Oh Dear Silvia

Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French, the celebrated English actress, bestselling author, and comedian, is the clever, touching, and compelling story of one mysterious woman trapped in a coma after a fall from a balcony. Now, lying unconscious in a hospital bed, Silvia is plagued by a stream of often funny and sometimes poignant visits from friends and family, each of whom knows a different piece of the puzzle that is Silvia Shute. And, as she lies there listening to all of her visitors, the dark and terrible secret she’s been hiding for years emerges. Dawn French's Oh Dear Silvia is an emotionally resonant and riveting tale of secrets, forgiveness, remorse, guilt, and love.

The hilarious no. 1 bestseller by comedian and author of According to Yes and Oh Dear Sylvia Everyone hates the perfect family. So you'll love the Battles. Meet Mo Battle, about to turn 50 and mum to two helpless, hormonal teenagers. There's 17-year-old daughter Dora who blames Mo for, like, EVERYTHING and Peter who believes he's quite simply as darling and marvellous as his hero Oscar Wilde. Somewhere, keeping quiet, is Dad . . . who's just, well . . . Dad. However, Mo is having a crisis. She's about to do something unusually wild and selfish, which will leave the entire family teetering on the edge of a precipice. Will the family fall? Or will they, when it really matters, be there for each other? A Tiny Bit Marvellous is the number one bestselling novel from one of Britain's favourite comic writers. Praise for A Tiny Bit Marvellous: 'Funny, really enjoyable, highly recommended. A wonderful writer - witty, wise, poignant' Wendy Holden 'A fantastic slam-dunk pageturner. Funny, enriching . . . page after page I laughed out loud' Mail on Sunday 'Beautifully observed. Makes you laugh on every page' The Times 'A brilliantly observed, very funny novel of family life' Woman and Home

Dawn French, number one bestselling author of A Tiny Bit Marvellous and Oh Dear Silvia, returns with her joyously funny new novel, According To YES . . . NOW at this special price The Foreign Land of the Very Wealthy - otherwise known as Manhattan's Upper East Side - has its own rigid code of behaviour. It's a code strictly adhered to by the Wilder-Bingham family. Emotional displays - unacceptable. Unruly behaviour - definitely not welcome. Fun - no thanks. This is Glenn Wilder-Bingham's kingdom. A beautifully displayed impeccably edited fortress of restraint. So when Rosie Kitto, an eccentric thirty-eight-year-old primary school teacher from England, bounces into their lives with a secret sorrow and a heart as big as the city, nobody realises that she hasn't read the rule book. For the Wilder-Bingham family, whose lives begin to unravel thread by thread, the consequences are explosive. Because after a lifetime of saying no, what happens when everyone starts saying . . . yes? 'I adored According to YES. It's so different to anything I've read in forever, so charming, wise, brilliantly written. I loved it all' Marian Keyes 'There is lots of fun to be had reading this book. It's impossible not to warm to Rosie, a funny and open-hearted woman who acts as a salve and comfort blanket for this unhappy, inhibited family. There's something quite joyous about the way she unashamedly romps her way through the novel, changing the lives of those around her for the better' Express 'French can spin a yarn . . . which sets According to YES apart from the usual chick-lit template. Think the vicar of Dibley, without the dog collar. YES YES YES indeed' Independent Further praise for Dawn French: 'A fantastic slam-dunk pageturner. Funny, enriching . . . page after page I laughed out loud' Mail on Sunday 'A hilarious snapshot of family life in the twenty-first century' Sunday Express 'Extremely funny' Sunday Times 'Dawn tackles the big ones - love, death, grief, childhood, motherhood, parenthood - head on' Guardian 'Makes you laugh on every page' The Times 'A brilliantly observed, very funny novel of family life' Woman and Home 'Funny, really enjoyable, highly recommended. A wonderful writer - witty, wise, poignant' Daily Mail

Girl Runner is the story of Aganetha Smart, a former Olympic athlete who was famous in the 1920s, but now, at age 104, lives in a nursing home, alone and forgotten by history. For Aganetha, a competitive and ambitious woman, her life remains present and unfinished in her mind. When her quiet life is disturbed by the unexpected arrival of two young strangers, Aganetha begins to reflect on her childhood in rural Ontario and her struggles to make an independent life for herself in the city. Without revealing who they are, or what they may want from her, the visitors take Aganetha on an outing from the nursing home. As ready as ever for adventure, Aganetha’s memories are stirred when the pair return her to the family farm where she was raised. The devastation of WWI and the Spanish flu epidemic, the optimism of the 1920s and the sacrifices of the 1930s play out in Aganetha’s mind, as she wrestles with the confusion and displacement of the present. Part historical page-turner, part contemporary mystery, Girl Runner is an engaging and endearing story about family, ambition, athletics and the dedicated pursuit of one’s passions. It is also, ultimately, about a woman who follows the singular, heart-breaking and inspiring course of her life until the very end.

