Synopses & Reviews
A magical debut about an enchanted house that offers refuge to women in their time of need
Distraught that her academic career has stalled, Alba is walking through her hometown of Cambridge, England, when she finds herself in front of a house shes never seen before, 11 Hope Street. A beautiful older woman named Peggy greets her and invites her to stay, on the houses usual conditions: she has ninety-nine nights to turn her life around. With nothing left to lose, Alba takes a chance and moves in.
She soon discovers that this is no ordinary house. Past residents have included Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Parker, who, after receiving the assistance they needed, hung around to help newcomersliterally, in talking portraits on the wall. As she escapes into this new world, Alba begins a journey that will heal her woundsand maybe even save her life.
Filled with a colorful and unforgettable cast of literary figures, The House at the End of Hope Street is a charming, whimsical novel of hope and feminine wisdom that is sure to appeal to fans of Jasper Fforde and especially Sarah Addison Allen.
Review
"Fantasy fans can't afford to miss the darkly comic and unforgettably queasy experience of reading this book-and be glad for reality."
-Booklist (Starred Review)
"This is a book for grown-up fans of children's fantasy and would appeal to those who loved Donna Tartt's The Secret History. Highly recommended."
-Library Journal (Starred Review)
"Very dark and very scary, with no simple answers provided-fantasy for grown- ups, in other words, and very satisfying indeed."
-Kirkus Reviews
"... provocative, unput-downable ... one of the best fantasies I've read in ages."
-Fantasy and Science Fiction
"The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea."
-George R.R. Martin, bestselling author of A Game of Thrones
"Stirring, complex, adventurous ... from the life of Quentin Coldwater, his slacker Park Slope Harry Potter, Lev Grossman delivers superb coming of age fantasy."
-Junot Diaz, Pulitzer-prize winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
"The Magicians ought to be required reading for anyone who has ever fallen in love with a fantasy series, or wished they went to a school for wizards."
-Kelly Link, author of Magic for Beginners and Stranger Things Happen
"The Magicians is a spellbinding, fast-moving, dark fantasy book for grownups that feels like an instant classic."
-Kate Christensen, PEN/Faulkner award winning author of The Great Man and The Epicure's Lament
"The Magicians is fantastic. It's strange, fanciful, extravagant, eccentric, and truly remarkable-a great story, masterfully told."
-Scott Smith, bestselling author of The Ruins and A Simple Plan
"Remember the last time you ran home to finish a book? This is it, folks. The Magicians is the most dazzling, erudite and thoughtful fantasy novel to date."
-Gary Shteyngart, author of Absurdistan and The Russian Debutante's Handbook
"The Magicians brilliantly explores the hidden underbelly of fantasy and easy magic ... It's like seeing the worlds of Narnia and Harry Potter through a 3-D magnifying glass."
-Naomi Novik, author of His Majesty's Dragon
"Grossman clearly has read his POtter and much more. While this story invariably echoes a whole body of romantic coming-of-age tales, Grossman's American variation is fresh and compelling. Like a jazz musician, he riffs on Potter and Narnia, but makes it his own."
--Washington Post
"Grossman skillfully moves us through four years of school and a postgraduate adventure, never letting the pace slacken...beguiling."
--Seattle Times
"An irresistible storytelling momentum makes The Magicians a great summer book, both thoughtful and enchanting."
--Salon
"Sly and lyrical, [The Magicians] captures the magic of childhood and the sobering years beyond."
--Entertainment Weekly
"...no doubt that this book is inventive storytelling and Grossman is at the height of his powers."
--Chicago Sun-Times
"The Magicians reimagines modern-day fantasy for grownups. [It] breathes life into a cast of characters you want to know...and does what [some] claim books never really manage to do: 'get you out, really out, of where you were and into somewhere better."
