''Breahtaking'' Vogue ''So engrossing! Betty is a page-turning Appalachian coming-of-age story steeped in Cherokee history, told in undulating prose that settles right into you'' Naoise Dolan, Sunday Times bestselling author of Exciting Times ''I felt consumed by this book. I loved it, you will love it'' Daisy Johnson, Booker Prize shortlisted author of Everthing Under ''I loved Betty : I fell for its strong characters and was moved by the story it portrayed'' Fiona Mozley, Booker Prize shortlisted author of Elmet ''A girl comes of age against the knife.'' So begins the story of Betty Carpenter. Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a Cherokee father and white mother, Betty is the sixth of eight siblings. The world they inhabit is one of poverty and violence - both from outside the family and also, devastatingly, from within. When her family''s darkest secrets are brought to light, Betty has no choice but to reckon with the brutal history hiding in the hills, as well as the heart-wrenching cruelties and incredible characters she encounters in her rural town of Breathed, Ohio. Despite the hardship she faces, Betty is resilient. Her curiosity about the natural world, her fierce love for her sisters and her father''s brilliant stories are kindling for the fire of her own imagination, and in the face of all she bears witness to, Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write. A heartbreaking yet magical story, Betty is a punch-in-the-gut of a novel - full of the crushing cruelty of human nature and the redemptive power of words. ''Not a story you will soon forget'' Karen Joy Fowler, Booker Prize shortlisted author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves ''Shot through with moonshine, Bible verses, and folklore, Betty is about the cruelty we inflict on one another, the beauty we still manage to find, and the stories we tell in order to survive'' Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child
THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ''Bernhard Schlink speaks straight to the heart'' New York Times Olga is an orphan raised by her grandmother in a Prussian village around the turn of the 20th century. Smart and precocious, she fights against the prejudices of the time to find her place in a world that sees her as second-best. When she falls in love with Herbert, a local aristocrat obsessed with the era''s dreams of power, glory and greatness, her life is irremediably changed. Theirs is a love against all odds, entwined with the twisting paths of German history, leading us from the late 19th to the early 21st century, from Germany to Africa and the Arctic, from the Baltic Sea to the German south-west. This is the story of that love, of Olga''s devotion to a restless man - told in thought, letters and in a fateful moment of great rebellion.
Arcade and Daffodil are bright things, twins born one minute apart who swore to always protect each other. Together, Arc and Daffy forge a world shot through with colour and wonder: a patch of grass becomes an archaeologist''s dig; the toxic fumes emerging from the local paper mill are the dust rising from wild horses gallopping in the factory''s basement; an abandoned 1950s convertible is a time machine that can take them and their friends anywhere. Their bond is an escape from their struggling family, their imaginations a reprieve from the failing, lusterless streets of Chillicothe, Ohio. As the legacy of addiction that has long plagued their mother tightens its grip, Arc and Daffy try to build a new life for themselves. But when a local prostitute is found tangled in the banks of the river, Arc is drawn to the mystery, determined to find the truth and protect the only family she''s ever known. But as more familiar bodies are found and with the killer circling closer and closer, Arc''s mission to keep herself and her sister safe becomes increasingly desperate - and the powerful riptides of the savage side ever more difficult to resist. Drawing from the true story of six women killed in her native state, acclaimed novelist and poet Tiffany McDaniel has written a haunting, singular portrait of small town America and an elegy for missing women everywhere.
Buenos Aires, 1981. Inspector Alzada's work in the Buenos Aires police force during the Dirty War exposes him to the many realities of life under a repressive military regime: desperate people, angry people and - most of all - missing people. Personally, he prefers to stay out of politics, favouring a steady job and domesticity with his wife Paula over the path taken by his hot-headed revolutionary brother, Jorge. But when Jorge is disappeared, Alzada knows he will stop at nothing to recover him. Buenos Aires, 2001 . Argentina is in the midst of yet another devastating economic crisis. Alzada is still an inspector: he's burnt out, frustrated that he hasn't been able to affect real change, and convinced of the futility of yet another doomed Argentinean attempt at democracy. This time he is determined to remain a detached bystander, to keep his head down in anticipation of a peaceful retirement with Paula and the nephew they've raised together. However, all his plans are derailed as the riots gain traction and a young woman's dead body lands in the dumpster behind the morgue on the same day a woman from one of the city's wealthiest families goes missing.
