Faber & Faber – serie

An irresistible novel of fame, power, beauty and truth -- 'Truly masterful, her best work so far. I loved it' Vincenzo LatronicoA little while ago, I told the actor M that I was thinking of writing her autobiography. She liked the idea. She's a good sport. Would you just make it up? she said.M is a film star, and one of the most recognisable faces of our time. With such fame, her life has the appearance of freedom: people are instantly obliging, spaces are altered to accommodate her, time can be rearranged. For her, it seems, the rules of reality have melted away. Now M has agreed to let a stranger write her biography. Their project will sprawl and expand: to the olive groves and holiday beaches where M spends her days; across hotel rooms, bourgeois facades, film sets; through endless modern cities. It is hard not to feel ugly next to M, hard not to feel insignificant. But what truths - about the very experience of living - might this proximity allow the writer to briefly capture? And what in the end will M make of their work? In Life of M, Rachel Cusk has again fashioned a new kind of literature. A novel stripped of artifice, it takes our emptiness and fills it with grace.'Electrifying . . . a deeply enjoyable addition to Cusk's canon concerning brilliant and dividedwomen' Megan Nolan, Observer'[Cusk] is a disciple of the truth, and she helps us to see' Lucy Jones, Independent'Roll up, wave a flag and join the crowds to watch Rachel Cusk continue her relentless march through life' Irish Times

'A necessity if we want to understand now as well as then.' Hanif KureishiThe seventies are frequently misunderstood, oversimplified and misrepresented. When the Lights Went Out goes in search of what really happened, what it felt like at the time and where it was all leading - through vivid interviews with leading participants, from Edward Heath to Jack Jones to Arthur Scargill - and brings the decade back to life in all its drama and complexity.

From the author of Foster and the Booker Prize shortlisted Small Things Like These.'Perfect short stories.' Anne Enright'Breath-taking.' Irish Times'Her stories are as good as Chekhov.' David MitchellA writer alone at a retreat is faced with an unwelcome visitor. A priest seeks solace from a romantic memory. A farmhand regrets losing the finest woman in town. In this remarkable collection of stories, Claire Keegan observes an Ireland wrestling with its past.

Rob Young's Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music is a seminal book on British music and cultural heritage, that spans the visionary classical and folk tradition from the nineteenth-century to the present day. 'A thoroughly enjoyable read and likely to remain the best-written overview for a long time.'GUARDIAN'A perfectly timed, perfectly pitched alternative history of English folk music . . . wide-ranging, insightful, authoritative, thoroughly entertaining.'NEW STATESMAN'A stunning achievement.'SIMON REYNOLDS'A masterpiece.' CAUGHT BY THE RIVER'Excellent . . . blissfully quotable.' NEW YORK TIMES'An authoritative account.' THE TIMES'Consistently absorbing.' INDEPENDENT'An impassioned and infectious rallying cry of a book.' SUNDAY TIMESIn this groundbreaking survey of more than a century of music making in the British Isles, Rob Young investigates how the idea of folk has been handed down and transformed by successive generations - song collectors, composers, Marxist revivalists, folk-rockers, psychedelic voyagers, free festival-goers, experimental pop stars and electronic innovators.In a sweeping panorama of Albion's soundscape that takes in the pioneer spirit of Cecil Sharp; the pastoral classicism of Ralph Vaughan Williams and Peter Warlock; the industrial folk revival of Ewan MacColl and A. L. Lloyd; the folk-rock of Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, Shirley Collins, John Martyn and Pentangle; the bucolic psychedelia of The Incredible String Band, The Beatles and Pink Floyd; the acid folk of Comus, Forest, Mr Fox and Trees; The Wicker Man and occult folklore; the early Glastonbury and Stonehenge festivals; and the visionary pop of Kate Bush, Julian Cope and Talk Talk, Electric Eden maps out a native British musical voice that reflects the complex relationships between town and country, progress and nostalgia, radicalism and conservatism.An attempt to isolate the 'Britishness' of British music - a wild combination of pagan echoes, spiritual quest, imaginative time-travel, pastoral innocence and electrified creativity - Electric Eden will be treasured by anyone interested in the tangled story of Britain's folk music and Arcadian dreams.'A treat.' TIME OUT'Young is a fine writer.' MOJO'Young's immense narrative is both educative and gripping.' UNCUT'A multitudinous, fascinating and beautifully written account.' TLS

