Amanda Eyre Ward – författare

A stunning and compelling novel of love and ambition.Nadine is a 35-year-old journalist at a crossroads in her life. She longs for Pulitzer-prize winning success but her career seems to be going nowhere until the story of a lifetime comes up. Faced with the choice of following the story and leaving behind her boyfriend, who has just proposed, she leaves America for Capetown. There she meets war photographer George, whose rage at the death of his lover during apartheid seems bottomless. As events unfold, Nadine discovers she is pregnant and is forced to choose whether to return home to a secure married life with her boyfriend or pursue a life of independence and adventure – a life like George's…Set partly in Mandela's South Africa, where individuals must weigh the cost of following their dreams against the high price of truth, ‘Forgive Me’ is the unputdownable story of a woman who has to decide between security and adventure in life and love.

'Electrifying, a literary whodunit of the first order.' Justin Cronin, bestselling author of ‘The Passage’.The savage murder of eight-year-old Lauren’s mother, and the sentencing of her father Izaan to life imprisonment for the murder, tears her world apart. As an adult, she can’t understand why she has panic attacks, is unable to accept her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, or listen to her brother Alex’s attempt to convince her of their father’s innocence and wrongful imprisonment.Meanwhile, Sylvia Hall is running away from her loser boyfriend, determined to keep the baby he doesn’t want. She knows her best friend since childhood, Victoria, will help her – but Victoria has her own problems that threaten to consume her.All three women are connected by tragedy and betrayal. Based on a true story, ‘Close Your Eyes’ is a heart-breaking page-turner about what happens when a family is destroyed.

A stunning and compelling novel of love and ambition.Nadine is a 35-year-old journalist at a crossroads in her life. She longs for Pulitzer-prize winning success but her career seems to be going nowhere until the story of a lifetime comes up. Faced with the choice of following the story and leaving behind her boyfriend, who has just proposed, she leaves America for Capetown. There she meets war photographer George, whose rage at the death of his lover during apartheid seems bottomless. As events unfold, Nadine discovers she is pregnant and is forced to choose whether to return home to a secure married life with her boyfriend or pursue a life of independence and adventure – a life like George's…Set partly in Mandela's South Africa, where individuals must weigh the cost of following their dreams against the high price of truth, `Forgive Me’ is the unputdownable story of a woman who has to decide between security and adventure in life and love.

From the award-winning author of ‘Forgive Me’ and ‘How to be Lost’ comes a brilliant first collection of short stories. Linking stories about love, identity and motherhood, the collection includes ‘Miss Montana’s Wedding’, the prize-winning short story that launched Amanda Eyre Ward’s career in 1999.From the award-winning author of FORGIVE ME and HOW TO BE LOST comes this first collection, LOVE STORIES IN THIS TOWN. Linking stories about love, identity, and motherhood in a changing world, the collection includes ‘Miss Montana's Wedding,’ the prize winning short story that launched Amanda Eyre Ward’s career in 1999.

From the award-winning author of 'Forgive Me' and 'How to be Lost' comes this brilliant first collection of short stories. Linking stories about love, identity and motherhood in a changing world, the collection includes 'Miss Montana's Wedding’, the prize-winning short story that launched Amanda Eyre Ward's career in 1999.From a cabin in Maine to a comedy club in Manhattan and from a diner in Montana to a raft rushing through the Grand Canyon, these twelve stories from acclaimed author Amanda Eyre Ward encompass love in all its complexity, absurdity and glory.In six dazzling stories spanning a decade, Lola Wilkerson mends a broken heart and meets Emmett Chase, navigating elopement, motherhood and lingering questions about who she wants to be when she grows up. On the banks of Messalonskee Lake, a family tragedy forces Bill and Lizzy to take a hard look at their own lives. Casey, a suburban New Yorker with a wry sense of humour, braves the dating scene after losing her husband in the 9/11 attacks. Annie, a librarian in a small mining town, must choose between the only home she's ever known and the possibility of a new life. Whether in San Francisco, Houston or Savannah, Ward's characters search for the place where they truly belong.In stories as evocative as they are striking, Amanda Eyre Ward once again proves herself to be an astute interpreter of emotions both familiar and strange. Whether exploring the fierceness of a mother's love or the consolations of marriage, Ward's stories are imbued with humour, clear-eyed insight and emotional richness.

