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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > Second World War fiction
"Tremendous and enjoyable" - La Libre Belgique "A great success" -
La Croix April, 1940. Louise Belmont runs, naked, down the
boulevard du Montparnasse. To understand the tragic scene she has
just experienced, she will have to plunge into the madness of the
'Phoney War', when the whole of France, seized by the panic of a
new World War, descends into chaos. Alongside bistro-owner Monsieur
Jules, new recruit Gabriel and small-time crook Raoul, Louise
navigates this period of enormous upheaval and extraordinary twists
of fate, for as the Nazi's advance, the threat of German occupation
will uncover long-buried secrets and make strange bedfellows. With
his characteristic wit and verve, Pierre Lemaitre chronicles the
greatness and decline of a people crushed by circumstance. In
Mirror of Our Sorrows, the final novel in the Paris
between-the-wars trilogy, is an incandescent tale that is both
burlesque and tragic. Translated from the French by Frank Wynne
A new Second World War novel from bestselling author Diney
Costeloe, based on a gripping and moving true story. Plymouth,
1941. As sirens blare all around, the Shawbrook family take refuge
in a packed shelter. Bombs have already begun to fall through the
night sky when they realise their infant son, Freddie, has been
forgotten in the rush, left to sleep in his crib. Terrified, Vera,
his young mother races to find him and bring him to safety. The
next morning, air raid warden David Shawbrook returns from his
watch to find the shelter pulverised, and his family seemingly all
dead. Dirty footprints inside their home betray the looters who
have rifled through the house. Meanwhile, Maggie waits alone for
her husband. Since the death of her infant son, she passes her days
at home with neither joy nor aim. But not this morning. For this
morning her husband has brought home a child, found abandoned in
the aftermath of the terrible raid - a child she is sure is the one
she held in her arms so many months before. Praise for Diney
Costeloe: 'Truly captivating' Woman & Home 'This is a truly
captivating read that brings together vibrant characters and a
historical setting' Woman's Own 'A gripping saga' My Weekly
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Stella
(Paperback)
Takis W'Aoe∫rger; Translated by Liesl Schillinger
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R438
R369
Discovery Miles 3 690
Save R69 (16%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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From the internationally bestselling author of The Club comes a
gripping historical novel of love and betrayal, set in wartime
Berlin In 1942, Friedrich, an even-keeled but unworldly young man,
arrives in Berlin from bucolic Switzerland with dreams of becoming
an artist. At a life drawing class, he is hypnotized by the
beautiful model, Kristin, who soon becomes his energetic yet
enigmatic guide to the bustling and cosmopolitan city. Kristin
teaches the nai ve Friedrich how to take care of himself in a city
filled with danger, and brings him to an underground jazz club
where they drink cognac, dance, and kiss. The war feels far away to
Friedrich as he falls in love with Kristin, the pair cocooned
inside their palatial rooms at the Grand Hotel, where even
Champagne and fresh fruit can be obtained thanks to the black
market. But as the months pass, the mood in the city darkens yet
further, with the Nazi Party tightening their hold on everyday life
of all Berliners, terrorizing anyone who might be disloyal to the
Reich. Kristin's loyalties are unclear, and she is not everything
she seems, as his realizes when one frightening day she comes back
to Friedrich's hotel suite in tears, battered and bruised. She
tells him an astonishing secret: that her real name is Stella, and
that she is Jewish, passing for Aryan. Fritz comforts her, but he
soon realizes that Stella's control of the situation is rapidly
slipping out of her grasp, and that the Gestapo have an impossible
power over her. As Friedrich confronts Stella's unimaginable
choices, he finds himself woefully unprepared for the history he is
living through. Based in part on a real historical character,
Stella sets a tortured love story against the backdrop of wartime
Berlin, and powerfully explores questions of naivete , young love,
betrayal, and the horrors of history.
