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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > Second World War fiction
'Historical fiction of a high order' The Times Spring, 1941. The war in the West is as good as won. Nation after nation has fallen before the Reich's armies. Only Britain endures, her cities under nightly bombardment from the Luftwaffe. Berlin would happily call off the bombers in exchange for a peace treaty. Hitler would like to persuade Britain to turn her back on Europe, to attend to her precious Empire instead, to allow Germany a free hand to deal with the real enemy in the East. Peace, perhaps, but at what cost? For Churchill the price is too high; but for others within the British establishment, it is a price worth paying. On both sides of the channel, advocates of total war or peace-at-all-costs are at each others' throats - all unaware that Rudolf Hess, Hitler's quiet, contemplative deputy, has already taken radical steps to change the fortunes of the war... Raid 42 is part of the SPOILS OF WAR Collection, a thrilling, beguiling blend of fact and fiction born of some of the most tragic, suspenseful, and action-packed events of World War II. From the mind of highly acclaimed thriller author GRAHAM HURLEY, this blockbuster non-chronological collection allows the reader to explore Hurley's masterful storytelling in any order, with compelling recurring characters whose fragmented lives mirror the war that shattered the globe.
In occupied France, two people sacrificed everything. Now their granddaughter has come looking for the truth... Ruth's childhood was a happy one, and her family-on her mother's side-large and loving. But her father's French origins have always remained a mystery. Now, with aged relatives beginning to die, Ruth decides to research her father's family before it's too late. When she discovers a series of long-lost cassettes, everything she thought she knew about them shatters. The tapes expose an unimaginable truth - an epic wartime story of hidden love and sacrifice, stretching back to occupied France. These long-buried confessions will rock Ruth's family-and finally piece together the puzzle of her father's heritage. But are any of them ready for the truth?
The Fifth Column is a thrilling novel about the only man who can thwart a Nazi sympathizer uprising in New York during the Second World War, from bestselling author Andrew Gross. A Man in Trouble February 1939 and Europe is on the brink of war. Charles Mossman is in a bar in Hell's Kitchen, New York, reeling from the loss of his job and his failing marriage, whilst outside thousands of Nazi sympathizers are attending a hate-spewing rally. As he confronts one, Charles makes a horrendous mistake with deadly consequences. A City of Secrets Two years later, Charles is released from prison and tries to reunite with his family. The US has kept out of the war for now but the pressure in the city is rising as those sympathetic to the Nazi cause lay the foundations for what lies ahead. The Enemy Within As he tries to make amends with his wife and daughter, Charles starts to understand that surrounding them there are forces that will use any means necessary to bring about the downfall of his nation. And when his daughter is befriended by a seemingly amiable Swiss couple, it brings to the surface his fears of a 'Fifth Column' of embedded German spies in their new neighbourhood. All Charles wants is to redeem himself as a husband and father, but sometimes a man must do questionable things to stand up for his family and what he believes, even sacrificing his life to do so . . .
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.
'[I was] completely transported . . . so sparely and yet vividly told. I admired it immensely' Clare Chambers 'Aroa Moreno Duran writes with a rare sensitivity about the unconsidered consequences of giving everything up for love' Claire Fuller Winner of the Premio Ojo Critico Katia has grown up amongst the ruins of the once mighty Berlin, now shattered by Allied bombs. In their tiny, freezing flat, Katia's father teaches her of the righteousness of the new Soviet republic, who will always keep watch over them. As a young woman, a chance encounter with a man from the west causes Katia to realise there might be more to life on the other side of the wall. But blinded by the first blush of love, she fails to understand that it's not what lies ahead, but what she will leave behind. Translated from its original Spanish, The Communist's Daughter is a spare and exquisite novel that depicts twentieth century Europe through one family's tragic story. 'Beautifully written, powerfully realised. A novel that touches the heart' Kate Hamer
Katya never wanted to look after Gretchen. Now she's the young girl's only hope of survival. 1937. Katya Komarovsky is studying medicine in Glasgow, living among friends and eager to begin her career as a doctor. But when her spendthrift parents announce that they've run out of money and are facing ruin-and that she'll now have to support them by working as a governess in Vienna-the life she's dreamed of goes up in smoke. Furiously resentful, Katya rages at her wealthy employer, Thor, for stealing her future-and saddling her with twelve-year-old Gretchen, a deeply troubled child who has only a blazing musical talent to redeem her. Yet as Katya grudgingly digs into her reserves of compassion, she finds herself losing her heart to both father and daughter. Storm clouds are gathering, though, and when Hitler annexes Austria, patriot Thor is arrested, leaving Katya wholly responsible for saving 'imperfect' Gretchen from being forced into a Nazi medical research laboratory. With the terrifying uncertainty of the new world order, can Katya and Gretchen flee to safety? And dare they dream of ever seeing Thor again?
