Stories of Motherhood gathers together more than a century of short fiction from a wide variety of authors in a literary celebration of the most elemental of human relationships. Willa Cather, Edith Wharton, Sherwood Anderson, Elizabeth Bowen, Anita Desai, Colm Toibin, Lorrie Moore and many others write memorably about mothers – having, leaving, loving and losing them – in stories lyrical and satirical, realistic and fantastic, hilarious and heartbreaking.

A stunning new collection of short stories about motherhood, selected and introduced by Candice Brathwaite. The story of motherhood is an endlessly rich one: it's one of love - and all the highs and lows that come with that world-turning emotion - and, in the purest sense, of life itself. Within these pages, some of the finest writers in the world explore motherhood in wildly varying modes, from single parenthood to sisters coparenting, from the deepest hardships to the biggest celebrations. Selected and introduced by Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother. Stories by Lydia Davis, Anita Desai, Mary Gaitskill, Tessa Hadley, Jamaica Kincaid, Toni Morrison, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Irenosen Okojie, Casey Plett, Tabitha Siklos, Helen Simpson, Ali Smith

an Observer book of the year an Evening Standard book of the year The first-ever collection of short stories from Jeffrey Eugenides, the bestselling author of Middlesex, The Virgin Suicides and The Marriage Plot, explores characters in the midst of personal and national emergencies. Kendall has failed as a poet, and now embezzlement seems like his next-best career option. Rebecca has failed to find customers for her mouse figurines, now the bailiffs are coming for her husband. Diane has failed to meet `the one', but is thrilled to have found her path to motherhood through a turkey baster. With his trademark humour, compassion and complex understanding of what it is to be human, Jeffrey Eugenides' stories elevate muddling through into something triumphant.

Enjoy Helen Simpson's sharply funny, humane take on the everyday joys and struggles of motherhood in this perfect Mother's Day gift. Welcome to motherhood - a land of aching fatigue, constant self-sacrifice and thankless servitude, a land of bottomless devotion, small hands and feet like warm pink roses, and velvet kisses. Here is a land where men and women, once carefree and engrossed in work and sex, now try to solve age-old arguments and search fruitlessly for another hour in the day. Perhaps you know this land well, or perhaps you're entering it for the first time - either way, you need these honest funny humane stories from an expert guide. Selected from Helen Simpson's short story collections Dear George, Hey Yeah Right Get a Life and Constitutional

A pregnant mother of two finds herself increasingly in thrall to her help, Nat. For Joad, the discovery of a haunting typewritten document in an old desk in need of restoration is overwhelming. And when Roxanne rescues her sister from an institution, she comes to realise how vulnerable they both are. Deftly navigating the fault lines of relationships – new, established or remembered – Total is a powerful collection of brilliantly imaginative stories. From the comforting mundanities of motherhood to a technologically infected near future that mirrors our present with dark prescience, each life captured in this collection is unforgettable.

One question. One choice. Nine paths to the rest of her life… One day, Rose Napolitano's marriage ends. Her husband wants a baby - but motherhood has never been part of the plan. One day, Rose Napolitano's marriage survives. She loves her husband. Could she reimagine her future? One day. One fight. Nine different lives. Following the butterfly effect of one life-defining choice, nine times over, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano winds through all the paths and decisions that shape a life. It cuts to the heart of what it means to be a woman. Every expectation, every choice, every path, every outcome - every piece of oneself that's lost and found along the way… For every woman there are many stories. These are Rose's.

A gift book for your mother, a lifetime of precious memories for you Mum, Tell Me is a gift book that gives you the chance to ask your mother all those questions you'd always wondered about, and plenty you hadn't. Questions like - What did you want to be when you grew up? - Did you ever have your heart broken? - What is one of the most beautiful or special things you've achieved in life? - How did motherhood change you? Once she's answered them, she gives the book back to you. And you'll be left with a lasting chronicle of your mum's memories, dreams, wishes and stories; a personal keepsake to treasure.

In the year of 1413, two women meet for the first time in the city of Norwich. Margery has left her fourteen children and husband behind to make her journey. Her visions of Christ – which have long alienated her from her family and neighbours, and incurred her husband's abuse – have placed her in danger with the men of the Church, who have begun to hound her as a heretic. Julian, an anchoress, has not left Norwich, nor the cell to which she has been confined, for twenty-­three years. She has told no one of her own visions – and knows that time is running out for her to do so. The two women have stories to tell one another. Stories about girlhood, motherhood, sickness, loss, doubt and belief; revelations more powerful than the world is ready to hear. Their meeting will change everything. Sensual, vivid and humane, For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain cracks history open to reveal the lives of two extraordinary women.

