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Melusine; or, The Noble History of Lusignan
By Jean D Arras, Donald Maddox, Sara Sturm. 2012
Jean d’Arras’s splendid prose romance of Melusine, written for Jean de Berry, the brother of King Charles V of France,…
is one of the most significant and complex literary works of the later Middle Ages. The author, promising to tell us “how the noble and powerful fortress of Lusignan in Poitou was founded by a fairy,” writes a ceaselessly astonishing account of the origins of the powerful feudal dynasty of the Lusignans in southwestern France, which flourished in western Europe and the Near East during the age of the Crusades. The spellbinding story of the destinies of the fairy Melusine, her mortal husband, and her extraordinary sons blends history, myth, genealogy, folklore, and popular traditions with epic, romance, and Crusade narrative.Preceded by a substantial introduction, this translation, the first in English to be amply annotated, captures the remarkable range of stylistic registers that characterizes this extravagant and captivating work.Flying Free: Corey's Underground Railroad Diary, Book 2 (My America)
By Sharon Dennis Wyeth. 2002
Corey and his family have escaped from slavery and the South and are now living in Canada. They own their…
own land, have made new friends, and Corey gets to go to school. But danger still remains across the river in Ohio, where slave-catchers lurk, waiting to capture escaped slaves to bring them back to their former masters.Is It Just?
By Lori Chambers, Jenny Roth, Minnie Smith. 2011
Minnie Smith's (ca. 1874-1933) feminist domestic novel, Is It Just?, is a harsh critique of the injustices perpetuated by male-dominated…
society and law. Published in 1911, it tells the tragic story of Mary Pierce, who, through the actions of her selfish and lazy husband, loses her land, her social standing, and ultimately her life.In Is It Just?, the conventions of the domestic novel - episodic presentation, stock characters, contrived plots, and romantic conclusions - illustrate the superiority of female values and argue for expanded social, political, and legal rights for women. A critical introduction by Jenny Roth and Lori Chambers frames Smith's specific references to the laws and social geography of British Columbia, situating the novel in relation to its historic and literary importance. This unique work of domestic literature adds to our limited library of Canadian feminist writings of the first wave.Party Headquarters
By Angela Rodel, Georgi Tenev. 2006
Winner of the Vick Foundation Novel of the Year Award in 2007, Party Headquarters takes place in the eighties and…
nineties, during Bulgaria's transition from communist rule to democracy.The book--which is a love story, a parody, and a thriller about a political hoax--opens with the main character visiting his father-in-law, an old communist party boss who is dying, and being tasked with delivering a suitcase filled with one-and-a-half million euros.It's one of Bulgaria's most popular myths: As the communist party fell apart, high ranking officials squirreled away bags and suitcases containing a significant portion of the country's wealth, and that these bags are still circulating through Europe, waiting to be delivered to various conspirators.But this is just the beginning of the corruption and inequality that plagued Bulgaria during this time. While immersing himself in pornography and prostitution, the hero of Party Headquarters reflects back on his life and the emblematic events that took place around that time--the anticommunist protests, the arson attack on the Communist Party Headquarters in Sofia, and, most tragically and crucially, the Chernobyl disaster, during which the families of party officials were sheltered away and fed special, safe food, while the regular citizens suffered.Beautiful and tragic, Party Headquarters is an engrossing testament to the struggles that haunted Bulgaria after the fall of the Soviet Union, many of which continue to resonate today.Before penning the Vick Prize-winning novel Party Headquarters, Georgi Tenev had already published four books, founded the Triumviratus Art Group, hosted The Library television program about books, and written plays that have been performed in Germany, France, and Russia. He is also a screenwriter for film and TV.Angela Rodel earned an MA in linguistics from UCLA and received a Fulbright Fellowship to study and learn Bulgarian.Verklempt: Stories
By John Howard, Ari Roth, Peter Sichrovsky. 2016
