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The Pursuit of Permanence: A Study of the English Child Care System
by Jenny Lee Claire Baker Ian Gibbs Ian SinclairChildren in public care complain that they have too many placements. Professionals agree but little is known about the reasons for this instability or how it affects different groups of children. The Pursuit of Permanence explores this core issue for children's services. Based on the largest study of the English care system in recent years, the book examines the children (what they need and what they want), their movements into, out of and within the care system, the nature and quality of their placements and the outcomes (whether the children are settled or happy). It analyses the reasons for movements and outcomes in different groups of children, and the relative impacts of the departments, social work teams and placements. It concludes with suggestions about how the care system should work, what it should offer and how it should be managed and inspected. This detailed, innovative and comprehensive study is essential reading for all professionals and academics involved with fostering, leaving care, adoption and children's services, as well as policy makers and students on social work courses.
The Pursuit: The Pursuit (Alias)
by Elizabeth SkurnickMichael Vaughn’s father left him a legacy: A calling to a world filled with necessary lies. Dangerous exploits. And the chance to make a difference. Michael is ready to be an agent for the CIA. To do whatever it takes to honor his father’s memory.But serving his country will exact a toll higher than he can imagine. His life will change forever.And so it begins.
The Push: A Novel
by Ashley AudrainA tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family—and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for—and everything she feared <P><P>Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. But in the thick of motherhood's exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter—she doesn't behave like most children do. Or is it all in Blythe's head? Her husband, Fox, says she's imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well. Then their son Sam is born—and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she'd always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth. The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed. <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Puttermans Are in the House
by Jacquetta Nammar FeldmanA heartfelt and hopeful middle grade novel from Jacquetta Nammar Feldman, author of the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Wishing Upon the Same Stars, about family, joy, and growing up in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Perfect for fans of Nic Stone’s Fast Pitch and Erin Entrada Kelly’s We Dream of Space.Seventh graders Sammy and Matty are the Putterman twins—the perfect team of two. But Matty has a secret he’s not ready to share with his family yet, and he suddenly quits baseball and stops talking to his sister. With their twin telepathy broken, Sammy doesn’t know what to do without her teammate.Becky Putterman is sick of her family only cheering for her cousins, Sammy and Matty. They all used to be friends, but since everything became about the twins, Becky’s felt left out. With her bat mitzvah around the corner, she hopes it’ll finally be her turn in the spotlight.But then Hurricane Harvey hits Houston, Texas, and the twins’ house is damaged in the flood. Their family moves in with Becky’s—which no one is happy about. As their grief, anger, and uncertainty grow, they’ll soon find they need each other now more than ever before. With all nine Puttermans under one roof, can Sammy, Matty, and Becky find a way to glue their family back together?
The Puzzle Solver: A Scientist's Desperate Quest to Cure the Illness that Stole His Son
by Tracie WhiteA Father, His Son, and an Unrelenting Quest for a CureAt the age of twenty-seven, Whitney Dafoe was forced to give up his life as a photographer who traveled the world. Bit by bit a mysterious illness stole away the pieces of his life: First, it took the strength of his legs, then his voice, and his ability to eat. Finally, even the sound of a footstep in his room became unbearable. The Puzzle Solver follows several years in which he desperately sought answers from specialist after specialist, where at one point his 6'3" frame dropped to 115 lbs. For years, he underwent endless medical tests, but doctors told him there was nothing wrong. Then, finally, a diagnosis: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis.In the 80s, when an outbreak of people immobilized by an indescribable fatigue were reported near Lake Tahoe, Nevada, doctors were at a loss to explain the symptoms. The condition would alternatively be nicknamed Raggedy Ann Syndrome or the Yuppie Disease, and there was no cure or answers about treatment. They were to remain sick.But there was one answer: Whitney's father, Ron Davis, PhD, a world-class geneticist at Stanford University whose legendary research helped crack the code of DNA, suddenly changed the course of his career in a race against time to cure his son's debilitating condition.In The Puzzle Solver, journalist Tracie White, who first wrote a viral and award-winning piece on Davis and his family in Stanford Medicine, tells his story. In gripping prose, she masterfully takes readers along on this journey with Davis to solve one of the greatest mysteries in medicine. In a piercing investigative narrative, closed doors are opened, and masked truths are exposed as Davis uncovers new proof confirming that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a biological disease.At the heart of this book is a moving story that goes far beyond medicine, this is a story about how the power of love -- and science -- can shine light in even the darkest, most hidden, corners of the world.
The Quality of Love: an engrossing saga following one woman’s lessons in love set in Cardiff during the 1920s
by Rosie HarrisFans of Dilly Court, Kitty Neale, Emma Hornby and Rosie Goodwin will love this mesmerising and moving saga of love and loss from much-loved multi-million copy bestseller Rosie Harris. With strong characters and vivid descriptions, it's a real page-turner!WHAT READERS ARE SAYING!'Rosie Harris takes you to a different world with her fantastic stories. I find it very hard to put one of her books down' - 5 STARS'Brilliant'-- 5 STARS'Kept me engrossed from start to finish' -- 5 STARS'Delightful' - 5 STARS*******************************************************************************************************WOULD SHE ALWAYS BE UNLUCKY IN LOVE?The only child of over-protective parents, Sarah Lewis yearns to leave home. Studying hard to please them, she earns a place at Cardiff University. Here she is swept off her feet by handsome Gwyn Roberts, but when she becomes pregnant her parents are devastated and turn her from their door.All Gwyn and Sarah can afford are two squalid rooms in the infamous slums of Cardiff and Sarah soon realises she's made a terrible mistake. Gwyn becomes increasingly distant and when the baby dies in infancy, he leaves Sarah with little choice but to fall on her parents' mercy.But just when Sarah is starting to pull her life back together again, she is drawn to the charms of Stefan Vaughan and finds herself in trouble once more...
The Quality of Silence
by Rosamund LuptonThe gripping, moving story of a mother and daughter's quest to uncover a dark secret in the Alaskan wilderness, from the New York Times bestselling author of Sister and AfterwardsThrillingly suspenseful and atmospheric, The Quality of Silence is the story of Yasmin, a beautiful astrophysicist, and her precocious deaf daughter, Ruby, who arrive in a remote part of Alaska to be told that Ruby's father, Matt, has been the victim of a catastrophic accident. Unable to accept his death as truth, Yasmin and Ruby set out into the hostile winter of the Alaskan tundra in search of answers. But as a storm closes in, Yasmin realizes that a very human danger may be keeping pace with them. And with no one else on the road to help, they must keep moving, alone and terrified, through an endless Alaskan night.
The Quality of Silence: A Novel
by Rosamund LuptonThe gripping, moving story of a mother and daughter's quest to uncover a dark secret in the Alaskan wilderness, from the New York Times bestselling author of Sister and AfterwardsThrillingly suspenseful and atmospheric, The Quality of Silence is the story of Yasmin, a beautiful astrophysicist, and her precocious deaf daughter, Ruby, who arrive in a remote part of Alaska to be told that Ruby's father, Matt, has been the victim of a catastrophic accident. Unable to accept his death as truth, Yasmin and Ruby set out into the hostile winter of the Alaskan tundra in search of answers. But as a storm closes in, Yasmin realizes that a very human danger may be keeping pace with them. And with no one else on the road to help, they must keep moving, alone and terrified, through an endless Alaskan night.
The Quality of Silence: A Novel
by Rosamund LuptonThe gripping, moving story of a mother and daughter's quest to uncover a dark secret in the Alaskan wilderness, from the New York Times bestselling author of Sister and AfterwardsThrillingly suspenseful and atmospheric, The Quality of Silence is the story of Yasmin, a beautiful astrophysicist, and her precocious deaf daughter, Ruby, who arrive in a remote part of Alaska to be told that Ruby's father, Matt, has been the victim of a catastrophic accident. Unable to accept his death as truth, Yasmin and Ruby set out into the hostile winter of the Alaskan tundra in search of answers. But as a storm closes in, Yasmin realizes that a very human danger may be keeping pace with them. And with no one else on the road to help, they must keep moving, alone and terrified, through an endless Alaskan night.
