Search results for ""author kathryn hughes""

A fascinating account of what it was like to live in a Victorian body from best-selling historian and critic Kathryn Hughes.In Victorians Undone, renowned British historian Kathryn Hughes follows five iconic figures of the nineteenth century as they encounter the world not through their imaginations or intellects but through their bodies. Or rather, through their body parts. Using the vivid language of admiring glances, cruel sniggers, and implacably turned backs, Hughes crafts a narrative of cinematic quality by combining a series of truly eye-opening and deeply intelligent accounts of life in Victorian England.Lady Flora Hastings is an unmarried lady-in-waiting at young Queen Victoria's court whose swollen stomach ignites a scandal that almost brings the new reign crashing down. Darwin's iconic beard provides important new clues to the roles that men and women play in the great dance of natural selection. George Eliot brags that her right hand is larger than her left, but her descendants are strangely desperate to keep the information secret. The poet-painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, meanwhile, takes his art and his personal life in a new direction thanks to the bee-stung lips of his secret mistress, Fanny Cornforth. Finally, we meet Fanny Adams, an eight-year-old working-class girl whose tragic evisceration tells us much about the currents of desire and violence at large in the mid-Victorian countryside. While 'bio-graphy' parses as 'the writing of a life,' the genre itself has often seemed willfully indifferent to the vital signs of that life—to breath, movement, touch, and taste. Nowhere is this truer than when writing about the Victorians, who often figure in their own life stories as curiously disembodied. In lively, accessible prose, Victorians Undone fills the space where the body ought to be, proposing new ways of thinking and writing about flesh in the nineteenth century.

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''If a Louis Wain cat were reading this book, he would raise his topper in tribute' The TimesExcellent Hughes reveals a fascinating, forgotten aspect of late Victorian and Edwardian Britain: how the British fell in love with felines' Daily Mail?Some called it a craze. To others it was a cult. Join prize-winning historian Kathryn Hughes to discover how Britain fell in love with cats and ushered in a new era.He invented a whole cat world' declared H. G. Wells of Louis Wain, the Edwardian artist whose anthropomorphic kittens made him a household name. His drawings were irresistible but Catland was more than the creation of one eccentric imagination. It was an attitude a way of being in society while discreetly refusing to follow its rules.As cat capitalism boomed in the spectacular Edwardian age, prized animals changed hands for hundreds of pounds and a new industry sprung up to cater for their every need. Cats were no longer basement-dwelling pest-controllers, but stylish cultural subv

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'UTTERLY UNPUTDOWNABLE' Jenny AshcroftSome love stories last a lifetime...'Wow, wow, wow!!! The BEST BOOK I have read all year. A gorgeous story which had me hooked. Make sure you have a box of tissues when you read this beautiful story ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''A heartbreaking and heartwarming tale of love, loss and forgiveness' Daily Mail'A spellbinding tale with lots of surprises and endearing characters. Hughes is a wonderful storyteller' Woman's WeeklyFrom the million-copy-bestselling author of The Letter, Kathryn Hughes, and inspired by true events, an unforgettable, moving and timeless story of love and war which will stay with you for ever. Readers who adored The Nightingale, The Notebook or The Rainbow will love to unlock The Memory Box...Jenny Tanner opens the box she has cherished for decades. Contained within are her most precious mementoes, amongst them a pebble, a carving and a newspaper cutting she can hardly bear to read. But Jenny knows the time is finally here. After the war, in a mountainside village in Italy, she left behind a piece of her heart. However painful, she must return to Cinque Alberi. And lay the past to rest.After a troubled upbringing, Candice Barnes dreams of a future with the love of her life - but is he the man she believes him to be? When Candice is given the opportunity to travel to Italy with Jenny, she is unaware the trip will open her eyes to the truth she's been too afraid to face. Could a place of goodbyes help her make a brave new beginning?Will you be the next reader to lose your heart to The Memory Box?'With beautiful writing, wonderful characters, and a page-turning plot, Kathryn has given us another unputdownable read. Warmth and heart burst from every page, transporting the reader from joy to heartbreak. I couldn't have loved it more' JENNY ASHCROFT'I could not put this book down! It is absolutely phenomenal from the very first page right until the very last page. It is heartbreaking, joyful, hopeful, and a book that you won't want to put down ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''I have loved every single one of Kathryn Hughes' books, but this one was my absolute favourite! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''I love WW2 fiction and The Memory Box didn't disappoint. It's an emotive, thought-provoking read about love, loss and forgiveness''The twist at the end made me gasp! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''I absolutely loved this book. Devoured it in a few days. I eagerly await more of Kathryn Hughes' books. I will be first in line. Excellent ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''What a gorgeously written tale. This story was heartbreaking but also heartwarming. Full of unexpected twists, this one had me gripped! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''A stunningly beautiful story. Brilliantly developed characters. A heart-warming and emotional read that I read in one sitting ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''I absolutely adored this book! The story had me finishing the book in no time! A story that will stay with me a while' 'An extremely well researched story, beautifully told. It is sad in places, but heartwarming in others''A heartwarming, well-written story. Heartbreaking in places but a story that had to be told ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'

