Salley Vickers

How much can love ask of us? Brilliant and mercurial Will Tye suffers a life changing accident. The terrible event ripples through three generations of the complex and eccentric Tye family, bringing to light old tragedies and dangerous secrets. Each member of the family holds some clue to the chain of events which may have led to the accident and each holds themselves to blame. Most closely affected is Will's cousin Cecelia, whose affinity with Will leaves her most vulnerable to his suffering and whose own life is for ever changed by how she will respond to it. Told through the eyes of three women close to Will, his sister, his grandmother and his aunt, Cousins is a novel weaving darkness and light which takes us from the outbreak of World War Two to the present day, exploring the recurrence of tragedy, the nature of trangression, and the limits of morality and love.

Sylvia Blackwell, a young woman in her twenties, moves to East Mole, a quaint market town in middle England, to start a new job as a children's librarian. But the apparently pleasant town is not all it seems. Sylvia falls in love with an older man - but it's her connectionto his precocious young daughter and her neighbours' son which will change her life and put them, the library and her job under threat.

From the bestselling author of THE LIBRARIAN How much can love ask of us?Brilliant and mercurial Will Tye suffers a life changing accident. The terrible event ripples through three generations of the complex and eccentric Tye family, bringing to light old tragedies and dangerous secrets. Each member of the family holds some clue to the chain of events which may have led to the accident and each holds themselves to blame. Most closely affected is Wills cousin Cecelia, whose affinity with Will leaves her most vulnerable to his suffering and whose own life is for ever changed by how she will respond to it.Told through the eyes of three women close to Will, his sister, his grandmother and his aunt, Cousins is a novel weaving darkness and light which takes us from the outbreak of World War Two to the present day, exploring the recurrence of tragedy, the nature of trangression, and the limits of morality and love.A wonderful book. Salley Vickers spins a spellbinding account of a family in distress Elizabeth Strout

A beautiful, beguiling novel from the bestselling author of The Librarian and GrandmothersA lovely book . . . wise at heart and filled with colourful characters Joanne Harris, author of ChocolatA compelling story of darkness and light, of traumatic loss and second chances, The Cleaner of Chartres tells of the mysterious and elusive Agnes Morel whose little acts of kindness around a rural French cathedral touch the lives of others with consequences both good and ill. But when her tragic past is exposed, Agnes must face up to the truth of her origins. Salley Vickers sees with a clear eye and writes with a light hand and she knows how the world works. Shes a presence worth cherishing Philip PullmanA rich weave of loss and redemption . . . magic and mystery Observer, Book of the Year

From Salley Vickers, bestselling author of Miss Garnet's Angel, comes The Boy Who Could See Death, an enchanting and unsettling collection of short stories. Eli is an ordinary boy with an extraordinary gift. It will shape the course of his whole life but, he learns the hard way, he must keep it hidden from those who know him best. Seeing death is a mixed blessing. Eli is not the only one defying the world's expectations of him. Cousin Francesca, a charming spinster and a favourite with the children, is harbouring kleptomaniac tendencies. Sarah Palliser, living alone next to a ramshackle graveyard, is more scared of the small box under her stairs than the ghosts outside her window. Meanwhile dreamy artist Nan is nursing a growing obsession with wolves in Britain and the recently widowed Frances finds herself inventing an exotic imaginary boyfriend to pass the time. Push through an unassuming front door on an unremarkable street or peer into the glowing fluorescent windows of an urban office block and within you'll find strange and unforgettable scenes, normal people caught in situations they do not quite comprehend...Salley Vickers is a master of the uncanny and the unexpected. In this collection of eleven remarkable stories, she explores bereavement and betrayal, closely guarded secrets and common gossip, long-overdue endings and decidedly strange beginnings. Each story is perfectly formed: a snapshot of a total stranger, a fleeting glimpse of lives spiced with a little something extra.

A short story by Salley Vickers from the collection Reader, I Married Him: Stories inspired by Jane Eyre. In Reader, She Married Me Mr Rochester reveals a long-kept secret. Edited by Tracy Chevalier, the full collection, Reader I Married Him, brings together some of the finest and most creative voices in fiction today, to celebrate and salute the strength and lasting relevance of Charlotte Brontes game-changing novel and its beloved narrator.

Abeautifully observed, tender and elegiac new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Librarian Grandmothers is the story of three very different women and their relationship with the younger generation: fiercely independent Nan, who leads a secret life as an award-winning poet when she is not teaching her grandson Billy how to lie; glamorous Blanche, deprived of the company of her beloved granddaughter Kitty by her hostile daughter-in-law, who finds solace in rebellious drinking and shoplifting; and shy, bookish Minna who in the safety of shepherd''s hut shares with her surrogate granddaughter Rose her passion for reading. The outlook of all three women subtly alters when through their encounters with each other they discover that the past is always with us and that we go on learning and changing until the very end.

