I have a fondness for what I call ‘salvaged families,’ something I explore time and time again in my own work, and this is a delicious story of remarkable individuals brought together by love, war, and art to create their own, delightful, salvaged family.
When Ulysses, a young British soldier, meets middle-aged art historian Evelyn in the wine cellar of an abandoned Tuscan villa in 1944, he has no idea how far both their lives will be affected by one small act of kindness.
Sarah Winman imbues her characters with warmth and hope, making you laugh and cry. I had to force myself to slow down towards the end, desperate though I was to find out what happened, because I could not bear to turn that final page and let them go.
A captivating, bighearted, richly tapestried story of people brought together by love, war, art, flood, and the ghost of E. M. Forster, by the celebrated author of Tin Man.
Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa. There, he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and recall long-forgotten memories of her…
I listened
to this on holiday. I had a limited luggage allowance, so I downloaded
something intelligent but fun. I am now a
audio book convert. Daisy Ridley is a superb narrator, conjuring the different
characters and their voices beautifully.
The premise is simple: two very
different women leave a local gym with the wrong bag and are literally forced
to walk in each other’s shoes. Although it seems light and witty, this novel has something serious to say.
JoJo Moyes launches us into a
sharply plotted story of mid-life female camaraderie involving a rich cast of
supporting characters from very different circumstances plotting and executing
their revenge against those who have underestimated them. Yum!
A story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances, this is the new novel from international sensation Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You and The Giver of Stars
'A delightful reverse-Cinderella story of two women who seem polar opposites - until circumstance forces them to experience each other's lives. Nobody writes women the way Jojo Moyes does - recognizably real and complex and funny and flawed' JODI PICOULT
Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else's shoes?
Meet Sam . . . She's not got much, but she's grateful for what she…
The dazzle of 1920s London and the release of
notorious Soho club owner Nellie Coker from prison echoes TV’s wicked family
dramas: Peaky Blinders, Sopranos, and Succession.
The characters spill onto the page and into
your heart. The Cocker empire is under threat from a rival and Detective
Inspector Frobisher, who is investigating the disappearances of several
young girls. Like two novels from my list of all-time favourites–Sarah
Waters’ Fingersmith and Beatrice Colin’s The Luminous Life Of Lily Aphrodite–this is a delicious mix of longing, satire, and mystery and draws us into a
world teeming with vibrant characters, excess and intrigue.
Atkinson’s
irreverent narrator creates a page-turning, edge-of-your-seat pace with her
darkly witty overview that could result in a tragedy at any moment.
'Atkinson on her finest form. A marvel of plate-spinning narrative knowhow, a peak performance of consummate control.' OBSERVER
'This is the perfect novel for uncertain times.' THE TIMES
'I can think of few writers other than Dickens who can match it' SUNDAY TIMES
'Brilliant' RICHARD OSMAN
'Kate Atkinson is simply one of the best writers working today, anywhere in the world' GILLIAN FLYNN
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1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries…
A multi-layered narrative spanning three generations of Polish migrants to a Lake District Peninsula in Morecambe Bay. Three extraordinary women; three broken loves and one magical landscape. 1937: Lew and Hania: a love interrupted by WWII. 1992: Renata and Ula: a love never acknowledged. 2011: Leo and Elka: a love built on secrets. Margaret is the connection, but who is she and can she transcend time to prevent tragedy? Historical and contemporary romance and something else altogether. An extraordinary tale of migration, salvaged families and the search for home.
