Men Don’t Cry
From £0.00Men Don’t Cry invites us into the home of Mourad Chennoun in Nice, where his father spends his days fixing things in the backyard, his mother bemoans the loss of her natal village in Algeria, and the name Dounia is taboo.
When Mourad’s father has a stroke, he is forced to rise above his fear of becoming an overweight bachelor, tied down to home by his mother’s cooking, and take steps to bridge the gulf between his family and estranged sister.
This quest takes him to the Paris suburbs where he starts his teaching career, and falls into the world of undocumented Algerian toyboys and discovers that Douania has become a staunch feminist, aspiring politician and fierce assimilationist.Can Mourad adapt to his new, fast-paced Parisian life and uphold his family’s values? A poignant coming-of-age story from the widely-acclaimed author of Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow.
Black Sparkle Romance
Mira is ambitious and creative but she’s stuck as a PA to the ruthless editor of fashion magazine Black Sparkle. A string of disastrous dates threatens to put her off men forever. And then she crashes into the Mercedes of tiger-eyed Dominic. Mira’s luck changes when she’s promoted to assistant editor, but Dominic is the photographer for her first edition in charge. Sparks fly as the creative energy of two talented individuals fuels a heady mix of fear and desire.
A Tailor-Made Romance
Phoenix Advertising Agency star Tishe is looking forward to her first date with sharply-dressed Adnan. She is shocked when she discovers that he is a tailor. She vows that there will be no second date … ever. But once they share a goodnight kiss, everything changes. They embark on a whirlwind romance as she struggles to reconcile her disapproval for Adnan’s profession with her burning desire for him. Will Tishe give Adnan a chance? Find out in this racy romance.
A Taste of Love
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But this delectable romance has Toby, manager of the Bar-Rage, winning over feisty mum and successful baker Adoo with his delicious pizza, suave good looks and his calm, confident demeanour. Soon, Adoo and Toby are enjoying spontaneous dates. Adoo loves how Toby treats her son, and is thrilled to find a man her son approves of. Will Toby and Adoo commit or will they only have A Taste of Love?
The Elevator Kiss
A steamy romance set in the beautiful city of Cape Town. It’s Christmas and Sindi has been invited to her friend’s stunning new apartment for dinner. She finds herself in the elevator with a handsome man in a dashing blue suit. Their impromptu kiss under the mistletoe ignites unanticipated desire. But Sindi is focused on rebuilding her life after a messy break-up. Edward is the last thing she needs. Or so she thinks.
Love’s Persuasion
Things are changing at Lagos firm City Finance. But for Ada Okafor, a bright and dedicated trainee, the only change worth noticing is the dashing, new British-trained assistant MD, Tony Okoli. Ambitious and determined, Ada ignores her feelings for Tony and focuses on juggling her work in accounts with studying. But the two are drawn together and they embark on a secret and passionate affair. Their love is truly tested as they fight to persuade themselves and the world that love, in the end, trumps social status.
Finding Love Again
Kambi thinks the serene Obudu Mountain Resort is the perfect place to finish her poetry collection and heal her broken heart. But along comes Beba, the gorgeous man from her past who reignites the spark between them. Can Kambi resist Beba’s charms and keep up the pretence of being his fake fiancee to help him in his quest to find his mother? Or will a phony engagement be the key for Kambi to begin Finding Love Again?
A Man Who Is Not A Man
From £2,400.00A Man Who Is Not A Man recounts the personal trauma of a young Xhosa initiate after a rite-of-passage circumcision goes wrong. With frankness and courage, this powerful novel details the pain and lifelong shame this protagonist experiences as a result not only of the physical trauma, but the social ostracism from being labeled ‘a failed man.’ He decodes the mysteries of this long-standing cultural tradition and calls to account the elders for the disintegrating support systems that allow such tragic outcomes. But it is also through this life-changing experience that the protagonist is forced to find his strength and humanity and reassess what it really means to be a man.
The Whispering Trees
From £2,400.00The magical tales in The Whispering Trees capture the essence of life, death and coincidence in Northern Nigeria. Myth and reality intertwine in stories featuring cat-eyed English witches, political agitators, newly-wedded widows, and the tormented whirlwind, Kyakkyawa. The two medicine men of Mazade battle against their egos, an epidemic and an enigmatic witch. And who is Okhiwo, whose arrival is heralded by a pair of little white butterflies?
Unbury Our Dead With Song
From £0.00Unbury our Dead With Song is a novel about four talented Ethiopian musicians – The Diva, The Corporal, the Taliban Man and Miriam, who are competing to see who can sing the best Tizita (popularly referred to as Ethiopian blues). Taking place in an illegal boxing hall in Nairobi, Kenya, the competition is covered by a US educated Kenyan journalist, John Thandi Manfredi, who writes for a popular tabloid, The National Inquisitor. He follows the musicians back to Ethiopia in order to learn more about the Tizita and their lives. As he learns more about the Tizita and the multiple meanings of beauty, he uncovers that behind each of the musicians, there are layered lives and secrets. Ultimately, the novel is a love letter to African music, beauty and imagination.
Better Never Than Late
From £2,000.00Better Never Than Late charts the unconventional lives and love affairs of a group of Nigerian migrants, making their way in Belgium. The collection is centred around Prosperous and her husband Agu, and the various visitors who gather at their apartment each week. These interconnected stories explore their struggles and triumphs, from unhappy marriages (of convenience or otherwise), to the pain of homesickness, and the tragic paradox in longing to leave Nigeria so that you may one day return to it.
Nights of the Creaking Bed
From £2,000.00Nights of the Creaking Bed is full of colourful characters involved in affecting dramas: a girl who is rejected in love because she has three brothers to look after; a middle aged housewife who finds love again but has an impossible decision to make; a young man who can’t get the image of his naked, beautiful mother out of his mind; a child so poor he has to hawk onions on Christmas day – and many others. Some, initially full of hope, find their lives blighted by the cruelty of others, or by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or by just not knowing the “right” people.
Corruption, religious intolerance, gratuitous violence, the irresponsible attitudes of some men to their offspring and the importance of joy are some of the big themes that underlie this memorable collection.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
For a polygamist like Baba Segi, his collection of wives and a gaggle of children are the symbol of prosperity, success and validation of his manhood. Everything runs reasonably smoothly in the patriarchal home, until wife number four intrudes on this family romance.
Bolanle, a graduate amongst the semi-literate wives, is hated from the start. Baba Segi’s glee at bagging a graduate doesn’t help matters. Worse, Bolanle’s arrival threatens to do more than simply ruffle feathers. She’s unwittingly set to expose a secret that her co-wives intend to protect, at all costs.
Lola Shoneyin’s light and ironic touch exposes not only the rotten innards of Baba Segi’s polygamous household in this cleverly plotted story; it also shows how women not educated or semi-literate, women in contemporary Nigeria can be as restricted, controlled and damaged by men – be they fathers, husbands, uncles, rapists – as they’ve never been.
Author: Lola Shoneyin | Print ISBN: 978-9784851800 | Format: 123 x 197mm | No. of Pages: 245 | Pub Date: 2010