The Quantum July
by Ron KingDANNY PARSONS IS a dreamer. He loves nothing better than to close his eyes and let the world slip away, dreaming of India, or Alaska, or Kenya - anywhere but his home, living any life but his life. Danny is sure that he wassupposedto be someone else, living in a more interesting place, with a more interesting family. Danny's sister, Bridget, believes that Danny's life is more interesting than he knows: she thinks he can set events in motion by touching equations. When she gives him an equation dealing with Chaos Theory to carry in his pocket, an amazing thing happens: Danny's family separates into two. We can't choose our families. But Danny Parsons can. Trapped in the chaos of the quantum world, he's approaching the moment where he will have to, at last, choose - between the father he's always wanted, and the family he desperately needs. From the Hardcover edition.
The Quarry
by Ben Halls'Halls' stories show that even in zero-hour, austerity-battered Britain, the tenderness and warmth of human connection exists. The Quarry is, in the end, a testament to this messy truth - how love, hate, hope and fear have always lived on the same street' GLEN BROWN, author of Ironopolis You can see it in them; all that anger inside, it's toxic. Throw some drink into it and everything bubbles over. People say that they never see it coming, the swing of the fist that kicks it all off, but I can tell.In these interconnected short stories, we meet the men living on the Quarry Lane estate in west London. These are men at work, at the pub, at home, with their families, lovers and friends. Men grappling with addiction, sexuality and the corrosive effects of toxic masculinity.From a bouncer at the local nightclub, to a postman returning to the streets of his youth, and a young man thinking of all the things he'd say and do to the father who left him behind, this startling debut reveals the complex inner lives of individuals whose voices are too often non-existent in fiction. Powerful and impressive, The Quarry marks the arrival of a bold new voice.
The Quarry
by Ben Halls'Halls' stories show that even in zero-hour, austerity-battered Britain, the tenderness and warmth of human connection exists. The Quarry is, in the end, a testament to this messy truth - how love, hate, hope and fear have always lived on the same street' GLEN BROWN, author of Ironopolis You can see it in them; all that anger inside, it's toxic. Throw some drink into it and everything bubbles over. People say that they never see it coming, the swing of the fist that kicks it all off, but I can tell.In these interconnected short stories, we meet the men living on the Quarry Lane estate in west London. These are men at work, at the pub, at home, with their families, lovers and friends. Men grappling with addiction, sexuality and the corrosive effects of toxic masculinity.From a bouncer at the local nightclub, to a postman returning to the streets of his youth, and a young man thinking of all the things he'd say and do to the father who left him behind, this startling debut reveals the complex inner lives of individuals whose voices are too often non-existent in fiction. Powerful and impressive, The Quarry marks the arrival of a bold new voice.
The Quarry
by Iain BanksKit doesn't know who his mother is. What he does know, however, is that his father, Guy, is dying of cancer. Feeling his death is imminent, Guy gathers around him his oldest friends - or at least the friends with the most to lose by his death. Paul - the rising star in the Labour party who dreads the day a tape they all made at university might come to light; Alison and Robbie, corporate bunnies whose relationship is daily more fractious; Pris and Haze, once an item, now estranged, and finally Hol - friend, mentor, former lover and the only one who seemed to care. But what will happen to Kit when Guy is gone? And why isn't Kit's mother in the picture? As the friends reunite for Guy's last days, old jealousies, affairs and lies come to light as Kit watches on.
The Quarry
by Iain BanksKit doesn't know who his mother is. What he does know, however, is that his father, Guy, is dying of cancer. Feeling his death is imminent, Guy gathers around him his oldest friends - or at least the friends with the most to lose by his death. Paul - the rising star in the Labour party who dreads the day a tape they all made at university might come to light; Alison and Robbie, corporate bunnies whose relationship is daily more fractious; Pris and Haze, once an item, now estranged, and finally Hol - friend, mentor, former lover and the only one who seemed to care. But what will happen to Kit when Guy is gone? And why isn't Kit's mother in the picture? As the friends reunite for Guy's last days, old jealousies, affairs and lies come to light as Kit watches on.
