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Barb Matheson doesn't fit in: not on the Standing Rock Reservation where her mother was born; not at the mission in rural Ethiopia where she grew up; and certainly not at the Pennsylvania church where her husband preaches. Expansive and lyrical, Unfollowers is a tale of religious angst, unrequited love, and the upheaval of racial and economic privilege. Equally adrift on both sides of the Atlantic, Barb must negotiate the distance between white America and Africa, between the spirituality of her ancestors and the straight tones of evangelicalism, and between rules and grace. When a former lover crashes her daughter's third birthday party, she's offered the chance to find her way home to Ethiopia, leaving her to choose between a rote life in America and an improvised life abroad.

Willy Cherrymill and his stepdaughter, Lacey, are deeply bruised by a past brimming with unanswered questions. It's been thirty years since May DuBerry, Willy's young wife and Lacey's mother, abandoned them both, leaving Willy to raise Lacey alone.Lacey Cherrymill is smart, stubborn, and focused. She's also single mother to a young daughter recently diagnosed with a devastating illness. The last thing she needs to think about right now is the betrayal that rocked her childhood. Reluctantly, she has returned to her rural beginnings, a former dairy farm in the Maryland countryside, and to Willy, a man steeped in his own disappointments and all the guilt that goes with them.Together they will pool their wobbly emotional resources to take care of Lacey's daughter, Tasha, all the while trying to skirt the issue of May's mysterious disappearance. But try as she might, Lacey can't leave it alone. Just where is May DuBerry Cherrymill and why did she leave them, and how is it that they have never talked about the wreckage she left behind?A Hand to Hold in Deep Water is a deeply felt narrative about mothers and daughters, the legacy of secrets, the way we make a family, and the love of those who walk us through our deepest pain. It is about the way we are tethered to one another and how we choose to wear those bindings. These are characters you won't soon forget and, more so, won't want to leave behind when you turn the last page.

'Brilliantly witty and marvellously observed...'Cathy Kelly ‘It's just a phase,'they said. ‘These are the happiest years of your life,'they said…Mother of one and professional writer Saoirse (pronounced Seersha, not Searcy – thanks a bunch Game of Thrones!) is still adjusting to the demands of motherhood, four years after the birth of her daughter, Anna.Living in the claustrophobic London suburb of Woodvale, and being surrounded by passive-aggressive mum-wars, isn't helping. Neither is her increasingly pent-up anger at her once-perfect husband. Her only comrade in arms, best friend Bea, is the one thing keeping her sane.When Saoirse's agent asks her to pitch for a book, she is horrified to discover the topic is motherhood. How can she possibly write a ‘warts and all'account of being a mother without giving away what it's really like?Laugh-out-loud funny, painfully well-observed, but with an unmistakable warmth and unforgettable characters, this is the perfect read for anyone who desperately needs a break! The novel may or may not have been inspired by real life… For fans of Motherland!••Praise for Emma Murray:••'Emma Murray's Time Out is a brilliantly witty and marvellously observed novel about young motherhood when there's always someone ready to tell you that you're doing it all wrong.'Cathy Kelly'Emma tells it how it is with real honesty, and it made me laugh out loud.'Janet Hoggarth'Witty, fun, beautifully-written. Very highly recommended. Excited to see what comes next from Emma Murray.'Jessica RedlandWhat readers are saying about Time Out:'Time Out was exactly what I needed right now, it's Hilarious, Witty, Brilliantly Written, Authentic, Compelling, Uplifting and so very relatable.The characters are superbly written, and I really hope we get to read more from Saoirse.''This book is a reminder of the importance of a support system: old friends, new friends, parents, and sometimes even a kind word from a stranger.''I really related to the Saoirse, the main character in this book. I loved her humour, her insecurities, her strengths, her flaws and of course most importantly how she formed a fantastic friendship over a morning bottle of Prosecco.''Emma Murray has written a 5-star'how-to'book on being part of the village...'it takes a village to raise a child'but it also takes that village to raise up a mom!''A fabulous read that had me hooked and also made me feel glad that my children were born prior to the arrival of Facebook and social media. But a refreshing read and one I would definitely recommend.'