The startling originality of Emily Dickinson's style condemned her poetry to obscurity during her lifetime, but her bold experiments in prosody, her tragic vision, and the range of her intellectual and emotional explorations have since won her international recognition as a poet of the highest order. The Complete Poems is the only one-volume edition containing all of Emily Dickinson's verse. In this landmark edition, the editor, Thomas H. Johnson, has presented the poems in their original contexts; and where alternate readings were suggested, he has chosen only those which the poet evidently preferred. His introduction includes a brief explanation of his selection of texts as well as an outline of Emily Dickinson's career.

Wise Blood, Flannery O'Connor's first novel, is the story of Hazel Motes who, released from the armed services, returns to the evangelical Deep South. There he begins a private battle against the religiosity of the community and in particular against Asa Hawkes, the 'blind' preacher, and his degenerate fifteen-year-old daughter. In desperation Hazel founds his own religion, 'The Church without Christ', and this extraordinary narrative moves towards its savage and macabre resolution. 'A literary talent that has about it the uniqueness of greatness.' Sunday Telegraph'No other major American writer of our century has constructed a fictional world so energetically and forthrightly charged by religious investigation.' The New Yorker'A genius.' New York Times

'Brimming with compassion . . . the sort of novel you press into the hands of those you love' COLIN WALSH'Vlautin writes about people overlooked by society and overlooked by literature' ANN PATCHETT'Gut-wrenching and compassionate, with shades of John Steinbeck' HARLAN COBEN The moving, large-hearted story of a young boy in danger of slipping through society's cracks and the unlikely father figure who takes him under his wing.'And try to breathe, man. You gotta remember to breathe. You won't get so panicky if you can remember that.'Eddie Wilkens runs his own house-painting business. Forty-something and living alone, he just wants to take life one day at a time. When his eight-year-old neighbour, Russell, starts hanging around, Eddie sees that this small kid - with his single mother working nights and his violent older brother - is struggling to keep his head above water, and so tries to help.Equal parts heart wrenching and uplifting, The Left and the Lucky is a portrait of this unusual friendship - the ways hurt shatters people and the compassionate acts that can, maybe, hold some of those pieces together.Readers adored The Left and the Lucky:'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I couldn't put this book down once I realised the story it was telling. There is something about how Vlautin voices these characters that force you to read "just one more page"'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A compelling and at times heartbreaking read. I loved it!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'His writing here will touch something in your heart or your memory, too, because it's so incredibly REAL!!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I officially will read anything this man writes'

**Featuring a new introduction by Jon Savage**Everything I've ever doneEverything I ever doEvery place I've ever beenEverywhere I'm going toOver a career that spans four decades and fourteen studio albums with Pet Shop Boys, Neil Tennant has consistently proved himself to be one of the most elegant and stylish of contemporary lyricists. Arranged alphabetically, One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem presents an overview of his considerable achievement as a chronicler of modern life: the romance, the break-ups, the aspirations, the changing attitudes, the history, the politics, the pain. The landscape of Tennant's lyrics is recognisably British in character - restrained and preoccupied with the mundane, occasionally satirical, yet also yearning for escape and theatrical release. Often surprisingly revealing, this volume is contextualised by a personal commentary on each lyric and an introduction by the author which gives a fascinating insight into the process and genesis of writing. Flamboyant, understated, celebratory and elegiac, Neil Tennant's lyrics are a document of our times.

