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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > Second World War fiction
A TALE OF A TRAGEDY SEEPING THROUGH GENERATIONS, AND A FAMILY
FRACTURED BY HISTORY AND DESIRE 'Bad Relations is an amazing
achievement and one of the most satisfying books you're likely to
read this year' The Times 'Haunting and beautiful... In recent
British fiction I can think only of Tessa Hadley who rivals
Connolly in exacting such intricate, compelling drama from
close-knit families... I don't often wish a book were longer, but
this one I did' Observer On the battlefields of the Crimea, William
Gale cradles the still-warm body of his brother. William's
experience of war will bring about a change in him that will
reverberate through his family over the next two centuries. In the
1970s, William's descendants invite Stephen, a distant relation, to
stay in their house in the English countryside - but their golden
summer entanglements will end in a shocking fall from grace. Half a
century later, a confrontation between the surviving members of the
family will culminate in a terrible reckoning. 'The characters in
Bad Relations are so brilliantly real, so wonderfully compelling at
their best, and at their worst, that I can't get them out of my
head. A wonderful novel' Nina Stibbe 'This is an Atonement-like
novel about the messy stuff that is family life' Spectator 'A
compelling family saga' Sunday Times
A classic thriller featuring the most daring escape of the Second
World War, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Eagle
Has Landed. American Colonel Hugh Kelso is washed ashore on
German-held Jersey in Spring 1944, with top-secret D-Day plans in
his possession. To get him back, the most daring escape of the
Second World War must be planned and executed. Harry Martineau,
bilingual philosophy professor turned assassin, and Sarah Drayton,
a beautiful, half-French Jersey native, are selected to carry out
the mission, and set off to steal the most precious Allied asset
from under the noses of the Nazis...
How much does she truly know about her husband?Eliza Jones and her
husband Bryn had a whirlwind romance and married shortly after
meeting, but he was soon sent off to fight. In the midst of a Blitz
attack on Liverpool, which leaves Eliza with amnesia, she gives
birth to their baby son, Alfie. Still struggling with the aftermath
of the birth, Eliza is distraught when Alfie is kidnapped from the
nursery. As the search for Alfie progresses and the community bands
together around Eliza, she is left with more questions than
answers. Who would take her baby, and why? And does she have any
hope of being reunited with her baby? When her search for answers
leads her back to Bryn's family, Eliza must ask herself how well
she really knew the man she married. A gripping saga set in
Liverpool against the backdrop of the Second World War, perfect for
fans of Pam Howes and Katie Flynn.
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German Fantasia
(Paperback)
Philippe Claudel; Translated by Julian Evans
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R330
R264
Discovery Miles 2 640
Save R66 (20%)
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Ships in 5 - 10 working days
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A deserting soldier treks through the torn-up countryside and
abandoned villages, trying to distance himself from the atrocities
of war. An elderly man sits beneath lime trees, remembering his
first sexual encounter one summer night with a female stranger who
whispered another man's name. A young woman takes up a job in a
care home, spending monotonous days scrubbing floors and yearning
to dance at the local nightclub. The artist Franz Marc lives on in
an imagined life as a patient at an asylum, before falling victim
to Hitler's policy of Gnadentod. Finally, a young Jewish girl, the
life she once knew destroyed, holds her memories close as she finds
refuge in wreckage of her homeland. And throughout there is the
shadowy presence of Viktor - one man or many? A looming figure in
Germany's own reckoning with its past. Through these five
interconnected stories, Philippe Claudel reflects on Germany's
complex history and the experiences of its people, dismantling the
idea of "a nation" or "a people" and exploring the malleability of
memory.