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** THE MEMORY BOX, THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM KATHRYN HUGHES, IS AVAILABLE NOW ***** Winner Book of the Year in Prima magazine Big Book Awards 2019 **** 'Storytelling at its finest with characters that come alive and a plot that dances with intrigue. An absolutely first-class read that does not disappoint' Prima'A gripping read' Woman & HomeA beautiful, page-turning and heartwrenching story of how hope can blossom in the ruins of tragedy and of the redeeming power of love. From No. 1 bestselling author of The Letter Kathryn Hughes._______Tara Richards was just a girl when she lost her mother. Years later when Tara receives a letter from a London solicitor its contents shake her to the core. Someone has left her a key to a safe deposit box. In the box lies an object that will change everything Tara thought she knew and lead her on a journey to deepest Spain in search of the answers that have haunted her for forty years.Violet Skye regrets her decision to travel abroad leaving her young daughter behind. As the sun dips below the mountains, she reminds herself she is doing this for their future. Tonight, 4th June 1978, will be the start of a new life for them. This night will indeed change Violet's destiny, in the most unexpected of ways..._______Just some of the five-star reviews from real readers for Her Last Promise...'Hope rises from despair and new beginnings are forged in the most extraordinary and unexpected way. Kathryn Hughes delves deeply into the heart and soul of her characters, making them totally relatable...like friends you really care for. My addiction to this novel was total and uncompromising *****' 'Wonderful! First book I have read by Kathryn Hughes and will now read her previous stories. I loved it *****' 'Another great story from Kathryn Hughes *****''As always, a lovely story by Kathryn Hughes *****''I really enjoyed this book, especially the nostalgic 1970's descriptions *****''

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* THE MEMORY BOX, THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM KATHRYN HUGHES, IS AVAILABLE NOW *'Riveting' Lesley Pearse on The Letter. 'Gripping' Good Housekeeping on The Secret. From the #1 bestselling author of The Letter comes The Secret - a powerful, twisting novel that you won't be able to put down. Mary has been nursing a secret. Forty years ago, she made a choice that would change her world for ever, and alter the path of someone she holds dear.Beth is searching for answers. She has never known the truth about her parentage, but finding out could be the lifeline her sick child so desperately needs. When Beth finds a faded newspaper cutting amongst her mother's things, she realises the key to her son's future lies in her own past. She must go back to where it all began to unlock...The Secret.What readers are saying about the unputdownable stories of Kathryn Hughes:'Get set to be hooked' 'A page-turner from the very beginning''This is one of the BEST BOOKS I have ever read''I cried buckets of tears reading it''A beautifully told, tragic tale'

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* THE MEMORY BOX, THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM KATHRYN HUGHES, IS AVAILABLE NOW *Every so often a love story comes along to remind us that sometimes, in our darkest hour, hope shines a candle to light our way. Discover THE LETTER by Kathryn Hughes, the Number One bestseller that has captured thousands of hearts worldwide. Perfect for fans of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. 'A wonderful, uplifting story' Lesley PearseJoin the hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide who have fallen in love with THE LETTER:'An amazing, heartwrenching, unforgettable story''This beautiful story will bring tears and joy' 'Loved this story !! It kept me totally gripped although I was sobbing in places as well''A tale of love and hope with lots of twists and turns. A great story!'Tina Craig longs to escape her violent husband. She works all the hours God sends to save up enough money to leave him, also volunteering in a charity shop to avoid her unhappy home. Whilst going through the pockets of a second-hand suit, she comes across an old letter, the envelope firmly sealed and unfranked. Tina opens the letter and reads it - a decision that will alter the course of her life for ever...Billy Stirling knows he has been a fool, but hopes he can put things right. On 4th September 1939 he sits down to write the letter he hopes will change his future. It does - in more ways than he can ever imagine...THE LETTER tells the story of two women, born decades apart, whose paths are destined to cross and how one woman's devastation leads to the other's salvation.*** Kathryn's beautiful new novel HER LAST PROMISE is available now ***

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* THE MEMORY BOX, THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM KATHRYN HUGHES, IS AVAILABLE NOW *A hidden note. A lost love. A second chance...'A wonderful, enthralling story; one that I didn't want to end' Lesley Pearse on The Key 'A heartbreakingly powerful read' The Sun on The KeyFrom the #1 bestselling author of The Letter, Kathryn Hughes, comes The Key, an unforgettable story of a heartbreaking secret that will stay with you for ever.1956 It's Ellen Crosby's first day as a student nurse at Ambergate Hospital. When she meets a young woman admitted by her father, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change both their lives for ever...2006Sarah is drawn to the now abandoned Ambergate. Whilst exploring the old corridors she discovers a suitcase belonging to a female patient who entered Ambergate fifty years earlier. The shocking contents, untouched for half a century, will lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy and lost love, and the chance to make an old wrong right . . .'Oh wow! This story broke my heart then filled it with joy then broke it all over again! I adored The Letter and The Secret but this I have to say was my favourite. Heartfelt and poignant an absolute joy' A reader on The KeyIt's time to discover what a million readers already know. No one grips your heart like Kathryn Hughes . . .'You will find it hard to put down. I cried buckets of tears reading it''A beautifully told, tragic tale . . . restoring your faith in the kindness of strangers and the strength of the human spirit''From start to finish, a lovely, sometimes heartbreaking read''A sheer joy to read . . . Wonderfully romantic with beautiful characters''I have finished this book with tears in my eyes but a smile on my face''I couldn't put it down. So beautifully written. I feel like I'm a better person for reading it' 'I cried with this book - it tugged at the heart all the way through' 'This must be one of the best books I have ever read''You will be thinking of this book long after you've finished it'