This moving fable sees a young Greek writer set out to Crete to claim a small inheritance. But when he arrives, he meets Alexis Zorba, a middle-aged Greek man with a zest for life. Zorba has had a family and many lovers, has fought in the Balkan wars, has lived and loved - he is a simple but deep man who lives every moment fully and without shame. As their friendship develops, he is gradually won over, transformed and inspired along with the reader.Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis' most popular and enduring novel, has its origins in the author's own experiences in the Peleponnesus in the 1920s. His swashbuckling hero has legions of fans across the world and his adventures are as exhilarating now as they were on first publication in the 1950s.'There can never be any doubt that Kazantzakis was the possessor of genius.' Sunday Telegraph

A stunning gift edition of Claire Keegan's multi-award-winning, bestselling novel A SUNDAY TIMES AND IRISH TIMES BESTSELLERA SUNDAY TIMES 'TOP 5 NOVEL OF THE 21ST CENTURY'A TOP 5 IRISH TIMES 100 BEST IRISH BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURYA NEW YORK TIMES 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURYWINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE AND THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE AND THE IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AT THE DALKEY LITERARY AWARDSNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING CILLIAN MURPHY'Exquisite.' Damon Galgut'Masterly.' The Times'Miraculous.' Herald'Astonishing.' Colm Tóibín'Stunning.' Sunday Independent'Absolutely beautiful.' Douglas StuartIt is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church.Claire Keegan's book Small Things Like These was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/c 05-11-2022-----Readers love Small Things Like These: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Gripping and very moving and thought-provoking ... brilliantly done, but also softly and slowly. You'll never regret reading this book, but it will haunt you for ever after.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I haven't loved a book for so long. This has changed it. Every word counted. Moral, heartfelt & a beautiful read.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This is a beautifully written story, both simple and profound. Set at Christmas, it is, in essence, an exploration of the best and the worst of what it is to be human. A stunning achievement.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A remarkable novel - short, succinct, moving. I read it in one sitting early on a Sunday morning before anybody else was up.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This book needs to sit and settle with the reader after it's read. Much lies here within what seems a simple tale. It strikes to the heart.'

PARTITA - THE HEARTRENDING NEW NOVEL FROM BARBARA KINGSOLVER - COMING OCTOBER 2026WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONTWICE WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTIONTHE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR'A rich and compulsive read' GuardianFrom the award-winning and internationally bestselling author of Demon Copperhead, The Lacuna and The Poisonwood Bible.It is summer in the Appalachian mountains and love, desire and attraction are in the air. Nature, too, it seems, is not immune. From her outpost in an isolated mountain cabin, Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife biologist, watches a den of coyotes that have recently migrated into the region. She is caught off guard by a young hunter who invades her most private spaces and interrupts her self-assured, solitary life. On a farm several miles down the mountain, Lusa Maluf Landowski, a bookish city girl turned farmer's wife, finds herself marooned in a strange place where she must declare or lose her attachment to the land that has become her own. And a few more miles down the road, a pair of elderly feuding neighbours tend their respective farms and wrangle about God, pesticides, and the possibilities of a future neither of them expected. Over the course of one humid summer, these characters find their connections of love to one another and to the surrounding nature with which they share a place. With its strong balance of narrative and drama, Prodigal Summer is stands alongside Demon Copperhead, The Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna as one of Barbara Kingsolver's finest works.

The dystopian classic - which has sold over 25 million copies - introduced by Stephen King. When a group of schoolboys are stranded on a desert island, what could go wrong?ONE OF THE BBC'S '100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD''The first book with hands - strong ones that reached out of the pages and seized me by the throat. It said to me, 'This is not just entertainment; it's life or death.' ... I've been thinking about it ever since, for fifty years and more.' Stephen King'One of my favorite books - I read it every couple of years.' Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger GamesINTRODUCED BY STEPHEN KING'There aren't any grown-ups anywhere.'A plane crashes on a desert island. The only survivors are a group of schoolboys. By day, they explore the dazzling beaches, gorging fruit, seeking shelter, and ripping off their uniforms to swim in the lagoon. At night, in the darkness of the jungle, they are haunted by nightmares of a primitive beast. Orphaned by society, they must forge their own; but it isn't long before their innocent games devolve into something far more dangerous . . .'Thrills me with all the power a fiction can have ... Exemplary.' Ian McEwan'An existential fable backlit with death's incandescent glare.' Ben Okri'Violently real ... An apocalyptic novelist [who writes with] humanist rage and defiance.' Marlon James'Beautifully written, tragic and provocative.' E. M. Forster'A fragment of nightmare.' New Statesman'A post-apocalyptic, dystopian survivor-fantasy ... [A novel] for all time ... A cult classic.' Guardian'Stands out mightily in my memory ... Such a strong statement about the human heart.' Patricia Cornwell'Terrifying and haunting.' Kingsley AmisWhat readers are saying:'Every real human being should read this ... This is what we are.''It's brilliant, it's captivating, it's thought provoking and brutal and for some, its truly terrifying.''It can be read and re-read many times, and every time something new will appear.''There is a reason why this is studied at school ... Excellent read.''This is one of the few books I've read that I keep on my Kindle to read again.''I revisit this every few years and it's always fresh and impressive ... One of the best books I've ever read.'

