Books published by publisher FABER

Set in the mid-1970s in India, A Fine Balance tells the story of four unlikely people whose lives come together during a time of political turmoil soon after the government declares a 'State of Internal Emergency'. Through days of bleakness and hope, their circumstances - and their fates - become inextricably linked in ways no one could have foreseen.Written with compassion, humour and insight, A Fine Balance is a vivid, richly textured and powerful novel by one of the most gifted writers of our time.'A masterpiece of illumination and grace. Like all great fiction, it transforms our understanding of life.' Guardian

Ted Hughes wrote a series of stories for children from the early 1960s through until 1995 about how the world, and the creatures in it, came into being. They are collected here in one volume for the first time. These are richly told tales of sparkling intensity about animals finding their forms and God's struggle to understand what he has created. Meet the Polar Bear whose obsession with her snowy white fur is so great that she can live only in a landscape surrounded by her own reflection; the Whale, growing in God's garden beside the carrots; King Leo, who began life because God was hungry for his sausages; poor Parrot's painful defeat in the marriage song contest at the wedding of Man and Woman; and Sparrow's heroic battle against the bird-swallowing Black Hole.

In Why Beethoven Threw the Stew, renowned cellist Steven Isserlis sets out to pass on to children a wonderful gift given to him by his own cello teacher - the chance to people his own world with the great composers by getting to know them as friends. Witty and informative at the same time, Isserlis introduces us to six of his favorite composers: the sublime genius Bach, the quicksilver Mozart, Beethoven with his gruff humor, the shy Schumann, the prickly Brahms and that extraordinary split personality, Stravinsky. Isserlis brings the composers alive in an irresistible manner that can't fail to catch the attention of any child whose ear has been caught by any of the music described, or anyone entering the world of classical music for the first time. The lively black and white line illustrations provide a perfect accompaniment to the text, and make this book attractive and accessible for children to enjoy on their own or share with an adult.

The Children of Green Knowe Collection brings the Lucy Boston classics The Children of Green Knowe and River at Green Knowe together in one beautifully packaged edition.These enchanting, haunting stories from Carnegie winner Lucy M. Boston have become modern classics, beautifully evoking all the magic and wonder of childhood. Now The Children of Green Knowe and River at Green Knowe are available in one edition.Children of Green KnoweTolly's great grandmother isn't a witch, but both she and her old house, Green Knowe, are full of a very special kind of magic. There are other children in the house - children who were happy there centuries before. Running around Green Knowe's moat, gardens and mysterious rooms, Tolly slowly discovers them, their toys and animals, and their wonderful stories . . .River at Green Knowe'What a lot of islands the river makes,' said Ida. 'We must go exploring and sail around them all.'And so begins a wonderful, magical summer. Ida, Oscar and Ping are staying with Ida's great-aunt at the ancient, river-encircled house of Green Knowe. They set out to chart the river in the canoe, and soon discover that it has some surprising and mysterious secrets.'An award-winning classic story of a friendship.' LoveReading4Kids'Magic, mystery and fun will bring listeners along for an entertaining ride.' Publishers Weekly

A joyful yuletide anthology cloth-bound in exquisite Liberty Fabric. If the most wonderful time of year is enough to plunge you into a gloom, look no further. This collection of spirited stories and vibrant poetry will brighten your mood as it brings together Charles Dickens and Philip Larkin, W.H.Auden and Wendy Cope, Jilly Cooper, and Dylan Thomas. From tales of carolling and snatched mistletoe kisses to "The Worst Christmas Dinner, Ever", there's something here to amuse and interest Christmas lovers, grinches, and everyone in between. Starred review Judge this book by its attention-grabbing Liberty of London cover with the bright colors and festive design; the stories inside will be pretty close to that cheery feel, with pieces ranging from classic to contemporary, funny to sentimental, short to long, and from prose to poem to hymn. Easy to pick up briefly and return to later, this book cold solve some holiday angst for dedicated readers who don't have much spare time." Library Journal

I want you to do yourself proud, Joey. You go and drive those Germans back where they've come from, and then come home to me. At the outbreak of World War one, Joey, young Albert's beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. Caught up in enemy fire, fate takes Joey on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man's land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. Nick Stafford's adaptation for the stage of the celebrated novel by the Children's Laureate (2003-05) Michael Morpurgo leads us on a gripping journey through history. War Horse premiered at the National Theatre, London, in October 2007.

Ricky Gervais has spent a lifetime exploring the finer details of the world of the Flanimals. Now he seeks to answer some of the most important questions in Flanimology in his own words. He deals with such thorny issues as: Where did all the Flanimals come from? What were they doing there? How do you get from a Humpdumbler to a Puddloflaj? What did the blunging discover in the dark forest? Are Flanimals for Christmas? All this and more in a unique audiobook from the best-selling author of Flanimals.

