Isabella Vaj Książki

Głęboko poruszająca opowieść o rodzinie, przyjaźni, nadziei i ocaleniu dzięki miłości. Bez wątpienia najwyżej oceniana, najgłośniejsza i najchętniej czytana powieść 2007 roku. Niekwestionowany bestseller nr 1 w ponad 20 krajach świata, sprzedany w imponującej liczbie ponad 10 milionów egzemplarzy. Osią fabuły rozgrywającej się w Afganistanie w ciągu ćwierć wieku są dzieje dwóch kobiet, które zrządzeniem losu poślubiają tego samego mężczyznę, despotycznego Rasheeda. Mariam ma zaledwie piętnaście lat, kiedy zostaje wysłana do Kabulu, by zostać żoną szewca. Druga bohaterka, ambitna i wykształcona Lajla, w wyniku wybuchu bomby traci całą rodzinę. Po traumatycznych przejściach dochodzi do siebie w domu Rasheeda i Mariam. Stopniowo między kobietami rodzi się trudna przyjaźń.

Afganistan, lata 70. Dwunastoletni Amir, syn zamożnego Pasztuna z Kabulu, wychowuje sie w domu bez kobiet. By zyskać uznanie w oczach ojca, wygrywa zawody latawcowe. Pomaga mu w tym starszy o rok Hasan, służący i towarzysz zabaw. Amir jest świadkiem, kiedy na Hasana napada banda miejscowych chłopaków pod wodzą psychopatycznego Asefa, który gwałci chłopca. Z tchórzostwa i wyrachowania nie staje w jego obronie, a nawet doprowadza do sytuacji, w której Hasan musi opuścić ich dom. Ćwierć wieku później dorosły Amir mieszka w USA, gdzie po wkroczeniu wojsk radzieckich do Afganistanu wyemigrował wraz z ojcem. Nie odstępuje go poczucie winy, świadomość własnej zdrady. Los daje mu szansę, by dokonać zadośćuczynienia. Musi zdobyć się na odwagę i powrócić do rządzonego przez talibów Kabulu, aby ocalić nie tylko siebie...

In 1913 an orphan girl boards a steamship bound for Wuhu in South East China. Left in the hands of her soft-hearted but opium-addicted uncle she is delivered to the hall of eternal splendour which, with its painted faces and troubling cries in the night, seems destined to break her spirit. And yet the girl survives and one day hope appears in the unlikely form of a customs inspector, a modest man resistant to the charms of the corrupt world that surrounds him but not to the innocent girl who stands before him.

Surgeon Michael Severin knows all about tragedy: he works with international aid organisations at scenes of disaster all over the world. He is himself is a survivor of an appalling childhood horror, and it is this which drives him to undergo hardship and sometimes danger to do what he can to help. Severin’s stock in trade may be earthquakes and floods, but at home in London, with his beloved wife Caitlin, there at least he is sure of his ground. Respected by his profession, loved both by Caitlin and by his endearingly eccentric foster-father Anthony, Severin’s life is rich and fulfilled – even if he can never quite lay the ghost of his own childhood tragedy. Until something happens which shakes his world more profoundly than any tsunami. Returning from a mission in South America, Severin finds Caitlin dying in their London flat. She has been brutally beaten. From then on, the mysteries deepen as Michael Severin’s secure world begins to fall apart. Who is the strange young woman who turns up unannounced after the killing, and who seems to know more than she should? Who has been sending Caitlin childish drawings of a house in the woods – a house Severin has never seen before? And who really was Caitlin? Did Severin really know her at all? Do we ever really know the people we love?

This is the first stunning installment of a riveting new mystery series that uncovers the secrets of the dead. "Pale as the Dead deals with the mysterious death of Lizzie Siddal, a real and fascinating historical figure whose beauty and tragic life have made her into a legend. (She was the model for the famous painting on the cover of the book.) Lizzie's death has always been shrouded in mystery. She is perhaps best known for the macabre story that tells of her husband, the Pre-Raphaelite artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti, having her coffin dug up to retrieve some poems he had buried with her. When the coffin was opened, Lizzie was said to be as beautiful as the day she died. "Pale as the Dead is the story of how the disappearance of a young girl, Bethany, appears to be linked in some way to Lizzie Siddal. Our detective is Natasha Blake, a complex young genealogist with a passion for history. Natasha's career choice is partly driven by the mystery of her own roots--she was abandoned in the hospital as a newborn. Her mother disappeared hours after giving birth, leaving a false name and address and a note on the back of a picture postcard that said simply, "Her name is Natasha." Natasha is hired by the missng girl's lover, Adam, whose own life seems to have plenty of dark shadows. An old diary and famous graveyard lead Natasha into more danger than she bargains for--some people will do ANYTHING to keep a secret!