Showing results by narrator "Olivia" in All Categories

Set in the 1830s, this ‘study of provincial life’ introduces us to young, idealistic Dorothea Brooke, who accepts a proposal from scholarly Edward Casaubon, hoping to forge a loving partnership of intellectual equals. But on honeymoon in Rome, she swiftly becomes disillusioned. Trapped in an unhappy marriage, she finds solace in her friendship with Casaubon’s cousin, Will Ladislaw - only for her controlling husband to suspect her of betrayal and set out to test her loyalty.

Renowned novelist and poet Thomas Hardy is best known for his fatalistic, often tragic novels set in the 'realistic dream-country' of Wessex, in south and south-west England. Drawing on his own life, he created some of the most memorable characters and stories in Victorian literature—many of which are included here. In five dramas taken from Radio 4's 'Hardy's Women' season, we meet a few of Thomas Hardy's most compelling female protagonists.

Princess Rowan thought she knew her place in the world. She never expected to feel like an outsider. She certainly never imagined she would fall in love, least of all with a man from a barbarian kingdom half a world away. But when series of missteps lands her in the hands of the people she was brought up to hate, she is forced to reconsider everything she thought she knew about both lands. And about herself. After a lifetime of animosity between the kingdoms, will the Socairans ever accept her as one of their own? Or will her mistakes push her people into yet another war?

When fairy-tale obsessed Lottie Pumpkin starts at the infamous Rosewood Hall, she is not expecting to share a room with the Crown Princess of Maradova, Ellie Wolf. Due to a series of lies and coincidences, 14-year-old Lottie finds herself pretending to be the princess so that Ellie can live a more normal teenage life. Lottie is thrust into the real world of royalty - a world filled with secrets, intrigue and betrayal....

Victoria Coren Mitchell meets some fascinating women to explore the journeys they have made in the cars that they have known - and the sorts of things they shout in traffic. Hear what Dawn wrote on the back of her first car; find out which comedian totalled her beloved Cortina; and discover the advantages of the refrigerated glove compartment. Sarah Millican describes a traffic jam that lead to some desperate measures, Sheila Hancock explains how the trick of getting older is actually to speed up and Jo Brand recounts how her car became an impromptu counselling couch for comedians.

Fallon Malone is a loner, refusing to rely on anyone else for her happiness. She's content being her own boss, working in the skies of the remote Queensland outback. When she begins her contract in the Augathella region for the annual cattle muster, she's unimpressed with the new station manager. Jon Ingram is equally unhappy with this new female bush pilot, hired by Kent Mason, owner of neighbouring Lara Waters. It doesn't help that she seems to be a law unto herself. As the stockman and bush pilot come head-to-head, nature conspires to bring them together.

Leah and her three best friends get changed into their pyjamas, eat pizza, and argue about what film to watch. They laugh together, until the early hours. But the next morning, Leah blinks open her eyes and sees three empty sleeping bags. The other girls are gone. Twenty years later. In her small hometown, still-haunted Leah has never been able to shake off the rumours and whispers. How could she have slept through it all? She must know what happened.

Do you struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep or find yourself exhausted during the day? Olivia's straightforward science-based tips will enable you to get the sleep you really need - not only will you sleep better, you'll be more productive, less stressed and able to function at your absolute best.

Environmental Engineer Dru Porter loves her work, despite the relentless heat and red dust. The remote Matsu diamond mine in the Kimberley is the perfect place for her to hide: her insignificance in that vast and rugged landscape helps her feel invisible and safe. Surely the terror she left behind in Dubai will never find her here.... Security Specialist Connor Kirk knows from experience that beautiful women are capable of treachery. When he arrives at Matsu to investigate a diamond theft, he immediately suspects the reclusive but obviously capable Dru Porter.

Meet Budleigh Salterton's most famous son, Giles Wemmbley Hogg: bumbling backpacker, fearless investigator of cultural diversity, connoisseur of Eastern philosophies and upper middle-class student ponce. In these five series, armed with his trusty portable DAT and his Charterhouse rugby shirt, Giles bravely ventures forth to far-off foreign lands and records his adventures. His meanderings take him from the Sudan to Las Vegas - but wherever he goes, he always manages to make a thumping great prat of himself.

When Amy takes up her first teaching position in an outback Queensland town she feels like her life is going ahead in leaps and bounds. However, her new boss doesn't make life easy and she begins to question her choice of career. Angus, a third-generation local, also struggles with life in the small town. A mistake made in his youth haunts him and stops him from letting anyone get too close. As the two become friends and hostilities within the small town come to a head, Amy and Angus are faced with decisions that could take them in an unknown direction.

As the owner of the art gallery at Noosa Heads, Jack Montgomery comes strolling back into the life of sculptor Sienna Sacchi. Her plan to buy the gallery is ruined, yet Sienna refuses to let him interfere with the most important thing - her debut exhibition. But Jack's not only taking over her workplace. He's also intruding on her art studio, her home...and maybe even her heart.

In 1987, when Hilary Mantel was first published in the London Review of Books, she wrote to the editor, Karl Miller, ‘I have no critical training whatsoever, so I am forced to be more brisk and breezy than scholarly.’ This collection of 20 reviews, essays and pieces of memoir from the next three decades tells the story of what happened next.

The Daintree breeds survivors - those who can weather the storms, heat and floods that come hand in hand with its beauty. Doctor Emma Porter is one such survivor, living in an isolated cottage as past hurts heal, dedicated to her patients and to preserving this precious land where she has made a home. But her quiet life is disrupted when Doctor Jeremy Langford starts working at the hospital, bringing back painful memories: Jeremy was her first love and embodies all that she left behind in Sydney.

Coming together for a writing workshop with bestselling author Jan Goldstein, four strangers converge upon a luxury forest retreat. But along with their notepads and laptops, each of the participants has brought some emotional baggage. Beth is a solo parent and busy career woman haunted by a tragic car accident. Simone, the youngest at 26, is a successful Instagram star but she's hiding behind a façade. Jamie is the only man. He's a handsome personal trainer - but he looks out of place with a pen in his hand. Finally, Alice is a wife and mum recovering from post-natal depression.

Lolly Willowes, so gentle and accommodating, has depths no one suspects. When she suddenly announces that she is leaving London and moving, alone, to the depths of the countryside, her overbearing relatives are horrified. But Lolly has a greater, far darker calling than family: witchcraft.

Galina has been looking for a way out. So when she has the chance to break free of her kingdom and the man who wants to own her, she has no choice but to see it through. Even if it means collecting on a life debt from the worst decision she’s ever made. Davin’s mistakes are catching up to him. A lifetime of being the biggest scandal in the Lochlannian royal family has finally landed his people in danger. So when Galina shows up at his door in need of a betrothal, it might just solve all of his problems.

Gerard Gunnarson, the charming and outgoing right winger of Berkeley Shore University's hockey team, is used to being in the spotlight. With the mysterious Ice Queen—a blogger documenting his every move—and a legion of adoring fans, Gerard seems to have it all.

Humorous cozy-crime caper from the author of the beloved, bestselling Vinyl Detective series in which a feisty, amoral book dealer uses her unique skills to solve fiendish crimes. A love letter to Agatha Christie murder mysteries and classic whodunnits.

Two years ago, she ruined my family’s life. Maybe, she thought it was only a little lie. That she did the right thing, that the worst was behind her, that no one had gotten hurt. Oh, how naive the black haired beauty was! Fate has finally brought her back to me...to Blackthorn Academy. Once upon a time, I was obsessed, consumed with the need to make her mine. Now, I just want revenge, and I’ll do whatever I can to get it.