Showing results by narrator "Jenny Funnell" in All Categories

In her apron and rubber gloves, the woman of the Fifties has become a cultural symbol of all that we are most grateful to have sloughed off. But what if there was another side to the story? In Her Brilliant Career, Rachel Cooke tells the story of ten extraordinary women whose pioneering professional lives - and complicated private lives - paved the way for future generations.

Muriel, a former bestselling romantic novelist, and Ruth, a journalist, are best friends. Inseparable since they were little, they’ve shared everything; unable to be without each other, even after the most vicious of fights. Now fate has left them living together in a North London home, with Ruth caring for Muriel in her deteriorating health, playing Scrabble, arguing and making up, passing the days in monotony, ignoring the scars of their relationship.

July 1948: As Britain recovers from WWII, Annie Royal is looking to the future. Recently married to Henry, and with a baby on the way, she and her new husband are happily settled in the seaside town of Worthing. But a knock at the door brings Annie's world crashing down. On her doorstep stands Sarah and her two young children. As they talk, Sarah reveals that she is Henry's wife - and she has been searching for him since he walked out on their family a year ago.

As the Easter weekend approaches, feline detectives Hettie Bagshot and Tilly Jenkins are called to investigate the murder of local radio DJ Hartley Battenberg. Bowled over by the prospect of a bake-off competition, a cricket match and an outdoor screening of The Sound of Music, Hettie and Tilly struggle through a sea of trifle to catch out a killer.

Kayla Sinclair knows she's in trouble when she almost bankrupts herself to buy a portrait of a mysterious eighteenth century man. Jago Kerswell, inn-keeper and smuggler, will take any risk to be with Lady Eliza Marcombe. Over two centuries separate Kayla and Jago, but thanks to a gypsy's spell, their lives become inextricably linked. Kayla finds herself on a quest that could heal the past, but will she find heartache or happiness?

Maddie Browne thought she’d grown out of the recurring nightmare that plagued her as a child - the swing in the garden, the kind red-haired giant and the arms that grab her from behind and try to take her away.… Trying to move on, Maddie travels to Devon, but a disturbing encounter with a gypsy fortune teller, removes all hope of relaxation. And then there’s the fact that Maddie’s dream seems to be coming true.

The constant theme running through this collection of short stories, the first collection by A. S. Byatt, is that of repetition, taking the form of family patterns recurring across generations, the return of the past in the form of ghosts and the disruptive force of family stories. A. S. Byatt was the winner of the Silver Pen Award for her novel Still Life (1986). Her other novels include Shadow of a Sun, The Game (1983) and The Virgin in the Garden (1981).

A groundbreaking account of what it was like to live in a Victorian body from one of our best historians, author of The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beeton and George Eliot: The Last Victorian. Why did the great philosophical novelist George Eliot feel so self-conscious that her right hand was larger than her left? Exactly what made Darwin grow that iconic beard in 1862, a good five years after his contemporaries had all retired their razors?

Hettie and Tilly are invited to host a Christmas Eve murder mystery aboard the Santa Claws Express. No sooner has the train left the station at Mogbury-on-the-Tilt than our two feline detectives are caught up in a murderous family feud between the Shuttles and the Stokers. Is the ghost of Hornby Stoker haunting the line? Are there enough sausage rolls in the Biscuit Jar Buffet? Who will hit the buffers at Hissingford Holt? And will Hettie and Tilly's Christmas be derailed?

1939. War has broken out - hundreds of children are evacuated to the countryside to keep them safe from the bombs raining down on London. Wrenched from her family in the East End and sent more than a hundred miles away, seven-year-old Pearl Posner must adapt to a new life away from everything familiar. Vivienne didn’t ask for an evacuee child. In fact, she’s not sure her heart can take it. So many years, so many disappointments....

Lawrence and Jo have enjoyed a strong marriage, the envy of their friends. Even after 30 years they have lots to say to each other, many interests in common, and, until recently, a good sex life. But Lawrence seems wary and restless. Something's wrong. Just how wrong, Jo is about to discover... Can they use their years of history - all the things they've shared - to overcome a devastating betrayal?

Within these pages, Glenn Harrold explains exactly how you can supercharge your powers to attract all that you want in your life. This book addresses the important issues of simplicity, action, and inner peace. It is a thought-provoking guide that will take you step by step through the processes of defining your dreams, goals, and desires. Along the way, and by using Glenn's hypnosis techniques, you will gain a greater understanding of yourself - a sense of who you really are and why you are here.

'Have you met them yet, the new couple?' When Gav and Lou move into the house next door, Sara spends days plucking up courage to say hello. The neighbours are glamorous, chaotic and just a little eccentric. They make the rest of Sara's street seem dull by comparison. When the hand of friendship is extended, Sara is delighted and flattered. Incredibly, Gav and Lou seem to see something in Sara and Neil that they admire, too.

Will and Flo Sutherland have found themselves, and each other, in colonial India, but as the war and the age of empire draws to a close, they make their way back to England. There, they and their young family attempt to fashion a new life for themselves in rural Devon, but managing a farm proves harsher than anticipated. Through all the misunderstandings and heartache, this less-than-perfect family remain committed to one another above all things.

One moment Selena Cole is on the playground with her children, and the next she has vanished without a trace. A woman returns 20 hours later. Selena is found safe and well, but with no memory of where she has been. What took place in those missing hours, and are they linked to the discovery of a nearby murder?

For eight years Flora's love affair with Fin was a whirlwind of fun and spontaneity - but when Flora wanted to settle down and have children, Fin vanished. Life moved on and Flora's world filled with other people, other cares. There were benefits to being single - no socks under the bed, no mess in the bathroom - even if the memory of Fin could never be completely erased. But then suddenly, shockingly, Fin reappears. He's a changed man, he says, and her wants her back. Is this a chance to put right the wrongs? Or a massive mistake?

Kat is rebuilding her life. After losing her husband in a tragic accident, moving to the countryside is her chance to start again. Encouraged by her new and only friend Ginny, Kat joins New Horizons, dubbed the Coffin Club by its members. And that’s how she meets Nico. Instantly drawn to each other, Nico seems like Kat’s perfect match. He is kind, caring, handsome and, most importantly, a father to five-year-old Magdalena. This could be Kat’s shot at the one thing she has always wanted: to be a mother.

Previously published as For Better for Worse. A dramatic listen from Sunday Times best seller Pam Weaver, filled with bigamy, scandal and friendships which bring hope in the darkness. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Maureen Lee. July 1948. As Britain recovers from WWII, Annie Royal is looking to the future. Recently married to Henry, and with a baby on the way, she and her new husband are happily settled in the seaside town of Worthing. But a knock at the door brings Annie's world crashing down.

She can run. But can she hide? Helen Graham is a new arrival in a tiny Yorkshire village, renting dilapidated Wildfell Hall. The villagers are intensely curious - what makes her so jumpy, and why is she so evasive? Their interest is Helen's worst nightmare. Looking over her shoulder every day, she tries to piece together her past before it can catch up with her.

Madison Albi is a scientist with a very special talent - for reading minds. When she stumbles across a homeless man with whom she feels an inexplicable connection, she can't resist the dangerous impulse to use her skills to help him. But as she delves deeper into J’s mind, it becomes clear that some secrets are better off staying hidden. Is J really the man Madison believes him to be?