It is 1941 and bombs have turned London into the front line of a
world war. In the shadows of the Blitz, Hitler's agents are running
a blackmail operation to obtain documents that could bring the
nation to instant defeat. Arthur Rowe, a man once convicted of a
notorious mercy killing, stumbles onto a German spy operation in
Bloomsbury and must be silenced. But even with his memory taken
from him, he is still a very dangerous witness. A taut thriller and
a haunting exploration of pity, love, and guilt, The Ministry of
Fear by Graham Greene is universally acknowledged as one of the
greatest of all spy novels. With an introduction by the biographer
and editor Professor Richard Greene. Designed to appeal to the
booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of
beautifully bound gift editions of much loved classic titles.
Jess is about to face her biggest battle just as the war nears its
endWith Jess newly promoted to Filterer Officer at RAF Fighter
Command HQ, she is delighted to be reunited with Evie and May.
However, now that they can enjoy socialising in London, Jess fears
her friends will discover the secret she keeps there. When Jess
bumps into Milan unexpectedly, sparks are reignited - did she make
a mistake, finishing with him in Amberton? But matters are
complicated when a film company arrives at Bentley Priory to make a
morale-boosting movie about the RAF. The lead actor is none other
than Leonard Steele, a man from Jess's past who could ruin
everything she has worked so hard to build... As her past and
present collide, will Jess find the strength to fight for her
future? A gripping and emotional wartime saga ideal for fans of
Daisy Styles, Kate Thompson and Rosie Clarke. Praise for Vicki
Beeby'A fabulous tale of courage, comradeship and romance.' Glynis
Peters, author of The Secret Orphan 'A lovely book. Vicki Beeby is
a saga author to watch.' Margaret Dickinson, Sunday Times Top Ten
bestselling author 'Entertaining from beginning to end. I can't
recommend it highly enough.' Gemma Jackson, bestselling author of
the Ivy Rose series 'I love the author's style - the writing is
very descriptive and creates an atmosphere, and the characters come
alive. I am sad to think this is the end of the series' Reader
review 'This was the third and final book of the series which I
loved from start to finish. I shall miss these girls and their
wartime experiences. A truly delightful and beautifully written
novel.' Reader review 'Vicki really brings her characters to life
in such a way that I'm actually feeling a little sad now that the
series has ended. I can't wait to read whatever Vicki writes next.'
Reader review 'This book is brilliant! More than brilliant,
amazing!!! Absolutely gripping, addictive and captivating' Reader
review 'I loved, loved, loved this series. The suspense, the
mystery, and the chemistry within this narrative is spot on. I
loved the ending and could not think of anything better. A perfect
fit for a perfect series.' Reader review
As she struggles to find her feet with her work, new problems
emerge... Meg Turner is finally doing the job she loves, but life
as a sheep farmer proves tougher than she anticipated. She is a
woman trying to prove herself in a man's world against the backdrop
of a brutal war. With her faith being tested in her work, she also
fears that the man she loves will betray her again. Meg struggles
to allow herself to love baby Lissa when her mother may return to
claim her at any moment. Meanwhile, Kath faces new challenges in
the WAAF, but cannot stop thinking about her child. Can she ever
get over the guilt of leaving her child behind? A heartwarming
story of love and loyalty, perfect for fans of Anna Jacobs and
Rosie Harris.
In his English language debut, Santiago H. Amigorena writes to
fight the silence that "has stifled [him] since [he] was born",
weaving together fiction, biography, and memoir to distill a
stirring novel of loss and unshakeable love. A critical sensation
in France, The Ghetto Within is its author's personal attempt to
confront his grandfather's silence. Passed down, from generation to
generation, the silence of Amigorena's grandfather became his own.
A gripping study of inheritance,The Ghetto Within re-imagines the
life of this Jewish grandfather, a Polish exile in Argentina, whose
guilt provokes an enduring silence to span generations. 1928.
Vicente Rosenberg is one of countless European emigres making a new
life for themselves in Argentina. It is here, along the bustling
avenues of Buenos Aires, that he will meet and marry Rosita, whose
ties to his native Poland are more ancestral than extant. They will
have three children and pursue a quiet, comfortable domestic life.