--Louisville Courier-Journal
Review
andldquo;Jam-packed with spot-on parody, puns, and wry observations about words and genres that will delight literary-minded fans of the series.andrdquo;andnbsp;andnbsp;
Review
andldquo;Geeky humor jostles with genuine insight about the current state of fiction.... Take a joy ride with the passionate reader who wrote this novel.andquot;andnbsp;
Review
andldquo;There is no denying Ffordeandrsquo;s supersized imagination, linguistic agility, and love of books, Books, BOOKS.andrdquo;andnbsp;andnbsp;
Review
andldquo;Fforde is a breath of fresh air.andrdquo;andnbsp;andnbsp;
Review
andquot;Fforde's books are more than just an ingenious idea. They are written with buoyant zest and are tautly plotted. They have empathetic heroes and heroines who nearly make terrible mistakes and suitably dastardly villains who do. They also have more twists and turns than Christie, and are embellished with the rich details of Dickens or Pratchett.andquot;andnbsp;andnbsp;
Review
andquot;A riot of puns, in-jokes and literary allusions that Fforde carries off with aplomb.andquot;andnbsp;
Review
andquot;Fans of the late Douglas Adams, or, even, Monty Python, will feel at home with Fforde.andquot;andnbsp;andnbsp;
Review
Praise for One of Our Thursdays is Missingandnbsp;andldquo;One of Our Thursdays is Missing, like other Fforde novels, is jam packed with spot-on parody, puns and wry observations about words and genres that will delight literary-minded fans of the series.andrdquo; - Los Angeles Timesandnbsp;andldquo;There is no denying Ffordeandrsquo;s supersized imagination, linguistic agility and love of books, Books, BOOKS.andrdquo; - Chicago Sun-Timesandnbsp;andldquo;Ffordeandrsquo;s diabolical meshing of insight and humor makes a andlsquo;mimefieldandrsquo; both frightening and funny, while the reader must traverse a volume thatandrsquo;s minefield of unexpected turns and amusing twists.andrdquo; - Publishers Weeklyandnbsp;andldquo;One of Our Thursdays is Missing is filled with passages [in] which geeky humor jostles with genuine insight about the current state of fiction.andhellip; [T]ake a joy ride with the passionate reader who wrote this novel.andrdquo; - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinelandnbsp;andldquo;[With a] furiously agile imaginationandhellip;Fforde has shaken up genresandmdash;fantasy, comedy, crime, sci-fi, parody, literary criticismandmdash;and come up with a superb mishmash with lots of affectionate in-jokes for any book lover.andrdquo; - Miami Heraldandnbsp;andldquo;Fforde is a breath of fresh air.andrdquo; -Kirkusandnbsp;andldquo;Ffordeandrsquo;s books are more than just an ingenious idea. They are written with buoyant zest and are tautly plotted. They have empathetic heroes and heroines who nearly make terrible mistakes and suitably dastardly villains who do. They also have more twists and turns than Christie, and are embellished with the rich details of Dickens or Pratchett.andrdquo; -Independentandnbsp;andldquo;A riot of puns, in-jokes and literary allusions that Fforde carries off with aplomb.andrdquo; - Daily Mailandnbsp; andldquo;Fans of the late Douglas Adams, or, even, Monty Python, will feel at home with Fforde.andrdquo; Heraldandnbsp;
Review
“Van Praag’s fairytale first novel features a house that can change one’s life. . . . Fans of Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen should like.”
—Library Journal
Review
"Beguiling and bright, van Praags . . . novel delights with deft writing and charming characters."
—Kirkus
"Van Praags writing is bright and hopeful, while rich characters combined with an enchanting blend of the real and the mystical make this tribute to individuality a delightful and engaging read. Fans of Jasper Fforde, Gloria Naylor, or Sarah Addison Allen will especially appreciate this story as a celebration of feminine strength and accomplished women through the ages."
—Booklist (starred review)
“Van Praags fairytale first novel features a house that can change ones life. . . . Fans of Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen should like.”
—Library Journal
“Absolutely delightful . . . . Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will thoroughly enjoy this story from start to finish. Well-drawn fictional characters, sprinkled with famous female characters from the past, combine to tell a tale of life, love, and discovering your deepest desires.”
—RT Book Reviews (top pick, 4.5 stars)
"Sweet, magical, bookish and romantic."