HITLER IS DEAD. A NEW THREAT IS BORN. In the gripping new 2023 spy
thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Man in the
Bunker, a retired spy must uncover a deadly plot as Britain counts
the cost of war. But who is the English Fuhrer? 'MASTER OF THE
WARTIME SPY THRILLER' - FINANCIAL TIMES ________________ Autumn
1945 - Off the east coast of England, a Japanese sub surfaces,
unloads its mysterious cargo, then blows itself to pieces. Former
spy Professor Tom Wilde is enjoying peacetime in Cambridge,
settling back into teaching and family life. Until a call from
senior MI5 boss Lord Templeman brings him out of retirement. A
nearby village has been locked down by the military, its residents
blighted by a deadly illness. No one is allowed in or out. There
are rumours the Nazi machine is still operational, with links to
Unit 731, a notorious Japanese biological warfare research
laboratory. But how could they possibly be plotting on British soil
- and why? What's more, Wilde and Templeman's names are discovered
on a Gestapo kill list. And after a series of assassinations an
unthinkable question emerges: could an Englishman be behind the
plot? Thrilling, intelligent, and brilliantly compelling, The
English Fuhrer cements Rory's position as the 'master of the
wartime thriller' (FT) - perfect for readers of Robert Harris, C J
Sansom, Mick Herron and Joseph Kanon.
During war, nothing is ever at it seems...Sally Hartley is a
hopeless romantic. Her father died when she was a baby but she has
lived off stories from her mother of what a wonderful man he was.
Now, all she wants is a love like theirs. And she thinks she's
found it in Adam, the brother of a friend from home. When Adam is
posted to Orkney, it's like Sally's dreams have all come true.
After Italy changes sides in the war, the Italian POWs are granted
more freedom on the islands, meaning Sally can spend more time with
her friend, Aldo, and the two grow ever closer. But when a family
secret is revealed, Sally's trust might be forever broken. Sally,
Iris and Mary must continue their duties even as life changes
drastically around them, including an attack on one of their fellow
Wrens from an unknown assailant. Now the friends face danger not
just from the enemy, but also someone much closer to home. An
uplifting and dramatic WWII saga for fans of Kate Thompson,
Margaret Dickinson and Daisy Styles.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION SHORTLISTED FOR THE
BOOKER PRIZE A ROYAL READING ROOM PICK 2023 SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA
GOLD CROWN THE NEW YORK TIMES AND TIMES BESTSELLER TIME MAGAZINE
BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A gripping historical adventure that feels sharp,
fresh and modern' STYLIST 'So beautiful, so daring, so complete'
TAYLOR JENKINS REID 'A masterpiece' NIGELLA LAWSON 'Luminous,
masterful. Glides seamlessly through the 20th century, immersing
the reader' TELEGRAPH, Best Fiction of 2021 'How deeply we care
about each of these people. Extraordinary' NEW YORK TIMES
'Wonderful. Memorable characters and vivid storytelling' GOOD
HOUSEKEEPING MAGAZINE 'A tour-de-force' DAILY EXPRESS A soaring,
breathtakingly ambitious novel that weaves together the astonishing
lives of a 1950s vanished female aviator and the modern-day
Hollywood actress who plays her on screen. _______________________
From her days as a wild child in prohibition America to the blitz
and glitz of wartime London, from the rugged shores of New Zealand
to a lonely iceshelf in Antarctica, Marian Graves is driven by a
need for freedom and danger. Determined to live an independent
life, she resists the pull of her childhood sweetheart, and burns
her way through a suite of glamorous lovers. But it is an obsession
with flight that consumes her most. Now, as she is about to fulfil
her greatest ambition, to circumnavigate the globe from pole to
pole, Marian crash lands in a perilous wilderness of ice. Over half
a century later, troubled film star Hadley Baxter is drawn
inexorably to play the enigmatic pilot on screen. It is a role that
will lead her to an unexpected discovery, throwing fresh and
spellbinding light on the story of the unknowable Marian Graves.
_________________________________________ 'Extraordinary' NEW YORK
TIMES 'Full of adventure, passion and tragedy' THE TIMES 'Soars
from the very first page' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Luminous, masterful.
