Stones from the River

Stones from the River
Author: Ursula Hegi
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 528
Release: 2011-01-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1439144761

From the acclaimed author of Floating in My Mother’s Palm and Children and Fire, a stunning story about ordinary people living in extraordinary times—“epic, daring, magnificent, the product of a defining and mesmerizing vision” (Los Angeles Times). Trudi Montag is a Zwerg—a dwarf—short, undesirable, different, the voice of anyone who has ever tried to fit in. Eventually she learns that being different is a secret that all humans share—from her mother who flees into madness, to her friend Georg whose parents pretend he’s a girl, to the Jews Trudi harbors in her cellar. Ursula Hegi brings us a timeless and unforgettable story in Trudi and a small town, weaving together a profound tapestry of emotional power, humanity, and truth.

Lonely River Village

Lonely River Village
Author: Norma Libman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2014-02-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9780991477500

In pre-Communist China women in the small villages of Hunan Province developed their own secret writing system. They used this script to communicate with each other because they were not allowed to go to school and learn Mandarin. Their script is called Nu Shu, which means women's writing. It was usually sewn into household linens as decoration, in order to disguise its true purpose. This is the story of one of those little villages, adapted from actual Nu Shu writing preserved from this era.

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts
Author: Alison Sherlock
Publisher: Boldwood Books Ltd
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2020-07-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 183889974X

A feel-good story of new beginnings set in a gorgeous country village. 'Glorious escapism. Uplifting, heartwarming and joyful, Alison Sherlock writes with a warmth and lightness of touch' - Bestselling author, Kerry Fisher 'A lovely story of finding yourself and discovering what home means. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Loved it.' - Bestselling author, Jessica Redland After losing her job in New York, Amber Green isn’t looking forward to visiting her godmother in the sleepy village of Cranbridge. With its empty lanes and rundown shops, it’s hardly a place to mend her lonely heart. But when Amber discovers that Cranbridge Stores, owned by her godmother Cathy and son Josh, is under threat of financial ruin, she realises that her skills as a window dresser might just be able to help save the struggling shop. When disaster strikes, Amber and Josh must unite to save both the shop and the village from flooding. Can Cranbridge Stores become the heart of the village once more? And as the village begins to come back to life, perhaps Amber will discover a reason to stay... Perfect for fans of Katie Fforde and Milly Johnson What readers are saying about The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts: ’The story is lovely. All characters were facing challenges and trying to cope with change. They were good, honorable, relatable, and I was immediately invested in their happiness.' ’A great feel good read, great characters, good storyline and set in a fabulous location. Loved it.’ ’I love Alison Sherlock's writing style, her way with words and just lovely stories. A wonderful story to read curled up by a fire!’ ’This book was such a charming read.’ ’This is a solid 5 out of 5 starts for me and a book I will happily reread in the future to revisit these characters. I could not stop smiling when I finished this book.’ ’I loved everything about it’ 'This was such a lovely read to snuggle up with over the weekend. The characters and setting were adorable and I really didn't want the story to end.'

The River Village

The River Village
Author: Wali Shaaker
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2019-12-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0359836828

Embark on a journey through time while learning about Afghan culture, history, and politics. The unforgettable story of Masih, a teenage boy, who struggles to find his place amidst a chaotic atmosphere of war and political upheaval during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -Kabul, Afghanistan -- On a winter night in 1980, intelligence officers of the Marxist regime raid Dr. Sharif's house and arrest him. They accuse Sharif of having ties with the mujahidin, anti-government forces. After his arrest, his fourteen-year-old son Masih aspires to quit school and join his mujahidin cousins in Deh Darya, The River Village near Kabul in order to fight against the invading Soviet army. However, Nadia, his mother and a strong-minded woman, opposes his decision. She is determined to keep her son, her only child alive

Starry River of the Sky

Starry River of the Sky
Author: Grace Lin
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2012-10-02
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0316215538

From bestselling author Grace Lin comes the companion to the Newbery Honor winner Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and the National Book Award finalist When the Sea Turned to Silver. The moon is missing from the remote Village of Clear Sky, but only a young boy named Rendi seems to notice! Rendi has run away from home and is now working as a chore boy at the village inn. He can't help but notice the village's peculiar inhabitants and their problems. But one day, a mysterious lady arrives at the Inn with the gift of storytelling, and slowly transforms the villagers and Rendi himself. As she tells more stories and the days pass in the Village of Clear Sky, Rendi begins to realize that perhaps it is his own story that holds the answers to all those questions. Newbery Honor author Grace Lin brings readers another enthralling fantasy featuring her marvelous full-color illustrations. Starry River of the Sky is filled with Chinese folklore, fascinating characters, and exciting new adventures.

