Download or read book The Downstairs Girl written by Stacey Lee and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-03-02 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Reese's Book Club YA Pick and New York Times Bestseller From the critically acclaimed author of Luck of the Titanic, Under a Painted Sky, and Outrun the Moon comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family. By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light. With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the New South. "This vividly rendered historic novel will keep readers riveted as witty, observant Jo deals with the dangers of questioning power." --The Washington Post "Holds a mirror to our present issues while giving us a detailed and vibrant picture of life in the past." --The New York Times "A joyful read . . . The Downstairs Girl, for all its serious and timely content, is a jolly good time." --NPR

Download or read book The Woman Downstairs written by Elisabeth Carpenter and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2019-11-15 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Carpenter emerges as an addictive new talent' Helen Fields Can you ever really know your neighbours? When human remains are found in a ground floor flat, the residents of Nelson Heights are shocked to learn that there was a dead body in their building for over three years. Sarah lives at the flat above and after the remains are found, she feels threatened by a stranger hanging around the building. Laura has lived in the building for as long as she can remember, caring for her elderly father, though there is more to her story than she is letting on. As the investigation starts to heat up, and the two women become more involved, it's clear that someone isn't telling the truth about what went on all those years ago...

Download or read book The Woman Downstairs written by Julie Bruck and published by London, Ont. : Brick Books. This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Woman Downstairs, eloquence joins intimately with an attentive and hungry eye. Julie Bruck explores the accidents and acquaintances of life, its small coincidences and occurrences, its unexpected meetings. With a passionate distance, Bruck blends the outside observer's cool embrace with a desire to know intensely life's eccentric smallnesses, to gentle the beautiful out of the mundane. By turns witty and thoughtful, Bruck's writing is always graceful, always a delight.

Download or read book The Woman Downstairs written by Elisabeth Carpenter and published by Orion. This book was released on 2019-11-15 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Carpenter emerges as an addictive new talent' Helen Fields Can you ever really know your neighbours? When human remains are found in a ground floor flat, the residents of Nelson Heights are shocked to learn that there was a dead body in their building for over three years. Sarah lives at the flat above and after the remains are found, she feels threatened by a stranger hanging around the building. Laura has lived in the building for as long as she can remember, caring for her elderly father, though there is more to her story than she is letting on. As the investigation starts to heat up, and the two women become more involved, it's clear that someone isn't telling the truth about what went on all those years ago...

Download or read book The Woman Downstairs written by Judith Arnold and published by Judith Arnold . This book was released on 2016-08-03 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ex-cop Alec Fontana may not be able to patrol the streets of Boston anymore, but when his aunt, a college president, asks him to investigate whether an esteemed professor is preying sexually on his students, he’s up to the task. He’s a city boy, and a few weeks in a college-owned apartment near the bucolic campus would be a nice change of pace. But the woman in the apartment directly below his is a distraction. Lauren Wyler is beautiful and mysterious. Through the floor, Alec can hear her playing the piano like a virtuoso—until her performance turns into a painful mess of mistakes. How can someone with so much talent play so poorly? With each note, Alec’s obsession with his downstairs neighbor grows. Will that obsession heal Lauren or wound her beyond repair? Winner of RT Magazine’s Reviewers Choice Award.

