In Belgie loop die negentiende eeu ook ten einde. Elisabeth, die dogter van die smid, trou met die jong dokter, Guillaume Duponselle. Dit sal nie ’n gelukkige huwelik word nie. As Elisabeth agt maande later aan ’n tweeling geboorte skenk, is die eersgeborene ’n pragtige seun, Valentyn. Die tweede kind is so mismaak dat Guillaume weier om hom ’n naam te gee. Tog bly Naamloos lewe. Omdat sy voorkoms sy vader en die dorpenaars ontstel, gaan Naamloos gesluierd deur die lewe. Dan tree die Eerste Wereldoorlog op die toneel. Van kant gemaak vertel ’n broeierige verhaal vol dorpsgefluister. Vir almal verloop die toekoms anders as wat hulle verwag.

The start of BRAND NEW SERIES from bestselling author of 'The Tobacco Girls' Lizzie LaneBristol 1936 Jenny Crawford has resigned herself to a loveless marriage living hand to mouth with their two children. Like many others, husband Roy struggles to find work at the docks but a chance encounter turns the family's fortunes around. Not only does he get regular work but they are also allocated a council house on Coronation Close on the outskirts of the city. Jenny and the children are overjoyed, this is the fresh start she could only ever dream of. But trouble feels never too far away. With Roy spending more time with Sir Oswald Molsey bullying black shirts, Jenny is left to her own devices and eager to fit in begins to make new friends. Thankful of peace, Jenny has her head turned firstly by an old love and then by her knight in shining armour. Does she allow herself to glimpse a chance of happiness? Whatever happens the consequences could be dire if Roy ever finds out.

At the end of Huckleberry Finn, on the eve of the Civil War, Huck and Tom Sawyer decide to escape "sivilization" and "light out for the Territory." In Robert Coover's vision of their Western adventures, Tom decides he'd rather own civilization than escape it, leaving Huck "dreadful lonely" in a country of bandits, war parties, and gold. In the course of his ventures, Huck reunites with old friends, facing hard truths and even harder choices.

Thomas lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, working his grandpa’s trade as a shanker. He rises early to take his horse and cart to the grey, gloomy beach to scrape for shrimp; spending the rest of the day selling his wares, trying to wash away the salt and scum, pining for Joan Wyeth down the street and rehearsing songs on his guitar. At heart, he is a folk musician, but it remains a private dream.

When a striking visitor turns up, bringing the promise of Hollywood glamour, Thomas is shaken from the drudgery of his days and begins to see a different future. But how much of what the American claims is true, and how far can his inspiration carry Thomas?

Haunting and timeless, this is the story of a young man hemmed in by his circumstances, striving to achieve fulfilment far beyond the world he knows.