The Quarry
by Iain M. BanksEighteen-year-old Kit is weird: big, strange, odd, socially disabled, on a spectrum that stretches from "highly gifted" at one end, to "nutter" at the other. At least Kit knows who his father is; he and Guy live together in a decaying country house on the unstable brink of a vast quarry. His mother's identity is another matter. Now, though, his father's dying, and old friends are gathering for one last time."Uncle" Paul's a media lawyer now; Rob and Ali are upwardly mobile corporate bunnies; pretty, hopeful Pris is a single mother; Haze is still living up to his drug-inspired name twenty years on; and fierce, protective Hol is a gifted if acerbic critic. As young film students they lived at Willoughtree House with Guy, and they've all come back because they want something. Kit, too, has his own ulterior motives. Before his father dies he wants to know who his mother is, and what's on the mysterious tape they're all looking for. But most of all he wants to stop time and keep his father alive.Fast-paced, gripping and savagely funny, The Quarry is a virtuoso performance whose soaring riffs on the inexhaustible marvel of human perception and rage against the dying of the light will stand among Iain Banks' greatest work.
The Queen Charlotte's Hospital Guide to Pregnancy & Birth
by Adriana Hunter Queen Charlotte's HospitalThis book is a practical, sympathetic and complete guide to having a baby - from conception to delivery. Written in association with Britain's leading maternity hospital, it draws on the wide experience of the hospital's doctors and midwives and also contains insightful comments from parents themselves. Organised on a week-by-week basis and illustrated throughout, this comprehensive book shows step-by-step how the baby develops and what changes the mother will experience. It tells you how you may be feeling both phyically and emotionally and when, how to choose the right nutrition and exercise at various times of the pregnancy, how to prepare for the birth and the choices available to you, what to expect during labour and the options for pain relief, care after birth and much more. The very first book of its kind to obtain such a unique endorsement, The Queen Charlotte's Hospital Guide to Pregnancy and Birth answers every question parents might ask and promises to become the definitive book on this important subject.
The Queen Of Distraction: How Women With ADHD Can Conquer Chaos, Find Focus, And Get More Done
by Terry Matlen Sari SoldenDo you rule the realm of disorganization, clutter, and chaos? Are you constantly battling to get things done? Are you ready to give up and toss your day planner into the dungeon (otherwise known as your closet)? If so, you might just be The Queen of Distraction. And whether or not you've been formally diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you probably already know that something's got to give. The Queen of Distraction presents practical skills to help women with ADHD achieve focus and balance in all areas of life, whether it's at home, at work, or in relationships. Psychotherapist Terry Matlen delves into the feminine side of ADHD--the elements of this condition that are particular to women, such as: relationships, skin sensitivities, meal-planning, parenting, and dealing with out-of-control hormones. In addition, the book offers helpful tips and strategies to get your symptoms under control, and outlines a number of effective treatment options for you to pursue. From getting dressed in the morning, to making it to a job interview, to planning dinner--sometimes just getting through the day can be an ordeal for a woman with ADHD. If you've been accused of getting lost in your own world, maybe it's time to make a change. If you're ready to start getting organized and stop leaving your groceries in the car, this book can help. It's more than just a survival guide; it's an ADHD how-to to help you thrive!