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A fascinating account of what it was like to live in a Victorian body from best-selling historian and critic Kathryn Hughes.In Victorians Undone, renowned British historian Kathryn Hughes follows five iconic figures of the nineteenth century as they encounter the world not through their imaginations or intellects but through their bodies. Or rather, through their body parts. Using the vivid language of admiring glances, cruel sniggers, and implacably turned backs, Hughes crafts a narrative of cinematic quality by combining a series of truly eye-opening and deeply intelligent accounts of life in Victorian England.Lady Flora Hastings is an unmarried lady-in-waiting at young Queen Victoria's court whose swollen stomach ignites a scandal that almost brings the new reign crashing down. Darwin's iconic beard provides important new clues to the roles that men and women play in the great dance of natural selection. George Eliot brags that her right hand is larger than her left, but her descendants are strangely desperate to keep the information secret. The poet-painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, meanwhile, takes his art and his personal life in a new direction thanks to the bee-stung lips of his secret mistress, Fanny Cornforth. Finally, we meet Fanny Adams, an eight-year-old working-class girl whose tragic evisceration tells us much about the currents of desire and violence at large in the mid-Victorian countryside. While 'bio-graphy' parses as 'the writing of a life,' the genre itself has often seemed willfully indifferent to the vital signs of that life—to breath, movement, touch, and taste. Nowhere is this truer than when writing about the Victorians, who often figure in their own life stories as curiously disembodied. In lively, accessible prose, Victorians Undone fills the space where the body ought to be, proposing new ways of thinking and writing about flesh in the nineteenth century.

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‘Victorians Undone is the most original history book I have read in a long while’ Daily Mail A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR • AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR A groundbreaking account of what it was like to live in a Victorian body from one of our best historians. Why did the great philosophical novelist George Eliot feel so self-conscious that her right hand was larger than her left? Exactly what made Darwin grow that iconic beard in 1862, a good five years after his contemporaries had all retired their razors? Who knew Queen Victoria had a personal hygiene problem as a young woman and the crisis that followed led to a hurried commitment to marry Albert? What did John Sell Cotman, a handsome drawing room operator who painted some of the most exquisite watercolours the world has ever seen, feel about marrying a woman whose big nose made smart people snigger? How did a working-class child called Fanny Adams disintegrate into pieces in 1867 before being reassembled into a popular joke, one we still reference today, but would stop, appalled, if we knew its origins? Kathryn Hughes follows a thickened index finger or deep baritone voice into the realms of social history, medical discourse, aesthetic practise and religious observance – its language is one of admiring glances, cruel sniggers, an implacably turned back. The result is an eye-opening, deeply intelligent, groundbreaking account that brings the Victorians back to life and helps us understand how they lived their lives.

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‘Our non-fiction writers this year have spread their wings to take on an extraordinary range of subjects, places and, indeed, genres…’–Kathryn HughesNon-fiction writing constantly finds itself being redefined. It can mean almost anything, but always involves facts and truth as writers break rules and experiment with content and form. From memoir to journalism, to stories that combine history with lived experience, this anthology of creative non-fiction assembles voices from six different countries, telling true stories from Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and North America.Romana Canneti • Lorna Daymond • Freya Dean • Aaron Deary • Ingrid Fagundez • Justus Flair • Peter Goulding • Peiyi Li • Yin F Lim • Jess Morgan • Aaron O'Farrell • Ivan Pope • Saloni Prasad • Kate Romain • Sureshkumar Pasupula Sekar • Susan Woolliams

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With precise plotting underpinned by a wise understanding of human nature, George Eliot’s most autobiographical novel gives a wonderful evocation of rural life and the complicated relationship between siblings.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition of The Mill on the Floss features an introduction by Professor Kathryn Hughes.Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom enjoy a rural childhood on the banks of the river Floss. But the approach of adulthood creates tension: intelligent and fiery Maggie tests the boundaries of nineteenth-century society in her search for love, while Tom embraces convention and accepts his father’s desire for him to become a businessman. Increasingly self-righteous, Tom disapproves of his sister’s suitors and when he discovers that she took a fateful boat trip with Stephen Guest, her cousin’s fiancé, he turns his back on her. Maggie is ostracized by her beloved brother and her own community, and only through tragic events are the siblings reunited . . .

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