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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 -
*50% OFF SALE TITLE – WAS €20.00, NOW €10.00.* A New Signed 1st Edition Hardback of The Black Snow by Paul Lynch. Signed during an author visit to the Gutter Bookshop. In the spring of 1945, farm-worker Matthew Peoples runs into a burning byre and does not come out alive. The farm's owner, Barnabas Kane, can only look on as his friend dies and all 43 of his cattle are destroyed in the blaze. Following the disaster, the bull-headed and proudly self-sufficient Barnabas is forced to reach out to the farming community for assistance. But resentment simmers over Matthew Peoples' death, and Barnabas and his family begin to believe their efforts at recovery are being sabotaged. Barnabas is determined to hold firm. Yet his son Billy struggles under the weight of a terrible secret, and his wife Eskra is suffocated by the uncertainty surrounding their future. And as Barnabas fights ever harder for what is rightfully his, his loved ones are drawn ever closer to a fate that should never have been theirs. In The Black Snow, Paul Lynch takes the pastoral novel and - with the calmest of hands - tears it apart. With beautiful, haunting prose, Lynch illuminates what it means to be alive during crisis, and puts to the test our deepest certainties about humankind. ISBN 9781782062042 -
Some bonds can never be broken... One terrible moment changes everything for teenagers Kate and David. Brought together during the darkest of times, a spark of hope is ignited between them - a hand held in the darkness, a promise whispered. Neither of them will ever forget those moments. It's another ten years before David and Kate meet once more, and their lives are now so different. The promise they made to each other on that fateful day still binds them, but now they have so much more to lose. With so much at stake, have they missed their once chance at happiness? They only way they will ever know is to risk everything to be together. Is that too high a price to pay for love...? ISBN 9780008435141 -
“Trouble is another stunning collection of stories from Philip Ó Ceallaigh, a writer who continues to amaze me with the intelligence and muscular elegance of his writing. There is a unique voice in evidence here, fusing Irish, American and Eastern European influences to make work in the highest tradition of the short story.” — Lenny Abrahamson. "Philip Ó Ceallaigh is a wonderful writer who dares to stay loyal to the short-story form. In this superb collection, the people he writes about are beautifully observed and precisely ‘fixed’. Here is a master in full control of his material." – John Banville. ISBN 9781906539900 -
This Hostel Life tells the stories of migrant women in a hidden Ireland. From a day in the life of women queuing for basic supplies in an Irish direct provision hostel to a young black woman’s depiction of everyday racism in Ireland, her nuanced writing shines a light on the injustice of the direct provision system and on the insidious racism experienced by migrant women living in Ireland. A third story, set in a Nigeria of the past, tells of a woman’s life destroyed by an ancient superstition and her fierce determination to carry on, a quality Okorie believes is universally shared by women. ISBN 9781916493568 -
"I just adore the unconventional and daring 'Miss Jean Brodie' and can't help but feel compassion for her through all her flaws and eccentricities. Such a cleverly written book." Ciara ISBN 9780141181424 -
*50% OFF SALE TITLE – WAS €20.50, NOW €10.25.* A New Signed 1st Edition Hardback of Grace's Day by William Wall. Signed during an author visit to the Gutter Bookshop. Grace and her mother and sisters live on an island off the west coast of Ireland. Their father is a successful writer of travel books that advocate a simpler way of life, though he is so seldom there that his family become the subjects of his social experiments and his children's freedom is indistinguishable from poverty. Grace and Jeannie take turns to look after their little sister Emily. Then one day - Grace's day - a terrible tragedy occurs that changes everything. This is novel about a world of adult self-indulgence and the consequences of careless decisions and dishonest compromises. An Irish Independent Book of the Year. 'As the great John McGahern used to say, there's verse, and there's prose, and then there's poetry; William Wall is a poet in both mediums' John Banville. 'An underrated veteran at the peak of his powers' Sunday Times. ISBN 9781788545471 -
One summer morning, a flight takes off from New York to Los Angeles. There are 192 passengers aboard: among them a young woman taking a pregnancy test in the airplane toilet; a Wall Street millionaire flirting with the air hostess; an injured soldier returning from Afghanistan; and two beleaguered parents moving across the country with their adolescent sons, bickering over who gets the window seat. When the plane suddenly crashes in a field in Colorado, the younger of these boys, 12-year-old Edward Adler, is the sole survivor. Dear Edward depicts Edward's life in the crash's aftermath as he struggles to make sense of the meaning of his survival, the strangeness of his sudden fame, and find his place in the world without his family. In his new home with his aunt and uncle, the only solace comes from his friendship with the girl next door, Shay. Together Edward and Shay make a startling discovery: hidden in his uncle's garage are sacks of letters from the relatives of the other passengers, addressed to Edward. As Edward comes of age against the backdrop of sudden tragedy, he must confront some of life's most profound questions: how do we make the most of the time we are given? And what does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live? ISBN 9780241985892 -
