Powered by a book like {foo}
Recommendations based on A Kestrel for a Knaveby Barry Hines
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
Brighton Rock
by Graham Greene
A young gang leader's struggle for power, morality, and redemption in the criminal underworld.
Charles "Fred" Hale comes to Brighton on assignment to distribute cards anonymously for a newspaper competition (a variant of " Lobby Lud "; in this case, the name of the person to be spotted is ... (Wikipedia)
Skagboys
by Irvine Welsh
A gritty, raw look at the lives of a group of friends in Edinburgh, struggling with poverty and addiction.
Section 1: Tempted In 1984, Mark Renton and his father Davie have travelled to Yorkshire to take part in a picket of the coke plant. After briefly meeting his London pal Nicksy, he gets caught up in ... (Wikipedia)
Keep the Aspidistra Flying
by George Orwell
A struggling poet's quest to remain independent and stay true to himself in a society obsessed with money.
Gordon Comstock has 'declared war' on what he sees as an 'overarching dependence' on money by leaving a promising job as a copywriter for an advertising company called 'New Albion '—at which he shows ... (Wikipedia)
The Remains of the Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro
A butler reflects on his past, grappling with the lost opportunities of a life devoted to service.
The novel tells, in first-person narration , the story of Stevens, an English butler who has dedicated his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington (who is recently deceased, and whom Stevens ... (Wikipedia)
The Day of the Triffids
by John Wyndham
A post-apocalyptic world overrun by carnivorous plants, exploring themes of survival and morality.
In 1951 John Wyndham published his novel The Day of the Triffids to moderate acclaim. Fifty-two years later, this horrifying story is a science fiction classic, touted by The Times (London) as having ... (Goodreads)
The Winter Ghosts
by Kate Mosse
A grieving man finds solace in a small French village, where he uncovers a haunting mystery from the past.
By the author of the "New York Times"-bestselling "Labyrinth," a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage. In the winter of 1928, still seeking some kind of resolution to the ... (Goodreads)
Casino Royale
by Ian Fleming
A secret agent is sent on a mission to defeat a dangerous criminal mastermind.
M , the enigmatic leader of the British Secret Service , assigns James Bond , a young agent newly promoted to "007" status after killing a Norwegian double agent during the war , to bankrupt Le ... (Wikipedia)
All Quiet on the Western Front
by Erich Maria Remarque
A soldier's harrowing experience of the horrors of war.
The book tells the story of Paul Bäumer, who belongs to a group of German soldiers on the Western Front during World War I . The patriotic speeches of his teacher Kantorek had led the whole class to ... (Wikipedia)
The Black Dahlia
by James Ellroy
A 1940s Los Angeles detective story, exploring the depths of a gruesome unsolved murder.
On January 15, 1947, the torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman is found in a vacant lot. The victim makes headlines as the Black Dahlia—and so begins the greatest manhunt in California ... (Goodreads)
The History Boys
by Alan Bennett
A group of boys in a British grammar school prepare for their university entrance exams with the help of their eccentric teachers.
The play opens in Cutlers' Grammar School, Sheffield , a fictional boys' grammar school in the north of England . Set in the early 1980s, the play follows a group of history pupils preparing for the ... (Wikipedia)
Empire of the Sun
by J.G. Ballard
A young British boy's life is turned upside down during WWII as he is separated from his parents and forced to survive in a Japanese internment camp.
The novel recounts the story of a young British boy, Jamie (“Jim”) Graham (named after Ballard's two first names, "James Graham"), who lives with his parents in Shanghai . After the Pearl Harbor ... (Wikipedia)
The Tin Drum
by Günter Grass
A satirical novel of a young boy's journey through WWII Germany, and the power of the human spirit.
The story revolves around the life of Oskar Matzerath, as narrated by himself when confined in a mental hospital during the years 1952–1954. Born in 1924 in the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk , ... (Wikipedia)
Skellig
by David Almond
A young boy discovers a mysterious creature in a dilapidated shed, forming a unique bond with it.
10-year-old Michael and his family have recently moved into a house. He and his parents are nervous, as his new baby sister was born earlier than expected and may not live because of a heart ... (Wikipedia)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
by Anne Brontë
An exploration of 19th-century gender roles, revealing a woman's struggle for independence.
The novel is divided into three volumes. Part One (Chapters 1 to 15): Gilbert Markham narrates how a mysterious widow, Mrs Helen Graham, arrives at Wildfell Hall, a nearby mansion. A source of ... (Wikipedia)
Sleepers
by Lorenzo Carcaterra
A gripping story about four boys and their horrific experiences in a juvenile detention centre.
