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Showing 21 - 40 of 43803 items
By Crystal King. 2017
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize A Massachusetts Book Award &“Must Read&” Set amongst the scandal, wealth,…
and upstairs-downstairs politics of a Roman family, this &“addictively readable first novel&” (Kirkus Reviews) features the man who inspired the world&’s oldest cookbook and the ambition that led to his destruction.In the twenty-sixth year of Augustus Caesar&’s reign, Marcus Gavius Apicius has a singular ambition: to serve as culinary adviser to Caesar. To cement his legacy as Rome&’s leading epicure, the wealthy Apicius acquires a young chef, Thrasius, for the exorbitant price of twenty thousand denarii. Apicius believes that the talented Thrasius is the key to his culinary success, and with the slave&’s help he soon becomes known for his lavish parties and sumptuous meals. For his part, Thrasius finds a family among Apicius&’s household, which includes his daughter, Apicata; his wife, Aelia; and her handmaiden Passia, with whom Thrasius falls passionately in love. But as Apicius draws closer to his ultimate goal, his dangerous single-mindedness threatens his young family and places his entire household at the mercy of the most powerful forces in Rome. &“A gastronomical delight&” (Associated Press), Feast of Sorrow is a vibrant novel, replete with love and betrayal, politics and intrigue, and sumptuous feasts that bring ancient Rome to life.By Ann Leary. 2022
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good House, the &“harrowing, gripping, and beautiful&” (Laura Dave, New York…
Times bestselling author) story of two friends, raised in the same orphanage, whose loyalty is put to the ultimate test when they meet years later at an institution—based on a shocking and little-known piece of American history.It&’s 1927 and eighteen-year-old Mary Engle is hired to work as a secretary at a remote but scenic institution for mentally disabled women called the Nettleton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. She&’s immediately in awe of her employer—brilliant, genteel Dr. Agnes Vogel. Dr. Vogel had been the only woman in her class in medical school. As a young psychiatrist she was an outspoken crusader for women&’s suffrage. Now, at age forty, Dr. Vogel runs one of the largest and most self-sufficient public asylums for women in the country. Mary deeply admires how dedicated the doctor is to the poor and vulnerable women under her care. Soon after she&’s hired, Mary learns that a girl from her childhood orphanage is one of the inmates. Mary remembers Lillian as a beautiful free spirit with a sometimes-tempestuous side. Could she be mentally disabled? When Lillian begs Mary to help her escape, alleging the asylum is not what it seems, Mary is faced with a terrible choice. Should she trust her troubled friend with whom she shares a dark childhood secret? Mary&’s decision triggers a hair-raising sequence of events with life-altering consequences for all. Inspired by a true story about the author&’s grandmother, The Foundling is compelling, unsettling, and &“a stunning reminder that not much time has passed since everyone claimed to know what was best for a woman—everyone except the woman herself&” (Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author).By V. C. Andrews. 2003
They lived on the wild side. Now these bad girls are paying the price.At Dr. Foreman's School for Girls, the…
"students" sleep in barns, work on a farm in the blazing heat, and are subjected to ruthless guards who watch their every move. It's an institution run by the dreadful Dr. Foreman, a woman who delights in administering the worst form of punishment—the mysterious Ice Room where the girls face their darkest fears. Now Phoebe, Teal, and Robin—three girls from very different worlds—are the newcomers in this desert hell. During their stay, each girl will be tempted to commit the ultimate crime of betrayal as Dr. Foreman cleverly tries to turn them against each other—until they learn that the only way to survive is to stick together...and fight back.By Sally Christie. 2015
&“An intriguing romp through Louis XV's France. Filled with lush backdrops, rich detail, and colorful characters, fans of historical fiction…