—Sarah Addison Allen, bestselling author of The Peach Keeper
“This fresh, whimsical book is as full of heart as the house at its heart is full of fascinating women. We should all have such friends and such a refuge!”
—Marisa de los Santos, bestselling author of Falling Together and Love Walked In
“Menna van Praag has created a magical book about an enchanted house and the notable women who inhabit it, both living and dead. Richly atmospheric, literary, and textured, The House at the End of Hope Street casts an enthralling spell, giving both characters and readers not only what they most want, but what they ultimately need.”
—Brunonia Barry, bestselling author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places
“An enchanting novel . . . Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will be delighted to discover the house at the end of Hope Street, a magical place where ninety-nine days is just long enough to change a life.”
—Erica Bauermeister, bestselling author of The School of Essential Ingredients and The Lost Art of Mixing
“I entered The House at the End of Hope Street and was enchanted—literally under the spell—of Menna van Praag's tender, playful, beautiful writing. It fulfills my book lover's dream of an English literary landscape, in the most surprising and magical way.”
—Luanne Rice, bestselling author of Little Night
“This exceptional novel enchanted me from the first beautiful page. If only I could stay a spell myself at the house at the end of Hope Street.”
—Melissa Senate, bestselling author of The Love Goddess Cooking School
“The House at the End of Hope Street is a sunrise of a novel, so fresh and lovely, whimsical and original that it will enchant and surprise even the most jaded of readers.”
—Barbara ONeal, author of The Garden of Happy Endings
“The story offers a wonderful mix of all-too-real problems in a fantastical setting. And who couldnt use a Hope Street at some point in her life?”
—Juliette Fay, author of Deep Down True and The Shortest Way Home
Synopsis
The New York Times bestseller and the wildly inventive sixth installment of a series that has more than one million copies (and counting) in print.
Dazzlingly funny and imaginative, Jasper Fforde's books have won him the affection of readers, reviewers, and-dare we say it-booksellers alike. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief because Thursday Next-or at least one of her-is back. At a time of great unrest in the Bookworld, only the ace literary detective can avert a devastating Genre War-thing is, Thursday has vanished. Now the written Thursday must answer the call, save the Bookworld, evade capture, and find the actual Thursday! With a clockwork Butler in tow, and Men in Plaid as well as her Designated Love Interest in pursuit, she must reluctantly agree to journey up the mysterious Metaphoric River for answers.
Synopsis
The newest tour de force from The New York Times bestselling author of Thursday Next and Shades of Grey. Jasper Fforde's exuberant return to the fantastical BookWorld opens during a time of great unrest. All-out Genre war is rumbling, and the BookWorld desperately needs a heroine like Thursday Next. But with the real Thursday apparently retired to the Realworld, the Council of Genres turns to the written Thursday.
The Council wants her to pretend to be the real Thursday and travel as a peacekeeping emissary to the warring factions. A trip up the mighty Metaphoric River beckons-a trip that will reveal a fiendish plot that threatens the very fabric of the BookWorld itself.
Once again New York Times bestselling author Jasper Fforde has a field day gleefully blending satire, romance, and thriller with literary allusions galore in a fantastic adventure through the landscape of a frisky and fertile imagination. Fans will rejoice that their favorite character in the Fforde universe is back.
Watch a Video
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world
Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn't real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in joys of college-friendship, love, sex, and booze- and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. But magic doesn't bring the happiness and adventure Quentin thought it would. After graduation, he and his friends stumble upon a secret that sets them on a remarkable journey that may just fulfill Quentin's yearning. But their journey turns out to be darker and more dangerous than they'd imagined. Psychologically piercing and dazzlingly inventive, The Magicians is an enthralling coming-of-age tale about magic practiced in the real world-where good and evil aren't black and white, and power comes at a terrible price.
Synopsis
The
New York Times bestseller and the wildly inventive sixth installment of a series that has more than one million copies (and counting) in print.