THE NEWER WORLD - THE NEW INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF DAYS WITHOUT END AND OLD GOD'S TIME - IS AVAILABLE NOWTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERFROM THE TWICE-WINNER OF THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR'Powerful' RODDY DOYLE 'Tender and potent' COLUM McCANNFollowing the end of the First World War, Eneas McNulty joins the British-led Royal Irish Constabulary. With all those around him becoming soldiers of a different kind, it proves to be the defining decision of his life when, having witnessed the murder of a fellow RIC policeman, he is wrongly accused of identifying the executioners. With a death sentence over his head, Eneas is forced to flee Sligo, his friends, family and beloved girl, Viv, but what if he can't escape the pull of home?

The iconic classic in a luxurious anniversary edition, with a foreword by Stephen King.'There aren't any grown-ups anywhere.'A plane crashes on a desert island. The only survivors are a group of schoolboys. By day, they explore the dazzling beaches, gorging fruit, seeking shelter, and ripping off their uniforms to swim in the lagoon. At night, in the darkness of the jungle, they are haunted by nightmares of a primitive beast. Orphaned by society, they must forge their own; but it isn't long before their innocent games devolve into something far more dangerous . . .

A stunning new hardback edition of Claire Keegan's debut story collection.'A beautiful, tender work of great clarity.' SEBASTIAN BARRY'Simply put, Claire Keegan is one of the greatest fiction writers in the world.' GEORGE SAUNDERS'Among the finest contemporary stories written recently in English.' OBSERVERA secret one-night tryst in the city. A sister's revenge. A love-struck doctor. A missing girl. In Antarctica, an astonishing sequence of stories, one of our most gifted writers illuminates human longing and fallibility in all its variety.-------Readers love Antarctica:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This is the best short story collection I have ever read. Trust me she is a real find!''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A skilled writer who immerses us seamlessly in the lives of her characters.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I have now read every word Claire Keegan has written. That's how much I love her writing.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'With her keen eye and lucid prose, Keegan beguiles, jolts and haunts us beyond the pages.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The writing is both tender, poetic and authentic ... the stories stay with you long after you have finished reading.'

THE NEWER WORLD - THE NEW INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF OLD GOD'S TIME - IS AVAILABLE NOWONE OF THE SUNDAY TIMES' '25 BEST NOVELS OF THE 21ST CENTURY'AN IRISH TIMES BEST IRISH BOOK OF THE 21ST CENTURY Winner of the 2016 Costa Book of the YearWinner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2017Winner of the Independent Bookshop Week Book Award 2017Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017After signing up for the US army in the 1850s, Irishman Thomas McNulty and his brother-in-arms, John Cole, fight in the American Frontier Wars and the Civil War. Having both fled terrible hardships, their days are now vivid and filled with wonder, despite the horrors they both see and are complicit in. But when a young Indian girl crosses their path, Thomas and John must decide on the best way of life for them all in the face of dangerous odds.

