In today’s world, young lives cut
short by bombing are sadly commonplace. In November 1944, one of many such tragedies
occurred in London. The author of this astounding novel walked past a memorial
to the victims every day, and this became his inspiration.
What if five
imaginary children were not robbed of
their futures in this brutal way? What would they have done with their lives? Jo, Val, Vern, Alec, and Ben are fictional, but their messy, credible stories are
explored in a deeply moving account of the social changes that played out in
Britain through the decades following the Second World War.
The writing is
beautiful, the detail rich, and I did not want to say goodbye to any of the
characters. It is a masterpiece.
Named a Best Book of the Year by TheNew York Times, NPR, Slate, Lit Hub, Fresh Air, and more
From the critically acclaimed and award‑winning author of Golden Hill, an “extraordinary…symphonic…casually stunning” (The Wall Street Journal) novel tracing the infinite possibilities of five lives in the bustling neighborhoods of 20th-century London.
Lunchtime on a Saturday, 1944: the Woolworths on Bexford High Street in South London receives a delivery of aluminum saucepans. A crowd gathers to see the first new metal in ages—after all, everything’s been melted down for the war effort. An instant later, the crowd is gone; incinerated. Among…
A character-driven story of good versus evil speaks as eloquently now as when it was first published in the 1940s. Wickedness comes in the form of a delinquent boy and a wicked witch in disguise. Together, this unscrupulous pair hatch a plan to lure the woodland creatures away from the much-loved shop under the willow tree when they launch a rival outlet.
Cleverly, the author gives the woodland animals recognizably human personalities, so they fall for a campaign of dirty tricks, empty promises, and misleading advertising, all designed to destroy the harmony of the wood.
Collins Modern Classics are relaunched with gorgeous new covers, bringing these timeless story to a new generation.
Deep in the enchanted forest Judy helps her granny run The Shop Under the Willow Tree. They sell all sorts of wonderful things, such as boxes of beautiful dreams carefully tied up with green ribbon.
But then Sam and the charming Miss Smith, a witch in disguise, open a rival business. The newcomers are not only cheating their customers, but also plotting to destroy Granny's shop.
When an
author has the skill to make a potentially dry subject an emotional page-turner, they have my deepest respect. This is a sweeping novel that relies on
meticulous historical research and a brilliant fictional main character to explain
how the first Oxford English Dictionary (OED) was compiled.
Against the
background of the suffragette movement, the First World War, and the British class system, the author shines a
light on some of the words that were discarded, who they belonged to, and why it
matters that they have legitimacy.
'An enchanting story about love, loss and the power of language' Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory
Sometimes you have to start with what's lost to truly find yourself...
Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood at her father's feet as he and his team gather words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary.
One day, she sees a slip of paper containing a forgotten word flutter to the floor unclaimed.
And so Esme begins to collect words for another dictionary in secret: The Dictionary of Lost Words. But to do so she must journey into a world…
Travel,
eating out, and live entertainment - the activities that enrich our lives - are
celebrated in an illuminating memoir of recent times. From adjusting to expat
life in Dubai and accounts of visits to eye-opening destinations around the
world, the author recalls a world before a global pandemic temporarily clipped
her wings.
Readers are
invited to take a stroll through Jordan’s legendary Rose City, experience
Kyiv’s fabulously eccentric toilet museum, sample street food in Singapore,
curry in Kerala, performance art in Hobart, and shopping in Iran.
A veritable pick
and mix of art, food, social comment, and iconic live performances, with the occasional
bizarre experience thrown in. All recounted with good humor and humanity.