Vicente will start a profitable business and, on occasion, look
back. Still, despite success, he will ache for his mother, Gustawa,
who stayed behind in Warsaw with his siblings. For years, she
writes him several times a month. Yet, as rumors mount from abroad,
Vicente is given pause. The war in Europe feels so remote. Over
time, his mother's letters become increasingly sporadic and
Vicente, through delayed missives and late transmissions, begins to
construct the reality of a tragedy that has already occurred. And
one day, the letters stop altogether. Racked with guilt and anxiety
over the fate of his mother and family, he lapses into a deep
despair and longstanding silence. With his new novel, Amigorena
employs language to reclaim his "voice" from the oblivion of
familial trauma. An effort to understand the ways in which his
grandfather's silence continues to affect the generations that
followed,The Ghetto Within is a powerful new addition to Holocaust
canon, a stunning introduction of an essential new voice to English
readers. Translated from the French by Frank Wynne.
Soon to be a major television event from Pascal Pictures, starring
Tom Holland. Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, the USA
Today and #1 Amazon Charts bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the
triumphant, epic tale of one young man's incredible courage and
resilience during one of history's darkest hours. Pino Lella wants
nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He's a normal Italian
teenager-obsessed with music, food, and girls-but his days of
innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed
by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews
escape over the Alps, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow six
years his senior. In an attempt to protect him, Pino's parents
force him to enlist as a German soldier-a move they think will keep
him out of combat. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at
the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf
Hitler's left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third
Reich's most mysterious and powerful commanders. Now, with the
opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command,
Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by
fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and
for the life he dreams they will one day share. Fans of All the
Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this
riveting saga of history, suspense, and love.
'A heartbreaking portrait of an ordinary family shattered by a war
they didn't want' The Times They've wrecked the world, these men,
and still they're not done. They'd take the sky if they could.
Germany, 1945, and the bombs are falling. In Heidenfeld, Etta and
her husband Josef roam an empty nest: their eldest son Max is
fighting on the frontlines, while fifteen-year-old Georg has
swapped books for guns at a Nurnberg school for the Hitler Youth.
At home, news of the war provokes daily doses of fear as the planes
grow closer, taking one city after the next. When Max is
unexpectedly discharged, Etta is relieved to have her eldest home
and safe. But soon after he arrives, it's clear that the boy who
left is not the same returned. With Georg a hundred miles away and
a husband confronting his own difficult feelings toward patriotic
duty, Etta alone must gather the pieces of a splintering family,
determined to hold them together in the face of an uncertain
future.
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE SUMMER BY POPSUGAR,
FROLIC, PARADE, TRAVEL & LEISURE, SHE KNOWS, and SHE READS!
NAMED A REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF 2020 (SO FAR). "Fast Girls is a
compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian
in pre-war America...Brava to Elise Hooper for bringing these
inspiring heroines to the wide audience they so richly
deserve."-Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The
Last Romantics and The House Girl Acclaimed author Elise Hooper
explores the gripping, real life history of female athletes,
members of the first integrated women's Olympic team, and their
journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany. Perfect
for readers who love untold stories of amazing women, such as The
Only Woman in the Room, Hidden Figures, and The Lost Girls of
Paris. In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago's Betty Robinson competes as a
member of the first-ever women's delegation in track and field.
Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America's
Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end
everything. Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black
girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the
limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it
takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic
team. From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor,
is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but she dreams of
escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success.
