Secondhand Fiction Bargain Book Box DSH1140

Secondhand Fiction Bargain Book Box

Immerse yourself in this powerful collection of 20 novels and memoirs, featuring compelling narratives driven by complex female characters and covering themes of historical tragedy, difficult moral choices, and the search for identity. This box includes international bestsellers like Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve, evocative historical fiction, and critically acclaimed literary works such as The Shipping News. Explore poignant memoirs, glamorous thrillers, and deep dives into the human heart. Each book is secondhand and may show signs of wear.

1. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
   A poignant and powerful memoir recounting the author’s experience during World War I, where she abandoned her studies at Oxford to serve as a nurse. Brittain details the immense personal cost of the war, as she loses her fiancé, brother, and friends. This moving account is a vital historical document and a profound reflection on pacifism and loss.

2. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
   Set in 17th-century Delft, this historical novel imagines the life of Griet, a young maid in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer. As Griet gradually becomes the subject of one of Vermeer’s most famous paintings, she must navigate the complex, secretive world of the artistic genius and his demanding family. The novel beautifully captures the tension between class, art, and forbidden desire.

3. High Tide by Jude Deveraux
   A woman arrives on a beautiful, secluded island seeking to reconnect with a man from her past, hoping to recapture a magical summer they once shared. Instead, she finds herself entangled in a local mystery involving buried secrets and long-held family feuds. This novel blends romance, mystery, and the allure of a small coastal community.

4. Goddess of Vengeance by Jackie Collins
   The latest thrilling saga from the world of the Santangelo family, focusing on Lucky, the powerful and glamorous heroine. When a shocking new enemy emerges determined to destroy her and steal everything she holds dear, Lucky must use all her cunning and ruthless power to protect her family and exact her vengeance. This is a high-octane tale of sex, money, and power.

5. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
   This Victorian novel of social commentary exposes the brutal hardships faced by the working class in industrial Manchester. Mary Barton, the daughter of a factory worker, is caught between her love for a wealthy mill owner’s son and a man entangled in the dangerous Chartist movement. Gaskell provides a moving, detailed portrait of poverty, conflict, and moral compromise.

6. The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
   After the betrayal and sudden death of his wife, the miserable Quoyle relocates with his two daughters and eccentric aunt to his ancestral home on the desolate coast of Newfoundland. As he struggles to adapt to the harsh environment and takes a job writing the local shipping news, he begins the slow, painful process of rebuilding his life and discovering the meaning of home.

7. Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
   When the daughter of a powerful prosecutor alleges sexual abuse by her former boyfriend, the resulting legal battle threatens to tear the community apart. The truth becomes increasingly elusive as the mother fights to protect her daughter, facing intense public and legal scrutiny. Picoult explores the agonizing difficulty of seeking justice when the lines between truth and memory are blurred.

8. The Anatomist by Federico Andahazi
   Set in 16th-century Italy, this novel is an imaginative historical tale centered on the true discovery of the clitoris by the anatomist Mateo Colón. Driven by scientific curiosity and illicit desire, Colón attempts to prove the organ's existence amidst a repressive society that refuses to acknowledge female pleasure. This sensual story blends history, philosophy, and eroticism.

9. Orpheus Lost by Janette Turner Hospital
   Dr. Mishka Ambrose, a brilliant young mathematician, is unexpectedly arrested and detained in the US under suspicion of terrorist activities due to his Middle Eastern heritage and mysterious background. His sister must embark on a desperate journey to clear his name, entering a dangerous, shadowy world of political paranoia and blurred ethical lines.

10. The War Widow by Tara Moss
    A fast-paced historical thriller set in postwar Sydney, following former war correspondent and now private investigator, Billie Walker. Billie takes on the case of a missing young artist, an investigation that pulls her into the glamorous yet dangerous underbelly of the city, exposing connections to powerful figures and dark wartime secrets.

11. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
    Lily Bloom believes she has found the perfect man in neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, but as their passionate relationship develops, she begins to see glimpses of a darkness she hoped to leave behind. When her first love suddenly reappears, Lily is forced to confront difficult truths about her past and make an agonizing choice about her future.

12. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
    Sage Singer, a young baker with scars, forms an unlikely friendship with Josef Weber, an elderly, beloved man in her community. Josef reveals he was a Nazi SS officer and asks Sage to help him die, forcing her to wrestle with the overwhelming moral dilemma of forgiveness, justice, and revenge. The novel interweaves their story with the dark history of the Holocaust.

13. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
    The Fitzgerald family faces an ethical crisis when their daughter, Anna, sues her parents for medical emancipation. Anna was conceived to serve as a genetic match for her older sister, Kate, who is battling leukemia, requiring Anna to undergo numerous painful procedures. Picoult explores the heartbreaking complexities of parental love, medical ethics, and the right to one's own body.

14. Light on Snow by Anita Shreve
    When a devastating blizzard hits rural Vermont, a teenage girl discovers an abandoned baby in the woods, wrapped in a blanket, next to a cabin and a dead woman. The discovery forces her and her father to confront their own isolated lives and the tragic circumstances of the baby's arrival. This is an emotionally resonant novel about trauma, healing, and unexpected responsibility.

15. Monsoon by Di Morrissey
    Two women, a journalist researching her family history and an environmental activist, find their lives intertwined in the vibrant, wild landscape of Australia's Northern Territory during the dramatic monsoon season. As they navigate the emotional intensity of the weather, they uncover long-hidden secrets linking their families' pasts and the fate of the local land.

16. The Seamstress by Maureen Gibbons
    Set in 1920s Sydney, this historical mystery follows the life of a gifted seamstress working in the city's highest circles of society. When she becomes involved in a scandal surrounding a powerful family, she must use her sharp intellect and knowledge of secrets to navigate danger and protect herself from those who wish to silence her.

17. Body Surfing by Anita Shreve
    When a young woman applies for a job tutoring the teenage son of a wealthy Maine family, she enters a world of intense summer passions and long-held family tension. A sudden, tragic accident further exposes the raw dynamics and secrets held by the family, placing her in a precarious position. Shreve explores the intersection of tragedy, attraction, and vulnerability.

18. Always and Forever by Cathy Kelly
    The story centers on three very different women who meet at an evening class and quickly form an unbreakable bond of friendship. Each woman is struggling with personal challenges—from navigating divorce and career crises to falling in love—and finds strength and support in their shared connection. Kelly delivers a warm, relatable novel about female friendship and resilience.

19. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
    Based on the true story of the American Library in Paris during World War II, the novel follows Odile Souchet, who joins the library staff just as the Nazis invade. As the city falls under occupation, the librarians risk their lives to deliver books to Jewish patrons who are forbidden access. Decades later, a young woman in Montana uncovers the story of Odile's wartime bravery.

20. A Song in the Daylight by Paullina Simons
    Julian, a highly successful businessman, finds his seemingly perfect marriage and life disrupted by the unexpected return of his charismatic and complex first love, Gina. Forced to confront the woman who left him years ago, Julian must choose between the safe, comfortable world he has built and the volatile passion that Gina represents.

21. Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
    Two women, one from Ireland and one from the United States, spontaneously decide to swap homes and lives for the summer. Marilyn, reeling from a devastating personal loss, and Ria, desperately trying to salvage her marriage, find that living in a new environment offers unexpected perspectives and the chance for profound emotional healing. Binchy explores themes of transformation, community, and fresh beginnings.