Legend Press

'A fascinating and eye-opening work — intelligently written, vividly imagined, a compulsive read' Alison Moore'An impeccably researched and page-turning historical novel… A powerful debut' Jane Harris'A brilliant read… unputdownable!' G.J. WilliamsNottingham, 1827. Mary Reddish, a young housemaid unjustly committed after defying her employer’s advances, must navigate the brutal treatments of the county asylum while trying to prove her sanity. Meanwhile, Ann and Thomas Morris, the asylum’s matron and director, struggle to uphold humane practices against outdated medical methods that haunt the institution.As Mary forms an unlikely alliance with a fellow patient, she finds herself at the centre of a battle between compassion and cruelty that will determine the course of her life — and the future of the asylum itself.Inspired by real events that took place at England’s first publicly funded asylum in Nottingham, The Unravelling of Mary Reddish shines a light on the brutal reality of mental health care in Georgian Britain.

This collection is the second poetry collection by author, Lee and consists of 173 poems in 5 parts as follows:The reason I Love FlowersI Call Them GodsHappiness is GrowingI will Love Even After I DieThe Flower That the Wind LoversThis poetry collection visualizes love as a flower, and compares all the emotions felt through love to flowers, and it is a portry collection filled with poems that sing love is realizing being human.Author told that the realization of love is the realization of being human. He sh.eds endless tears while contemplation the flowers blooming sadly. Hi is desperately wating for the flowers to boom and fully bloom. Can the song of flowers be this beautiful? To love is to discover the pure self within, Pure flowers beautifully purify our Hearts. Flowers are being that brighten up the worn-out world. This is the reason he loves flowers.

Sending purple scent to those who are weary.This poetry collection contain 136 poems in the following 5 parts:The Naughty of Secret of FlowersA Life Long LetterHappiness is GrowingLife is strange, so I want to live itA Swing for TwoThis collection is the fifth collection of poems by author, Lee Jeong-rok. As social isolation has become prolonged due to COVID 19 pendemic, his challenge was how to provide comfort and support to the young generation, plant dreams and hopes in their souls and heal their minds and bodies. So he would like to write a lyrical poems as if he was writing a letter to a lover or friend he miss or as if he was confessing his love and to provide love poems in sensuous language to young readers. In this case he said he tried his best to think outside the widespread emotions for the complicated 'postmoderism' poetry and encourage readers to recover their pure minds. The reason he wrote this collection, was to plant a work that could speak to the souls of readers like a painting or a poems.

The breathing sound of birth pangs.This collection is the author's first collection of poems and is being republished after 30 years. It consists of 30 poems divided into the following five parts:Plum Flower, a Thousand Year of LoveThe Sun's Mistress, WolgyeAh! Late Autumn, Flaming SunsetMy Love, Sunae,Bo ( Pure Love, Story)The Reason Yew Trees have survived for 2,000 yearsAuthor said the feeling of republishing of this collection after 30 years, is not only strange, but even magical. Well then he is reborn, let's do some cuddles. What is poetry? He asked this question 30years ago too. Like finding an answer to aquestion that everyone can ask but no one can still on the line of verbal barbarism,as much as the atar in the night sky scattered. He ask poetry again. He said that although he may not be phonex whose wings flutter across the light, he may not a phoenex who eats bamboo shoots and does not anything other than the precious paulownia tree but like a skylark singing in the spring, like a cicada enjoying the summer, like a wildflower blooming in abundance in the field in the fall, even if it's an old tree full of snow flakes in winter, It's good. So he hope to do this best to write healthy articles that comfort and support everyone and himself.

Best Seller Lady.This collection is the fouth poetry collection by author Lee and consist of 168 poems in 6 parts as follows:Dear Wind from FlowerRed Plum Blossom LoveThe Last Love left on EarthMy Love, CrybabyA Terrible DreamHem of the Robe FluttringThis is the collection of poems written to give hope and provide hope and friends and readers who are strugging with the dark fears of COVID 19, just like plum blossoms in harsh winter. He said we should cheer up and let go of your fear. The strong wind blowing the bestseller will put this cruel disease to sleep. The wind will extinguish it Let's cheer up!

This Collection contain 77 poems divided into 4 parts as follows:Rice in Peaceful landWhen the Royal Azala BloomsLove Song of a Broad RockSudal’s WhisperAuthor Lee Su-dal personifies the poetic object and its emotional communion and empathy through allegory to have a primary surface meaning and a secondary hidden meaning.In this collection, author made the poems concise and easy to read than creating images, and he personified the poetic subjects through allegory to create empathy, and even when he turned his attention to social phenomena and satirized the world, he made the readers feel a positive and hopeful perspective rather than a sharp criticism.

