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1589. Scottish housemaid Geillis and Danish courtier Margareta lead opposite lives, but they both know one thing: when a man cries "witch", no woman is safe. Yet when the marriage of King James VI and Princess Anna of Denmark brings Geillis and Margareta together, everything they supposed about good, evil, men, and women, is cast in a strange and brilliant new light. For the first time in history, could black magic - or rumours of it - be a very real tool for women's political gain? As the North Berwick witch trials whip Scotland - and her king - into a frenzy of paranoia, the clock is ticking. Can Margareta and Geillis keep each other safe? And once the burnings are over, in whose hands will power truly lie? Inspired by the incredible true story that set 16th-century Scotland and Denmark alight, The Burnings is 2023's most bewitching debut novel, by a multi-awardwinning new star of historical fiction. ISBN 9780008534790 -
From the master of the absurd, these two stories of an unnamed vagrant contending with decay and death combine bleakness with the blackest of humour. ISBN 9780241338971 -
'Dante and the Lobster' is the first of the linked short stories in Samuel Beckett's first book, More Pricks Than Kicks. Published in 1934, its style was recognizably indebted to that of his mentor, James Joyce, and crammed with linguistic texture and allusion that Beckett later shed. The book baffled many critics and sold so few copies that several batches were pulped. Decades later, this story was hailed as the Nobel Prize-winner's earliest important work. ISBN 9780571351800 -
Written during her time as the inaugural fellow in the Beckett archive last year, Eimear McBride's three short, characteristically brilliant texts - collected in one work, Mouthpieces. Each text depicts a fragment of female experience, all of them told in in Eimear's vivid, original and sharp-witted style. In 'The Adminicle Exists', we hear the inner voice of a woman who saves her troubled, dangerous partner; in 'An Act of Violence', a woman is quizzed about her reaction to a man's death; in 'The Eye Machine', the character 'Eye' tells of her imprisonment, flickering through a slideshow of female stereotypes. ISBN 9780571365814 -
Faber Stories, a landmark series of individual volumes, presents masters of the short story form at work in a range of genres and styles. The evening is fine. In the sky a few early stars are shining of their own accord. She watches the dog licking the bowl clean. This dog will break her daughter's heart, she's sure of it. Claire Keegan's mesmeric story takes us into the heart of the Wicklow countryside, and of the farming family of Victor Deegan, with his 'three teenagers, the milking and the mortgage'. When Deegan finds a gun dog and gives it as a present to his only daughter, his wife is filled with foreboding at this seeming act of kindness. As the seasons pass, long-buried family secrets threaten to emerge. Bringing together past, present and future in our ninetieth year, Faber Stories is a celebratory compendium of collectable work. ISBN 9780571351855 -
'One of the hidden geniuses of the twentieth century' - Colm Tóibín A housewife’s life is shattered by a sudden epiphany. A simple tale of killing cockroaches fragments into multiple narratives, each uncovering new truths. In this selection of haunting short stories, Lispector reveals the permeable boundaries between past and present, the real and the surreal, showing ordinary moments to contain the deepest existential truths. -
90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books ‘But how sweet a fruit the ‘suppose’ must be, that people will sup and sup on it! A juicy fruit, like a lychee but without the pit, sparkling and light green: a fruit that hides the tart within the sweet.’In this haunting collection of stories, a young man’s obsession leads to tragedy and a woman’s bitterness poisons a family’s legacy. In delicate, piercing prose, Chang captures a world of quiet cruelties and calamitous desires in pre-revolutionary China. ISBN 9780241752302 -
50% OFF SALE - WAS €16.80, NOW €8.40. SIGNED 1ST EDITION HARDBACK A New Signed 1st Edition 1st Printing Hardback with 1 included on the title page number line - signed by the author on publication in March 2020. A cracker' Patrick McCabe - 'An irresistible comedy' Luke Kennard Laura Cassidy is going all the way. Hollywood. Starry lights. The Walk of Fame. It's her destiny. At least, that's what her movie-obsessed father used to tell her. That was always the plan. Sure, it's been a bit slow-going, but the stars have finally aligned. The long-awaited new theatre is about to open, and their first production calls for a particularly fiery female lead. This part has Laura's name on it. There's her meddlesome older sister to get past - freshly returned from saving the world. Her occasional lover and stand-in leading man seems to think it's all a waste of time. And probably best not to mention the audition to her mother, especially after what happened last time . . . Laura just has to stay one step ahead of them all. Channelling the era of Hollywood's silver screen and told in a voice that blends devil humour, quiet mayhem, and a singled-minded optimism that might just lead to disaster, Laura Cassidy's Walk of Fame tells the story of a troubled soul desperate to find her place in life. ISBN 9781509829880 -
From the internationally bestselling and prize-winning author of The Song of Achilles and Circe, an enchanting short story that boldly reimagines the myth of Galatea and Pygmalion. In Ancient Greece, a skilled marble sculptor has been blessed by a goddess who has given his masterpiece - the most beautiful woman the town has ever seen - the gift of life. Now his wife, he expects Galatea to please him, to be obedience and humility personified. But she has desires of her own, and yearns for independence. In a desperate bid by her obsessive husband to keep her under control, she is locked away under the constant supervision of doctors and nurses. But with a daughter to rescue, she is determined to break free, whatever the cost... ISBN 9781526652065 -