Download or read book The Woman at Number 24 written by Juliet Ashton and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-04-20 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *** THE TOP TEN EBOOK BESTSELLER *** 'This brilliantly written and captivating story instantly drew us in and refused to let go. Fresh, funny and utterly fabulous, it’s the perfect holiday read' Heat Meet the hilarious and surprising residents of number 24 in the warm, witty and wonderful novel from bestselling author Juliet Ashton, author of The Sunday Lunch Club. When your marriage falls apart, the last place you'd want your husband to move to is downstairs. Unfortunately for Sarah, up in the eaves at number 24, her ex-husband now lives one floor beneath her with his new wife. Their happiness floats up through the floorboards, taunting her. A child psychologist, Sarah has picked up great sadness from the little girl, Una, who lives with her careworn mother three floors below, but is Sarah emotionally equipped to reach out? The Spring brings a new couple to the house. Jane and Tom's zest for life revives the flagging spirits, and Sarah can't deny the instant attraction to handsome Tom. Having seen at first hand what infidelity does to people, she'll never act on it ... but the air fizzes with potential. The sunshine doesn't reach every corner of number 24, however. Elderly Mavis, tucked away in the basement, has kept the world at bay for decades. She's about to find out that she can't hide forever. Juliet Ashton weaves a story of love, friendship and community that will move you to laughter and to tears. Think Cold Feet meets David Nicholls, with a dash of the joy of Jill Mansell added for good measure. What people are saying about The Woman At Number 24: 'Emotion, laughs and mystery, I simply adored every minute of reading it' Netgalley reviewer 'Loved it. Feels fresh and new and exciting hearing about the different lives of 24. I'm intrigued and fascinated by the characters' Natalie Ross, Netgalley reviewer 'Wow! Just a beautiful read, like a breath of fresh air. Very heart warming and easy to read. A great 5 Stars from me!' Netgalley reviewer 'This is a great book with a varied ensemble cast of characters and many inter-twining story lines' Netgalley reviewer 'An absorbing story full of wonderful moments ...This was my first Juliet Ashton book to read and I really fell in love with her accurate, vivid and flowing writing' Netgalley reviewer 'Fun read with captivating characters. I did not expect the plot twist involved and really enjoyed reading this overall. Read it in one evening' Netgalley reviewer 'We watch as friendships blossom, a romance evolves and there is a good, unexpected twist towards the end. A lovely, heartwarming read' 5*, Netgalley reviewer 'A wonderful book that I would highly recommend' Netgalley reviewer 'Fantastic ... great characters who live in one big house. You will absolutely love this book' Netgalley reviewer 'This book is like wrapping yourself up in a blanket on the sofa and watching your favourite film. Warm, heart-felt and witty' Netgalley reviewer

Download or read book The Woman Upstairs written by Claire Messud and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2013-04-30 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Told with urgency, intimacy, and piercing emotion, this New York Times bestselling novel is the riveting confession of a woman awakened, transformed, and abandoned by a desire for a world beyond her own. Nora Eldridge is a reliable, but unremarkable, friend and neighbor, always on the fringe of other people’s achievements. But the arrival of the Shahid family—dashing Skandar, a Lebanese scholar, glamorous Sirena, an Italian artist, and their son, Reza—draws her into a complex and exciting new world. Nora’s happiness pushes her beyond her boundaries, until Sirena’s careless ambition leads to a shattering betrayal. A New York Times Book Review Notable Book • A Washington Post Top Ten Book of the Year • A Chicago Tribune Noteworthy Book • A Huffington Post Best Book • A Boston GlobeBest Book of the Year • A Kirkus Best Fiction Book • A Goodreads Best Book

Download or read book A Noise Downstairs written by Linwood Barclay and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-07-24 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestselling author of No Time for Goodbye returns with a haunting psychological thriller that blends the twists and turns of Gillian Flynn with the driving suspense of Harlan Coben, in which a man is troubled by odd sounds for which there is no rational explanation. College professor Paul Davis is a normal guy with a normal life. Until, driving along a deserted road late one night, he surprises a murderer disposing of a couple of bodies. That’s when Paul’s "normal" existence is turned upside down. After nearly losing his own life in that encounter, he finds himself battling PTSD, depression, and severe problems at work. His wife, Charlotte, desperate to cheer him up, brings home a vintage typewriter—complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keys—to encourage him to get started on that novel he’s always intended to write. However, the typewriter itself is a problem. Paul swears it’s possessed and types by itself at night. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn’t hear a thing. And she worries he’s going off the rails. Paul believes the typewriter is somehow connected to the murderer he discovered nearly a year ago. The killer had made his victims type apologies to him before ending their lives. Has another sick twist of fate entwined his life with the killer—could this be the same machine? Increasingly tormented but determined to discover the truth and confront his nightmare, Paul begins investigating the deaths himself. But that may not be the best thing to do. Maybe Paul should just take the typewriter back to where his wife found it. Maybe he should stop asking questions and simply walk away while he can. . . .

Download or read book Stories from the Tenants Downstairs written by Sidik Fofana and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-08-16 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WINNER of the Gotham Book Prize * Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award, and the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence * Longlisted for the Story Prize Named a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Chicago Review of Books, LitHub, and Electric Lit “A standout achievement…American speech is an underused commodity in contemporary fiction and it’s a joy to find such a vital example of it here.” —The Wall Street Journal From a superb new literary talent, a rich, lyrical collection of stories about a tight-knit cast of characters grappling with their own personal challenges while the forces of gentrification threaten to upend life as they know it. At Banneker Terrace, everybody knows everybody, or at least knows of them. Longtime tenants’ lives are entangled together in the ups and downs of the day-to-day, for better or for worse. The neighbors in the unit next door are friends or family, childhood rivals or enterprising business partners. In other words, Harlem is home. But the rent is due, and the clock of gentrification—never far from anyone’s mind—is ticking louder now than ever. In eight interconnected stories, Sidik Fofana conjures a residential community under pressure. There is Swan, in apartment 6B, whose excitement about his friend’s release from prison jeopardizes the life he’s been trying to lead. Mimi, in apartment 14D, hustles to raise the child she had with Swan, waitressing at Roscoe’s and doing hair on the side. And Quanneisha B. Miles, in apartment 21J, is a former gymnast with a good education who wishes she could leave Banneker for good, but can’t seem to escape the building’s gravitational pull. We root for the tight-knit cast of characters as they weave in and out of one another’s narratives, working to escape their pasts and blaze new paths forward for themselves and the people they love. All the while we brace, as they do, for the challenges of a rapidly shifting future. Stories from the Tenants Downstairs brilliantly captures the joy and pain of the human experience in this “singular accomplishment from a writer to watch” (Library Journal, starred review).

Download or read book The Downstairs Neighbour written by Helen Cooper and published by . This book was released on 2021-02-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The unrelenting tension of this well-crafted debut kept me whizzing through the book . . . I loved the tension, the secrets and the satisfying, unexpected conclusion' KL Slater In a converted Georgian townhouse in south west London, three families live under one roof. The large flat that takes up the top two floors is home to the Harlow family: happily married Paul and Steph, and their bubbly teenage daughter Freya. The smaller first floor flat is rented by Emma, who spends most of her time alone, listening to people coming in and out of the building. And the basement flat belongs to Chris, a local driving instructor, who prefers to keep his personal life private from the neighbours. But their lives are all upended when Freya vanishes. As the police become involved and a frantic Paul and Steph desperately search for answers, they begin to realise that the truth behind their daughter's disappearance may lie closer to home than they were expecting. When everyone has something to hide, can you ever really know those closest to you? Or will some secrets be taken to the grave?

Download or read book The Wife Upstairs written by Rachel Hawkins and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-01-05 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Top 10 New York Times bestseller ‘I was completely blown away by The Wife Upstairs. This is a compulsive, irresistible retelling of Jane Eyre with a modern, noir twist – and wow, does it work’ Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

Download or read book Conscience written by Alice Mattison and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-08-07 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Decades ago in Brooklyn, three girls demonstrated against the Vietnam War, and each followed a distinct path into adulthood. Helen became a violent revolutionary. Val wrote a controversial book, essentially a novelization of Helen’s all-too-short but vibrant life. And Olive became an editor and writer, now comfortably settled with her husband, Griff, in New Haven. When Olive is asked to write an essay about Val’s book, doing so brings back to the forefront Olive and Griff’s tangled histories and their complicated reflections on that tumultuous time in their young lives.Conscience, the dazzling new novel from award-winning author Alice Mattison, paints the nuanced relationships between characters with her signature wit and precision. And as Mattison explores the ways in which women make a difference—for good or ill—in the world, she elegantly weaves together the past and the present, and the political and the personal.

