Fiction
Showing 1–12 of 19 results
Blackpool Lass
Orphaned and destitute, will Grace find her own way in the world?
When Grace's Ma passes away and her Da's ship sinks with all hands, Grace is utterly alone in the world. She's sent to an orphanage in Blackpool, but the master has an eye for a pretty young lass. Grace won't be his victim, so she runs, destitute, into the night.
In Blackpool, she finds a home with the kindly Sheila and Peggy - and meets a lovely airman. But it's 1938, and war is on the horizon. Will Grace ever find the happiness and home she deserves?
Blackpool Sisters
1902. Babs and Beth are identical in looks, but very different by nature. Kidnapped by gypsies a decade ago as young girls, Beth has accepted their plight, but Babs has always yearned for their real mother, Tilly, and their beloved hometown of Blackpool. Desperate to be reunited with their mother, Babs hatches a plan to escape. But Beth is too afraid and Babs realises if she ever wants to go home she'll have to leave her sister behind.
1914. Babs' life has been blighted by misfortune ever since she walked away from her sister. She's never given up hope of finding her family, but now having found peace and purpose as a nurse, the war is sending her to France, away from them. Or so she believes . . .
Blackpool’s Angel
Tilly has come a long way from the run-down tenements in which she grew up. She has a small but comfortable home, a loving, handsome husband, two beautiful little'uns - Babs and Beth - and she earns herself a little money weaving wicker baskets. Life is good.
Until the day Tilly returns home to find a policeman standing on her doorstep. Her Arthur won't be coming home tonight - nor any night - having fallen to his death whilst working on Blackpool tower. Suddenly Tilly is her daughters' sole protector, and she's never felt more alone.
With the threat of destitution nipping at their heels, Tilly struggles to make ends meet and keep a roof over her girls' heads. In a town run by men Tilly has to ask herself what she's willing to do to keep her family together and safe - and will it be enough?
Dark Tides
ISBN: 978-1471172854
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Cover: Hardback
Pages: 496
Language: English
Category: Fiction
Number One bestselling author Philippa Gregory's new historical novel tracks the rise of the Tidelands family in London, Venice and New England.
Midsummer Eve 1670. Two unexpected visitors arrive at a shabby warehouse on the south side of the River Thames. The first is a wealthy man hoping to find the lover he deserted twenty-one years before. James Avery has everything to offer, including the favour of the newly restored King Charles II, and he believes that the warehouse's poor owner Alinor has the one thing his money cannot buy – his son and heir.
The second visitor is a beautiful widow from Venice in deepest mourning. She claims Alinor as her mother-in-law and has come to tell Alinor that her son Rob has drowned in the dark tides of the Venice lagoon.
Alinor writes to her brother Ned, newly arrived in faraway New England and trying to make a life between the worlds of the English newcomers and the American Indians as they move toward inevitable war. Alinor tells him that she knows – without doubt – that her son is alive and the widow is an imposter.
Set in the poverty and glamour of Restoration London, in the golden streets of Venice, and on the tensely contested frontier of early America, this is a novel of greed and desire: for love, for wealth, for a child, and for home.
‘A gripping read spanning London, Venice and New England, all beautifully observed by Gregory’ Woman & Home
Praise for Tidelands, the first in the Fairmile series:
‘A gripping and intelligent portrait of a woman fighting to survive in a hostile world’ The Times
‘The first in a planned series . . . The author crafts her material with effortless ease. Her grasp of social mores is brilliant, the love story rings true and the research is, as ever, of the highest calibre’ Elizabeth Buchan, Daily Mail
‘Vivid and beguiling – Philippa Gregory at her best’ Woman & Home
‘A compelling novel that shines a light on the struggles of 17th century women’ Daily Mirror
‘The novel's power lies in Gregory's evocative portrayal of the tidelands and the everyday lives of those who are bound to them’ Sunday Express
‘Philippa Gregory returns with an English Civil War novel that excels in everything she does best. Historical events are written with breathless immediacy, keeping the reader enthralled even if they know the outcome’ Alys Key, The i
‘If this novel is the first sign of what's to come then readers are in for a treat’ Emma Lee-Potter, Daily Express
Girl, Woman, Other
This is Britain as you've never read it.
