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The Believers
by Zoë HellerZoë Heller's darkly comic third novel, The Believers explores a family pushed to its limits. When Audrey makes a devastating discovery about her husband, New York radial lawyer Joel Litvinoff, she is forced to re-examine everything she thought she knew about their forty-year marriage. Joel's children will soon have to come to terms with this unsettling secret themselves, but for the meantime, they are trying tot cope with their own dilemmas.Rosa, a disillusioned revolutionary, is grappling with a new found attachment to Orthodox Judaism. Karla, an unhappily married social worker, is falling in love with an unlikely suitor at the hospital where she works. Adopted brother Lenny is back on drugs again.In the course of battling their own demons and each other, every member of the family is called upon to decide what - if anything - they still believe in.'Profoundly satisfying. No other novel would readily stand in its stead . . . pulses with thematic and intellectual content . . . Heller's prose is clean, warm and smart' Lionel Shriver, Daily Telegraph'Astonishingly well-observed and stunningly written, a subtle, funny family farce . . . in its thundering confidence,The Believers is the work of a writer at the top of her game' GuardianZoë Heller is the author of three novels, Everything You Know, Notes on a Scandal, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2003 and The Believers. The 2006 film adaptation of Notes on a Scandal, starring Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench, received four Oscar nominations. She lives in New York.
The Believers are But Brothers (Oberon Modern Plays)
by Javaad AlipoorWe live in a time where old orders are collapsing: from the postcolonial nation states of the Middle East, to the EU and the American election. Through it all, tech savvy and extremist groups rip up political certainties.Amidst this, a generation of young men find themselves burning with resentment, without the money, power and sex they think they deserve. This crisis of masculinity leads them into an online world of fantasy, violence and reality.The Believers Are But Brothers envelops its audience in this digital realm, weaving us into the webs of resentment, violence and power networks that are eating away at the structures of the twentieth century. This bold one-man show explores the smoke and mirrors world of online extremism, anonymity and hate speech.
Believing in Tomorrow
by Rita BradshawBelieving in Tomorrow is the new epic family saga from the top ten bestselling author of The Storm Child, Rita Bradshaw.Molly McKenzie is only eleven years old when her abusive father beats her to within an inch of her life. Escaping from the hovel she calls home, Molly is found by kind fisherfolk, sick and near death. With them she experiences the love of a family for the first time and, even though life is hard, she is content.Time passes and Molly’s looking ahead to a future with the boy she loves, but then a terrible tragedy rips her life apart. Once again she’s cast adrift in an uncaring world, but Molly is made of stern stuff and is determined to survive.In the male-dominated society of the early 1900s, Molly has to fight prejudice and hatred, and rejection comes from all sides. Can she hold fast and become the woman she is destined to be?
Believing the Lie: An Inspector Lynley Novel: 14 (Inspector Lynley #17)
by Elizabeth GeorgeDetective Inspector Lynley is approached by business magnate Bernard Fairclough for a confidential review - not a formal investigation - of the circumstances of his nephew's demise. The coroner's verdict is accidental death. Still grieving for his murdered wife, Lynley has personal reasons for welcoming a spell away from London. He heads to the wild beauty of the Lake District, with Deborah and Simon St James to provide cover for his inquiries. Barbara Havers, back at base, makes her own unique contribution to the case, distracted only by Isabelle's ambitions to improve her Detective Sergeant's appearance. When he comes to know the various members of the extended Fairclough dynasty, Lynley finds many possible motives for murder, and uncovers layers of deceit and betrayal that expose the lies at the heart of the Cumbrian community.
Belinda
by Maria EdgeworthWhen Belinda Portman, a sheltered young woman, is sent to live with the worldly and charming Lady Delacour, their blossoming friendship is quickly tested by the lady's paranoia and jealously. And when Belinda departs to live with the Percival family, the rift between the two women seems irreparable. But when Lady Delacour, believing herself terminally ill, calls for Belinda's companionship, the young woman sets her own feelings aside and returns to reconcile with her former friend.
