Showing results by narrator "Antonia Beamish" in All Categories

Kate and Bella, Bella and Kate. From childhood they were inseparable yet polar opposites: Bella sensible and cautious, Kate gregarious and just a little dangerous. Then men came into their lives and things changed: a black seed was set in in the heart of their relationship. Over decades, acts of both cruelty and love feed that seed until one shocking event leads to further tragedy. Neither will escape unscathed.

In this no-holds-barred collection of essays, prominent women authors, journalists and TV personalities explore the truth about becoming mothers. Covering topics from labour to the breastapo, twins to IVF, weaning to post-birth sex, and with writers including Cathy Kelly, Adele Parks, Kathy Lette and Lucy Porter and many more, Things I Wish I’d Known is a reassuring, moving and often hilarious collection that will speak to mothers - and mothers-to-be - everywhere.

Finding it hard to meet Mr. Right? Try looking for Mr. Wrong instead.... After 11 years of coupled-up domesticity, Rory Carmichael is single for the first time in her adult life. When she discovers that Martin, her supposedly reliable Mr. Right, is a distinctly unreliable cheater, she’s forced to consider the possibility that everything she knows about relationships is wrong. In an effort to reinvigorate her love life, she sets herself a mission to date as many unsuitable men as possible.

I was taught that life is pain. That love is pain. It was unavoidable. Acceptable. I never had anything, or anyone I could count on. Not really. Not even myself. Until I met Dr Menon... To the outside world Lauren Taylor’s relationship with her boyfriend Josh is perfect. He is supportive and loving and has been there for Lauren during her darkest moments. But behind closed doors, secrets and lies can be hidden…

Mild-mannered PR girl Holly Phillips doesn't think much of costumed vigilante Ultimate Man - and after his superpowered antics leave her hoisted over his shoulder and flashing her knickers in the newspaper the next day, she's embarrassed beyond belief. But when Holly's 15 minutes of fame make her a target for something villainous, she has only one place to turn - and finds the man behind the mask holds a lot more charm than his crime-fighting alter ego.

Lily Redman is sure of two things: that she knows good food and that she gets what she wants. And she wants to make a success of her new TV show, Celebrity Chef Swap. Back from a stint in Afghanistan, Kenan Rowse is recovering from a messy divorce, and not looking for love. So when he lands a job as Lily’s driver, he’s not too pleased to find they can’t keep their hands off each other!

Beth is desperate to return to normality. After a years-long ordeal, her daughter is finally home and safe. But Carmel has questions she can't ignore about the cult that kidnapped her, and about the preacher who gave her another girl's name. Digging into her past, Carmel uncovers secrets which suggest that she wasn't the only lost girl—and which puts her in danger all over again. While her mother struggles to salvage the safety they've only just found, Carmel tries to come to terms with who she has become. One question, a mystery at the heart of her disappearance as a child, haunts her:

Following the death of his beloved father, Arthur is sent to Canada for safety with a group of evacuees on the eve of the Second World War. Alone and afraid, plagued with seasickness, and an unknown future, he can't imagine things getting any worse. Far from what he feared, Arthur is welcomed with warmth and kindness. But even on the other side of the world, the war can’t be escaped and before long, his new family are touched by it too. Faced with another dramatic change in his life, everything starts to change again for Arthur.

Alexandra Ludd is an actress playing Nora in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. In the eyes of the world she has everything a woman could want: husband, home, child, income, good looks, good friends, the plaudits of the crowd and the affection of neighbours. But Alexandra inspires envy as well as love: she was unwise to forget it, she was complacent, perhaps a little vain - and all fate has to do to bring her down is to snip a single strand....

A comedy of ambition, dreams, blackmail and daytime TV… Bella’s career as a TV presenter is ‘on hold’. To fill her days, she sits in a coffee shop and obsesses about a wedding dress in the neighbouring shop. Her luck changes when she gets the call from her old boss to present a pilot for a new food and chat show. But her revived TV career is short-lived when one of the celebrity guests threatens to steal the show…

When Karen Finch's 17-year-old daughter, Sophie, arrives home after a night out drunk and accompanied by police officers, no one is smiling the morning after. But Sophie remembers nothing about how she got into such a state. Twelve hours later Sophie's friend Amy has still not returned home. Then the body of a young woman is found. Karen is sure that Sophie knows more than she is letting on. But Karen has her own demons to fight. She struggles to go beyond her own door without a panic attack.

'In the pursuit of magnificence, nothing is sacred', says Angela Carter, and magnificence is indeed her own achievement. One of the most acclaimed novelists of her generation, her work as a journalist and critic was no less original. Long autobiographical pieces on her life in South Yorkshire and South London are followed by highly individual inspections of 'abroad'. Please note that many of the essays in this collection also appear in Shaking a Leg.

For the thousands of people who struggle with poor literacy, words can be scary things. Worlds Beyond Words is a selection of inspirational real life stories from people who have improved their lives through better literacy. From successful businessmen and sports stars, redundant factory workers and refugees, their stories offer the key for others to unlock new worlds.

After more than 20 years of marriage, Fay and Steve are happy enough, though life's become routine and lacks excitement. Fay believes an open relationship could reignite the spark they've lost. But can sex ever just be sex? Steve eventually agrees to the idea of sleeping with other people, but first they must set some ground rules: no sex with friends, no telling the kids and a limit on how many times they can see the same person. Can their marriage survive non-monogamy—even if they have permission?

The Time Traveller's Almanac is the largest, most definitive collection of time travel stories ever assembled. Intrepid chrononauts and world-renowned anthologists Ann and Jeff VanderMeer Ann and Jeff VanderMeer have scoured time itself to bring you this final instalment from their über-guide to exploring the fourth dimension. Be warned: reality will be warped, wormholes opened, paradoxes woven and parallel universes breached.

Lisa is running. She has taken her child, Jack, and she has run from his father. Lisa thinks she's safe. She's found a remote house where no one will be able to find them. Lisa is about to wake up in her worst nightmare. And now she must face what she's tried to escape. Risking everything to protect her little boy, Lisa knows that in order to survive she will have to fight, but it's hard to face someone you loved, especially someone you still love, who knows who you really are - and what you are really capable of. Family is everything. What would you do to protect it?

The Time Traveller's Almanac is the largest, most definitive collection of time travel stories ever assembled. Gathered by intrepid chrononauts and world-renowned anthologists Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, here is over a century's worth of literary travels into past and the future. The anthology covers millions of years of Earth's history - from the age of the dinosaurs to strange and fascinating futures, through to the end of time itself.

The Time Traveller's Almanac is the largest, most definitive collection of time travel stories ever assembled. Intrepid chrononauts and world-renowned anthologists Ann and Jeff VanderMeer have scoured time itself to bring you these classic stories. Be warned: reality will be warped, wormholes opened, paradoxes woven and parallel universes breached.

India, 1902. When Lilly Myerson is summoned by her mother to spend one hot summer in Nainital, she leaps at the opportunity. It's the only way to escape her violent and controlling husband Royce, but in return, he forces her to leave behind her beloved son Teddy. In Nainital, Lilly meets Duffy, tiger tamer at the renowned Tiffert's Circus, and together they hatch a plan. She will join the circus, create a new identity, and earn her independence—and hopefully enough money to rescue her son.

When orphan Julie Miller is sent to Canada to keep her safe from Hitler’s bombs at the start of WWII, she hopes this will the start of a happier new life for her after years of sadness. Taken in by a schoolteacher, it seems that Julie’s dreams are coming true. But that’s before a shadow is cast over her safe refuge, and before long, she is forced to run away. This is just the start of a long journey, one with many hardships before she can find a place to call home.