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Mr. Universe: And Other Plays
by Jim GrimsleyGeorge Oppenheimer Award for Best New American Playwright; Bryan Prize for Drama by the Fellowship of Southern Writers. In this collection, critically acclaimed novelist Jim Grimsley reveals his great gifts as a playwright in four powerful, award-winning plays presenting different worlds in collision and convergence. In "Mr. Universe," the rescue of a mute bodybuilder from the gritty streets of New Orleans by a couple of drag queens brings out the best and worst in them. In "The Lizard of Tarsus," an imprisoned Jesus (called J.) is interrogated by an ambitious follower, Paul of Tarsus. In "The Borderland," neighboring families representing two very different social classes are brought together during a storm. And in "Math and Aftermath," the two worlds of pornography and nuclear testing collide during a film shoot in the Marshall Islands. These plays (introduced by Romulus Linney, Reynolds Price, Kaye Gibbons, and Craig Lucas) demonstrate the differences that are matters of perception; together they establish Grimsley as a dramatist with imagination and nerve. A STAGE AND SCREEN BOOK CLUB selection.
Mr Verdant Green: Nonsuch Classics
by Cuthbert BedeThe adventures of Mr Verdant Green, an Oxford freshman, is a wonderfully amusing and engaging account of a naïve university student, thrown into life amongst the hallowed halls of this famous institution. Upon the publication of its first part in 1853, this work quickly became something of a cult novel, and the second and third parts quickly followed. All three parts are published together in this volume. Widely regarded as a classic of its age, it evokes a sense of the work of Jerome K Jerome, or the kind of scenarios of which P G Wodehouse might have written, had the bent of Bertie Wooster been somewhat more academic. This work is also hugely complimented by the original illustrations of the author. A contemporary and friend of George Cruikshank and Leech, Bede's illustrations were widely regarded as being of the same calibre as both. From 1847 to 1855, his work was published in 'Punch Magazine', as well as 'The Month', and 'The Town and Country Miscellany'. John Betjeman paid tribute to Mr Verdant Green by using its illustrations ini 'An Old University Chest' (1938). Consistently the most popular of Cuthbert Bede's output, 'Mr Verdant Green' is a well-loved classic that is truly deserving of the name.
Mr Vertigo (El\balancí Ser. #Vol. 381)
by Paul Auster'I was twelve years old the first time I walked on water . . .'So begins Mr Vertigo, the story of Walt, an irrepressible orphan from the Mid-West. Under the tutelage of the mesmerising Master Yehudi, Walt is taken back to the mysterious house on the plains to prepare not only for the ability to fly, but also for the stardom that will accompany it.At the same time a delighted race through 1920s Americana and a richly allusive parable, Mr Vertigo is a compelling, magical novel - a work of true originality by a writer at the height of his powers. 'A virtuoso piece of storytelling by a master of the modern American fable.' The Independent
Mr Wigg
by Inga SimpsonJack used to say that a good orchard was like a well-lived life. The one up at the old farm, with its hundred-year-old pears leaning over the entrance gates, held more Wigg history than anything written down.It's the summer of 1971, not far from the stone-fruit capital of New South Wales, where Mr Wigg lives on what's left of the family farm. He spends his time working in the orchard, cooking and preserving his produce and, when it's on, watching the cricket. It's a full life.Things are changing though, with Australia and England playing a one-day match, and his new neighbours planting grapes for wine. His wife died a few years ago, his daughter never visits, and his son thinks he should move into town. But Mr Wigg has trees and chickens to look after on the farm. His grandchildren visit often: to cook, eat and hear stories. And he has a project to finish...
Mr Wilder and Me
by Jonathan Coe**The dazzling new novel from the prize-winning, bestselling author of Middle England** 'As good as anything he's written - a novel to cherish' Observer_______________________________________________________In the heady summer of 1977, a naïve young woman called Calista sets out from Athens to venture into the wider world. On a Greek island that has been turned into a film set, she finds herself working for the famed Hollywood director Billy Wilder, about whom she knows almost nothing. But the time she spends in this glamorous, unfamiliar new life will change her for good.While Calista is thrilled with her new adventure, Wilder himself is living with the realisation that his star may be on the wane. Rebuffed by Hollywood, he has financed his new film with German money, and when Calista follows him to Munich for the shooting of further scenes, she finds herself joining him on a journey of memory into the dark heart of his family history. In a novel that is at once a tender coming-of-age story and an intimate portrait of one of cinema's most intriguing figures, Jonathan Coe turns his gaze on the nature of time and fame, of family and the treacherous lure of nostalgia. When the world is catapulting towards change, do you hold on for dear life or decide it's time to let go?_______________________________________________________'A beautiful, bittersweet novel that is itself crying out for the silver screen treatment' Scotsman'Effortlessly pleasurable and deceptively simple' The Times'Utterly charming, deeply poignant and ultimately uplifting' Mail on Sunday'A charming, bittersweet book, and a perfect reminder of art's value in stark times' Spectator
Mr Wong Goes West: A Feng Shui Detective Novel (Feng Shui Ser. #5)
by Nury VittachiPraise for Nury Vittachi's Feng Shui Detective series: 'Witty and pacy' The Telegraph 'Sharp satire' Independent On Sunday 'Wacky, original and fun' Independent On Sunday Feng shui detective C.F. Wong is not a fan of western culture, so it seems as if his worst nightmare has come true when he gets an assignment to deal with Brits in Hong Kong. They ask him to fly with them to London, where the Queen wants Buckingham Palace feng shuied to rid the Royal family of its long run of bad luck. But with over 600 rooms in the palace - including 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms - is this an assignment too far or a deliberate distraction?
