At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril's son Danny, as he and his older...

Every year hundreds of thousands of American women become stepmothers. Committing to partners who are already parents, we gain relationships with young people who may--or may not--be pleased by our presence. When Dorothy Bass married a man with a four-year-old daughter, she was hesitant to embrace the title "stepmother," with its many negative cultural associations, and she soon realized she had very little sense of what this new role required of...

This mesmerizing literary novel is written with all the emotional precision and intimacy that have won Hisham Matar tremendous international recognition. In a voice that is delicately wrought and beautifully tender, he asks: When a loved one disappears, how does that absence shape the lives of those who are left?
 
“A haunting novel, exquisitely written and psychologically rich.”—The Washington Post
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"In the vein of Wicked, The Woodcutter, and Boy, Snow, Bird, a luminous reimagining of a classic tale, told from the perspective of Agnes, Cinderella's "evil" stepmother. We all know the story of Cinderella. Or do we? As rumors about the cruel upbringing of beautiful newlywed Princess Cinderella roil the kingdom, her stepmother, Agnes, who knows all too well about hardship, privately records the true story. A peasant born into serfdom, Agnes is separated...

While still grieving for her mother and unable to accept her stepmother, a girl clings to the memories represented by forty-three buttons on a string.

"When Elise Buckley moved with her family to Abingworth, it was supposed to be a new start. She hoped the little English village, with its scattering of houses, pub, and village church, wouldn't offer enough opportunity for her doctor husband, Andrew, to continue having affairs. Apparently, she was wrong. Now Elise's only goal is to maintain the façade of a happy homelife for their teenage daughter, Niamh. When the body of Niamh's best friend, Hollie,...

"I’ll always remember the day that we met. We were both so uncertain and shy. The special relationship of stepmoms and stepkids is celebrated in this gentle and loving tribute to blended families. Showing joy-filled scenes of family life and milestones, this book is ideal for every child of a loving stepmother. It's the perfect way to say: "If I had been there when you learned your first words, I could never have cherished you more."

When a drought tests the commitment of a mail-order bride from Maine to her new home on the prairie, her stepchildren hope they will be able to remain a family.

After Snow White's parents die she finds herself alone with a stepmother whose vanity is only matched by her wickedness. When the stepmother's jinn reveals that Snow White is the 'fairest of them all,' she starts plotting agains her. To survive, Snow White must escape the devious plans of her poisonous stepmother, who will not stop until she is dead. This lyrically-told tale of flight, friendship and forgiveness, also includes seven dwarf sister-in-faith,...