Showing results by narrator "Tania Rodrigues" in All Categories

London, 1939. Orphan Clara Knight is haunted by childhood memories of her house being bombed and fire raining from the sky - she was miraculously pulled from the rubble, finding herself all alone. Determined to make a difference with her life, she has found solace in nursing and helping others. When the storm clouds of war return and a tragically injured soldier arrives at the hospital, Clara is instantly drawn to him and the stories he shares. When Clara falls pregnant, the growing life inside her is a glimmer of hope: she will finally have a family of her own again.

Xanthe loves visiting her grandmother in her tower-block flat with its lush rooftop garden. And when Nani is diagnosed with dementia, Xanthe is determined to help her remember who she is, and her family history. A mysterious cat leads Xanthe to some unexpected answers: secret mementoes from Nani's past reveal her as a girl who, long ago, was forced to leave everything she loved behind.

From Paris to Prague, from the past to the present, authors and artists say farewell in this unique collection. In this audiobook you'll find personal letters, reminiscences, poetry, art and brand new fiction from some of the most talented and important voices at work today, including Jessie Burton, Alain de Botton, Matt Haig, Richard Herring, Owen Jones, Mark Kermode, Robert Macfarlane, Kate Mosse, Chris Riddell, Lionel Shriver and many others.

Aisha is a 13-year-old refugee. When she finds she’s being sent to a new foster family, she runs away, seeking shelter in the nearby woods. Twelve-year-old Zak is trying to cope with his parents' divorce. He starts researching the history behind his house, which leads him to an old air-raid shelter in the same woods. Both children meet in the heart of the ancient woodland, and unexpected bonds are formed....

After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

The publishing house of John Murray was founded in Fleet Street in 1768 and remained a family firm over seven generations. Published to coincide with this remarkable achievement' and in the anniversary year, Dear Mr Murray is a collection of some of the best letters from the hundreds of thousands held in the John Murray Archive. They reveal not only the story of some of the most interesting and influential books in history but also the remarkable friendships - as well as occasional animosities - between author and publisher as well as readers, editors, printers and illustrators.

We have long understood the Industrial Revolution as a triumphant story of innovation and technology. Empire of Guns, is a rich and ambitious new book by award-winning historian Priya Satia, which upends this conventional wisdom by placing war and Britain’s prosperous gun trade at the heart of the Industrial Revolution and the state’s imperial expansion. Satia brings to life this bustling industrial society with the story of a scandal: Samuel Galton of Birmingham, one of Britain’s most prominent gun makers, was condemned by his fellow Quakers that his profession violated their pacifist principles.

The Complete Katherine Mansfield Collection contains the five volumes of short stories written by Mansfield between 1911 and 1924 which established her as one of the best short story writers of her generation, as-well as the only novel she ever penned: The Aloe. Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) was a New Zealand-born English writer, famous for her expertly observed short stories. She had a great influence on the development of the short story as a form of literature.

You and me, we have history. We have a child together. We have kept secrets from each other for far too long. This summer, in the beautiful hills of the Dordogne, it is time for everything to change. You Me Everything is a heartfelt and unforgettable story about the lengths we are prepared to go to for those we love. Guaranteed to make you laugh and cry, this is a novel you will never forget.

In a quiet suburb of New Delhi, two next-door neighbors develop a friendship: one, a young woman engaged to be married, and the other, Nadine: a woman in her 60s living with her second husband. We follow these two women through their phone calls and visits together, diving deeper into Nadine's storied past: With her larger-than-life personality and proclivity to defy society's conventions, her insight weighs heavily on her young friend, about to face a major turning point of her own.

One queue. 250,000 people. Twenty-four life-changing hours. A young boy wearing a cereal box crown, impatiently dragging his mother behind him. A friendly man in a khaki raincoat, talking about his beloved Leeds United to anyone who will listen. An elderly woman who has lived her life alongside the Queen, and is just hoping she'll make it to the end of the queue to say goodbye. And among them, a British Indian mother and daughter, driven apart by their differences, embarking on a pilgrimage which neither of them yet know will change their lives forever.

Vauhini Vara's debut novel begins in India in the 1950s, following a young man born into a Dalit family of coconut farmers in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh. King Rao, as he comes to be known, later moves to the US, where he studies in Seattle, meeting the love of his life and his business partner, the smart and self-assured Margie. King Rao ultimately rises up through Silicon Valley to become the most famous tech CEO in the world and the leader of a powerful, corporate-owned global government. Yet he ultimately ends up living on a remote island.

Meili, a young peasant woman living in the remote heart of China, is married to Kongzi, a distant descendant of Confucius. Desperate for a son to carry on his illustrious family line, Kongzi gets Meili pregnant without waiting for official permission. When family planning officers storm the village to arrest violators of the population control policy, the family escape to the Yangtze River and begin a fugitive life.

Renuka Sharma is a dutiful wife, mother, and daughter-in-law holding the fort in a modest rental in Delhi while her husband tries to rack up savings in Dubai. Working as a receptionist and committed to finding a place for her family in the new Indian dream of air-conditioned malls and high-paid jobs at multinationals, life is going as planned until the day she strikes up a conversation with an uncommonly self-possessed stranger at a Metro station.

Sara, a therapist, always thought her husband, Mike, died in Afghanistan - but when she learns he was actually killed in India, her desire to uncover the truth leads her to a clinic in New Delhi. Once in India Sara is dazzled by the country's culture and its people. At the clinic she grows close to both her patient Pritti and a bewitching, low-caste driver named Hemant. Yet Sara finds herself increasingly appalled at the treatment of women; in this country of old traditions and new opportunities, so much remains shocking or forbidden.

Reeva Mehta is thriving. Consumed in her career as one of London's top divorce lawyers, she doesn't bat an eyelid when her mum calls to tell her that her dad is dead. Because he's been dead since she was five...hasn't he? If finding out her dad was alive - until last week - wasn't bad enough, his last request was for his daughters to spend fourteen days in mourning at his house. Which means Reeva must spend a fortnight stuck with the people who betrayed her when she needed them the most - her sisters.

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. And when Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn't really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together.

This beautiful and inspiring book tells the stories of 80 birds around the world: from the sociable weaver bird in Namibia which constructs huge multi-nest 'apartment blocks' in the desert, to the bar-headed goose of China, one of the highest-flying migrants which crosses the Himalayas twice a year.

Salma Khatun is extremely hopeful about Blenheim, the safe suburban development to which she, her husband and their son have just moved. Their family is in desperate need of a fresh start, and Blenheim feels like the place to make that happen. Not long after they move in, Salma spots her neighbour, Tom Hutton, ripping out the anti-racist banner her son put in their front garden. She chooses not to confront Tom because she wants to fit in. It's a small thing, really. No need to make a fuss.

This is a story about Hannah. She seems shy. Some would even say spiky. People don't pay much attention to Hannah. Which is exactly how she's planned it. It's also a story about Ricky. Ricky is anything but shy. Rich, charming, good-looking, Ricky has never had a problem getting what he wants. And now he wants Hannah. There's a spark between them from the moment they meet. Even Hannah can't resist a man like Ricky for long. But this is not a love story.