'Shocking, twisted and brilliant. For fans of Shari Lapena, Liz Nugent and Gillian Flynn. Excellent'Will Dean ______________________ 5• reader reviews:'A first-class thriller''A must-read''I was instantly hooked''A real page-turner''Grips you from the start and doesn't let go till the end''This book is just perfection''The ending is incredibly powerful''Had me gripped and couldn't turn the pages quick enough'______________________ All it takes to unravel a life... is one home truth. Marin used to have it all. She's married to the love of her life, Derek, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and is admired in her community as head of a loving family. Until the world falls apart the day her son Sebastian is taken... A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The police search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. With her sanity ebbing, Marin hires a private investigator to pick up where the police left off. But instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a much younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband. Derek's mistress is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. Permanently.'You don't just read this book; you inhale it'Mary Kubica'A dark and dazzling treat for crime fiction fans'Mark Edwards'Outstanding... Simply fantastic'Alex Lake

Booth Tarkington was born in America's Mid-West in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 29th, 1869. He is one of only three novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize on more than one occasion. When you look through the quality of his work it is easy to understand why. ‘The Magnificent Ambersons', ‘Alice Adams', ‘Penrod'– all classics. The Penrod novels depict a typical upper-middle class American boy of 1910 vintage, revealing a fine, bookish sense of American humor. At one time, his Penrod series was as well-known and as highly regarded as Mark Twain's ‘Huckleberry Finn'. Much of Tarkington's work consists of satirical and closely observed studies of the American class system and its foibles. Coming as he did from a patrician Midwestern family that lost much of its wealth after the Panic of 1873 the foundations for that outlook are clear. Today, he is best known for his novel ‘The Magnificent Ambersons'but almost every book he published is a consummate literary example of his brilliance. Few authors can rival that.

Narkis nous conte la force de l'amour d'une mère que rien n'arrête pour permettre le bonheur de sa fille, même à ses propres dépensDans l'air du temps, entre champagne et hôpital psychiatrique, Adrianna, le personnage principal de ce roman, nous raconte avec humour et féminité une tragédie grecque moderne : la sienne.Sous le soleil du Brésil et la bruine parisienne, Narkis construit un ouvrage au parfum savoureux, l'odeur du scandale exhale. Entre le monde de la luxure et celui du divin, il n'y a qu'un pas et il est franchi : le ciel et l'enfer s'embrassent sous les talons aiguilles.Mais c'est aussi et surtout l'histoire d'une femme et son combat. Le lecteur lira, derrière ces mots espiègles, la douleur de la mère et l'ambition d'être femme, deux amours, Hannah et Chris. Deux idéaux parfois antinomiques, inséparables pourtant.« La justice écoute aux portes de la beauté. » A. CésaireUn récit troublant à trois voix sur le besoin d'amour et de paraîtreEXTRAITAlors que je reprenais un deuxième verre de cet excellent Chablis, entourée de quelques amis proches, le téléphone sonna. Je réponds, on me passe ma fille.C'est le service de psychiatrie de l'hôpital Henri Ey dans le 13e arrondissement de Paris.Il s'agit, si l'on veut bien le prendre comme ça, de la nouvelle demeure de ma fille Hannah… moins luxueuse j'en conviens, mais plus adaptée à son tempérament aujourd'hui plus qu'inadapté face à la vie et à ses proches. Elle y est soignée pour une dépression nerveuse depuis plus de six mois, mais en réalité cela fait des années qu'elle perd pied sans que moi, sa mère, celle qui l'a vu grandir, je m'en aperçoive. Et cette sonnerie de téléphone, comme un cri que l'on m'enfonce à nouveau dans le cœur à chaque appel, me confronte encore à cette dure réalité : ma fille va mal. Elle est malade. Et ce doux breuvage que j'absorbe avec délectation ne saurait me la faire oublier.

William Cookson has always drifted through his life, letting others dictate its course for him. He has few close friends, is not a very successful lawyer and lives a life of mediocrity and ennui. Suddenly, at 36, both his parents are dead and he is forced to take stock of his life. Sorting through his mother's effects, William comes across an enigmatic dedication to her in a book she always kept close by. To Doreen, live your life, love, row. What does it mean and why would the author write it to his mother? In his search for answers he embarks on a quest to uncover his mother's secret past. William's odyssey is littered with a range of eccentric characters who force him to maintain a sense of humour in the face of tragedy and a truth that he wishes had remained buried.