A page-turning, beautifully written novel from the critically-acclaimed author of Forgive Me, How to be Lost and Sleep Toward Heaven.My father smelled like cigarettes and cardamom. When I was small, and wanted comfort, he would put down the wooden spoon when he was cooking, or the pen when he was writing. Always, he would halt what he was doing and crouch down. I pressed my cheek to his warm chest. In his arms, I was safe.The savage murder of eight-year-old Lauren's mother, and the sentencing of her father Izaan to life imprisonment for the murder, tears her world apart. As an adult, she can't understand why she has panic attacks, is unable to accept her boyfriend's marriage proposal, or listen to her brother Alex attempt to convince her of their father's innocence and wrongful imprisonment.Meanwhile, Sylvia Hall is running away from her loser boyfriend, determined to keep the baby he doesn't want. She knows her best friend since childhood, Victoria, will help her - but Victoria has her own problems that threaten to consume her.All three women are connected by tragedy and betrayal: Close Your Eyes is a heart-breaking page-turner about what happens when a family is destroyed.

In Gatestown, Texas, twenty-nine-year-old Karen awaits her execution on Death Row. In New York, Franny, a doctor the same age, plans her wedding and tries to resist the urge to run. In Austin, Celia, a beautiful young librarian, mourns her lost husband. Over the course of one summer, the three women's disparate lives intertwine. Karen, Franny and Celia all struggle to find their place in a world where nothing is sure, as they move towards one night that will change them all forever. A heart-stopping page-turner about love and forgiveness, Sleep Toward Heaven is unforgettable. Praise for Sleep Toward Heaven'Ward's no-nonsense, unflinching prose and her complex but never confounding structure make this novel very tough to put down. But her greater triumph is her ability to humanize all these characters.'Pam Houston, "O" The Oprah Magazine'It's funny and sad and redemptive. Read it now. Thank me later.'Jennifer Weiner, the New York Times bestselling author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes'Women's Death Row as you have never seen it; hauntingly rich, wise and sharply etched.' James Ellroy'How do we forgive the unforgivable? First-time novelist Ward explores this question with a delicate blend of compassion, humour and realism-Her spare but psychologically rich portraits are utterly convincing.' Publishers Weekly

A family reunited on a holiday of a lifetime . . . what could possibly go wrong?A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA 2020 REESE WITHERSPOON HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICKWhen Charlotte Perkins enters the 'Become a Jetsetter' contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist; and Regan, a harried mother who has never got over Charlotte's gift of a Weight Watchers voucher for her birthday.But when she wins that once in a lifetime trip, all doesn't exactly go to plan...As long-buried secrets are revealed, and lovers new and old appear, can these four lost adults find their way back to each other?And more importantly, can they do it without killing each other?A hilarious and deliciously sun-scented novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves and the pleasures and perils of family.__________________________________WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE JETSETTERS'This is the novel I never realized I absolutely needed! The Jetsetters had me from the very first page!' Amazon Reader'Funny, yet sensitive and heartbreaking all at the same time. We can all identify with family crisis of some sort. And as we would in our own family, we root for them all, feel their pain and embarrassment, and hope they can put their baggage away and become better people and a new family' Amazon Reader'What could possibly go wrong on a family cruise? Anything and everything. Funny and a little heart wrenching with characters that will be hard to forget. Happy reading!' Amazon Reader'Ms. Ward writes at a lively pace as she weaves through the Perkins' trials and tribulations. For any fan of a well-written story that resonates with the reader long after you finish the final page, I highly recommend this book' Amazon Reader'Amanda Eyre Ward creates a great escape. The Perkins family are all a hot mess that you can't help but watch' Amazon Reader