Her aspirations appear impossible until a chance encounter changes
her life. These three athletes will join with others to defy
society's expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring
the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war,
Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as
the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry of the
Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Now a major film starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin and Bill
Nighy. It's 1940. In a small advertising agency in Soho, Catrin
Cole writes snappy lines for Vida Elastic and So-Bee-Fee gravy
browning. But the nation is in peril, all skills are transferable
and there's a place in the war effort for those who have a knack
with words. Catrin is conscripted into the world of propaganda
films. After a short spell promoting the joy of swedes for the
Ministry of Food, she finds herself writing dialogue for 'Just an
Ordinary Wednesday', a heart-warming but largely fabricated 'true
story' about rescue and romance on the beaches of Dunkirk. And as
bombs start to fall on London, she discovers that there's just as
much drama, comedy and passion behind the scenes as there is in
front of the camera . . . Originally published as Their Finest Hour
and a Half
Based on a true story of an elite German paratrooper captured by
British troops and incarcerated in the United States, this book
weaves the captivating tale of a POW's three-year odyssey toward
home, spanning three continents and eight prisons. Erich's
imprisonment begins in North Africa, from there we follow him to
prisoner of war camps in the United States, England, West Germany
and East Germany. As the war ends, Erich is faced with new
challenges and new beginnings -- including his love for an English
woman and his introduction to post-war Germany. This story offers a
look at the American people and their allies through the eyes of a
former enemy. The book offers a tightly-woven tale that speaks just
as much about hope as it does of war.
50th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION As a young man and a prisoner of
war, Kurt Vonnegut witnessed the 1945 US fire-bombing of Dresden in
Germany, which reduced the once proudly beautiful city to rubble
and claimed the lives of thousands of its citizens. For many years,
Kurt tried to write about Dresden but the words would not come.
When he did write about it, he combined his trademark humour,
unfettered imagination, boundless humanity and keen sense of irony
to create one of the most powerful anti-war books every written,
and an enduring American classic. This special edition is published
with notes of appreciation from some of the book's ardent fans
(Kate Atkinson, Richard Herring, Robin Ince) as well as fascinating
extra material from Vonnegut's archive which casts light on the
genesis, reception and enduring influence of an iconic American
classic. Design (c) DIEGO BECAS
It is June 1941 and Denmark is under German occupation. Arne Olufsen's relationship with an MI6 analyst draws him into underground politics, and a disused Hornet Moth biplane is the only means of getting a vital message to the British.
A heart-warming wartime story of love and friendship, from the
author of the award-winning THE MOTHER'S DAY CLUB Norfolk, 1944
Land Girls, Phylly and Gracie, have become the best of friends -
but war work is never easy at Catchetts Farm . . . Poor Gracie
wakes each morning worrying about whether she'll ever get to see
her airman husband again. And Phylly is trying - and failing - to
encourage Jimmy, an evacuee from London, to open up about his
heartbreaking past. When they meet Edwin, a handsome airman from
the American Airforce, it soon becomes clear that Jimmy isn't the
only one playing his cards close to his chest. But what could Edwin
wish to hide from the girls? Being a Land Girl means back-breaking
work in all weathers, and the girls are determined want to do their
bit to support the war effort. As their hardship grows, will the
friendship between Phylly and Gracie be strong enough to see them
through? A Home from Home is the perfect wartime family saga,
filled with heart-warming friendships and a courageous
make-do-and-mend attitude. Perfect for fans of Donna Douglas and
Elaine Everest. Readers LOVE Rosie Hendry: 'I highly recommend this
book and give it a well-deserved five stars' 'It's books like this
that remind me why I love reading . . . I can't wait to read more
from Rosie Hendry' 'Fabulous - can't wait to read the next book'
'Beautifully written . . . Thank you to Rosie Hendry for writing
this five-star book' 'A fantastic book - highly recommended'
'A dazzling novel of great compassion' Laura Moriarty 'An
extraordinary read, the kind of book that makes you sob and smile'
Tatiana de Rosnay 'Blum plumbs the depths of loss and love in this
exquisite page-turner' People In 1960s Manhattan, patrons flock to
Masha's to savor its brisket Wellington and impeccable service, and
to admire its dashing owner and head chef, Peter Rashkin. With his
movie-star good looks and tragic past, Peter, a survivor of
Auschwitz, is the most eligible bachelor in town. But he has
resigned himself to a solitary life. Running Masha's consumes him,
as does the terrible guilt of having survived the horrors of a Nazi
death camp while his wife, Masha - the restaurant's namesake - and
two young daughters perished. Then exquisitely beautiful June
Bouquet, an up-and-coming model, appears at the restaurant,
piercing Peter's guard. Though she is twenty years his junior, the
two begin a passionate, whirlwind courtship. When June unexpectedly
becomes pregnant, Peter proposes, believing that beginning a new
family with the woman he loves will allow him to let go of the
atrocities of the past, even though he cannot forget all that he
has lost. But over the next twenty years, the indelible sadness of
those memories will overshadow Peter, his new wife, June, and their
daughter, Elsbeth, transforming them in heartbreaking and
unexpected ways. The Lost Family is a charming, funny, and
elegantly bittersweet study of the repercussions of loss and love
that spans a generation, from the 1960s to the 1980s. It is a vivid
portrait of marriage, family, and the haunting grief of World War
II.