This is Britain as it has never been told.
From Newcastle to Cornwall, from the birth of the twentieth century to the teens of the twenty-first, Girl, Woman, Other follows a cast of twelve characters on their personal journeys through this country and the last hundred years. They're each looking for something - a shared past, an unexpected future, a place to call home, somewhere to fit in, a lover, a missed mother, a lost father, even just a touch of hope . . .
Home Stretch (Signed)
ISBN: 978-1473665187
Publisher: Coronet
Cover: Hardback
Pages: 368
Language: English
Category: Fiction
This book is signed
'A real page-turner, the kind of warmth and magical storytelling that puts me in mind of the late, great Maeve Binchy... a writer of real strength and talent.' LORRAINE KELLY
'intelligent and tenderly observed' THE TIMES
'Full of heart and humanity and I loved every single page. What a storyteller!' ELIZABETH DAY
'a thoughtful examination of sexual identity, shame, and the impact of collective grief' OBSERVER
'Graham Norton's new novel has me in floods... His gift for characterisation is positively Binchy-esque! Such nuance and warmth! It's GORGEOUS' MARIAN KEYES
'I loved HOME STRETCH ... one of those books that stays with you so long after you've finished it' NIGELLA LAWSON
'A subtle portrait of small-town Ireland; an unblinking study of shame & homophobia; a map of cultural shifts between 1980s & now; a kind, wise, perceptive novel by an author rich in these qualities.' DAVID MITCHELL
'Beautifully written. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy read. Utterly fantastic.' LIZ NUGENT
'Graham Norton's examination of small-town Irish lives continues in his deeply moving third novel. He is a magnificent writer.' JOHN BOYNE
'[Graham Norton is a] king of the page turners... A total triumph' ANNE GRIFFIN
'What right has such a successful entertainer to write a novel as good as this?' SUNDAY EXPRESS
Shame and longing can flow through generations, but the secrets of the heart will not be buried for ever.
It is 1987 and a small Irish community is preparing for a wedding. The day before the ceremony a group of young friends, including bride and groom, drive out to the beach. There is an accident. Three survive, but three are killed.
The lives of the families are shattered and the rifts between them are felt throughout the small town. Connor is one of the survivors. But staying among the angry and the mourning is almost as hard as living with the shame of having been the driver. He leaves the only place he knows for another life, taking his secrets with him. Travelling first to Liverpool, then London, he makes a home - of sorts - for himself in New York. The city provides shelter and possibility for the displaced, somewhere Connor can forget his past and forge a new life.
But the secrets, the unspoken longings and regrets that have come to haunt those left behind will not be silenced. And before long, Connor will have to confront his past.
Graham Norton's powerful and timely novel of emigration and return demonstrates his keen understanding of the power of stigma and secrecy - with devastating results.
Illegal (Signed) – Hardback
This is a powerful and timely story about one boy's epic journey across Africa to Europe, a graphic novel for all children with glorious colour artwork throughout. From Eoin Colfer, previously Irish Children's Laureate, and the team behind his bestselling Artemis Fowl graphic novels. Ebo: alone.
His sister left months ago. Now his brother has disappeared too, and Ebo knows it can only be to make the hazardous journey to Europe. Ebo's epic journey takes him across the Sahara Desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli, and finally out to the merciless sea.
But with every step he holds on to his hope for a new life, and a reunion with his sister. *Winner of the Judges' Special Award at the Children's Books Ireland Book of the Year Awards*'Beautifully realised and punchily told.' Alex O'Connell, The Times Children's Book of the Week'A powerful, compelling work, evocatively illustrated ... It would take a hard heart not to be moved by this book.' Financial Times
Northern Lights: illustrated edition
A stunning full-colour illustrated gift hardback to celebrate the 25th anniversary of NORTHERN LIGHTS, with breathtaking art throughout by Chris Wormell.
First published in 1995, and acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, this first book in the series won the UK's top awards for children's literature. “Without this child, we shall all die.” Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live half-wild and carefree among scholars of Jordan College, Oxford. The destiny that awaits her will take her to the frozen lands of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight. Her extraordinary journey will have immeasurable consequences far beyond her own world…
The Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth
From the author of the phenomenal His Dark Materials comes the next chapter in the story of Lyra Silvertongue . . .
