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  The End of Asquith - The Downing...

  Michael Byrne

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  London, December 1916. In the middle of the world's most deadly war, a political coup grips Westminster. The carnage of the Somme, the failure of the Dardanelles campaign, and the Easter Rising in Dublin have all left Britain's coalition government in disarray. The press is in open revolt and the prime minister, Herbert Asquith, is under sustained attack from political opponents and key members of his own party. Against this backdrop of mounting chaos, four politicians meet to consider their options. Edward Carson, militant Ulster Unionist and former Conservative attorney-general. Max Aitken, the future Lord Beaverbrook, now a backbench Conservative MP and journalist. Andrew Bonar Law, leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party. And - most dangerous of all - David Lloyd George, the Liberal War Secretary. Over three weeks in the dying days of 1916 these four men engineer a stunning political coup. They force the prime minister to resign. The End of Asquith is a historically faithful, ?ctionalised account of Herbert Asquith's last days in office. It shows the prime minister slowly realising the emerging threat to his position and dealing with the concerns of his wife Margot, the friendship of those who stay loyal to him throughout the crisis, and the alarm of the king as his government collapses just as the war enters its most dangerous phase. An intimate and moving portrait of a politician facing the end of his long career, The End of Asquith recounts the dramatic removal from office of the last leader of a Liberal government in England.

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  The Bear and the Wolf - New...

  Griff Hosker

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  The first attempt by the Norse explorers to settle in the New World has ended in disaster. With most of their better warriors dead in a battle with the Penobscot tribe the survivors decide to head home across the wide and empty seas. They would risk a battle with King Harald Finehair. What they do not know is that they have left their Navigator alone and surrounded by enemies.The novel follows the two brothers, Erik the Navigator and Fótr Larsson as they both do what they must to survive. Erik must learn to live like a Skraeling and Fótr must fight the enemies of the Clan of the Wolf. Summoned by Ylva the volva Fótr is charged with a quest which seems impossible while Erik has to fight Penobscot warriors who are intent on vengeance.

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  Between Two Worlds

  Upton Sinclair

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  The second in the Pulitzer Prize–winning historical fiction series takes Lanny Budd through the 1920s, from the rise of fascism to the crash on Wall Street. The First World War brought an abrupt end to Lanny Budd’s idyllic youth. Now, in the wake of the Treaty of Versailles, he barely recognizes the beloved Europe of his boyhood. At the start of his career as an international art dealer, Lanny travels to Italy and witnesses the brutal charisma of Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Meanwhile, in Germany, the failed Beer Hall Putsch led by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party strikes an ominous note foreshadowing the devastation to come. After two star-crossed love affairs, Lanny marries a wealthy heiress and chooses the United States with its booming economy as their home. But neither he nor those he loves can predict the financial disaster that will bring a decade of prosperity to an abrupt close.  Between Two Worlds brings one of the most fascinating and tumultuous decades of the twentieth century to thrilling life. A spellbinding mix of history, adventure, and romance, the Lanny Budd Novels are a testament to the breathtaking scope of Upton Sinclair’s vision and his singular talents as a storyteller.

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  The Medici Manuscript - The...

  C.J. Archer

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  One book can change your life. 
  Finding an old manuscript in the attic has always been a fantasy of Sylvia’s. She just never expected the fantasy to come true, or for it to lead her to answers about her mysterious family. 
  The silver clasps binding the pages contain rare magic – the same magic that might run through Sylvia’s veins. To discover a link to her ancestors means understanding the book itself, but it’s written in a code that proves difficult to crack. The only thing she knows for certain is that it was once owned by the Medicis, the powerful family that controlled Renaissance Florence.  
  With the help of Gabe and his friends, Sylvia investigates the book’s origins. But following the clues throws up more questions – questions they need help answering. Trusting others is not Sylvia’s strong suit, but with Gabe at her side, she becomes capable and confident. Until their trust is shattered when the book is stolen.  
  Uncovering the thief proves dangerous, particularly when someone is also trying to kidnap Gabe. With his own mysteries to unravel, Gabe’s private life becomes more complicated. Sylvia tries to keep her distance but staying away from someone as magnetic as Gabe is impossible.  
  With so many distractions, can they find the thief before the book is lost forever? Or will the secrets contained within its pages remain unsolved and will Sylvia’s past continue to be a mystery?

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  Journey to the West with the...

  Yun-Chong Pan

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  A re-telling of the historical 14-year quest of the 7th century Chinese monk, Xuanzang, to obtain Buddhist sutras, travelling through Xinjiang, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

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  The Song of Everlasting Sorrow -...

  Wang Anyi

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  The classic story of a woman in post-World War II China. “[A] complex and penetrating portrayal . . . that best displays [Anyi’s] gifts as a novelist.”—The New York TimesInfatuated with the glitz and glamour of 1940s Hollywood, Wang Qiyao—a girl born of the longtang, the crowded, labyrinthine alleys of Shanghai’s working-class neighborhoods—seeks fame in the Miss Shanghai beauty pageant. This fleeting moment of stardom becomes the pinnacle of her life. During the next four decades, Wang Qiyao indulges in the decadent pleasures of pre-liberation Shanghai, secretly playing mahjong during the Anti-Rightist Movement and exchanging lovers on the eve of the Cultural Revolution. Surviving the vicissitudes of modern Chinese history, Wang Qiyao emerges in the 1980s as a purveyor of “old Shanghai”—a living incarnation of a new, commodified nostalgia that prizes splendor and sophistication—only to become embroiled in a tragedy that echoes the pulpy Hollywood noirs of her youth.  From the violent persecution of communism to the liberalism and openness of the age of reform, this sorrowful tale of old China versus new, of perseverance in the face of adversity, is a timeless rendering of our never-ending quest for transformation and beauty.“A beautifully constructed cyclical narrative . . . ingenious . . . As the novel builds to its tragic conclusion, the manner in which character types and events recur against the city’s shifting backdrop is impossible to forget.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“[A] literary masterpiece . . . The story is spellbinding, colorful, and sad; the writing is dense and thoughtful . . . a page-turner right up to the end.”—Historical Novel Society

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