Author:Gill Hornby

From the number one bestselling author of Miss Austen, a powerful and moving novel featuring Jane Austen's closest friend and confidante . . .
* Waterstones Fiction Book of the Month *
'So envious of anyone yet to read this. A triumph!' Nigella Lawson
'A masterly piece of storytelling.' Helena Kelly
'The great writer is brought to life in this clever, well-researched piece of fiction' The Times
'Thoroughly entertaining, Godmersham Park has some of the same understated wit and sharp observation as Austen's novels' Sunday Times
'Displays a keen sense of wit and rich characterisation ... a thoroughly enjoyable book' Observer
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January 1804: Anne Sharpe arrives at Godmersham Park in Kent to take up the position of governess.
At thirty-one years old, she has no previous experience of either teaching or fine country houses. But her mother has died and she desperately needs an independent income if she is to survive.
For her new charge, twelve-year-old Fanny Austen, Anne's arrival is all novelty and excitement.
But Anne is keenly aware that her new role is an awkward one: she is neither one of the servants nor one of the family, and to balance a position between the 'upstairs' and 'downstairs' members of the household is a diplomatic chess game. One wrong move may result in her instant dismissal.
She has just begun to settle into her position when dashing Henry Austen and his younger sister Jane come to stay.
Both take an immediate interest in the pretty, clever governess who quickly becomes drawn into the above stairs life of the Austen family.
Despite her best endeavours, Anne finds that she is beginning to fall in love. But has her survival at Godmersham Park just become a good deal more precarious?
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More love for Godmersham Park . . .
'If you love Jane Austen you're sure to enjoy Gill Hornby's stylish glimpse into the life of young governess Anne Sharp ... this elegantly written tale skilfully recreates a world where governesses are midway between the family upstairs and the servants downstairs.' The Independent
'Utterly absorbing and illuminating ... Gill Hornby's best book yet.' Esther Freud
'I read it straight through without looking up.' Karen Joy Fowler
'Meticulously researched, Hornby's absorbing novel revels in the joys and tensions of life above and below stairs.' Mail on Sunday
'An invigorating riff on an author whose life and works keep on giving, and an ideal companion for your beach towel this summer.'Metro
'Gill Hornby has created another winning tribute to the genius of Jane.' Woman
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Readers can't get enough of Godmersham Park . . .
***** 'An utter joy - powerful, moving, clever and entirely delightful.'
***** 'I enjoyed the pace of the story as well as learning about the family.'
***** 'I was quite transported by Godmersham Park, which often feels as if from Austen's own pen.'
***** 'I have never loved a book so much!'
***** 'I thoroughly enjoyed the story.'
V.V. Ganeshananthan's novel Brotherless Night reveals the moral nuances of violence, ever belied by black-and-white terminology
—— The New York TimesA beautiful, brilliant book... tender and fierce as it is mournful. It is unafraid to look directly at the worst of the violence and erasure we have perpetrated or allowed to happen, but is insistent that we can still choose to be better
—— Danielle Evans, author of The Office of Historical CorrectionsRiveting, heartbreaking and extraordinary for both its empathetic gaze and its clear-eyed depiction of the brutality of war, Brotherless Night is a masterpiece
—— Star TribuneBrotherless Night is my favorite kind of novel, one so rich and full of movement that it's only later I realize how much I have learned. V. V. Ganeshananthan drew me in from the very first line, and the intricacies of her characters' lives made it easy to stay
—— Sara Novic, New York Times bestselling author of TRUE BIZPrepare to have your heart well and truly pummelled by this searing story about a young Tamil woman growing up as the Sri Lankan civil war explodes around her . . . at times, it's hard to remember that this rich and nuanced novel isn't actually a memoir - so convincing is Sashi's voice and so compelling her story
—— Bookseller, Book of the Month (preview)a careful, vivid exploration of what's lost within a community when life and thought collapse toward binary conflict [...] a novel for our own country in this odd time.