A family reunited on a holiday of a lifetime...what could possibly go wrong?A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA 2020 REESE WITHERSPOON HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICKWhen Charlotte Perkins enters the 'Become a Jetsetter' contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist; and Regan, a harried mother who has never got over Charlotte's gift of a Weight Watchers voucher for her birthday.But when she wins that once in a lifetime trip, all doesn't exactly go to plan...As long-buried secrets are revealed, and lovers new and old appear, can these four lost adults find their way back to each other?And more importantly, can they do it without killing each other?A hilarious and deliciously sun-scented novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves and the pleasures and perils of family.__________________________________WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE JETSETTERS'This is the novel I never realized I absolutely needed! The Jetsetters had me from the very first page!' Amazon Reader'Funny, yet sensitive and heartbreaking all at the same time. We can all identify with family crisis of some sort. And as we would in our own family, we root for them all, feel their pain and embarrassment, and hope they can put their baggage away and become better people and a new family' Amazon Reader'What could possibly go wrong on a family cruise? Anything and everything. Funny and a little heart wrenching with characters that will be hard to forget. Happy reading!' Amazon Reader'Ms. Ward writes at a lively pace as she weaves through the Perkins' trials and tribulations. For any fan of a well-written story that resonates with the reader long after you finish the final page, I highly recommend this book' Amazon Reader'Amanda Eyre Ward creates a great escape. The Perkins family are all a hot mess that you can't help but watch' Amazon Reader

From the acclaimed author of How to Be Lost comes a gorgeous new novel about love, memory, and motherhood.Nadine Morgan travels the world as a journalist, covering important events, following dangerous leads, and running from anything that might tie her down. Since an assignment in Cape Town ended in tragedy and regret, Nadine has not returned to South Africa, or opened her heart–until she hears the story of Jason Irving. Jason, an American student, was beaten to death by angry local youths at the height of the apartheid era. Years later, his mother is told that Jason’s killers have applied for amnesty. Jason’s parents pack their bags and fly from Nantucket to Cape Town. Filled with rage, Jason’s mother resolves to fight the murderers’ pleas for forgiveness.As Nadine follows the Irvings to beautiful, ghost-filled South Africa, she is flooded with memories of a time when the pull toward adventure and intrigue left her with a broken heart. Haunted by guilt and a sense of remorse, and hoping to lose herself in her coverage of the murder trial, Nadine grows closer to Jason’s mother as well as to the mother of one of Jason’s killers–with profound consequences. In a country both foreign and familiar, Nadine is forced to face long-buried demons, come to terms with the missing pieces of her own family past, and learn what it means to truly love and to forgive.With her dazzling prose and resonant themes, Amanda Eyre Ward has joined the ranks of such beloved American novelists as Anne Tyler and Ann Patchett. Gripping, darkly humorous, and luminous, Forgive Me is an unforgettable story of dreams and longing, betrayal and redemption.From the Hardcover edition.

'Puts a human face to the story of undocumented youth desperately seeking their dreams in America. This one's going to haunt me for a long time' Jodi PicoultA beautiful and heartrending novel about motherhood, resilience, and faith-a ripped-from-the-headlines story of two families on both sides of the American border.Carla is a strong-willed young girl who's had to grow up fast, acting as caretaker to her six-year-old brother Junior. Years ago, her mother left the family behind in Honduras to make the arduous, illegal journey to Texas. But when Carla's grandmother dies and violence in the city escalates, Carla takes fate into her own hands-and with Junior, she joins the thousands of children making their way across Mexico to America, facing great peril for the chance at a better life.Alice and her husband, Jake, own a barbecue restaurant in Austin, Texas. Hardworking and popular in their community, they have a loving marriage and thriving business, but Alice still feels that something is missing, lying just beyond reach.

“Dysfunctional family goes away together on a Mediterranean cruise: What’s not to love? This novel fell squarely in my wheelhouse and I was delighted anew in every port. The Jetsetters is fun, sexy, and engrossing.”—Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Summer of ’69 “What a joy!”—Andrew Sean Greer, New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Less  When seventy-year-old Charlotte Perkins submits a sexy essay to the “Become a Jetsetter” contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist who can’t seem to find a partner; and Regan, a harried mother who took it all wrong when Charlotte bought her a Weight Watchers gift certificate for her birthday. Charlotte yearns for the years when her children were young, when she was a single mother who meant everything to them. When she wins the contest, the family packs their baggage—both literal and figurative—and spends ten days traveling from sun-drenched Athens through glorious Rome to tapas-laden Barcelona on an over-the-top cruise ship, the Splendido Marveloso. As lovers new and old join the adventure, long-buried secrets are revealed and old wounds are reopened, forcing the Perkins family to confront the forces that drove them apart and the defining choices of their lives. Can four lost adults find the peace they’ve been seeking by reconciling their childhood aches and coming back together? In the vein of The Nest and The Vacationers, The Jetsetters is a delicious and intelligent novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves, the pleasures and perils of family, and how we navigate the seas of adulthood.