Full of mounting suspense and masterly characterisation, Bates's popular wartime novel tells the story of three very different men who, after their aircraft crashes, are forced to trek across the Burmese wilderness to safety. It is reissued by Methuen along with "The Jacaranda Tree" and "The Purple Plain" and to coincide with the re-publication in one volume of Bates' acclaimed autobiographies - "The Vanished World", "The Blossoming World" and "World in Ripeness".
A stunning and heartbreaking new novel from Jamila Gavin, the bestselling and award-winning author of Coram Boy and The Wheel of Surya. England, 1937. Gwen, Noor, Dodo and Vera are four very different teenage girls, with something in common. Their parents are all abroad, leaving them in their English boarding school, where they soon form an intense friendship. The four friends think that no matter what, they will always have each other. Then the war comes. The girls find themselves flung to different corners of the war, from the flying planes in the Air Transport Auxiliary to going undercover in the French Resistance. Each journey brings danger and uncertainty as each of them wonders if they can make it through - and what will be left of the world. But at the same time, this is what shows them who they really are - and against this impossible backdrop, they find new connections and the possibility of love. Will the four friends ever see each other again? And when the war is over, who will be left to tell the story? A heartbreaking and gripping story of hope, fear and unbreakable friendship, for readers of Code Name Verity and When the World Was Ours.
'Draws you in from the start and doesn't let you go until the end' Reader Review 'Wonderfully written and oozing wartime spirit. Couldn't ask for more!' Reader Review The second inspiring novel in the heartwarming and hopeful Bletchley Park Girls series from the queen of saga, Molly Green... When Rosie Frost was jilted on her wedding day, she didn't think life could get any worse. But six years later in the throes of the Second World War, she is unceremoniously dismissed from her dream job after they discover her illegitimate child. Thankfully, top secret war office Bletchley Park recognises Rosie's talent and recruits her to decipher their Italian naval signals. Happy to be doing her bit for the war effort, Rosie settles into her new life. But when she spots a familiar face at the Park, Rosie's world threatens to come crashing down once more. Can she put her heartbreak behind her? And will wedding bells ring out across Bletchley Park before the year is out? The second in an uplifting wartime series set at Bletchley Park, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Donna Douglas. Readers are LOVING Molly Green's Bletchley Park series: 'A journey for the reader...tantalizing...interesting...try this one!' Reader Review 'What can I say...I love it! Can't wait to read more' Reader Review 'Outstandingly fabulous' Reader Review 'A lovely story' Reader Review 'One of those can't-put-down books' Reader Review 'A cracking good read!' Reader Review 'Moments of being held spellbound...Kept me on the edge of my seat. Couldn't put it down' Reader Review 'A fantastic addition to what has been a fantastic series so far' Reader Review 'Great story. Great characters. Wonderfully written and oozing wartime spirit. Couldn't ask for more!' Reader Review
What if everyone you loved was suddenly taken away? Five siblings struggle to stay together as the tides of war threaten to tear them apart. When Germany invades France in the Second World War, the five Laskowski children lose everything: their home, their Jewish community and most devastatingly their parents who are abducted in the night. There is no safe place left for them to evade the Nazis, but they cling together, never certain when the authorities will come for what is left of them. Inspired by the poignant, true story of the author's mother, this moving historical novel conveys the hardship, the uncertainty and the impossible choices the Laskowski children were forced to make to survive the horrors of the Holocaust. ***PRAISE FOR THE YOUNG SURVIVORS*** 'A haunting account... a devastating story of twins separated, of grandparents, parents and cousins, entire families, disappeared - a story that had to be told.' Elizabeth Fremantle 'A story that will make you weep, wonder and remember.' Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah's Key 'A poignant and gripping debut. Set against the darkest days of WWII, the novel reminds us that the bonds of family and the power of love can never be extinguished.' Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Lost Wife 'A heartbreaking yet uplifting story of loss and love told through the eyes of children... gripping and deeply moving.' James MacManus 'A hugely impressive debut.' Michael Newman, CEO of The Association of Jewish Refugees 'A novel that is arrestingly sincere, full of touching moments and informed by careful research. The beating heart of The Young Survivors is the author's emotional connection to her characters, which is unmistakably based on longstanding and deep engagement with her own family's past.' Dr Toby Simpson, Director of The Wiener Holocaust Library
War is declared, and Biggles is ready for action!September 1939. Britain has declared war on Germany. Major James Bigglesworth, known to his friends as 'Biggles', is eager to get straight into the action alongside old friends Algernon 'Algy' Lacey and 'Ginger' Hebblethwaite. They don't have to wait long. The British government has covertly acquired a small island in the Baltic, off the north coast of Germany. The island is unremarkable save for one feature: a natural sea cave, unknown to the Germans, large enough to house several aircraft. Biggles' orders: wreak havoc on German forces for as long as possible without compromising the location of the secret base. It's a dangerous mission, for the might of the enemy military machine will be bent on finding them, led by Biggles' old nemesis, Erich von Stalhein. Take to the skies in a classic Biggles adventure packed with heroism and feats of derring-do. Perfect for fans of Derek Robinson and Max Hennessy.
September 1940: the height of the Blitz. The Savoy Hotel boasts London's strongest air raid shelter with all the luxury expected from one of the capital's most prestigious hotels. It prompts the arrival of a disgruntled crowd from the East End, demanding they be allowed entry and respite from the endless bombing raids. They are given permission to enter and are stunned by the opulence that greets them. The all-clear sounds the next morning and London comes slowly back to life, but not everyone can dust themselves down and carry on. One of the hotel's guests has been discovered dead, stabbed in the back. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and Sergeant Lampson are called in and the finger of suspicion falls firmly upon the East Londoners, but not everything is as it seems in these sumptuous surroundings.
Early Light offers three very different aspects of Osamu Dazai's genius: the title story relates his misadventures as a drinker and a family man in the terrible fire bombings of Tokyo at the end of WWII. Having lost their own home, he and his wife flee with a new baby boy and their little girl to relatives in Kofu, only to be bombed out anew. "Everything's gone," the father explains to his daughter: "Mr. Rabbit, our shoes, the Ogigari house, the Chino house, they all burned up," "Yeah, they all burned up," she said, still smiling. "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji," another autobiographical tale, is much more comic: Dazai finds himself unable to escape the famous views, the beauty once immortalized by Hokusai and now reduced to a cliche. In the end, young girls torment him by pressing him into taking their photo before the famous peak: "Goodbye," he hisses through his teeth, "Mount Fuji. Thanks for everything. Click." And the final story is "Villon's Wife," a small masterpiece, which relates the awakening to power of a drunkard's wife. She transforms herself into a woman not to be defeated by anything, not by her husband being a thief, a megalomaniacal writer, and a wastrel. Single-handedly, she saves the day by concluding that "There's nothing wrong with being a monster, is there? As long as we can stay alive."
