Lauren Owen

In a hypnotic tale of sisterhood, first love, and hauntings, a wedding in a small English village stirs up unsettling magic and forces a troubled family’s secrets out into the open. “A twisting gothic tale of darkness, intrigue, heartbreak, and revenge.”—Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne The woods are stirring again. . . . Lucia and her sisters grew up on the edge of Mockbeggar Woods. They knew it well—its danger, but also its beauty. As a lonely teenager, Kate was drawn to these sisters, who were unlike anyone she’d ever met. But when they brought her into the woods, something dark was awakened, and Kate has never been able to escape the terrible truth of what happened there. Chloe has been planning her dream wedding for months. She has the dress, the flowers, and the perfect venue: Small Angels, a charming old church set alongside dense, green woods in the village that her fiancé, Sam, and his sister, Kate, grew up in. But days before the ceremony, Chloe starts to learn of unsettling stories about Small Angels and Mockbeggar Woods. And worse, she begins to see, smell, and hear things that couldn’t possibly be real. Now, Kate is returning home for the first time in years—for Sam and Chloe’s wedding. But the woods are stirring again, and Kate must reconnect with Lucia, her first love, to protect Chloe, the village, and herself. An unforgettable novel about the memories that hold us back and those that show us the way forward, this is storytelling at its most magical. Enter Small Angels, if you dare.

A Novel

Small Angels

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SLATE • Includes an exclusive conversation between Lev Grossman and Lauren Owen For fans of Anne Rice, The Historian, and The Night Circus, an astonishing debut, a novel of epic scope and suspense that conjures up all the magic and menace of Victorian London 1892: James Norbury, a shy would-be poet newly down from Oxford, finds lodging with a charming young aristocrat. Through this new friendship, he is introduced to the drawing-rooms of high society and finds love in an unexpected quarter. Then, suddenly, he vanishes without a trace. Alarmed, his sister, Charlotte, sets out from their crumbling country estate determined to find him. In the sinister, labyrinthine London that greets her, she uncovers a hidden, supernatural city populated by unforgettable characters: a female rope walker turned vigilante, a street urchin with a deadly secret, and the chilling “Doctor Knife.” But the answer to her brother’s disappearance ultimately lies within the doors of the exclusive, secretive Aegolius Club, whose predatory members include the most ambitious, and most bloodthirsty, men in England. In her first novel, Lauren Owen has created a fantastical world that is both beguiling and terrifying. The Quick will establish her as one of fiction’s most dazzling talents. Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. “A suspenseful, gloriously atmospheric first novel, and a feast of gothic storytelling that is impossible to resist.”—Kate Atkinson “A cracking good read . . . Owen takes the gothic conventions of the vampire novel in a refreshing new direction.”—Deborah Harkness, author of A Discovery of Witches and The Book of Life “A good old-fashioned vampire novel . . . What fun.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice) “The Quick is that rare book that reviewers and readers live for: both plot- and character-driven, a stay-up-all-night reading romp. . . . This is elegant, witty, force-of-nature writing.”—The Dallas Morning News “The book’s energy, its wide reach and rich detail make it a confident example of the ‘unputdownable’ novel.”—The Economist “A seamless blend of Victorian London and rich imagination.”—Tana French, author of In the Woods “A thrilling tale . . . This book will give you chills even on a hot day.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “Stylishly sinister . . . will have you sleeping with the lights on.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “A sly and glittering addition to the literature of the macabre.”—Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall “A big, sly bucketful of the most tremendous fun . . . [Owen] weaves what’s here with what’s beyond as easily as J. K. Rowling does.”—Slate “[An author of] prodigious gifts . . . Owen captures Dickens’s London with glee and produces a number of characters Dickens would be happy to call his own.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Quick

London, 1893: James Norbury is a shy would-be poet, newly down from Oxford and confounded by the sinister, labyrinthine city at his doorstep. Taking up lodging with a dissolute young aristocrat, he is introduced to the drawing rooms of high society and finds love in an unexpected quarter. On the cusp of achieving a happiness long denied to him, he vanishes without a trace. His sister Charlotte sets out to find her brother. Her search leads her to one of the country's pre-eminent and mysterious institutions: The Aegolius Club.