Mr Wroe's Virgins
by Jane RogersIn 1830, as the end of the world approached, the charismatic, hunchbacked prophet of a religious sect settled in Lancashire heeds the biblical injunction and chooses seven virgins 'for comfort and succour'. Basing her novel on the life of the real John Wroe, a leader of a group called the Christian Israelite Church, Rogers crafts an impeccable narrative, interweaving the diverse mindsets of some of the chosen women and the prophet during the nine months of complex interaction. Part morality tale, part history, packed with accurate details of early 19th century life, the stories of Leah, Joanna, Hannah and Martha unfold as they cope with the hypocrisy, blind beliefs and idealism of the sexually threatening prophet.Told with humour, irony and a generosity that embraces even the sinister Wroe, this is a compelling story of astonishing depth, elucidating religious idealism, the beginnings of socialism and the ubiquitous position of women as unpaid labourers.
Mr Wrong: Lover, loser or Ladies' Man? The true confessions of
by Elizabeth Jane HowardFrom the bestselling author of the Cazelet Chronicles comes Elizabeth Jane Howard's Mr Wrong, a collection of short stories.In this dazzling short story collection, including Mr Wrong, The Devoted and Three Miles Up, master storyteller, Elizabeth Jane Howard, illustrates her renowned style and delicious wit. From a family Christmas, to a house-party in France, and a haunting journey into the macabre, Howard explores the subtle tensions of relationships; from flat-sharing to adultery. Funny, perceptive and spine-tingling, Howard's stories are sure to delight.
Mr Wrong Number: TikTok made me buy it! The addictive romance for fans of The Love Hypothesis
by Lynn PainterBad luck has always followed Olivia. But when a steamy text from a random number turns into the most entertaining relationship of her life, it seems things are looking up... Colin has always considered Olivia his flatmate's annoying little sister. Until she moves in with them, and he realizes she's turned into an altogether sexier distraction... He's determined to keep his distance, but it isn't easy. Especially when he discovers she's the girl he's been secretly messaging. Now, Mr Wrong Number must make a decision. Should he shut down the messages, before things get messy? Or turn up the heat...?
Mr. X (Planeta Internacional Ser. #Vol. 1060)
by Peter StraubThe award-winning supernatural thriller from the acclaimed author of Ghost Story, Koko, The Throat and The Talisman.
Mrs.: A Novel
by Caitlin MacyIn the well-heeled milieu of New York's Upper East Side, coolly elegant Philippa Lye is the woman no one can stop talking about. Despite a shadowy past, Philippa has somehow married the scion of the last family-held investment bank in the city. And although her wealth and connections put her in the center of this world, she refuses to conform to its gossip-fueled culture. Then, into her precariously balanced life, come two women: Gwen Hogan, a childhood acquaintance who uncovers an explosive secret about Philippa's single days, and Minnie Curtis, a newcomer whose vast fortune and frank revelations about a penurious upbringing in Spanish Harlem put everyone on alert. When Gwen's husband, a heavy-drinking, obsessive prosecutor in the US Attorney's Office, stumbles over the connection between Philippa's past and the criminal investigation he is pursuing at all costs, this insulated society is forced to confront the rot at its core and the price it has paid to survive into the new millennium. Macy has written a modern-day House of Mirth, not for the age of railroads and steel but of hedge funds and overnight fortunes, of scorched-earth successes and abiding moral failures. A brilliant portrait of love, betrayal, fate and chance, Mrs. marries razor-sharp social critique and page-turning propulsion into an unforgettable tapestry of the way we live in the 21st Century. "Mrs. could be the next Big Little Lies."-EW "Macy skewers power parents in this entertaining, sharp-eyed portrayal of privilege and it's price"-People Magazine
Mrs Ali's Road To Happiness: Number 4 in series (Marriage Bureau For Rich People #4)
by Farahad ZamaMrs Ali's much loved home is suddenly under threat - a road widening scheme threatens to destroy both it and the family business, the Marriage Bureau for Rich People. Meanwhile, Mrs Ali's niece, Pari, a young Muslim widow, adopts a destitute Hindu boy, and this unorthodox arrangement offends both Muslim and Hindu in the sleepy eastern Indian town of Vizag. The Ali family are plunged into crisis, threated by police action, social boycott and excommunication.There is one plan that might just keep Pari and her son together, and the home Mr and Mrs Ali have shared for many years intact, but it's a desperate gamble. Do they risk everything for a small chance of success? But can they afford not to?
