Showing results for "oconnor" in Historical Fiction

She-Wolf - A Sapphic Beowulf Retelling.You know the poem. You know the hero. You don't know the full story.Beowulf lands on a Danish shore in winter, salt spray soaking her armor, and walks into a failing king's hall with fourteen warriors and a name that already echoes across seas. She fights...

In the bitter winter of 1847, from an Ireland torn by injustice and natural disaster, the Star of the Sea sets sail for New York. On board are hundreds of fleeing refugees, all braving the Atlantic in search of a new home. But a camouflaged killer is stalking the decks, hungry for the vengeance...

Based on the hit mobile game, a cozy murder mystery set in 1920s Paris by a USA Today bestselling author, perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Agatha Christie. June’s friend has been brutally murdered, and the police have the wrong man. Can she solve the case before the killer catches up to...

Sydney, Christmas, 1901. Federation has been achieved but Australian women are yet to gain the right to vote in their new nation's elections and have a say in the laws that govern them. Bolshy, boisterous Frankie Merriweather is a fervent advocate for women's rights, determined to dedicate herself to the cause, never marrying or becoming a mother. She can't understand her artistic sister Ivy, who wants a life of ease and beauty with her soon-to-be fiancé, law student Patrick Earle.

Dublin, 1904. Nora Barnacle is a 20-year-old from Galway, working as a maid at Finn’s Hotel. On June 16th, Bloomsday, her life is changed when she meets Dubliner James Joyce - a fateful encounter that turns into a lifelong love. Despite his hesitation to marry, Nora follows Joyce in pursuit of a life beyond Ireland. But as their life unfolds, Nora finds herself in conflict between their intense desire for each other and the constant anxiety of living in poverty throughout Europe.

1939. Australian-born Carl Smith loves his country, but he never meant to go to war. He is training to be a doctor and wants to protect lives, not take them. But if enlisting is the only way he can save his German-born father from an internment camp, he will. 1941. Athena Papandrakis has grown up on the island of Crete, swimming in jewelled waters and exploring ancient ruins. Now her home is under threat and she is ready to fight to defend it from the hated Nazi invaders.

At 17, Veronica O'Shay is happier running wild on the family farm than behaving in the ladylike manner her mother requires, and she despairs both of her secret passion for her brother's friend Jack Murphy and what promises to be a future of restraint and compliance. But this is 1913 and the genteel tranquillity of rural Beecroft is about to change forever as the O'Shay and Murphy families, along with their friends the Dwyers, are caught up in the theatre of war and their fates become intertwined.

Inspired by true events, Among Kings tells the inspiring story of William Sheppard, the first African American missionary to the Congo who rescues the entire nation enslaved by Belgian's ruthless King Leopold II. Traveling 1,000 miles up the Congo River with Samuel Lapsley, his white missionary companion, the two overcome deadly fevers, dangerous animals, and cannibal tribes. Sheppard becomes a famous explorer honored by kings, queens, and presidents. Armed with a camera, he exposes widespread Congo atrocities to the world.

1851. After the death of her father, young Eve Richards is left destitute. Her struggle to survive sees her deported in chains to the colony of New South Wales, penniless and alone. But in this strange new world, fortune smiles on the spirited, clever Eve in the shape of a respectable job offer that will lead to a quiet, secure life. Then fiery, charismatic Irishman Kieran Clancy crosses her path ... For Kieran and his brother Liam, the promise of free passage and land in this brave new world is a chance to leave the grief and starvation of County Clare behind.

Brought to you by Penguin. September 1943: German forces occupy Rome. SS officer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. The war's outcome is far from certain. An Irish priest, Hugh O'Flaherty, dedicates himself to helping those escaping from the Nazis. His home is Vatican City, the world's smallest...

Eighteen-year-old Junie Wallace is a smart girl and, with two brothers away at war and a third recently killed in action, she knows there is only one way to save the family farm for her grieving parents. Unfortunately, that solution involves marrying the unscrupulous Ernest, and breaking the heart of the young drover she loves, Michael. But the war is looming ever closer, and when Pearl Harbour brings the threat of Japanese aggression to Australian shores, the fates of many becomes inextricably interwoven.

A bold reimagining of Eve’s journey after Eden, set in ancient Mesopotamia and beyond, for listeners who crave feminist myth retellings and spiritual exploration. Exiled to a desolate and harsh New Earth, in this Paradise Lost retelling, Eve faces relentless toil, pain, and the resentment of...

Dublin, 1907. A young actress begins an affair with an older man. Outspoken and flirtatious, Molly Allgood is a Catholic girl from the slums of Dublin, dreaming of stardom in America. Her lover, John Synge, is a troubled genius. Their affair, sternly opposed by friends and family, is quarrelsome...

'Fans of Natasha Lester and Victoria Purman will adore...' Better Reading 1914: Brothers Thom and Archie Hogan are the best of friends who love nothing more than tinkering with their father's old biplane. They dream of one day flying over the wheatfields of their farm, but when Molly James...

1879. 'Invisible' Anne Brown fears she'll never escape the harshness and poverty of her life in County Donegal, Ireland. Until, one Beltane night, her life is changed forever and she leaves to seek her fortune in Australia. Upon the death of their father, charismatic Will Worthington and his sister Mari are stunned to find he has left all their money and a ticket to Australia to an enigmatic painted woman, the mother of his unborn child. Their only hope for a brighter future also lies in Australia, where together with Will's best friend, the artist Charlie Turner, they seek their fortunes.

1930. Seventeen-year-old Iris Mitchell dreams of designing clothes, but there's little spare cash for fashion in their shanty-town home. By day, Iris scrubs the floors at Caron's, an upmarket department store. By night, she designs and sews in her family's tiny, crowded house. When John reappears, passions are reignited, and Iris must face not only their religious divide, but the apparent impossibility of having a career once married.

The continuing secret correspondence between Miss Lizzy Bennet, and Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, during the second quarantine lockdown of 1812. Amid public unrest, lockdown has been lifted for just two days, then re-imposed with greater restrictions than ever. Trapped once more within Hunsford Parsonage and Rosings Park respectively, our esteemed couple-to-be unleash themselves with greater familiarity as tensions rise, old antipathies come to a head and emotions can no longer be restrained.

Key Murphy is a freak, a prodigy. He has visions so real he’s diagnosed with PTSD. Key learns that his visions might be caused by a mutated gene which allows him to experience the memories of an ancestor. Key also has a family link to The Book of Kells. Pages from the book were stolen in Ireland in the distant past. Those pages are believed to contain a fundamental secret of Christendom.

Brought to you by Penguin. From the Booker-winning Irish author, a brilliant and moving novel about fame, sexual power, and a daughter’s search to understand her mother’s hidden truths This is the story of Irish theatre legend Katherine O’Dell, as told by her daughter Norah. It tells of...

At the most magical time of the year, will Mary choose independence or love? It's 1909 and Mary Richards has worked hard to gain an education and become a teacher in her close-knit, picturesque village in the Cotswolds, but not everyone approves of her modern ways. When her sister Emily becomes...