will enjoy this glimpse into the lost golden era of the French monarchy.&” —Allison Pataki, author of The Accidental Empress &“Tantalizing descriptions and cliff-hangers will leave the reader rapidly turning the pages in anticipation…A wickedly delightful read.&” —New York Daily NewsCourt intriguers are beginning to sense that young King Louis XV, after seven years of marriage, is tiring of his Polish wife. The race is on to find a mistress for the royal bed as various factions put their best feet—and women—forward. The King&’s scheming ministers push sweet, naïve Louise, the eldest of the aristocratic Nesle sisters, into the arms of the King. Over the following decade, she and three of her younger sisters—ambitious Pauline; complacent Diane, and cunning Marie Anne—will conspire, betray, suffer, and triumph in a desperate fight for both love and power as each becomes the king&’s favorite for a time. In the tradition of The Other Boleyn Girl, The Sisters of Versailles is a clever, intelligent, and absorbing novel that historical fiction fans will devour. Based on meticulous research on a group of women never before written about in English, Sally Christie&’s stunning debut is a complex exploration of power and sisterhood—of the admiration, competition, and even hatred that can coexist within a family when the stakes are high enough.By Sahar Delijani. 2013
New York Times bestselling author Khaled Hosseini says, “Set in post-revolutionary Iran, Sahar Delijani’s gripping novel is a blistering indictment…
of tyranny, a poignant tribute to those who bear the scars of it, and a celebration of the human heart’s eternal yearning for freedom.”Neda is born in Iran’s Evin Prison, where her mother is allowed to nurse her for a few months before an anonymous guard appears at the cell door one day and simply takes her away. In another part of the city, three-year-old Omid witnesses the arrests of his political activist parents from his perch at their kitchen table, yogurt dripping from his fingertips. More than twenty years after the violent, bloody purge that took place inside Tehran’s prisons, Sheida learns that her father was one of those executed, that the silent void firmly planted between her and her mother all these years was not just the sad loss that comes with death but the anguish and the horror of murder. These are the Children of the Jacaranda Tree. Set in post-revolutionary Iran from 1983 to 2011, this stunning debut novel follows a group of mothers, fathers, children, and lovers, some related by blood, others brought together by the tide of history that washes over their lives. Finally, years later, it is the next generation that is left with the burden of the past and their country’s tenuous future as a new wave of protest and political strife begins. “Heartbreakingly heroic” (Publishers Weekly), Children of the Jacaranda Tree is an evocative portrait of three generations of men and women inspired by love and poetry, burning with idealism, chasing dreams of justice and freedom. Written in Sahar Delijani’s spellbinding prose, capturing the intimate side of revolution in a country where the weight of history is all around, it is a moving tribute to anyone who has ever answered its call.By Louise Erdrich. 1986
From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Louise Erdrich comes this vibrant tale of abandonment and sexual obsession, jealousy, and…
unstinting love. On a spring morning in 1932, young Karl and Mary Adare arrive by boxcar in Argus, North Dakota. After being orphaned in a most peculiar way, Mary seeks refuge in the butcher shop of their aunt and her husband, while Karl gets back on the train. So begins an exhilarating forty-year saga brimming with colorful, unforgettable characters: ordinary Mary, who will cause a miracle; seductive Karl, who lacks his sister’s gift for survival; Sita, their lovely but disturbed cousin; and the half-Native American Celestine James, who will become Mary’s best friend. Theirs is a story grounded in the tenacity of relationships, the extraordinary magic of natural events, and the unending mystery of the human condition. Bestselling, National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich dazzles in this vibrant and heartfelt tale of abandonment and sexual obsession, jealousy, and unstinting love that explores with empathy, humor, and power the eternal mystery of the human condition. “A perfect—and perfectly wonderful—novel.”—Anne TylerBy William W. Johnstone, J. A. Johnstone. 2017
THE GREATEST WESTERN WRITERS OF THE 21ST CENTURYIn this thrilling epic of the American West, bestselling authors William W. Johnstone…
and J.A. Johnstone capture the human side of the frontier experience in all its glory, grit, and grandeur—through the eyes of one remarkable teenage boy... Leaving their Pennsylvania home to forge a new life in the untamed Oregon Territory of 1845, the Colter family is ambushed by a kill crazy gang of cutthroats on the Oregon Trail. Fifteen-year-old Tim Colter manages to escape and hide—only to return and find his parents butchered, his sisters Nancy and Margaret missing, and one last killer waiting for his return. Forced to fight for his life, the young Colter embarks on a perilous journey across a lawless frontier, hoping to save his sisters and salvage the dream they lived for. But first, Tim has to figure out how to survive. Luckily, he finds a new friend in Jed Reno, a grizzled one-eyed trapper who&’s lived in the Rockies since the 1820s—and who was attacked by the same gang that ambushed Tim&’s family. Together, the mountain man and the greenhorn set out after the marauders, blazing a trail of vengeance that leads them to one of the deadliest men in the territory. With danger at every turn, and death just a heartbeat away, Colter has no choice but to grow up fast—one bullet at a time...By Donna Everhart. 2018
