Valentine Leÿs Bücher

From cultural icon Margaret Atwood comes a brilliant collection of essays -- funny, erudite, endlessly curious, uncannily prescient -- which seek answers to Burning Questions such as- Why do people everywhere, in all cultures, tell stories? How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating? How can we live on our planet? Is it true? And is it fair? What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism? In over fifty pieces Atwood aims her prodigious intellect and impish humour at the world, and reports back to us on what she finds. The roller-coaster period covered in the collection brought an end to the end of history, a financial crash, the rise of Trump and a pandemic. From debt to tech, the climate crisis to freedom; from when to dispense advice to the young (answer- only when asked) to how to define granola, we have no better guide to the many and varied mysteries of our universe.

In the novel "The Armament of Light," a long-awaited continuation of "The Pillars of the Earth," the English town of Kingsbridge stands on the brink of a new era, where progress clashes with tradition, class struggle permeates all layers of society, and the European continent is engulfed in war. The invention of the weaving machine in 1770 heralds a new age of production and industry, transforming human lives beyond recognition within a single generation. A worker tragically dies in a workplace accident, leaving behind a widow and child, while a young woman strives to save a school for impoverished children. A well-meaning young man unexpectedly inherits a failing business, and another fights to protect his property at all costs. Meanwhile, battle cries from France echo as Napoleon Bonaparte declares himself the sole emperor of the world. Revolutionary changes impact the lives of the characters, who must confront an uncertain future and rebuild their world from the ashes of war. Through richly drawn characters, the narrative explores the struggle between compassion and greed, love and hate, progress and tradition.