Lyra is now studying at St Sophia's College, Oxford, with her daemon Pantalaimon.
But, for the first time there are serious divisions between the two.
Lyra is questioning everything she once held dear. Pan misses the impulsiveness of their youth.
The Darkest Evening (Limited Edition Signed)
ISBN: 978-1509889518
Publisher: Macmillan; Main Market edition
Cover: Hardback
Pages: 384
Language: English
Category: Fiction
This book is signed
DCI Vera Stanhope returns in The Darkest Evening, the ninth novel in Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves' enduringly popular series.
Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope's only thought is to get there quickly.
But the snow is so heavy, she becomes disoriented and loses her way. Ploughing on, she sees a car slewed off the road ahead of her. With the driver's door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but when she inspects the car she is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat.
Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognizes as the house her father Hector grew up in.
Inside Brockburn a party is in full swing, with music and laughter to herald the coming Christmas. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead and Vera knows immediately she has a new case. Could this woman be the child's mother, and if so, what happened to her?
A classic country house mystery with a contemporary twist, Ann Cleeves returns with a brilliant Vera novel to savour.
The Giver of Stars (Signed)
LOSE YOURSELF IN THIS SPELLBINDING STORY OF LOVE, COMMUNITY AND THE POWER OF READING: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK FROM THE AUTHOR OF ME BEFORE YOU'Inspiring and wildly romantic' DAILY MAIL BOOKS OF THE YEAR'Her best novel yet. The most appealing thing is Moyes' wonderful way with romance' THE TIMES___________The greatest love story is the one you least expect . .
. Alice is stifled, bored, and misunderstood. So when she meets wealthy and handsome American, Bennett Van Cleve, she is quickly swept off her feet.
Marrying him and moving to America seems like a great adventure - but life as a newlywed in stuffy Baileyville, Kentucky, is not at all what she hoped for. Until, that is, she responds to a call for volunteers to start a travelling library, surprising herself by saying yes, before her husband can say no . .
. Led by feisty and rebellious Margery O'Hare, this unlikely group of women travel far and wide on their mission to bring books and reading to those that need it. Finally, Alice finds the freedom, friendship and love that she's been looking for.
But not everyone approves of what they are doing, especially her new father-in-law. And when the town turns against them, will their belief in each other and their work be enough?Discover what happens when we stand together in this mesmerising tale of female friendship, romance, and the wonder of reading, inspired by a remarkable true story. __________GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BOOKS OF THE YEAR'So amazing and transportive.
I'm the biggest Jojo Moyes fan. It is so beautifully written' REESE WITHERSPOON 'Extraordinary. The best thing she has written since Me Before You' METRO'An entertaining, immersive and moving read' THE SUNDAY TIMES'Intensely moving and crammed with romance and emotion' SUN'Packed full of romance, tension and brilliantly drawn characters' SUNDAY POST'A beautiful, special novel.
I loved it and didn't want it to end!' LIANE MORIARTY, author of Big Little Lies'Moyes' best yet' SUNDAY POST'My favourite of 2019' 5***** READER REVIEW'Epic' DAVID NICHOLLS, bestselling author of One Day'I laughed and I cried. Could not put it down' 5***** READER REVIEW'The most sweeping, dramatic, richly evocative book, full of brilliantly feisty women' SOPHIE KINSELLA, bestselling author of The Confessions of a Shopaholic
The Great Godden (Signed)
SHORTLISTED for the Costa Children's Book Award 2020. This is the story of one family, one dreamy summer - the summer when everything changes. In a holiday house by the sea, in a big, messy family, one teenager watches as brothers and sisters, parents and older cousins fill hot days with wine and games and planning a wedding.
Enter the Goddens - irresistible, charming, languidly sexy Kit and surly, silent Hugo. Suddenly there's a serpent in this paradise - and the consequences will be devastating. From bestselling, award-winning author Meg Rosoff comes a lyrical and quintessential coming-of-age tale - a summer book that's as heady, timeless and irresistible as Bonjour Tristesse and I Capture the Castle but as sharp and fresh as Normal People.