Arthur Phillips Ordine dei libri (cronologico)

1601. Queen Elizabeth I is dying. With no heir for the kingdom, potential successors secretly maneuver to be in position when the inevitable occurs. The leading candidate is King James VI of Scotland, but there is a problem. The queen's spymasters fear that James' claim to be a Protestant are untrue. If he secretly shares his family's Catholicism, then forty years of religious war will have been for nothing, and a bloodbath will ensue. It falls to Geoffrey Belloc to devise a test to discover the true nature of King James's soul. Belloc enlists Mahmoud Ezzedine, a Muslim physician from the Ottoman Empire, as his undercover agent. -- adapted from jacket

The Tragedy of Arthur is an emotional and intricately crafted work by acclaimed novelist Arthur Phillips. The story revolves around Arthur, a young man grappling with the complexities of his con artist father, who is both a master of deception and an unreliable parent. Raised in a world of illusion, Arthur's only constant is the profound love shared between his father and his twin sister for Shakespeare’s works. This passion drives Arthur to become a writer, seeking their approval and affection. As years pass, Arthur’s father, now imprisoned and nearing death, reveals a long-hidden secret: a previously unknown Shakespeare play titled The Tragedy of Arthur. Alongside this revelation, Arthur and his sister inherit their father's mission to publish the play, which may be a genuine literary treasure or just another of his father’s elaborate cons. This novel is both humorous and haunting, featuring the complete text of the supposed lost play. It delves into themes of love, betrayal, and the interplay between storytelling and truth, as the lives of Arthur the novelist and Arthur the legendary king become intricately linked. The work has received numerous accolades, including recognition as a New York Times Notable Book and a favorite of various esteemed publications.

Each song on Julian’s iPod, “that greatest of all human inventions,” is a touchstone. There are songs for the girls from when he was single, there’s the one for the day he met his wife-to-be, there’s one for the day his son was born. But when Julian’s family falls apart, even music loses its hold on him. Until one snowy night in Brooklyn, when his life’s soundtrack—and life itself—start to play again. Julian stumbles into a bar and sees Cait O’Dwyer, a flame-haired Irish rock singer, performing with her band, and a strange and unlikely love affair is ignited. Over the next few months, Julian and Cait’s passion plays out, though they never meet. What follows is a heartbreaking dark comedy, the tenderest of love stories, and a perfectly observed tale of the way we live now.

"Imparare a conoscere un uomo richiede una vita intera. Questo è il matrimonio." Così ragiona Constance, semplice commessa dal passato tormentoso, alla vigilia delle nozze con Joseph Barton, più solido e rispettabile di lei. Ma la realtà ha un brutto vizio, capovolgere le aspettative, e la fiducia della giovane sposa vacilla e cade sotto il peso delle prime prove: un figlio che non arriva, la salute sempre più fragile, i volubili umori di Joseph. E infine, insperata, Angelica. Angelica che, dal primo momento, sembra riavvicinare i genitori, allontanandoli tuttavia in un gioco perverso di alleanze, rivalità, gelosie. Così, gradualmente, le frustrazioni e le paure segrete di ognuno vengono a galla, trasformando la casa dei Barton in un labirinto di specchi condannato a riflettere verità sempre più terribili. In una Londra vittoriana cupa e fumosa, turbata da una serie di omicidi, il dramma di ogni famiglia si muta in tragedia, e il lettore si trova invischiato nel mistero più sconvolgente: quello dell'animo umano.

Egitto 1922: Ralph Trilipush, archeologo, sta cercando la tomba di Atum-hadu, faraone fino ad allora sconosciuto. Intanto, poco lontano, Howard Carter sta per aprire la tomba di un faraone di nessun rilievo, Tutankhamon. Sydney 1954: Harold Ferrell, un investigatore privato in pensione, riceve la lettera di un giovane che vuole conoscere alcuni aspetti oscuri del passato di sua zia, morta da poco. Ferrell comincia a raccontargli di quando, mentre era sulle tracce di un giovane australiano, Paul Caldwell, figlio naturale di un ricchissimo inglese, si era convinto che Paul fosse stato ucciso insieme a un commilitone in Egitto, durante la prima guerra mondiale, proprio dal fidanzato di sua zia, Ralph Trilipush...

Five American expatriates living in Budapest in the early 1990s seek to establish themselves and make their fortunes in a city still haunted by the tragedies of its Communist past.