Claire Allen Livres

Pour tenter de faire taire le passé qui resurgit brutalement sous la forme d'une lettre, Liam fuit Liverpool et se retrouve par hasard à Llandudno, petite ville perdue du pays de Galles. Il y rencontre Marina, une jeune maman qui a décidé comme lui de tout quitter sur un coup de tête. A Llandudno, Hannah gère seule une maison d'hôtes désertée, héritage d'un mari qu'elle détestait, décédé deux ans plus tôt. Rongée par la solitude, la vieille femme se prend d'affection pour Marina, et, touchée par sa détresse, lui offre un toit. Liam, Marina et Hannah détiennent tous les trois un secret, et quelque chose dont les autres ont besoin. Trois jours durant, leurs vies se croisent dans l'atmosphère pesante de la petite ville. Quelle sera l'issue de ce brillant chassé-croisé ? Parviendront-ils à chasser leurs vieux démons, retrouveront-ils une forme de sérénité ?

It is 1941. Hope's father, Jenner, builds Liverpool Cathedral while the Luftwaffe's bombs fall. It is 2014, and Hope cares for her husband Robert as Alzheimer's destroys his personality.Hope's husband Robert is a retired civic sculptor. As Alzheimer's unravels his mind, a secret he has kept for her threatens to emerge, breaking the fragile peace she has made with her parents’ memory: the truth of what happened to her mother during the Liverpool Blitz. Hope brings in Louise to be home-carer. A young mother, the last resident of the Blackbird Estate, harassed by her ex-partner. But now they are together, can they find a way the past can't hurt them? Allen tells the overlooked story of the Liverpool Blitz, but resists its glorification with the sights, sounds and smells that surround the desperate citizens.HFP have teamed up with G.F Smith, paper merchant to Virginia Woolf's Hogarth Press, to celebrate small presses. All editions of the book will be covered with Gmund Urban, which uses "genuine pulverized cement" to recreate concrete's subtle texture and sparkle. The Römerturm paper mill has created "tradition and dynamic modernism in one material." Especially apt for a book that is set in a post-war housing estate: The Blackbird. It is a sculptural material, perfect for HFP's hand-bindery.

Focusing on the evolution of London fiction at the millennium, this analysis examines how selected novels represent a shift towards "second-wave" or "post-postmodern" literature. It highlights authors' engagement with mainstream and classical genres, moving away from avant-garde styles, while emphasizing the importance of cultural capital in amplifying marginalized voices. Key works by notable authors like Martin Amis, Bernardine Evaristo, and Zadie Smith are discussed to reflect on the trajectory of contemporary British fiction and its thematic depth beyond postmodernism.