Leningrad 1941: the white nights of summer illuminate a city of fallen grandeur whose beautiful palaces and stately avenues speak of a different age, when Leningrad was known as St. Petersburg. Two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha, share the same bed, living in one room with their brother and parents. It is a hard, impoverished life, yet the Metanovs know many who are not as fortunate as they. The family routine is shattered on 22 June 1941 when Hitler invades Russia. For the Metanovs, for Leningrad and for Tatiana, life will never be the same again. On that fateful day, Tatiana meets a brash young officer named Alexander. Tatiana and her family suffer as Hitler's army advances on Leningrad, and the Russian winter closes in. With bombs falling and the city under siege, Tatiana and Alexander are drawn to each other in an impossible love. It is a love that could tear Tatiana's family apart, a love that carries a secret that could mean death for anyone who hears it. Confronted on one hand by Hitler's unstoppable war machine, and on the other by a Soviet system determined to crush the human spirit, Tatiana and Alexander are pitted against the very tide of history, at a turning point in the century that made the modern world.
The USA Today bestseller 'A compelling and powerful read' Gill Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Child on Platform One 'A powerful and thoughtful novel' Louise Fein, author of Daughter of the Reich 'A gripping tale of wartime sacrifice and innocence lost ... in the cause of freedom' Jina Bacarr, author of Her Lost Love 1942, France. As the war in Europe rages on, Adele Ambeh dreams of a France that is free from the clutches of the new regime. The date of her marriage to a ruthless man is drawing closer, and she only has one choice - she must run. With the help of her mother, Adele flees to Lyon, seeking refuge at the Sisters of Notre Dame de la Compassion. From the outside this is a simple nunnery, but the sisters are secretly aiding the French Resistance, hiding and supplying the fighters with weapons. While it is not quite the escape Adele imagined, she is drawn to the nuns and quickly finds herself part of the resistance. But her new role means she must return to Vichy, and those she left behind, no matter the cost. Each day is filled with a different danger and as she begins to fall for another man, Adele's entire world could come crashing down around her. Adele must fight for her family, her own destiny, as well as her country. Praise for The Girl from Vichy: 'A beautiful story' NetGalley Reviewer 'A great historical read' NetGalley Reviewer 'This book is a wonderful book' NetGalley Reviewer 'Andie Newton's realistic, well-researched, and seamlessly delivered story-writing, immediately engages the reader in The Girl from Vichy' NetGalley Reviewer 'The Girl from Vichy offers the reader fully formed characters, a heart-pounding plot, and an ending that brought a tear to my eye' NetGalley Reviewer Praise for Andie Newton: 'A powerful debut!' Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife 'A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout' Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan 'A heart-clenching emotionally evocative debut!' Terry Lynn Thomas, author of The Silent Woman 'A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world' Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker's Secret 'The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I've finished reading' Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us 'Wonderful story where it has you on the edge of your seat but have the tissues with you!' NetGalley Reviewer 'The author has a gift for creating a sense of place whether the setting was on a snowy mountain or the streets of Germany in the early 1940s' NetGalley Reviewer 'Excellent story. Strong characters' NetGalley Reviewer
THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2022 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2022 From one of our greatest living writers comes a sweeping novel of unrequited love and exile, war and family. The Magician tells the story of Thomas Mann, whose life was filled with great acclaim and contradiction. He would find himself on the wrong side of history in the First World War, cheerleading the German army, but have a clear vision of the future in the second, anticipating the horrors of Nazism. He would have six children and keep his homosexuality hidden; he was a man forever connected to his family and yet bore witness to the ravages of suicide. He would write some of the greatest works of European literature, and win the Nobel Prize, but would never return to the country that inspired his creativity. Through one life, Colm Toibin tells the breathtaking story of the twentieth century. ___________________________________ 'As with everything Colm Toibin sets his masterful hand to, The Magician is a great imaginative achievement -- immensely readable, erudite, worldly and knowing, and fully realized' - Richard Ford 'No living novelist dramatizes artistic creation as profoundly, as luminously, as Colm Toibin . . . reading him is among the deepest pleasures our literature can offer' - Garth Greenwell 'This is not just a whole life in a novel, it's a whole world' - Katharina Volckmer
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