Most Popular Books by William Boyd

From the internationally bestselling author beloved by readers everywhere, William Boyd offers his most exhilarating novel yet, following a reluctant spy drawn into the shadows of espionage and obsession Gabriel Dax is a young man haunted by the memories of a fire that took his mother’s life. Every night, when sleep finally comes, he dreams about his childhood home in flames. His days are spent on the move as an acclaimed travel writer, capturing the changing landscapes of Europe in the grip of the Cold War. When he is offered the chance to interview Patrice Lumumba, newly elected president of the People’s Republic of the Congo, he finds himself drawn into a web of duplicities and betrayals. Falling under the spell of Faith Green, an enigmatic and ruthlessly efficient MI6 handler, he becomes “her spy,” unable to resist her demands. But amid the peril, paranoia, and passion consuming Gabriel’s new covert life, there will also be revelations closer to home that may change his own story, and the fates of those around him. Traveling from the vibrant streets of sixties London to the sun-soaked cobbles of Cadiz and the frosty squares of Warsaw, Gabriel’s Moon is a remarkable accomplishment from one of our greatest storytellers.

Presents a fictional biography of a young, Abstract Expressionist artist living in the New York City of the 1950s who, after a trip to Europe to meet the masters of twentieth-century art, despairs of his talent and decides to end his life.

Abstract: Contemporary views of disease, its etiology, pathophysiology, and modern techniques of diagnosis are offered for medical students who require an understanding of disease without excessive detail. The important principles of disease are depicted. A total of 26 chapters are grouped under 2 headings: general principles, and disease of various organs. Topics considered under the former include: a cellular view of the body, body functions, disease causes, derangements and disturbances of body fluids and blood flow, the immune system; infection, neoplasia, and genetic disorders. Discussion of organ diseases covers the individual major organs (heart, liver, lungs, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas (including diabetes), kidney and reproductive system), the various body systems (blood, endocrine, lymph, nervous), and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. A section on patient care is included. Over 250 new illustrations, and sections on cardiac, renal, hepatic, and respiratory failure have been added since the last edition. (wz).

From the award-winning author of A Good Man Africa and An Ice-Cream War comes Armadillo, a brilliant satirical noir set in contemporary London. To his colleagues, Lorimer Black, the handsome, mild-mannered insurance adjuster rising through the ranks of his London firm, is known as the guy who has it all: the sleek suits, the enviable status. But when Lorimer arrives at a routine business appointment and finds his client hanging from a water pipe, his life spirals out of control. His company car is blowtorched after he investigates a fire at a luxury hotel. He becomes the fall guy of a new colleague who puts the company in the red and the victim of a vicious attack by the possessive husband of a mysterious actress. As Lorimer becomes increasingly entangled in an apparent conspiracy that involves everyone he knows, his own past comes to light. A brilliant satirical noir, Armadillo confirms Boyd''s place as England''s most versatile, sublime novelist.

"Rich in character and incident, An Ice-Cream War fulfills the ambition of the historical novel at its best." --The New York Times Book Review Booker Prize Finalist "Boyd has more than fulfilled the bright promise of [his] first novel. . . . He is capable not only of some very funny satire but also of seriousness and compassion." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times 1914. In a hotel room in German East Africa, American farmer Walter Smith dreams of Theodore Roosevelt. As he sleeps, a railway passenger swats at flies, regretting her decision to return to the Dark Continent--and to her husband. On a faraway English riverbank, a jealous Felix Cobb watches his brother swim, and curses his sister-in-law-to-be. And in the background of the world''s daily chatter: rumors of an Anglo-German conflict, the likes of which no one has ever seen. In An Ice-Cream War, William Boyd brilliantly evokes the private dramas of a generation upswept by the winds of war. After his German neighbor burns his crops--with an apology and a smile--Walter Smith takes up arms on behalf of Great Britain. And when Felix''s brother marches off to defend British East Africa, he pursues, against his better judgment, a forbidden love affair. As the sons of the world match wits and weapons on a continent thousands of miles from home, desperation makes bedfellows of enemies and traitors of friends and family. By turns comic and quietly wise, An Ice-Cream War deftly renders lives capsized by violence, chance, and the irrepressible human capacity for love. "Funny, assured, and cleanly, expansively told, a seriocomic romp. Boyd gives us studies of people caught in the side pockets of calamity and dramatizes their plights with humor, detail and grit." --Harper''s "Boyd has crafted a quiet, seamless prose in which story and characters flow effortlessly out of a fertile imagination. . . . The reader emerges deeply moved." --Newsday

This new collection of eleven stories by the author of The Blue Afternoon takes readers back in time from a contemporary Hollywood film shoot to World War I in Vienna, introducing an unforgettable cast of characters. Artful, witty, moving, The Destiny of Nathalie X is a confirmation of Boyd''s standing as a master storyteller. 208 pp. Author tour. 15,000 print.

Short story. Time Travel. just for fun and not a long read. No grammar police.

Born into Edwardian England, Amory Clay’s first memory is of her father standing on his head. She has memories of him returning on leave during the First World War. But his absences, both actual and emotional, are what she chiefly remembers. It is her photographer uncle Greville who supplies the emotional bond she needs, who, when he gives her a camera and some rudimentary lessons in photography, unleashes a passion that will irrevocably shape her future. A spell at boarding school ends abruptly and Amory begins an apprenticeship with Greville in London, photographing socialites for the magazine Beau Monde. But Amory is hungry for more and her search for life, love and artistic expression will take her to the demi monde of Berlin of the late ’20s, to New York of the ’30s, to the blackshirt riots in London, and to France in the Second World War, where she becomes one of the first women war photographers. Her desire for experience will lead Amory to further wars, to lovers, husbands and children as she continues to pursue her dreams and battle her demons. In this enthralling story of a life fully lived, illustrated with “found” period photographs, William Boyd has created a sweeping panorama of some of the most defining moments of modern history, told through the camera lens of one unforgettable woman, Amory Clay. It is his greatest achievement to date.

Es ist der Sommer 1968: In Paris gehen die Studenten auf die Straße, in Vietnam wütet der Krieg, Martin Luther King wird ermordet. Während die Welt in Aufruhr ist, wird im sonnigen Brighton ein aparter Kinofilm gedreht. Hier kreuzen sich die Wege eines Filmproduzenten, einer Schriftstellerin und einer Schauspielerin. Alle drei führen ein Doppelleben: Elfrida, der keine Zeile mehr einfällt und deren Ehe zerrüttet ist, ertränkt ihren Frust in Wodka. Talbot, der Filmproduzent, hat ein geheimes Hobby und macht gute Miene zum bösen Spiel, denn er weiß, dass sein Geschäftspartner versucht ihn auszubooten. In Anny, die umwerfende Hauptdarstellerin, ist die ganze Welt verliebt, aber ihre Liebschaften bereiten dem Filmstar nur Scherereien: Sie hat eine Affäre mit ihrem Filmpartner, und natürlich taucht ihr Liebhaber, ein Philosoph aus Paris, überraschend am Set auf. Außerdem sitzt Anny ihr Ex-Mann im Nacken – und das FBI. Während die Dreharbeiten bei scheinbar ausgelassener Stimmung voranschreiten, rumort es hinter den Kulissen gewaltig. Die Geheimnisse des Trios drohen aufzufliegen. Wie lange kann jeder seine Rolle spielen? Und wer inszeniert das größte Drama?

FICTION NOVEL