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Homeless Companions
Harmony Harringdon is a teenager with her whole life ahead of her. She is beautiful, sweet, and talented. Harmony and her best friend Jake Butler are inseparable. As the pair grow from children to teenagers, their friendship becomes love. They weren’t to know what fate has planned for them. It would all become too much for Harmony, despite having Jake there to support her.
Fleeing the shame and devastation she believes she has caused, Harmony leaves all she knows behind her. Bearing witness to the cruel realities of life, this time fate is kind and brings Harmony a Carnival.
With newfound purpose, Harmony’s talent and tenacity propels her on an unexpected journey. However, all Harmony longs for more than anything is for something or someone to save her.
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Life Drawing
“Art gotta be high up and dangerous,” the graffiti artist tells his mother. It has to be practiced diligently like playing the piano, the longtime members of a life drawing studio believe, and if your view of the model is the model’s backside, you don’t move for a better view. Art is a mysterious way into your model’s sorrow when words fail. Art can open the rooms of your childhood. It existed before there was perspective. It can even be a dinner party. It can make a still life come alive, and it can heal a wounded spirit.
Barbara de la Cuesta taught and worked as a journalist in South America. She now teaches Spanish.
Her novel, The Spanish Teacher, was winner of the Gival Press Fiction Prize.
About her most recent novel, Adam’s Chair, Lauren Stafford, of the Manhattan Review of Books, wrote:
“A tapestry of literary elegance… A contemporary novel for the ages.”
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Greeted by Kindness
Can you always trust Kindness?
The ghost writer of her autobiography thought so. The government that made her Lady Kindness and its minister thought so too.
Kindness definitely believed it, but fact checking left some big questions unanswered.
Whatever Kindness believed, it does matter that you are who you say you are.
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Old Crow
Your father, an obnoxious vagabond, who left you thirty years ago for the free life of a sailor with no responsibilities, comes back into your life unannounced, saying he wants a chance to make amends and achieve reconciliation, both with you and with your younger brother who is now living in New York.
But your father begins to settle in with you, and he shows no sign of leaving. A terrible truth emerges: he has returned to torment you. If he does not leave forever, you will be destroyed.
What do you do?
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The Top Valley Enigma
In The Top Valley Enigma, a tale unfolds of a wealthy American conservationist whose solitary and zealous nature leads him to Australia. Motivated by the discovery of ancient human remains and the threat of a new coal mine, his journey takes a turn when he meets a businesswoman from the United States in Melbourne. Their shared interests spark an unexpected partnership, and together they embark on a captivating adventure.
Their journey is marked by serene yachting days and a mesmerizing visit to the Great Barrier Reef, experiences that deepen their bond and become pivotal in their lives. The duo aligns with local conservationists and discovers a cattle farm that is crucial to their quest, revealing significant archaeological finds of early human life.
Meanwhile, the shadows of a complex past, including a major share trading deal, lurk behind the American conservationist. As their mission to thwart the coal mine gains momentum, they become entwined in a web of past endeavors in conservation. This ignites a wave of revenge from individuals with long memories, profoundly impacted by his previous actions. The Top Valley Enigma masterfully weaves a story of archaeological discovery, environmental activism, and the intricate play of human connections and past deeds.
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Escape to Woodshine
This compassionate novel depicts the disrupted lives of Greta and her daughter Lily, forced to abruptly relocate due to the unendurable violent behaviour of Pat, Greta’s volatile, alcoholic husband. Their move lands mother and daughter in the rural Australian town of Woodshine – a new beginning offering hope after trauma’s storm.
Yet forward is the only direction, Lily just five years old. A tranquil childhood shattered, she grapples beyond her years while still cradling stuffed toys at bedtime, seeking security. Greta battles exhaustion from hypervigilance, longing to banish bad dreams. Their refuge in Woodshine brings peace step by step – a gentle landlord, good-hearted townsfolk and possibility breathing optimism into each new day.
As Lily plays in grassy meadows under boundless skies, glimmers emerge that broken spirits can mend. While the indelible scars remain, maybe here they can continue writing their story without fear at the helm. Just maybe this move marks the start of budding happiness taking root for not just survival – but life thriving in the sunshine.
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The Wide, Flat Land
On a long car journey to Norfolk, Little Jo’s repetitive chant, ‘We’re going to the wide, flat land, the wide, flat land, the wide, flat land,’ resonates through the car, much to her older brother’s annoyance. Hailing from Surrey, the siblings have always been enchanted by the charm of East Anglia’s countryside, their anticipation heightened by the nostalgic tales of their mother’s own childhood holidays on the north-east coast.
