Percival Everett breathes new life into Twain's picaresque tale, creating his own literary tour de force of humor, irony, and insight, all from James's point-of-view. Adventures clip along at a heart-pounding pace, and James's observations are dagger-sharp. His advice to the children in the quarters on how to speak to master and missum gave me a bitter laugh, taking me back to department meetings at a previous job, where the tacit rule was that we underlings must never name the trouble because the bosses must know everything before us (even when they don't). Everett's novel never patronizes readers or over-explains, instead, giving us just the right amount of everything, including brilliance.
'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' - Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha
James by Percival Everett is a profound and ferociously funny meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love, which reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. From the author of The Trees, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction.
The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new…
An Immense World expanded my understanding of the sensory experiences of living creatures far, far beyond a mere five senses. While listening to Ed Yong's charming narration of his phenomenal exploration into the ways that vastly different beings perceive the world, I also read along in the trade paperback and studied the accompanying photographs. The bay scallop with dozens of bright blue eyes made an indelible impression! As a writer and a generally curious person, I try to stay open to different ways of feeling and appreciate intricacy; Yong's book delivers a master class in both.
'Wonderful, mind-broadening... a journey to alternative realities as extraordinary as any you'll find in science fiction' The Times, Book of the Week
'Magnificent' Guardian
Enter a new dimension - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals.
The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every animal is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving only a tiny sliver of an immense world. This book welcomes us into previously unfathomable dimensions - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals.
Marble Hall Murders is the third mystery-within-a-mystery in Anthony Horowitz's trilogy, which began with Magpie Murders and includes Moonflower Murders. Horowitz adapted the first two books for Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS, and I hope to see the final book on screen in the new year. Each of the novels provides two mysteries for the price of one: an Atticus Pund case set in the 1950s and a contemporary conundrum faced by Susan Reyland, editor of the Pund mysteries. These novels are so well-crafted that I have read them more than once just to marvel at how Horowitz does what he does. In the third installment, I wondered how he could top what he'd already accomplished twice over--but Horowitz does it with flair!
'A masterclass in mystery writing' Ragnar Jonasson 'Expect plenty of puzzles, red herrings and juicy murders' Express 'Worthy of Agatha Christie' Publishers Weekly *Starred Review* 'The computer isn't born that can out-plot Horowitz . . . Glorious fun' The Daily Telegraph
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Susan Ryeland has had enough of murder.
She's edited two novels about the famous detective, Atticus Pund, and both times she's come close to being killed. Now she's back in England and she's been persuaded to work on a third.
The new 'continuation' novel is by Eliot Crace, grandson of Miriam Crace who was the biggest selling children's…
Lenore James, a woman of independent means who has outlived three husbands, is determined to disentangle her brother Gilbert from the beguiling Charlotte Eden. Chafing against misogyny and racism in the post-Civil War South, Lenore learns that Charlotte’s husband is enmeshed in the re-enslavement schemes of a powerful judge, and she worries that Gilbert’s adoration of Charlotte will lead him into disaster. Inspired by a production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, Lenore adopts the role of Paulina for herself to discover how far Charlotte’s husband bears the blame for his wife’s fate and whether or not he is capable of atonement. In her process of unraveling the intricacies of the lives of others, Lenore finds that Gilbert’s love for Charlotte is, indeed, his saving grace while Lenore’s passion for creative expression is her own.
