Showing results by narrator "Penelope Rawlins" in All Categories

Isabel Bookbinder dreams of perfect white weddings, happy brides, handsome grooms. But not for herself... for her clients. It's all about bride management as far as Isabel's concerned. Even when she loses her job working for wedding guru Pippa Everitt, Isabel isn't disheartened. She throws herself straight into launching Isabel Bookbinder, Individual Weddings. Unfortunately for Isabel, nothing ever goes quite according to plan...

When the writer, Oxford scholar, and photographer John Jameson, visits the home of his vicar friend, Daniel Baxter, he is entranced by his youngest daughter, Daisy. Jameson charms her with his wit and child-like imagination, teasing her with riddles and inventing humourous stories as they enjoy afternoons alone by the river and in his rooms. The shocking impact of this unusual friendship is only brought to light when, years later, Daisy, unsettled in her marriage, rediscovers her childhood diaries in an old toy chest.

Imagine being married for 28 years with three children, a lovely house and a husband who travels a lot - but you still love each other. Or: imagine being happily married for 17 years. You have one daughter and your husband travels a lot. One day you get a call that turns your world upside down: your husband is dead. You go to the funeral…and meet his other widow…

Merrick the Rake is tasked by Lady Alixe Burke’s father with making his bluestocking daughter marriageable! Lady Alixe – more happy in the library than the ballroom – is most definitely left-on-the-shelf material. He’ll never walk away from a wager, but Merrick’s expertise extends way beyond society etiquette. Never before entrusted with a woman’s modesty, Merrick sets about teaching her everything he knows…

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.

Our memories define us don't they? And Skye Threppel lost most of hers in a car crash that stole the lives of her best friend and fiancé. It's left scars, inside and out, which have destroyed her career and her confidence. Skye hopes a trip to meet the actor she idolises will help her heal. But she bumps into mysterious Sci-fi writer Jack Whitaker first.

The brand-new release from the Sunday Times best-selling author that bought you Fairytale of New York and It Started With A Kiss. What happens when the happy ever after is suddenly and painfully taken away from you? Join Elsie as she battles to start again, with the help of a disastrous, newly-formed singing group and her father and sister armed with dating hopefuls.

Lauren, Jack, Ruby and Billy live by the seaside with their mum and dad. But their parents are always arguing, and then their dad moves out. Lauren and Jack decide they have to get them together again. And so begins Operation Eiffel Tower... in which the four children try to raise money to give their mum and dad a treat in an attempt to make them happier.

Two women in a room. One is bleeding to death. The other just sits back and watches. For both, there is everything to lose. Surgeons are meant to save lives, but Nancy is a special kind of surgeon. Doctors are meant to be good at reporting the truth, but Nancy's is an untellable story. A mistake made in the operating theatre changes all of this. Summoned to explain herself to a tribunal appointed by the General Medical Council, Nancy is forced to consider what it means to be a doctor who has killed as well as cured.

1979. Sixteen-year-old Carolyn Russell grows increasingly infatuated with her school mathematics teacher who is also giving her private lessons. Then she disappears. 2014. Struggling journalist Stephanie Brett creates a true-crime podcast focused on the disappearance of Carolyn Russell. By digging deep into this mysterious cold case, her confidence and flagging career are boosted. But after she confronts the suspects—and talks to a potential witness—the leads dry up. Nevertheless, she refuses to let the story rest.

Schoolteacher Sophie Lawson has fled to the Cotswold countryside after a tragic break-up and is throwing herself into dating and organising Cranswell's annual Christmas concert. The festive fun is marred by the arrival of a handsome but surly musical director, tricky pupils and concert preparations falling into disarray. Disaster strikes, but the show must go on. Will the concert bring Christmas harmony to Cranswell and will Sophie end the year on a high note?

When Andy's school announces a new no-uniform policy, her classmates are over the moon—but her heart sinks. All she wants is to dress like everyone else. However, her mum's the owner of a run-down kooky vintage boutique, so she's bound to look—well—different. But when Andy finds a gorgeous bag full of designer goodies in the shop's storeroom, everything changes. Can she learn to love vintage and help transform her mum's shop into something truly special?

Everyone's a Critic is a powerful, potentially life-changing exploration of self-criticism, which psychotherapist Julia Bueno has found to be at the centre of almost all the problems that clients bring to her consulting room. Built around beautifully written case studies drawn from her own practice, Bueno's book argues that self-criticism is a universal issue that most of us need to tackle in order to have a happier life—and gives listeners a variety of stories and tools to begin helping themselves.

Fen was a good guy pretty much his entire life up until the day he died. After his death, Fen woke up in a strange place without any memory of himself or the events that led to his death. This new place was unlike anything he’d seen on Earth, but that wasn’t his biggest problem. Fen’s biggest problem was the sword at his neck and the big man asking him to tell the truth. But telling the truth seemed wrong, out of place. Lying seemed like the easiest and fastest way to keep his head. So he lied.

Honey is a young bee buzzing with ambition, who can't find her role in her small hive. Just when she thinks she's found a job she likes, a swarm threatens the whole hive! Honey makes her escape, and discovers a rooftop paradise at the top of a tower block - the perfect place to set up a new hive. Fighting off a swarm of angry wasps, and working together with her friends, Honey saves the day and builds a new home for her and her community!

Discover the inspiring story of Marie Curie—the scientist who made more than one world-changing discovery, and the first woman to win a Nobel prize—in this fascinating kids' biography. Born to poor school teachers at a time when women could not attend university in her home country of Poland, Marie Curie sought out an underground university and worked hard to save money for further study in Paris. She made it to France, and continued to dedicate herself to science once she had graduated.