This short story is taken from the collection Cover Before Striking. The most common phrase in print is “cover before striking,” a warning to those about to innocently strike a match to be careful not to burn their fingers. Uppal's characters in Cover Before Striking are all people pushing their lives to new levels of intensity, danger, or passion as they test their limits and those of the world. Implacable and just a little unhinged, the stories of Cover Before Striking each move toward that moment of contact when the sparks begin to fly, when destruction and beauty seem to blur together. With this collection, Priscila Uppal offers the literary equivalent of playing with fire. “The Boy Next Door” was originally published in Blood & Aphorisms magazine.

One mother's need is another's nightmare 1990, and three woman are contemplating motherhood. Lindy is homeless and longs for a family. Heather is stressed and dreading another baby. Gillian is childless and aching. When two babies are born in Lyford hospital, it's the start of a new life for all three. For two, it's a dream come true. For the third, it's the beginning of a nightmare. 22 years later, two girls set out to discover who they really are, But answers aren't easy to come by, or easy to accept. A gripping psychological thriller from the author of A Time for Silence, Thorne Moore mixes mystery and family drama in this gripping novel of secrets and love. Welsh Books Council Independent Bookshops and National Museums of Wales Book of the Month March 2015 Praise for Motherlove'I can't remember the last time I read the final paragraph of a novel and then immediately turned back to the first chapter and started reading all over again. But that's what I did with Motherlove. I loved this book - I mean I really loved it'!'Judith Barrow'a fantastic fast paced book... a thrilling read. If you like a moving psychological story that will keep you on the edge of your seat you will love this book.''Librarian Lavender'...a heart-wrenching tale of three mothers and their love for their children... which kept me enthralled until the end.'Rosie Amber

Jennifer Sharpe is a divorced mother of two with a problem just about any working parent can relate to: her boss expects her to work as though she doesn't have children, and her children want her to care for them as though she doesn't have a boss. But when, through a fateful coincidence, a brilliant physicist comes into possession of Jennifer's phone and decides to play fairy godmother, installing a miraculous time-travel app called Wishful Thinking, Jennifer suddenly finds herself in possession of what seems like the answer to the impossible dream of having it all: an app that lets her be in more than one place at the same time. With the app, Jennifer goes quickly from zero to hero in every part of her life: she is super-worker, the last to leave her office every night; she is super-mom, the first to arrive at pickup every afternoon; and she even becomes super-girlfriend, dating a musician who thinks she has unlimited childcare and a flexible job. But Jennifer soon finds herself facing questions that adding more hours to her day can't answer. Why does she feel busier and more harried than ever? Is she aging faster than everyone around her? How can she be a good worker, mother, and partner when she can't be honest with anybody in her life? And most important, when choosing to be with your children, at work, or with your partner doesn't involve sacrifice, do those choices lose their meaning? Wishful Thinking is a modern-day fairy tale in which one woman learns to overcome the challenges—and appreciate the joys—of living life in real time.

Una mujer diferente, peculiar, divertida, que consigue emocionar y hacernos reír. Inolvidable. El retrato de una ciudad acogedora y esquiva a partes iguales, de una familia unida por los frágiles lazos de la necesidad y del amor y la mirada única de una mujer maravillosa en un momento extraordinario. Faltan unas horas para la medianoche. Por fin, después de varias tentativas, Amalia ha logrado a sus 65 años ver cumplido su sueño: reunir a toda la familia para cenar en Nochevieja. Una madre cuenta la historia de cómo Amalia entreteje con su humor y su entrega particular una red de hilos invisibles con la que une y protege a los suyos, zurciendo los silencios de unos y encauzando el futuro de los otros. Sabe que va a ser una noche intensa, llena de secretos y mentiras, de mucha risa y de confesiones largo tiempo contenidas que por fin estallan para descubrir lo que queda por vivir. Sabe que es el momento de actuar y no está dispuesta a que nada la aparte de su cometido. Un cartel luminoso que emite mensajes desde una azotea junto al puerto, una silla en la que desde hace años jamás se sienta nadie, una Barcelona de cielos añiles que conspira para que vuelva una luz que parecía apagada, unos ojos como bosques alemanes y una libreta que aclara los porqués de una vida entera; Una madre no es solo el retrato de una mujer valiente y entrañable, y de los miembros de su familia que dependen de ella y de su peculiar energía para afrontar sus vidas, sino también un atisbo de lo que la condición humana es capaz de demostrarse y mostrar cuando ahonda en su mejor versión.'La clave de esta novela es el sentimiento de fascinación y desconcierto emocional del lector.'El Mundo'Una madre es una montaña rusa de emociones.'www.elplacerdelalectura.com'Conmovedora, entrañable, divertida y terrible, sí; pero, sobre todo, humana. De tan real.'ABC'Esta mujer es sin duda uno de los personajes más enternecedores de la reciente novelística española, [...] Amalia es una madre magnífica.'Yo Dona

