Rural Life

In nine interlinking stories, the town of Abbot Falls reacts as Ernie Whitten, a pipefitter, builds a giant ark in his backyard. Ernie was weeks away from a pension-secured retirement when the union went on strike. Now his wife Marie is ill. Struck with sudden inspiration, Ernie builds the ark as a work of art for his wife to see from the window; a vessel to carry them both away; or a plea for God to spare Marie, come hell or high water.

Una famiglia del Nord Italia, tra l'inizio di un secolo e l'avvento di un altro. I Sartori, quattro generazioni, dal 1917 al 2012, dal Friuli rurale alla Milano contemporanea, dalle guerre mondiali alla ricostruzione alla globalizzazione, dal lavoro nei campi alle scrivanie delle multinazionali. Romanzo storico e corale, vasto ritratto narrativo del Novecento italiano, forse il primo di uno scrittore sotto i quarant'anni, il racconto dei Sartori affronta il fardello di un'eredità che sembra andata in malora. Se gli errori e le sfortune dei padri ricadono sui figli, come liberarsene?

Tutti ammirano i Mulvaney, tutti li invidiano. Sono un clan chiassoso e allegro, una famiglia perfetta; la loro fattoria nel nord dello stato di New York è una casa da fiaba abitata da uno stuolo di cani, gatti, cavalli, mucche e pecore, sempre piena di amici e parenti. Michael, il padre, ha un'impresa edile ben avviata, è conosciuto, rispettato, membro orgoglioso del country club. Sua moglie Corinne è una donna "nervosamente allegra", visceralmente anticonformista, con una solida fede religiosa, la mente sempre in fermento, la passione per l'antiquariato e la politica.

Liz Weston’s life has reached rock bottom. Her husband dumped her, her life savings are gone, and her apartment is being turned into condos that she can’t afford. Maybe she shouldn’t have taken early retirement last year? In her late 40s, she has limited possibilities for employment. When her elderly father passes away, she heads to her hometown to clean out the family home. Staying at the beachside inn is a blessing because there’s no way she’ll sleep in her childhood home. But when she befriends Jane Miller, the owner of Tides, her life slowly starts to change.

Boston-born first-responder Alex Flynn is back with wry wit and still chasing emergencies in rural Vermont in this tale involving a gas line, a chainsaw, and other things that might or might not go boom and that might or might not go horrible wrong. Eavesdrop on emergency personnel as they attempt to diffuse a dicey situation in this, the first in the Trowbridge Dispatch collection of short stories.

Rachel returns to the family farmhouse to check on her aging father—once a strong, principled man now slipping into confusion and decline. But what begins as a simple visit unravels into something far darker. The family’s once-prized coin collection is mysteriously missing. Important documents have been altered. And at the center of it all stands Eli—her brother, her childhood tormentor, and the master of lies who’s been manipulating their father from the shadows.

Hi. I’m Amelia. I live in a tiny fishing village called Hook by the Sea. My dilemma is I’m ten, and I really need a phone, but my parents can’t afford it, even if it counts for two birthdays and a Christmas, and even if they never have to give me another gift ever again! So, there’s only one thing to do: find a job and buy it myself. I know it’ll be tough, but I can do it, and along the way, maybe we’ll both learn a little about determination, disappointment, friendship, and love.

Raised during the Great Depression and coming of age during WWII, this poignant story follows a brother and sister who, though bound by shared past, yearn for very different futures. Left on their own for much of their childhood, they develop an unshakable bond and resilience to face life’s challenges head on. Through years of separation and personal struggles, their connection endures, proving that ties of family are as enduring as the roots from which they grow.

A veces para poder seguir viviendo, hay que morir y dejar atrás lo que uno fue.El tercer libro de la Trilogía del Malamor concluye las historias de Ángela, Rayen y del peculiar poblado de Almahue y sus desventurados pobladores, condenados a sufrir del hechizo del Malamor.

The Llewelyn family's livelihood largely depends on the ferry, run by Siona Llewelyn, the kindly yet rugged head of the family. The family is large but close knit, held together by their mother Emily—a hard-working woman made old before her time having borne seven sons, and now with child once again. As the boys grow into young men, tensions flare in the family unit, made worse by a web of rivalries and ambitions. When a death shocks the family to its core, it will take the intervention of a special person to remind them of what they have lost.

Inlet Creek, Australia: Tragedy compels three estranged sisters to reconnect. Seeking a sense of belonging, Daisy Sheldon moves back to the small coastal town, but she soon realises where her heart really lies, hoping she hasn’t left it too late. Maddie Harwood-West hopes to rebuild her life after a wrenching loss. Her father wants her to stay and help him run the family sheep station, but Maddie is torn. At Inlet Creek, she meets a local fisherman who isn’t what he seems—and when he learns about her past, Maddie fears rejection.

