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books
mns 2009-11-01 07:36 books
Due out mid November 2009
mns 2008-01-31 10:52 books
This novella is part of the Open Door Series (New Island Books) and was published in March 2008. http://www.newisland.ie/node/325
mns 2006-01-09 15:04 books
The Lost Garden came out in hardcover - March 2006, and in paperback in June 2006. The Lost Garden is a tale of survival and self-discovery. The face Esme Waters presents to the world is not the face she sees in the mirror. Even her three daughters don't know the truth behind her careful smile. But a chance meeting with a psychiatrist in Paris opens the first crack in Esme's mind. While her own children are falling in love, learning about loyalty and rebelling against the rules, Esme discovers that sometimes the walls you build for protection need to come tumbling down... They said: '... a beautifully crafted story by a very gifted writer.' Sunday World Magazine '.... had me laughing out loud.' Ireland on Sunday 'Complex and elegantly written.' Sunday Independent 'Stanley's sensitive and heartfelt writing shines through in The Lost Garden.' Belfast News Letter Special Supplement 'A clever novel. A charming read.' Nottingham Evening Post Full details are available from my agent Caroline Montgomery.
mns 2004-12-18 16:51 books
"The drone of engines kept him rooted to the spot as the German plane headed straight for the Irish mountains. They were lost there, my father, one of my sisters and the pilot, when the plane plunged directly into the hillside..." The children who survive that terrible night try to leave the past behind, but it will not let them go. As Amelia and Mattie search for a place to call home, they accidentally uncover the cruellest secret of all... The story moves from 1940s Ireland through post-war England to golden Malta on a seemingly endless search for peace and happiness.
Full details are available from my agent Caroline Montgomery. You can also check out Amazon.co.uk's page for Searching for Home. They said: This book is beautifully written, achingly poignant, dark-edged but tempered with humour. Irish Independent. Stanley lures you in with a big event, then drags you through the dark recesses of memory, usually through a child’s eyes, until you emerge blinking and perhaps laughing at the other end. Daily Ireland. Stanley effectively develops the theme of displacement in a well-written novel that will grip the reader to the very last page. Ireland on Sunday. This novel by Mary Stanley is one of the best books I had read this year. Stanley explores the sense of isolation and loneliness in a subtle, yet effective way. A fantastic book by a fantastic author. The Irish World, London. Once you start reading this, you won’t want to stop. Belfast News. A poignant and perceptive novel. Eastbourne & District Advertiser. Mary Stanley’s new novel is a beautifully observant tale about survival, self-discovery and falling in love. Ireland Book Review. The Radio Advertisement for Searching for Home is available for download from this link.
mns 2004-11-16 09:46 books
I began writing Retreat in March 2000 and finished it in September that year. It was published in 2001 by Headline Book Publishing Ltd. Synopsis 'Come Monday morning after breakfast, silence will commence. It will continue until the following Saturday morning. That gives you five full days of contemplation and prayer. As usual, leaving the Sister Chapel and its grounds is forbidden and, of course, Sutherland Square is expressly out of bounds.' Such are the rules of the annual Retreat imposed on the teenage boarders at St Martins convent school in Dublin 2. But for some of them, these rules are made to be broken. Kitty, Mary, Bernadette, Bridie and Treasa are five girls from very different backgrounds, united by their need to break out from the often cruel constraints of convent life - and by an experience too awful to talk about until they are adults. The Critics said: 'Poignant, compelling and humorous, Retreat is an unforgettable read about friendship, support and the loss of innocence.' Ireland Book Review'The pages turn with ease.'
'Warm, and even at its darkest, never entirely black. An
engrossing read.'
'Engaging and funny'
Available from bookshops and online at Amazon.co.uk. A large print edition has been published by Thorpe. Retreat is translated as Die Schule der Schweigenden (literally, The School of the Silent Ones) in Germany, published by Schneekluth and available from bookshops and online at Amazon.de It is translated as Tavshedens Pris (The Price of Silence) in Denmark, and available from bookshops. It is published in Turkish by Dogan Kitapcilik as Masumiyet Asla Geri Gelmez A.S. Full details are available from my agent Caroline Montgomery.
mns 2004-11-16 09:46 books
Missing was published in September 2002 by Review Books Ltd., an imprint of Headline. Synopsis 'To the outside world we were this perfectly contented happy family - a mother, a father and three little girls. And the truth? Really it was a conspiracy of silence - everyone living a life on the surface while undemeath reality bubbles away' - until the day that it blows up John and Elizabeth Dunville believe they have the ideal family. Their three daughters - beautiful, vivacious Baby, clever, industrious Becky, and lively, if mischievous, Brona - attend Dublin's most prestigious convent school, and all have bright futures. But denial and deception go hand in hand, and one night, one of the girls slips out into the December fog, and doesn't come home. They said: The Big Issue in the North 'MISSING is a perceptive and poignant novel exploring the ramifications of loss and abandonment with compassion and a wry, perfectly pitched wit' Sunday World, Dublin'Mary Stanley creates a fascinating story that is full of intrigue with disturbing and dark moments' Glasgow Evening Times 'A gripping and mesmerising novel. Skilfully written with bursts of humour, Stanley weaves a compelling web of deception and intrigue' Sunday Business Post, Dublin 'Touching, intriguing and often humorous' Available from bookshops and online from Amazon.co.uk. It has been published in a large print edition by Magna, and is available on audio-cassette. It was translated and published in Denmark as Savnet . See Cicero's website. It is published in Germany by Knaur as Ohne Eine Spur. Stephen Cashmore and I have written a film script of Missing, entitled Acts of Contrition. Full details are available from my agent Caroline Montgomery.
mns 2004-11-16 09:45 books
Revenge was published in Hardcover in September 2003 and in paperback in March 2004 by Review Books Ltd. Review is an imprint of Headline. It is the story of three sisters, and their relationship with their parents and their grandmother. It is also a story of love and betrayal, and of hope in the face of an appalling crime which is committed on one of the children. They said: 'Stunningly written... thought provoking....
compassionate... spellbinding'
'Mary Stanley is an exciting writer, accomplished,
stylish, and imaginative'
'Stanley is a writer of substance, a mature and engaging
voice in a sea of frothy chicklit'
'I wanted to bottle up her wit and wisdom for my rainy
days'
'A great read.'
It is available in large print in English, published by Magna.
It is also being translated into Danish and will be published by Cicero. Full details are available from my agent Caroline Montgomery.  |
Lucy Benedict is eight years old. Her older brother Paul likes to tease her. One day he ties her to a tree and leaves her there. She faints in the heat of the sun, and then she sees an angel. The angel looks just like her, and she sings beautifully. When Lucy wakes up in hospital she knows the angel is real. She has to have yet another operation on her back, but she isn't frightened any more.