'Verklempt’, Yiddish slang, means 'choked with emotion.’ In his latest collection of stories, internationally best-selling author Peter Sichrovsky aggressively dismantles…
post-Holocaust Jewish identity. These are love stories where love is a bitter pill, a joke, a missed chance at happiness, a secret, a ghost, or a longing to be with a person one cannot even remember. Sichrovsky writes without embellishment, spare outlines of characters that feel familiar, and infuses them with dark humor and tragedy. With characteristic inquisitiveness and provocation, Sichrovsky delivers a delightful collection that entertains and inspires us to tears, laughter, revelations.An Italian Affair
By Caroline Montague. 2018
'Thoroughly engrossing' - Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton AbbeyLove. War. Family. Betrayal.Italy, 1937. Alessandra Durante is grieving the loss of…
her husband when she discovers she has inherited her ancestral family seat, Villa Durante, deep in the Tuscan Hills. Longing for a new start, she moves from her home in London to Italy with her daughter Diana and sets about rebuilding her life. Under the threat of war, Alessandra's house becomes first a home and then a shelter to all those who need it. Then Davide, a young man who is hiding the truth about who he is, arrives, and Diana starts to find her heart going where her head knows it must not.Back home in Britain as war breaks out, Alessandra's son Robert, signs up to be a pilot, determined to play his part in freeing Italy from the grip of Fascism. His bravery marks him out as an asset to the Allies, and soon he is being sent deep undercover and further into danger than ever before.As war rages, the Durante family will love and lose, but will they survive the war...?'Enthralling...An Italian Affair snares us in an ever-tightening circle of love and despair, secrets and forgiveness' - Joanna LumleyQueenship and the Women of Westeros: Female Agency and Advice in Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire (Queenship and Power)
By Zita Eva Rohr, Lisa Benz. 2020
Is the world of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO’s Game of Thrones really…
medieval? How accurately does it reflect the real Middle Ages? Historians have been addressing these questions since the book and television series exploded into a cultural phenomenon. For scholars of medieval and early modern women, they offer a unique vantage point from which to study the intersections of elite women and popular understandings of the premodern world. This volume is a wide-ranging study of those intersections. Focusing on female agency and the role of advice, it finds a wealth of continuities and contrasts between the many powerful female characters of Martin’s fantasy world and the strategies that historical women used to exert influence. Reading characters such as Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, and Brienne of Tarth with a creative, deeply scholarly eye, Queenship and the Women of Westeros makes cutting-edge developments in queenship studies accessible to everyday readers and fans.La gente como nosotros no tiene miedo
By Shani Boianjiu. 2012
Una revelación literaria: una joven autora con una audaz y provocadora novela sobre la vida de las chicas soldado en…
el Ejército Israelí. La premiada autora israelí Shani Boianjiu desvela una realidad desconocida, al tiempo que capta la energía sexual y la efervescente angustia de la adolescencia. Lea, Avishag y Yael son amigas de la escuela en un pequeño pueblo al norte de Israel. Durante las clases sueñan despiertas con los chicos que les gustan. Cuando cumplen los dieciocho años, son reclutadas por el Ejército y su vida cambia de forma inesperada. Yael se acuesta con un chico al que entrena como tirador. Avishag hace guardias y observa a los refugiados que se abalanzan sobre la alambrada. Lea, destinada en un puesto de control, imagina las historias que se ocultan tras los rostros familiares que pasan ante ella día tras día. Las tres viven al filo de la muerte, en la intensidad de ese instante eterno antes de queel peligro estalle. Ganadora del premio «5 Under 35» de la National Book Foundation (nominada por Nicole Krauss), finalista del premio Sami Rohr y del Women#s Prize for Fiction y traducida a 23 idiomas. Reseñas:«Una primera novela tensa como un thriller, romántica y psicológicamente audaz... Boianjiu escribe sobre la atrocidad y el absurdo de una guerra sin fin.»More «Irreverente, conmovedora. Una autora con un inusual talento literario para transportarnos hasta un sitio absolutamente remoto... Un libro provocador e inquietante.»The Jewish Journal «Memorable... Un retrato feroz y hermoso del