Esther Freud crafts narratives that delve deeply into the human psyche and intricate family dynamics. Her works are marked by a penetrating insight into character motivations and a poignant, often melancholic, atmosphere. Freud's style is fluid and evocative, frequently dreamlike yet firmly grounded in the reality of felt emotions. Readers can anticipate introspective journeys that reveal the subtle nuances of the human heart and the search for belonging.
An elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter while away a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. As the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims and yearnings, a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself.Written in a clear, unsentimental style, full of brusque humour, and wisdom, The Summer Book is a profoundly life-affirming story.Tove Janssoncaptured much of her own life and spirit in the book, which was her favourite of her adult novels. This new edition, with a Foreword by Esther Freud, sees the return of a European literary gem - fresh, authentic and deeply humane.
'This book ranks alongside PADDY CLARKE HA HA HA as one of the very few great contemporary novels about childhood' William Sutcliffe, Independent on Sunday 'Everything was going to be different this year' - Tess is nine years old and wants her new family to work out, even though her brother Jake is not so sure. THE WILD is a brilliant, clear-eyed evocation of the collision of families and step families, adult and childhood worlds.
Sarah, an actress and single mother, learns that her family's former estate, Gaglow, has been returned. As she and her estranged father explore the house, memories surface, revealing a complex family history filled with intimacy and tragedy. Esther Freud intricately depicts their connections to the past.
Rosaleen is young, beautiful and still a schoolgirl when, in the early Sixties, she meets the famous sculptor Felix Lehmann. Felix is Jewish, bohemian; Rosaleen, the tearaway middle daughter of Irish publicans. So their affair running away to France to gorge on oysters, boozing and eating cakes in Soho surrounded by Felix's fellow artists, Rosaleen modelling for him in his London studio has to be kept a secret from her parents. But everything changes when Rosaleen finds herself pregnant. Evicted from her flat and dismissed from her job, she travels to Ireland to a convent that promises to house her until her baby is safely delivered. The reality that meets her there, however, is far from what she has been promised. Kate lives in present day London with her young daughter, her promise and energy as an artist stifled by the unhappiness of her marriage. But something is stirring in Kate; the courage to face a mystery in her past that might just be to do with the visions of a tree that have begun to haunt her work and dreams. Close to breaking point, she heads to Ireland, not yet fully knowing what she hopes to find. Aoife sits at her husband Cashell's bedside as he lies dying, and tells him the story of their lifetime together- of their courtship in wartime London, their three daughters, their return from exile. But there is a crucial part of the story missing, and, with time running out, Aoife needs Cashell to tell her- what became of Rosaleen? Captivating and gorgeously written, I Couldn't Love Your More is an unforgettable novel about love, motherhood, secrets and betrayal and how only the truth can set us free
After Klaus Lehmann's death in the village of Steerborough, a young woman,
Lily, arrives to research his life and work. Poring over Klaus' letters to his
wife Elsa, Lily pieces together the story of their lives. And alone in her
rented cottage by the sea, she begins to sense an absence in her own life that
may not be filled by simply going home.
When her mother decides to take her and her sister away from life as they know it and move to Morocco, a five-year-old English school girl embarks on an adventure-filled romp through northern Africa.
This novel interweaves the story of Sarah, a pregnant, out-of-work actress, with that of her ancestors in Germany at the time of World War I. For it is only now, as long-since confiscated estate of Gaglow is about to be returned, that the generations can be brought together across the decades.
Set against the backdrop of a vibrant Tuscan summer, this novel explores the intense emotions and complexities of young love. The author, known for their acclaimed work, weaves a narrative filled with passion and beauty, capturing the essence of youthful longing and discovery in a breathtaking landscape. The story promises to evoke deep feelings and resonate with anyone who has experienced the fervor of first love.