—— New YorkerThrough this moving story, Ganeshananthan traces the human aspects of war-the physical losses and tragedies as well as the conflicts of values that are often the true battlefields . . . [she] forces the reader to discard a binary description of the world in favor of a more complex, human one
—— BookPage, starred reviewA searing and intimate depiction of the Sri Lankan civil war from the point of view of an aspiring doctor . . . Ganeshananthan credibly captures the horrors and pain of the conflict felt by those caught between loyalties. It all makes for a convincing and illuminating war novel
—— Publishers WeeklyA beautifully written story of resilience, loss, human connection and survival amidst the complexities and violence of war
—— Ms MagazineSashi's storytelling is a perfect fit for the delicate balance she is forced to walk by virtue of living in a society where running afoul of the dominant forces, saying the wrong thing, leveling too impassioned a rebuke, can prove a capital offense
—— Omar El Akkad , New York Times Book ReviewA remarkable unflinching novel that delicately, with surgical precision, exposes the deep wound at the heart of a long cruel war
—— Romesh Gunesekera, author of ReefA real eye-opener of a book
—— Good HousekeepingGaneshananthan is a superb writer...I wept at many points in this novel and I also wept when it was over
—— Sunday TimesWhen we return to New York two decades later we've begun to understand how the Tamil 'terrorists' defy this label as much as any other. Ganeshanathan triumphs in her portrait of them as complex individuals - 'people you might know or love'
—— SpectatorWith immense compassion and deep moral complexity, V. V. Ganeshananthan brings us an achingly moving portrait of individual and societal grief
—— CELESTE NG, bestselling author of LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHEREA heart-breaking exploration of a family fractured by civil war. This beautiful, nuanced novel follows a young doctor caught within conflicting ideologies as she tries to save lives. I couldn't put this book down
—— BRIT BENNETT, bestselling author of THE VANISHING HALFStunningly great
—— Curtis Sittenfeld, bestselling author of RODHAM, via TwitterBrotherless Night is my favorite kind of novel, one so rich and full of movement that it's only later I realize how much I have learned. Ganeshananthan drew me in from the very first line, and the intricacies of her characters' lives made it easy to stay
—— Sara Novic, author of True BizA beautiful, brilliant book - it gives an accounting of the unimaginable losses suffered by a family and by a country, but it is as tender and fierce as it is mournful. It is unafraid to look directly at the worst of the violence and erasure we have perpetrated or allowed to happen, but is insistent that we can still choose to be better
—— Danielle Evans, author of The Office of Historical CorrectionsSomehow heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time
—— YoursExplores themes of female friendship, motherhood, ageing, love and disillusionment. Moyes brings her main characters - a unlikely group of women thrown together - to life, each as flawed as they are brilliant, and stronger together
—— GraziaSomething to get excited about . . . [The] most compelling and readable of novels, which will make you wonder what it's really like to walk in someone else's shoes
—— Glamour UKShowcases Moyes' ability to portray emotion and female friendship with themes of love, betrayal, family, and hope. It is action packed and will have readers rooting for Nisha and Sam
—— Booklist, Starred ReviewFull of fun, unlikely friendships . . . and female empowerment, it's a welcome escape. A funny romp
—— WomanA love letter to the strength of female friendship and how women can really be there for each other
—— Good HousekeepingA stirring tale of sisterhood, survival and being seen
—— RedA heartfelt story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances
—— PlatinumPraise for Jojo Moyes
—— -Moyes is on dazzling form in this big-hearted story
—— Daily MirrorRaw, funny, real and sad, this is storytelling at its best
—— Marie ClaireBlisteringly good
—— SunThis truly beautiful story made us laugh, smile and sob like a baby - you simply have to read it
—— CloserEntertaining, immersive and moving
—— Sunday TimesDazzling
—— Sunday ExpressMoyes somehow manages to break your heart before restoring your faith in love
—— Sunday ExpressA genuinely entertaining book, a really cracking story
—— StylistMagnificent
—— Jewish ChronicleVictory City can, in many ways, be read as an entertaining jaunt through Indian history, though it is history through the kaleidoscopic and sweeping lens of a fairy tale... this brilliantly magical tale.
—— Irish IndependentThis sweeping, intricately crafted fairy tale is underscored by very human characters and Rushdie's signature wit.
—— Culture Whisper, *Books to Look Out For 2023*A grand entertainment, in a tale with many strands, by an ascended master of modern legends.
—— Kirkus ReviewRushdie's magical style unfurls wonders.
—— Washington PostRushdie's Victory City is another fabulous novel set in his native India... He's a master who never forgets that the main goal of a storyteller is to entertain rather than educate or pontificate.
—— New York Journal of BooksRushdie is, above all else...one of the most powerful defenders of story we have... Victory City is a victory for Rushdie - and for every reader who enters its gates.
—— Harper's BazaarRushdie succeeds in creating a kind of incantatory prose that befits the fabulist nature of the story... he can enchant readers like few other writers.
—— Literary ReviewThis is a man at his full-strength, high-tar best - with his deeply humane worldview, his brilliance at set-pieces and, above all, the thrilling wildness of his imagination on irresistible display.
—— Reader's DigestWith its carousel of shifting politics and history, Victory City is Rushdie's most textured and triumphant wonder tale yet.
—— HinduUtterly enchanting.
—— Eastern EyeRushdie's return to magic, myth, and India's ancient stories is dazzling. With mercurial prose and vivid renderings, Rushdie never loses us in Victory City's convolutions, but instead builds our trust to travail the many grand events of Pampa's imagined empire.
—— EsquireA rich, dramatic saga... The many moments of comedy...show Salman Rushdie's storytelling skills and his endearing sense of playfulness... the main feeling the reader gets is of a storyteller enjoying himself.
—— Tablet, *Novel of the Week*Rushdie is an expert at mixology; he's the DJ Shadow of text with references and allusions to high and low culture from Finnegans Wake to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon... a well-told tale that gets bums on seats.
—— NationalThere's a magical thread of storytelling running through the veins of each character we meet in this book... a joy to read.
—— UK Press SyndicationA work of great imagination... In Victory City the power of the written word and of the storyteller remain triumphant.
—— NBRushdie’s sheer love of fiction is irrepressible.
—— Daily Telegraph, *Books of the Year*A wonderfully entertaining literary hybrid
—— The Times, *Books of the Year*Victory City is Salman Rushdie at his imaginative best… sweeping the reader on a journey that feels epic in a mere 320 pages
—— i, *Books of the Year*From start to finish, the reader or listener can only be impressed by the literary flair of Rushdie's compelling storytelling... Victory City is a joy to listen to.
—— Entertainment Focus