Paula McLain

From the bestselling author of The Paris Wife comes an irresistible story of love, courage and resistance on the streets of Paris – and in the secret network of tunnels that lies beneath 1664: Alouette Voland is the daughter of a master dyer at Paris' famed Gobelins Tapestry Works. With a gift for her craft and a drive to prove she is as good as the male dyers controlling the industry, Alouette dreams of creating her own masterpiece. But her boldness will put everyone she loves at risk. 1939: Kristof Larson is starting his medical residency in the same Parisian neighbourhood once dominated by the tapestry works. The shadows of his past have left him determined to improve conditions for the patients of the infamous Salpetrière asylum. But as war breaks out across Europe and Nazi forces descend on Paris, he could lose his career – and his life. Alouette and Kristof are both ambitious, idealistic and brave. But faced with authorities who will do anything to silence them, the secret web of tunnels lying beneath the shimmering streets of Paris might be their only hope of survival. Skylark is a spellbinding story about defiance and love that beautifully uncovers the hidden history of the City of Light.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife comes a bold combination of true crime, psychology and a hint of the metaphysical. ‘A novel of both great sadness and great beauty; a gripping story drenched in the exquisite allure of the natural world.’ Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale ‘A tour de force of literary suspense. It pulled me under and left me gasping.’ Christina Baker Kline, author of The Exiles ‘Visceral and hauntingly suspenseful.’ Aimee Molloy, author of The Perfect Mother A missing girl. A lost detective. The case that brings them together. Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective living in San Francisco. When unspeakable tragedy strikes, she turns to the Californian village of Mendocino to grieve. Seeking comfort in the chocolate-box village she grew up in, Anna instead arrives to news that a local girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of a crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when an unsolved murder changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna is forced to confront the darkest side of human nature.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK - "A total departure for the author of The Paris Wife, McLain's emotionally intense and exceptionally well-written thriller entwines its fictional crime with real cases."--People (Book of the Week) NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE - "The kind of heart-pounding conclusion that thriller fans crave . . . In the end, a book full of darkness lands with a message of hope."--The New York Times Book Review "This mystery will keep you guessing, and stay with you long after you finish. Dive in."--Daily Skimm Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in. Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives--and our faith in one another.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife comes a bold combination of true crime, psychology and a hint of the metaphysical. ‘A novel of both great sadness and great beauty; a gripping story drenched in the exquisite allure of the natural world.’ Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale ‘A tour de force of literary suspense. It pulled me under and left me gasping.’ Christina Baker Kline, author of The Exiles ‘Visceral and hauntingly suspenseful.’ Aimee Molloy, author of The Perfect Mother A missing girl. A lost detective. The case that brings them together. Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective living in San Francisco. When unspeakable tragedy strikes, she turns to the Californian village of Mendocino to grieve. Seeking comfort in the chocolate-box village she grew up in, Anna instead arrives to news that a local girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of a crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when an unsolved murder changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna is forced to confront the darkest side of human nature.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK - "A total departure for the author of The Paris Wife, McLain's emotionally intense and exceptionally well-written thriller entwines its fictional crime with real cases."--People (Book of the Week) NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE - "The kind of heart-pounding conclusion that thriller fans crave . . . In the end, a book full of darkness lands with a message of hope."--The New York Times Book Review "This mystery will keep you guessing, and stay with you long after you finish. Dive in."--Daily Skimm Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in. Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives--and our faith in one another.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK - "A total departure for the author of The Paris Wife, McLain's emotionally intense and exceptionally well-written thriller entwines its fictional crime with real cases."--People (Book of the Week) NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE - "The kind of heart-pounding conclusion that thriller fans crave . . . In the end, a book full of darkness lands with a message of hope."--The New York Times Book Review "This mystery will keep you guessing, and stay with you long after you finish. Dive in."--Daily Skimm Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in. Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives--and our faith in one another.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK - "A total departure for the author of The Paris Wife, McLain's emotionally intense and exceptionally well-written thriller entwines its fictional crime with real cases."--People (Book of the Week) NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE - "The kind of heart-pounding conclusion that thriller fans crave . . . In the end, a book full of darkness lands with a message of hope."--The New York Times Book Review "This mystery will keep you guessing, and stay with you long after you finish. Dive in."--Daily Skimm Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in. Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives--and our faith in one another.

In 1937, courageous and independent Martha Gellhorn travels to Madrid to report on the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War, and finds herself drawn to the stories of ordinary people caught in devastating conflict. She also finds herself unexpectedly - and uncontrollably - falling in love with Ernest Hemingway, a man already on his way to being a legend. In the shadow of the impending Second World War, and set against the tumultuous backdrops of Madrid, Finland, China, and especially Cuba, where Martha and Hemingway made their home, their relationship and professional careers ignite. But when Hemingway publishes the biggest literary success of his career, they are no longer equals, and Martha must make a choice: surrender to the suffocating demands of a domestic lifestyle, or risk losing her husband by forging her way as her own woman and writer. It is a dilemma that will force her to break his heart, and her own. Based on a true story Martha Gellhorn was one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLLS was dedicated to Martha, and inspired by the time they were together in Spain. It was Hemingway's most successful book to date, it sold half a million copies within months, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and triumphantly reestablished his literary reputation

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A powerful novel of the stormy marriage between Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, a fiercely independent woman who became one of the greatest war correspondents of the twentieth century--from the author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go Dark "Romance, infidelity, war--Paula McLain's powerhouse novel has it all."--Glamour NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post - New York Public Library - Bloomberg - Real Simple In 1937, twenty-eight-year-old Martha Gellhorn travels alone to Madrid to report on the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War and becomes drawn to the stories of ordinary people caught in the devastating conflict. It's her chance to prove herself a worthy journalist in a field dominated by men. There she also finds herself unexpectedly--and unwillingly--falling in love with Ernest Hemingway, a man on his way to becoming a legend. On the eve of World War II, and set against the turbulent backdrops of Madrid and Cuba, Martha and Ernest's relationship and careers ignite. But when Ernest publishes the biggest literary success of his career, For Whom the Bell Tolls, they are no longer equals, and Martha must forge a path as her own woman and writer. Heralded by Ann Patchett as "the new star of historical fiction," Paula McLain brings Gellhorn's story richly to life and captures her as a heroine for the ages: a woman who will risk absolutely everything to find her own voice.