Mrs Ames: The Bloomsbury Group
by E. F. BensonReigning over a social merry-go-round of dinners and parties, Mrs Ames is the undisputed queen bee of Riseborough. That is, until vivacious new villager Mrs Evans catches the eye of both her son and her husband. Not content with captivating the men in her life, 'that wonderful creature' Mrs Evans becomes not just rival to Mrs Ames' marriage, but rival to her village throne. When the whole of Riseborough is invited to Mrs Evans' masked costume party, action must be taken. As the date looms, the irrepressible Mrs Ames resolves to seize the chance to win back her position, and thus, her man.
Mrs. Ames: A Novel
by E. F. BensonE. F. Benson, best known for his irresistible Mapp and Lucia novels set in the fictional town of Tilling, England, was a prolific and beloved novelist. Though the Mapp and Lucia books remain popular to this day, this kindred book will be back in print for the first time since its initial publication.The son of E. W. Benson, archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 to 1896, the young E. F. Benson was educated at Marlborough School and at King's College, Cambridge. After graduation he worked in Athens for the British School of Archaeology from 1892 to 1895, and later in Egypt for the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. In 1893 he published Dodo, a novel that attracted wide attention. It was followed by a number of other successful novels, including his hugely popular Mapp and Lucia series. In 1938 he was made an honorary fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge. He died in February 1940.Praise for Mrs. Ames:"An extraordinary study in comedy and quite the best thing artistically that Mr. Benson has done."-New York Times
Mrs A's Indian Gentlemen
by Neil McCallum‘I think attention is going to be drawn no matter what,’ Billy pointed out. ‘We’re three – well, two and a half – Indians walking through a town that hasn’t seen a foreigner since they hanged a monkey 150 years ago thinking it was Napoleon.’ In 1943, as war rages across Europe, Britain’s Great Western Railway (GWR) Works’ labour force is comprised of a few men too valuable, old or infirm for active service and thousands of recently recruited women. With critical skills in short supply, the British government looks to the empire to provide vital expertise in the run up to the D-Day invasion. And that is how railway engineer Imtiaz ‘Billy’ Khan, logistics supremo Vincent Rosario and maths prodigy Akaash Ray find themselves in Swindon, lodging with the well-intentioned Mrs A, hilariously navigating bland food, faulty toilet cisterns, secret assignments and a mutual distrust of each other. Sparkling with wit, Mrs A’s Indian Gentlemen is a rollicking tale of misadventure that delightfully portrays what happens when cultures collide.
Mrs Barbour's Daughters (Oberon Modern Plays)
by Aj TaudevinIn 1915, Mary Barbour led 20,000 women in Glasgow’s Rent Strikes. Mary Barbour’s Army fought against evictions from their homes with bundles of washing, cooking pots and wooden spoons. They won. 100 years on, an old woman sits in a sinking Govan tenement, battling her memories and reaching for an idea of a time which put all of us first. Mrs Barbour’s Daughters, by award-winning playwright AJ Taudevin, charts a family history of sisterhood and betrayal interwoven in a social history of women’s resistance incorporating worker, protest and popular songs from the last 100 years.
Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat (A Roald Dahl Short Story)
by Roald DahlMrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat is a brilliant gem of a short story from Roald Dahl, the master of the sting in the tail.In Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat, Roald Dahl, one of the world's favourite authors, tells a sinister story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a wife pawns her lover's parting gift with unexpected consequences . . .Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat is taken from the short story collection Kiss Kiss, which includes ten other devious and shocking stories, featuring the husband and wife who hit upon a novel way to feed their new baby; the priceless piece of furniture that is the subject of a deceitful bargain; a wronged woman taking revenge on her dead husband, and others.'Unnerving bedtime stories, subtle, proficient, hair-raising and done to a turn.' (San Francisco Chronicle )This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Stephanie Beacham.Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.