A terrifying supernatural thriller for fans of Let the Right One In, The Passage, and The Loney'Very scary. Never mind Scandi crime fiction, the time has come for Scandi horror.' Metro *****'Ratchets up the tension to an almost unbearable level ... Astonishing.' Independent on Sunday, Books of the YearIn the late 1970s, a young boy disappears from a summer cabin in the Swedish woods. His mother claims that he was abducted by a giant. The boy is never found.Twenty-five years later, an old woman claims that a creature has been standing outside her house, observing her and her five year old grandson for hours.When Susso - a blogger who's dedicated her life to the search for creatures whose existences have not been proved - hears of this, and sees a possible link between the two incidents, she takes to the road on a terrifying adventure into the unknown.

A stunning new hardback edition of Claire Keegan's classic and beloved novella Foster.AN IRISH TIMES TOP 100 BEST IRISH BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURYWINNER OF THE DAVY BYRNES IRISH WRITING AWARD 'A real jewel.' Irish Independent'A small miracle.' Sunday Times'A thing of finely honed beauty.' Guardian'As good as Chekhov.' David MitchellIt is a hot summer in rural Ireland. A girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm, not knowing when she will return home. In the strangers' house, she finds a warmth and affection she has not known before and slowly begins to blossom in their care. But in a house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers how fragile her idyll is.--------Readers love Foster:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'To say this story is exceptional doesn't adequately describe it. If there were 10 stars to award this would deserve every one. Claire Keegan has a wonderful talent at storytelling.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Foster is beautifully and confidently written, the prose is evocative, poignant and moving, with wonderfully atmospheric imagery ... Claire Keegan is an incredible storyteller.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I've read books four times the length that didn't have near as much depth. There are so many layers to the writing and this is close to perfection.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This is another literary diamond packed full of emotional charge, depth, poignancy and wonder. This novella is a thing of pure beauty and I urge you to read it!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I rarely cry when reading a book but I wept ... Read it everyone. It will stay with you forever.'

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, Amos Tutuola's second novel, was first published in 1954. It tells the tale of a small boy who wanders into the heart of a fantastical African forest, the dwelling place of innumerable wild, grotesque and terrifying beings. He is captured by ghosts, buried alive and wrapped up in spider webs, but after several years he marries and accepts his new existence. With the appearance of the television-handed ghostess, however, comes a possible route of escape.'Tutuola ... has the immediate intuition of a creative artist working by spell and incantation.' V. S. Pritchett, New Statesman

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION** This book has been printed with an exclusive gold foil for the festive season. The edition you receive will depend on retailer stock. **'A triumph.' Deborah Levy, New Statesman'Tremendous.' Alwyn Turner, The Times'Revelatory.' Simon Schama, Financial Times'The gold standard of Beatles books.' Anthony Quinn, Observer'As enthralling and astonishing as their music.' Jon Dennis, Sunday Telegraph'A masterpiece.' Dylan Jones, Evening Standard'[Ian Leslie] reframes the whole relationship for me . . . He roots it in a kind of love. It's so moving, so moving. I was crying so much.' Paul Mescal'It's amazing. A fantastic book. And it broke my heart.' Ethan Hawke'I so loved John and Paul. I found it completely absorbing and painfully moving . . . It has rather turned me into a bit of a Beatles person.' Nigella Lawson'The first new Beatles story in decades - and the one that will make your heart burst.' Caitlin Moran'The most moving and revelatory book on Lennon and McCartney I have ever read. So joyful, so sad.' Tom Holland---A majestic biography of two young geniuses who merged their talents to create one of the greatest bodies of music in history.John & Paul begins in 1957, when two teenagers in suburban Liverpool meet and decide to play rock n'roll together. It ends twenty-three years later, when one of them is murdered. In between, we see them become global stars, create countless indelible songs, and play a central role in shaping the modern world.Lennon and McCartney were more than friends, rivals or collaborators. They were intimates who both had the fabric of their world ruptured at a young age, and who longed to make emotional connections; with each other, and with audiences. The pop song was a vessel into which they poured feelings of grief and euphoria and everything in between. When they couldn't speak what they felt, they sang it. After the break-up of their group, they maintained a musical dialogue at a distance, in songs full of recrimination, regret, and affection. Ian Leslie traces the twists and turns of their relationship through the music it produced and offers rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration and human connection. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, this is a startlingly fresh take on two of the greatest icons in music history. Leslie's majestic and wildly enjoyable biography will make us see and hear Lennon and McCartney anew.**Readers are raving about John & Paul:'I've never been so into a book.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A surprising fresh take on this relationship, after so much has been written.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The Beatles book I've been waiting for.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Thoroughly enjoyable, insightful and delightfully written.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I can't listen to another Beatles song in the same way ever again.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Such a fantastic book - really insightful and charming.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I read this book in more or less one go . . . Incredibly moving.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Rekindled my interest in The Beatles. A masterful work.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Full of love . . . A very worthwhile addition to the library of even the most jaded Beatles reader.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I cannot recommend this book highly enough.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Excellent. Just buy it.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐**Ian Leslie's book John & Paul was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/e 29-03-2025 through w/e 19-04-2025