Set in the Carolinas in the 1940s, The Road to Bittersweet is a beautifully written, evocative account of a young…
woman reckoning not just with the unforgiving landscape, but with the rocky emotional terrain that leads from innocence to wisdom. For fourteen-year-old Wallis Ann Stamper and her family, life in the Appalachian Mountains is simple and satisfying, though not for the tenderhearted. While her older sister, Laci—a mute, musically gifted savant—is constantly watched over and protected, Wallis Ann is as practical and sturdy as her name. When the Tuckasegee River bursts its banks, forcing them to flee in the middle of the night, those qualities save her life. But though her family is eventually reunited, the tragedy opens Wallis Ann&’s eyes to a world beyond the creek that&’s borne their name for generations. Carrying what&’s left of their possessions, the Stampers begin another perilous journey from their ruined home to the hill country of South Carolina. Wallis Ann&’s blossoming friendship with Clayton, a high diving performer for a traveling show, sparks a new opportunity, and the family joins as a singing group. But Clayton&’s attention to Laci drives a wedge between the two sisters. As jealousy and betrayal threaten to accomplish what hardship never could—divide the family for good—Wallis Ann makes a decision that will transform them all in unforeseeable ways . . .By Janelle Taylor. 1981
A Native American warrior and a young settler woman find a passion as wild as the frontier in the New…
York Times bestselling author&’s romance series debut. It was like lightning striking, the first time they looked into each other's eyes: Gray Eagle, the captured Oglala warrior, and Alisha, the beautiful young settler. To her fellow settlers, Grey Eagle is nothing more than a savage. But to her, he is a proud, strong, handsome man who takes her breath away. Meanwhile, the fair vision of Alisha&’s beauty awakens Grey Eagle&’s darkest desires. Despite the horrors of captivity, the warrior is consumed with a longing to possess her. But even as Alisha saves his life, Grey Eagle knows that her home is among the enemy. Soon enough, however, the tables turn. And when Alisha is the captive, a fierce passion is unleashed . . .By Katie Flynn. 1995
Liverpool: Christmas Day 1924. When twelve-year-old Sara Cordwainer, the unloved child of rich and fashionable parents, sees a ragged girl…
with a baby in her arms outside her church, she stops to talk to her, pressing her collection money into the girl's icy hand. But from this generous act comes a tragedy which will haunt her for years.When, years later, Sara meets Brogan, a young Irishman working in England, she feels she has found a friend at last. But Brogan has a secret which he dare tell no one, not even Sara.And in a Dublin slum, Brogan's little sister Polly is growing up. The only girl in a family of boys, she knows herself to be much loved, but it is not until Sara begins to work at the Salvation Army children's home, Strawberry Fields, that the two girls meet - and Brogan's secret is told at last...By Laura Fish. 2008
In Laura Fish's ambitious and captivating novel, three very different women struggle for freedom. While Elizabeth Barrett Browning is confined…
to bed, chafing against the restriction of her doctors and writing poetry and fretful letters, at her family's Jamaican estate Kaydia, the Creole housekeeper, tries to protect her daughter from their predatory master; and a recently freed black slave, Sheba, mourns the loss of her lover.As Elizabeth, a passionate abolitionist, struggles to come to terms with the source of her wealth and privilege both Sheba and Kydia fight to escape a tragic past which seems ever-present. The resulting novel is an extraordinary evocation of the dark side of the nineteenth-century that is both horrifying and ultimately redeeming.By Alan Garner. 1996
A captivating novel by the author of the 2022 Booker Prize-longlisted Treacle WalkerBased on a true story, Strandloper tells the…
extraordinary tale of a nineteenth-century Englishman, William Buckley, who was convicted and transported to Australia. Refusing to accept his fate he escaped and lived among the Aborigines for thirty years.In this visionary novel, Alan Garner is as true to William the Cheshire bricklayer and William the Aboriginal spiritual leader, as William is true to his fate. The result is extraordinary.'A remarkable feat of literary imagination' Sunday TimesBy Patricia Burns. 2011