daño causado por la guerra.»The Washington Post «Único y desgarrador. Leerlo es sentir como si te partieran el corazón en dos.»Etgar Keret «La gente como nosotros no tiene miedo describe en profundidad y con agudeza el efecto desorientador que el miedo produce en las mentes jóvenes.»The Observer «Un debut impresionante sobre la transición a la madurez de tres adolescentes que experimentan lo absurdo de la vida y el amor en el abismo de la violencia.»Vogue «La vida en el Ejército inicia la metamorfosis de niña a mujer. La descripción que Boianjiu realiza de la mente de estas jóvenes es fascinante... La prosa se lee como una pesadilla o un sueño, pero es en esta indecisión febril donde reside su poder.»The Economist «Con su mezcla de brutal hilaridad y emocionante angustia, esta es una primera novela brillante.»The Boston Globe «Las reflexiones de la novela sobre el amor y la pérdida, el deseo y la desesperación, son pura poesía... En esta novela, conviven lo cómico y lo grotesco, al igual que en el Israel de hoy en día.»Los Angeles Review of Books «Shani Boianjiu ha hallado el modo de exponer los efectos de la guerra y la doctrina nacional en la vida de los jóvenes israelíes... Incluso cuando escribe sobre la muerte, Boianjiu está mucho más llena de vida que cualquier otro escritor joven con el que me haya topado en mucho tiempo.»Nicole Krauss «Shani Boianjiu nos ofrece una visión reveladora sobre la juventud de un país marcado por el terrorismo y las fronteras hostiles... La gente como nosotros no tiene miedo marca la llegada de una escritora brillante.»Wall Street JournalAgatha
By Anne Cathrine Bomann. 2019
A psychiatrist is counting down towards his upcoming retirement. He lives alone in his childhood home and has neither friends…
nor family.Often, he resorts to drawing bird caricatures of his patients instead of taking notes. His social life consists of brief conversations with his meticulous secretary Madame Surrugue, who has reigned over the clinic for more than thirty years. The two of them have no relationship outside the office, where everything runs smoothly and uneventfully.Until one day, that is, when a young German woman called Agatha arrives and demands to see the doctor and he soon realizes that underneath her fragile exterior is a strong and fascinating woman. The doctor and Agatha embark upon a course of therapy together, a process that forces the doctor to confront his fear of true intimacy outside the clinic. But is it too late to reconsider your existence as a 71-year-old?Gods of Tin: The Flying Years
By James Salter. 2004
A singular life often circles around a singular moment, an occasion when one's life in the world is defined forever…
and the emotional vocabulary set. For the extraordinary writer James Salter, this moment was contained in the fighter planes over Korea where, during his young manhood, he flew more than one hundred missions.James Salter is considered one of America's greatest prose stylists. The Arm of Flesh (later revised and retitled Cassada) and his first novel, The Hunters, are legendary in military circles for their descriptions of flying and aerial combat. A former Air Force pilot who flew F–86 fighters in Korea, Salter writes with matchless insight about the terror and exhilaration of the pilot's life.The Dublin Girls: A powerfully heartrending family saga of three sisters in 1950s Ireland
By Cathy Mansell. 2020
Dramatic, emotional and romantic, if you love Lorna Cook, Tracy Rees and Jenny Ashcroft, you'll love this gripping and heartrending…
novel from Cathy Mansell, author of A Place to Belong.'Glorious - a cross between Maeve Binchy and Catherine Cookson' 5* early reader review'A superb saga' PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH'A heart-warming story full of characters you'll come to love' ROSIE GOODWIN'Page-turning and compelling... Most highly recommended' MARGARET KAINE'Rarely have I read a book where every character springs from the pages so authentically' JEAN CHAPMAN'A warm-hearted, engaging story' MARGARET JAMES, WRITING MAGAZINEIn 1950s Dublin, life is hard and jobs are like gold dust.Nineteen-year-old Nell Flynn is training to be a nurse and planning to marry her boyfriend, Liam Connor, when her mother dies, leaving her younger sisters destitute. To save them from the workhouse, Nell returns to the family home - a mere two rooms at the top of a condemned tenement.Nell finds work at a biscuit factory and, at first, they scrape through each week. But then eight-year-old Róisín, delicate from birth, is admitted to hospital with rheumatic fever and fifteen-year-old Kate, rebellious, headstrong and resentful of Nell taking her mother's place, runs away.When Liam finds work in London, Nell stays to struggle on alone - her unwavering devotion to her sisters stronger even than her love for him. She's determined that one day the Dublin girls will be reunited and only then will she be free to follow her heart.Look for more gripping, heartwrenching page-turners from Cathy Mansell - don't miss A Place to Belong, out now.The Coming of the Wolf: The Wild Hunt series prequel (Wild Hunt #4)
