Showing results by publisher "W. F. Howes Ltd" in Friendship

Fuyuko Irie is a freelance copy editor in her mid-thirties. Working and living alone in a city where it is not easy to form new relationships, she has little regular contact with anyone other than her editor, Hijiri, a woman of the same age but with a very different disposition. When Fuyoku stops one day on a Tokyo street and notices her reflection in a storefront window, what she sees is a drab, awkward and spiritless woman who has lacked the strength to change her life and decides to do something about it.

In Heaven, a 14-year-old boy is tormented for having a lazy eye. Instead of resisting, he chooses to suffer in silence. The only person who understands what he is going through is a female classmate, Kojima, who experiences similar treatment at the hands of her bullies. Providing each other with immeasurable consolation at a time in their lives when they need it most, the two young friends grow closer than ever. But what, ultimately, is the nature of a friendship when your shared bond is terror?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION “A gentle and compassionate novel that explores the nuances of queer love and friendship.” The Guardian, Derek Owusu “a tenderly written meditation on art, love and life that’s as much about the search for self as for connection.”...

Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den.... Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others. But Amara's spirit is far from broken. 

In ten dazzling stories, Saba Sams dives into the world of girlhood and immerses us in its contradictions and complexities: growing up too quickly, yet not quickly enough; taking possession of what one can, while being taken possession of; succumbing to societal pressure but also orchestrating that pressure. These young women are feral yet attentive, fierce yet vulnerable, exploited yet exploitative.

Mrs Harris is a salt-of-the-earth London charlady who cheerfully cleans the houses of the rich. One day, when tidying Lady Dant's wardrobe, she comes across the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life - a Dior dress. In all the years of her drab and humble existence, she's never seen anything as magical as the dress before her, and she's never wanted anything as much before. Determined to make her dream come true, Mrs Harris scrimps, saves and slaves away until one day, after three long uncomplaining years, she finally has enough money to go to Paris.

Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighbourhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one of her listeners. 

Ballet dancer Jessica Stone has just landed her dream role in New York. At thirty-one this is her last chance to be a prima ballerina. To celebrate, Jessica flies to England to surprise her parents before her rigorous training begins. But instead, when she gets home, she finds her whole family with their cases packed—they are going on holiday, without her! Now she’s stuck in Surrey taking care of Monty the dog. At least he hasn’t abandoned her. But out on a walk his lead gets caught around Jessica and she falls, badly hurting her foot. Luckily a handsome stranger comes to her rescue.

He’s fighting for his reputation. She’s risking her heart. Billionaire tech mogul Blake Fielding is on top of the world — until a scandalous hack makes him public enemy number one, shattering the empire he’s built. Ellie Mae-Woodward’s dream job at the famous social media company...

Lulu is about to marry Shanghai's most eligible bachelor. She just has one secret: she isn't in love with him and is only marrying him to fix her family's financial issues. But for Lulu and her two best friends, her upcoming nuptials may offer a different opportunity entirely...It will be the social event of the season, lavish and over the top, but the three women's focus will be on one thing: the red envelopes filled with cash gifts, stored in an elaborate safe at the center of the ballroom. More than enough money to solve all their problems. Friends who steal together, stay together.

For sixty-three-year-old Mebel, retirement means her husband of more than forty years announcing that he's leaving her for their private chef. Mebel isn't sure who's the bigger loss, but she has the perfect plan to win him back: she'll finally learn to cook. However, Mebel quickly realizes she's...

Marigold has spent her life taking care of those around her, juggling family life with the running of the local shop, and being an all-round leader in her quiet yet welcoming community. When she finds herself forgetting things, everyone quickly puts it down to her age. But something about Marigold isn’t quite right, and it’s becoming harder for people to ignore. As Marigold’s condition worsens, for the first time in their lives her family must find ways to care for the woman who has always cared for them. 

In this captivating audiobook from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, five successful women play for high stakes in their careers at a boutique literary and talent agency.

Following the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns from sixty years in Australia to the English village of her childhood. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss. Helen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship, and a way back into life itself.

A big-hearted, captivating, modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice, with hijabs instead of top hats and kurtas instead of corsets. Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been overtaken by a demanding teaching job. Her boisterous Muslim family, and numerous (interfering) aunties, are professional naggers. And her flighty young cousin, about to reject her 100th marriage proposal, is a constant reminder that Ayesha is still single.

The day Scarlett dies should have been one of the most important of her life. It doesn't feel fair that she'll never have the chance to fulfil her dreams. And now, she's still ... here ... somehow, watching the ripple effect of her death on the lives of those she loved the most. Evie cannot contemplate her life without Scarlett, and she certainly cannot forgive Nate, the man she blames for her best friend's death. But Nate keeps popping up when she least expects him to, catapulting Evie's life in directions she'd never let herself imagine possible. 

It is 1941, and the devastating loss of life following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor leaves best friends Audrey and Lizzie distraught and bereft as they lose someone they both love deeply. As they come to terms with their grief, their resolve to play a worthwhile role towards the war effort is strengthened. As trained nurses they volunteer for the army medivac corps and are sent to England where they join a team who fly on dangerous missions to the Front to bring back wounded soldiers.

In West Berlin in 1989, 18-year-old Ralf has just left school and is living a final golden summer with his three best friends. They spend their days swimming, smoking and daydreaming about the future, oblivious to the storm gathering on the other side of the Berlin Wall. But an unsettling discovery about his family and a meeting with the mysterious Oz shatters everything Ralf thought he knew about love and loyalty.

Successful financier Tom Marshall is suffering a mid-life crisis and longs to escape the rat race of New York and a loveless marriage. Leaving his wife and fifteen-year-old daughter, Juliet, he moves to the small ranching town of Fishtail, Montana, and is quickly embraced by the local community. When Juliet visits Tom for vacation she swiftly falls in love with the way of life, the people, the countryside, and the neighbouring rancher's son. The decision is made for her to finish her education in Fishtail.

Ruth and Hannah are sisters. They build each other up and tear each other down. Even as polar opposites they make each other laugh more than anyone else in the world. Ruth is forever single, aimless and wild while Hannah is radiant, organised and hard-working. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with. But a summer holiday changes everything, and Ruth finds herself entering a long period of self-imposed exile from the world.