THE NEW NOVEL BY THE AUTHOR OF THE TIGER'S WIFE 'A tremendously talented writer' Ann Patchett A MAN SEARCHING FOR A HOME HE CAN'T FIND. A WOMAN BOUND TO A HOME SHE CAN'T LEAVE. Nora is an unflinching frontierswoman awaiting the return of the men in her life - her husband who has gone in search of water for the parched household, and her elder sons who have vanished after an explosive argument. Nora is biding her time with her youngest son, who is convinced that a mysterious beast is stalking the land around their home, and her husband's seventeen-year-old cousin, who communes with spirits. Lurie is a former outlaw and a man haunted by ghosts. He sees lost souls who want something from him, and he finds reprieve from their longing in an unexpected relationship that inspires a momentous expedition across the West. Mythical, lyrical, and sweeping in scope, Inland is grounded in true but little-known history. It showcases all of Tea Obreht's talents as a writer, as she subverts and reimagines the myths of the American West, making them entirely - and unforgettably - her own. A VANITY FAIR, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY AND LIT HUB 'MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2019' PRAISE FOR THE TIGER'S WIFE 'The most thrilling discovery in years' Colum McCann 'Assured, eloquent and not easily forgotten' Independent on Sunday 'A poignant, seductive novel' Observer 'One of the most extraordinary debuts of recent memory' Vogue
'Superb' Time Out.
'Mesmerizing' Newsweek.
'Gripping' Financial Times.
'Sheer entertainment. It is a book I reread every few years - for the pure pleasure and skill of it' Michael Ondaatje.
'Don't pick this up if you want a night's sleep' Scotsman.
When she is sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth Harmon soon discovers two ways to escape her surroundings, albeit fleetingly: playing chess and taking the little green pills given to her and the other children to keep them subdued. Before long, it becomes apparent that hers is a prodigious talent, and as she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings she is able to forge a new life for herself. But she can never quite overcome her urge to self-destruct. For Beth, there's more at stake than merely winning and losing.
'I loved it. I just loved it, it really drew me in and I know nothing about chess... The writing about addiction is just fantastic. I underlined so many bits of it... I didn't want it to end' Bryony Gordon on BBC Radio 4.
'Few novelists have written about genius - and addiction - as acutely as Walter Tevis' Telegraph.
' WHAT A TREAT. GLAMOROUS AND NOSTALGIC AND VERY SEXY, CAPE MAY IS A NOVEL ABOUT MARRIAGE, LUST, SHABBY SEASIDE TOWNS AND LOTS OF GIN. BRILLIANTLY UNSETTLING - ONE OF THOSE BOOKS THAT STAYS WITH YOU' Paula Hawkins Cape May, New Jersey. September 1957. Newlyweds Henry and Effie arrive from Georgia for their honeymoon. It's the end of the summer season, and as they tentatively discover each other - walking on the deserted beach overlooking the vast, darkening Atlantic, clumsily making love in the dusty rooms of a distant relative's house - they begin to realize that everyday married life might be disappointingly different from their happy-ever-after fantasy. Just as they get ready to cut the trip short and leave Cape May, a light goes on in one of the houses on their street. In that one moment their destiny is altered forever. A glamorous set suddenly disrupt their newly-formed married life and sweep them up into their drama: there's Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara's lover; and Alma, Max's aloof and mysterious half-sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn. The empty town becomes their playground, and as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, marvel at the power and beauty of their bodies, experiment with love and sex, and drink massive amounts of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with consequences that reverberate through the rest of their lives.