Mrs Boots (Mrs Boots #1)
by Deborah CarrA gripping historical novel inspired by Florence Boot, the woman behind the nation’s favourite chemist!
Mrs Boots of Pelham Street (Mrs Boots #2)
by Deborah CarrBehind every family there’s a strong woman holding them together
Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook: To Travelling Upon The Ankh-morpork And Sto Plains Hygienic Railway
by Terry PratchettAuthorised by Mr Lipwig of the Ankh-Morpork and Sto Plains Hygienic Railway himself, Mrs Georgina Bradshaw’s invaluable guide to the destinations and diversions of the railway deserves a place in the luggage of any traveller, or indeed armchair traveller, upon the Disc. *From the twine walk of Great Slack to the souks of Zemphis: edifying sights along the route *Ticketing, nostrums and transporting your swamp dragon: essential hints on the practicalities of travel * Elegant resorts and quaint inns: respectable and sanitary lodgings for all species and heights. * From worm-herding to Fustic Cake: diverting trivia on the crafts, foods and brassica traditions of the many industrious people for whom the railway is now a vital link to the Century of the Anchovy Fully illustrated and replete with useful titbits, Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook offers a view of the Sto Plains like no other.
Mrs Bridge: A Novel By Auother Of Mrs Bridge (Picador Bks.)
by Evan S. ConnellEvan S. Connell's Mrs Bridge is an extraordinary tragicomic portrayal of suburban life and one of the classic American novels of the twentieth century, influencing books such as Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. This edition has an introduction by Joshua Ferris, author of Then We Came to the End and The Unnamed. Mrs Bridge, an unremarkable and conservative housewife in Kansas City, has three children and a kindly lawyer husband. She spends her time shopping, going to bridge parties and bringing up her children to be pleasant, clean and have nice manners. And yet she finds modern life increasingly baffling, her children aren't growing up into the people she expected, and sometimes she has the vague disquieting sensation that all is not well in her life. In a series of comic, telling vignettes, Evan S. Connell illuminates the narrow morality, confusion, futility and even terror at the heart of a life of plenty.The companion novel, Mr Bridge, telling the story from the other side of the marriage, is published in early 2013 in Penguin Modern Classics, with an introduction by Lionel Shriver, author of We Need to Talk About Kevin.'How it is done I only wish I knew' Dorothy Parker
Mrs Budley Falls from Grace: A Novel Of Regency England - Being The Third Volume Of The Poor Relation (The Poor Relation #3)
by M.C. BeatonAnother Poor Relation has to resort to genteel thievery to make end meet - but she gets much more than she bargains for!Cut off by her own relations, pretty, dainty widow Eliza Budley must visit some other family manor to purloin expensive baubles. Happily, the rich Marquess of Peterhouse is in his dotage and wouldn't know a relative from a bedpost, so Eliza is sent to play the imposter.But things do not go as planned and Eliza is met by the new Marquess - wickedly handsome, and with all his wits about him. And somehow Eliza finds herself confessing her bluff to him and he in turn is much taken with her daring and charm - but can he fall in love with such a scheming widow from the world of trade? Time for the other Poor Relations to get involved and help these confused lovers!
Mrs C Remembers
by Himanjali SankarMrs Anita Chatterjee, wife to one of Kolkata's most successful men, has lived a bustling life managing her husband's large household and mingling regularly with the high and mighty. Her daughter, Sohini, is an artist living in Delhi with an unconventional partner. As Mrs C begins to engage with their ideas, she finds she can no longer ignore the tumultuous world outside. Soon she is diagnosed with a formidable medical condition, one that will allow her to let down her guard and come into her own. Unflinching and darkly funny, Mrs C Remembers is a piercing exploration of the limits of submission, of illness and upheaval, and the unfathomable powers of the human mind.
Mrs Caliban and other stories
by Rachel Ingalls'I loved Mrs Caliban. So deft and austere in its prose, so drolly casual in its fantasy...' John UpdikeFirst published in 1982, Mrs Caliban was in 1986 selected by the British Book Marketing Council as one of the 20 best post-war American novels.'Ingalls takes a B-movie premise (aquatic humanoid escapes from lab) and pounds it into a thrilling new shape - a vehicle for social satire, kitchen-sink realism, surreal domesticity, and just plain blood-curdling screams. The book deals with incest and insanity, curtailed feminine social spheres and the Other; horrific violence and a palpable sadness saturate the pages.' Ed Park, Village Voice This volume also includes two story collections, Three of a Kind and The End of Tragedy, so making a tremendous primer in the subtle prose style and fabulist force of Rachel Ingalls.