Kathryn Hughes Books

Jenny Tanner opens the box she has cherished for decades. Contained within are her most precious mementoes, amongst them a pebble, a carving and a newspaper cutting she can hardly bear to read. But Jenny knows the time is finally here. After the war, in a mountainside village in Italy, she left behind a piece of her heart. However painful, she must return to Cinque Alberi. And lay the past to rest. After a troubled upbringing, Candice Barnes dreams of a future with the love of her life - but is he the man she believes him to be? When Candice is given the opportunity to travel to Italy with Jenny, she is unaware the trip will open her eyes to the truth she's been too afraid to face. Could a place of goodbyes help her make a brave new beginning?

"Storytelling at its finest with characters that come alive and a plot that dances with intrigue. An absolutely first-class read that does not disappoint" --Prima "A gripping summer read" --Woman & Home Tara Richards was just a girl when she lost her mother. Years later, when Tara receives a letter from a London solicitor its contents shake her to the core. Someone has left her a key to a safe deposit box. In the box lies an object that will change everything Tara thought she knew and lead her on a journey to deepest Spain in search of the answers that have haunted her for forty years. Violet Skye regrets her decision to travel abroad leaving her young daughter behind. As the sun dips below the mountains, she reminds herself she is doing this for their future. Tonight, 4th June 1978, will be the start of a new life for them. This night will indeed change Violet's destiny, in the most unexpected of ways... Fall in love this summer with Her Last Promise, a page-turning, heart-wrenching story of how hope can blossom in the ruins of tragedy and of the redeeming power of love from No. 1 bestselling author of The Letter, Kathryn Hughes.

This highly praised biography is the first to explore fully the way in which her painful early life and rejection by her brother Isaac in particular, shaped the insight and art which made her both Victorian England's last great visionary and the first modern.

1956. It's Ellen Crosby's first day as a student nurse at Ambergate County Lunatic Asylum. When she meets a young woman committed by her father, and a pioneering physician keen to try out the various 'cures' for mental illness, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change all their lives forever ... 2006. Sarah is drawn to the abandoned Ambergate Asylum. Whilst exploring the old corridors she discovers a suitcase belonging to a female patient who was admitted fifty years earlier. The shocking contents lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy, lost love and an old wrong that only she may have the power to put right

In "Another Round of Stories by the Christmas Fire," Dickens presents a collection of diverse tales featuring angels, ghosts, and complex marriages. With themes of love's dangers and delights, the anthology includes contributions from notable authors like Elizabeth Gaskell and George A. Sala, offering poignant narratives alongside Dickens' own.

'Riveting' Lesley Pearse on The Letter. 'Gripping' Good Housekeeping on The Secret. From the #1 bestselling author of The Letter comes The Secret - a powerful, twisting novel that you won't be able to put down. Mary has been nursing a secret. Forty years ago, she made a choice that would change her world for ever, and alter the path of someone she holds dear. Beth is searching for answers. She has never known the truth about her parentage, but finding out could be the lifeline her sick child so desperately needs. When Beth finds a faded newspaper cutting amongst her mother's things, she realises the key to her son's future lies in her own past. She must go back to where it all began to unlock...The Secret. What readers are saying about the unputdownable stories of Kathryn Hughes: 'Get set to be hooked' 'A page-turner from the very beginning' 'This is one of the BEST BOOKS I have ever read' 'I cried buckets of tears reading it' 'A beautifully told, tragic tale'

Tina Craig longs to escape her violent husband. She works all the hours God sends to save up enough money to leave him, also volunteering in a charity shop to avoid her unhappy home. While going through the pockets of a second-hand suit, she comes across an old letter, the envelope firmly sealed and unfranked. Tina opens the letter and reads it -- a decision that will alter the course of her life for ever ... Billy Stirling knows he has been a fool, but hopes he can put things right. On 4th September 1939 he sits down to write the letter he hopes will change his future. It does -- in more ways than he can ever imagine ... The Letter tells the story of two women, born decades apart, whose paths are destined to cross and how one woman's devastation leads to the other's salvation.

Exploring the lives of five iconic figures from the nineteenth century, the narrative delves into their experiences as shaped by their physical bodies rather than their intellects. Kathryn Hughes employs vivid language to illustrate how societal perceptions and interactions influenced these individuals, creating a cinematic portrayal of Victorian England. Through a blend of insightful accounts, the book reveals the profound impact of physicality on identity and social standing during this transformative era.

"A groundbreaking account of what it was like to live in a Victorian body from one of our best historians ... brings the Victorians back to life and helps us understand how they lived their lives"--Publisher's description.

We each of us strive for domestic bliss, and we may look to Delia and Nigella to give us tips on achieving the unattainable. Kathryn Hughes, acclaimed for her biography of George Eliot, has pulled back the curtains to look at the creator of the ultimate book on keeping house.