Based on the heart-breaking true story of Cilka Klein, Cilka's
Journey is a million copy international bestseller and the sequel
to the No.1 bestselling phenomenon, The Tattooist of Auschwitz 'She
was the bravest person I ever met' Lale Sokolov, The Tattooist of
Auschwitz In 1942 Cilka Klein is just sixteen years old when she is
taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. The Commandant at
Birkenau, Schwarzhuber, notices her long beautiful hair, and forces
her separation from the other women prisoners. Cilka learns quickly
that power, even unwillingly given, equals survival. After
liberation, Cilka is charged as a collaborator by the Russians and
sent to a desolate, brutal prison camp in Siberia known as Vorkuta,
inside the Arctic Circle. Innocent, imprisoned once again, Cilka
faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, each day a battle
for survival. Cilka befriends a woman doctor, and learns to nurse
the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under unimaginable
conditions. And when she tends to a man called Alexandr, Cilka
finds that despite everything, there is room in her heart for love.
Cilka's Journey is a powerful testament to the triumph of the human
will. It will move you to tears, but it will also leave you
astonished and uplifted by one woman's fierce determination to
survive, against all odds. Don't miss Heather Morris's next book,
Stories of Hope. Out now. - - - - - - - - 'Her truly incredible
story is one to be read by everyone.' Sun 'Cilka's extraordinary
courage in the face of evil and her determination to survive
against the odds will stay with you long after you've finished
reading this heartrending book.' Sunday Express 'Her courage and
determination to survive makes for a heartrending read.' Daily
Mirror
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Eternal
(Paperback)
Lisa Scottoline
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R476
R365
Discovery Miles 3 650
Save R111 (23%)
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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#1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline offers a sweeping and shattering epic of historical fiction fueled by shocking true events, the tale of a love triangle that unfolds in the heart of Rome...in the creeping shadow of fascism.
Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro grow up as the best of friends despite their differences. Elisabetta is a feisty beauty who dreams of becoming a novelist; Marco the brash and athletic son in a family of professional cyclists; and Sandro a Jewish mathematics prodigy, kind-hearted and thoughtful, the son of a lawyer and a doctor. Their friendship blossoms to love, with both Sandro and Marco hoping to win Elisabetta's heart. But in the autumn of 1937, all of that begins to change as Mussolini asserts his power, aligning Italy's Fascists with Hitler's Nazis and altering the very laws that govern Rome. In time, everything that the three hold dear--their families, their homes, and their connection to one another--is tested in ways they never could have imagined.
As anti-Semitism takes legal root and World War II erupts, the threesome realizes that Mussolini was only the beginning. The Nazis invade Rome, and with their occupation come new atrocities against the city's Jews, culminating in a final, horrific betrayal. Against this backdrop, the intertwined fates of Elisabetta, Marco, Sandro, and their families will be decided, in a heartbreaking story of both the best and the worst that the world has to offer.
Unfolding over decades, Eternal is a tale of loyalty and loss, family and food, love and war--all set in one of the world's most beautiful cities at its darkest moment. This moving novel will be forever etched in the hearts and minds of readers.
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