Perfect for fans of Marian Keyes, Rachel Joyce and Jojo Moyes. Secrets can’t stay buried forever… 1960s England Cassandra Fitzpatrick’s family isn’t quite like everybody else’s: her house is always full to bursting with the various misfits her mother houses as lodgers. The creative and chaotic household is all she has ever known and loved, until something awful happens that changes everything. Cass loves her mother deeply, but, as she gets older, she becomes more and more aware of her flaws. Will Cass have to distance herself from her family to find happiness? Or is she destined to follow in her mother’s footsteps? As Cass reflects on her memories, she must lay the ghosts of the past to rest and make peace with the secrets that have haunted her adult life… CASSANDRA’S SECRET is both a coming-of-age story and poignant return to the past, an intricate family drama of the close bond between mother and daughter, and the strength of love needed to overcome abuse and grief. "Garrood's thoughtful prose tells the story of an extraordinary girl's passage to womanhood." The Big Issue in the North and The Big Issue Cymru "This is a delightful book, combining some emotional issues with humorous comments and moments." BCF Reviews "Frances Garrood is a magnificent writer" thebookbag.co.uk *** PLEASE NOTE THIS WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS THE BIRDS, THE BEES AND OTHER SECRETS ***

    She invites him to ‘go and live a better life without me’. He must start again, and alone.And so it is that Sam finds himself deep in the English countryside in a cold but characterful old house, remote and encircled by hills, in the employment and company of an older, wiser man, a man as fond of mystery as he is of enlightenment. What is the purpose of the seemingly hopeless task set for Sam in the house’s ancient library? What is the secret of the unused room? And where does a life lose its way or gain its meaning?The combe is home to a truth born of fraud, a building made of light, and a family wrecked by recklessness: loss and love reverberate around the house and around the novel, providing pleasure, pain and purpose. Combe Hall is a house designed to honour and to enthral. And this very fine debut novel does exactly the same.

    Bethesda Barnet is an artist and a teacher. Her village life with an invalid mother is ordered and calm until the sudden vision of a man's face imprints itself on her mind's eye -- and she becomes a woman obsessed. She paints fragmented images of Mathew Pearson, secretly and relentlessly. And then, on the stillest day, in an extreme moment, she performs an act so bold that it shatters lives. Daring to play God, she falls from grace and is sacrificed on the twin altars of convention and vengeance. "The Stillest Day" draws the reader into the darkest corner of a passionate psyche.

    She doesn't mind that she has no friends in town or that there are vicious rumors about her. She does, however, wonder if she will ever be truly happy and find real love. When she is unexpectedly invited to marry a Lord she has never met, she can't help but wonder whether she could find her other half by his side. But can she really trust her mysterious husband-to-be? Or is there a secret hiding behind his choice to marry a woman of humble origin?Lord Fisher has spent the last few years holed up in his manor house, away from prying eyes. Although his heart is made of gold, he feels that his soul and his face are not fit for the world outside... He tries his best to manage the lands his father left him and find a purpose in life, until he decides it's finally his time to get married. In despair, he sends his secretary to find someone eligible, but never would he expect to find a lady with a good heart and a strong mind to accept his proposal. But can this delicate woman bear his well-kept secret? Or will she flee taking away his last hope to experience genuine affection?True love knows no bounds, but Hermione and Lord Fisher are condemned to find many obstacles between them. Will she discover a way to help him cure his trauma, and change his heart? And will he trust her, even when things seem to be falling apart?

    The novel follows Yejide and Akin, a Nigerian couple who have been married since they met at university. Yejide’s difficulties with becoming pregnant eventually lead Akin to take a second wife, breaking the couple’s agreement to remain monogamous. As Yejide attempts to get pregnant, she must deal with the jealousy and fury she feels at her husband’s choice.Ayobami Adebayo’s debut novel is unforgettable, bursting with color and heart and, as The Guardian describes, “demonstration of female spirit”. The beautiful and nuanced prose invites readers to explore the familiar motif of marital struggles through the lens of a culture that is patriarchal and oppressive. Heartbreak and the expectations of family and community weigh heavily in Adebayo’s narrative, creating a rich and layered story that earned both critical and commercial acclaim.A Brief Look Inside:EVERY GOOD BOOK CONTAINS A WORLD FAR DEEPER than the surface of its pages. The characters and their world come alive, and the characters and its world still live on. Conversation Starters is peppered with questions designed to bring us beneath the surface of the page and invite us into the world that lives on.These questions can be used to...Create Hours of Conversation:• Promote an atmosphere of discussion for groups• Foster a deeper understanding of the book• Assist in the study of the book, either individually or corporately• Explore unseen realms of the book as never seen beforeDisclaimer: This book you are about to enjoy is an independent resource meant to supplement the original book. If you have not yet read the original book, we encourage doing before purchasing this unofficial Conversation Starters.

