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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Historical fiction
** A SUNDAY TIMES AND IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER ** ** Chosen as a
Spectator, Irish Times and Irish Independent Book of the Year **
THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
FOSTER, ANTARCTICA AND WALK THE BLUE FIELDS WINNER OF THE ORWELL
PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION AND THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE
YEAR. SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE AND THE IRISH NOVEL
OF THE YEAR AT THE DALKEY LITERARY AWARDS 'A single one of Keegan's
grounded, powerful sentences can contain volumes of social history.
Every word is the right word in the right place, and the effect is
resonant and deeply moving.' Hilary Mantel (Winner of the Booker
Prize 2009 and 2012) 'This is a tale of courage and compassion, of
good sons and vulnerable young mothers. Absolutely beautiful.'
Douglas Stuart (Winner of the Booker Prize 2020) 'Marvellous-exact
and icy and loving all at once.' Sarah Moss 'A haunting, hopeful
masterpiece.' Sinead Gleeson ** A BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK
CLUB PICK** **CHOSEN AS A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME** It is 1985,
in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill
Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season.
As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him -
and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the
Church. The long-awaited new work from the author of Foster, Small
Things Like These is an unforgettable story of hope, quiet heroism
and tenderness. 'Astonishing. Claire Keegan makes her moments real
- and then she makes them matter.' Colm Toibin 'A true gift of a
book. a sublime Chekhovian shock.' Andrew O'Hagan 'A moral tale
that is unsentimental and deeply affecting, because true and
right.' David Hayden
Continuing the authora s exciting new take on Roman Britain this
well researched fifth novel of the nail-biting series has chief
investigator Felix yet again having to combine intuition with
detection. Arch provocateur Mercurialis fully understands the
financial constraints placed on Governor Urbicus by the Emperor and
takes advantage of the lack of resources to expand his plans to
usurp Britannia. When the insurgent groups begin to fight amongst
themselves Felix and his son-in-law, Clemens, allow that it might
only be a ruse. However, putting their lives at risk daily, Felix
and his team counter-plot by employing stratagems of their own. At
the same time as befits family men, humour and emotion are not
forgotten. Live their lives with them. Share the danger.
During the 9th and 10th century's the battles between the Anglo
Saxons and Vikings were always bloody, but none more so than at the
battle of Wodens elde. Our history shows that the Anglo Saxon army,
consisting of men from Mercia and Wessex met the might of the
Viking army on the elds of Woden and utterly defeated them on the
5th day of August 910.
A French army marches through Europe to attack Russia. In
Lithuania, a Russian province, the people try to remain on the
sidelines but the peasant KadiA!ius family are dragged into it. As
the story unfolds and follows the everyday lives of succeeding
generations we begin to understand exactly what it meant to live in
this beautiful but little known country occupied by an alien power.
Years later the peasants are still under the same Russian yoke.
Poverty, cruel persecution of the Jews and the attempted erasure of
Lithuanian culture forces an Exodus from the country of almost
Biblical proportions towards the West. It is a decision that is not
easy for the migrants but one which many have been compelled to
take. In 1894 Elzbieta, a farm girl, and her sister Juoza, are
seeking something better. They set out on their long, eventful
journey through life, by road, train and ship. Arriving in England,
the country which has offered them sanctuary, Elzbieta is appalled
to discover the teeming slums of London's Stepney, where she is
destined to live. The culture shock is great as she quietly battles
to retain her identity huddled together with others of her kind in
the Lithuanian ghetto. Her family's trials, throughout the years,
are mirrored by world events. She and they fight against the odds
armed with intelligence, humanity, honesty, and a religious faith
which is sometimes not without its contradictions. The family
progresses despite many setbacks. Between them they make a huge
difference to the lives of others. In wartime and peace they are
involved in major events as were their Lithuanian ancestors. This
is about the striving of the human soul for something better.
The thrilling sequel to Fifteen Postcards Disappearing from her
antiques shop amid a spray of bullets, Sarah Lester leaves no body,
only questions. Sarah's friends are left to deal with the aftermath
of her disappearance, including questions about the dubious
provenance of her antiques which threaten to crush the business
she's brought back from the brink of failure. Sarah struggles to
reunite with her father while continuing the search for her mother,
unaware that England's violent colonial past has followed her to
the present, putting herself and those she loves in danger. From
the remote shores of New Zealand, through India's hill-country
stations and onto the streets of Victorian London, Sarah must
determine whether family bonds are strong enough to reach across
the centuries. The Last Letter is peopled with reticent soldiers,
conniving clergymen, fanatical collectors and commission-hungry
auctioneers, taking you on a spectacular journey through time.
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My Antonia
(Hardcover)
Willa S. Cather, Zynnia a Jezek
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R715
Discovery Miles 7 150
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War Lord
(Paperback)
Bernard Cornwell
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R295
R236
Discovery Miles 2 360
Save R59 (20%)
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IN THE FINAL RECKONING, CHOOSE YOUR SIDE CAREFULLY…
The epic conclusion to the globally bestselling historical series.
