A STUNNING new historical novel from the pen of the writer of Downton Abbey, the latest Jack Reacher thriller from Lee Child and the remarkable but true story of the impact a rescued penguin had on all those who came into contact with him make up our varied selection of the latest additions to the Library shelves.
Plus, there’s a look at a newcomer to the Library’s DVD section, one of the BBC’s most recent well-received four-part series starring Emily Watson.
Belgravia
by Julian Fellowes
THE NEW NOVEL by the creator of Downton Abbey begins on the evening of June 15, 1815. The Duchess of Richmond has thrown a magnificent ball in Brussels for the Duke of Wellington. The guests include James and Anne Trenchard, who have made their money in trade, along with their daughter Sophia. It is a night to remember, but one that is tragically cut short by news of Napoleon’s advance.
When the Trenchards move into the fashionable new area of Belgravia some 25 years later they are surrounded by some of Society’s most influential families. But something happened that long-ago night at the ball, something that threatens their new status. Because behind Belgravia’s magnificent doors is a world of secrets, gossip and intrigue.
Night School
by Lee Child
IT’S JUST A VOICE plucked from the air: ‘The American wants a hundred million dollars.’
For what? Who from? It’s 1996, and the Soviets are long gone. But now there’s a new enemy. In an apartment in Hamburg, a group of smartly dressed young Saudis are planing something big.
Jack Reacher is fresh off a secret mission and a big win. The army pats him on the back and gives him a medal. Then they send him back to school. It’s a school with only three students: Reacher, an FBI agent and a CIA analyst.
Their assignment? To find that American, what he’s selling and to whom?
This new Jack Reacher investigation will make the cold sweat trickle down your spine.
The Penguin Lessons
by Tom Mitchell
WHILE ON HOLIDAY IN URUGUAY, Tom Mitchell rescues a penguin from an oil slick, only to find that the bird then refuses to leave his side. Tom has little choice but to smuggle his new companion across the border, through customs and into Argentina, where he teaches in a boys’ boarding school.
‘Juan Salvador’ as Tom names the penguin, soon becomes the school rugby team’s mascot, the housekeeper’s confidant, the host at Tom’s parties and the most remarkable swimming coach in history. This plucky penguin transforms the lives of everyone he meets – in particular one young homesick schoolboy. As for Tom he discovers a true friend like no other.
This remarkable tale can be found in the True Stories section of the library.
DVD Corner
Apple Tree Yard
DVD DS378
EMILY WATSON STARS as Dr Yvonne Carmichael, a smart, successful scientist with a conventional and contended life, married to husband Gary, mother to two grown up children, in this four-part BBC TV series adapted from the novel of the same name by Louise Doughty, which can also be found on the Library shelves.
When a chance encounter builds to a passionate affair, fantasy and reality soon start to overlap; finally everything she values is put at risk as a life-changing act of violence leads to a Crown Court trial…