Glides seamlessly through 20th century history' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Breathtaking' OBSERVER 'Impressive and gripping' SUNDAY TIMES
'Surprising and moving at every turn' GUARDIAN 'Audacious and
Immersive' DAILY MAIL 'Accomplished and ambitious' FINANCIAL TIMES
Readers love GREAT CIRCLE: ***** What a read! Immense story with
beautifully created characters ***** A 600 page turner that you are
sad to finish ***** The story is so well researched and planned;
historical fiction standing side by side with history itself *****
This is a stunning achievement, my perspective feels fundamentally
transformed through reading it ***** A wonderful saga, covering a
large chunk of the twentieth century
'If you enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz, read The Huntress by
Kate Quinn' The Washington Post 'Fascinating, brilliantly written,
enthralling - just phenomenal' Jill Mansell *From the bestselling
author of The Alice Network* On the icy edge of Soviet Russia, bold
and reckless Nina Markova joins the infamous Night Witches - an
all-female bomber regiment. But when she is downed behind enemy
lines, Nina must use all her wits to survive her encounter with a
lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress. British war
correspondent Ian Graham abandons journalism to become a Nazi
hunter, yet one target eludes him: the Huntress. And Nina Markova
is the only witness to escape her alive. In post-war Boston,
seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is increasingly disquieted by the
soft-spoken German widow who becomes her new stepmother. Delving
into her past, Jordan slowly realizes that a Nazi killer may be
hiding in plain sight. Shining a light on a shadowy corner of
history, The Huntress is an epic, sweeping Second World War novel
from the New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network.
'Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar' Katie Fforde 'The
BBC's most downloaded radio show' The Guardian 'Incredible legacy'
The BBC 'Longest running drama in the world' The i News 'a gripping
plot full of love affairs, deceit, loss and more' Radio Times In
celebration of the 70th anniversary of The Archers hitting the
radio waves. It's 1940 and war has broken out. It is midnight at
the turn of the year, and Walter Gabriel speaks the same line that
opened the very first radio episode - 'And a Happy New Year to you
all!' For Ambridge, a village in the heart of the English
countryside, this year will bring change in ways no one was
expecting. From the Pargetters at Lower Loxley to the loving,
hard-working Archer family at Brookfield Farm, the war will be hard
for all of them. And the New Year brings the arrival of evacuees to
Ambridge, shaking things up in the close-knit rural community. As
the villagers embrace wartime spirit, the families that listeners
have known and loved for generations face an uphill battle to keep
their secrets hidden. Especially as someone is intent on revealing
those secrets to the whole village . . . Beautifully produced, with
stunning endpapers, this is the perfect read for all Archers fans.
'In this vivid, affecting novel of intertwined destinies and the
enduring power of love against the bleakest odds, Levensohn weaves
a tale saturated with historical accuracy and yet surprisingly
intimate. A Jewish Girl in Paris delivers romance and intrigue to
spare, but the novel's real power lies in its portrayal of how
deeply and sometimes mysteriously we can find ourselves connected
to the past, and to each other.' - Paula Mc Lain, New York Times
bestselling author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go Dark
Paris, 1940, a city under German occupation. A young Jewish girl,
Judith, meets a young man, the son of a wealthy banker and Nazi
sympathizer - his family will never approve of the girl he has
fallen in love with. As the Germans impose more and more
restrictions on Jewish Parisians, the couple secretly plan to flee
the country. But before they can make their escape, Judith
disappears . . . Montreal, 1982. Shortly before his death, Lica
Grunberg confesses to his daughter, that she has an older
half-sister, Judith. Lica escaped the Nazis but lost all contact
with his first-born daughter. His daughter promises to find the
sister she never knew. The search languishes for years, until
Jacobina is spurred on by her young friend Beatrice. Soon the two
women discover a dark family secret, stretching over two continents
and six decades, that will change their lives forever . . .
Inspired by true events and set against the backdrop of the Second
World War, Melanie Levensohn's A Jewish Girl in Paris is a powerful
novel about forbidden love, adapted from a translation by Jamie Lee
Searle.
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Eternal
(Paperback)
Lisa Scottoline
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R310
R248
Discovery Miles 2 480
Save R62 (20%)
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Ships in 5 - 10 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.
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
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.
'One of the most memorable characters of post-war fiction' Daily
Express A classic novel set in the siege of Malta 1940-1942 from
the bestselling author of The Cruel Sea Father Salvatore was a
simple, lumbering priest, a Kappillan serving the poor Valetta,
when war came out of the blue skies to pound the island to dust.