The new novel from Salley Vickers, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Librarian and Grandmothers - a charming, heartwarming and beautifully designed Christmas gift!Artist, Hassie Days, and her sister, Margot, buy a run down Jacobean house in Hope Wenlock on the Welsh Marches. While Margot continues her London life in high finance, Hassie is left alone to work the large, long-neglected garden. She is befriended by eccentric, sharp-tongued, Miss Foot, who recommends, Murat, an Albanian migrant, made to feel out of place among the locals, to help Hassie in the garden.As she works the garden in Murat's peaceful company, Hassie ruminates on her past life: the sibling rivalry that tainted her childhood and the love affair that left her with painful, unanswered questions.But as she begins to explore the history of the house and the mysterious nearby wood, old hurts begin to fade as she experiences the healing power of nature and discovers other worlds.In her haunting new novel, Salley Vickers, the bestselling author of The Librarian and The Cleaner of Chartres, writes with the profound psychological insight and sense of the numinous power of place that is the hallmark of all her novels.

It is 1938 and Sigmund Freud, suffering from the debilitating effects of cancer, has been permitted by the Nazis to leave Vienna. He seeks refuge in England, taking up residence in the house in Hampstead in which he will die only fifteen months later. But his last months are made vivid by the arrival of a stranger, who comes and goes according to Freud''s state of health. Who is the mysterious visitor and why has he come to tell the famed proponent of the Oedipus complex his strange story? Set partly in pre-war London and partly in Ancient Greece, WHERE THREE ROADS MEET is as brilliantly compelling as it is moving. Former psychoanalyst and proclaimed novelist Salley Vickers revisits a crime committed long ago which still has disturbing reverberations for us all.

The new novel from Salley Vickers, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Librarian and GrandmothersArtist, Hassie Days, and her sister, Margot, buy a run down Jacobean house in Hope Wenlock on the Welsh Marches. While Margot continues her London life in high finance, Hassie is left alone to work the large, long-neglected garden. She is befriended by eccentric, sharp-tongued, Miss Foot, who recommends, Murat, an Albanian migrant, made to feel out of place among the locals, to help Hassie in the garden.As she works the garden in Murat's peaceful company, Hassie ruminates on her past life: the sibling rivalry that tainted her childhood and the love affair that left her with painful, unanswered questions.

At the end of his life, an old man waits in his office for a stranger to arrive. Over the next few weeks, Teiresias will visit again, making his way across the heath to relate the story of his life. As these two men sit together in front of a roaring fire, a remarkable tale unfolds.The compelling story of Oedipus, who, unknowingly, kills his father and marries his mother, is probably the most influential of all the Greek myths, having furnished Freud''s theory of psychoanalysis. Bestselling novelist Salley Vickers, herself a former psychoanalyst, takes the ancient story of patricide and incest and explores it through the vision of Teiresias, the blind seer, who alone ''sees'' the truth about the protagonists'' terrible past and their place in the cosmic order. Salley Vickers says, "I am interested in what human beings believe they know and in fact don''t know, which for me is the true tragedy of Oedipus. It is an utterly contemporary drama about the ways we blind ourselves to reality and the price we pay for knowledge."

The new edition of Salley Vicker's sensational debut novel. Miss Garnet's Angel is a voyage of discovery; a novel about Venice but also the rich story of the explosive possibilities of change in all of us at any time. Julia Garnet is a teacher. Just retired, she is left a legacy which she uses by leaving her orderly life and going to live -- in winter -- in an apartment in Venice. Its beauty, its secret corners and treasures, and its people overwhelm a lifetime of reserve and caution. Above all, she's touched by the all-prevalent spirit of the Angel, Raphael. The ancient tale of Tobias, who travels to Media unaware he is accompanied by the Archangel Raphael, unfolds alongside Julia Garnet's contemporary journey. The two stories interweave with parents and landladies, restorers and priests, American tourists and ancient travellers abounding. The result is an enormously satisfying journey of the spirit -- and Julia Garnet is a character to treasure.

The new novel from the bestselling author of Miss Garnet′s Angel and Instances of the Number 3. Many years ago Mr Golightly wrote a work of dramatic fiction which grew to be an international bestseller. But his reputation is on the decline and he finds himself out of touch with the modern world. He decides to take a holiday‚ and comes to the ancient village of Great Calne‚ hoping to use the opportunity to bring his great work up to date. But he soon finds that events take over his plans and that the themes he has written on are being strangely replicated in the lives of the villagers he is staying amongst. He meets Ellen Thomas‚ a reclusive artist; young Johnny Spence‚ an absconding schoolboy; and the tough−minded Paula‚ who works at the local pub. As he comes to know his neighbours better‚ Mr Golightly begins to examine his attitude to love‚ and to ponder the terrible catastrophe of his son′s death. And as the drama unfolds we begin to learn the true and extraordinary identity of Mr Golightly and the nature of the secret sorrow which haunts him − and links him to his new friends. Mysterious‚ light of touch‚ witty and profound‚ Mr Golightly′s Holiday confirms Salley Vickers′s reputation as one of our most original and engaging novelists.