The New York Times Staff PickThe Best Fiction by Women in 2020 Marie ClaireBest Feminist Books Coming Out in 2020 Ms. MagazineMost Anticipated Books of 2020 LithubTwenty Must-Read Books of 2020 BustleMost Anticipated Books of 2020 Real SimpleMost Anticipated Books The MillionsOne of 15 Books By Women to Read in 2020 The LilyStarred Review Shelf Awareness'Stunning' Marie Claire'Striking' Rebecca Makkai'With grace, empathy and wisdom' Ms. Magazine'Indelible' Laila Lalami'Insightful' Rajia Hassib'Richly empathetic' Maurice Carlos Ruffin'Haunting' Lit Hub'Exquisite' Shelf Awareness'Soared beyond my wildest expectations' Terry Galvan, Third Coast Review'Gripping' Lorraine Kleinwaks, Enchanted Prose'One of my favorite books this year' Susie Boutry, Novel Visits'Lyrical prose, achingly real characters, and a driving narrative' Christine Maul Rice, Hypertext Magazine'Profound' Emma Doettling, The Michigan Daily---Afaf Rahman, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is the principal of Nurrideen School for Girls, a Muslim school in the Chicago suburbs. One morning, a shooter―radicalized by the online alt-right―attacks the school.As Afaf listens to his terrifying progress, we are swept back through her memories: the bigotry she faced as a child, her mother’s dreams of returning to Palestine, and the devastating disappearance of her older sister that tore her family apart. Still, there is the sweetness of the music from her father’s oud, and the hope and community Afaf finally finds in Islam.The Beauty of Your Face is a profound and poignant exploration of one woman’s life in a nation at odds with its ideals.---'A story of survival and hope, forgiveness and connection. It’s not just about the beauty of Afaf’s face, as the title implies, it’s about the beauty of her heart and the hearts of the people around her, no matter how lonely or scared they are' The New York Times'Stunning… A timely family saga with faith and forgiveness at its core' Marie Claire'The Beauty of Your Face is a striking and stirring debut, one that reaches its hands straight into the fire. Sahar Mustafah writes with wisdom and grace about the unthinkable, the unspeakable, and the unspoken' Rebecca Makkai, Pulitzer finalist for The Great Believers'With grace, empathy and wisdom, this robustly written debut examines an American Muslim immigrant experience against the backdrop of a school shooting' Ms. Magazine'Mustafah’s arresting debut about a mass shooting at a Muslim girls’ school grapples with issues of faith, identity, hatred, and forgiveness… Throughout, Mustafah powerfully demonstrates the human capacity for redemption and renewal. This inviting, topical tale will stay with readers' Publishers Weekly'Profound insights and glittering words . . . a complex generational novel that is all too relevant in today’s divided America… the message rings loud and clear. Maybe violence could be avoided if people took the time to understand other people’s pain and find commonalities in their shared human experience' The Michigan Daily'Mustafah writes impressively and convincingly of her Palestinian American immigrant community… an adept author well worth reading' Terry Hong, Booklist'Mustafah's novel is frequently moving, especially in her depictions of Afaf's inner state. The sections of the book that describe Afaf's early life are especially vivid' Kirkus'The indelible story of a Palestinian-American woman whose life is torn apart by loss, finds solace in her faith, and faces a violent threat that tests how far she has come. Sahar Mustafah writes about family and community with compassion and sensitivity. The Beauty of Your Face is a gift to readers' Laila Lalami, award winning author of The Other Americans and The Moor’s Account'Rich with details of Islamic faith and Arab culture, The Beauty of Your Face is an insightful and beautifully-drawn study of the complexity of being an American Muslim immigrant. This compelling novel brilliantly challenges the notion of a unified religious and ethnic narrative while laying bare the most universal of desires: for love, acceptance, and belonging' Rajia Hassib, author of In the Language of Miracles'Mustafah writes with a grace and precision that shows a deep understanding for the ways trauma can distort a life. The Beauty of Your Face is a richly empathetic work about the power of faith, family, and love' Maurice Carlos Ruffin, author of We Cast a Shadow'The Beauty of Your Face explores faith, family, and hate with haunting precision' Emily Firetog, Lit Hub'Sahar Mustafah's skillfully nuanced debut novel, The Beauty of Your Face, traces one family's challenges in adjusting to life in the United States through the perspective of first-generation Palestinian American Afaf Rahman … In recounting the specifics of Afaf's journey of faith and self-discovery, Mustafah paints a universal picture of coming to understand oneself … With exquisite pacing, Mustafah builds suspense and also Afaf's quiet courage' Shelf Awareness'Mustafah's literary voice soared beyond my wildest expectations … Mustafah's prose stays clear, bright, and even lighthearted. Moments of laughter and hope slice emotionally taxing content into digestible portions … Many coming-of-age stories are about finding oneself by breaking away. By contrast, The Beauty of Your Face is about finding oneself by reaching deep and out into one's community and found family. I felt like I was in Afaf's shoes, in her mind and soul, for every second of every page' Terry Galvan, Third Coast Review'The beauty of this gripping novel is its elegance in seeking our understanding towards Muslim Americans in a world too terrified to understand. The prose is gorgeously sad and empowering despite all the hatred and violence Afaf and her unraveling family endure. Prose that lets us feel what it's like to be victimized by racism towards Muslims — to the extent anyone other than the oppressed can truly feel that … Mystery, secrets, Islamophobia are all wrapped up in a very moving drama' Lorraine Kleinwaks, Enchanted Prose'One of my favorite books this year … Sahar Mustafah told a wonderful story and I loved the structure' Susie Boutry, Novel Visits'Lyrical prose, achingly real characters, and a driving narrative . . . The Beauty of Your Face reaches into the grab-bag of what it means to be American to focus on one family’s experience, stripping away the worn pretense of America-as-savior, laying bare a more brutal reality: America struggling to right itself with the weight of racism, hate, misinformation, and xenophobia. … Mustafah’s emotional generosity allows her to deftly juggle the novel’s complexity with bracing honesty and a level gaze' Christine Maul Rice, Hypertext Magazine