    It tells of Violet Farr and her loveless marriage, her wild, unfathomable son and his illegitimate son, all of them bound together in a repeating pattern of exile and homecoming, rejection and, finally, acknowledgement and love. As Elizabeth Buchan wrote in the London Times, "Jennifer Lash is a Lawrentian in so far as she mines her material for the blood and thunder roaring between spouses, and between parents and children."

    Other universes. And sometimes, they slip into our own. When Veronica “Roni” Rider discovers this, she also learns that there are three people tasked with saving our universe — her grandmother and two seventy-year-old friends. But it’s hard to defend your world with a bad back and arthritis. Tossed into a new reality that she never expected, Roni must decide if she will step up and join the team or forever leave behind all she has learned and all she cares about. Oh, and she’ll have to save the universe, too.

    In the south of the island lies Port Victoria, dominated by the Governor’s palatial mansion; in the north, a settlement of mud huts shelter a hundred thousand natives; and in dense jungle live the notorious Maula tribe, kept under surveillance by a solitary District Officer and his young wife. When Chief-designate, Dinamaula, returns from his studies in England with a spirited desire to speed the development of his people, political crisis erupts into a ferment of intrigue and violence.

    But no one suspected this future back in 1994, when he was simple old Ausi and leaves school with his cricket mad best friend Eddy to start a new life. While Eddy goes to college in America, Ausi's life takes dangerous and unexpected turns. The two friends stay in touch even as they pursue vastly different lives, their shared passion for cricket and nostalgia for their school days binding them together. Even as Ausi treads down a darker path, what will happen to their friendship? Omar Shahid Hamid, bestselling author of The Prisoner, takes us on another thrilling, sinister ride, stretching from Karachi to Kashmir to Afghanistan, in The Spinner's Tale.

    The anthology combines classic essays of great instructional value together with the most frequently anthologized essays of recent note by today's most highly regarded writers. The selections exhibit a broad range of diversity in subject matter and authorship. All essays have been selected for their utility as both models for writing and for their usefulness as springboards for independent writing. An introductory section informs readers about the qualities of the essay form and offers instruction on how to read essays critically and use the writing process to develop their own essays. For those interested in learning about reading, writing and critical thinking by studying examples of great writing.

    "The work is deeply felt...Bernstein has been there and brought it back. Bernstein is a writer." [William S. Burroughs]

    Wessex was the "partly-real, partly-dream" county that formed the backdrop for most of Hardy's writings—named after an Anglo-Saxon kingdom and modeled on the real counties of Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. The poems deal with classic Hardy themes of disappointment in love and life, and the struggle to live a meaningful life in an indifferent world. Although Hardy's poetry was not as well received as his fiction, he continued to publish collections until his death, and thanks in part to the influence of Philip Larkin, he is increasingly realized as a poet of great stature.

    

    He would return a different man.

    The latest generation of titles in this series also features glossaries and visual elements that complement the familiar format.CliffsNotes on The Great Gatsby explores F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel of triumph, tragedy, and a classic love triangle in the 1920s.Following the story of a young Midwesterner who's fascinated by the mysterious past and opulent lifestyle of his landlord, this study guide provides summaries and critical commentaries for each chapter within the novel. Other features that help you figure out this important work includePersonal background on the authorIntroduction to and synopsis of the bookIn-depth character analysesCritical essays on topics of interestReview section that features interactive questions and suggested essay topics and practice projectsResource Center with books, videos, and websites that can help round out your knowledgeClassic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.