The residents of Ruby Street in London's East End are celebrating the new Queen's coronation in 1953. It's a new beginning for a nation still in the grip of rationing, still suffering the aftermath of the Blitz. But for Rose Weaver, the day is destined to end in tragedy when her husband Eddie is arrested on suspicion of theft. It's only the first of several unpleasant facts Rose will discover about the man she's been married to for the past 8 years, the man she thought she knew so well. Rose must draw on all her courage and resourcefulness to protect herself and her two daughters in the hard months ahead. It's only with the help of family, friends, and the good neighbors of Ruby Street that she has any chance of pulling through. And when a handsome salesman knocks at her door, it's hard to resist temptation.
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The author’s second novel, The Book of Days consists of a short story told each day by a man trying to talk himself back to sanity. A kind of literary sampler quilt, these daily inventions emulate the styles of everything from traditional ghost stories to the works of O’Henry and James Whitcomb Riley, from westerns to fifties science fiction to boy’s own adventure stories. As a sequence illustrating the narrator’s deep internal struggle, these dark stories take on additional weight, making each one a sharp shock that builds to an electrifying whole. Views: 42
He just witnessed a murder...and now the killer is on his trail.But no one will believe him!Ever since his parents drowned while crossing the Atlantic after a revival, Daniel Cooper has felt as if the world is out to get him. For the past year he's had to live with his Uncle Asa and Aunt Camilla -- and all their rules. One night, deciding he's had enough, Daniel sneaks out his bedroom window and flees to the alley behind his employer's casket shop. What he sees there shocks him to the core.Pursued by two men, Daniel embarks on an agonizing journey...through deceit and betrayal. A journey that will test his physical stamina and challenge his understanding of God and friendship. A journey that may well change his life...if it doesn't kill him first. Views: 42
In 1984 Antony Sher, hailed as "the most exciting actor of his generation" by the Observer, made his debut - on homemade crutches - as the infamous Richard III in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of the play. He would go on to win the Laurence Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for best actor. In his own words and sketches, he chronicles his personal and professional journey to this award-winning performance, from the moment he was offered the role to opening night, in the critically acclaimed book Year of the King, now available in this special 20th anniversary edition. From his brainstorm to use crutches to bring the king's deformity to life, to his research for the role, which included watching interviews with psychopaths, reading about mass murderers, and speaking with doctors and physically challenged individuals, to his visit to his homeland of South Africa, to his experiences in working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the reader is given a front-row seat to Sher's physical and mental preparation - or rather transformation - for his landmark performance as "the bottled spider."About the AuthorAntony Sher was born in South Africa and shot to fame as an actor for the Richard III that is the subject of this book. Other roles at the RSC include the Fool to Michael Gambon's Lear, Tamburlaine, Cyrano, Macbeth (with Harriet Walter) and, this year, Iago. He has published three novels, a book of his paintings and drawings and an autobiography, Beside Myself (Hutchinson 2001). His first play, I.D., premiered at the Almeida in 2003 with Sher in the lead. He was knighted in 2000. Views: 42
A sweeping story of loss, redemption, and fate that begins in 1982 during the bloody war between Iraq and Iran, when an Iranian child-soldier finds a young Iraqi soldier dying in a bunker and commits an astonishing act of bravery and kindness that changes the course of both their lives.An epic story of war, redemption, and hope. My Enemy, My Brother tells the incredible story of two men—one from Iraq, the other from Iran—who were destined to be mortal enemies, but instead found in each other mercy, kindness, and hope. Najah Aboud was conscripted in Iraq, in 1980, shortly after Saddam Hussein sent troops sweeping across the border—a disastrous attempt to overthrow Tehran's new government, led by Ayatollah Khomeini. In 1982, at age thirteen, Zahed Haftlang joined Iran's Basij paramilitary in Tehran's fight against neighbouring Iraq. The two young men found themselves fighting in one of the twentieth century's most brutal wars, a conflict... Views: 42
DI Mike Yorke is coming home. After three months in London, he's looking forward to being back in the north east - but he's barely off the train before he's deep into the most bizarre case of his career.A viciously flogged corpse. Children disappearing, the length of the A1. Horrific new street drugs. And buried somewhere is a deadly secret that will lead him down paths so dangerous, he will question the very fabric of society.In the first in a stunning new series set on Holy Island, an explosive secret going back to the dawn of time is unearthed by a young woman who, fearing for her life, goes on the run in the wilds of Northumbria. The fate of the world is in the hands of DI Mike Yorke, and abused clairvoyant street kid called 'Smiler', and Mike's elderly Aunt May. Everyone from the lowlifes of the London streets to the monks near Holy Island become involved in a race against time to save humanity.From the celebrated author of the Seahills Estate novels comes a BRAND... Views: 42