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ''Both fantastically dark and almost unbearably funny... Just read it. It''s unforgettable'' India Knight, The Sunday Times ''It is impossible to read this novel and not be moved. It is also impossible not to laugh out loud... Mason pulls off something extraordinary in this huge-hearted novel'' Clare Clark, Guardian ''Summer''s must-read novel'' Stylist ''Utterly compelling and darkly funny: the book you have to read this summer'' Evening Standard ''A raucously funny, beautifully written, emotion-bashing book'' The Times ''I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realised that I wanted to send it to everyone I know'' Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House ''A masterclass on family, damage and the bonds of love'' Jessie Burton, author of The Confession ''Patrick Melrose meets Fleabag . Brilliant'' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures Everyone tells Martha Friel she is clever and beautiful, a brilliant writer who has been loved every day of her adult life by one man, her husband Patrick. So why is everything broken? Why is Martha - on the edge of 40 - friendless, practically jobless and so often sad? And why did Patrick decide to leave? Maybe she is just too sensitive, someone who finds it harder to be alive than most people. Or maybe - as she has long believed - there is something wrong with her. Something that broke when a little bomb went off in her brain, at 17, and left her changed in a way that no doctor or therapist has ever been able to explain. Forced to return to her childhood home to live with her dysfunctional, bohemian parents (but without the help of her devoted, foul-mouthed sister Ingrid), Martha has one last chance to find out whether a life is ever too broken to fix - or whether, maybe, by starting over, she will get to write a better ending for herself.
Quentin Tarantino''s long-awaited first work of fiction - at once hilarious, delicious, and brutal - is the always surprising, sometimes shocking new novel based on his Academy Award-winning film. RICK DALTON - Once he had his own TV series, but now Rick''s a washed-up villain-of-the week drowning his sorrows in whiskey sours. Will a phone call from Rome save his fate or seal it? CLIFF BOOTH - Rick''s stunt double, and the most infamous man on any movie set because he''s the only one there who might have gotten away with murder . . . SHARON TATE - She left Texas to chase a movie-star dream, and found it. Sharon''s salad days are now spent on Cielo Drive, high in the Hollywood Hills. CHARLES MANSON - The ex-con''s got a bunch of zonked-out hippies thinking he''s their spiritual leader, but he''d trade it all to be a rock ''n'' roll star. HOLLYWOOD 1969 - YOU SHOULDA BEEN THERE
A masterpiece from one of the great contemporary American writers. 'A wonderful novel, full of energy and art, at once funny and heartbreaking...terrific' WASHINGTON POST Anniversary edition with a new afterword from the author. A worldwide bestseller since its publication, Irving's classic is filled with stories inside stories about the life and times of T. S. Garp, struggling writer and illegitimate son of Jenny Fields - an unlikely feminist heroine ahead of her time. Beautifully written, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP is a powerfully compelling and compassionate coming-of-age novel that established John Irving as one of the most imaginative writers of his generation. 'A diamond sleeping in the dark, chipped out at last for our enrichment and delight...As approachable as it is brilliant' COSMOPOLITAN
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK MAJOR TV ADAPTATION IN DEVELOPMENT BY AMY ADAMS ''Calling it The Handmaid''s Tale crossed with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid goes some way to describe this novel''s memorable world, but it is also wholly its own'' KIRKUS ''2021 is already a year that could use a little joy. Here to provide some is Outlawed . . . It''s an absolute romp and contains basically everything I want in a book: witchy nuns, heists, a marriage of convenience, and a midwife trying to build a bomb out of horse dung'' Vox '' Outlawed sets a high bar for the 12 months of publishing still to come . . . It upends the tropes of the traditionally macho and heteronormative genre while also being a rip-snortin'' good read, too'' THE WEEK (Most Anticipated Books of the Year) ''North is a riveting storyteller . . . Reader, you are in for a real treat'' JENNY ZHANG ''Fans of Margaret Atwood and Cormac McCarthy finally get the Western they deserve'' ALEXIS COE ''A thrilling tale eerily familiar but utterly transformed ... In North''s galloping prose, it''s a fantastically cinematic adventure that turns the sexual politics of the Old West inside out'' WASHINGTON POST ''A western unlike any other, Outlawed features queer cowgirls, gender nonconforming robbers and a band of feminists that fight against the grain for autonomy, agency and the power to define their own worth'' MS. ''A grand, unforgettable tale'' ESMe WEIJUN WANG In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw. On the day of her wedding-dance, Ada feels lucky. She loves her broad-shouldered, bashful husband and her job as an apprentice midwife. But her luck will not last. It is every woman''s duty to have a child, to replace those that were lost in the Great Flu. And after a year of marriage and no pregnancy, in a town where barren women are hanged as witches, Ada''s survival depends on leaving behind everything she knows. She joins up with the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang. Its leader, a charismatic preacher-turned-robber, known to all as The Kid, wants to create a safe haven for women outcast from society. But to make this dream a reality, the Gang hatches a treacherous plan. And Ada must decide whether she''s willing to risk her life for the possibility of a new kind of future for them all.
