The Fields

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P. G. Wodehouse

'You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.' Stephen Fry A Blandings novelLady Constance Keeble, sister of Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle, has both an imperious manner and a valuable diamond necklace. The precarious peace of Blandings is shattered when her necklace becomes the object of dark plottings, for within the castle lurk some well-connected jewel thieves – among them the Honourable Freddie Threepwood, Lord Emsworth's younger son, who wants the reward money to set up a bookmaking business. Psmith, the elegant socialist, is also after it for his newly married chum Mike. And on patrol with the impossible task of bringing management to Blandings is the Efficient Baxter, whose strivings for order lead to a memorable encounter with the castle flowerpots.Will peace ever return to Blandings Castle...?

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Furui Yoshikichi

"Furui Yoshikichi's work has long dealt with the human dramas of growing up and growing old, but by probing further into the recesses of the mind and memory, he also touches upon the deepest mysteries of human existence. As if to balance the somber themes of madness and death, Furui shows a great sensitivity to the dark humor inherent in everyday life. White-haired melody is no exception; it is the record of the daily experiences of a man approaching old age. It delves into the essential but hidden nature of his daily life, employing prose that is relentless in its re-creation of detail. This novel is a meditative exploration of the strange borderland around the inner experience of aging and approaching death. Yet, rather than follow a conventional plot, the novel develops by means of an intricate weaving together through time of key experiences of the narrator and his friends to build a compelling portrait of human experience. Those familiar with Furui's writings will find here a fascinating new development of earlier themes. White-haired melody, a work by one of Japan's finest contemporary novelists writing at the height of his power, is not to be missed."--BOOK JACKET.

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Christina Green

Life on a Dartmoor tenant farm is hard and when Becky Yeo meets Joseph, a travelling labourer and folk-singer, her desire is to change her own life. Then, disobeying her family, she refuses to marry Nat, the farm bailiff. She finds work as a kitchen maid at the Manor House, which harbours a dark mystery concerning her family. Meanwhile, Nat, seeking revenge, blackmails her. When Joseph returns, his love for Becky becomes clear and he must challenge Nat for Becky's hand. But after her secret is revealed, can Becky keep her family together and prevent Joseph from leaving once again?

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Gunter Grass

Based loosely on Grimm's The Fisherman and his Wife, this triumphant blend of folk tale and contemporary story takes place over the course of nine months, during which the wife of the narrator becomes pregnant and is regaled with tales of the various cooks the fisherman has met throughout his life. The emerging themes of the novel expose the periods when men made history and women's contributions went largely, in some cases gravely, unrecognized. Inventive, imaginitive and irreverent, this humorous, fundamentally brilliant novel highlights the value of modern-day myth and timeless legend.