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'Magnificent . . . Lauren Groff is a virtuoso' Emily St John Mandel 'A blistering collection . . . lyrical and oblique' Guardian 'Not to be missed . . . deep and dark and resonant' Ann Patchett 'It's beautiful. It's giving me rich, grand nightmares' Observer In these vigorous stories, Lauren Groff brings her electric storytelling to a world in which storms, snakes and sinkholes lurk at the edge of everyday life, but the greater threats are of a human, emotional and psychological nature. Among those navigating it all are a resourceful pair of abandoned sisters; a lonely boy, grown up; a restless, childless couple; a searching, homeless woman; and an unforgettable conflicted wife and mother. Florida is an exploration of the connections behind human pleasure and pain, hope and despair, love and fury. 'Innovative and terrifyingly relevant. Any one of these stories is a bracing read; together they form a masterpiece' Stylist 'Lushly evocative . . . mesmerising . . . a writer whose turn of phrase can stop you on your tracks' Financial Times
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FATES AND FURIES AND MATRIX 'Everything a reader might have expected from this gifted writer, and more' Stephen King 'Bold and beautiful' Lorrie Moore 'Pleasurably surreal' Guardian 'Will give you paper cuts from turning pages' Marie Claire Willie Upton returns to her ancestral home of Templeton, New York after a disastrous affair with her married archaeology professor. The same day, Willie discovers a hard truth about her long-lost father's identity and a prehistoric monster is discovered in the nearby Lake Glimmerglass, bringing frenzy to the quiet town and her life. As Willie investigates her family tree, dark secrets come to light, past and present are blurred and old mysteries are finally put to rest. The Monsters of Templeton is an extraordinary novel by literary virtuoso Lauren Groff. 'A vivid tale of unearthing past truths, horrors and lies' Good Housekeeping
THE NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Enough betrayal, vengeance and sex to read like one of the Greek tragedies' Observer 'Devastatingly good' Guardian 'Astonishingly beautiful' Financial Times 'Addictive to read' Stylist 'Rich, lyrical and rewarding' Paula Hawkins Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets. 'Groff is a writer of rare gifts' New York Times 'Sexy and achingly beautiful' Good Housekeeping 'A really powerful novel' Barack Obama 'A book to submit to and be knocked out by' Meg Wolitzer
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS AN OBAMA'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Gorgeous, sensual, addictive' SARA COLLINS 'Brightly lit' NAOMI ALDERMAN Born from a long line of female warriors and crusaders, yet too coarse for courtly life, Marie de France is cast from the royal court and sent to Angleterre to take up her new duty as the prioress of an impoverished abbey. Lauren Groff's modern masterpiece is about the establishment of a female utopia. 'A propulsive, captivating read' BRIT BENNETT 'Fascinating, beguiling, vivid' MARIAN KEYES 'A dazzlingly clever tale' THE TIMES 'A thrillingly vivid, adventurous story about women and power that will blow readers' minds. Left me gasping' EMMA DONOGHUE
'Stunningly sensual and visceral' NEW YORK TIMES 'Smart, beautiful . . . paints a lyrical picture' STYLIST 'Groff is a sensuous writer' GUARDIAN In the fields of western New York State in the 1970s, on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House, a few dozen idealists set out to live off the land. Abe and Hannah's only child, Bit, is born into the commune soon after its creation. He grows up there, becoming deeply attached to its way of life and everyone within it, in particular the beautiful but troubled Helle. While the commune rises and falls, Bit, too, ages and changes. But when it's time to find a way to live in the world beyond Arcadia, will he be able to let go of the past to forge a new start? 'An exquisite tale of idealism and disintegration . . . Utterly absorbing' MARIE CLAIRE 'Intricately wrought . . . A powerful pean to the human desire to make the right sort of place live' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Arcadia is stunningly sensual and visceral in describing behaviour straight out of a time capsule . . . A shimmering evocation of the commune's heyday' NEW YORK TIMES
“Richly conceived, finely detailed stories . . . of smart, daring women who are in search of, in thrall to, or disillusioned by love” (Booklist). “Nine wildly unique, exquisitely symphonic tales, full of beauty, tragedy, and the sudden horror of shocking images—this is Groff’s gift to readers. And what a gift it is.” —Library Journal From Lauren Groff, author of the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling novel Fates and Furies, comes Delicate Edible Birds, one of the most striking short fiction debuts in years. Here are nine stories of astonishing insight and variety, each revealing a resonant drama within the life of a twentieth-century American woman. “[An] innovative and beautifully written collection that covers a wide swath of humanity, from east coast resort towns, to the early twentieth century flu epidemic, to WWII Europe.” —Publishers Weekly “Tales of ordinary transformations and everyday occurrences are made magical in a collection of nine stories by Groff. . . . Groff’s skill makes commonplace occurrences seem compelling.” —Kirkus Reviews
***A SPECTATOR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021*** By turns dark and hilarious, at times solemn and mysterious, Your Duck is My Duck cements Deborah Eisenberg's reputation as one of America's greatest living writers of fiction. "Hugely intelligent, funny, subtle, beautifully written, these stories reach beyond New York into the world."— Tessa Hadley "If our culture can produce a writer this wonderful, there must be something beautiful about us yet."— George Saunders "[A] scintillating showcase."-Anthony Cummins, The Observer "Shudderingly intimate and mordantly funny."— The New York Times Now in B-format Paperback Each of the six stories that make up this new collection—Eisenberg's firs...
'Outstanding... The best short introduction I have come across' Sunday Times When he died at the age of just twenty-five, few imagined John Keats would one day be considered among the greatest poets of all time. Taking nine of Keats's best-known poems, Lucasta Miller excavates their backstories and, in doing so, resurrects the real Keats: an outsider from a damaged family whose visceral love of language allowed him to change the face of English literature for ever. Combining close-up readings with the story of his brief existence, Miller shows us how Keats crafted his groundbreaking poetry and explains why it continues to speak to us across the centuries. 'One never wants Keats's life to end so soon; I didn't want this book to end, either' TLS Books of the Year 'Irresistible... [Miller]digs into the backstories of her subject's most famous poems to uncover aspects of his life and work that challenge well-worn romantic myths' Wall Street Journal
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the bestselling author of A Gate at the Stairs: A collection of twelve stories that’s “one of our funniest, most telling anatomies of human love and vulnerability" (The New York Times Book Review). A volume by one of the most exciting writers at work today, the acclaimed author of Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? and Self-Help. Stories remarkable in their range, emotional force, and dark laughter, and in the sheer beauty and power of their language. From the opening story, "Willing"—about a second-rate movie actress in her thirties who has moved back to Chicago, where she makes a seedy motel room her home and becomes inv...
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year “Brilliantly breathes life not only into the perils of living at sea, but also into the hidden dangers of domesticity, parenthood, and marriage. What a smart, swift, and thrilling novel.” —Lauren Groff, author of Florida Juliet is failing to juggle motherhood and her stalled-out dissertation on confessional poetry when her husband, Michael, informs her that he wants to leave his job and buy a sailboat. With their two kids—Sybil, age seven, and George, age two—Juliet and Michael set off for Panama, where their forty-four foot sailboat awaits them. The initial result is transformative; the marriage is given a gust of energy, Juliet emerges from her depression, and the children quickly embrace the joys of being at sea. The vast horizons and isolated islands offer Juliet and Michael reprieve – until they are tested by the unforeseen. A transporting novel about marriage, family and love in a time of unprecedented turmoil, Sea Wife is unforgettable in its power and astonishingly perceptive in its portrayal of optimism, disillusionment, and survival.