The classic, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that made Alice Walker a household name. Set in the deep American South between the wars, The Color Purple is the classic tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker - a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.
' The book of the summer ... Kept me rapt until the final page ' THE TIMES ' A sharp, smart, witty modern love story. I loved it ' David Nicholls, author of ONE DAY ' More than lives up to the hype ... Likely to fill the Sally-Rooney-shaped hole in many readers' lives ' IRISH TIMES ' Droll, shrewd and unafraid - a winning debut ' Hilary Mantel, author of WOLF HALL ' I've been pushing Exciting Times on everyone I know. Some of Dolan's pithy observations of her characters are the best I've read since Edward St Aubyn ' OBSERVER ' A frankly sensational book ' Pandora Sykes on THE HIGH LOW ' I n the tradition of Dorothy Parker, Joan Rivers and Nora Ephron ... I found myself purring with pleasure. ...This is comic writing at the highest level' Craig Brown, DAILY MAIL When you leave Ireland aged 22 to spend your parents' money, it's called a gap year. When Ava leaves Ireland aged 22 to make her own money, she's not sure what to call it, but it involves: - a badly-paid job in Hong Kong, teaching English grammar to rich children; - Julian, who likes to spend money on Ava and lets her move into his guest room; - Edith, who Ava meets while Julian is out of town and actually listens to her when she talks; - money, love, cynicism, unspoken feelings and unlikely connections. Exciting times ensue.
THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER When he receives an invitation to deliver a lecture in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, international lawyer Philippe Sands begins a journey on the trail of his family's secret history. In doing so, he uncovers an astonishing series of coincidences that lead him halfway across the world, to the origins of international law at the Nuremberg trial. Interweaving the stories of the two Nuremberg prosecutors (Hersch Lauterpacht and Rafael Lemkin) who invented the crimes or genocide and crimes against humanity, the Nazi governor responsible for the murder of thousands in and around Lviv (Hans Frank), and incredible acts of wartime bravery, EAST WEST STREET is an unforgettable blend of memoir and historical detective story, and a powerful meditation on the way memory, crime and guilt leave scars across generations. * * * * * 'A monumental achievement: profoundly personal, told with love, anger and great precision' John le Carre 'One of the most gripping and powerful books imaginable' SUNDAY TIMES Winner: Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction JQ-Wingate Literary Prize Hay Festival Medal for Prose
The legendary Academy award-winning writer and director takes the reader on a unique joyride of personal memoir, cultural criticism and Hollywood history. For the first time, in his own words, explore the mind, the myth, and the movie magic of the one and only Quentin Tarantino.