** Order Life of M, the new novel from Rachel Cusk, now ** 'An extraordinary writer of the female experience.' Financial Times'Cusk is startlingly insightful.' Independent on Sunday'What keeps you reading, hungrily, is the violent precision of her writing . . . Divorce has been a catastrophe for Cusk but Cusk the writer triumphs.' MetroIn the winter of 2009, Rachel Cusk's marriage of ten years came to an end. Candid and revelatory, Aftermath chronicles the perilous journey as the author redefines herself and creates a new version of family life for her daughters.

THE NEWER WORLD - THE NEW INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF DAYS WITHOUT END AND OLD GOD'S TIME - IS AVAILABLE NOW'A masterpiece' COLM TOIBIN'Resonant and honest' IRISH INDEPENDENTAnnie Dunne and her cousin Sarah live and work on a small farm in a remote and beautiful part of Wicklow in late 1950s Ireland. All about them the old green roads are being tarred, cars are being purchased, a way of life is about to disappear. Like two old rooks, they hold to their hill in Kelsha, cherishing everything. When Annie's nephew and his wife are set to go to London to find work, their two small children, a little boy and his older sister, are brought down to spend the summer with their great-aunt.It is a strange chance for happiness for Annie. But against that happiness moves the figure of Billy Kerr, with his ambiguous attentions to Sarah, threatening to drive Annie from her last niche of safety in the world. The world of childish innocence also proves darkened and puzzling to her, and she struggles to find clear ground, clear light - to preserve her sense of love and place against these subtle forces of disquiet.A summer of adventure, pain, delight and ultimately epiphany unfolds for both the children and their elderly caretakers in this poignant and exquisitely told story of innocence, loss and reconciliation.

Acclaimed historian and broadcaster Helen Castor tells the story of Joan of Arc as you have never read it before.'Popular history at its best.' Daily TelegraphHelen Castor brings us afresh a gripping life of Joan of Arc. Instead of the icon, she gives us a living, breathing young woman; a roaring girl fighting the English, and taking sides in a bloody civil war that was tearing fifteenth century France apart.Here is a portrait of a 19-year-old peasant who hears voices from God; a teenager transformed into a warrior leading an army to victory, in an age that believed women should not fight. And it is also the story behind the myth we all know, a myth which began to take hold at her trial: that of the Maid of Orleans, the saviour of France, a young woman burned at the stake as a heretic, a woman who five hundred years later would be declared a saint.Joan and her world are brought vividly to life in this refreshing new take on the medieval world. Helen Castor brings us to the heart of the action, to a woman and a country in turmoil, a world where no-one - not Joan herself, nor the people around her, princes, bishops, soldiers or peasants - knew what would happen next.

