible to avoid becoming addicted to the world she builds' Hannah Grace

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Branding the Beur Author focuses on the mainstream media promotion of literature written by the descendants of North African immigrants to France (often called beurs). These conversations between journalists and ‘beur’ authors delve into contemporary debates such as the explosion of racism in the 1980s and the purported role of Islam in French society in the 1990s. But the interests of journalists looking for sensational subject matter also heavily shape the promotion and reception of these novels: only the ‘beur’ authors who employ a realist style to write about the challenges faced by the North African immigrant population in France—and who engage on-air with French identity politics and immigration—receive multiple invitations to participate in interviews. Previous scholarship has taken a necessary first step by analyzing the social and political stakes of this literature (using labels such as ‘beur’ and/or ‘banlieue,’ to designate its urban, economically distressed setting), but the book argues that we must move beyond this approach because it reproduces the selection criteria deployed by the media that determine which books receive the most commercial and critical support. By demonstrating how minority-based literary labels such as ‘francophone’ and ‘postcolonial’ are always already defined by the socio-political context in which books are published and promoted, the book establishes that these labels are tautological and cannot reflect the thematic and stylistic richness of beur (and other minority) production in France.

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