After years fighting to reclaim his rightful home, Uhtred of Bebbanburg
has returned to Northumbria. With his loyal band of warriors and a new
woman by his side, his household is secure – yet Uhtred is far from
safe. Beyond the walls of his impregnable fortress, a battle for power
rages.
To the south, King Æthelstan has unified the three kingdoms of Wessex,
Mercia and East Anglia – and now eyes a bigger prize. To the north,
King Constantine and other Scottish and Irish leaders seek to extend
their borders and expand their dominion.
Caught in the eye of the storm is Uhtred. Threatened and bribed by all
sides, he faces an impossible choice: stay out of the struggle, risking
his freedom, or throw himself into the cauldron of war and the most
terrible battle Britain has ever experienced. Only fate can decide the
outcome.
The epic story of how England was made concludes in WAR LORD, the
magnificent finale to the Last Kingdom series.
Having brought peace to a country at war with itself the benign
Roman governance encouraged previously unknown literacy plus
education, trade, farming, an economy and the usage of Roman
invention including the improved Roman plough, wind/water mills,
double action pump and glass amongst many things. Such wealth
production naturally generated envy and crime existed, including
treason and murder as well as extortion and fraud, in the 105 towns
that catered for a population of 2.5 million. A well organised
civil service included policing and Albinus Felix, himself the son
of a British ex-slave, had climbed the army's promotion ladder to
become chief of intelligence in Britannia to be ably assisted by
his son-in-law, Clemens, from a wealthy family in Rome. At daily
risk from traitors, confidence tricksters and their acolytes they
plan and counter-plan to capture them, at the same time attempting
to infiltrate the groups. Experienced Governor Urbicus and his
fleet admiral Agrippa offer whatever support is required within the
law but often leaving Felix and Clemens out on a limb. A local
tribal leader who understands that peace and stability can only
benefit the tribes also offers help, to the chagrin of the overall
tribal council.
A prisoner in a WWII concentration camp discovers a superpower that could keep him alive – he can make the commandant laugh by telling jokes. Pushed to ends of his wit and humanity, Gagman is propelled into a spiralling madness in which he would sell his soul for a gag simply to live another day.
Evoking themes from The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Dov Fedler weaves the story of a Faustian bargain brokered in hell, where redemption only comes in the form of a punchline. He must stay funny – or die.
Enhanced by Fedler’s own haunting illustrations, Gagman masterfully juxtaposes humour and pathos, while exploring themes of survivor guilt, desperate determination and the search for the meaning of life in the wake of the Holocaust. Swapping his yellow star for a tattered comic book, Gagman roams the new world and our consciousness determined to find answers to the deepest questions about loss, hope and belonging.
Gagman is a touching and unique tale of survival through unimaginable horror.
'What a heroine Endurance Proudfoot is! I loved her from the start.
An unconventional woman who takes us on a fascinating - if bumpy -
ride through a man's world. I laughed, cried and most of all
cheered! Can't stop thinking about it... an absolute cruncher of a
tale' Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal 'A complete joy of a
novel that, like it's wonderful protagonist's namesake, is a story
of endurance against all odds. Full of heart and so eloquently
written, THAT BONESETTER WOMAN had me cheering Durie on from start
to finish - I absolutely loved it' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of
Pandora It's usual, they say, for a young person coming to London
for the first time to arrive with a head full of dreams. Well,
Endurance Proudfoot did not. When she stepped off the coach from
Sussex, on a warm and sticky afternoon in the summer of 1757, it
never occurred to her that the city would be the place where she'd
make her fortune; she was just very annoyed to be arriving there at
all. Meet Endurance Proudfoot: clumsy as a carthorse, strong as an
ox, with a tactless tongue and a face she's sure only a mother
could love. Durie wants one thing in life: to become a bonesetter
like her father. It's physically demanding work, requiring nerves
of steel, and he's adamant it's not a job for a woman.
