Showing titles in City Life

Thirteen-year-old Alice Truelove can’t take another day of her father’s cruelty. Better a life on the streets than being constantly blamed for her mother’s sad death, or that’s what Alice thinks as she packs up her meagre possessions. But fending for herself in the Black Country town of Wednesbury is not as easy as she expected, and it soon hits her that without help she will quickly be hungry and cold.

Brought to you by Penguin. Life can’t go on like this – can it? An audacious, darkly funny, perfect summer read about a young woman in Madrid whose office persona threatens to crack when she’s forced to attend her company’s annual retreat On the surface, Marisa’s life looks enviable...

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Andrew Scott, star of Sherlock, Fleabag and Black Mirror, also known for his on-stage roles in Present Laughter and Hamlet. This definitive recording includes an Introduction by Terence Brown. Joyce's first major work, written when...

Maria, a trans woman in her thirties, is going nowhere. She spends her aimless days working in a New York bookstore, trying to remain true to a punk ethos while drinking herself into a stupor and having a variety of listless and confusing sexual encounters. After her girlfriend cheats on her...

'A sheer delight from start to finish' Sophie Kinsella Come and meet Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Café . . . 'An evocative, sweet treat' Jojo Moyes 'Gorgeous, glorious, uplifting' Marian Keyes 'Irresistible' Jill Mansell 'Just lovely' Katie Fforde 'Naturally funny, warm-hearted'...

Including an introductory letter written by the author, Hisashi Kashiwai. The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, is the second book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Japanese sleuthing series for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and follows on from The...

Dublin-born Sean O’Connor rules the streets of Kilburn with his charm and his fists. But the locals don’t take kindly to an Irishman muscling in on their patch—and they’re out for blood. As a turf war heats up, Sean digs in deeper, determined to protect his empire and his family. But every move he makes pulls him further from the life he promised his wife, Josie, and their young daughter, Orla. Josie just wants out—a quiet life far from the violence and vendettas. But with Sean risking it all, escape might no longer be an option.

This is a story of a London you won’t find in any guidebooks. This is a story about what it’s like to exist in the moment, about boys too eager to become men, growing up in the hidden war zones of big cities - and the girls trying to make it their own way. This is a story of reputations made and lost, of violence and vengeance - and never counting the cost. This is a story of concrete towers and blank-eyed windows, of endless nights in police stations and prison cells, of brotherhood and betrayal.

Brought to you by Penguin. A BBC, Financial Times and Cosmopolitan What to Read in 2024 pick Set in a New York apartment building, Fourteen Days is an irresistibly propulsive novel with an unusual twist: each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of neighbours has been secretly written by a...

Brought to you by Penguin. York, 1988. Dr Tom Frith is beginning his first term as a tutor at the University of Eboracum. After teaching primary school children for several years, he's sure shaping the minds of young adults will be a welcome change. But that's before considering the pressures...

Lady Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite society. But when a so-called ‘friend’ invites her to a clandestine party, Georgiana is shocked to discover the event is more scandalous than even she could have imagined. So when a mysterious stranger offers help, she accepts, not realising their encounter will turn her life upside down.

'leaves you with a smile on your face and a lingering desire to wander through the charming streets of Amsterdam yourself!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review ‘A gorgeous escapist read.’ – Holly Martin ‘Gorgeous setting. Wonderfully romantic. I loved this story!’ – Samantha Tonge One...

Peggy could lose her beloved pub. Maggie her acclaimed restaurant. Maureen her business and her home. Everyone had something to lose. Whilst old friends try to come to terms with the shocking news, the younger generation continue to forge ahead in the swinging sixties. Relationships flourish and new opportunities blossom; the ever changing world becoming their oyster. But family bonds remain strong, after all, it's people that matter not the buildings.

'A gift I didn't know I needed' Leone Ross 'Wonderful' Marcia Hutchinson 'Jamaica Road exudes love . . . with a wisdom and warmth that jumps off the page' Vanessa Chan South London, 1981: Daphne is the only Black girl in her class. All she wants is to keep her head down, preferably in a book...

‘Gritty, compelling storytelling’ Daily Mail ‘Dark, tense, action-packed, and so, so clever … I couldn’t stop until the very last page. Outstanding’ Andrea Mara, number one Sunday Times bestselling author of No One Saw a Thing ‘Another absolute cracker. Gruesome and gritty' Liz...

Brought to you by Penguin. A NATALIE PORTMAN'S BOOK CLUB PICK What happens when you find love, but life keeps getting in the way? When she first meets Adam, Coralie is new to London and feeling adrift. But Adam is clever, witty, and – he insists – half an inch taller than the average British...

The superb new novel from the bestselling author of Half A World Away and All the Lonely People. Inspired by a box of mementos found abandoned in a skip following a house clearance, The Museum of Ordinary People is a poignant, thought-provoking but ultimately uplifting story of memory and love...

Abandoned, penniless and orphaned as young children, Bertram and Alice saved each other from a terrible fate. For seven long years they have been kept apart, Bertram, BJ to his friends, learning how to survive and then thrive in the penal colonies of Australia, and Alice growing her prosperous chain of bakeries in the Black Country town of Wednesbury. Now BJ’s sentence is nearly up and he has a choice to make. Queen Victoria’s England has changed since he’s been away and so has Alice. Should he leave behind the life he’s built and face the terrifying, months-long voyage back home?

It’s the final showdown for the Lambrianu family, but will bad boy Adam reclaim his birthright or will the family face their downfall once and for all? Once dismissed as the family’s spoiled playboy, Adam Lambrianu is done being underestimated. He’s ready to prove he’s no pretender. He’s the heir. The boss. The Don. But in the world of the Lambrianus, loyalty is fragile and betrayal is inevitable.

As war rages and brave soldiers returning home from the frontline need nurses more than ever, fiercely proud redhead Sylvia Roberts is determined to help in any way she can. In spite of her mother’s belief she isn’t good enough, Sylvia believes that becoming a home front nurse is her calling. Together with the two friends she makes on her first day in the job – Freda and Veronica – she knows she can help save lives. And, as the devastation of war shows no signs of ceasing, their work becomes ever more vital.