In this little-known classic of Italian literature, young Arturo grows up in near-isolation on the island of Procida in the Bay of Naples. His mother died in childbirth and his wayward father, who lef
A Telegraph and Spectator Book of the Year In 1921, Françoise Frenkel - a Jewish woman from Poland - opens her first bookshop in Berlin. It is a dream come true. The dream lasts nearly two decades. Th
In 1902, the young German writer Rainer Maria Rilke traveled to Paris to write a monograph on the sculptor Auguste Rodin. He returned many times over the course of his life, by turns inspired and appa
A Life is the gruelling tale of the frustrated existence of a bank clerk with a poetic soul. The artistic aspirations of the protagonist and the emptiness of his daily life become tragic in the great
A quixotic and funny tale about first love - from the Akutagawa Prize-winning author.A boy is obsessed with a woman who sells sandwiches. He goes to the supermarket almost every day, just so he can lo
In the opulent palace of Ohaddin, women have one purpose - to obey. Some were brought here as girls, captured and enslaved; some as servants; some as wives. All of them must do what the Master tells t
It's the end of the holidays for Mark, Annie and Pudding (real name: Derek). They've spent the summer in a cottage on the edge of a forest in the countryside, but they haven't had any really exciting
In this exquisite new colouring book, you can follow the classic story of The Wild Swans while you colour in the story. Bring to life the storms, the birds and the stinging nettles. Colour in the jour
The less I felt in myself, the more strongly I was drawn to those places where the whirligig of life spins most rapidly.So begins an extraordinary day in the life of Mrs C - recently bereaved and sear
A Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph Book of the Year 'Fans of The Letter for the King will be delighted with its sequel' Sunday Times 'Action-packed drama' Daily Mail One of the King's most trusted kni
Having fled to Paris in January 1933, on the very day Hitler seized power in Germany, Joseph Roth wrote a series of articles in that 'hour before the end of the world', that he foresaw was coming and
Shif is just an ordinary schoolboy who loves chess and playing with his best friend. But, one day, he is forced to leave home to avoid conscription into the army. He embarks on an epic journey, in whi
In the early hours of the morning, a woman is found in the elevator of a plush apartment block on Santa Fe Road, Buenos Aires. She's young, gorgeous and dead. With this opening image starts one of the
Jacob has saved his brother from the Mirrorworld, but now he will pay a terrible price. A fairy's curse is burning in his heart, and to break the spell he must embark upon a perilous journey - with hi
A cop receives a mission - to win the confidence of an enemy spy, currently in prison, and so to expose destroy his spy ring. What better way to allay his suspicions than for the policeman to enter th
'I tend my herd and flock by day so I have to read into the night; I cannot put it down' Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows I Want to find out how they behave when they're free Len Howa
The life of the painter Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) was chaotic and tragically brief. Consisting of a series of vignettes, mostly set in the painter's studio and peopled by his lover Jeanne Hébutern
The worldwide classic 'I've always thought of Zezé as a younger Holden Caulfield, and like The Catcher in the Rye this is a book that once read is never forgotten' Burhan Sönmez (Turkey) Meet Zezé - B
While working for his uncle, Alexis Hartz is introduced to Laura who shares his scientific interests, and in particular his fascination for crystals. To his amazement Laura has discovered a way to ent
Fat seemed to be getting fatter under Queen Victoria: Tweedledum and Tweedledee; Joe "the fat boy" in The Pickwick Papers; even the first known report of childhood obesity in 1859. But for the short,
