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Books > Fiction > General & literary fiction > Modern fiction
'Baron Wenkcheim's Homecoming is a fitting capstone to Krasznahorkai's tetralogy, one of the supreme achievements of contemporary literature. Now seems as good a time as any to name him among our greatest living novelists.' Paris Review Hailed internationally as perhaps the most important novel of the young twenty-first century, Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming is the culmination of Laszlo Krasznahorkai's remarkable and singular career. Nearing the end of his life, Baron Bela Wenckheim decides to return to the provincial Hungarian town of his birth. Having escaped from his many casino debts in Buenos Aires, where he was living in exile, he wishes to be reunited with his high-school sweetheart Marika. What follows is an endless storm of gossip, con men and local politicians, vividly evoking the small town's alternately drab and absurd existence. Spectacular actions are staged, death and the abyss loom, until finally doom is brought down on the unsuspecting residents of the town. 'I've said a thousand times that I always wanted to write just one book. Now, with this novel, I can prove that I really wrote just one book in my life. This is the book - Satantango, Melancholy, War & War, and Baron. This is my one book.' Laszlo Krasnahorkai
A Young serviceman in 1950s Hong Kong emerges from adolescene to a world where reality is difficult to define. He learns the conventions of lowscale counter-intelligence, experiencing situations from comical to terrifying, and whilst encountering exotic Eastern culture stumbles through the complexities of live, friendship and the meaning of life.
Families - you can't live with them, you can't live without them. Rory Mullan hasn't seen his older brother Declan in ten years. He hasn't spoken to him in four. Which suits Rory just fine. Kind of. Well, most of the time anyway. After all, he has enough on his plate: a marriage in tatters, two grown up semi-estranged children and a rather dubious relationship with alcohol. So Declan's announcement that he is coming to visit Rory's London bachelor apartment fills him with misgivings. Deep misgivings. Which Declan will turn up? Declan the charmer? Declan the loveable if somewhat irresponsible rogue? Or Declan the right royal pain in the arse? What does the visit mean? A final shot at redemption? A reminder of dark days of Ireland's troubles? A chance to make sense of a broken past? Not Quite A Stranger explores with refreshing candour the pain and evasions that can lie at the heart of family and the disturbing working out of grief.
After learning of her family's ties to the slaveholding South, Sylvia Compson scours her attic for clues and discovers a window into the world of her ancestors: the memoir of her great-grandfather's spinster sister, Gerda Bergstrom. Gerda's memoir chronicles the founding of Elm Creek Manor and the tumultuous years when Hans, Anneke, and Gerda Bergstrom sheltered fugitive slaves within its walls, using quilts as a signal of sanctuary. But little did the staunchly abolitionist Gerda know that a traitor was among them, placing the Bergstroms in grave danger and leading to family discord, betrayal, and a secret held for generations. With the help of the Elm Creek Quilters and clues hidden within antique quilts discovered in the manor's attic, Sylvia stitches together the pieces of her past and decodes the true nature of the Bergstrom legacy.
And in that instant I fall in love. Not just with him, though he is the better part of it, but with them both, with the whole scene: the house, the garden, the magazine perfection of it. And I want very badly to be in this picture.As Edie Jones lies in a bed on the fourteenth floor of a Cambridge hospital, her adult daughter Dido tells their story, starting with the day that changed everything.That was the day when Dido - aged exactly six years and twenty-seven days old - met the handsome Tom Trevelyan, his precocious sister, Harry, and their parents, Angela and David.The day Dido fell in love with a family completely different from her own.Because the Trevelyans were exactly the kind of family six year-old Dido dreamed of. Normal. And Dido's mother, Edie, doesn't do normal. In fact, as Dido has learnt the hard way, normal is the one thing Edie can never be . . .
The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs. Brilliantly conceived and executed, this powerful evocation of twenty-first century America gives full rein to Margaret Atwood's devastating irony, wit and astute perception.
Lily the Tiller is a nomadic gardener on the permanent lam from a bleak, abusive past. Scouring the lanes of South West England looking for temporary work, she pitches up at Motthoe, a now dilapidated, but once grand, country estate, where Dreamer Harry - Motthoe's reluctant owner via recent inheritance - falls for her with only the slimmest hopes of reciprocation. In Lily's care, a walled garden at Motthoe begins to blossom and the greening magic of this new life touches each of Motthoe's cast of idiosyncratic inhabitants. But, even in the midst of this community blossoming, dark hints and ill-omens suggest Lily's grim history can be run from no longer.