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1973: Californian journalist Ellie Morgan sets out on a mission to research the life of Adele Astaire, famed 1920s dancer and comedienne, older sister to Fred Astaire. She uncovers a wealth of material from the people who knew her. 1905: Eight-year-old Adele Austerlitz moves from her humble home in Omaha, Nebraska, with her five-year-old brother Fred, to New York to begin training at a professional stage academy. They undertake a gruelling schedule of rehearsals and touring, setting the foundations of what will be the most famous and sought-after dance partnership on 1920s Broadway. 1928: Patricia Ryan, a no-nonsense Irish girl takes a job as a housemaid at Lismore Castle in County Waterford, Ireland. All of their lives will intersect, weaving the tale of one of the most famous women of her time - charismatic entertainer, celebrity, fashion icon, muse to artists and writers, and favourite of royalty. Adele is a tale of talent, glamour and fame at the height of the roaring 20s ISBN 9781781997406 -
You can take the small-town girl out of the big city - but can you take the big city out of the girl?Job. Flat. Boyfriend. Tick. Tick. Tick. Aisling (seems) to be winning at life. But life has other ideas. Fired. Homeless. Dumped. Tick. Tick. Tick. When everything comes crashing down around her, moving back in with her mam seems like a disaster. But might returning to her roots provide the answers Aisling's looking for? ISBN 9780717184910 -
Based on the popular Facebook page founded by authors Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen, it is the fictionlised account of a particular type of Irish girl. She is from the country but lives in Dublin and goes 'down home' every weekend. With the end of her relationship to local GAA star John, life becomes unpredictable for sensible Aisling who suddenly finds herself in a flat share in trendy Portobello with stylish Sadbh (from HR at her job in Pensions Plus) and the mysterious Elaine. Aisling steps out of her comfort zone and into a life she never imagined. ISBN 9780717181018 -
"I read this collection recently for an Ireland AM piece and was blown away by how good these stories are! Kevin Barry is wonderful at capturing the feel of small town Ireland. Clever, funny and thought-provoking I'm annoyed how long it took me to discover them!" Bob ISBN 9780955015298 -
It is 1920 and, as the War of Independence rages throughout Ireland, Michael Collins is the most wanted man in the British Empire. He lives a life in hiding, conducting guerrilla warfare, outsmarting the authorities, a figure of mystery and intrigue. Very few know even what he looks like. He occasionally finds rest and comfort with the family of Kitty Kiernan, his best friend's sweetheart. Then Michael finds himself falling in love with the complex and enigmatic Kitty... Lady Hazel Lavery, wife of famous artist Sir John Lavery, is considered the most beautiful and charming society hostess in London. An American of Irish descent, haunted by a tragic past, she sets out to use her friendships with men like Winston Churchill to bring peace to Ireland. When Michael, recently engaged to Kitty, arrives in London as part of the Irish peace delegation, he finds himself the centre of intense public fascination. Hazel Lavery takes Michael under her wing and navigates him through London high society. They form a close bond and soon are engulfed in rumours of an affair and accusations that Michael has been seduced by the glamour of London and by Hazel. Kitty all but despairs at the situation but is determined to fight for him. After the infamous Anglo-Irish Treaty, Ireland veers towards civil war. As Michael, Hazel and Kitty arrive in Dublin that fateful week in August 1922, the war is at its zenith - and this love triangle is about to implode with devastating results. ISBN 9781781997376 -
Aisling is 31, and she’s still a complete Aisling. With BallyGoBrunch flying and the door firmly closed on her relationship with John, Aisling accepts an unexpected job offer and boards a business-class flight to New York in her best wrap dress and heels. As she finds her feet in the Big Apple, she throws herself into the dating game, grapples with ‘always-on’ work culture, forges and fights for new friendships and brings her good wedges to a party in the Hamptons, much to Sadhbh’s dismay. But catching up with family and friends on WhatsApp and email is not the same as sitting in Maguire’s putting the world to rights over mini bottles of Pinot Greej and a shared bag of Taytos. And yet New York has so much to offer, not least in the ridey fireman department. ISBN 9780717194896 -
Moira Fitzpatrick has lived in Paris for over fifty years. But it has not stopped her dreams being haunted by Ireland and a certain house there – a most beautiful house with a glittering lake and the unforgettable scent of wild orchids. In 2019 Desmond Griffith is dying. In his now deteriorating mind he becomes obsessed with knowing what happened to a woman that he once knew. A woman called Rosemary. His daughter Julia feels that trying to find this woman might bring some much-needed peace to her father’s tormented state. But as she tries to unravel who Rosemary is or was, her search leads her to an abandoned lake house in the West of Ireland that has been locked up for over fifty years. As each layer of the past is uncovered, Julia is drawn deeper and deeper into the story of what happened at this house over fifty years before. Are some secrets better left untold? ISBN 9781781997369 -
Isobel McKenzie is an experienced and intuitive psychotherapist who is on sabbatical while recovering from illness. Reluctantly she goes to London to help an old friend, solicitor Peter Wright, who is uneasy about the partisan nature of a proposed divorce settlement. He asks her to meet the couple, Thomas and Anne Banks, to assess the situation. Is Anne, a recovering alcoholic, possibly being coerced into signing an agreement which not only gives Thomas control of all their assets but also sole custody of their son? Isobel immediately senses that something is awry and reluctantly, finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into the case. She joins forces with Patricia King, a secretary at the law firm. As they talk to family and friends of the couple they discover conflicting tales of alcoholism, coercion, and possible abuse. With the divorce settlement set to be signed in ten days’ time, Isobel and Patricia find themselves plunged into a dark world of lies and subterfuge where they are in a race to uncover and prove the truth. ISBN 9781781997246 -
Two portraits of the same woman. Is one a forgery? Set between Vienna, Ukraine and Dublin, Ben Tarrant and Daisy Frome trace the lives of their ancestors to uncover a tale of, love, lies, deceit and revenge, in their journey to find the true story of the perfect copies. ISBN 9781781997192
