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Written in the thirteenth century, the Icelandic prose sagas, chronicling the lives of kings and commoners, give a dramatic account of the first century after the settlement of Iceland—the period from about 930 to 1050. To some extent these elaborate tales are written versions of traditional sagas passed down by word of mouth. How did they become the long and polished literary works that are still read today? The evolution of the written sagas is commonly regarded as an anomalous phenomenon, distinct from contemporary developments in European literature. In this groundbreaking study, Carol J. Clover challenges this view and relates the rise of imaginative prose in Iceland directly to the rise of imaginative prose on the Continent. Analyzing the narrative structure and composition of the sagas and comparing them with other medieval works, Clover shows that the Icelandic authors, using Continental models, owe the prose form of their writings, as well as some basic narrative strategies, to Latin historiography and to French romance.
In the dying days of September 1938 the murderer of a Jewish shopkeeper is hanged in Birmingham. After witnessing the execution, Inspector James Given, who brought the killer to justice, is surprised to find he has been taken off the investigation into attacks on Jews to pursue a very different case. Two people have been found dead in the grounds of a Warwickshire house: it seems clear that Lady Isabel Barleigh has shot her disabled son on the eve of his wedding then turned the weapon on herself. An hour later his fiancée, distraught with grief, committed suicide. The case has been all but closed; Given doesn't believe this version of events and, with the local policeman, Constable Sawyer, begins to dig further into the past of the Barleigh family. Meanwhile, Given's own past - his very nature, hidden from all - begins to catch up with him A complex mystery about identity, deceit, and past crimes. Inspired by a true story.
Philosophy for Children (P4C) is an approach to learning and teaching that aims to develop reasoning and judgement. Students learn to listen to and respect their peers' opinions, think creatively and work together to develop a deeper understanding of concepts central to their own lives and the subjects they are studying. With the teacher adopting the role of facilitator, a true community develops in which rich and meaningful dialogue results in enquiry of the highest order. Each chapter is written by a leading P4C expert and provides an introduction to the relationship between P4C and the subject area, lesson stimuli and activities for extending and deepening students' thinking. The book includes: • guidance on how to embed P4C in curriculum subjects in a crowded and demanding secondary curriculum timetable • troubleshooting advice for the teacher-turned-facilitator • a companion website containing useful links, downloadable resources and material to display on your interactive whiteboard. Edited and collated by the UK's leading P4C organisation, this book introduces a rationale for using and adapting P4C in the secondary curriculum.
A Richard and Judy Book Club pick, set in Paris and Italy, The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton is a beautiful and uplifting exploration of love, loss and hope ‘The real truth and triumph of this gem of a story is simple: it is one of the best and most gripping descriptions of heartbreak that either of us have ever read’ Richard and Judy’s review Grace Atherton, a talented cellist, is in love with David. Together in their apartment in Paris, Grace and David are happy until an unexpected event changes everything. Nadia is seventeen and furious. She knows that love will only let her down: if she is going to succeed it will be on her own terms. At eighty-six Maurice Williams has disc...
When Alice Hart’s husband runs off with his secretary, she runs off with his dog to lick her wounds in a North Yorkshire village. Battling with loneliness but trying to make the best of her new start, she soon meets her neighbours and discovers all is not what it seems...
Sometimes the hardest person to save is yourself... Marie Johnson is trapped by her job as a chef in a Dorset pub and by her increasingly poisonous marriage to its landlord. Worn down by his string of affairs she has no self-confidence, no self-respect and the only thing that keeps her going is watching her son, Jude, turn into a talented artist. But the 60th anniversary of a D-Day exercise triggers chance meetings which prove unlikely catalysts for change. First there's Corbin, the American soldier who she runs into as she's walking on the cliffs. He is charming and has a quaintness about him, calling her an 'English rose'. Then there's George the war veteran, who comes to dine at the pub, ...
*** WINNER OF THE CWA SAPERE BOOKS HISTORICAL DAGGER 2021 *** 'The leading character is the deftly drawn Persis Wadia, the country's first female detective. She's a wonderful creation and this is a hugely enjoyable book' ANN CLEEVES 'This is historical crime fiction at its best - a compelling mix of social insight and complex plotting with a thoroughly engaging heroine. A highly promising new series' Mail on Sunday Bombay, New Year's Eve, 1949 As India celebrates the arrival of a momentous new decade, Inspector Persis Wadia stands vigil in the basement of Malabar House, home to the city's most unwanted unit of police officers. Six months after joining the force she remains India's first fema...
'Inspector John Joseph Lintott of Scotland Yard... Quiet of dress and manner, his respectability could not be doubted, but he was no gentleman... He had risen from the ranks slowly, and knew the dark side of London... One might kill Lintott, but one would never deter him.' Pursuing villainy amid the fog and gaslight of an immaculately drawn Victorian London, Lintott was the lynchpin of three novels by Jean Stubbs: Dear Laura (nominated in 1973 for the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Award) being the first. When Theodore Crozier is found dead the neighbourhood hopes the cause may be suicide, if only to spare further pain for both his dutiful wife Laura and beloved brother Titus. However there is more to the matter - a whisper of murder. Lintott is assigned to investigate, and gradually drags all manner of hidden secrets into light.
“A voraciously readable page-turner of a novel.”—Cory Doctorow “A razor-smart sci-fi corporate noir nightmare. Dare to Know is what happens when Willy Loman sees through the Matrix.”—Daniel Kraus, co-author of The Shape of Water This mind-bending and emotional speculative thriller is set in a world where the exact moment of your death can be predicted—for a price. Our narrator is the most talented salesperson at Dare to Know, an enigmatic company that has developed the technology to predict anyone’s death down to the second. Divorced, estranged from his sons, and broke, he's driven to violate the cardinal rule of the business by forecasting his own death day. The problem: his...
A time shift thriller that will have you completely gripped! What secrets were covered up at the court of Henry VIII ...? Whitehall Palace, England, 1539. When Catherine Howard arrives at the court of King Henry VIII to be a maid of honor in the household of the new queen, Anne of Cleves, she has no idea of the fate that awaits her. Catching the king’s fancy, she finds herself caught up in her uncle’s ambition to get a Howard heir to the throne. Terrified by the ageing king after the fate that befell her cousin, Anne Boleyn, Catherine begins to fear for her life. THE CATHERINE HOWARD CONSPIRACY is the first book in the Marquess House trilogy, a dual timeline conspiracy thriller with an ingenious twist on a well-known period of Tudor history.