Após uma juventude de rebeldia e bebedeira, John Tyree decidiu dar início a um novo capítulo em sua vida e se alistou no Exército. Um ano depois, agora um novo homem, ele retorna a Wilmington, na Carolina do Norte, para passar um tempo com o velho pai. Uma tarde, ele conhece a garota de seus sonhos. No entanto, John precisa voltar para a Alemanha a fim de concluir o serviço militar. Em nome do amor, Savannah decide esperar por ele, enquanto o jovem soldado promete que, após esse período, vai ficar para sempre ao lado da mulher que conquistou seu coração.

Eine herzzerreißende Entscheidung - zwischen deiner Liebe und deiner Familie. Der 25-jährige Colby bewirtschaftet eine Farm in North Carolina. Bei einem Urlaub lernt er die Sängerin Morgan kennen. Sie verbringen eine wunderschöne Zeit miteinander – und wissen doch, dass sie bald in kaum miteinander vereinbare Welten zurückkehren müssen. Zeitgleich flüchtet eine Frau namens Beverly vor ihrem gewalttätigen Ehemann. Gemeinsam mit ihrem kleinen Sohn reist sie quer durch Amerika. Schließlich findet sie Unterschlupf in einem heruntergekommenen Haus in der Provinz.

Eine herzzerreißende Entscheidung - zwischen deiner Liebe und deiner Familie. Der 25-jährige Colby bewirtschaftet eine Farm in North Carolina. Bei einem Urlaub lernt er die Sängerin Morgan kennen. Sie verbringen eine wunderschöne Zeit miteinander – und wissen doch, dass sie bald in kaum miteinander vereinbare Welten zurückkehren müssen. Zeitgleich flüchtet eine Frau namens Beverly vor ihrem gewalttätigen Ehemann. Gemeinsam mit ihrem kleinen Sohn reist sie quer durch Amerika. Schließlich findet sie Unterschlupf in einem heruntergekommenen Haus in der Provinz.

Great Grimsby, 1912. After the death of his father and brother, newlywed fisherman Alec Hardy decides to make a fresh start with his young wife Letty and move from Lowestoft to the thriving fishing port of Grimsby in search of a brighter future. Young Letty is from farming stock and knows nothing of the hard life as a fishermen’s wife but is willing to leave behind her warm hearted and loving family and embrace the challenge. But where Alec goes, so does his widowed mother, Carrie and she has yet to come to terms with taking second place in her son’s life.

When Sky Terran returns to the village of Middledip after losing the job she loves, she anticipates a quiet Christmas getting used to her new life. However, the annual street decoration competition is coming up and this year, the residents of Winter Street are determined to win. As she is pulled into the preparations, Sky quickly grows to love the quirky, tight-knit community she is now part of. Including the extremely handsome Daz, who soon becomes more than just a friendly neighbour.

When his quaint small-town life became stifling and suffocating, Hunter Davis left his family and friends behind for the bright lights of New York City. With a new ability to spread his wings, Hunter found success in the business of fine arts and high-society schmoozing. After years of successfully avoiding the sea side residence, Hunter is called upon to pitch in at the family business when his father is injured.

When Vanessa Young finds herself aged out of her job as a Hollywood stylist and facing the loss of her father, she acts on a bold impulse and reconnects with the daughter she gave up for adoption thirty years ago. To her surprise, Emily is also at a crossroads in her life, equally eager for change and a fresh start. Together, they travel to Vanessa's hometown of Rosemary Beach, Florida, to embark on a journey of self-discovery and second chances.

Johanne Johansen muss kurz nach ihrem 65. Geburtstag erfahren, dass das traditionsreiche Familienunternehmen – die Elbreederei Kurt Johansen & Söhne – kurz vor der Pleite steht. Johanne, die nach dem frühen Tod der Eltern bei den Großeltern aufwuchs und sich bis zum Schluss um sie gekümmert hat, ist entsetzt und ratlos. Das Lebenswerk ihrer Eltern steht auf dem Spiel und sie weiß, dass sie es ohne Hilfe nicht schaffen kann.

Layla Byrnes is exhausted. She's juggling a demanding job as an anaesthetist, a disintegrating marriage, her young kids, and a needy lover. And most particularly she's managing her histrionically unstable mother, who repeatedly threatens to kill herself. But this year, it's different. When her mother rings just before Christmas, she doesn't follow the usual script. Instead, she tells Layla that there's something she needs to tell her about her much-loved father. In response, Layla drops everything to rush to her childhood home on the wild west coast of Tasmania.