a novel

The quick

In a hypnotic tale of sisterhood, first love, and hauntings, a wedding in a small English village stirs up unsettling magic and forces a troubled family’s secrets out into the open. “This beautifully written modern ghost story is an enchanting place to get lost.”—Danielle Trussoni, The New York Times Book Review “A twisting gothic tale of darkness, intrigue, heartbreak, and revenge.”—Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne The woods are stirring again. . . . Lucia and her sisters grew up on the edge of Mockbeggar Woods. They knew it well—its danger, but also its beauty. As a lonely teenager, Kate was drawn to these sisters, who were unlike anyone she’d ever met. But when they brought her into the woods, something dark was awakened, and Kate has never been able to escape the terrible truth of what happened there. Chloe has been planning her dream wedding for months. She has the dress, the flowers, and the perfect venue: Small Angels, a charming old church set alongside dense, green woods in the village that her fiancé, Sam, and his sister, Kate, grew up in. But days before the ceremony, Chloe starts to learn of unsettling stories about Small Angels and Mockbeggar Woods. And worse, she begins to see, smell, and hear things that couldn’t possibly be real. Now, Kate is returning home for the first time in years—for Sam and Chloe’s wedding. But the woods are stirring again, and Kate must reconnect with Lucia, her first love, to protect Chloe, the village, and herself. An unforgettable novel about the memories that hold us back and those that show us the way forward, this is storytelling at its most magical. Enter Small Angels, if you dare.

'A twisting gothic tale of darkness, intrigue, heartbreak and revenge' Jennifer Saint, author of ARIADNE ''This story of bewitchment and revenge weaves a spell over you, and won't quite let go' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of PANDORA 'Stunning. Perfect for lovers of folklore and gothic fiction' Elizabeth Lee, author of CUNNING WOMEN 'This book will haunt and bewitch you' AJ Gnuse, author of GIRL IN THE WALLS 'Read this book. Pre-order it, read it, scream about it. It's gripped me and it won't let me go' 5* Reader Review When Chloe turns the key to Small Angels, the church nestled at the edge of Mockbeggar Woods where she is to be married, she is braced for cobwebs and dust.What she doesn't expect are the villagers' concerned faces, her fiancé's remoteness, or the nagging voice in her head that whispers to her of fears she didn't even know she had. Something in the woods is beginning to stir, to creep closer to the sleeping houses. Something that should have been banished long ago. Whatever it is, it's getting stronger, and pretending it's not there won't keep the wedding, or the village - or Chloe - safe.

A twisting gothic novel of hauntings, heartbreak and revenge

The Quick. Misteri, vampiri e sale da tè

Taylor Murray

Almost 20 years ago, four women sat round an Indianapolis kitchen table and had a dream. They dreamed of creating a conference that would inspire, support, inform and encourage families living overseas. 2015 marked the 17th Families in Global Transition conference which took place in Washington, DC, attended by people from every sector: corporate, missions, military and education. Researchers, teachers, spouses and authors joined experts in their field to share three common goals: to teach what they know; to make connections; to learn more about what it means to be globally mobile. This book of insights and interviews, garnered from the 2015 event and written by the Parfitt Pascoe Writing Residents provides those who could not make it to Washington a peek into what went on, what is said and what matters at FIGT. The 2015 theme was 'Finding Home Amid Global Change'. Subjects such as belonging, the importance of rituals, transition and identity were discussed. There were workshops, keynotes and informal kitchen table sessions, but often it is what went on outside the sessions that had most resonance. This is when we met 'friends we never met before' and realised that FIGT is where we belong and where we do have a home. Every year four budding writers are selected to cover the conference. This year, the youngest contributor, Taylor Murray, was just 16 years old. Enjoy this book and take a peek into the world of change that is the home of the FIGT family - a family you too can be part of.

INSIGHTS & INTERVIEWS FROM THE

Nobody knew how old the woods were, or how big. The outside had been mapped and measured but once you were in there it seemed to stretch much further... Chloe has been planning her dream wedding for months - well, perhaps since she was a little girl. And now she has the perfect venue, Small Angels, a picturesque little church right up against the edge of Mockbeggar Woods, in the village her husband-to-be grew up in. So why are the villagers telling her such unsettling stories about the place? Why is she beginning to see, hear, and even smell things that couldn't possibly be real? Kate hasn't been back to the village since the death of a childhood friend ten years ago. As a teenager she would flee the soundtrack of her parents' constant fighting for the notorious Blanch Farm, where the four Gonne sisters lived with their strict grandparents and their eccentric father. Drawn to the girls for reasons she didn't entirely understand, Kate eventually learned the family's secret: that Mockbeggar woods is home to a capricious, menacing ghost. A ghost who's not too happy about Kate. Now the woods are beginning to stir with their old magic, and Kate knows there's only one person who can help her avert catastrophe: Lucia, the most troubled of the Gonne sisters. Lucia, to whom she lost her heart so dangerously, all those years ago. From the acclaimed author of The Quick comes a hypnotic tale of sisterhood and first love, wonder and terror, the stories that tether us to the past, and the stories that offer a way forward. Enter Small Angels, if you dare.

Lauren Owen

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