On Tangled Paths

A moving love story and a vivid depiction of Berlin in the 1870s, from Germany's greatest nineteenth-century novelist Theodor Fontane. Lene is a beautiful, orphaned young seamstress, and Botho is a handsome, aristocratic cavalry officer. They are in love, yet know they have only a short time together as society deems their relationship impossible and refuses to acknowledge the seriousness of their feelings. But while Botho appears to have a glittering life ahead of him, the love he feels may yet be his undoing. Published in 1887, On Tangled Paths caused a scandal on publication with its portrayal of a sexual affair across the classes, and is a taut, flawless masterpiece. Theodor Fontane was born in the Prussian province of Brandenburg in 1819. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he made his living as a writer. From 1855 to 1859, he lived in London and worked as a freelance journalist and press agent for the Prussian embassy. While working as a war correspondent during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1 he was taken prisoner, but released after two months. His first novel, Before the Storm, was published when he was fifty-eight and was followed by sixteen further novels, of which Effi Briest, No Way Back and On Tangled Paths are all published in Penguin Classics. He died in 1898. Peter James Bowman completed a PhD on Fontane at Cambridge University, and now works as a writer and translator. 'On Tangled Paths has the flawless logic and beautiful design of the novella at its best' - Paul Binding, The Spectator 'There is an undertow of sadness to this novel, yet to read it is a joy, for its humanity, subtlety and visual immediacy' - Ruth Pavey, The Independent 'Theodor Fontane's first true masterpiece; it has a perfect beginning, a perfect ending, and no superfluous sentence in between' - Henry Garland

Twelve Ways create a thousand tangled paths. Hatched from an egg but unable to shift into dragon form, Jathen is a Moot among the Tazu. His rightful throne is forbidden him because of his transformative handicap, and neither his culture nor his religion offer acceptance of his perceived flaws. Driven by wounded anger, Jathen strikes out across the vast world beyond Tazu borders, desperate to find a place where he feels accepted and whole. Though he travels with the most trusted of companions, sabotage and conspiracy soon strike his quest. Jathen and his allies must struggle against man and magic alike, at the mercy of forces beyond their ken. As Jathen presses on, his questions of belonging are surrounded by more of identity, loyalty, and betrayal. Where will the path of his destiny lead, and will he follow or fall?

“In a world full of limitless lives, of endless possibilities, I will always find you.” Sarah Mitchell always put family first. Now, freed from self-imposed exile in her hometown, she's ready to jump back on the academic path she sacrificed for others three years ago. Her history studies taught her that you can't recreate the past, so it's time to open her mind and perhaps her heart to the future. Richard Norton has it all: money, power, and status. But the twenty-year path that took him to the top now sees him trapped in the company that got him there. And with a failed marriage behind him, it seems he's not destined to add love to his portfolio. Until he meets Sarah. Could she be the most important acquisition of his life? Caught in the crossfire of his parents' marriage, Calum MacFarlane is carrying wounds so deep they may never heal. Seeking refuge on the mountain paths of his Scottish homeland has carried him through, and now an army career beckons. When Sarah's world collides with his, will it provide a final chance to leave his troubled past behind? It's her time to choose a path. Or is time going to choose for her? When Sarah faces a life defined by loss, will time's tangled paths deliver her a second chance at happiness? This is a new adult romance novel told from multiple points of view, over parallel timelines. The story has two romantic arcs—the first a billionaire, age-gap; the second where forced proximity reveals an instant connection between two people who are soulmates destined to find each other in different lives. Tangled Paths is the second book in the Tangled in Time series but can also be read as a satisfying standalone.