Leon And Louise

Summer 1918. The First World War is drawing to a close when Léon Le Gall, a French teenager from Cherbourg who has dropped out of school and left home, falls in love with Louise Janvier. Both are severely wounded by German artillery fire, are separated, and believe each other to be dead. Briefly reunited two decades later, the two lovers are torn apart again by Louise's refusal to destroy Léon's marriage and by the German invasion of France. In occupied Paris during the Second World War, where Léon struggles against the abhorrent tasks imposed upon him by the SS, and the wilds of Africa, where Louise confronts the hardships of her primitive environment, they battle the vicissitudes of history and the passage of time for the survival of their love.

A tale of love's triumph against improbable odds and the vicissitudes of history.

Exquisita por su ligereza y conmovedora por su intensidad, la verosimilitud del relato sorprenderá al lector más avezado. Obra finalista del Deutscher Buchpreis -uno de los premios literarios de referencia en Alemania-, esta última novela de Alex Capus es la máxima expresión de una historia de amor que desafía todas las convenciones. El verano de 1918, la Primera Guerra Mundial está a punto de terminar, pero sus consecuencias perdurarán durante décadas. Para algunas personas, incluso toda una vida. Léon le Gall es un joven rebelde de apenas diecisiete años que ha decidido dejar los estudios y trabaja como ayudante en la estación ferroviaria de Saint-Luc-sur-Marne, en la costa de Normandía. Allí es donde conoce a la hermosa y esquiva Louise Janvier, y entre ellos surge un sentimiento puro, noble y profundo. Sin embargo, todo salta por los aires cuando Louise desaparece durante un bombardeo de la aviación alemana. Abatido por la pérdida, Léon logra reconstruir su vida. Se casa, tiene hijos y empieza a trabajar como científico para la policía, pero nunca conseguirá olvidar a Louise. La crítica ha dicho... «Entre todas las parejas de enamorados, felices o infelices, que nos ha presentado la literatura, la de Léon y Louise es una de las más originales y creíbles.» Süddeutsche Zeitung «El libro de esta primavera. Una historia maravillosa que deja un vacío cuando uno termina de leerla. Y que nos hace desear secretamente encontrar a alguien como Léon en la próxima vida. O a alguien como Louise.» WDR «La historia de un amor que se opone a la historia del mundo. Una pieza literaria finamente trabajada sobre el deseo de lograr la felicidad, sobre la conformidad y la supervivencia.» Tages-Anzeiger «Este libro elige a sus lectores. [...] Alex Capus ha escrito una fascinante historia de amor en circunstancias difíciles [...]. Una historia bellísima que lo es tanto por su estilo como por todo aquello que el lenguaje no puede describir.» Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung «A simple vista, ésta es una historia de un amor que perdura. Pero también habla de los abusos de poder, especialmente en tiempos de guerra, y de los sacrificios que el ser humano debe hacer para preservar aquello que más ama.» Publishers Weekly

Determined to keep their dads safe on their trip to France, two dogs disguise themselves and follow along.

"Originally published in Great Britain in 2016 by Penguin Random House UK."

The New York Times bestseller: “Venice shines through the pages of this novel. . . . Coupled with unexpected twists and turns [it] doesn’t disappoint” (Tulsa Book Review). A Los Angeles Times Bestseller • A Library Journal Mystery Bestseller • A Booklist Best Crime Novel of the Year • A Crime Reads Most Anticipated Book of the Year Guido Brunetti is urged by his father-in-law to investigate—and preferably intervene in—the seemingly innocent plan of the elderly Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejeda to adopt a much younger man as his son. Under Italian inheritance laws, this man would then be heir to Gonzalo’s entire fortune, a prospect Gonzalo’s friends find appalling. For his part, Brunetti wonders why the old man, a close family friend, can’t be allowed his pleasure in peace. And yet, what seems innocent on the Venetian surface can cause tsunamis below. Gonzalo unexpectedly drops dead on the street, and one of his friends—who just arrived in Venice for the memorial service—is strangled in her hotel room. Now with an urgent case to solve, Brunetti reluctantly untangles the long-hidden mystery in Gonzalo’s life that has ultimately led to murder . . . a resolution that brings him more pain than satisfaction. “Like Louise Penny, Leon has cultivated an utterly devoted audience, ever anxious to get to know more about her characters.” ―Booklist (starred review) “Redolent, as always, with the sights, smells, sounds, and mealtimes of the water-immersed city. . . . In Leon’s latest, a pleasantly deceptive lull . . . is dissolved with deadly force.” ―The Seattle Review of Books

Shortlisted for the Adventure Travel Book of the Year at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards. There are many reasons why it might seem unwise to walk, mostly alone, through the Middle East. That, in part, is exactly why Leon McCarron did it. From Jerusalem, McCarron followed a series of wild hiking trails that trace ancient trading and pilgrimage routes and traverse some of the most contested landscapes in the world. In the West Bank, he met families struggling to lead normal lives amidst political turmoil and had a surreal encounter with the world's oldest and smallest religious sect. In Jordan, he visited the ruins of Hellenic citadels and trekked through the legendary Wadi Rum. His journey culminated in the vast deserts of the Sinai, home to Bedouin tribes and haunted by the ghosts of Biblical history. The Land Beyond is a journey through time, from the quagmire of current geopolitics to the original ideals of the faithful, through the layers of history, culture and religion that have shaped the Holy Land. But at its heart, it is the story of people, not politics and of the connections that can bridge seemingly insurmountable barriers.