Sleeper (colloq.): 1. out-of-town hit man who spends the night after a local contract is completed. 2. A juvenile sentenced to serve any period longer than nine months in a state-managed facility. ... (Goodreads)
Mortal Causes
by Ian Rankin
Detective Rebus investigates a series of murders linked to the Scottish Nationalist movement. The case becomes personal as he delves deeper into the political underworld.
Set during the Edinburgh Festival , this novel starts with a brutally executed corpse being discovered in Mary King's Close , an ancient subterranean street. The body has a tattoo identified with ... (Wikipedia)
The Child in Time
by Ian McEwan
A father's struggle to come to terms with the sudden disappearance of his daughter.
Stephen Lewis is, by his own admission, an accidental author of children's books. One Saturday, on a routine visit to the supermarket, during a momentary distraction, he loses his only daughter, ... (Wikipedia)
Revolutionary Road
by Richard Yates
An American couple's struggle to stay afloat in suburban conventions and expectations.
Set in 1955, the novel focuses on the hopes and aspirations of Frank and April Wheeler, self-assured Connecticut suburbanites who see themselves as very different from their neighbors in the ... (Wikipedia)
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4
by Sue Townsend
A witty and humorous coming-of-age novel, following the daily life of a teenage boy as he navigates school, family, and first love.
Adrian Mole's first love, Pandora, has left him; a neighbor, Mr. Lucas, appears to be seducing his mother (and what does that mean for his father?); the BBC refuses to publish his poetry; and his dog ... (Goodreads)
Brideshead Revisited
by Evelyn Waugh
A nostalgic reflection on a wealthy family and the enduring power of love.
The novel is divided into three parts, framed by a prologue and epilogue. The prologue takes place during the final years of the Second World War . Charles Ryder and his battalion are sent to a ... (Wikipedia)
My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante
A story of two friends' lives, exploring the intricacies of female friendship and life in a Neapolitan neighbourhood.
A modern masterpiece from one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense and generous hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante's inimitable style lends ... (Goodreads)
Swallows and Amazons
by Arthur Ransome
A group of children set sail on a daring adventure, exploring the waters of a beautiful lake.
The book relates the outdoor adventures and play of two families of children. These involve sailing, camping, fishing, exploration and piracy . The Walker children (John, Susan, Titty and Roger) are ... (Wikipedia)
The Midwich Cuckoos
by John Wyndham
A mysterious event in a small English village leads to the birth of telepathic children.
Ambulances arrive at two traffic accidents blocking the only roads into the (fictional) British village of Midwich, Winshire. Attempting to approach the village, one ambulanceman becomes unconscious. ... (Wikipedia)
Homesick for Another World
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Collection of darkly humorous short stories probing the human condition.
«NO HI HA CAP HISTÒRIA QUE NO SIGUI ORIGINAL I ESTIGUI PERFECTAMENTCONSTRUÏDA. EL TALENT DE MOSHFEGH ÉS ÚNIC.» - NPR Si bé per les sevesnovel·les Ottessa Moshfegh ha rebut tota mena d'elogis i ... (Goodreads)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
A single day in a Soviet prison camp, detailing the hardships and struggle of the inmates.
Ivan Denisovich Shukhov has been sentenced to a camp in the Soviet gulag system. He was accused of becoming a spy after being captured briefly by the Germans as a prisoner of war during World War II ... (Wikipedia)
The Crow Trap
by Ann Cleeves
Three women come together to investigate a murder in a remote English village, uncovering secrets and lies along the way.
Vera Stanhope's first appearance was in The Crow Trap , published in 1999 and now available in a new edition; it forms the third episode of the TV series Vera, adapted by Stephen Brady. At the ... (Goodreads)
Glue
by Irvine Welsh
A gritty portrait of characters struggling with poverty, addiction, and violent crime in Edinburgh.
Glue is the story of four boys growing up in the Edinburgh schemes, and about the loyalties, the experiences - and the secrets - that hold them together into their thirties. Four boys becoming men: ... (Goodreads)
A Fine Balance
by Rohinton Mistry
A gripping story of four unlikely lives intertwined in the tumult of India's caste system.
The book exposes the changes in Indian society from independence in 1947 to the Emergency called by Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi . Mistry was generally critical of Indira Gandhi in the book. ... (Wikipedia)
The Children's Book
by A.S. Byatt
Story of a family's life in Edwardian England and their intergenerational relationships.
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, A spellbinding novel, at once sweeping and intimate, from the Booker Prize–winning author of Possession, that spans the Victorian era through the World War I ... (Goodreads)
The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Five Parts
by Douglas Adams
Intergalactic adventure full of comedic twists, exploring the nature of the universe.
* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy * The Restaurant at the End of the Universe * Life, the Universe and Everything * So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish * Mostly Harmless Suppose a good friend ... (Goodreads)