Sisterhood, motherhood, marriage, baking, and books—these are a few of the things that make this delightful novel a recipe for getting through the tough stuff of life—from the author of The Summer Sail and The Summer of Good Intentions.Ellen McClarety, a recent divorcée, has opened a new bake shop in her small Midwestern town, hoping to turn her life around by dedicating herself to the traditional Danish pastry called kringle. She is no longer saddled by her ne'er-do-well husband, but the past still haunts her—sometimes by showing up on her doorstep. Her younger sister, Lanie, is a successful divorce attorney with a baby at home. But Lanie is beginning to feel that her perfect life is not as perfect as it seems. Both women long for the guidance of their mother, who died years ago but left them with lasting memories of her love and a wonderful piece of advice: “At the end of every day, you can always think of three good things that happened.” Ellen and Lanie are as close as two sisters can be, until one begins keeping a secret that could forever change both their lives. Wearing her big Midwestern heart proudly on her sleeve, Wendy Francis skillfully illuminates the emotional lives of two women with humor and compassion, weaving a story destined to be shared with a friend, a mother, or a sister.

Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be? At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents'divorce, she has been taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father's new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they'll be a family again. But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover that there was much more to Kelli's life than either ever knew. Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli's troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant, hopeful portrait of womanhood, love, and the challenges and joys of family life.

The Family Plan by Imari Jade Fashion heiress Emily Bucktell finds herself pregnant for haute couture designer Bekim Lacolmn, a man who has a string of girlfriends and is a gigolo like her father. Will the two of them ever get together and form a family? Emily isn't holding her breath. Rock-A-bye-Baby by Daphne Olivier Wouldn't it be wonderful to know, with absolute certainty, that the baby you're expecting will be perfect in every way? In a future world where parents take this for granted, what could possibly go wrong? Tabitha's Solution by Tori L. Ridgewood Tabitha has had the perfect pregnancy. She wants a perfect birth: all natural, with midwives, in the hospital (just in case). Her supportive husband Alex is by her side. So why does everything else have to go wrong? Learner Mum by Joanne Rawson Polly Wilkins is a successful freelance journalist slash writer. She has been living with her partner Steve in what her parents call sin for the last eight years. But, to her parent's disappointment, there are no signs of wedding bells or the patter of tiny feet on the horizon. Why? Because Polly, is not in the least bit maternal. Can this all change after Polly and Steve have a torrid weekend looking after her nephew? Or will Polly stick to her guns, and loose Steve forever?

Do we live inside the breasts of our mothers? In the mind and hearts of two women, indeed at their breasts a nation lives. The whole universe is in the lives of the people Philo writes about. They hear the song of the nightjar and it has meaning. Inside a mother�s chest her daughter hangs like a silent unvenerated Pieta.�Wakabi has eyes inside her breast. She sees from inside there. She knows this story well�� A country�s literature is rooted in its history. But when history is full of hardship can authors create books pregnant with optimism? In Still Sings the Nightbird Philo Ikonya defies the currents of hopelessness to point her readers to a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel of nightmares. Out of the lonely cry of a nightjar, the rape of Kabi and indeed of Kenya, appears a light beaming into a brighter future.

Becca Joy is down in the dumps. When her best friend from high school suggests a girls'night out, Becca Joy jumps at the chance—and discovers a new contentment in her calling as a mom. Having an overachieving super mom for a neighbor is a source of constant struggle for Becca Joy. In comparison, her household seems little more than organized chaos. Even with a supportive husband and great kids, she is relentlessly weighed down by questions of adequacy. Her life seems fatiguing, and a glance in the mirror doesn't do much to cheer her up. Then comes a voice from the past that puts fresh wind in her sails. Her best friend from high school comes to town and the two women rekindle their bond with a girls'night out and embark on a series of adventures that ultimately bring Becca to a new place of contentment.