Looking for Clara


Book Description

Looking for Clara explores two friendships that deeply affect the life of Clara, a young attorney in search of something she cannot fully explain, something just out of her grasp. The bulk of the story takes place in Siena, Tuscany, and it dances around the themes of life and its complexities, dreams and challenges, love and loss.




The German Heiress


Book Description

“Meticulously researched and plotted like a noir thriller, The German Heiress tells a different story of WWII— of characters grappling with their own guilt and driven by the question of what they could have done to change the past.” —Jessica Shattuck, New York Times bestselling author of The Women in the Castle For readers of The Alice Network and The Lost Girls of Paris, an immersive, heart-pounding debut about a German heiress on the run in post-World War II Germany. Clara Falkenberg, once Germany’s most eligible and lauded heiress, earned the nickname “the Iron Fräulein” during World War II for her role operating her family’s ironworks empire. It’s been nearly two years since the war ended and she’s left with nothing but a false identification card and a series of burning questions about her family’s past. With nowhere else to run to, she decides to return home and take refuge with her dear friend, Elisa. Narrowly escaping a near-disastrous interrogation by a British officer who’s hell-bent on arresting her for war crimes, she arrives home to discover the city in ruins, and Elisa missing. As Clara begins tracking down Elisa, she encounters Jakob, a charismatic young man working on the black market, who, for his own reasons, is also searching for Elisa. Clara and Jakob soon discover how they might help each other—if only they can stay ahead of the officer determined to make Clara answer for her actions during the war. Propulsive, meticulously researched, and action-fueled, The German Heiress is a mesmerizing page-turner that questions the meaning of justice and morality, deftly shining the spotlight on the often-overlooked perspective of Germans who were caught in the crossfire of the Nazi regime and had nowhere to turn.




Clara's Way


Book Description

The year is 1904. Nurse Clara Tyler happily spends her days tending patients in rural Ohio. Her brother, who is working in Panama on the great canal, informs the family he must return home due to illness. Too sick to travel alone, he begs Clara to come and get him. Anxious about going but determined to save her brother, Clara makes her way to the Canal Zone. She is quickly drawn into a web of heartbreak, controversy, and friendship that keeps her there. When her father demands she return, Clara must decide where she belongs in this gripping tale about love and loss, courage, and the unexpected paths that shape our lives.




A Clue for Clara


Book Description

'GREETINGS. AM LOOKING FOR A MAJOR CRIME TO SOLVE. PLEASE INFORM ME OF ANY RECENT MURDERS, KIDNAPPINGS OR JEWEL HEISTS IN THIS AREA.' Clara wants to be a famous detective with her own TV show. She can read claw marks, find missing feathers and knows morse code and semaphore. There's just one problem. She's a small scruffy chook, and no one takes her seriously. But when she teams up with Olive, the daughter of the local policeman, they might just be able to solve the crimes that have been troubling the town of Little Dismal. A puzzling and hilarious mystery from bestselling author, Lian Tanner.




In Darkness, Look for Stars


Book Description

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Utterly captivating.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I was completely hooked.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘One of the best books I have read.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Fantastic… My heart was in my mouth.’ Shaz’s Book Blog Paris, 1941: Going against her mother’s orders, spirited Maggie devotes herself to the Resistance. Her life is a whirlwind of forged passports and secret midnight runs, helping Jews escape Paris, which grows more dangerous by the day. Under the cloak of darkness, she bids farewell to Emil, who flees the city with the Nazis hot on his heels. Emil is bound for Maggie’s sister, Cecilia, hundreds of miles away in the South of France. Innocent and shy Cecilia is shocked to the core when Emil turns up, seeking refuge. Up until now, she has lived a sheltered existence: wild and dangerous Emil turns her world upside down. Her life is on the line as she risks everything to protect him and soon she is drawn into the secret work of the underground Resistance. As each day passes and the war rages on, Cecilia cannot help being drawn to Emil… But as the Nazis close in on them, she faces a terrible choice. Exactly how far she is willing to go for love? Her decision will haunt her for the rest of her life… An evocative, riveting and stirring tale about the tragic realities of war, the fine line between loyalty and lies, and the power of love, even in the darkest of times. Fans of The Nightingale, The Letter and All The Light We Cannot See will be spellbound by this magnificent historical novel. Readers absolutely love In Darkness, Look for Stars: ‘Amazing… One of my favourite stories… A brilliant story that is full of twists and turns… I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time while reading… A must-read.’ Chells and Books, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Oh my word, this was definitely an emotive and additive read, and then some… I felt myself well up… I fully immersed myself in the story and I knew that nothing much would be done for the rest of the day as I would be too busy reading!... I was too hooked… Superbly written… I became so emotionally involved with certain characters that every time they felt pain, I felt pain… The author uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I actually felt as though I was part of the story myself.’ Ginger Book Geek, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Amazing… I truly loved this book… Clara Benson does a masterful job of bringing her characters to life… Fans of All the Light We Cannot See will thoroughly enjoy this book.’ Historically Yours, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Stirring, captivating and electrifying… So poignant it could sever readers’ heartstrings… A wonderfully written historical novel, In Darkness, Look for Stars was the first Clara Benson novel I read, but it shall certainly not be my last.’ Bookish Jottings, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A beautifully devastating book. Highly emotional and utterly captivating from the first page to the last.’ Loopyloulaura, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Fantastic… The author captures the relationships beautifully over the split time spans and intertwines them seamlessly. A real page-turner filled with suspenseful twists and turns.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This book was so good! The characters were so well rounded, you felt like you actually knew them! The plot was so good you didn't want the book to end!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Beautifully written.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘First of all, what a lovely title and so apt during these dark times!... Heartbreaking as well as heartwarming. An insightful look into what war can bring but what we can get out of life when everything is crumbling around us. There’s plenty of war stories out there, but this one stands out.’ The Book Trail, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I have read lots of books in the war fiction genre and found this book to be one of the best I have read!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐




Clara's Search for Magic


Book Description

The headmaster of the School of Magic tells Clara that she is too ordinary to perform magic. Clara must set off on an adventure to meet a host of magical characters and discover where their magic came from in order to find her own.




Clara and Davie


Book Description

From the bestselling author, the true story of young Clara Barton and the big brother who supported and encouraged her in the face of adversity. Animals and flowers were Clara’s best friends. She had a special way with critters and found joy in the beauty that sprang from the soil. But whenever Clara talked, her words didn’t come out right. As hard as she tried, she could not get over her lisp. Clara’s older brother Davie understood that his sister was gifted. When folks made fun of Clara’s stilted words, Davie was always at her side reminding her that she had a talent for healing creatures. Davie told his sister, “Some day you are going to be a very great lady.” And that’s exactly what happened. Clara Barton became one of the most famous medical practitioners of all time and founded the American Red Cross. Praise for Clara and Davie “Drawing once again on her family history, Polacco shares the story of a distant relative . . . Polacco's characteristic mixed-media illustrations are lively and evocative, and the winter scenes are especially appealing. This heartwarming story of sibling devotion and overcoming obstacles will whet readers' interest and lead them to further study.” —School Library Journal




Clara Wu and the Portal Book: Book One


Book Description

Clara Wu is a Chinese American teenager in New York City who is rebelling against her Chinese heritage but suddenly finds herself whisked away into a fantastical world of Asian inspired lands and kingdoms. She is told that she is a warrior who will need to fight an evil Warlock in order to save Earth. As daunting as her task may be, she is not alone in her battle as Sung Kim, Yuka Satoh and Daniel Nguyen will fight alongside her. Only by unlocking powers hidden away in their heritage, will they be able to save Earth from the Warlock, so said the Guardian Panda.




Frozen Butterflies


Book Description

Susan Blanc is a psychology teacher, who lives alone and suffers from insomnia. When she meets Nick, a blogger, she's attracted to his silences and shadows and embarks with him on a search for an artist whose journal Nick found. Nick and Susan's stories melt with the artist's story, in a cocktail of passion, sex, lies, and self-discovery.




Widowland


Book Description

2023 Philip K. Dick Award Nominee "A compulsive, terrifying read."—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code For readers of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale comes a thrilling feminist dystopian novel set in an alternative history that terrifyingly imagines what a British alliance with Germany would look like if the Nazis had won WWII. To control the past, they edited history. To control the future, they edited literature. LONDON, 1953. Thirteen years have passed since England surrendered to the Nazis and formed a Grand Alliance with Germany. It was forced to adopt many of its oppressive ideologies, one of which was the strict classification of women into hierarchical groups based on the perceived value they brought to society. Rose Ransom, a member of the privileged Geli class, remembers life from before the war but knows better than to let it show. She works for the Ministry of Culture, rewriting the classics of English literature to ensure there are no subversive thoughts that will give women any ideas. Outbreaks of insurgency have been seen across the country with graffiti made up of seditious lines from forbidden works by women painted on public buildings. Suspicion has fallen on Widowland, the run-down slums where childless women over fifty have been banished. Rose is given the dangerous task of infiltrating Widowland to find the source of the rebellion before the Leader arrives in England for the Coronation ceremony of King Edward VIII and Queen Wallis. Will Rose follow her instructions and uncover the criminals? Or will she fight for what she knows in her heart is right? Praise for Widowland: "A mind-bender of a novel about the power of literature to change minds. I loved it!" —Mark Sullivan, bestselling author of The Last Green Valley and Beneath a Scarlet Sky "I rarely come across a book I can't put down but I devoured this one." —Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of two historical mystery series as well as several internationally bestselling historical novels "An electrifying, Orwellian dystopia with a thrilling feminist twist." —Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We Kept "Tense, thought-provoking, and terrifying." —Natalie Jenner, international bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls




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