Maggie O'Farrell crafts contemporary fiction that delves into the intricate relationships between sisters, exploring the profound psychological impact of loss on her characters' lives. Her novels often examine the unseen threads that connect individuals, revealing how the past shapes the present. O'Farrell writes with a keen eye for emotional nuance, creating resonant and deeply felt experiences for her readers.
Exploring sisterly affection, the narrative follows two sisters on a journey of self-discovery and rediscovery of their voices. Through beautiful illustrations, the story delves into the complexities of their relationship, highlighting the themes of identity and connection. The author, known for their previous work, weaves a poignant tale that resonates with anyone who has navigated the bonds of family and the search for personal authenticity.
Das erste Kinderbuch von Maggie O’Farrell erzählt die märchenhafte Geschichte von Lina und ihrem geheimnisvollen Schnee-Engel, der ihr während einer Krankheit beisteht. Mit zauberhaften Illustrationen von Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini ist es perfekt für kuschelige Vorlesestunden und Gute-Nacht-Geschichten.
Roman | Sunday-Times-Bestseller | Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023 Longlist
»Er blickt dich an und sieht, was du um jeden Preis verbergen willst.« Ein Mal hat Lucrezia den Mann gesehen, mit dem sie als Zwölfjährige verheiratet werden soll. Am Hof von Florenz wächst die Tochter aus dem Hause Medici auf wie in einem goldenen Käfig. Niemand versteht das künstlerisch begabte, feinsinnige Mädchen, das lieber mit Tieren spricht als mit den Geschwistern – außer ihrem Zukünftigen, Alfonso, der ihr tief in die Seele zu schauen scheint. Bringt das Leben mit dem Herzog von Ferrara ihr die ersehnte Freiheit? Oder doch den Tod? »O’Farrell ist eine Meisterin der Gegenwärtigkeit. Sie schafft es, vergangene Zeiten so unmittelbar zu beschreiben, als atme man deren Sein.« Brigitte Woman »Ein fein ziselierter, modern anmutender psychologischer Roman. Die Sätze fließen unangestrengt, doch anspielungsreich, die Figuren kommen uns nahe.« Neue Zürcher Zeitung »Ganz große Kunst!« emotion
La extraña desaparición de Esme Lennox es una historia hermosa e inquietante, que aborda sin ambages el peso de las convenciones sociales y la tortuosa complejidad de los lazos familiares. De la autora ganadora del Women's Prize for Fiction 2020 por su novela Hamnet. Ante el inminente cierre del viejo hospital psiquiátrico de Cauldstone, en Edimburgo, las autoridades comunican a Iris que debe hacerse cargo de su tía abuela Esme Lennox, quien será puesta en libertad tras sesenta y un años de internamiento. El desconcierto inicial de la joven, que desconocía la existencia de la anciana, se verá pronto superado por una genuina curiosidad. ¿Qué motivo llevó a la reclusión de Esme cuando tenía solo dieciséis años? ¿Por qué se ocultó su historia al resto de la familia durante décadas? Entre los recuerdos de Esme y los escasos momentos de lucidez de su abuela Kitty, Iris reconstruye la vida de las dos hermanas: la infancia en la India y la primera juventud en Escocia, el rechazo de la joven Esme a las rígidas reglas de la alta burguesía escocesa y, repentinamente, la terrible exclusión. Así, bajo el cúmulo de revelaciones late un misterio cuyo suspense va creciendo a lo largo del relato hasta alcanzar un desenlace tan original como impactante. Maggie O'Farrell es una de las voces más sobresalientes y reconocidas de la narrativa escocesa actual. Con su brillante imaginación y su talento para construir personajes memorables y transmitir emociones, logra mantener sin aliento al lector hasta la última página. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION From The New York Times best-selling author of Hamnet comes a gothic, intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth… In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage-clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital —where she has been locked away for more than 61 years. Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme's face. Esme has been labeled harmless––sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But she’s still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit? Exposing the seedy past of Victorian asylums, the oppression of family secrets, and the way truth can change everything, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox will haunt you long past its final page...
The new children’s book from multi-award-winning author of Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell, paired once more with Daniela Terrazzini’s stunning illustrations.When Jem and his family move to the countryside, he doesn’t like his new home one bit. It’s an old cottage on the side of a hill, where strange things keep happening: shoes are filled up with conkers, the stairs become tangled in a woollen maze. Jem’s sister Verity is certain it is the work of a “nouka”, an ancient creature from local folklore that lives deep down inside the hill. Jem, however, is adamant that there is no such thing.But this small mythical creature, so attuned to the hearts and minds of others, does exist. And, what’s more, it is determined, through mischief and mayhem, to help Jem reignite the spark within himself once more.
'I thought I had made myself clear. I want something that conveys her majesty, her bloodline. Do you understand? She is no ordinary mortal. Treat her thus.'Florence, the 1560s. Lucrezia, third daughter of Cosimo de' Medici, is free to wander the palazzo at will, wondering at its treasures and observing its clandestine workings. But when her older sister dies on the eve of marriage to Alfonso d'Este, ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father to accept on her behalf.Having barely left girlhood, Lucrezia must now make her way in a troubled court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate her appears before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble?As Lucrezia sits in uncomfortable finery for the painting which is to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court's eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferrarese dynasty. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, her future hangs entirely in the balance.
Have you ever woken up suddenly, in the middle of the night, without knowing why? Best-selling and award-winning master storyteller Maggie O'Farrell weaves an extraordinary and compelling modern fairy tale about the bravery of a little girl and the miracle of a snowy day. Sylvie wakes one night, suddenly, without knowing why. Then she sees the most spectacular sight - a pair of wings, enormous in size, made of the softest snow-white feathers imaginable. An angel in her bedroom ... a SNOW angel! He tells her that he is here to look after her, for Sylvie is not as well as she seems... Many months later, as Sylvie recovers from her illness, she longs to see her snow angel again. He saved her life! There is so much she wants to tell him, so much she wants to know! Will he ever come back to her? And how can Sylvie make sure that everyone she loves has their own snow angel, to keep them safe, too?
'Dazzling. Devastating' Kamila Shamsie 'Stunning... deserves to win prizes' Marian Keyes A stunning new departure for Maggie O'Farrell's fiction, HAMNET is the heart-stopping story behind Shakespeare's most famous play. On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London. Neither parent knows that one of the children will not survive the week. Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright. It is a story of the bond between twins, and of a marriage pushed to the brink by grief. It is also the story of a kestrel and its mistress; flea that boards a ship in Alexandria; and a glovemaker's son who flouts convention in pursuit of the woman he loves. Above all, it is a tender and unforgettable reimagining of a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.
AS FEATURED ON DESERT ISLAND DISCS, BIG SCOTTISH BOOK CLUB AND THE ZOE BALL BOOKCLUB, A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE SUNDAY TIMES, THE TIMES, GUARDIAN, IRISH TIMES, OBSERVER, RED and THE TELEGRAPH. *SHORTLISTED FOR THE PEN ACKERLEY PRIZE FOR MEMOIR AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY 2018* I AM, I AM, I AM is a memoir with a difference - the unputdownable story of an extraordinary woman's life in near-death experiences. Insightful, inspirational, gorgeously written, it is a book to be read at a sitting, a story you finish newly conscious of life's fragility, determined to make every heartbeat count. A childhood illness she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. A terrifying encounter on a remote path. A mismanaged labour in an understaffed hospital. Shocking, electric, unforgettable, this is the extraordinary memoir from Costa Novel-Award winner and Sunday Timesbestselling author Maggie O'Farrell. It is a book to make you question yourself. What would you do if your life was in danger, and what would you stand to lose?