“But power, in all its shapes, is venerable to man. Awe, curiosity, a clinging fascination, drew me towards him.”

'Beautifully written' Gráinne Murphy'A poignant and beautifully written exploration of the psyche of grief and loss' Pam Williams'Heartbreaking and darkly funny, a beautifully crafted study in grief, memory, and love' Eirnie LapidakiHis wife is dead.His beloved daughter has been lost to a dangerous cult.And now time is running out to rebuild their relationship. Haunted by his failings as a son, a husband and, most of all, as a father, he is desperate to try and make things right before it's too late.Told through fragments of memory The Absolutes captures the essence of hope in the face of loss as one man struggles to come to terms with his past.

'Clever, funny, ingenious and endearing' Lissa Evans'The most audacious plot ever… gritty, engrossing and great fun' Beth Morrey'A great story, fast, dramatic, funny, full of the sounds and smells of Elizabethan London' Andy HamiltonMurder Most Foul is a dark, witty and fast-paced novel, from one of Britain’s best-loved screenwriters.It’s 1593, Elizabeth I is Queen and everyone is terrified of the worst outbreak of plague in a generation. Shakespeare has only written six plays and is lagging behind his friend Christopher Marlowe, London’s leading playwright.When Marlowe is stabbed to death in mysterious circumstances, rumours abound — but the one that won’t go away is that Shakespeare did it to remove his greatest rival. Will is determined to clear his name, and teams up with his old flame, Marlowe’s sister Ann, who has plenty of secrets of her own.In their search to solve the crime, Will and Ann uncover a dark world of treachery, murder, and corruption — which in turn provides Shakespeare with scenes and characters which will appear in his greatest plays.'An ingenious, funny and erudite thriller' John O’Farrell'Funny, thrilling and full of wonderful easter eggs for Shakespearean theatre fans… a treat from start to finish' David Greig

