Novel

Set in the mid-19th century, and written from the author's first-hand experience, North and South follows the story of the heroine's movement from the tranquil but moribund ways of southern England to the vital but turbulent north. Elizabeth Gaskell's skilful narrative uses an unusual love story to show how personal and public lives were woven together in a newly industrial society. This is a tale of hard-won triumphs - of rational thought over prejudice and of humane care over blind deference to the market. Readers in the twenty-first century will find themselves absorbed as this Victorian novel traces the origins of problems and possibilities which are still challenging a hundred and fifty years later: the complex relationships, public and private, between men and women of different classes.

"One day after the races, I sat down and wrote the heading Notes of a Dirty Old Man, opened a beer, and the writing got done by itself... Just sit by the window, lift the beer and let it come. Anything that wanted to arrive, arrived."

This collection of Bukowski's columns for an underground LA newspaper epitomizes his style of gritty realism. Writing as himself, or his alter-ego, Henry Chinaski, Bukowski delves into America's lowlife to eulogise life's losers and antiheroes. Packed with violence, women, gambling and booze, Bukowski's semi-autobiographical stories veer between hilarity and despair, as he extols the inherent beauty and futility of life.
Charles Bukowski was one of America's best-known and most prolific writers. During his lifetime Bukowski published more than forty-five books of poetry and prose including the novels "Post Office" (1971), "Factotum" (1975), "Women" (1978) and "Pulp" (1994), all available from Virgin Books.

Arthur Maxley is a tense and listless young man. One day he receives a letter from his long-estranged father. Arthur's fear and aversion to the man is powerful, yet his compulsion to see his father is irresistible. After their meeting, Arthur is propelled into a night of drinking and spontaneous intimacy with a beautiful young woman. But as the memories of childhood trauma surface and disorientate, Arthur's night out rises towards the pitch of disaster.

'Two days after Notre Dame burned, I flew to Paris to appear on the TV programme La Grande Librairie for a discussion about cathedrals. The following morning I had breakfast at the Hotel Bristol with my French publisher and she asked me to write a short book about Notre Dame and what it means to all of us. She said she would donate the publisher's profits to the rebuilding fund and, if I wished, I could do the same with my royalties. Yes, I said; of course, I'd love to.' Ken FollettIn aid of the crucial restoration work to restore Paris's great cathedral, Notre-Dame: A Short History of the Meaning of Cathedrals is a moving, short piece of non-fiction celebrating the stunning history of this beloved building, from Ken Follett, author of the multi-million copy selling Kingsbridge series. This edition contains an exclusive extract from The Evening and the Morning, a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth, publishing Autumn 2020. A minimum of 50p per copy on each sale of this book will go to the charity La Fondation du Patrimoine.

Setting sail, hero Odysseus dreams of lying in the arms of his beloved wife Penelope, and of teaching his son Telemachus a warrior's ways. However, gods toy with the desires of little mortals. Angered by this upstart's presumption, Poseidon - God of the ocean realms - curses our hero to wander the seas for ten long years. Encountering one-eyed giants, six-headed monsters, terrible storms, titanic whirlpools, hypnotic sirens, seductive witches and jealous goddesses, Odysseus is tempted and tormented beyond any man's endurance. Yet he is no mere mortal - and the lure of his wife and son draws him, step by step, stroke by stroke, ever closer to home and his destiny .

George and his large, simple-minded friend Lennie are drifters, following wherever work leads them. Arriving in California's Salinas Valley, they get work on a ranch. If they can just stay out of trouble, George promises Lennie, then one day they might be able to get some land of their own and settle down some place. But kind-hearted, childlike Lennie is a victim of his own strength. Seen by others as a threat, he finds it impossible to control his emotions. And one day not even George will be able to save him from trouble.

Of Mice and Men is a tragic and moving story of friendship, loneliness and the dispossessed, with a stunning new cover by renowned artist Bijou Karman.

Ο διάσημος αριστερός ντοκιμαντερίστας Λέοναρντ Φάιφ υπήρξε ένας από τους 60.000 Αμερικανούς που διέφυγαν στον Καναδά για να αποφύγουν την επιστράτευση κατά τη διάρκεια του Πολέμου του Βιετνάμ. Ο Φάιφ, στα εβδομήντα οχτώ του πια, πεθαίνει από καρκίνο στο Μόντρεαλ και συμφωνεί να δώσει μια τελευταία συνέντευξη, όπου είναι αποφασισμένος να φανερώσει όλα του τα μυστικά, για να απομυθοποιηθεί η μυθοποιημένη ζωή του. Τη συνέντευξη θα κινηματογραφήσει ο φιλόδοξος σκηνοθέτης Μάλκολμ Μακλίοντ, μαθητής και φανατικός οπαδός του. Στα γυρίσματα συμ- μετέχουν η παραγωγός, ο διευθυντής φωτογραφίας και η ηχολήπτρια του Μάλκολμ, ενώ παρευρίσκεται και η σύζυγος του Φάιφ, η Έμμα. Όλοι αυτοί οι άνθρωποι, που θαύμαζαν απεριόριστα τον Φάιφ και το έργο του, καλούνται τώρα να αποκρυπτογραφήσουν και να κατανοήσουν τη σοκαριστική του εξομολόγηση.
Ξετυλίγοντας ευφάνταστα το κουβάρι των αναμνήσεων του Φάιφ, και καταγράφοντας ταυτόχρονα τις αντιδράσεις των προσώπων που παρακολουθούν την εξομολόγησή του, το παρόν μυθιστόρημα ρίχνει νέο φως σε ένα σημαντικό χαμένο κεφάλαιο της αμερικανικής ιστορίας, αλλά και στη φύση της ίδιας τής μνήμης. Ο Ράσελ Μπανκς μάς προσφέρει ένα τολμηρό βιβλίο για τη μυστηριώδη ζωή ενός ανθρώπου, όπως αποκαλύπτεται μέσα από τα θραύσματα του παρελθόντος του, που ξαναζωντανεύει με συναρπαστικό τρόπο.

'Extraordinary' Irish TimesTom Kettle, a retired policeman, and widower, is settling into the quiet of his new home in Dalkey, overlooking the sea. His solitude is interrupted when two former colleagues turn up at his door to ask about a traumatic, decades-old case. A case that Tom never quite came to terms with. And his peace is further disturbed when his new neighbour, a mysterious young mother, asks for his help. A beautiful, haunting novel, in which nothing is quite as it seems, Old God's Time is an unforgettable exploration of family, loss and love. 'A wonderful, brutal, utterly compelling book .

A stunning new edition of Elizabeth Strout's modern classic Olive Kitteridge might be described by some as a battle axe or as brilliantly pushy, by others as the kindest person they had ever met. Olive herself has always been certain that she is 100% correct about everything - although, lately, her certitude has been shaken. This indomitable character appears at the centre of these narratives that comprise Olive Kitteridge. In each of them, we watch Olive, a retired schoolteacher, as she struggles to make sense of the changes in her life and the lives of those around her - always with brutal honesty, if sometimes painfully. Olive will make you laugh, nod in recognition, as well as wince in pain or shed a tear or two. We meet her stoic husband, bound to her in a marriage both broken and strong, and her own son, tyrannised by Olive's overbearing sensitivities. The reader comes away, amazed by this author's ability to conjure this formidable heroine and her deep humanity that infiltrates every page.

Dickens had already achieved renown with The Pickwick Papers. With Oliver Twist his reputation was enhanced and strengthened. The novel contains many classic Dickensian themes - grinding poverty, desperation, fear, temptation and the eventual triumph of good in the face of great adversity. Oliver Twist features some of the author's most enduring characters, such as Oliver himself who dares to ask for more), the tyrannical Bumble, the diabolical Fagin, the menacing Bill Sikes, Nancy and 'the Artful Dodger'. For any reader wishing to delve into the works of the great Victorian literary colossus, Oliver Twist is, without doubt, an essential title.