A magical love story- and a richly detailed evocation of a great city.1909, and life is hard for young Poppy…
Powers. Her dad has disappeared-gone to a season in the North somewhere and failed to return-leaving her mum to earn their keep and Poppy doing chores for Gran. Poppy dreams of being a musician like dad, but Gran would never allow it, and Gran’s rule is absolute in Cinnamon Alley.There is more than a littleof Gran’s stubbornness and determination in Poppy, however and the discovery of her Dad’s saxophone, secret music lessons and the Salvation Army band bring the stirrings of possibility. Waitressing in the drinking clubs during the terrible Great Was, Poppy and her dreams find a direction. It is there she falls in love, tragically and irrevocably, with the American Scott Warrender.Alone and destined to rely on her own talents, Poppy, with few loyal friends and a flair for dance music, forms the Power Girls, the first all-female band. The fight for respect and recognition is doubly hard for women, but this is the heady Roaring Twenties and all the Bright Young Things are desperate to dance. Among them is Roddy Ffitch. Charming, rich, madly in love with Poppy, he introduces her to a dangerous world of endless parties and fast cars. But can he help her forget Scott?From smoky clubs to ocean liners, from North Millwall to New York, though the war, the reckless dancing years and the Wall Street Crash, Poppy is determined to succeed, and to make her own way on her own terms. Only her last ambition remains unfulfilled-to share it all with the man she loves. But, maybe after all, what Poppy craves is just a step from Cinnamon Alley…By Marcia Willett. 2021
'We'll always be together, won't we?'Childhood friends and cousins Leo and Alice had imagined their whole lives playing out on…
their beloved Devon beach. But one night when they are teens, sitting on the sand beneath the stars, Alice tells Leo a secret that must never be shared with anybody else . . . then packs her bag and flees.Leo is left to build his own life - without Alice. He surrounds himself with other family and friends and on the whole is content and fulfilled. But he is left with a sense of what - or who - is missing. So decades later, when he receives a note from Alice asking if she can come home, he doesn't hesitate to agree.But as the stars align and their reunion draws near, Leo is left to consider their separation and what so many years apart means for a relationship solidified in youth and a secret which could affect the whole family.Praise for Marcia Willett:'A warm and engaging read.' Trisha Ashley, bestselling author of The Garden of Forgotten Wishes'A beautifully woven tale of families and their secrets...' Liz Fenwick, bestselling author of The Cornish House'Riveting, moving and utterly feel-good.' Daily Mail'Sweeping powers of description transport her readers to another time and place.' Rosanna Ley, author of The Orange GroveReaders love Starry, Starry Night:'Perfect comfort reading' *****'A very absorbing tale with lovely descriptions of the West Country' *****'Like meeting an old friend' ******** Don't miss Marcia's charming, festive novella, Christmas at the Keep - out now! ***By Glenice Crossland. 2013
They loved. They lost. They lived.In the small Yorkshire town of Cottenly - dominated by the steel works and surrounded…
by beautiful countryside - Isaac Stanford lives with his wife Emily and their three lovely daughters, known locally as the Stanford lasses. Alice, the eldest, lives only for her work as a secretary and chapel on Sunday. Fair and loving Lizzie is content with her job making umbrellas - until she falls in love with George Crossman and all she desires is to be a wife and mother. And headstrong Ruth, the merry one, is intent upon marrying handsome charmer, Walter Wray, despite warnings from friends and family. Already emotionally damaged by a traumatic childhood, Alice struggles to lead a normal life. Poor but happy with her ever increasing family, with the onset of war, Lizzie faces the threat of losing all she holds dear. And Ruth soon realises she has made a terrible mistake in her marriage as she becomes trapped in a life of poverty and violence. As the years pass each sister is forced to confront her greatest challenge ...By Leslie Thomas. 2009
The worst has happened. On the eve of their return to Blighty, Brigg and his fellow National Servicemen find themselves…
sentenced to another six months in Panglin Barracks...Many of the surviving characters from The Virgin Soldiers live again in these pages: dogged Tasker, the odious Sergeant Wellbeloved, the vulnerable Colonel Bromley Pickering and the comically touching Juicy Lucy.But we encounter new characters too: the fanatical and demented Lieutenant Grainger; the endearing Welshman, Morris Morris - strong as a horse but bafflingly buxom; US Private Clay - mysteriously lost in transit by the American Army; and last, but not least, Bernice Harrison, the sporting nurse who threatens to replace the wayward Lucy in Brigg's affections...By Mary Jane Staples. 2003