Upon arrival at their quaint holiday cottage, a chance encounter with a neighbour sets them on a path that will change their lives forever. The Pritchards are soon faced with the unsettling shadows of their mother’s past. Through this unexpected journey, they learn the essence of overcoming, the grace of empathy, and the power of loving support in encouraging others. Amidst the expansive tranquillity of the wide, flat land, they discover a healing peace, a calming beauty, a secure haven, and a renewed hope for the future of their extended family.
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The Cry of the Curlew
The Cry of the Curlew tells the harrowing tale of Marnie, an Albanian refugee whose life is marked by constant upheaval and danger. The story begins with her dramatic rescue from an Essex Marsh by an elderly woman, setting the stage for a life perpetually shadowed by misfortune.
Marnie’s journey is a tumultuous one. Just as she begins to find solace with a new family, the intrusion of the council upends her life once more. Her situation grows even more perilous when an inheritance draws the attention of the Albanian Mafia, demanding repayment for her father’s debts to people smugglers.
Faced with overwhelming threats, Marnie is forced into slavery. Yet, her indomitable spirit leads her to escape and find refuge with another family, hoping for a life far removed from her turbulent past. However, the shadows of her debt loom large, and the sense of danger is ever-present.
This novel delves deep into themes of love, loss, and the devaluation of human life at the hands of people smugglers. It portrays the desperate struggle of individuals trying to escape poverty and their relentless search for love and belonging. The story oscillates between moments of humor and profound sadness, highlighting the resilience and kindness of people even in the face of the harsh realities of the modern world.
Through Marnie’s eyes, The Cry of the Curlew offers a poignant reflection on the immense challenges faced by refugees. It is a moving narrative that calls for empathy and understanding towards those who endure unimaginable hardships in their quest for a better life.
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Sliding Across Mountains
Sliding Across Mountains is a book about the power of friendship. In a small town in Tennessee, a writer, a mother, a widow, and a parish nurse form an unlikely friendship and a curling team. These four ladies learn more than sliding rocks down a sheet of ice. They learn what they can accomplish with a team of support and love is not always on the rocks.
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Let Life Intervene
After quite some time and a bit of wobbling, John had made a crucial decision: he was going to leave Madrid after more than 20 years abroad and go back to Stockholm. There were plenty of reasons for this monumental step: a divorce, no real job, and a daughter in New York; nothing kept him there anymore.
A fascinating rollercoaster voyage begins when he is hired as a private eye, searching for money launderers and tricksters, unravelling mysteries of gambling on the internet, travelling like a rover between Madrid, Hong Kong, Stockholm, London, and Paris, bumping into women, while discovering his father was a former spy at MI6.
As any man, John is a distilled version of many things: a sportsman, a father, an optimist, a man of reading who perhaps seems more intelligent than he actually is, but nonetheless a good asset, when there are new frontiers to explore, with a potential future in politics.
Amazed by life’s uncertainty, he believes if he had the guts to leave his country, he must have the courage to come back, let the wind take him and let life intervene. He is navigating the Asian, Swedish, and Spanish cultures first-hand.
A feel-good read. The hero whirls into a tour de force of travel and business intrigue peppered with worldwide romantic adventures.
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Heart to Let
Volume 2 of this quartet follows the fortunes of its heroine, Amy Spencer. After the sudden death of Rupert, who rescued her from obscurity, she is faced with having to move from London, where she was a partner in a prestigious firm of solicitors, to a small town in the home counties and seek work as an assistant solicitor. Here, she meets Jack, a very different character, and her personal and professional life moves in a very different direction. Does she find happiness? Read the book and find out...
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The Man Who Never Contemplated Suicide
Transport yourself to a country beyond the boundaries of civilization, where civil war rages and armed gangs rule the streets. This is a place of absolute poverty and despair, where the outermost provincial city lies in ruins, a desolate and barren city that resembles hell itself.
On a frosty winter morning, Apollo is forced to leave his home by his wife, wandering the empty streets of the devastated city, cold and hungry. Seeking solace in his memories, Apollo recounts a series of surreal and diverse episodes, including a great love story, scenes of bizarre funerals, and countless unbelievable stories that could only have occurred in this forsaken city.
Amidst the harshness of this day, Apollo experiences two strange encounters that will change his life forever. The first is a chance meeting with a dog, also abandoned and alone on the streets, who will ultimately save Apollo from certain death. Apollo names the dog Angel and they embark on a journey together.
The second encounter is even more profound, as Apollo meets Esma, a person living on the margins of society, excluded from family and community. Esma’s story of humiliation, life in a totalitarian empire, and years spent in psychiatric facilities leaves a deep and lasting impression on Apollo, causing him to question everything he once believed.
This captivating and haunting tale offers a poignant commentary on the human condition and the power of hope in the midst of darkness. Written with exquisite prose and a deep understanding of the human experience, it is a story that will stay with you long after the final page is turned.
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