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The Values of Doom
In a thought-provoking exploration of post-colonial African states, this novel delves into the oppression of the poor majority by the affluent few. Set in the fictional city of Bisandugu, the story illuminates the widening divide between the rich and poor, and the deepening conflicts that arise. The powerless find solace in divine providence, hoping for intervention against their oppressors. Through the lives of the Kadams, Kuyembeh, Ajaratu, and Sullaiman families, readers witness the transformation of their beliefs and values in the face of adversity. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that the values once held dear have become The Values of Doom, a testament to the destructive power of inequality and the erosion of hope in the face of systemic oppression.
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The Omen Is a Woman
The Omen Is A Woman weaves an unlikely bond between two strangers seeking connection. Nelson, a professor longing to write a novel, needs inspiration to break his writer’s block. He finds it in Sofia, the curious owner of his vacation rental. Though from vastly different worlds, shared dreams draw them together.
More mystifying than her reported paranormal encounters are Sofia’s unbelievable life stories. As she reveals her checkered past relationships and ancestral secrets, Nelson’s fascination with this beautiful enigma grows. Amid their philosophical talks, heartfelt moments arise that neither expects.
But when long-buried events resurface, friendship turns fateful. Nelson and Sofia discover their entanglement traces back generations in vexing ways. Truth collides with bonds once thought unbreakable. Yet even then, hope glimmers on the horizon. For hiding within life’s ruptures are subtle threads leading to self-understanding, if we have the courage to face them.
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Some Anarchic Occasions
Moving between different time points, Some Anarchic Occasions is a coming-of-age story following the life of Johnny as he navigates the difficulty of negative parental relationships and their effects on his choices and relationships. He meets Charlie and they make a bargain to help with the other’s suffering. Realising that both won’t be able to get away from suffering, Johnny makes a bargain with another entity to end Charlie’s suffering. After Johnny’s success, Charlie’s life improves but Johnny’s worsens and Johnny’s newest bargain compromises the bargain with Charlie, and his life as he knows it comes to an end. Is it possible for Johnny to overcome his suffering?
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Love Deuce Metamorphoses
In this riveting and imaginative tale, Quixote Syzygy spins a modern myth that takes the reader from the heat of Wimbledon’s tennis courts to the fate of humanity itself.
When an epic mixed doubles match between two British pairs – Daphne Laurel and ‘Fool’ Hardy, and Iphis Tangle and Tiresias Tingle – stretches on interminably, the players and spectators alike start to wilt under the relentless summer sun. But Daphne, who possesses the ancient ability to transform into a laurel tree, realizes that human self-importance is the root cause of the deadly heat. She tries to save the crowd by teaching them to become trees themselves.
As people around the world take up the call to ‘Be a Tree’, society splits between the Money-Lovers, who scorn the idea and continue to destroy the earth, and the Earth-Lovers, who sacrifice themselves to try to cool the planet. With appearances by the earwig philosopher Cyril, and interventions from the gods Apollo and Zeus, the tale builds to a shattering conclusion.
Syzygy skillfully weaves classical mythology with a pointed critique of modern values, crafting a fable that is both whimsical and devastating. Love Deuce Metamorphoses is a story of magic, sport, love, and the perils of disregarding our impact on the natural world. This haunting work will make readers see trees, and perhaps themselves, in a whole new light.
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All That Glisters
Once again Alistair Devenish is involved in a cross-Channel chase following the heist of valuable bronzes from a church outside Milan. Sold at auction, these have vanished before the new owner could pick them up. A whisper tells him that they have been taken abroad perhaps via a yacht berthed in Monaco, Alistair picks up the chase. He must interview people in Milan but the chief suspect has vanished. The old curate at the church is feeble and frail; does he know more than he is letting on?
Alistair’s exotic French fiancée, Isabelle, arrives in Monaco for the weekend. Out for a walk in the harbour, she mistakenly goes on board the huge yacht which Al has spoken so much about. The yacht leaves, she panics and hides on board; in the same space, is an Italian secret police man who has stumbled on a few of the bronzes; both their phones die after a few scrambled words; what to do?
Alistair learns in Milan that the old curate, together with a young man, have left for Genoa to rendezvous with the yacht, taking sacks of apparently heavy goods. He races to the Port at Genoa and with the Italian maritime police they pursue the yacht to sea.
Finally, caught out at sea and held to account, the bronzes on board are recovered but are they the bronzes? Not what they seem; one of them leaks a substance; what is it?
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The Woman in the Wings
How far would you go to win over the woman you love?
The picturesque village of East Upbury still looks much as it did a century ago, but middle-class professionals have long since replaced the agricultural workers who once lived there. When the villagers decide to stage an open-air summer production to commemorate the centenary of the tragic events that occurred there during the Great War, rivalries quickly emerge. The director intends her production to be authentic, but her vision conflicts with the nostalgic view of the past held by influential village factions.
Toby has never harboured any desire to appear on stage but has always been fascinated by the history of the Great War. He supports all the director’s plans and is delighted to be appointed as stage manager. However, he finds it difficult to focus on his responsibilities because of his fascination with Sarah, a visitor to the village who is helping him backstage. Sarah appears to like him, but the demands of the production mean that whenever they secure any time together events conspire to interrupt them.