'I COULDN'T TURN THE PAGES FAST ENOUGH' Clare Mackintosh 'A SUSPENSEFUL TALE TOLD WITH GLORIOUS DRAMA AND LYRICAL FLAIR' Denise Mina, New York Times Two friends Wynn and Jack have been best friends since their first day of college, brought together by their shared love of books and the great outdoors. The adventure of a lifetime When they decide to take time off university and canoe down the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate the ultimate wilderness experience. No phones. No fellow travellers. No way of going back. A hellish ride But as a raging wildfire starts to make its way towards them, their expedition becomes a desperate race for survival. And when a man suddenly appears, claiming his wife has vanished, the fight against nature's destructive power becomes entangled with a much deadlier game of cat and mouse. ' Like Mark Twain and Toni Morrison, Heller is a rare talent ' Elle ' A novel that sweeps you away ' USA Today ' A fiery tour-de-force ' Denver Post ' I dare you to put it down once you've picked it up ' Criminal Element
''The poet laureate of the literary thriller: sinister and soulful'' Michael Koryta, author of Those Who Wish Me Dead ''Peter Heller''s thrillers unfurl like campfire yarns'' New York Times ''An ever so subtly dystopian wilderness noir that speculates on the horrors of a post-pandemic society'' USA Today ''Riveting... A chilling reminder of the dangers that might lie in wait for us all'' Minneapolis Star Tribune ''A modern master of the wilderness thriller'' CrimeReads '' The Guide is a glorious getaway in every sense, a wild wilderness trip as well as a suspenseful journey to solve a chilling mystery'' BookPage The best-selling author of The River returns with a heart-racing thriller about a young man escaping his own grief and an elite fishing lodge in Colorado hiding a plot of shocking menace Kingfisher Lodge: a boutique resort surrounded by a mile and a half of the most pristine river water on the planet. Safe from viruses that have plagued America for years, Kingfisher offers a respite for wealthy clients - and a return to normality for fishing guide Jack, battling the demons of a recent, devastating loss. But when a human scream pierces the night, Jack soon realises that the idyllic retreat may be merely a cover for a far more sinister operation. Lucy Foley meets Liane Moriarty''s Nine Perfect Strangers , with the lyrical writing of Robert Macfarlane and an eerily plausible twist... PRAISE FOR PETER HELLER AND THE RIVER ''Glorious prose and razor-sharp tension'' Observer Thrillers of the Year ''Utter joy... A suspenseful tale told with glorious drama and lyrical flair'' Denise Mina, New York Times ''Urgent, visceral writing - I couldn''t turn the pages fast enough'' Clare Mackintosh ''Lyrical and action-packed by turns'' Guardian ''A master of suspense... A thrilling read with a dramatic twist at the end: you will not be able to put it down'' The Lady ''A must read'' Daily Express ''Heller packs a ton of adventure and emotion in this short novel, and I dare you to put it down once you''ve picked it up'' Criminal Element
''Warm and uplifting storytelling: a delightful treat'' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures ''An ode to the strange and wonderful time that is Christmas'' Stylist ''A gorgeous festive tale... Beautifully written and highly emotionally intelligent'' Daily Mail ''I loved The Versions Of Us by Laura Barnett and her new novel is just as wonderful... The ideal warm, bittersweet read to get you in the festive spirit'' Good Housekeeping ''Full of warmth, poignancy and a huge dose of Christmas spirit'' Red Twelve people Twelve gifts One Christmas to remember Maddy runs the bookshop on Market Square. She''s struggling to choose a gift (a watch? a wine subscription? a weekend bag? all too much?) for her old school friend Peter , who''s just moved back from London following a messy divorce. Peter doesn''t have a clue what to get for his teenage daughter Chloe - furious with her mother, she''s decided to up sticks and move to Kent with him, but he worries that he really doesn''t know her at all. Chloe wants to buy something special for her grandmother Irene , who lives alone on the other side of town. Irene doesn''t get out much these days, but she''d really like to find the right gift for Alina , who''s so much more than a carer, really - always stops to chat for a bit, have a cup of tea, even if it makes her late. And Alina , meanwhile, has her eye on something for... From the no. 1 bestselling author of The Versions of Us comes a novel about how wonderful and sad and difficult and happy and strange Christmas can be. Stories to inspire, move and comfort. ''He felt it: the lightness, the expansiveness, the anticipation, the sense that something good was coming. And it was, wasn''t it - though the world was still licking its collective wounds and there was still suffering everywhere, suffering and loneliness and sadness. Despite all this, it was good: it was kindness, it was giving without thought of recompense, it was light in the darkness''