Lara Jean and her love letters are back in this utterly irresistible sequel to Netflix film 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before'. Lara Jean didn't expect to really fall for Peter. But suddenly they are together for real - and it's far more complicated than when they were pretending! A risque video of the two of them has been posted online. Will Lara Jean ever live it down? Peter is spending more and more time with his ex. Has he still got feelings for her? A boy from Lara Jean's past has returned, and so too have her feelings for him. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once? Only one thing is certain: falling in love is just the easy part! The second book in the bestselling series by Jenny Han, which has been made into a Netflix feature film 'Always and Forever'. ISBN 9780702301575 Great for Teens and Young Adults -
Dave's made a BIG mistake. What's Roxy going to do about it? The riveting new novel from No. 1 bestselling author Sheila O'Flanagan. Perfect for readers of Marian Keyes and Amanda Prowse. Roxy's marriage has always been rock solid. After twenty years, and with two carefree kids, she and Dave are still the perfect couple. Until the day she comes home unexpectedly, and finds Dave in bed with their attractive, single neighbour. Suddenly Roxy isn't sure about anything - her past, the business she's taken over from her dad, or what her family's future might be. She's spent so long caring about everyone else that she's forgotten what she actually wants. But something has changed. And Roxy has a decision to make. Whether it's with Dave, or without him, it's time for Roxy to start living for herself... ISBN 9781472254757 -
One explosive family reunion. A lifetime of secrets revealed. When four feisty women from the same family get together at a family reunion, anything can happen... Marie-Claire, betrayed by her partner Marc, plans to teach him a lesson he will never forget. She travels home from Toronto to Ireland, to the house of the Four Winds, for her great-aunt Reverend Mother Brigid's eightieth birthday celebrations. It will be a long-awaited reunion for three generations of family, bringing together her mother, Keelin, and grandmother, Imelda - who have never quite got along And then all hell breaks loose. Bitter, jealous Imelda makes a shocking revelation that forces them all to confront their pasts, admit mistakes, and face the truths that have shaped their lives. With four fierce, opinionated women in one family, will they ever be able to forgive the past and share a future? And what of Marc? It's never too late to make amends...or is it? Spanning generations and covering seismic shifts in the lives of women, The Liberation of Brigid Dunne is a compelling, thought-provoking, important and highly emotional novel from a trailblazing author in women's fiction. ISBN 9781398505230 -
Meet Charlie Savage. Charlie is a middle-aged Dubliner with an indefatigable wife, an exasperated daughter, a drinking buddy who's realised that he's been a woman all along ... Compiled here for the first time is a whole year's worth of Roddy Doyle's hilarious series for the Irish Independent. Giving a unique voice to the everyday, he draws a portrait of a man - funny, loyal, somewhat bewildered - trying to keep pace with the modern world (if his knees don't give out first). ISBN 9781784709570 -
The Glossie Influencer Awards are fast approaching and Ali Jones is hell-bent on a win and breaking through 10,000 followers on Instagram. But when Ali inadvertantly leads people to believe she's pregnant, she quickly realises that playing the 'Mummy-Influencer' card could be her ticket to Insta-success. And she's not going to let a small detail like a fake pregnancy get in her way. Even if the reappearance of Tinder Sam, who seems determined to take his role of 'baby' daddy seriously, makes things a little more complicated ... Elsewhere on Insta, Shelly Devine, Ireland's biggest influencer (and Ali's idol) is also guarding secrets from her followers, and her husband ... Both Ali and Shelly have decisions to make but as the night of the Glossies draws near, will they realise what's important before they lose what matters most? ISBN 9781529343397 -
Meet Greta. She's funny. She's flawed. She's hiding so much behind her big smile she's forgotten who she is. But Greta is about to discover that the key to being happy is... being you. Greta Gale has played the part of the funny fat one her entire life, hiding her insecurities behind a big smile. But size doesn't matter when you can laugh at yourself, right? Until Greta realises she's the only one not laughing. And deep down, she's not sure if she'll ever laugh again. But with her world feeling like it's falling down around her, Greta is about to discover she's stronger than she feels. And that sometimes the best moments in life come when it's all gone a bit pear-shaped... 'I bloody loved it. Funnny, heart-wrenching and uplifting all in one' - Beth Reekles ISBN 9780008276652 -
China, 1941. Elspeth Kent has fled an unhappy life in England for a teaching post at a missionary school in northern China. But when Japan declares war on the Allies and occupies the school, security and home comforts are replaced by privation, uncertainty and fear.For ten-year-old Nancy Plummer and her school friends, now separated from their parents indefinitely, Miss Kent's new Girl Guide patrol provides a precious reminder of home in a land where they are now the enemy.Elspeth and her fellow teachers, and Nancy and her friends, need courage, friendship and fortitude as they pray for liberation. But worse is to come. Removed from the school, they face even greater uncertainty and danger at a Japanese internment camp. Inspired by true events, this is an unforgettable read about a remarkable community faced with unimaginable hardship, and the life-changing bonds formed in a distant corner of a terrible war. ISBN 9780008393670 -
William Woolf is a letter detective at the Dead Letters Depot in East London, spending his days reuniting lost mail with its intended recipient. But when he discovers a series of letters addressed simply to 'My Great Love' everything changes . . . Written by a woman to a soulmate she hasn't met yet, her heartfelt words stir William in ways he has long forgotten. Could they be destined for him? And what would that mean for his own troubled marriage?William must follow the clues in the letters to solve his most important mystery yet: his own heart. ISBN 9781405934954
