Author:Yasunari Kawabata,Edward G. Seidensticker

Ogata Shingo is growing old, and his memory is failing him. At night he hears only the sound of death in the distant rumble from the mountain. The relationships which have previously defined his life - with his son, his wife, and his attractive daughter-in-law - are dissolving, and Shingo is caught between love and destruction. Lyrical and precise, The Sound of the Mountain explores in immaculately crafted prose the changing roles of love and the truth we face in ageing.
Kawabata is a poet of the gentlest shades, of the evanescent, the imperceptible
—— CommonwealA rich, complicated novel. . . . Of all modern Japanese fiction, Kawabata's is the closest to poetry
—— The New York Times Book ReviewIt is one of those books that you read and feel a shift...the story is told so poetically and eloquently. It is one of those books that you read and think: if I could only remember that sentence - it is so beautiful
—— Sam Taylor-WoodNo one has written more elegiacally about America... Fitzgerald, like his revered Keats, was a compulsive nostalgic, locating happiness in the search for sensation rather than in its realisation; in the dream of desire, not in its fulfilment
—— GuardianIn just a snatch of dialogue or a few lines of description, Fitzgerald can evoke the happy, troubled and perilous balance of a group of friends... He has an acute eye and ear for the nuances of character... an exquisitely crafted piece of fiction
—— Melissa Benn , IndependentBreathtaking... an astounding achievement
—— Frank DelaneyEdward Rutherfurd has written about Dublin with love. It is an expertly researched and highly readable account of a place he has grown to know well'
—— Maeve Binchy , Ireland on SundaySublime talent ... this is history with a human face and a fanciful soul
—— Good Book GuideIf you are looking for something light and provocative for the beach this is a great little number
—— Irish Independentan engaging, warm-hearted novel'
—— Scotland on Sunday[A] comic masterpiece
—— Irish TimesComic, satisfying, thought-provoking, addictive
—— The TelegraphIt's his supreme skill in mastering a lengthily interwoven chronicle, the evolution of such a range and variety of pin-point characters, the wit and the cultural ambition that give the novel a unique place in English Literature.
—— Melvyn BraggThe London Train is an intelligent and gently manipulative story of human weakness and lies... Wicked but delightful
—— Lesley McDowell , Independent on SundayHadley offers first-class views on the psychological scenery of 21st-century Britain
—— Daily TelegraphA passionate, hilarious look at mid-twentieth-century Britain.
—— Jeremy Paxman , Gentleman's JournalSomething I know I love ... Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time, which I could read endlessly.
—— Tracey Thorn , Daily MailI’m bowled over, hooked and, hurrah, there are 11 more volumes to go as Jenkins grows up. Terrific.
—— Daily MailA highly accomplished debut, this is a chilling portrait of racial tension, social immorality, betrayal and love, and also an atmospheric examination of the end of innocence.
—— The Lady MagazineThe writing is strong and though the sections featuring Gay's earlier life lose momentum, the story picks up pace when the girls' paths become entwined and the conclusion is compelling and thrillingly macabre.
—— TelegraphThis fictional account of a true story gives a darkly shocking version of the events surrounding this tragic case.
—— Good Book GuideBrilliantly melds a factual post-war murder into a dark fictional tale
—— Telegraph