'Italians are passionate and opinionated about their food and I am no exception!' Italian-born food lover, blogger and actress Silvia Colloca offers us her personal insight into authentic Italian home cooking. Now living in Australia, she is quick to correct the misconception that every dish must be drowned in olive oil or topped with a thick coating of parmesan. On the contrary, Silvia's everyday recipes are simple, light and healthy, and based on fresh, seasonal ingredients. This is the food she grew up with. This is how Italians really eat. Step into Silvia's kitchen and sample such goodies as twice-cooked cinnamon galettes, watermelon rind jam, white wine and fennel crackers, Abruzzese fisherman's stew with garlic toast, ricotta gnocchi with cavolo nero pesto, and strawberry and mascarpone cake. Silvia's warmth, humour and thoughtful instructions show you how easily it can be done in your own kitchen.

A SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ___________________________ The hilarious and heartwarming memoir from one of Britain's best-loved comedians and Women's Prize longlisted author, Dawn French. Dawn French is one of the greatest comedians of our time with a career that has spanned nearly four decades. Loved for her irreverent humour, Dawn has achieved massive mainstream success while continuing to push boundaries and challenge stereotypes. Here, she describes the journey that would eventually establish her as a perhaps unlikely, but nevertheless genuine, national treasure. As part of the much loved duo French and Saunders, Dawn helped create a repertoire of brilliantly observed characters, impersonating everything from Madonna and Harry Potter to The Exorcist. Dawn's iconic role in the Vicar of Dibley showcased not only her talent but also her ability to take a controversial and topical issue and make it mainstream - and very funny. From her early years as an RAF child and her flat-sharing antics with Jennifer Saunders, to her outspoken views on sizism and her marriage to Lenny Henry, Dear Fatty chronicles the extraordinary and hilarious rise of a complex, dynamic and unstoppable woman.

'A major new voice. Read Temi Oh today. Everybody will be reading her tomorrow' Stephen Baxter. author of World Engines 'A brilliant, beautiful debut. Reading it will change your heart' Christian Kiefer, author of Phantoms * The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet meets The 100 in this unforgettable debut by a brilliant new voice. * A century ago, scientists theorised that a habitable planet existed in a nearby solar system. Today, ten astronauts will leave a dying Earth to find it. Four are decorated veterans of the 20th century’s space-race. And six are teenagers, graduates of the exclusive Dalton Academy, who’ve been in training for this mission for most of their lives. It will take the team twenty-three years to reach Terra-Two. Twenty-three years spent in close quarters. Twenty-three years with no one to rely on but each other. Twenty-three years with no rescue possible, should something go wrong. And something always goes wrong. * Don't miss one of Cosmopolitans books by people of colour to get excited about in 2019, called 'a tightly wound epic' that 'will change your heart' by Christian Kiefer, author of Phantoms. * WHY READERS DREAM OF TERRA-TWO . . . 'An ambitious 500-page coming-of-age blockbuster . . .Oh is excellent at portraying the aching sense of loss on a one-way trip to the stars' Guardian 'A tightly wound, emotional epic that asks important questions about humanity, goodness, belief, technology, love, friendship, and duty. At what point is grabbing hold of one’s destiny ultimately an attempt to escape some other? Like all great writers, Temi Oh refuses the easy answer, instead ruminating upon the question itself. This novel is a brilliant, beautiful debut. Reading it will change your heart.' Christian Kiefer, author of Phantoms 'One of the most absorbing books I have ever read' 'This book seemed to take over my life whilst I was reading it - if I wasn't actually reading, I was thinking about it' 'I'm in love with this book . . . It is a beautiful, sprawling, literary delight with an unforgettable cast undertaking an unforgettable journey.' 'For fans of the character-driven The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet series, Terra-Two is perfect . . . A strong, haunting, character-driven story . . . This book and its characters will stay with you for a long time.' 'Do You Dream of Terra-Two succeeds both as a great sci-fi story and a brilliant drama . . . Even though you expect things to go wrong in this story, they still wrong foot you when they do. 5*. 'Beautifully written . . . It's inspirational to read' 'I would love to be able to write like Temi Oh. I should start taking notes . . . Highly recommended!'

A rogue ruined . . . He is the Killer Duke, accused of murdering Mara Lowe on the eve of her wedding. With no memory of that fateful night, Temple has reigned over the darkest of London’s corners for twelve years, wealthy and powerful, but beyond redemption. Until one night, Mara resurfaces, offering the one thing he’s dreamed of . . . absolution. A lady returned . . . Mara planned never to return to the world from which she’d run, but when her brother falls deep into debt at Temple’s exclusive casino, she has no choice but to offer Temple a trade that ends in her returning to society and proving to the world what only she knows...that he is no killer. A scandal revealed . . . It’s a fine trade, until Temple realizes that the lady—and her past—are more than they seem. It will take every bit of his strength to resist the pull of this mysterious, maddening woman who seems willing to risk everything for honor . . . and to keep from putting himself on the line for love.