By Elizabeth Chadwick. 2020
The long-awaited prequel to Elizabeth Chadwick's bestselling and beloved first novel The Wild Hunt'Picking up an Elizabeth Chadwick novel you…
know you are in for a sumptuous ride'Daily Telegraph The Welsh Borders, 1069 When Ashdyke Manor is attacked, Lady Christen is forced to witness her husband's murder and the pillaging of her lands at the hands of brutal Norman invaders. It seems the pain is finally over when Miles Le Gallois, Lord of Milnham-on-Wye, calls off the attack. But he has Christen's brother under armed guard and a deal to offer: her brother's freedom for her hand in marriage. Christen finds herself hastily married into the enemy side, with her brother swearing his vengeance on her new husband. Miles and Christen's precarious union invites enemies from all sides and when Miles is summoned for a lengthy campaign by the King, Christen is left to watch his lands. In the midst of war, two enemies must somehow learn to trust one another if they are to survive . . .Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick 'An author who makes history come gloriously alive'The Times 'Stunning . . . Her characters are beguiling, and the story is intriguing'Barbara Erskine 'I rank Elizabeth Chadwick with such historical novelist stars as Dorothy Dunnett and Anya Seton'Sharon Kay Penman 'Enjoyable and sensuous'Daily Mail'Meticulous research and strong storytelling'Woman & Home 'A riveting read . . . A glorious adventure not to be missed!'CandisSister to Sister: the perfect addictive read for 2021
By Olivia Hayfield. 2021
'Rich people behaving badly' BooklistThe battle lines are drawn . . .Following the scandalous revelations about his love life, disgraced…
media mogul Harry Rose is searching for redemption. His daughters - bright, winsome Eliza and dark, difficult Maria - have taken over his beloved company and are making some major changes. Guided by Harry, Eliza navigates life as Rose Corp's new queen. But Maria is standing in her way. And then there's the distraction of Eliza's childhood playmate, the twinkly-eyed Rob Studley, and the unresolved death of her mother . . . After a stellar start, things take a turn for the worse and ultimately Eliza will have to make a choice: career, or love?Loosely based on the turbulent reigns of Tudor queens Mary and Elizabeth, this is a scandalous tale of love, power and betrayal . . .Praise for Olivia Hayfield 'Ingenious and addictive' Francesca Hornak 'A delicious read' Renee Rosen'Racy & pacy!' Nicky Pellegrino'The perfect escape' The Listener'An amusing, smart and oddly thought-provoking read with glamour and great heart' Kete: New Books from Aotearoa'A must-read for history buffs' Woman's Day'An addictively readable novel . . . there is lots to love in this racy romp about the lives of the rich and fabulous' New Zealand Woman's Weekly'A fun and entertaining read . . . non-stop Tudor intrigue!' An Historian About TownThe Coming of the Wolf: The Wild Hunt series prequel (Wild Hunt #4)
By Elizabeth Chadwick. 2020
The long-awaited prequel to Elizabeth Chadwick's bestselling and beloved first novel The Wild Hunt'Picking up an Elizabeth Chadwick novel you…
know you are in for a sumptuous ride'Daily Telegraph The Welsh Borders, 1069 When Ashdyke Manor is attacked, Lady Christen is forced to witness her husband's murder and the pillaging of her lands at the hands of brutal Norman invaders. It seems the pain is finally over when Miles Le Gallois, Lord of Milnham-on-Wye, calls off the attack. But he has Christen's brother under armed guard and a deal to offer: her brother's freedom for her hand in marriage. Christen finds herself hastily married into the enemy side, with her brother swearing his vengeance on her new husband. Miles and Christen's precarious union invites enemies from all sides and when Miles is summoned for a lengthy campaign by the King, Christen is left to watch his lands. In the midst of war, two enemies must somehow learn to trust one another if they are to survive . . .Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick 'An author who makes history come gloriously alive'The Times 'Stunning . . . Her characters are beguiling, and the story is intriguing'Barbara Erskine 'I rank Elizabeth Chadwick with such historical novelist stars as Dorothy Dunnett and Anya Seton'Sharon Kay Penman 'Enjoyable and sensuous'Daily Mail'Meticulous research and strong storytelling'Woman & Home 'A riveting read . . . A glorious adventure not to be missed!'CandisKatalin Street: WINNER of the 2018 PEN Translation Prize
