Brian Moore

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne is an unflinching and deeply sympathetic portrait of a woman destroyed by self and circumstance. First published in 1955, it marked Brian Moore as a major figure in English literature (he would go on to be short-listed three times for the Booker Prize) and established him as an astute chronicler of the human soul. Judith Hearne is an unmarried woman of a certain age who has come down in society. She has few skills...

After an attempt is made on Cardinal Bem's life in a totalitarian regime, he is spirited away by the security police. He escapes and goes underground.

"In this charming, deeply atmospheric novel set against the dazzling Amalfi Coast of the 1950s, two women form an intense and lasting friendship. Inspired by her own adventurous, unconventional life, actress and writer Goliarda Sapienza's recently rediscovered novel takes the reader to the sun-drenched town of Positano in southern Italy. There, while working on a film, Goliarda encounters the captivating Erica, a beautiful widow called "Princess"...

Sheltering from the war in her remote hometown, Giulia is immediately drawn to a couple in a similar situation: graceful, spontaneous Ada and her husband Paolo, a sickly teacher and partisan in hiding. When Giulia's husband Stefano joins them from Turin, the two couples form an intense bond; as the Germans begin to occupy Italy, a subtle dance of attractions develops, intensified by their shared isolation and the muffled hum of threat over a long,...

"[C]ontains twenty prizewinning stories chosen from the thousands published in magazines over the previous year. Guest editor Amor Towles has curated an exhilarating assemblage of stories by an international array of talented writers. The winning stories are accompanied by an introduction by Towles, fascinating observations from the winning writers on what inspired their work, and an extensive and useful directory of magazines and literary websites...