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"My father proposed to my mother at gunpoint when she was nineteen, and knowing that she was already pregnant with a dead man’s child, she accepted." Thus begins this riveting story of a woman's quest to understand her recently deceased mother, a glamorous, cruel narcissist who left her only child an inheritance of debts, threats, and mysteries.
When Jeremy Hardy decided to explore his ancestry it was, in part, to get to the bottom of his grandmother Rebecca's dubious claims that the family descended from a certain 17th-century architect and that, more recently, Jeremy's great-grandfather was a Royal bodyguard. Other legends ranged from the great aunt who ran illegal hooch during Prohibition to the wronged Victorian servant girl who bore an illegitimate Hardy, not forgetting the family's rightful claim to a large country estate. Wild stories aside, Jeremy sets out to such diverse locations as the Croydon one-way system and the hostile waters around Malta in order to find traces of recognisable family traits and a sense of how he came to be. With wry humour and a keen eye for the absurd and the frustrating, Jeremy takes us on a by turns funny and moving journey into the world of family ancestry. My Family and Other Strangers will be enjoyed by anyone who has tried to decipher the 1901 census records, or simply wishes they too had asked their grandparents more about their lives.
These twenty short stories and ten poems cover many situations and environments: "The Star Ruby." Precocious and nasty with reason, a young girl covets her grandma's ring. "The General's Darlings." A resourceful soldier starts a chorus and is amazed to discover it's become important to him. "High Ground." A boy rides from Chicago to Indiana to bring back Thanksgiving poultry with his brother-in-law and an African-American. "Uncommon Versatility." An artist of many styles who looks like Sasquatch. "Julie's Retirement." He retires and settles things after being feted by strangers. "His Secret Place." Seeking enlightenment in all the wrong places. "Skin Deep." She uniquely escapes abuse. "Family Traditions." A woman attends a reunion amid painful memories. "Reflections." Retribution and horror in an American town. "Shirley's Story." A lascivious man learns to curb his appetite. "A Two-Christmas Story." Will love conquer despair and stubborn ethical positions? "Lost and Found." What happens when a pet alligator is left in a taxicab? "Theodora's Mirage." A Death Valley trip and a new driver's terror in a bitter battle of wits. "Like Clockwork." A wealthy middle-aged woman marries an avaricious young man. "Genevieve's Maturity." Parents help their daughter choose to control over her own destiny. "Anna Are You Mine at Last?" He lost Anna to another, but can he win her back? "Ben and the Dragon." A clever young man perpetuates a fairy tale. "Missing Ariel." First the son, now the wife is missing, but will they find her before evil does? "The Sports Car Rally." He's unprepared for the surreal feeling of turning over in an open car, and its aftermath. "When Half-Spent Was the Night." A man learns his effect on peace after years of regret. The poetry, too, captures different moods. "Final Garden." A gardener's lament after starting from scratch too many times. "Conversation With My Cat." Admiration for a friend, and a curious desire. "Old Lion by the Riverbank." How he copes once past his prime. "Overlooked Crop." A serendipitous find. "Last Visitor." A mystic vision of a desirable end to things. "Old Songs" (SETI at Home). The wonder of celestial eavesdropping. "Solo Walk." Missing a lover who has gone. "Sanctuary." Rejoicing at home after braving the elements. "Revolution." About adoration and love. "Loss of the First Mate." About a loved one who has passed away.
A whirlwind personal history of modern Asia, as told through his Malaysian and Chinese heritage
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK • An insightful and compulsively readable novel about a complicated friendship between two women who are at two very different stages in life, from the best-selling author of Maine and Saints for All Occasions. "Once again, Sullivan has shown herself to be one of the wisest and least pretentious chroniclers of modern life."—The Washington Post Elisabeth, an accomplished journalist and new mother, is struggling to adjust to life in a small town after nearly twenty years in New York City. Alone in the house with her infant son all day (and awake with him much of the night), she feels uneasy, adrift. She neglects her work, losing untold hours to her Brooklyn moms' Facebook group, her "influencer" sister's Instagram feed, and text messages with the best friend she never sees anymore. Enter Sam, a senior at the local women's college, whom Elisabeth hires to babysit. Sam is struggling to decide between the path she's always planned on and a romantic entanglement that threatens her ambition. She's worried about student loan debt and what the future holds. In short order, they grow close. But when Sam finds an unlikely kindred spirit in Elisabeth's father-in-law, the true differences between the women's lives become starkly revealed and a betrayal has devastating consequences. A masterful exploration of motherhood, power dynamics, and privilege in its many forms, Friends and Strangers reveals how a single year can shape the course of a life.
Self-Help.
From a USA Today–bestselling author, an “electrifying family drama” about a woman protecting her sister, who may not be innocent, from a murder charge (Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times–bestselling author of Sleep No More). All her life, Ryan Gracey watched her perfect older sister from afar. Knowing she could never top Wendy’s achievements, she didn’t even try. Instead Ryan forged her own path while her family barely seemed to notice. Now Wendy shares two little girls with her perfect husband, while Ryan mourns the man she lost after a nearly fatal mistake in judgment. The sisters’ choices have taken them in different directions, which is why Ryan is stunned when Wendy calls, begging for her help. There’s been a murder—and Wendy believes she’ll be wrongfully accused. While Wendy lies low, Ryan moves back to their hometown to care for the nieces she hardly knows. Using the sleuthing skills she developed as a true crime podcaster, Ryan digs for answers with the help of an unexpected ally. Yet the trail of clues Wendy’s left behind leads to nothing but questions. Blood may be thicker than water, but what does Ryan owe a sister who becomes more and more a stranger with every revelation? “In A Family of Strangers, Emilie seamlessly mixes intrigue, romance and emotional drama as she puts family ties to the test with a protagonist you won’t soon forget. A page-turner to the end!” —Diane Chamberlain, New York Times–bestselling author of The Dream Daughter “Richards deftly shifts from women’s fiction into domestic suspense, but she doesn’t sacrifice the emotional acuity that her fans expect. Readers of relationship-focused domestic-suspense authors such as Lisa Jewell will enjoy Richards’ pivot into the genre.” —Booklist
A collection of nine Christmas stories.
'What we all need,' said Larry, 'is sunshine . . . a country where we can grow.' 'Yes, dear, that would be nice,' agreed Mother, not really listening. 'I had a letter from George this morning - he says Corfu's wonderful. Why don't we pack up and go to Greece?' 'Very well, dear, if you like,' said Mother unguardedly. Escaping the ills of the British climate, the Durrell family - acne-ridden Margo, gun-toting Leslie, bookworm Lawrence and budding naturalist Gerry, along with their long-suffering mother and Roger the dog - take off for the island of Corfu. But the Durrells find that, reluctantly, they must share their various villas with a menagerie of local fauna - among them scorpions, geckos, toads, bats and butterflies. Recounted with immense humour and charm My Family and Other Animals is a wonderful account of a rare, magical childhood. 'Durrell has an uncanny knack of discovering human as well as animal eccentricities' Sunday Telegraph
A young, Cuban-American woman is accepted into an elite college right as her home life unravels.