By Magda Szabó. 1969
** NOW SHORTLISTED FOR THE WARWICK WOMEN IN TRANSLATION PRIZE 2019 **** WINNER OF THE 2018 PEN TRANSLATION PRIZE **BY…
THE AUTHOR OF THE DOOR, ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF 2015"Extraordinary" New York Times"Quite unforgettable" Daily Telegraph"Unusual, piercing . . . oddly percipient" Irish Times"A gorgeous elegy" Publishers Weekly"A brightly shining star in the Szabo universe" World Literature TodayIn prewar Budapest three families live side by side on gracious Katalin Street, their lives closely intertwined. A game is played by the four children in which Bálint, the promising son of the Major, invariably chooses Irén Elekes, the headmaster's dutiful elder daughter, over her younger sister, the scatterbrained Blanka, and little Henriette Held, the daughter of the Jewish dentist.Their lives are torn apart in 1944 by the German occupation, which only the Elekes family survives intact. The postwar regime relocates them to a cramped Soviet-style apartment and they struggle to come to terms with social and political change, personal loss, and unstated feelings of guilt over the deportation of the Held parents and the death of little Henriette, who had been left in their protection. But the girl survives in a miasmal afterlife, and reappears at key moments as a mute witness to the inescapable power of past events.As in The Door and Iza's Ballad, Magda Szabó conducts a clear-eyed investigation into the ways in which we inflict suffering on those we love. Katalin Street, which won the 2007 Prix Cévennes for Best European novel, is a poignant, sombre, at times harrowing book, but beautifully conceived and truly unforgettable.Translated from the Hungarian by Len RixThe Cheffe: A Culinary Novel
By Marie NDiaye. 2016
The Cheffe is born into a very poor family in Sainte-Bazeille in south-western France, but when she takes a job…
working in the kitchen of a couple in the Landes region, it does not take long before it becomes clear that the Cheffe has an unusual, remarkable talent for cooking. She dreams in recipes, she's always imagining food combinations and cooking times, she hunts down elusive flavours and aromas, and she soon usurps the couple's cook.But for all her genius, the Cheffe remains very secretive about the rest of her life. She becomes pregnant, but will not reveal her daughter's father. She shares nothing of her feelings or emotions. And when the demands of her work and caring for her child become too much, she leaves her baby in the care of her family, and sets out to open her own restaurant, which will soon win rave reviews and be lauded by all.But her relationship with her daughter will never be easy, and before long, it will threaten to destroy everything the Cheffe has spent her life perfecting.'The whole book is a delight... Perfect reading whilst sipping a g & t in a beautiful garden somewhere in…
the sun!' Rosanna LeyA buried secret... Present day: Anna is focused on growing her new gardening business and renovating her late grandmother's house. But when she discovers a box hidden in a wall cavity, containing water colours of exotic plants, an old diary and a handful of seeds, she finds herself thrust into a centuries-old mystery. One that will send her halfway across the world to Kew Gardens and then onto Cornwall in search of the truth.A lady adventurer...1886: Elizabeth Trebithick is determined to fulfil her father's dying wish and continue his life's work as an adventurer and plant-hunter. So when she embarks on a perilous journey to discover a rare and miraculous flower, she will discover that the ultimate betrayal can be found even across the seas...Two women, separated by centuries. Can one mysterious flower bring them together?Readers and authors love The Botanist's Daughter:'I loved this book and really look forward to reading the next book by Kayte Nunn; perfect for reading in the garden with a glass of something cold.' Bookliterat'Fast-moving and full of surprises...while delivering a poignant and heart-warming story of romance and new beginnings ' Kate Forsyth'The Botanist's Daughter is a quick paced but mysterious read, which transports you across time and place and is filled with an abundance of flowers.' Foreword Books'A sweeping and exotic read. I was completely swept away. Perfect for readers of Kate Morton.' Lorna Cook'The Botanist's Daughter is an intriguing story about the strength of women who, for their own reasons, are willing to travel halfway across the world and end up with the same goal. It's also a family mystery that slowly reveals its secrets, just like a blooming flower.' The Bookish Gurl 5/5 starsThe Curse of the Hungerfords
