Books published by Penguin

'I don't want two wishy-washy godmothers,' Jeannie had said that day in the country hospital when Eliza was only a day old. 'No dolls. No pink dresses. Just lots of adventures. Lots of spoiling. The pair of you like two mighty warriors protecting her at every step.' Eliza Miller ...grew up in Australia as the only daughter of a troubled single mother, but with the constant support of two watchful godmothers, Olivia and Maxie. Despite her tricky childhood, she always felt loved and secure. Until, just weeks before her eighteenth birthday, the tragic death of her mother changed everything. Thirteen years on, Eliza is deliberately living a life as safe as possible, avoiding close relationships and devoting herself to her job - until one day an unexpected invitation from her godmothers, now both based in the UK, prompts a leap into the unknown. Within a fortnight, Eliza has swapped her predictable routine in Melbourne for life in the middle of a complicated family in Edinburgh. There's no such thing as an ordinary day any more. Yet, amidst the chaos, Eliza begins to blossom. She finds herself not only hopeful about the future, but ready to explore her past. Her godmothers have long been waiting for her to ask about her mother's mysterious life - and about the identity of the father she has never known. But even they are taken by surprise with all that Eliza discovers. Set in Australia, Scotland, Ireland and England, THE GODMOTHERS is a story about love, loss, hope and sorrow, about the families we are born into and the families we make for ourselves.
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'Make these little vines count. Love them as I love you.' In the summer of 1914, vigneron Jerome Mea heads off to war, certain he'll be home by Christmas. His new bride Sophie Delancre, a fifth generation champenoise, is determined to ensure the forthcoming vintages will be testa...ment to their love and the power of the people of pernay, especially its strong women who have elevated champagne to favourite beverage of the rich and royal worldwide. But as the years drag on, authorities advise that Jerome is missing, considered dead. When poison gas is first used in Belgium by the Germans, British chemist Charles Nash jumps to enlist, refusing to be part of the scientific team that retaliates. A brilliant marksman, Charlie is seen by his men as a hero, but soon comes to feel that he'd rather die himself than take another life. When he is injured, he is brought to the champagne cellars in Reims, where Sophie has set up an underground hospital, and later to her mansion house in pernay, now a retreat for the wounded. As Sophie struggles with strong feelings for her patient, she also battles to procure the sugar she needs for her 1918 vintage and attracts sinister advances from her brother-in-law. However, nothing can prepare her for the ultimate battle of the heart, when Jerome's bloodstained jacket and identification papers are found in Belgium, and her hopes of ever seeing her husband alive again are reignited. From the killing fields of Ypres to the sun-kissed vineyards of southern France, The Champagne War is a heart-stopping adventure about the true power of love and hope to light the way during war.
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Vincent O'Sullivan's compelling, nuanced portrait of the great New Zealand artist Ralph Hotere brings the man and his art to life. Ralph Hotere (Te Aupouri and Te Rarawa; 1931-2013) was one of Aotearoa's most significant modern artists. Hotere invited the poet, novelist and biogr...apher Vincent O'Sullivan to write his life story in 2005. Now, this book - the result of years of research and many conversations with Hotere and his fellow artists, collaborators, friends and family - provides a nuanced, compelling portrait of Hotere: the man, and the artist.
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PRE-ORDER NOW: THE FIRST BOOK IN THE GRIPPING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY TV PRESENTER RICHARD OSMAN In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved killings. But when a local property developer shows up dead, 'The Thursday M...urder Club' find themselves in the middle of their first live case. The four friends, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, might be octogenarians, but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late? **** Cover photograph (c) Ray Burmiston
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PRE-ORDER THE EAGERLY AWAITED, LIFE-AFFIRMING AND HEART-WARMING NEW NOVEL FROM NUMBER-ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR DAWN FRENCH After five long years of waiting for a new novel, Dawn's millions of fans will fall in love with this tantalising story of motherhood. ____________ This is a b...ook about mothers and daughters, love and loss, mistakes and regret. It's a book about nature and nurture. Ultimately, it's a book about what makes us who we are - it is a story for all of us. Following her wonderful bestsellers A Tiny Bit Marvellous, Oh Dear Silvia and According to Yes, Because Of You is Dawn French's stunning new book, told with her signature humour, warmth and so much love.
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