Treasure every moment. Life can change in a heartbeat. What the fans say: 'Wonderful characters and the stories are always great, with twists and turns' Gemma It’s a beautiful day in Manchester and four friends are meeting for a birthday lunch. But then they witness a shocking accident just metres away which acts as a catalyst for each of them. For Laura, it’s a wake-up call to heed the ticking of her biological clock. Sensible Jo finds herself throwing caution to the wind in a new relationship. Eve, who has been trying to ignore the worrying lump in her breast, feels helpless and out of control. And happy-go-lucky India is drawn to one of the victims of the accident, causing long-buried secrets to rise to the surface. This is a novel about the startling and unexpected turns life can take. It’s about luck – good and bad – and about finding bravery and resilience when your world is in turmoil. Above all, it’s about friendship, togetherness and hope.
2003, Singapore. Friendless and fatherless, sixteen-year-old Szu lives in the shadow of her mother Amisa, once a beautiful actress and now a hack medium performing seances with her sister in a rusty house. When Szu meets the privileged, acid-tongued Circe, an unlikely encounter develops into an intense friendship and offers Szu a means of escape from her mother's alarming solitariness. Seventeen years later, Circe is struggling through a divorce in fraught and ever-changing Singapore when a project comes up at work: a remake of the cult seventies horror film series 'Ponti', the very project that defined Amisa's short-lived film career. Suddenly Circe is knocked off balance: by memories of the two women she once knew, by guilt, and by a past that threatens her conscience. Told from the perspectives of all three women, Ponti is about friendship and memory, about the things we do when we're on the cusp of adulthood that haunt us years later. Beautifully written by debut author Sharlene Teo, and enormously atmospheric, Ponti marks the launch of an exciting new literary voice in the vein of Zadie Smith.
The Cast is an irresistible celebration of the strength of women, finding the courage to persevere in life's drama of heartbreak and joy, by the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel. Kait Whittier has built her magazine column into a hugely respected read followed by fans across the country. She loves her work and adores her grown children, treasuring the time they spend together. But after two marriages, she prefers to avoid the complications and uncertainties of a new love. Then, after a chance meeting with television producer Zack Winter, everything changes. Inspired by the true story of her own grandmother, Kait creates the storyline for a TV series. Within weeks, Kait is plunged into a colourful, star-studded world of actors and industry pros who will bring her vision to life, from the reclusive grand dame to LA's hottest bad boy actor. As secrets are shared and revelations come to light, the cast grows closer... But in the midst of this charmed year, Kait is forced to confront the greatest challenge a mother could ever know and this unforgettable cast becomes more important to her than she ever could have imagined.
The Humptons is an entertaining tale of the inhabitants of two rival villages. It follows the lives of a number of the village members including the rumbustious titled owners of an ancient estate, a butler and his eastern mail order bride, several upright ladies and some not so upright, a professor, an artist and even a retired Brigadier. The book makes for perfect light reading and has a fun, entertaining atmosphere to it. The Humptons takes a fond look at life in a village community, touching on the many happenings and relationships that take place in a rural setting. However, it is not all sweetness and happiness, darker events play their part too in a disappearing way of life.
"When I see light and dark, on off, on off, something weird happens inside me... Something changes, slows down. I can think again. I can find myself hidden in there somewhere..." Grace Sanderson's abusive childhood leaves her seeking a 'better brain' and wishing she could be 'reincarnated'. She is wasting away physically and mentally and living a partly hermitic existence in her room, trying to resist self-harming and avoiding her family. Her friend Jasmine dies of an overdose and the future seems dark. But Briony, a school friend in whom she trusts, introduces Grace to Nature's Way, a healing centre deep in local woodland. From that day on, Grace's life assumes a new meaning.
You find strength when you’re at your weakest . . . When Sydney’s husband dies, she is dealt another devastating blow. He never changed his will and she is forced to leave the beautiful home they shared. On a flight from Paris to New York, an emergency landing forces her into the arms of Paul Zeller. The pair bond over a shared love of fashion, and before long they go into business together. But Sydney’s daughters are less than impressed by their mother’s mysterious new acquaintance . . . Offered a job at Paul’s high-street clothing chain, Sydney thinks her luck has turned. But when a scandal hits the company, it’s Sydney in the firing line. Humiliated, publicly shamed, destitute – Sydney hits rock bottom. There are only two choices: giving up or starting over. With the unwavering support of her daughters and the assistance of an unlikely business partner, Sydney discovers that her greatest adventure might still be to come . . . Fall From Grace is an inspirational story about turning to family in times of trouble, by the world’s favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel.