Belinda (Oxford World's Classics)
by Maria Edgeworth'It is singular, that my having spent a winter with one of the most dissipated women in England should have sobered my mind so completely.' Maria Edgeworth's 1801 novel, Belinda, is an absorbing, sometimes provocative, tale of social and domestic life among the English aristocracy and gentry. The heroine of the title, only too conscious of being 'advertised' on the marriage market, grows in moral maturity as she seeks to balance self-fulfilment with achieving material success. Among those whom she encounters are the socialite Lady Delacour, whose brilliance and wit hide a tragic secret, the radical feminist Harriot Freke, the handsome and wealthy Creole gentleman Mr Vincent, and the mercurial Clarence Hervey, whose misguided idealism has led him into a series of near-catastrophic mistakes. In telling their story Maria Edgeworth gives a vivid picture of life in late eighteenth-century London, skilfully showing both the attractions of leisured society and its darker side, and blending drawing-room comedy with challenging themes involving serious illness, obsession, slavery and interracial marriage.
Belinda (Oxford World's Classics)
by Maria Edgeworth'It is singular, that my having spent a winter with one of the most dissipated women in England should have sobered my mind so completely.' Maria Edgeworth's 1801 novel, Belinda, is an absorbing, sometimes provocative, tale of social and domestic life among the English aristocracy and gentry. The heroine of the title, only too conscious of being 'advertised' on the marriage market, grows in moral maturity as she seeks to balance self-fulfilment with achieving material success. Among those whom she encounters are the socialite Lady Delacour, whose brilliance and wit hide a tragic secret, the radical feminist Harriot Freke, the handsome and wealthy Creole gentleman Mr Vincent, and the mercurial Clarence Hervey, whose misguided idealism has led him into a series of near-catastrophic mistakes. In telling their story Maria Edgeworth gives a vivid picture of life in late eighteenth-century London, skilfully showing both the attractions of leisured society and its darker side, and blending drawing-room comedy with challenging themes involving serious illness, obsession, slavery and interracial marriage.
Belinda Bares Up
by Yolanda CelbridgeBritain, 1947. Schoolteacher Belinda Beaucui enters a twilight world of spivs, stolen nylons and flagellant parties and soon learns that post-war England is anything but austere. Teaching sultry girls in British Somaliland, meanwhile, requires rule by the cane. But when Belinda's prince enslaves her, she finds it is really her that craves a master's rod.
Belinda Goes to Bath: A Regency Romance (The Travelling Matchmaker Series #2)
by M.C. BeatonThe second book in M.C. Beaton's charming Travelling Matchmaker series. The delightful Miss Hannah Pym returns to the English countryside in search of adventure and romance in distress.No sooner does Miss Pym board her next stagecoach than she finds herself embroiled in the plight of Miss Belinda Earle, a spirited heiress banished to Bath after swearing off the marriage market.When the coach founders near Baddell Castle, and the dashing Marquis of Frenton comes to the rescue, Miss Pym decides to give Fate a hand. Although the austere bachelor disdains romance, his furtive glances towards Belinda prove to Miss Pym that her expert matchmaking will soon turn this star-crossed couple into a heavenly match!'Romance fans are in for a treat' - Booklist'[M. C. Beaton] is the best of the Regency writers' - Kirkus Reviews
Belin's Hill
by Catherine FisherHuw is supposed to be the lucky one. He survived. But when he tries to start a new life - after tragedy has ripped his old one apart - he finds he can't shake off the past. Strange dreams and weird visions seep into his waking moments until real life becomes a living nightmare, and Huw knows he has no choice but to come face to face with the mysterious myth of Belin's Hill and bury its legacy for good.
Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian
by David Alan ParnellA unique look at a powerful marriage in the celebrated age of Justinian Belisarius and Antonina were titans in the Roman world some 1,500 years ago. Belisarius was the most well-known general of his age, victor over the Persians, conqueror of the Vandals and the Goths, and as if this were not enough, wealthy beyond imagination. His wife, Antonina, was an impressive person in her own right. She made a name for herself by traveling with Belisarius on his military campaigns, deposing a pope, and scheming to disgrace important Roman officials. Together, the pair were extremely influential, and arguably wielded more power in the late Roman world than anyone except the emperor Justinian and empress Theodora themselves. This unadulterated power and wealth did not mean that Belisarius and Antonina were universally successful in all that they undertook. They occasionally stumbled militarily, politically, and personally - in their marriage and with their children. These failures knock them from their lofty perch, humanize them, and make them even more relatable and intriguing to us today. Belisarius & Antonina is the first modern portrait of this unique partnership. They were not merely husband and wife but also partners in power. This is a paradigm which might seem strange to us, as we reflexively imagine that marriages in the ancient world were staunchly traditional, relegating wives to the domestic sphere only. But Antonina was not a reserved housewife, and Belisarius showed no desire for Antonina to remain in the home. Their private and public lives blended as they traveled together, sometimes bringing their children, and worked side-by-side. Theirs was without a doubt the most important nonroyal marriage of the late Roman world, and one of the very few from all of antiquity that speaks directly to contemporary readers.
Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian
by David Alan ParnellA unique look at a powerful marriage in the celebrated age of Justinian Belisarius and Antonina were titans in the Roman world some 1,500 years ago. Belisarius was the most well-known general of his age, victor over the Persians, conqueror of the Vandals and the Goths, and as if this were not enough, wealthy beyond imagination. His wife, Antonina, was an impressive person in her own right. She made a name for herself by traveling with Belisarius on his military campaigns, deposing a pope, and scheming to disgrace important Roman officials. Together, the pair were extremely influential, and arguably wielded more power in the late Roman world than anyone except the emperor Justinian and empress Theodora themselves. This unadulterated power and wealth did not mean that Belisarius and Antonina were universally successful in all that they undertook. They occasionally stumbled militarily, politically, and personally - in their marriage and with their children. These failures knock them from their lofty perch, humanize them, and make them even more relatable and intriguing to us today. Belisarius & Antonina is the first modern portrait of this unique partnership. They were not merely husband and wife but also partners in power. This is a paradigm which might seem strange to us, as we reflexively imagine that marriages in the ancient world were staunchly traditional, relegating wives to the domestic sphere only. But Antonina was not a reserved housewife, and Belisarius showed no desire for Antonina to remain in the home. Their private and public lives blended as they traveled together, sometimes bringing their children, and worked side-by-side. Theirs was without a doubt the most important nonroyal marriage of the late Roman world, and one of the very few from all of antiquity that speaks directly to contemporary readers.
The Bell: Under The Net; The Sandcastle; The Bell (Virago Modern Classics)
by Iris Murdoch A S ByattWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY A. S. BYATTDora Greenfield, erring wife, returns to live with her husband in a a lay community encamped outside Imber Abbey, home to a mysterious enclosed order of nuns. Watched over by its devout director and the discreet authority of the wise old Abbess, Imber Court is a haven for lost souls seeking tranquility. But then the lost Abbey bell, legendary symbol of religion and magic, is rediscovered, and hidden truths and desires are forced into the light.
The Bell Between Worlds (The Mirror Chronicles #1)
by Ian JohnstoneA glorious epic fantasy in the grand tradition of CS Lewis and Philip Pullman, and a major publishing event, The Mirror Chronicles will take you into another world, and on the adventure of your lifetime…
The Bell Between Worlds (The Mirror Chronicles #1)
by Ian JohnstoneA glorious epic fantasy in the grand tradition of CS Lewis and Philip Pullman, and a major publishing event, The Mirror Chronicles will take you into another world, and on the adventure of your lifetime…
The Bell-Boy
by James Hamilton-PatersonThe Bell-Boy was James Hamilton-Paterson's third novel, first published in 1990.'Somewhere on my tropical travels I encountered a rickety hotel on whose roof an ancient servant lived in a converted hen coop. This gave me the idea for a young bell-boy, Laki, who is up from the provinces and lives on top of his hotel in the holy city of Malomba. He moonlights as a shrewd guide for foreign visitors, his latest clients being a hippie English family who are in Malomba for psychic surgery. Their mutual exploitation leads to both farce and minor tragedy.' James Hamilton-Paterson'A brilliant religious satire with elements of E.F. Benson and Evelyn Waugh... Few books since E.M. Forster's A Passage to India (whose formal perfection this novel shares) have conveyed more intensely the allure (and the revulsion) the East holds for Westerners.' New York Times
The Bell Family (Vintage Children's Classics Ser.)
