The perfect gift for all Jane Austen fans!THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERA RICHARD AND JUDY BOOKCLUB PICK'Utterly engrossing' GuardianIt is wash-day for the housemaids at Longbourn House, and Sarah's hands are chapped and raw. Domestic life below stairs, ruled with a tender heart and an iron will by Mrs Hill the housekeeper, is about to be disturbed by the arrival of a ne...

If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah thought, she would be more careful not to trudge through muddy fields.It is wash-day for the housemaids at Longbourn House, and Sarah's hands are chapped and bleeding. Domestic life below stairs, ruled tenderly and forcefully by Mrs Hill the housekeeper, is about to be disturbed by the arrival of a new footman smelling of the sea, and bearing secrets.For in Georgian England, there is a world the young...

**---A GUARDIAN BEST SUMMER READ---'A very modern interrogation of violent fiction. Fiendishly readable' SARAH MOSS, GUARDIAN'Powerful and moving' ERIN KELLY, author of He Said/She Said______________When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote countryside, it's meant to be a fresh start. But when one of her students start...

BY THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LONGBOURNSHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2017SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE 2017'Skilful . . . daring . . . extraordinary' The Guardian*'*A fascinating fictional account of Samuel Beckett's wartime years' IAN RANKIN'Beautifully written, empathetic an...

JO BAKER was born and grew up in Lancaster, educated at Oxford and Belfast, and now teaches creative writing at Lancaster University. She is the author of two previous novels, both published by Heinemann. She is also a script writer, whose adaptation of Charlotte Bront?'s Shirley, has just won funding from the Irish Film Board.

Set against the rolling backdrop of a century of British history from WWI to the 'War on Terror', this is an intimate family portrait captured in snapshots. First there is William, the factory lad who loses his life in Gallipoli, then his son Billy, a champion cyclist who survives the D-Day Landings on a military bicycle, followed by his crippled son Will who becomes an Oxford academic in the 1960s, and finally his daughter Billie, an artist in contemporary London. Just as the names - Will...

I don’t recall if I saw my first gunman in my childhood nightmares or on my childhood streets.There were plenty in both and they looked very much like each other.So begins Reggie Chamberlain-King’s introduction to The Black Dreams, a thrilling and compelling collection of specially commissioned stories that explore the emotional geography of growing up and living in Northern Ireland.The fourteen stories gathered here criss-cross coast, bor...

Pattern Cutting Techniques for Ladies' Jackets shares the trade secrets from the world of bespoke tailoring and haute couture, alongside procedures from the ready-to-wear industry. Written by a trained Savile Row tailor working in the fashion industry, it explains how to make a basic pattern for a jacket by flat pattern cutting or draping on the dress form. It introduces a broad range of techniques with clear detailed instructions, and emphasizes the importance of an individual and creativ...

When Samuel Beckett’s work first appeared, it was routinely described, by Adorno amongst others, as a clear example of European high culture. However, this judgement ignored an aspect of Beckett’s work and its reception that is, arguably, not yet fully understood; the intimate relation between his work and popular culture. Beckett used popular cultural forms; but popular culture has also found a place both for the work and for the man. This collection of essays examines how popular cultura...

The best-selling author of Never Unfriended opens up about midlife and what it feels like to have outgrown those teenage jeans—but finally grown into the shape of our souls.“I want to give Lisa-Jo’s book a standing ovation.”—Aarti Sequeira, chef and TV personalityDo you ever wonder how you woke up one day with all the responsibilities of a grown-up who secretly enjoys buying groceries in bulk, can no longer recognize the tween cele...

'A tour de force' IRISH TIMES'Riveting and moving' NINA STIBBE'Gripping' THE TIMES'It had me by the throat' EMMA DONOGHUELONDON, 1940. As enemy planes fly over the city, twenty-year-old Charlotte Richmond is trying to make the best of things. She has a dull but steady job at the Ministry of Information, a friend to share gin and secrets with, and an attic room of her own. A...

An honest and lyrical coming-of-age memoir of growing up in South Africa at the height of apartheid, and an invitation to recognize and refuse to repeat the sins of our fathers—from the bestselling author of Never Unfriended“Heartfelt, emotionally charged reflections . . . [a] bracing memoir.”—Kirkus Review“Important. Riveting. Unforgettable . . . a profoundly captivating story that can profoundly change your own s...