Sammy Adams is always on the look-out for a new business opportunity. When he hears from his son David about…
the new-fangled supermarkets that are becoming all the rage in America, he immediately starts looking for a suitable site in South London.Meanwhile, legacies of the last war continue to haunt the Adams family. The mystery of Katje Galicia, the Polish woman who knows something of Sir Edwin Finch's past, becomes a major police enquiry while a beautiful German girl appears, bringing wartime memories back to Tim Adams and his wife Felicity.Tim and Felicity have much to rejoice over, while the younger members of the Adams family are starting to spread their wings.By Judith Saxton. 1983
Book three in the stunning Neyler family saga.It is 1931, and once again Europe is heading towards disaster. Life must…
go on however, and a new generation of the Neyler family are making their way in this turbulent world. Louis Rose, the self-confessed black sheep of the family, returns to England for his father's funeral and is greeted with more bad news: he has lost his mistress to his young nephew. Louis' son Simon, meanwhile, has matured and is embarking on his first love affair. The family hope he’ll have more luck in love that his father. Valentine Neyler, Simon's cousin, visits Berlin for the Olympics, but finds herself experiencing first-hand the prejudice which is gripping Germany. Before she knows it she is caught up in the tragedy of a Jewish family struggling to escape the Nazi horror. Dramas, joys and sorrows intertwine and unfold in this inspiring and moving saga, set against the poignant background of a world hurtling towards war, from the Sunday Times bestselling author Katie Flynn.**Don't miss Jenny Holmes's latest wartime series, The Air Raid Girls. Part 3 - The Air Raid Girls: Wartime Brides…
- is available now!**----------------------------Planes to deliver. A war to be won. Bobbie Fraser, Mary Holland and Jean Thornton are Atta Girls - part of the Air Transport Auxiliary team flying planes between bases. Taking to the air in anything they're given, their work is dangerous but their courage always comes through. Now there's a new girl joining the ranks - Canadian Viv Robertson, who is bright, brash and brave. But can Viv settle into her new home with the other girls? And when life on the ground leaves them as vulnerable as in the air, can they stick together through the tough times ahead and ultimately fly to victory?A heart-warming, romantic story of friendship, camaraderie and triumph over adversity that fans of Donna Douglas, Nancy Revell and Elaine Everest will adore.----------------------------Readers love Jenny Holmes'A delight to read''I highly recommend this book, great job Jenny!''Really enjoyed this book cant wait to read the next one''Lovely historical drama''I love reading these books on life in WW2''A book you can't put down'By Jenny Holmes. 2019
**Don't miss Jenny Holmes's latest wartime series, The Air Raid Girls. Part 3 - The Air Raid Girls: Wartime Brides…
- is available now!**----------------------------'Anything to Anywhere!' That's the motto of the Air Transport Auxiliary, the brave team of female pilots who fly fighter planes between bases at the height of WWII. Mary is a driver for the ATA and although she yearns to fly a Spitfire, she fears her humble background will hold her back. After all, glamorous Angela is set to be the next 'Atta Girl' on recruitment posters. Bobbie learned to fly in her father's private plane and Jean was taught the queen's English at grammar school before joining the squad. Dedicated and resilient the three girls rule the skies: weathering storms and dodging enemy fire. Mary can only dream of joining them - until she gets the push she needs to overcome her self-doubt. Thrown together, the girls form a tight bond as they face the perils of their job. But they soon find that affairs of the heart can be just as dangerous as attacks from the skies. With all the fear and uncertainty ahead - can their friendship see them through the tests of war? A heart-warming, romantic story of friendship, camaraderie and triumph over adversity that fans of Donna Douglas, Nancy Revell and Call the Midwife will adore.---------------------------- Readers love Jenny Holmes: 'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review 'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review 'Loved the whole story' 5 star review 'This is a totally absorbing book' 5 star review 'An excellent read put together in fine style' 5 star review