As the last night of the production approaches, disaster strikes when one of the actors disappears. This forces Toby to confront his fears and decide exactly how far he is willing to go to win over Sarah before she returns to London.
By turns tragic, comic, historic, and pastoral, The Woman in the Wings shows that a tragic history can sometimes repeat itself as romantic comedy.
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The Artist
Emilia, an aspiring actress, works as a waitress at a Parisian restaurant called The Ship. There, she meets Heinrich, an architect who falls deeply in love with her. As Emilia’s acting career flourishes, she decides to return to Germany to work on her father’s farm. Undeterred by the distance, Heinrich follows her back to Germany and continues his work as an architect there. This heartwarming story emphasizes the significance of family bonds and romance in a contemporary context.
During her time in Germany, Emilia reminisces about her Aunt Sophia, who supported her family during the difficult period following her mother’s untimely death in Emilia’s childhood. She seizes the opportunity to reconnect with Sophia, her cousin David, and his wife Gina at a dinner party. Emilia’s father is overjoyed when she returns to Germany to assist with his farming endeavours.
While Emilia may eventually return to Paris, for now, she chooses to focus on nurturing her blossoming romance with Heinrich and cherishing the time spent with her loved ones in Germany.
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Daisy Chain
As her ninety-fifth year draws to a close, Margaret’s light begins to fade. With her last wish and legacy in mind, she pins all her hopes on a much younger generation, seeking to bridge the gap between two vastly different stages of life.
Joshua and Abigail, at the opposite end of life’s spectrum, find themselves unexpectedly intertwined with Margaret’s final journey. As they strive to fulfil her dying wish, they are forced to confront their own demons and embark on a path of self-discovery. Will their efforts to help Margaret ultimately lead them to find themselves, or will their struggles be lost in the dwindling sands of time?
Amidst the turmoil, the question of forgiveness looms large. Can long-standing nemeses be forgiven, and can the weight of the past be lifted? As Margaret, Joshua, and Abigail navigate this emotional landscape, they each seek the serenity that has eluded them for so long.
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Die Zeit der Frau / The Time of the Woman
Rita, a modern woman, forges an acting career, while her partner Karl writes scripts. She meets many people – her Uncle Fred, Bertha, Peter, Edwina – and moves with Karl from Boston to Switzerland for his work.
Her childhood imagination springs to life when the circus comes to town. As Uncle Fred falls for Yuki, Rita connects with her, making a pen-pal. Relationships interweave between the cast, underscoring the busy modern world where paths constantly cross.
Traveling from Boston to Munich stirs Rita’s longing for the mother she never met, and motivates her search. Karl eventually wins an Academy Award, but accepts it without attending, in his signature style. Through it all, Rita and Karl’s bond endures, a rarity in these turbulent times.
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Blue
From the late fifties to the present-day, Harriet’s story is one of bereavement and loss, and how she lives through them to a fulfilled and happy old age. Losing her brother and then her father at a young age, she is obliged to run the family farm and consequently does not pursue the career she might have had. She gives up ideas of studying History of Art at university and accepts the loss of opportunity as she resigns herself to following her mother’s advice to be happy being ‘just a wife and mother.’ She settles into a contented marriage to steady Sam and as times change them and their lives, she expresses her love of beauty and colour in designing gardens.
Harriet never relinquishes her love of art and when time allows, she begins to study Medieval painting, specialising in the early Italian Renaissance. She escapes into a world of lapis lazuli blue, aquamarine, cerulean, cobalt blue, and azure. And here she finds a guide in James who is so knowledgeable, so charming and so attractive… Thus, Harriet moves from the lost idyllic rural landscapes of her youth to the fantasy ‘hortus conclusus’ of medieval Madonnas. And beside her is James, party to this beautiful fantasy.
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Five Days in February
It was a cold Saturday morning in her well-ordered and happy life as Izzie headed off to her usual ballet class. She had lots to look forward to, a close circle of friends and a boy she fancied.
But on the way, something happened that would change her in life in ways she couldn’t have imagined. She met Seb, a boy whose life had been very different to her own.
Over the course of just a week the ripples from the events that happened touched not only her own life but the lives of others around her.
Did she wish she hadn’t met Seb? She certainly didn’t like some of the consequences but in every situation maybe there is something to be learned.
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Tangled Web
‘Oh what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive.’
- Sir Walter Scott
In Tangled Web, the past isn’t merely history, it’s a living, breathing entity that refuses to be ignored. Each character has been outrunning their history, seeking sanctuary in the present. But when long-buried secrets come to light, the impact reverberates through relationships, forever altering the course of their lives. As each individual becomes entangled in the complicated web of consequences, they encounter both loss and gain. Yet, in the midst of upheaval, an unexpected boon emerges: a deeper understanding of themselves. This emotionally resonant story explores the complexities of family, friends, and neighbours, ultimately revealing the transformative power of self-discovery.
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