The Queen V: Everything You Need to Know About Sex, Intimacy & Down There Health Care
by Jackie WaltersThe beloved OB-GYN and star of Bravo’s Married to Medicine reveals the twelve principles behind a happy and healthy vagina—and other lady parts.After twenty years of private obstetrics and gynecological practice, there’s nothing Dr. Jackie Walters hasn’t seen. And now, in her new book, the widely-adored OB-GYN invites you to put your feet in the stirrups and investigate. Whether she’s covering libido, contraceptives, labiaplasty, or fertility, Dr. Jackie educates readers with her characteristic grace and pragmatism. Both funny and informative, she brings you on a quest through the female reproductive system—answering all the burning (and itching, and smelling . . .) questions you’ve always been afraid to ask.Dr. Jackie knows that every woman is different, and she’s designed a reading experience that’s tailor-made for each individual. After taking a fun quiz to uncover your own vaginal personality (V.P.), you’ll embark upon an eye-opening journey of self-discovery. Are you a Mary Jane, a Sanctified Snatch, or a Notorious V.A.G.? What’s the shape of your vaginal flower—rosebud, tulip, or carnation? Dr. Jackie reveals the answer and doles out advice so personal you’ll feel like you’re in the office talking to her.For every time you’ve been draped in a paper gown and too embarrassed to ask that question, Dr. Jackie has you covered. Her book is a woman’s guide to self-awareness that will educate, entertain, and empower others to achieve vaginal liberation. It’s a must-read for anyone who owns (or loves) a vagina.“OBGYN Walters, aka the Queen V, delivers a humorous, no-holds-barred lowdown on sex and lady parts . . . Packed with facts, figures, and yes, fun, it’s empowering.” —Booklist
The Queen of Everything
by Deb CalettiPeople ask me all the time what having Vince MacKenzie for a father was like. What they mean is, was he always crazy? High school junior Jordan MacKenzie's life was pretty typical: fractured family, new boyfriend, dead-end job. She'd been living with her father (the predictable optometrist) since her mother (the hippie holdover) had been too embarrassing to be around. Jordan felt like she finally had as normal a life as she could. But then came Gayle D'Angelo. Jordan knew her father was dating Gayle, and that Gayle was married. Jordan knew it was wrong, and that her father was becoming someone she didn't recognize anymore, but what could she do about it? And how could she -- how could anyone -- have possibly guessed that this illicit love affair would implode in such a violent and disturbing way?
The Queen of Fives: A Novel
by Alex HayNothing is quite as it seems in Victorian high society in this clever novel set against the most magnificent wedding of the season, as a mysterious heiress sets her sights on an illustrious London family&“A thrilling and multi-layered story of trickery and deception, truth and lies, poverty and riches, that is sheer delight from start to finish. Absolutely enthralling!&”—Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The AppealA confidence scheme, when properly executed, will follow five movements in close and inviolable order: I. The Mark II. The Intrusion. III. The Ballyhoo. IV. The Knot. V. All In. There may be many counter-strikes along the way, for such is the nature of the game; it contains so many sides, so many endless possibilities...1898. Quinn le Blanc, London&’s most talented con woman, has five days to pull off her most ambitious plot yet: trap a highly eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.Masquerading as the season&’s most enviable debutante, Quinn puts on a brilliant act that earns her entrance into the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society—and propels her straight into the inner circle of her target: the charismatic Kendals. Among those she must convince are the handsome bachelor heir, the rebellious younger sister, and the esteemed duchess eager to see her son married.But the deeper she forges into their world, the more Quinn finds herself tangled in a complicated web of love, lies, and loyalty. The Kendals all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception...&“Audacious, cunning, quick-witted—this is a jewel of a book from the seriously talented Alex Hay. I was rooting for the Queen of Fives from the very first line.&”—Louise Candlish, author of The Other Passenger
The Queen of Hearts
by Kimmery MartinA debut novel set against a background of hospital rounds and life-or-death decisions that pulses with humor and empathy and explores the heart's capacity for forgiveness...Zadie Anson and Emma Colley have been best friends since their early twenties, when they first began navigating serious romantic relationships amid the intensity of medical school. Now they're happily married wives and mothers with successful careers--Zadie as a pediatric cardiologist and Emma as a trauma surgeon. Their lives in Charlotte, North Carolina are chaotic but fulfilling, until the return of a former colleague unearths a secret one of them has been harboring for years. As chief resident, Nick Xenokostas was the center of Zadie's life--both professionally and personally--throughout a tragic chain of events in her third year of medical school that she has long since put behind her. Nick's unexpected reappearance during a time of new professional crisis shocks both women into a deeper look at the difficult choices they made at the beginning of their careers. As it becomes evident that Emma must have known more than she revealed about circumstances that nearly derailed both their lives, Zadie starts to question everything she thought she knew about her closest friend.
