The unraveling of the Ottoman Empire is revealed through the story of a sophisticated family's life at their seaside home some distance from Istanbul. The stone woman is a stone or sculpture of unknown ancestry to which family members whisper their secrets. (The reader listens carefully)

At the end of his life, retired to the country reveals the story of his life. The distinguished, handsome barrister, a raj orphan Edward Feathers, was nicknamed Old Filth by his friends and colleagues because his career as a judge was in Hong Kong. Failed In London, Try Hong Kong. A fascinating story and an education about

Ghosh, Amitav

The Hungry Tide

Greenway, Alice

In 1946 Laura, a Memphis girl, marries and moves to a farm named Mudbound in the Mississippi Delta. The story of her struggles as wife, mother, sister-law to her husband's brother, and daughter-in-law to her cruel father-in-law is told from several points of view. more  

McCann, Colum

McEwan Ian 

Takes place in Virginia in 1690 on the farm of Jacob Vaark and his wife Rebecca

Set against a Swedish landscape, a beautiful story of an unusual friendship between two women, Veronika, a writer from Australia trying to come to terms with her tragedy and her recluse neighbor, Astrid.  more:

Inspired by real events, an extraordinary story of a young Afghan girl raised as a man because her father, a tribal chief, would lose face if his first child were known to be a woman. Samira's journey from birth to adulthood offers readers an insight into the extraordinary lives in Afghanistan, lived out behind the headlines. more:

Two love stories. One couple's story takes place during Israel’s fight for independence, a carrier pigeon a vital part of their tale; the other love affair a generation later. Beautiful writing and memorable characters demonstrate the need for a person and a nation to have a home and a story.

An attractive teenaged paranoid schizophrenic rides the subway in Manhattan while his beautiful Austrian mother and a detective search for him. Released from a mental hospital and off his drugs he is sure the world will end if he doesn't have sex with a woman. The writing is excellent, the story gripping, even though the boy is mentally ill, readers can follow his travels and connect with him. Some people who have lived with or worked with mentally ill people may find the book upsetting. more: