A Granta Best Young British Novelist

'A thrilling love for the stuff of language … Magical' JON McGREGOR

‘Poignant and playful’ DAILY MAIL 

‘A writer with few real rivals’ IRISH TIMES

'A visionary writer' JAN CARSON 

 The stunning new collection of stories from the award-winning author of The Liar’s Dictionary and Attrib. and Other Stories.

Granta Best Young British novelist and acclaimed author of Attrib. and other stories, Eley Williams returns with a thrilling collection of short stories exploring the nature of relationships both intimate and transient – from the easy gamesmanship of contagious yawns to the horror of a smile fixed for just a second too long.

A courtroom sketch artist delights in committing portraits of their lover to paper but their need to capture likenesses forever is revealed to have darker, more complex intentions. A child’s schoolyard crush on a saint marks a confrontation with the reality of a teenage body in flux. Elsewhere, an editor of canned laughter loses their confidence and seeks divine intervention, and an essayist annotates their thoughts on Keats by way of internet-gleaned sex tips.

Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good hums with fossicking language and ingenious experiments in form and considers notions of playfulness, authenticity and care as it holds relationships to account: their sweet misunderstandings, soured reflections, queer wish fulfilments and shared, held breaths.

‘Undeniably a skilful book’ TELEGRAPH

‘Stories that work from the inside out… glancing, intriguing’ GUARDIAN

'Erudite and audacious' KIERAN GODDARD

‘Frequently brilliant and deeply pleasurable’ CAOILINN HUGHES

‘I don’t know anyone else who can write like this … What a joy!' BEN PESTER

‘A joy for the head and the heart' RUBY COWLING

Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good, By Eley Williams, Read by Kit Griffiths

Grandpa's Great Escape by David Walliams First 2 Minutes

Gangsta Granny by David Walliams First 2 Minutes

Billionaire Boy by David Walliams First 2 Minutes

The Midnight Gang by David Walliams First 2 Minutes

*A stunning new unabridged recording, available on audio download*

The acclaimed international bestseller of the Tudor court, during the years of Henry VIII’s pursuit of Anne Boleyn – and the revolutionary sequence of events that followed.


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1521. Young Mary Boleyn arrives at court, maid in waiting and favourite to Queen Katherine of Aragon.

Yet Mary catches the eye of the capricious king and – propelled by the ambitions of the powerful Boleyn family – she betrays her queen, and takes her place as Henry VIII’s new mistress.

But while Mary is in childbed, a rival comes to court – her sister Anne, a young woman ruthless in her drive to become queen.

With her own destiny unknown, and the Boleyn enemies gathering, Mary must defy her family – and command her own fate.

With an exclusive afterword written and read by Philippa Gregory, exploring the inspiration behind Mary’s story.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - Exclusive Extract 1

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - Exclusive Extract 2

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - Exclusive Extract 3

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - Exclusive Extract 4

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - Exclusive Extract 5

Publishers of award-winning fiction and non-fiction audiobooks for adults and children. Listen to exclusive clips from our books and free audioook extracts here on Soundcloud.

Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good, By Eley Williams, Read by Kit Griffiths

HarperCollins Publishers

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