'This has all of Fran's trademark quick wit and black humour' Gráinne Murphy'Funny, warm and very moving' Lucinda Hawksley'Fran writes with such humour and humanity, it was an absolute tonic' Victoria Mackenzie1979. Jackie Chadwick is 17 and living in a supported bedsit. She's still close to her foster parents and friends with (aka unofficial minder for) Amanda, their irresponsible daughter, but she’s enjoying her independence — until a fire leaves her temporarily homeless. Jackie’s dad, widower and recovering alcoholic Dave, has just been released from prison and sees this as his chance to make amends. He offers her his spare room — but can their relationship survive him going back on the booze and the arrival of his gin-loving lady friend and her errant son? As things go from bad to worse, Jackie has to decide how many chances you give someone who keeps letting you down.Bittersweet and funny, Home Bird draws on Fran Hill's own experiences as a teenager in foster care.'Deliciously nostalgic, brilliantly funny' Frances Quinn'I loved Home Bird. Fran drew me in to that world' Jane Ions'A jewel of a book. Fran Hill can do what other authors spend a lifetime trying to achieve: disarm you in a sentence' Deborah Jenkins'The story is ultimately upbeat… the lightness of touch has real depth' Anthony Ferner'Like a perfectly risen souffle made with dangerously volatile ingredients, Jackie’s story of dashed hopes, disappointment, optimism and resilience gripped me from the first line and wouldn’t let me go' Ruth Leigh

Can two sisters overlook their differences?Mixed is a hilarious yet moving story of family and faith, best served hot (or cold) with a dollop of sour cream.Sisters Ruth and Miriam Green spent most of their childhood loving each other and hating each other, treasuring each other and resenting each other. Now they’re grown up their lives have taken them on very different paths, creating a rift which is proving difficult to heal. Ruth has followed her traditional Jewish upbringing. Miriam has not — and while she wants to instil her heritage in her children, they just want to fit in.As resentment, tension and divisions build within the family, can the sisters overlook their differences or will their family be torn apart?‘A lively, original, absorbing novel packed with beautiful observations and brilliant one-liners’ Rebecca Smith‘A wonderful, enriching read that is about all families — warm and loving but also fraught with secrets, unspoken rules and quiet disappointments’ Francesca Jakobi'An entertaining read, laugh-out-loud in places, yet thoughtful and compassionate on the serious issues of intermarriage and identity' Andrew Sanger

'A laudable debut. Young Adults? You’re in for a treat' Nudge BooksTroubled. That’s seventeen-year-old Gen according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter, until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate a pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything.As Gen pushes herself forward to find her new identity without Peter, the flimsy story of their undying love begins to unravel. But it’s when Gen lets go of her past, the one she thinks she knows, that she’s able to embrace the complicated, chaotic true story of her life.What Reviewers and Readers Say:'Moving, authentic, timely,' Kathleen Glasgow
'A raw, riveting story of love and family and the strength to stay standing when both begin to crumble. Bonnie Pipkin never flinches, and the result is a novel as powerful as it is essential'. Robin Wasserman'Aftercare Instructions is a heart wrenching story that will touch and resonate with so many young adult readers'. National Book Award Finalist An Na'Nearly impossible to put down. Readers many experience joy, heartache, and everything in between.' David Arnold

'Kim Fu skillfully measures how long and loudly one formative moment can reverberate' Celeste NgA group of young girls descend on a sleepaway camp where their days are filled with swimming lessons, friendship bracelets, and songs by the fire. Filled with excitement and nervous energy, they set off on an overnight kayaking trip to a nearby island. But before the night is over, they find themselves stranded, with no adults to help them survive or guide them home.The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore traces these five girls through and beyond this fateful trip. We see them through successes and failures, loving relationships and heartbreaks; we see what it means to find, and define, oneself, and the ways in which the same experience is refracted through different people. A portrait of friendship and of the families we build for ourselves, and the pasts we can't escape.What Reviewers and Readers Say:'A propulsive storyteller, using clear and cutting prose' The New York Times'Fu precisely renders the banal humiliations of childhood, the chilling steps humans take to survive, and the way time warps memory' Publishers Weekly'An ambitious and dynamic portrayal of the harm humans — even young girls — can do' Kirkus Review'The first truly great novel I've read in 2018… As intricately fashioned and as bold-hearted as books by novelists who've been publishing for decades' Seattle Review of Books'Fu offers an unblinking view of the social and emotional survival of the fittest that all too often marks the female coming of age' Toronto Star'These portraits of sisterhood, motherhood, daughterhood, wifehood, girlfriendhood, independent womanhood, and other female-identified-hoods sing and groan and scream with complexity and nuance, and they make me want to read her next ten books' The Stranger'To say this is a story of survival is too simple… Fu avoids the obvious and tidy, allowing us to imagine what happens next' Winnipeg Free Press'I loved it for its portrayal of each of the girls… and for showing that a single incident can colour your entire life' Canadian Living'A thoroughly entertaining, complex novel full of intricate insights into human nature' Quill & Quire