By a Slow River

By a Slow River
Author: Philippe Claudel
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 163
Release: 2007-12-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307425134

A bestseller in France and winner of the Prix Renaudot, By a Slow River is a mesmerizing and atmospheric tale of three mysterious deaths in an oddly isolated French village during World War I.The placid daily life of a small town near the front seems impervious to the nearby pounding of artillery fire and the parade of wounded strangers passing through its streets. But the illusion of calm is soon shattered by the deaths of three innocents–the charming new schoolmistress who captures every male heart only to kill herself; an angelic ten-year-old girl who is found strangled; and a local policeman’s cherished wife, who dies alone in labor while her husband is hunting the murderer. Twenty years later, the policeman still struggles to make sense of these tragedies, a struggle that both torments and sustains him. But excavating the town's secret history will bring neither peace to him nor justice to the wicked. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Bronze and Sunflower

Bronze and Sunflower
Author: Cao Wenxuan
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2017-03-14
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0763693685

A beautifully written, timeless tale by Cao Wenxuan, best-selling Chinese author and 2016 recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. Sunflower is an only child, and when her father is sent to the rural Cadre School, she has to go with him. Her father is an established artist from the city and finds his new life of physical labor and endless meetings exhausting. Sunflower is lonely and longs to play with the local children in the village across the river. When her father tragically drowns, Sunflower is taken in by the poorest family in the village, a family with a son named Bronze. Until Sunflower joins his family, Bronze was an only child, too, and hasn’t spoken a word since he was traumatized by a terrible fire. Bronze and Sunflower become inseparable, understanding each other as only the closest friends can. Translated from Mandarin, the story meanders gracefully through the challenges that face the family, creating a timeless story of the trials of poverty and the power of love and loyalty to overcome hardship.

River of Ink

River of Ink
Author: Paul M.M. Cooper
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 488
Release: 2016-01-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1632860716

In thirteenth-century Sri Lanka, Asanka, poet to the king, lives a life of luxury, enjoying courtly life and a sweet, furtive love affair with a palace servant, a village girl he is teaching to write. But when Magha, a prince from the mainland, usurps the throne, Asanka's role as court poet dramatically alters. Magha is a cruel and calculating king--and yet, a lover of poetry--and he commissions Asanka to translate a holy Sanskrit epic into the Tamil language spoken by his recently acquired subjects. The poem will be an olive branch--a symbol of unity between the two cultures. But in different languages, in different contexts, meaning can become slippery. First inadvertently, then deliberately and dangerously, Asanka's version of the epic, centered on the killing of an unjust ruler, inspires and arouses the oppressed people of the land. Asanka must juggle the capricious demands of a king with the growing demands of his own political consciousness--and his heart--if he wishes to survive and imagine a future with the woman he loves. The first novel from a remarkable young writer, River of Ink is a powerful historical tale set in the shadow of oppression--one with deep allegorical resonances in any time--celebrating the triumph of literature and love.

Into the Water

Into the Water
Author: Paula Hawkins
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2017-05-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0735211213

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER FOR MYSTERY/THRILLER An addictive novel of psychological suspense from the author of #1 New York Times bestseller and global phenomenon The Girl on the Train and A Slow Fire Burning. “Hawkins is at the forefront of a group of female authors . . who have reinvigorated the literary suspense novel by tapping a rich vein of psychological menace and social unease… there’s a certain solace to a dark escape, in the promise of submerged truths coming to light.” —Vogue A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she'd never return. With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present. Beware a calm surface—you never know what lies beneath.