*Featured in The Times' 'Best Books of the Year So Far' 2019*'Somehow this chronicle of a long, dark night of the soul also involves funny stories involving Trump, Putin, and a truly baffling array of degenerates.' Stephen Colbert***What do you do when you realise you have everything you think you've ever wanted but still feel completely empty?What do you do when it all starts to fall apart? The second volume of Moby's extraordinary life story is a journey into the dark heart of fame and the demons that lurk just beneath the bling and bluster of the celebrity lifestyle. In summer 1999, Moby released the album that defined the millennium, PLAY. Like generation-defining albums before it, PLAY was ubiquitous, and catapulted Moby to superstardom. Suddenly he was hanging out with David Bowie and Lou Reed, Christina Ricci and Madonna, taking ecstasy for breakfast (most days), drinking litres of vodka (every day), and sleeping with super models (infrequently). It was a diet that couldn't last. And then it fell apart. The second volume of Moby's memoir is a classic about the banality of fame. It is shocking, riotously entertaining, extreme, and unforgiving. It is unedifying, but you can never tear your eyes away from the page.

Lord of the Flies is a novel that has captivated schoolchildren ever since it was first published in 1954. A teacher himself, Golding clearly understood what excites and interests children. It is not only a gripping story, with strong, sympathetic characters, but it also raises timeless and profound questions.Part of its lasting appeal, particularly in schools, surely arises from the way it tackles universal issues.The novel is a catalyst for thought-provoking discussion and analysis, not only concerning the capabilities of humans for good and evil and the fragility of moral inhibition, but beyond. The boys' struggle to find a way of existing in a community with no fixed boundaries invites readers to evaluate the concepts involved in social and political constructs and moral frameworks. Ideas of community, leadership, and the rule of law are called into question as the reader has to consider who has a right to power, why, and what the consequences of the acquisition of power may be. All of these concerns are current today and can be easily related to the novel through effective teaching and learning.This new educational edition encourages original and independent thought from students, as well as guiding them through the text. The introductory material includes a biographical section on William Golding as well as providing information about the novel's historical context, which will be ideal for students completing GCSE and A-Level courses. At the end of the text there are chapter summaries, comprehension questions, discussion points and activities plus a glossary of less familiar words or phrases. This new edition includes William Golding's essay on Lord of the Flies, 'Fable'. All of these are intended to inspire and generate creative teaching, learning and love of the novel.

'...the folly isn't mine. It's God's Folly. Even in the old days He never asked men to do what was reasonable. Men can do that for themselves. They can buy and sell, heal and govern. But then out of some deep place comes the command to do what makes no sense at all - to build a ship on dry land; to sit among the dunghills; to marry a whore; to set their son on the altar of sacrifice. Then, if men have faith, a new thing comes.'Dean Jocelin has a vision: that God has chosen him to erect a great spire on his cathedral. His mason anxiously advises against it, for the old cathedral was built without foundations. Nevertheless, the spire rises octagon upon octagon, pinnacle by pinnacle, until the stone pillars shriek and the ground beneath it swims. Its shadow falls ever darker on the world below, and on Dean Jocelin in particular.

The streaming shape reared...like a sudden wall of cliff, pouring cataracts of black mud and clotted, rooty lumps of reeds. Mankind for has polluted the seas, lakes and rivers. The Iron Woman has come to take revenge. Lucy understands the Iron Woman's rage, and she, too, wants to save the water creatures from their painful deaths. But she also wants to save her town from total destruction. She needs help. Who better to call on but Hogarth and the Iron Man...? A sequel and companion volume to Ted Hughes' The Iron Man, this digital edition of the author's evocative reading will be treasured by a new generation of listeners.

Has a young Australian woman declared cyber war on the United States? (The Justice Department thinks so.) Or was her Angel Worm intended only to open the prison doors of those unfortunates detained by Australia's harsh immigration policies? Did America suffer collateral damage? Can she be extradited to a country with the death penalty? Is she innocent? Can she be saved? Enter her mother, the actress Celine Baillieux. With Celine comes the outrageous Woody Townes, a Melbourne property developer, millionaire, and patron of left wing causes. Murray delivers half a million dollars bail to the court, appoints a distinguished lawyer, and hires an old mate to write a biography to vindicate the young woman. The old mate is Felix Moore, known to his fellow journalists as Felix Moore-or-less correct. His politics are far too left. His grasp of reality is sometimes unreliable. He is a magnet for lawsuits. His career is over, and then he gets this chance. 'I had fought the good fight all my life,' he confesses, 'but I had also become an awful creature along the way.' It will be our great good fortune to live inside Felix's comic, cowardly, angry, fundamentally humane character as he attempts to find redemption. Amnesia is a masterful novel, both dark and funny, whose tangled roots drive deep into the denied history of the United States, the CIA, and its relationship with its old friend and client, Australia.