Now amid the catacombs discovered by a chance bomb, he cared for
the flood of homeless, starving, frightened people who sought
shelter from the death that fell unceasingly from the sky. His
story, and the story of Malta, is told in superbly graphic pictures
of six days during the siege. Each of those days brought forth from
the Kappillan a message of inspiration to keep them going - the
legendary tales of six mighty events of Malta's history which shone
through the centuries and gathered them together in a fervent
belief in their survival.
For three women living through World War II, the threat of war
poses very separate issues - that is, until their lives become
intertwined in the most tragic of circumstances. New York socialite
Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French
consulate. But the privileged life to which she is accustomed is
turned upside down when her lover suddenly and suspiciously
disappears. An ocean away in Germany, indoctrinated young Herta
Oberheuser is desperate to begin working as a doctor. She replies
to an advert for a government medical position, yet only upon
arrival does she discover the true extent of her horrifying new
role. As the war advances, Polish teenager Kasia Kuzmerick is drawn
deeper into the underground resistance movement. In a tense
atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbours, one false
move can have dire consequences. Then the unthinkable happens:
Kasia is sent to Ravensbruck, the notorious Nazi concentration camp
for women where Herta now works, and her life is transformed into a
desperate attempt to survive. As the women's stories coincide and
span decades and continents - from New York to Paris, Germany, and
Poland - the devastation of Ravensbruck is ever-present, as Kasia
and Caroline strive to bring justice to those history has forgotten
. . . __________ 'Harrowing . . . Lilac illuminates.' People 'A
compelling, page-turning narrative . . . Lilac Girls falls squarely
into the groundbreaking category of fiction that re-examines
history from a fresh, female point of view. It's smart, thoughtful
and also just an old-fashioned good read.' Fort Worth Star -
Telegram 'A powerful story for readers everywhere . . . Martha Hall
Kelly has brought readers a firsthand glimpse into one of history's
most frightening memories. A novel that brings to life what these
women and many others suffered. . . . I was moved to tears.' San
Francisco Book Review '[A] compelling first novel . . . This is a
page-turner demonstrating the tests and triumphs civilians faced
during war, complemented by Kelly's vivid depiction of history and
excellent characters.' Publishers Weekly 'Kelly vividly re-creates
the world of Ravensbruck.' Kirkus Reviews 'Inspired by actual
events and real people, Martha Hall Kelly has woven together the
stories of three women during World War II that reveal the bravery,
cowardice, and cruelty of those days. This is a part of
history--women's history--that should never be forgotten.' Lisa
See, New York Times bestselling author of China Dolls 'This is the
kind of book I wish I had the courage to write--a profound,
unsettling, and thoroughly captivating look at sisterhood through
the dark lens of the Holocaust. Lilac Girls is the best book I've
read all year. It will haunt you.' Jamie Ford, New York Times
bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet 'Rich
with historical detail and riveting to the end, Lilac Girls weaves
the lives of three astonishing women into a story of extraordinary
moral power set against the harrowing backdrop of Europe in thrall
to Nazi Germany. Martha Hall Kelly moves effortlessly across
physical and ethical battlegrounds, across the trajectory of a
doomed wartime romance, across the territory of the soul. I can't
remember the last time I read a novel that moved me so deeply.'
Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred
Summers and The Secret Life of Violet Grant
'Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar' Katie Fforde 'The
BBC's most downloaded radio show' The Guardian 'Incredible legacy'
The BBC 'Longest running drama in the world' The i News It's 1941
and the war rumbles on. Nowhere is immune to the effects of war,
not even Ambridge. But in England's favourite village, something
else is occupying the residents... When a prominent villager dies,
the main beneficiary's name is a mystery, and no one knows who is
set to inherit the estate, cottage and all. The name is hidden
within a locked box and the villagers much uncover the password to
find out the name of the beneficiary. So when five people are each
sent a packet of seeds, the mystery deepens - could the seeds be
part of a clue? And can they all work together to unlock the
mystery and to discover who is set to inherit? Beautifully
produced, with stunning endpapers, this is the perfect read for all
Archers fans.
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