Author:Jonathan Keates
During its three-thousand-year history Rome has been an imperial metropolis, the capital of a nation and the spiritual core of a great world religion. For writers from antiquity to the present, however, the place holds an alternative significance as a realm of fantasy, aspiration and desire. Captivating and lethal at one and the same moment, its fatal gift of beauty both transfigures and betrays those in thrall to it. Rome Stories explores the city's fateful impact through the writing of classical historians, a Renaissance sculptor, 18th-century tourists, American, British and French novelists and the authors of modern Rome, each testing and unravelling the city's ageless paradoxes. Gibbon admires the Last of the Tribunes, Goethe decodes the mysteries of the Carnival and Stendhal's subversive aristocrats mingle revolution with a little cross-dressing amid their gilt mirrors and frescoed ceilings From Plutarch to Pasolini, from Hawthorne to Wharton, the city of Caesars and popes, of dreamers, chancers and hustlers confronts the questing imagination with its eternally unflinching gaze.
A collection of 11 unmissable short stories from the Number One internationally bestselling author of Me Before You and After You
—— from the publisher's descriptionA heartwarming debut collection of short stories - all centred on everyday women - from the author of Me Before You
—— Mail on SundayA beautiful read
—— HelloAn undeniably enjoyable dose of escapism
—— Irish IndependentThe best-selling queen of romantic fiction has delivered the goods. You'll love getting lost in these charming tales
—— Sunday MirrorMoyes' characters are so real you want to find out what happens to them
—— ChoiceDelightful
—— PrimaFrom unhappy women overcoming problems to fairytale romance, you'll love getting lost in these charming tales
—— PeopleA book that maps the wonder of everyday love
—— MetroLots to cheer about in Moyes' first collection of short stories. If you want romance, the title story and its hapless heroine Nell will give it to you in spades
—— RedWith a talent for writing about the everyday in a wonderfully warm and wacky way, Moyes somehow manages to break your heart before restoring your faith in love
—— Sunday ExpressLike her peers David Nicholls and Marian Keyes, possesses the enviable gift of making the reader laugh in the gloomiest of circumstances
—— Independent on SundayJust like Moyes' other works, the stories are heartfelt, emotional and teach us about love, loss, liberation and laughter. Fans of her previous work will love it
—— OK!Delightful short stories from the author of Me Before You
—— PrimaA heartwarming debut collection of short stories - all centred on everyday women - from the author of Me Before You
—— Mail on SundayFrom unhappy women overcoming problems to fairytale romance, you'll love getting lost in these charming tales
—— The PeopleA book that maps the wonder of everyday love
—— Metro (London)The best-selling queen of romantic fiction has delivered the goods... you'll love getting lost in these charming tales
—— Sunday MirrorIrresistible... Paris for One offers a dose of instant escapism to whisk you away
—— Daily ExpressA beautiful read
—— HelloMoyes is always good on male/female relationships. But her sneaky brilliance is in the way she discreetly includes the powerful influence that women have on each other's love lives
—— Daily MailAn undeniably enjoyable dose of escapism
—— Irish IndependentMark Haddon has become a master of the short story…this new collection intrigues and horrifies by turn
—— Country & Town HouseGripping tale… Told with forensic precision.
—— Paddy Kehoe , RTE OnlineExuberant, lusty exercises in juxtaposition… Such contrasts not only power each piece but also act as a form of call and response across them… Terrifically compelling collection.
—— Alex Clark , GuardianImpressive but forbiddingly lightless collection. There’s no doubt about Haddon’s skill.
—— Tim Martin , New StatesmanHave you ever read a book that made you gasp out loud and nearly burst into tears? The title story…had that effect on me… Haddon is able to give human tragedy the due solemnity it deserves but without being po-faced. A wonderful collection.
—— Anne Sexton , Hot PressGuaranteed to keep me riveted.
—— Karen Byrom , My WeeklyGripping… Packs the action and themes that might power a very full novel into less than 70 pages
—— John Williams , New York TimesScintillating first foray into the shorter form… Beautifully crafted… A challenging and idiosyncratic talent, with a memorable way with words.
—— Max Davidson , Mail on Sunday[Haddon] portrays the nightmares of our own society…with astonishing deftness, mixing black humour and pathos.
—— David Platzer , TabletThe Pier Falls had me gasping in disbelief.
—— Chris Catchpole , Q[It was] grim and compelling… [A] ripping, gripping yarn – narrative velcro.
—— Craige Raine , Spectator, Book of the YearI savoured all the atmospheric short stories in The Pier Falls.
—— Elizabeth Reapy , Irish Times, Book of the YearAn enthralling short story collection; dark, immersive stories with lots of action. The writing is tight and inspiring.
—— E. Reapy , Irish Independent, Book of the Year[A] searing collection of short stories that thrill and chill in equal measure.
—— Claire Allfree , Metro, Book of the YearI was also captivated by the dark A Pier Falls, a brilliantly written collection of bleak and brutal short stories.
—— Mernie Gilmore , Daily Express, Book of the YearI adored The Pier Falls… Each story is wildly entertaining and well written.
—— Dave Rudden , Headstuff, Book of the Year[It] proves the capacity of a short story to immerse the reader fully in a fictional world.
—— Anita Sethi , Guardian, Book of the YearThis short-story collection is thrilling and exquisitely written. I gave out several copies as Christmas presents.
—— Claire Fuller , Sunday TelegraphAn exquisite writer.
—— Fiona Wilson , The TimesMesmerisingly good stories, hugely varied, skilfully written, full of deft touches and narrative shocks... an absolute treat
—— Marcus Berkman , Spectator, *Books of the Year*