A band of savage thirteen-year-old boys reject the adult world as illusory, hypocritical, and sentimental, and train themselves in a brutal callousness they call 'objectivity'. When the mother of one
Kitty Fane is the beautiful but shallow wife of Walter, a bacteriologist stationed in Hong Kong. Unsatisfied by her marriage, she starts an affair with charming, attractive and exciting Charles Townse
Because of the boyhood trauma of seeing his mother make love to another man in the presence of his dying father, Mizoguchi becomes a hopeless stutterer. Taunted by his schoolmates, he feels utterly al
These seven stories were the last that Carver wrote. Among them is one of his longest, 'Errand', in which he imagines the death of Chekhov, a writer Carver hugely admired and to whose work his own was
"A dozen stories that overflow with the danger, excitement, mystery and possibility of life...Carver is a writer of astonishing compassion and honesty...his eye set only on describing and revealing th
Rake, drunkard, aesthete, gossip, raconteur extraordinaire: the narrator of Bohumil Hrabal's rambling, rambunctious masterpiece "Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age" is all these and more. Speakin
A classic work by a great British author, published for the first time by Vintage. Geoffrey Braithwaite is a retired doctor haunted by an obsession with the great French literary genius, Gustave Flaub
Tells the story of four sisters, and the declining fortunes of a traditional Japanese family. This title presents a loving and nostalgic recreation of the sumptuous, intricate upper-class life of Osak
When Lucy Snowe leaves England to look for a new life on the Continent she has no idea what lies in store for her. This quiet, lonely girl must learn quickly when she finds herself teaching in a forei
After her philandering husband dies from typhoid, the young widow Etsuko moves into the household of her father-in-law, where she numbly bears the old man's sexual advances. Soon she falls in love wit
Nevil Shute’s most beloved novel, a tale of love and war, follows its enterprising heroine from the Malayan jungle during World War II to the rugged Australian outback.Jean Paget, a young Englishwoman
The tragic fall of one of the most heartbreaking characters in American literature, a beautiful socialite who loses her footing in the savage social-climbing world of 19th century New York high societ
Kate Chopin's compelling, candid portrait of a woman attempting to seek a life beyond her role as devoted wife and mother?was considered dangerous?when first published in 1899 ? The Pontellier famil
The first book in Anthony Trollope's funny, warm, well-loved Barchester Chronicles—perfect for Austen fans The tranquil atmosphere of the cathedral town of Barchester is shattered when a scandal break
It may have been written in the days of chariot races, gladiators, and emperors, but this new translation of the best teacher in history on the subject of love contains enduringly useful and entertain
In this early English detective novel, Rachel Verinder receives a gift of a yellow diamond from her bitter old uncle. She has no idea that the stone brings great danger with it. When the diamond goes
This book includes an introduction by Mark Billingham. When Dr Watson ends up renting rooms in Baker Street with the eccentric Sherlock Holmes, he finds that he has let himself in for a great deal mor
With this, his first collection, Carver breathed new life into the short story. In the pared-down style that has since become his hallmark, Carver showed how humour and tragedy dwell in the hearts of
The stranger arrives early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow. He is wrapped up from head to foot, and the brim of his hat hides every inch of his face. Rude and rou
"It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of