When Peter Hansome is killed in a car crash, his wife and his mistress are left behind. What they discover about each other--and about the ever-surprising Peter--is the theme of this novel.

Awonderful book. Salley Vickers spins a spellbinding account of a family in distress Elizabeth Strout on CousinsSpring, 1918. Nine-year-old Charlotte Tye wakes up unusually early the night before her brothers wedding, and steals out down the familiar track leading from her house to the seashore. There, she meets a local man, standing alone amid the eider ducks, who carries a mysterious message for her... Read more about three generations of the Tye family from the First World War to the present day in the first two chapters of Salley Vickers powerful new novel, Cousins, included in this e-book.

From the author of Miss Garnets Angel and the forthcoming The Cleaner of Chartres comes a relatable short story about family holidays.When Beth decides to treat her husband Hamish to a short holiday in the Scottish Highlands, his paternal home, she does not bet on the arrival of Una, her oddball mother-in-law. Unas quirks - swimming outdoors (naked) in the freezing cold, her St Tropez perma-tan and breaking into song- naturally put a strain on the holiday, and on their relationship.On the remote, windswept isle, surrounded by the idyllic Scottish countryside, it is almost possible to forget that they are accompanied by her.But when Hamish is called away on business, leaving his wife and mother together in the cottage, he fears that all hell may break loose...Vacation includes a four chapter preview of Salley Vickers fantastic new novel The Cleaner of Chartres, a charming and timeless novel about motherhood, love and community.Salley Vickers is the author of the word-of-mouth bestseller Miss Garnets Angel and several other bestselling novels including Mr Golightlys Holiday, The Other Side of You and Dancing Backwards as well as a collection of short stories Aphrodites Hat. She has worked as a cleaner, a dancer, a university teacher of literature and a psychoanalyst. She is currently a RLF fellow at Newnham College Cambridge and she divides her time between Cambridge and London.

The new novel from Salley Vickers, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Librarian and Grandmothers Artist, Hassie Days, and her sister, Margot, buy a run down Jacobean house in Hope Wenlock on the Welsh Marches. While Margot continues her London life in high finance, Hassie is left alone to work the large, long-neglected garden. She is befriended by eccentric, sharp-tongued, Miss Foot, who recommends, Murat, an Albanian migrant, made to feel out of place among the locals, to help Hassie in the garden.As she works the garden in Murats peaceful company, Hassie ruminates on her past life: the sibling rivalry that tainted her childhood and the love affair that left her with painful, unanswered questions.But as she begins to explore the history of the house and the mysterious nearby wood, old hurts begin to fade as she experiences the healing power of nature and discovers other worlds.In her haunting new novel, Salley Vickers, the bestselling author of The Librarian and The Cleaner of Chartres, writes with the profound psychological insight and sense of the numinous power of place that is the hallmark of all her novels.Salley Vickers sees with a clear eye and writes with a light hand. Shes a presence worth cherishing Philip PullmanThe Gardener is a novel of regrowth & regeneration, of sisters overcoming a toxic parental legacy & of the healing power of seed packets Patrick GaleSteeped in a sense of the redemptive power of place, Sally Vickerss 11th novel is a paean to green-fingered regeneration that is both rigorous and charmingObserverProfoundly moving, healing and wise, this is the perfect antidote to our urban anxiety Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat

From Sunday Times bestselling author of The Librarian, Salley VickersHeart-warming... Grandmothers is a beautifully written and moving celebration of this love, too often unsung, that reaches out across the generationsThe TimesGrandmothers is the story of three very different women and their relationship with the younger generation: fiercely independent Nan, who leads a secret life as an award-winning poet when she is not teaching her grandson Billy how to lie; glamorous Blanche, deprived of the company of her beloved granddaughter Kitty by her hostile daughter-in-law, who finds solace in rebelliously taking to drink and shop lifting; and shy, bookish Minna who in the safety of shepherds hut shares with her surrogate granddaughter Rose her passion for reading. The outlook of all three women subtly alters when through their encounters with each other they discover that the past is always with us and that we go on learning and changing until the very end.Grandmothers is a beautifully observed, sometimes subversive, often tender and elegiac novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Librarian.A fond portrait of what it is to love a child, both yours and not... a tonic for the overlooked modern grandmother Sunday TimesVickers sees with a clear eye and writes with a light hand. Shes a presence worth cherishing in the ranks of modern novelists Philip Pullman