From the acclaimed author of How to Be Lost and Close Your Eyes comes a beautiful and heartrending novel about motherhood, resilience, and faith—a ripped-from-the-headlines story of two families on both sides of the American border.Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.Alice and her husband, Jake, own a barbecue restaurant in Austin, Texas. Hardworking and popular in their community, they have a loving marriage and thriving business, but Alice still feels that something is missing, lying just beyond reach. Carla is a strong-willed young girl who’s had to grow up fast, acting as caretaker to her six-year-old brother Junior. Years ago, her mother left the family behind in Honduras to make the arduous, illegal journey to Texas. But when Carla’s grandmother dies and violence in the city escalates, Carla takes fate into her own hands—and with Junior, she joins the thousands of children making their way across Mexico to America, facing great peril for the chance at a better life. In this elegant novel, the lives of Alice and Carla will intersect in a profound and surprising way. Poignant and arresting, The Same Sky is about finding courage through struggle, hope amid heartache, and summoning the strength—no matter what dangers await—to find the place where you belong.Praise for The Same Sky“The Same Sky is the timeliest book you will read this year—a wrenching, honest, painstakingly researched novel that puts a human face to the story of undocumented youth desperately seeking their dreams in America. This one’s going to haunt me for a long time—and it’s going to define the brilliant Amanda Eyre Ward as a leading author of socially conscious fiction.”—Jodi Picoult, author of Leaving Time “Riveting, heartrending, and beautifully written, The Same Sky pulled me in on the first page and held my attention all the way to its perfect conclusion. I devoured this book.”—Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train “Ward is deeply sympathetic to her characters, and this affecting novel is sure to provoke conversations about immigration and adoption.”—The New York Times Book Review“A deeply affecting look at the contrast between middle-class U.S. life and the brutal reality of Central American children so desperate they’ll risk everything.”—People“Amanda Eyre Ward’s novel of the migrant journey, The Same Sky, is the most important book to come out of Austin this year.”—The Austin Chronicle“After reading The Same Sky, you just might view the world a little differently. And isn’t that the goal of all great art?”—Bookreporter“Emotionally gripping . . . a novel that brilliantly attaches us to broader perspectives. It is a needed respite from the angry politics surrounding border issues that, instead of dividing us, connects us to our humanity.”—The Dallas Morning News“It takes a skilled, compassionate writer to craft an authentic, moving page-turner from a complex social issue like immigration, but Ward nails it.”—Good Housekeeping “Poignant and bittersweet . . . Carla’s journey is powerfully rendered and will stick with readers long after they close the book.”—Publishers Weekly “Ward writes with great empathy. . . . Earnest and well-told. Heartstrings will be pulled.”—Kirkus ReviewsFrom the Trade Paperback edition.

A sober hedonist's guide to living a decadent, wild, and soulful life--alcohol-free.In a culture where sipping "rosé all day" is seen as the epitome of relaxation, "grabbing a drink" the only way to network; and meeting at a bar the quintessential "first date," many of us are left wondering if drinking alcohol really is the only way to cultivate joy and connection in life.Jardine Libaire and Amanda Eyre Ward wanted to live spontaneous and luxurious lives, to escape the ordinary and enjoy the intoxicating. Their drinking, however, had started to numb them to the present moment instead of unlocking it. Ward was introduced to Libaire when she first got sober. As they became friends, the two women talked about how they yearned to create lives that were Technicolor, beautifully raw, connected, blissed out, and outside the lines . . . but how? In The Sober Lush, Libaire and Ward provide a road map for living a lush and sensual life without booze. This book offers ideas and instruction for such nonalcoholic joys as:  •  The allure of "the Vanish," in which one disappears early from the party without saying goodbye to a soul, to amble home under the stars  •  The art of creating zero-proof cocktails for all seasons  •  Having a fantastic first date while completely sober  •  A primer on setting up your own backyard beehive, and honey tastingsFor anyone curious about lowering their alcohol consumption or quitting drinking altogether, or anyone established in sobriety who wants inspiration, this shimmering and sumptuous book will show you how to keep indulging in life even if you stop indulging in alcohol.