Download or read book The Downstairs Maid written by Rosie Clarke and published by . This book was released on 2014-11-15 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When her father becomes ill, Emily Carter finds herself tasked with the responsibility of providing for the family and is sent to work as a servant girl at Priorsfield Manor. As she settles in to the family home, she strikes an unlikely friendship with the daughters of the house, as well as Nicolas, the Lord's son. But there are others who wish to gain her attention, and as the threat of war comes ever closer, Emily finds that the wrong choice of suitor will have consequences.

Download or read book The Woman at 46 Heath Street written by Lesley Sanderson and published by Bookouture. This book was released on 2019-03-28 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'I loved this book!!!... So gripping that I read it in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars The letter is addressed to me. No stamp, swirly handwriting in black ink. I pull out a piece of paper, stiffening when I read the message. Hands trembling, the note slides to the floor: Your husband is having an affair. Six words written in neat block letters. Six words slipped through her letterbox, destroying her marriage, exposing Ella's perfect life as perfect lies. But Ella has a plan: Alice is the answer to her problems. A lodger, to help keep her afloat, a friend, to keep the loneliness at bay. Only Alice has her own reasons for wanting to live at 46 Heath Street... If you loved The Wife Between Us, The Girl on The Train and The Secret Mother, you will be totally hooked by this twisty and gripping read about family secrets, marriage betrayal and the dark side of love. Readers absolutely love The Woman at 46 Heath Street 'WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' Goodreads Reviewer 'Loved it... What a brilliant book... I found it very hard to put my kindle down!' NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars 'Brilliant... One of 2019's best!... Keeps you in suspense until that last page!... A splendid thrill-ride!' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars 'WOW! Just loved this book, a definite page-turner... An excellent read.' NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars 'Twisty, compelling and brilliant... The Woman at 46 Heath Street is an edge-of-your seat, twist-packed thriller with an added dash of poetic justice that had me hooked in from the very first page... captivating the reader throughout her gripping story. Well worth far more than five stars and highly recommended by little old me.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars 'I stayed up way too late to finish reading it all in one sitting... Twists and turns to keep you guessing right up until the end!' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars 'A taut, fast-paced psychological thriller that pulls you in from the very first paragraph. I could not turn the pages quickly enough... An absolutely gripping novel, chock full of twists and turns, and it will keep you guessing until the final dramatic conclusion.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

Download or read book Below Stairs written by Margaret Powell and published by Pan. This book was released on 2011-03-12 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling and colourful memoir that takes the reader inside the forgotten world of domestic service. Arriving at the great houses of 1920s London, fifteen-year-old Margaret's life in service was about to begin... As a kitchen maid - the lowest of the low - she entered an entirely new world; one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses to be appeased, and even bootlaces to be ironed. Work started at 5.30am and went on until after dark. Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids' curlers, to the heartbreaking story of Agnes the pregnant under-parlourmaid, fired for being seduced by her mistress' nephew, Margaret's tales of her time in service are told with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye for the prejudices of her situation.

Download or read book Luck of the Titanic written by Stacey Lee and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes the richly imagined story of Valora and Jamie Luck, twin British-Chinese acrobats traveling aboard the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage. Valora Luck has two things: a ticket for the biggest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world, and a dream of leaving England behind and making a life for herself as a circus performer in New York. Much to her surprise though, she's turned away at the gangway; apparently, Chinese aren't allowed into America. But Val has to get on that ship. Her twin brother Jamie, who has spent two long years at sea, is there, as is an influential circus owner, whom Val hopes to audition for. Thankfully, there's not much a trained acrobat like Val can't overcome when she puts her mind to it. As a stowaway, Val should keep her head down and stay out of sight. But the clock is ticking and she has just seven days as the ship makes its way across the Atlantic to find Jamie, perform for the circus owner, and convince him to help get them both into America. Then one night the unthinkable happens, and suddenly Val's dreams of a new life are crushed under the weight of the only thing that matters: survival.

Download or read book The Woman Who Wasn t There written by Robin Gaby Fisher and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-01-08 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces the story of Tania Head, who falsely claimed to be a September 11 survivor, describing her interviews with the co-author and the discovery that she was not in America at the time of the attacks.