The perennial classic: this intimate journal chronicling the Narnia author's experience of grief after his wife's death has consoled readers for half a century; this edition features responses from authors like Hilary Mantel, Francis Spufford, Rowan Williams, Jenna Bailey ...'An intimate, anguished account of a man grappling with the mysteries of faith and love ... Elegant and raw ... A powerful record of thought and emotion experienced in real time.' Guardian 'Raw and modern ... This unsentimental, even bracing, account of one man's dialogue with despair becomes both compelling and consoling ... A contemporary classic.' Observer'A source of great consolation ... Lewis deploys his genius for vivid imagery ... It is a relief for the reader to find that he or she is not alone in the intense loneliness or feelings of anguish that bereavement brings.' Henry Marsh, The Times'Testimony from a sensitive and eloquent witness [on] 'The Human Condition'. It offers an interrogation of experience and a glimmer of hardwon hope. It allows one bewildered mind to reach out to another. Death is no barrier to that.' Hilary Mantel'Here, sorrow and despair, the tiredness and numbness and petulance and nightmarishness of grief, all have their full, uncontrolled, experienced force ... [Such] radical openness ... Brilliant.' Francis Spufford***No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.Narnia author C.S. Lewis had been married to his wife for four blissful years. When she died of cancer, he found himself alone, inconsolable in his grief. In this intimate journal, he chronicles the aftermath of the bereavement and mourning with blazing honesty. He grapples with a crisis of religious faith, navigating hope, rage, despair, and love - but eventually regains his bearings, finding his way back to life.A luminous modern classic, A Grief Observed has offered solace to countless readers for decades. This companion edition combines the original text with personal responses from Hilary Mantel, Rowan Williams, Francis Spufford, Maureen Freely, Kate Saunders, Jessica Martin and Jenna Bailey.***What readers are saying:'A truly great book - inspirational and untold help.' 'Every human being, living or dead, understands what Lewis means ... One of the most valuable books ever written.' 'Lewis, as always, sits down next to you and validates your grief like a true friend. He lets you rage, and cry, and even be furious with God, just as he did.''If you are grieving an enormous loss, you may find comfort here ... A great mind and wonderful writer who understands your grief well enough to put words to it.''His journal was also my journal as I worked through my own grief. Reading this book was actually comforting in that I knew that someone else understood my situation and offered insight and hope ... I highly recommend this book for anyone who has gone through the death of a loved one or who wants to comfort." 'This little book has had me in floods of tears [and] shows a real understanding of grief ... To read the words of this great man who shared and understood my pain and is a life affirming and faith affirming experience.'

By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gilead, Home, Lila and Jack, a modern American masterpiece by an author whose work 'defines universal truths about what it means to be human' (Barack Obama)'A perfect novel.' David Nicholls'Genius.' Anne Enright 'The rarest talent.' Colm Tóibín 'A marvel.' Barbara KingsolverRuth and Lucille are orphans in the desolate lakeside town of Fingerbone: the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck and their mother drove off a cliff. Abandoned by a succession of relatives, the sisters find themselves in the care of Sylvie, their enigmatic aunt. Over time, the sisters grow up, and apart - until they must discover what it truly means to escape. One of the Observer's 100 Greatest Novels of All Time

'Completely blew me away.' Daisy Johnson, author of Everything Under'One of the most dazzling debuts I've ever read.' Taiye Selasi, author of Ghana Must Go'I'm urging everyone to read it.' Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water CureAda has always been unusual. Her parents prayed her into existence, but something must have gone awry. Their troubled child begins to develop separate selves and is prone to fits of anger and grief.When Ada grows up and heads to college in America, a traumatic event crystallises the selves into something more powerful. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind, these 'alters' - now protective, now hedonistic - take control, shifting her life in a dangerous direction.

Four Quartets is the culminating achievement of T.S. Eliot's career as a poet. While containing some of the most musical and unforgettable passages in twentieth-century poetry, its four parts, 'Burnt Norton', 'East Coker', 'The Dry Salvages' and 'Little Gidding', present a rigorous meditation on the spiritual, philosophical and personal themes which preoccupied the author. It was the way in which a private voice was heard to speak for the concerns of an entire generation, in the midst of war and doubt, that confirmed it as an enduring masterpiece.

AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Beautiful.' Daily Mail'True, unflinching, powerful, lyrical' Kate Mosse'Wonderful, inviting, wholesome.' Observer'Beautiful and very honest.' CAITLIN MORAN'It's quite an achievement to shine a light of truth on the often idealised, always understated, role of the farmer's wife.' RAYNOR WINNThis honest and heartwarming memoir offers a portrait of the labour and glory of keeping a home and raising a family. Weaving past and present, Helen Rebanks shares her highs and lows, from the emotional journey to the birth of her first child, and the endless improvisation of each night's dinner, to the dog gobbling up her daughter's freshly-made birthday cake. These are days that have shaped her, and the ways she finds the quiet strength to keep going. 'In its own quiet way, [The Farmer's Wife] is a manifesto: every woman has the right to choose the life they want.' Mail on Sunday'Very moving, real and true.' AMY LIPTROT'Enchanting, funny, fearless. . . a luminously beautiful memoir.' Spectator'Authentic and affecting.' SARAH LANGFORD'Lovely, warm and real, it made me cry and cook and think. ' ELLA RISBRIDGERReaders love The Farmer's Wife'Lovely. . . the book equivalent of getting up before everyone else to enjoy the silence of the day.''An absorbing , often magical book''A beautifully written manifesto for the life she's chosen to lead''A beacon of light. . . I've never read a memoir quite like this.'Helen Rebanks' book The Farmer's Wife was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 02-09-2023

THE MULTIMILLION-COPY BESTSELLING ADAM DALGLIESH SERIES FROM THE 'QUEEN OF ENGLISH CRIME' (Guardian) 'A legend.' VAL MCDERMID'P.D. James took the classic crime novel and turned up the dial.' MICK HERRON'Classic P. D. James: rich, delicious and satisfying.' EVENING STANDARDPERFECT FOR FANS OF VAL MCDERMID, RUTH RENDELL AND ELLY GRIFFITHS__________________________________________________________________________________Where murder is concerned, fiction cannot compete with real life.The Peverell Press is losing money. The two-hundred-year-old independent publisher is still housed in its dramatic mock-Venetian palace on the Thames, but its ruthless new director, Gerard Etienne, wants to move to cheaper offices as part of his plan to save the company. Before he can push through any ambitious changes, though, he is found murdered, his body bizarrely desecrated.Commander Adam Dalgliesh soon finds that the director had a host of dangerous enemies: a discarded mistress, a neglected and humiliated author, rebellious colleagues, disgruntled staff. But did any of them hate Gerard enough to kill him?__________________________________________________________________________________'A vintage revenge story.' Daily Mail'Outstanding . . . These are books to escape into, delighting in the sense that you are in safe hands, no matter how unsafe the subject.' Observer'Crime novel perfection!' 5* reader review**Now a major Channel 5 series**__________________________________________________________________________________READERS LOVE THE ADAM DALGLEISH SERIES:'Adam Dalgleish is one of the best characters in modern detective fiction.' 5* reader review'If you are not already an Adam Dalgliesh fan, I urge you to become one . . . James can describe a scene or delineate a character with precision and depth, like no other writer I have read . . . I usually stay up all night to read a P. D. James novel once I start one.' 5* reader review'I would never give less than 5 stars to any P. D. James book. She is one of a kind, always constant, always wonderful writing, always great characters, and always a good mystery that you cannot put down.' 5* reader review'P.D. James writes mysteries for ordinary people. Her characters are relatable and her hero is dynamic. But don't expect cell phones or computers. Her stories are strictly old school, which is what I love about them.' 5* reader review'Crime writing at its very best!' 5* reader reviewPRAISE FOR P. D. JAMES:'P. D. James is the crème de la crème of crime writers. Her books are shrewd puzzles, full of wit and depth.' IAN RANKIN'Nobody can put the reader in the eye of the storm quite like P. D. James.' SUNDAY EXPRESS'One of the literary greats. Her sense of place was exquisite, characterisation and plotting unrivalled.' MARI HANNAH'James manages a depth and intelligence that few in her trade can match.' THE TIMES'There are very few thriller writers who can compete with P. D. James at her best.' SPECTATOR'The queen of English crime.' GUARDIAN