“A book that is at once riveting and relevant as it unpeels the various meanings of motherhood, family, and loyalty. I tore through it.”—Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace   The bonds between three picture-perfect—but viciously protective—mothers and their close-knit sons are tested during one unforgettable summer in a gripping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters. Austin’s Zilker Park neighborhood is a wonderland of greenbelt trails, live music, and moms who drink a few too many margaritas. Whitney, Annette, and Liza have grown thick as thieves as they have raised their children together for fifteen years, believing that they can shelter them their children from an increasingly dangerous world. Their friendship is unbreakable—as safe as the neighborhood where they've raised their sweet little boys.Or so they think. One night, the three women have been enjoying happy hour when their boys, lifeguards for the summer, come back on bicycles from a late-night dip in their favorite swimming hole. The boys share a secret—news that will shatter the perfect world their mothers have so painstakingly created.   Combining three mothers’ points of view in a powerful narrative tale with commentary from entertaining neighborhood listservs, secret text messages, and police reports, The Lifeguards is both a story about the secrets we tell to protect the ones we love and a riveting novel of suspense filled with half-truths and betrayals, fierce love and complicated friendships, and the loss of innocence on one hot summer night.

“A book that is at once riveting and relevant as it unpeels the various meanings of motherhood, family, and loyalty. I tore through it.”—Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace   The bonds between three picture-perfect—but viciously protective—mothers and their close-knit sons are tested during one unforgettable summer in a gripping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters. Austin’s Zilker Park neighborhood is a wonderland of greenbelt trails, live music, and moms who drink a few too many margaritas. Whitney, Annette, and Liza have grown thick as thieves as they have raised their children together for fifteen years, believing that they can shelter them their children from an increasingly dangerous world. Their friendship is unbreakable—as safe as the neighborhood where they've raised their sweet little boys.Or so they think. One night, the three women have been enjoying happy hour when their boys, lifeguards for the summer, come back on bicycles from a late-night dip in their favorite swimming hole. The boys share a secret—news that will shatter the perfect world their mothers have so painstakingly created.   Combining three mothers’ points of view in a powerful narrative tale with commentary from entertaining neighborhood listservs, secret text messages, and police reports, The Lifeguards is both a story about the secrets we tell to protect the ones we love and a riveting novel of suspense filled with half-truths and betrayals, fierce love and complicated friendships, and the loss of innocence on one hot summer night.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters comes a witty and wonderful new novel about one unforgettable family and the journeys we take—across oceans and through heartbreak—to find our way back to love.The Perkins family has problems. They’re scattered across the globe. Lee, a glamorous reality-TV star, is struggling with her mental health in the spotlight. Regan, her younger sister, has fallen for a romance scammer. Cord, their charming brother, is one drink away from losing it all. And their mother, Charlotte, still longs for the love she let slip away a decade ago, a lover who sailed off with her heart to a remote island in Greece.When Regan disappears, Lee flies first-class to Athens to save her family—again. There, against the glittering Mediterranean and the shadow of the Acropolis, Lee contends with emotional nieces, relentless paparazzi, and her own fragile heart. Lee is desperately searching—for her sister, and for the hope and joy she thought was gone forever.Across continents and crises, each member of the Perkins family must face the same question: is it ever too late to choose love?Featuring characters from Ward’s bestselling novel The Jetsetters, Arrivals and Departures is brimming with humor, honesty, and hope. It’s the story of a family finding the courage to say the only words that can save us—I love you.

For most of her life, Lauren Mahdian has been certain of two things: that her mother is dead, and that her father is a murderer. Before the horrific tragedy, Lauren led a sheltered life on the banks of Long Island Sound, a haven of luxurious homes and seemingly perfect families. But one morning, eight-year-old Lauren and her older brother awoke to discover their mother’s body and their beloved father arrested for the murder.   Years later, Lauren is surrounded by uncertainty. Startling revelations force her to peek under the floorboards of her carefully constructed memories, put aside the version of history that she has clung to so fiercely, and search for the truth of what really happened that fateful night long ago.BONUS: This edition includes a Close Your Eyes discussion guide.