Paula McLain's new novel, LoveRuin, recounts Martha Gellhorn's stormy marriage to Ernest Hemingway, and her painful decision to step out of his shadow and forge her own brilliant career as a war correspondent.

A RICHARDJUDY BOOK CLUB PICKThe author of The Paris Wife takes us to the heart of another true story: set in 1920s colonial Kenya, Circling the Sun is about an unforgettable woman who lives by nobody's rules but her own.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, BOOKPAGE, AND SHELF AWARENESS - "Paula McLain is considered the new star of historical fiction, and for good reason. Fans of The Paris Wife will be captivated by Circling the Sun, which . . . is both beautifully written and utterly engrossing."--Ann Patchett, Country Living This powerful novel transports readers to the breathtaking world of Out of Africa--1920s Kenya--and reveals the extraordinary adventures of Beryl Markham, a woman before her time. Brought to Kenya from England by pioneering parents dreaming of a new life on an African farm, Beryl is raised unconventionally, developing a fierce will and a love of all things wild. But after everything she knows and trusts dissolves, headstrong young Beryl is flung into a string of disastrous relationships, then becomes caught up in a passionate love triangle with the irresistible safari hunter Denys Finch Hatton and the writer Baroness Karen Blixen. Brave and audacious and contradictory, Beryl will risk everything to have Denys's love, but it's ultimately her own heart she must conquer to embrace her true calling and her destiny: to fly.Praise for Circling the Sun"In McLain's confident hands, Beryl Markham crackles to life, and we readers truly understand what made a woman so far ahead of her time believe she had the power to soar."--Jodi Picoult, author of Leaving Time"Enchanting . . . a worthy heir to Isak] Dinesen . . . Like Africa as it's so gorgeously depicted here, this novel will never let you go."--The Boston Globe"Famed aviator Beryl Markham is a novelist's dream. . . . A] wonderful portrait of a complex woman who lived--defiantly--on her own terms."--People (Book of the Week) "Circling the Sun soars."--Newsday "Captivating . . . an] irresistible novel."--The Seattle Times "Like its high-flying subject, Circling the Sun is audacious and glamorous and hard not to be drawn in by. Beryl Markham may have married more than once, but she was nobody's wife."--Entertainment Weekly " An] eloquent evocation of Beryl's daring life."--O: The Oprah Magazine

Beryl Markham vokser opp i Kenya sammen med sin far som er hestetrener, og den innfødte stammen Kipsigis som bor på farens mark etter at moren forlot familien og dro tilbake til England. Hennes ukonvensjonelle oppvekst gjør henne til en modig og sterk ung kvinne, med en sterk vilje og en forkjærlighet for alt som er vilt. Men når alt hun kjenner og elsker faller sammen, blir Beryl kastet inn i en rekke katastrofale forhold. Hun gjør seg kjent som en dyktig hestetrener og begynner å omgås folk i Happy Valley, en bohemsk og ekstravagant gruppe bestående av europeiske immigranter. Til slutt er det den flotte og karismatiske Denys Finch Hatton som redder Beryl og som hjelper henne og lytte til og følge hjertet sitt. Intensiteten i kjærligheten deres skaper problemer og hun blir trukket inn i et kjærlighetsdrama mellom Denys og Karen Blixen som forvirrer henne - helt til hun klarer å samle seg og fokusere på sin ekte lidenskap; flyving. Med det majestetiske afrikanske landskapet fra tidlig 1920-tallet som kulisser, skaper Paula McLain et kraftfull og storslått eventyr om en kvinne før sin tid, lykken over frihet og hva den koster, og besluttsomheten til den menneskelige sjel.

In the long, hot Illinois summer of 1973, insecure, motherless Jamie falls under the dangerous spell of her older, more worldly cousin Fawn, who's come to stay with Jamie and her uncle as penance for committing an "unmentionable act."It is a time of awakenings and corruptions, of tragedy and loss, as Jamie slowly discovers the extent to which Fawn will use anything and anyone to further her own ends--and recognizes, perhaps too late, her own complicity in the disaster that takes shape around them."A captivating story about a teenager's struggle to be accepted by her peers. . . . The story is more than believable--it simply comes alive. The book perfectly captures the free-spirited attitude of the decade and the curiosity of adolescence."--Tampa Tribune"McLain compels as she excavates two tragedies." --Chicago Sun-Times

An astonishing memoir that "demonstrates the true meaning of family" from the author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go Dark, detailing the years Paula McLain and her two sisters spent as foster children after being abandoned by both parents in California in the early 1970s and (Chicago Tribune). As wards of the State, the sisters spent the next 14 years moving from foster home to foster home. The dislocations, confusions, and odd pleasures of an unrooted life form the basis of one of the most compelling memoirs in recent years -- a book the tradition of Jo Ann Beard's The Boys of My Youth and Mary Karr's The Liar's Club. McLain's beautiful writing and limber voice capture the intense loneliness, sadness, and determination of a young girl both on her own and responsible, with her siblings, for staying together as a family.