A radical new examination of the transition into motherhood and how it affects the mind, brain and body During pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood, women undergo a far-reaching physiological, psychological and social metamorphosis. There is no other time in a human's life course that entails such dramatic change-other than adolescence. And yet this life-altering transition has been sorely neglected by science, medicine and philosophy. Its seismic effects go largely unrepresented across literature and the arts. Speaking about motherhood as anything other than a pastel-hued dream remains, for the most part, taboo. In this ground-breaking, deeply personal investigation, acclaimed journalist and author Lucy Jones brings to light the emerging concept of 'matrescence'. Drawing on new research across various fields - neuroscience and evolutionary biology; psychoanalysis and existential therapy; sociology, economics and ecology - Jones shows how the changes in the maternal mind, brain and body are far more profound, wild and enduring than we have been led to believe. She reveals the dangerous consequences of our neglect of the maternal experience and interrogates the patriarchal and capitalist systems that have created the untenable situation mothers face today. Here is an urgent examination of the modern institution of motherhood, which seeks to unshackle all parents from oppressive social norms. As it deepens our understanding of matrescence, it raises vital questions about motherhood and femininity; interdependence and individual identity; as well as about our relationships with each other and the living world.

'God, when will you create a woman who will be fulfilled in herself, a full human being, not anybody's appendage? ... when will I be free?' There is no greater honour for a woman in an Ibo village than to have children - especially sons. Unable to conceive in her first marriage, Nnu Ego is sent away to a new husband in the city of Lagos, where she finally succeeds in becoming a mother. But things are changing, and a war that unfolds thousands of miles away threatens her family's fortunes and her entire way of life. In a world where motherhood is everything, what will be left for her at the end of it all?

A country torn apart by war. A woman fighting for her future... Ely, 1643. England is convulsed by Civil War, setting King against Parliament and neighbour against neighbour. As the turmoil reaches her family home in Ely, 19-year-old Bridget Cromwell finds herself at the heart of the conflict. With her father's star on the rise as a cavalry commander for the rebellious Parliament, Bridget has her own ambitions for a life beyond marriage and motherhood. And as fractures appear in her own family with the wilful, beautiful younger sister Betty, Bridget faces a choice: to follow her heart, or to marry for power and influence, and fight for a revolution that will change history... A gripping evocation of the Civil War, and the hidden stories of women at the heart of power... Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory and Anne O'Brien

A beautiful book of illustrated Bible stories, retold by the world's best-loved cleric. Nobel prizewinner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, re-tells over fifty of his favourite Bible stories for an audience of young readers. From classics such as the stories of Noah and the calming of the storm, to less-known stories such as Naboth's Vineyard or Ruth, the Archbishop makes these time-honoured stories come to life in his own inimitable voice. The book has a truly international flavour, with illustrators from around the world contributing their interpretations of the stories. The result is a glorious, and great value, package that will inspire a generation of children - and their carers.

In Clothes… and other things that matter, Alexandra Shulman delves into her own life to look at the emotions, ambitions, expectations and meanings behind the way we dress. From the bra to the bikini, the trench coat to trainers, the slip dress to the suit, she explores their meaning in women's lives and how our wardrobes intersect with the larger world - the career ladder, motherhood, romance, sexual identity, ambition, failure, body image and celebrity. By turns funny, refreshingly self-deprecating and often very moving, this startlingly honest memoir from the ex-Editor of British Vogue will encourage women of all ages to consider what their own clothes mean to them, the life they live in them and the stories they tell.

The Collection of Chinese Short Stories series consists of stories tailored for beginners of Chinese language learning worldwide, with English explanations for new words. The series contains four books and each book includes 20 stories with illustrations. The stories can be categorized into humorous stories, celebrity anecdotes, philosophical stories, love stories, etc., all of which are fun to read. Each book contains no more than 1200 vocabulary words, and each story is 450 to 600 characters in length with only five to ten new words. At the end of each story, there is also pinyin for the full text and exercises to facilitate learners' understanding.

The Collection of Chinese Short Stories series consists of stories tailored for beginners of Chinese language learning worldwide, with English explanations for new words. The series contains four books and each book includes 20 stories with illustrations. The stories can be categorized into humorous stories, celebrity anecdotes, philosophical stories, love stories, etc., all of which are fun to read. Each book contains no more than 1200 vocabulary words, and each story is 450 to 600 characters in length with only five to ten new words. At the end of each story, there is also pinyin for the full text and exercises to facilitate learners’ understanding.

The Collection of Chinese Short Stories series consists of stories tailored for beginners of Chinese language learning worldwide, with English explanations for new words. The series contains four books and each book includes 20 stories with illustrations. The stories can be categorized into humorous stories, celebrity anecdotes, philosophical stories, love stories, etc., all of which are fun to read. Each book contains no more than 1200 vocabulary words, and each story is 450 to 600 characters in length with only five to ten new words. At the end of each story, there is also pinyin for the full text and exercises to facilitate learners' understanding.