From internationally bestselling author Isabel Allende comes an exquisitely crafted, multigenerational love story. In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis & the world goes to war, young Alma Belasco`s parents send her overseas to live with an aunt & uncle in their opulent San Francisco mansion. There she meets Ichimei Fukuda, the son of the family`s Japanese gardener, & between them a tender love blossoms, but following Pearl Harbor the two are cruelly pulled apart. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma & Ichimei reunite again & again, but theirs is a love they are forever forced to hide from the world. Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long & eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to reconcile her own troubled past, meets the older woman & her grandson, Seth, at Lark House nursing home. As Irina & Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts & letters sent to Alma, & learn about Ichimei & this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years. ...

In THE JAPANESE MIND, Roger Davies offers Westerners an invaluable key to the unique aspects of Japanese culture. Readers will gain a clear understanding of what really makes the Japanese, & their society, tick. Among the topics explored are: aimai (ambiguity), amae (dependence upon others` benevolence), chinmoku (silence in communication), gambari (perseverance), giri (social obligation), kenkyo (the appearance of modesty), zoto (gift giving), & much more. ...

The Jersey Shore in the Moon Spotlight guide series; covering a range of specific local cities, districts, areas & regions in North, Central & South America & targeted at those seeking to travel to a specific area within a country. Each of the guides has been extracted in full from the relevant country Moon Handbook & individual titles focus on a particular city, region or notable area of the destination. Many of the guides in the series are unique in their coverage, although are limited in putting the destination into its wider geographical context that a more comprehensive guide would provide. Stylistically, Moon ...

Jerusalem, that most historic of cities, is seething with its legacy, the futile attempt to determine the future by reenacting past injustices. Levin has lived in Jersualem for most of his adult life. Retired now from the security services, he lives alone a few streets from his wife, continents from his children. Adrift, Levin agrees to follow his friend`s wife & discover he secret lover. As Levin watches the woman, he begins to assess her as a potential lover might, but things are complicated when her lover turns up dead... ...

The Jesus Man tells the story of one family, trapped between conflicting identities
- while the parents were born Greek & Italian,
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A Luscious Historical Novel About Robert Burns` wife, Jean Armour. The Jewel is set largely during the dramatic years of their courtship in Mauchline, their married life at Ellisland & in Dumfries, & Robert`s early death, all against a background simmering with political intrigue & turmoil. Jean
- a beautiful young woman with the voice of a nightingale
- has been inexplicably neglected by biographers & historians. At first, her stonemason father tried to protect the young Jean from the advances of the mercurial ploughman-poet, whose roving eye & even delusions of grandeur were notorious. Nevertheless, she fell for him & accepted his proposal. Their extraordinary marriage was passionate, tempestuous, & enduring against all odds, & its rocky course reveals Jean`s indomitable strength & character. How she lived with, & frequently without, Scotland`s most famous son tells us much about the life & times of Burns himself, & is a compelling story in itself.

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In The Jewelled Table, Bethany Kehdy takes classic & traditional recipes & demystifies them, in turn reinterpreting them for a modern cook, without sacrificing authenticity. Over 80 ancient & every day recipes from the Middle East are reinterpreted & made accessible for cooking in a Western kitchen without losing their integrity. Find out the secret to nailing hummus once & for all, whip up a Persian herb frittata & make an impressive, delicious Ox cheek, shallot & rhubarb stew. From simple weeknight suppers to lazy brunches, Sunday roasts, celebratory feasts & last-minute mayhem, Bethany illustrates that with a few key ingredients, Middle Eastern food is the perfect fit for every occasion. Featuring menu plans, detailed instructions on how to cook the recipes, as well as charming anecdotes throughout from Bethany`s own experiences in the Middle East, all set to the backdrop of beautiful location shots, The Jewelled Table is an essential cookbook for anyone who loves the flavours of the Middle East. ...

Caterina Pellegrini is a young Venetian musicologist hired by two competing cousins to find the truthful heir to an alleged treasure concealed by a once-famous, but now almost forgotten, baroque composer. Sworn to secrecy, Caterina can solve the mystery only by searching through the papers contained in the composer`s two chests that have not been opened for centuries. As she delves into all quarters of his life, from professional to personal, she is drawn into one of the most scandalous affairs of the baroque era. When her research takes her in unexpected directions, she begins to wonder what dark secrets these chests hold & just whom can she trust? ...

This is from the bestselling author of the Brunetti crime series comes. The Jewels of Paradise, a gripping tale of intrigue, music, history & greed & Donna Leon`s first st&-alone novel. Caterina Pellegrini is a young Venetian musicologist hired to find the rightful heir to an alleged treasure concealed by a once-famous, but now almost forgotten, baroque composer. Sworn to secrecy, Caterina can solve the mystery only by searching through the papers contained in two chests that have not been opened for centuries. As she delves into all quarters of his life, she is drawn into one of the most scandalous affairs of the baroque era. What dark secrets do these chests hold, & just whom can she trust? ...

The Joke, Milan Kundera`s first novel, gained him a huge following in his own country & launched his worldwide literary reputation. In his foreword Kundera explains why this completely revised translation is the definitive edition of his work. ` It is impossible to do justice here to the subtleties, comedy & wisdom of this very beautiful novel. The author of The Joke is clearly one of the best to be found anywhere.` Salman Rushdie, Observer ...