Translated by Denys Johnson-Davies ‘An Arabian Nights in reverse … Powerfully and poetically written’ When a young man returns to his village in the Sudan after many years studying in Europe, he finds that among the familiar faces there is now a stranger – the enigmatic Mustafa Sa’eed. As the two become friends, Mustafa tells the younger man the disturbing story of his own life in London after the First World War. Lionized by society and desired by women as an exotic novelty, Mustafa was driven to take brutal revenge on the decadent West and was, in turn, destroyed by it. Now the terrible legacy of his actions has come to haunt the small village at the bend of the Nile. The story of a man undone by a culture that in part created him, Season of Migration to the North is a powerful and evocative examination of colonization in two vastly different worlds.
The Darkest Day is the first novel in the five part Inspector Barbarotti series from renowned Swedish crime author Hakan Nesser. It's December in the quiet Swedish town of Kymlinge, and the Hermansson family are gathering to celebrate father Karl-Erik and eldest daughter Ebba's joint landmark birthdays. But beneath the guise of happy festivities, tensions are running high, and it's not long before the night takes a dark and unexpected turn . . . Before the weekend is over, two members of the Hermansson family are missing, and it's up to Inspector Barbarotti - a detective who spends as much of his time debating the existence of God as he does solving cases - to determine exactly what has happened. And he soon discovers he'll have to unravel a whole tangle of sinister family secrets in the process . . .
After being evicted from their home, fifteen year-old Lydia and her younger brother find themselves abandoned in a strange town just two days before Christmas. Left in the care of a family they had never known and stranded in the harsh winter of 1963, their future hangs in the balance. After qualifying as a nurse, Lydia marries doctor, Martin Fraser, but the catastrophic events of her wedding day have far-reaching consequences both for Lydia and her daughter, Naomi. Sixteen years later, Lydia's mother returns, anxious to mend the rift with her grown-up children. Can she achieve the reconciliation she craves without her children finding out her dark secret? Will Lydia ever forgive her mother for deserting her? Ashes on Fallen Snow is the final book in the Jeffson family trilogy. Additional material, in the form of an epilogue, offers an insight into the events that triggered the writing of the trilogy, which is based on a true story.
A rollicking, big-hearted story of long-lost love, friendship, and a life well-lived, set at a Florida retirement resort for queer women, on the last day of resident Hannah Cardin’s life. It’s 2067 and Florida is partially underwater, but even that can’t bring down the residents of Palm Meridian Retirement Resort, a utopian home for queer women who want to revel in their twilight years. Inside, Hula-Hoopers shimmy across the grass, fiercely competitive book clubs nearly come to blows, and the roller-ski team races up and down the winding paths. Everywhere you look, these women are living large. Hannah Cardin has spent ten happy years under these tropical, technicolor skies, but after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, she has decided that tomorrow morning she will close her eyes for the very last time. Tonight, however, Hannah and her raucous band of friends are throwing one hell of an end-of-life party. And with less than twenty-four hours left, Hannah is holding out for one final, impossible thing… Amongst the guest list is Sophie, the love of Hannah’s life. They haven’t spoken since their devastating breakup over forty years ago, but today, Hannah is hoping for the chance to give her greatest love one last try. As Hannah anxiously awaits Sophie’s arrival, her mind casts back over the highs and lows of her kaleidoscopic life. But when a shocking secret from the past is revealed, Hannah must reconsider if she can say goodbye after all. Spanning the course of a single day and seventy-odd years, and bursting with irresistible hope, humor, and wisdom, this one-of-a-kind novel celebrates the unexpected moments that make us feel the most alive.
Have you seen the egg containing the last dinosaur? The last of any species contains great magical power. If this falls into the wrong hands, the results could turn the world upside down. It is ice age on Planet Earth, except on the island of Baratonea. There, the Grunts, Wermits and Fuzzards are enjoying life as usual, watched over by Lady Naomi in her blue pyramid. Things are about to change. The Old One needs their help against a deadly enemy. The Last Dinosaur is the first in a new series of beautifully illustrated children's adventure stories about the magical world of the Grunts and Wermits. Join the brave and fun-loving characters as they sail away to do battle with the evil Tartarus...
"Admissions. "Admission." Aren't there two sides to the word? And two opposing sides...It's what we let in, but it's also what we let out."
The Rangemore Hotel is a tired, Victorian hotel struggling to survive on the North Wales coastline. A coastline owned by the sea, loaned by the seas, and at any time, could be reclaimed by the sea. Equally as unpredictable as the sea are the fortunes of the owners and staff of the The Rangemore Hotel, the backdrop to: The Odd Noble Deed. Four people associated with this once-grand hotel tumble and crash into each other's lives. Passion, treachery and lies leave only two winners - or are they winners? - for to win one must truly value the prize. |
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