|
Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction
From the New York Times–bestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones, an unforgettable story of hardship and hope, courage and resilience, that follows one young woman’s journey through war-torn Italy.
1940, Emilia Romagna. Lili and Esti have been best friends since meeting at the University of Ferrara; when Esti’s son Theo is born, they become as close as sisters. There is a war being fought across borders, and in Italy, Mussolini’s Racial Laws have deemed Lili and Esti descendants of an ‘inferior’ Jewish race, but life somehow goes on—until Germany invades northern Italy, and the friends find themselves in occupied territory.
Esti, older and fiercely self-assured, convinces Lili to flee first to a villa in the countryside to help hide a group of young war orphans, then to a convent in Florence, where they pose as nuns and forge false identification papers for the Underground. When disaster strikes at the convent, a critically wounded Esti asks Lili to take a much bigger step: To go on the run with Theo. Protect him while Esti can’t.
Terrified to travel on her own, Lili sets out on an epic journey south toward Allied territory, through Nazi-occupied villages and bombed-out cities, doing everything she can to keep Theo safe.
A remarkable tale of friendship, motherhood, and survival, One Good Thing is a tender reminder that love for another person, even amidst darkness and uncertainty, can be reason to keep going.
The start of a brand new series from bestselling author MJ Porter
for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Matthew Harffy. 'Immediate and
personal' Bestselling author Matthew Harffy 'No lover of Dark Age
warfare is going to be disappointed. Son of Mercia is personal,
real, fascinating and satisfying.' S.J.A. Turney 'If you love
history, fiction, adventure and great stories, grab a copy of Son
of Mercia. You won't regret it!" Eric Schumacher Tamworth, Mercia
AD825. The once-mighty kingdom of Mercia is in perilous danger.
Their King, Beornwulf lies dead and years of bitter in-fighting
between the nobles, and cross border wars have left Mercia exposed
to her enemies. King Ecgberht of Wessex senses now is the time for
his warriors to strike and exact his long-awaited bloody revenge on
Mercia. King Wiglaf, has claimed his right to rule Mercia, but can
he unite a disparate Kingdom against the might of Wessex who are
braying for blood and land? Can King Wiglaf keep the dragons at bay
or is Mercia doomed to disappear beneath the wings of the Wessex
wyvern? Can anyone save Mercia from destruction? 'MJ Porter
recounts a sensitive, reluctant hero's coming-of-age within a Dark
Age realm riven by chaos and conflict' Bestselling author Matthew
Harffy 'Refreshing... I was reluctant to put the book down'
Historical Novel Society Readers are spell-bound by Son of Mercia!:
'So real I felt I was there!... A page-turner' Reader review
'Wonderful to read and hard to put down' Reader review 'I found the
pages flying by... A great book' Reader review
Dis 1899 en die begin van die Anglo-Boereoorlog. Vir Frank Ingram,
sy beste vriend Michal Ras en die se verloofde Kath Rouwenhorst
begin dit in Oktober tydens 'n swierige verjaardagparty in die
Boland. Vir Frank, 'n student in die teologie wat sy studies staak
om te gaan veg, is dit ook die begin van 'n innerlike stryd wat hom
afspeel rondom die absurditeite en ontnugtering van die oorlog.
Later sal Frank homself afvra of die geweld van oorlog 'n
sluimerende behoefte aan wreedheid in hom bevredig. En uiteindelik
kom die vraag: Wat was die werklike uitwerking van die oorlog? Die
titel van hierdie ontroerende roman kom uit die ou Vrystaatse
volkslied waarvan die eerste strofe lui: Heft Burgers ’t lied der
vrijheid aan / En zingt ons eigen volksbestaan! / Van vreemde
banden vrij, / Bekleedt ons klein gemenebest, // Op orde, wet en
recht gevest, / Rang in der staten rij.
Onder die talle boeke met 'n donkie as hoofkarakter, is Paul
Gallico se A Small Miracle een van die mees bekoorlike. Dit is die
roerende verhaal van 'n Italiaanse oorlogswesie, Pepino, wie se
liefde vir sy donkie, Violetta, en sy geloof in Sint Franciskus hom
van Assisi na die Vatikaan in Rome neem. Gallico is veral bekend
vir sy Dunkirk-verhaal, The Snow Goose.
On a dismally foggy night in Hampstead, London, a curious party has
gathered in an artist's studio to weather the wartime blackout. A
civil servant and a government scientist are matching wits in a
game of chess, while an artist paints the portrait of his
characterful sitter, bedecked in Cardinal's robes at the other end
of the room. In the kitchen, the artist's sister is hosting the
charlady of the miser next door. When the brutal murder of said
miser is discovered by his Canadian infantryman nephew, it's not
long before Inspector Macdonald of Scotland Yard is at the scene,
faced with perplexing alibis and with the fate of the young soldier
in his hands.
|
|