The Queen of Hearts: A Novel
by Wilkie CollinsA trio of elderly bachelors plays Cupid in this ingeniously crafted novel by one of the 19th-century's finest storytellers A widowed lawyer named Griffith has been appointed legal guardian of Jessie, a lively young woman. In order for Jessie to claim her inheritance, her late father's will stipulates that she must spend 6 weeks with Griffith each year. Consequently, Jessie travels to a remote part of Wales to the castle where the lawyer and his 2 brothers reside. To everyone's surprise and delight, Jessie and the 3 men get along splendidly. Hoping that she will stay to meet Griffith's son, who is on his way home from the Crimean War, the brothers devise a plan à la Scheherezade: Each night they will tell Jessie a new thrilling story that will enchant her into staying. This ebook features a new introduction from Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Queen of Ocean Parkway
by Sarvenaz TashAn 11-year-old podcaster-turned-sleuth teams up with the new kid in the building to find their missing neighbor! A captivating adventure perfect for fans of When You Reach Me and Only Murders in the Building.Eleven-year-old Roya is the superintendent&’s kid in her regal Brooklyn apartment building, so she knows pretty much everything there is to know about its residents. An aspiring reporter, she even hosts a secret podcast about the lives of the building&’s tenants. It&’s a good distraction from the problems in her own life. But when Katya Petrov, one of her favorite tenants, goes missing, Roya discovers an eerie connection to Grandmother&’s Predictions, an antique fortune-telling machine at Coney Island. "Grandmother" has been linked to multiple disappearances in the Petrov family over the last century. Now, with the help of a new friend who&’s just moved in, it&’s up to Roya to make her own headlines as she searches for Katya and attempts to break the Petrov curse once and for all.
The Queen of Water
by Laura Resau Maria Virginia FarinangoBorn in an Andean village in Ecuador, Virginia lives with her large family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling. In her village of indígenas, it is not uncommon to work in the fields all day, even as a child, or to be called a longa tonta--stupid Indian--by members of the ruling class of mestizos, or Spanish descendants. When seven-year-old Virginia is taken from her village to be a servant to a mestizo couple, she has no idea what the future holds.In this poignant novel based on a true story, acclaimed author Laura Resau has collaborated with María Virginia Farinango to recount one girl's unforgettable journey to self-discovery. Virginia's story will speak to anyone who has ever struggled to find his or her place in the world. It will make you laugh and cry, and ultimately, it will fill you with hope.From the Hardcover edition.
The Queen of the Big Time: A Novel
by Adriana TrigianiKnown and loved around the world for her sweeping Big Stone Gap trilogy and the instant New York Times bestseller Lucia, Lucia, Adriana Trigiani returns to the charm and drama of small-town life with Queens of the Big Time. This heartfelt story of the limits and power of love chronicles the remarkable lives of the Castellucas, an Italian-American family, over the course of three generations. In the late 1800s, the residents of a small village in the Bari region of Italy, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, made a mass migration to the promised land of America. They settled in Roseto, Pennsylvania, and re-created their former lives in their new home–down to the very last detail of who lived next door to whom. The village’s annual celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel–or “the Big Time,” as the occasion is called by the young women who compete to be the pageant’s Queen–is the centerpiece of Roseto’s colorful old-world tradition. The industrious Castellucas farm the land outside Roseto. Nella, the middle daughter of five, aspires to a genteel life “in town,” far from the rigors of farm life, which have taken a toll on her mother and forced her father to take extra work in the slate quarries to make ends meet. But Nella’s dreams of making her own fortune shift when she meets Renato Lanzara, the son of a prominent Roseto family. Renato is a worldly, handsome, devil-may-care poet who has a way with words that makes him irresistible. Their friendship ignites into a fiery romance that Nella is certain will lead to marriage. But Nella is not alone in her pursuit: every girl in town seems to want Renato. When he disappears without explanation, Nella is left with a shattered heart. Four years later, Renato’s sudden return to Roseto the night before Nella’s wedding to the steadfast Franco Zollerano leaves her and the Castelluca family shaken. For although Renato has chosen a path very different from Nella’s, they are fated to live and work in Roseto, where the past hangs over them like a brewing storm. An epic of small-town life, etched in glorious detail in the trademark Trigiani style, The Queen of the Big Time is the story of a determined, passionate woman who can never forget her first love. From the Hardcover edition.