Merry Christmas! is a moving, reimagined version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for the 21st Century. If that master storyteller were around today, he would surely be entertained by this clever rendition.Eddie Scarr, a modern facsimile of Scrooge, is angrier and more damaged than the original, but just as successful in his own milieu. He’s a Department for Work and Pensions enforcement officer whose sole reason for existing, it seems, is to make life as difficult as possible for would-be benefit fraudsters, and everyone else who crosses his path.At the age of seven Eddie was dumped in a care home by his older sister, following the death of their parents. The experience of this grim institution, with its uncaring ‘care parents’, not only deeply scarred him, but left him haunted to this day.A workaholic, he is driven in pursuit of cheats, even on Christmas Eve, despite being wracked with a vicious head cold. As he makes his way home to his cold apartment and equally cold bed, he has an alarming encounter with a former clients, whom he had previously hounded to death. Even more alarming encounters await him when he logs on to his computer at home. But will any of these encounters change him for the better? We can only hope.

Life exacts a price for Frances Thomas, a writer living an outwardly comfortable existence. Emotionally trapped by an intense empathy with the suffering of animals, she’s compelled to take action for those imprisoned in a laboratory. Always conscious of the cruelties of the world, she reads the wind where others, unaware, wait for the storm to break. Her clear-seeing and emotional identity with human and animal victims, causes the edges of her reality to be become blurred when a rescued dog and a long-dead German-Jewish girl in 1930s Berlin, whose story she is scripting for a film, become as one, threatening to break her.

The British Lord who became a legendary fugitive tells his story of murder and escape in this fictionalized account of the infamous scandal.On November 7th, 1974, a murder plot goes disastrously wrong. John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, had intended to do away with his wife. Instead, it is their nanny, Sandra Rivett, who lies dead in the basement of their London home. The following day, Lord Lucan disappeared. And despite a global hunt, he was never seen again.Bingham had once been the most charismatic members of the British peerage. A frequent gambler, he was known as Lucky Lord Lucan—even though his losses often exceeded his winnings. Since his disappearance, he has become a legend of a very different sort. Here, in his own hand, is Lord Lucan’s confession to his grizzly crimes, and the story of his mysterious life. It is a strange tale of an Old Etonian Earl on the run; of how a man became a murderer; and how a life-long friendship soured into an enduring hate. Here, for the first time, is the full monstrous account of the life of Lord Lucan.

'Mysterious deaths, an intuitive octopus, and colourful characters in a Devonshire seaside town, make this an unmissable read' Tamar Hodes'Utterly addictive from the first page' Jonathan WhitelawDiana Parks is a beautician with a temper, and she’s not the only member of Ottersea WI who’s had enough of bullies and slimeballs. When the body of lecherous landlord, Raj Sumal, washes up on the beach, it’s up to Detectives Jim Paddon and Grace Brown to solve the mystery. They start to suspect Raj’s wife, Sukhi, who likes walking on the cliffs.Meanwhile, at Ottersea Oceanworld, Jane the Octopus hears people’s secrets and understands everything during a sweltering summer of strange deaths, new friendships, and a whole lot of ice cream.'Whimsical and amusing' Faith Martin'Wickedly subversive, sneakily funny, and then surprisingly moving' Carole Burns'As deliciously satisfying as a 99 cone, this is your new favourite summer read' M.H. Eccleston'A brilliantly witty mash-up of modern manners, seaside farce and a little casual murder' Philip Hoare

ONE WOMAN CLAIMS THE POWER TO TAKE CHARGE OF HER OWN DESTINY1838, England: When eighteen-year-old Frances Dickinson impulsively marries Lieutenant John Geils, all her hopes for her future are quickly shattered as she finds there is much about her husband she did not know. A cruel and violent man, John keeps Frances in isolation on his family’s estate, while spending her fortune and preying upon their maids.Frances yearns to break free from her marriage but the law is not on her side. Only when John’s abuse escalates can she set in motion a daring plan to secure her freedom.A story of gaslighting, control and one woman’s fight, An Idle Woman is the true story behind one of the most sensational divorce trials of the nineteenth century.‘Remarkable… an engaging and informative read’ Leah Moyes, author of A Polish Nurse‘Reading it felt like falling through the cracks of time and witnessing a terrifying fight for freedom first-hand’ Meg Ellis, @megsreadingspot‘Powerful, heartfelt and affecting… an important story that demands to be read’ Emma Alvey, @emmas.biblio.treasures