by Noel Streatfeild'Well, little people, what's the news?’Meet the big, happy Bell family who live in the vicarage at St Marks. Father is a reverend, Mother is as kind as kind can be. Then there's all the children – practical Paul, dancing Jane, mischievous Ginnie, and finally the baby of the family, Angus, whose ambition is to own a private zoo (he has already begun with his six boxes of caterpillars). And not forgetting Esau, a sure fire competitor for the most beautiful dog in Britain.Follow their eventful lives from tense auditions to birthday treats; from troubled times to hilarious escapades. Includes exclusive material: In the Backstory you can find out which one of the Bell children you most resemble!Vintage Children’s Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from Peter Pan and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
The Bell House: a sweeping novel of power and compassion from bestselling author Ruth Hamilton
by Ruth HamiltonMadeleine Horrocks, pretty and outspoken despite her strict 1950s Catholic upbringing, doesn't understand why religion seems to force people apart. Surely, she would argue to her friend Amy, believing in God should be all about love and forgiveness, not hatred?But Amy has been brought up to believe that mixing with other religions results in eternal damnation, and when Maddy becomes friendly with George, the good-looking Jewish boy who lives nearby, Amy fears the worst. But as they grow up she, too, becomes friends with George, as well as with other young teenagers who meet secretly at the Bell House, an ancient place of burial. When a body is found in the nearby reservoir they all become threatened by tragedy and danger.Father Sheahan, the whisky-soaked priest from the local church, has meanwhile discovered that his secret past is catching up with him.Bigotry, lust and hatred have been so much a part of this community that it takes the combined forces of young and old - and particularly George's formidable grandmother Yuspeh - to make everything right again.
The Bell in the Lake: The Sister Bells Trilogy Vol. 1: The Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month
by Lars MyttingThe first in a rich historical trilogy that draws on legend, by a literary craftsman and the author of The Sixteen Trees of the Somme Norway, 1880. Winter is hard in Butangen, a village secluded at the end of a valley. The lake has frozen, and for months the ground is too hard to bury the dead. Astrid Hekne dreams of a life beyond all this, beyond marriage, children, and working the land to the end of her days. Then Pastor Kai Schweigaard takes over the small parish, with its 700-year-old stave church carved with pagan deities. The two bells in the tower were forged by Astrid's forefather in the sixteenth century, in memory of conjoined twins Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne. They are said to hold supernatural powers. The villagers are wary of the pastor and his resolve to do away with their centuries-old traditions, though Astrid also finds herself drawn to him. And then a stranger arrives from Dresden, with grand plans for the church itself. For headstrong Astrid this may be a provocation too far.Talented architecture student Gerhard Schönauer is an improbable figure in this rugged community. Astrid has never met anyone like him; he seems so different, so sensitive. She finds that she must make a choice: for her homeland and the pastor, or for an uncertain future in Germany. Then the bells begin to ring . . .Translated from the Norwegian by Deborah Dawkin
The Bell Jar: A Novel (P. S. Ser.)
by Sylvia Plath'A modern classic.' Guardian'A near-perfect work of art.' Joyce Carol OatesI was supposed to be having the time of my life . . . Working as an intern for a New York fashion magazine in the summer of 1953, Esther Greenwood is on the brink of her future. Yet she is also on the edge of a darkness that makes her world increasingly unreal. Esther's vision of the world shimmers and shifts: day-to-day living in the sultry city, her crazed men-friends, the hot dinner dances . . . The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath's only novel, is partially based on Plath's own life. It has been celebrated for its darkly funny and razor sharp portrait of 1950s society, and has sold millions of copies worldwide.ONE OF THE BBC'S '100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD''As clear and readable as it is witty and disturbing.' New York Times Book ReviewReader responses:'Plath's underrated humour shines through this startling account of 1950s 'normality'.''Very readable, often darkly funny, and feels fresh.' 'Plath's masterpiece . . . It's amazing how relevant this book still is.' 'So enthralling . . . So thought provoking, so vivid, that it's thoroughly engrossing.' 'I just couldn't put it down.' 'Ever better than I expected.'
The Bell Jar: The Illustrated Edition (Sparknotes Literature Study Guides)
by Sylvia PlathI felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.Sylvia Plath's groundbreaking semi-autobiographical novel offers an intimate, honest and often wrenching glimpse into mental illness. The Bell Jar broke the boundaries between fiction and reality and helped cement Sylvia Plath's place as an enduring feminist icon. Celebrated for its darkly humorous, razor sharp portrait of 1950s society, it continues to resonate with readers today as testament to the universal human struggle to claim one's rightful place in the world.A special illustrated edition - the second book in our collection of illustrated Faber classics.
The Bell of Death (Mr Crook Murder Mystery)
by Anthony GilbertA body in the belfry... and a gruesome mystery to uncover for the inimitable Crook and Parsons.Classic crime from one of the greats of the Detection ClubThe bell of St Ethelburga's had stopped ringing. It had pealed out its customary call to the faithful, its gentle reproach to the sluggards; but somehow that morning it did not seem to ring as long as usual. For Death had been busy in the belfry, where a startled vicar made an appalling discovery.The murder in the church begins another mystery for the inimitable Crook and Parsons, who shine with their trademark ingenuity and impudence.
The Bell Tower: The brand new suspense thriller from an award-winning bestseller
by R.J. ElloryLIFE ON DEATH ROW TAKES ITS TOLL.UNTIL YOU CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE... Death Row duty comes with three simple rules: Do not make it personal Do not question the system Do not take justice into your own handsGarrett Nelson will break every one of them. Injured during a drug bust, Deputy Garrett Nelson finds himself out of the Sheriff's Department. Uncertain of his future, he takes a job at a Florida Penitentiary. Situated on the grounds of an old Spanish mission, the bell tower is now an execution chamber. After a dangerous manhunt for escaped convicts through the Everglades, Nelson's belief in the justice system is tested to the limit. In a heartbreaking conflict of duty versus conscience, he must decide whether he's willing to let the State execute an innocent man, or risk his own life and family in order to find the truth.Gripping and heart-breaking by turns, and beautifully set against the backdrop of Florida's Everglades, THE BELL TOWER is the latest literary suspense novel from the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS. ****PRAISE FOR R.J. ELLORY'Beautiful and haunting... A tour de force' MICHAEL CONNELLY'Beautifully written novels that are also great mysteries' JAMES PATTERSON'A uniquely gifted, passionate, and powerful writer' ALAN FURST'In the top flight of crime writing' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'The master of the genre' CLIVE CUSSLER
Bella: a deliciously upbeat and laugh-out-loud romance from the inimitable multimillion-copy bestselling Jilly Cooper
by Jilly Cooper OBEFall in love with Jilly Cooper, one of Britain's most popular authors, in this upbeat and hilarious rom-com. Fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes, Dolly Alderton and Jane Fallon will love this perfect cocktail of love, passion, intrigue and suspense...'Jilly is about bringing joy into your life: daft, silly, boozy joy ... There is no one else like Cooper' -- Guardian'The Jane Austen of our time' - HARPERS & QUEEN'Unputdownable' -- Marian Keyes'The funniest and sharpest writer there is' -- Jenny Colgan'Flawlessly entertaining' -- Helen Fielding'Pure entertainment and a thoroughly enjoyable read' -- ***** Reader review'An absolute must!' -- ***** Reader review'Love it this book so much!' -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************There was no doubt Bella Parkinson was a success: the most promising actress in London, bright, sexy - and hopelessly scatterbrained - she was taking the town by storm.Rupert Henriques, dashingly handsome and wealthy enough to buy her every theatre in London if she wanted it, couldn't wait to marry her . . .But Bella had a secret in her past - and the one man who knew it was about to come into her life again. Worse, Rupert's sinister cousin Lazlo, for some reason of his own, was trying to prevent her marriage.Before she knew where she was, Bella found herself in real danger . . .