Strong-willed and stubborn, Durie's certain that in bonesetting,
her big, usually clumsy hands have found their natural calling. So
when she's bundled off to London with her beautiful sister, she
won't let it stop her realising her dream. As her sister finds fame
on the stage, Durie becomes England's most celebrated bonesetter -
but what goes up must come down, and her success may become her
undoing. Inspired by the true stories of two of Georgian England's
most famous celebrities, That Bonesetter Woman is an uplifting tale
about finding the courage to go your own way, when everyone says
you can't - and about realising that what makes you different can
also make you strong. Praise for That Bonesetter Woman: 'Durie
Proudfoot is a brilliant heroine: stubborn, flawed and so
entertaining to spend time with. I loved every step of her journey,
and Frances Quinn is fast becoming one of my favourite historical
novelists' Louise Hare 'I adored every second of this book -
historical fiction at its finest, and Quinn is a natural
storyteller. Quirky, funny and original. Durie and her lions will
stay with me' Ericka Waller 'I feel as if I left a little bit of my
heart between the pages of this extraordinary book' Nicola Gill
'Filled with hope and humour, That Bonesetter Woman is a novel that
truly champions the underdog. I devoured it with as much gusto as
the inimitable heroine sets people's bones' Polly Crosby 'That
Bonesetter Woman is a wonderfully uplifting, charming, addictive
and unusual story. Quinn delivers astute and acutely observed
aspects of human behaviour delivered with great humour and
compassion. Replace the coffee houses and newspaper scribblers with
Twitter and YouTube and I'd say, not so much has changed!' Louise
Fein 'Frances Quinn has done it again! Georgian London is vividly
brought to life in a fast-paced story full of quirky characters,
wry wit, warmth and wisdom. I was completely charmed!' Anita Frank
In this timeless survival story, four indentured servants escape
their Russian Alaska work camp in a stolen canoe, only to face a
harrowing journey down the Pacific Northwest coast. Battling
unrelenting high seas and fierce weather from New Archangel,
Alaska, to Astoria, Oregon, the men struggle to avoid hostile
Tlingit Indians, to fend off starvation and exhaustion, and to
endure their own doubt and distrust. Based on an actual incident in
1853, "The Sea Runners" is a spare and awe-inspiring tale of the
human quest for freedom.
'A gargantuan, memorable story, a film in the making, ready for
global success' - La Repubblica, Italy 'A powerful and
heart-breaking story about sacrifice and courage' - Le Monde,
France Argentina,1978. President Jorge Rafael Videla's military
dictatorship reigns with an iron fist, regularly kidnapping,
torturing and murdering political activists and opponents and their
families at secret concentration camps. The country is locked in a
spiral of fear and chaos - and are soon to host the World Cup. As
the cacophony of protest against Videla's government rises, his
regime's drive to 'disappear' these troublesome elements
accelerates before they can embarrass him in front of the world's
media. This is the story of a rugby club that refused to be
silenced. When one of their teammates is found dead - assassinated
- the Club La Plata first XV took a minute's silence before their
next game. The minute ran to two ... to three ... For ten long
minutes they stood in furious silence. When the junta learned of
this protest it wasn't long before another player disappeared. And
then another. Over the course of four years, twenty La Plata
players were murdered by the regime: gunned down, assassinated,
'disappeared'' This extraordinary novel is based on interviews with
survivors of Argentina's so-called 'dirty war' in the seventies,
when tens of thousands of protesters disappeared, many never to be
found again. Bold, powerful and heart-breaking, The Silenced is a
portrait of astonishing courage and defiance and an examination of
the unbreakable bonds forged by a team of rugby players in the face
of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Wei Wuxian was once one of the most powerful men of his generation,
a talented and clever young cultivator who harnessed martial arts
and spirituality into powerful abilities. But when the horrors of
war led him to seek more power through demonic cultivation, the
world's respect for his abilities turned to fear, and his death was
celebrated throughout the land. Years later, he awakens in the body
of an aggrieved young man who sacrifices his soul so that Wei
Wuxian can exact revenge on his behalf. Though granted a second
life, Wei Wuxian is not free from his first, nor the mysteries that
appear before him now. Yet this time, he'll face it all with the
righteous and esteemed Lan Wangji at his side, another powerful
cultivator whose unwavering dedication and shared memories of their
past will help shine a light on the dark truths that surround them.
This Chinese xianxia fantasy novel series built around the
romanticized love between two men (danmei) has been translated into
numerous languages and spawned a multimedia franchise that has
taken the globe by storm, including the massively popular
live-action series The Untamed available now on Netflix, YouTube,
and more. The Seven Seas English-language edition will include
exclusive, all-new covers from Jin Fang (jinzillaa), interior
illustrations from Marina Privalova (BaoshanKaro), and a
translation by Suika (yummysuika) with editor Pengie (pengiesama).
Fires In the Dark reveals the highly secretive and misunderstood
world of the coppersmith gypsies.
In 1927, when prosperity still reigns in Central Europe, Yenko
is born to two Coppersmith Gypsies. His parents, Josef and Anna,
are nomads who raise their son during the relative calm of the
Great Depression of the 1930s. Soon, though, dangerous times
threaten to unsettle their family, as their heritage makes them
vulnerable targets for ethnic cleansing. As Germany invades
Czechoslovakia and the conflicts of World War II begin to unfold,
Yenko and his parents become fugitives, forced on a journey that
promises only great uncertainty and offers survival as a remote
possibility. In the course of their flight, the burden of an
ancient tradition rests entirely on Yenko's shoulders.
In capturing the desperation and perseverance of one family
during an extraordinary time in history, Louise Doughty pays
powerful homage to an insular and little-known culture.
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Fire in the Thatch
(Paperback)
E.C.R. Lorac; Introduction by Martin Edwards
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R382
R323
Discovery Miles 3 230
Save R59 (15%)
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