By Alison Weir. 2019
The Curse of the Hungerfords by acclaimed historian Alison Weir is an e-short and companion piece to the captivating fourth…
novel in the Six Tudor Queens series, Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets.Each sunset, as I go to the chapel, I find myself looking for her. I look for details. What she is wearing, some clue to her identity. But she fades away if I look at her directly. I can just glimpse the blur of a hood, or a widow's wimple, and those sad eyes, staring at something - or someone - I cannot see. Anne Bassett served four of Henry VIII's queens, yet the King himself once pledged to serve her. Had fate not decreed otherwise, she might have been his wife - and Queen of England.But now, far from court and heavy with her husband's child, Anne prays in the Hungerford chapel, and awaits the ghostly figure she knows will come. This is her story, one that entwines with the fate of another Lady Hungerford from not so many years before. They say there's a curse on this family... Featuring the first chapter of Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets. SIX TUDOR QUEENS. SIX NOVELS. SIX YEARS.Six Tudor Queens: Six Tudor Queens 3 (Six Tudor Queens #3)
By Alison Weir. 2018
'This brilliant book is a bombshell! Jane Seymour the shy mouse type? Think again!' Kate WilliamsAlison Weir, historian and author…
of the Sunday Times bestsellers Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession, draws an enthralling portrait of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third queen, as you've never seen her before. Essential reading for fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick.'This six-book series looks likely to become a landmark in historical fiction' The TimesTHE WOMAN HAUNTED BY THE FATE OF HER PREDECESSOR. Eleven days after the death of Anne Boleyn, Jane is dressing for her wedding to the King.She has witnessed at first hand how courtly play can quickly turn to danger and knows she must bear a son . . . or face ruin.This new Queen must therefore step out from the shadows cast by Katherine and Anne. In doing so, can she expose a gentler side to the brutal King?JANE SEYMOURTHE THIRD OF HENRY'S QUEENSHER STORYAcclaimed, bestselling historian Alison Weir draws on new research for her captivating novel, which paints a compelling portrait of Jane and casts fresh light on both traditional and modern perceptions of her. Jane was driven by the strength of her faith and a belief that she might do some good in a wicked world. History tells us how she died.This spellbinding novel explores the life she lived.SIX TUDOR QUEENS. SIX NOVELS. SIX YEARS.Readers love the SIX TUDOR QUEENS series:'Alison Weir is such a good author I can hardly put it down''An extremely refreshing take on a very well-known period of history''Can't wait for the next one in the series''Weir really captures the essence of the people, I could envisage and understand all of them, this really is history brought to life'The Chateau of Briis: A Lesson in Love
By Alison Weir. 2018
The Chateau of Briis: A Lesson in Love by historian Alison Weir is an e-short and companion piece to the…
Sunday Times bestseller Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession, the second novel in the spellbinding series about Henry VIII's queens.'May I have the pleasure of your hand in the dance, mademoiselle?'1515 - Dressed in wine-coloured satin, with her dark hair worn loose, a young Anne Boleyn attends a great ball at the French court. The palace is exquisitely decorated for the occasion, and the hall is full with lords and ladies - the dancing has begun. Anne adores watching the game of courtly love play out before her eyes, though she is not expecting to be thrown into it herself. But moments later, a charming young man named Philippe du Moulin approaches to ask for her hand in the dance. And before she can resist, so begins Anne's first lesson in love. Includes the first chapters of Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession and Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen. SIX TUDOR QUEENS. SIX NOVELS. SIX YEARS.