Dazzlingly funny and imaginative, Jasper Fforde's books have won him the affection of readers, reviewers, and-dare we say it-booksellers alike. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief because Thursday Next-or at least one of her-is back. At a time of great unrest in the BookWorld, only the ace literary detective can avert a devastating Genre War-thing is, Thursday has vanished. Now the written Thursday must answer the call, save the Bookworld, evade capture, and find the actual Thursday! With a clockwork Butler in tow, and Men in Plaid as well as her Designated Love Interest in pursuit, she must reluctantly agree to journey up the mysterious Metaphoric River for answers. Thursdayandrsquo;s zany investigations continue with Jasper Ffordeandrsquo;s latest bestseller, The Woman Who Died A Lot. Visit jasperfforde.com for a ffull window into the Ffordian world!
Synopsis
The newest tour de force from The New York Times bestselling author of Thursday Next and Shades of Grey. Jasper Fforde's exuberant return to the fantastical BookWorld opens during a time of great unrest. All-out Genre war is rumbling, and the BookWorld desperately needs a heroine like Thursday Next. But with the real Thursday apparently retired to the Realworld, the Council of Genres turns to the written Thursday.
The Council wants her to pretend to be the real Thursday and travel as a peacekeeping emissary to the warring factions. A trip up the mighty Metaphoric River beckons-a trip that will reveal a fiendish plot that threatens the very fabric of the BookWorld itself.
Once again New York Times bestselling author Jasper Fforde has a field day gleefully blending satire, romance, and thriller with literary allusions galore in a fantastic adventure through the landscape of a frisky and fertile imagination. Fans will rejoice that their favorite character in the Fforde universe is back.
Watch a Video
Synopsis
Casts an enthralling spell, giving both characters and readers not only what they most want, but what they ultimately need.” Brunonia Barry, bestselling author of The Lace Reader
When Alba Ashby, the youngest Ph.D. student at Cambridge University, suffers the Worst Event of Her Life, she finds herself at the door of 11 Hope Street. There, a beautiful older woman named Peggy invites Alba to stay on the houses unusual conditions: shell have ninety-nine nights, and no more, to turn her life around. Once inside, Alba discovers that 11 Hope Street is no ordinary house. Past residents include Virginia Woolf, Dorothy Parker, and Agatha Christie, who all stayed there at hopeless times in their lives and who still hang aroundquite literallyin talking portraits on the walls. With their help Alba begins to piece her life back together and embarks on a journey that may save her life.
Filled with a colorful, unforgettable cast of literary figures, The House at the End of Hope Street is a wholly imaginative novel of feminine wisdom and second chances, with just the right dash of magic.
Synopsis
Casts an enthralling spell, giving both characters and readers not only what they most want, but what they ultimately need.” Brunonia Barry, bestselling author of The Lace Reader
When Alba Ashby, the youngest Ph.D. student at Cambridge University, suffers the Worst Event of Her Life, she finds herself at the door of 11 Hope Street. There, a beautiful older woman named Peggy invites Alba to stay on the houses unusual conditions: shell have ninety-nine nights, and no more, to turn her life around. Once inside, Alba discovers that 11 Hope Street is no ordinary house. Past residents include Virginia Woolf, Dorothy Parker, and Agatha Christie, who all stayed there at hopeless times in their lives and who still hang aroundquite literallyin talking portraits on the walls. With their help Alba begins to piece her life back together and embarks on a journey that may save her life.
Filled with a colorful, unforgettable cast of literary figures, The House at the End of Hope Street is a wholly imaginative novel of feminine wisdom and second chances, with just the right dash of magic.
About the Author
Jasper Fforde traded a varied career in the film industry for staring vacantly out of the window and arranging words on a page. He lives and writes in Wales. The Eyre Affair was his first novel in the bestselling series of Thursday Next novels, which includes
Lost in a Good Book,
The Well of Lost Plots,
Something Rotten,
First Among Sequels,
One of Our Thursdays is Missing, and
The Woman Who Died A Lot. The series has more than one million copies (and counting) in print. He is also the author of
The Big Over Easy and
The Fourth Bear of the Nursery Crime series,
Shades of Grey, and books for young readers, including
The Last Dragonslayer. Visit jasperfforde.com.