Showing results by narrator "Stephanie Racine" in All Categories

The Fable of the Bees—a satirical poem, prose discussion, three essays and six dialogues completed in 1729—exposes human vices but defends them as a necessity within a wealthy society. Mandeville’s bees thrive until they start living by honesty and virtue… then they are impoverished. Mandeville did not play by the rules: he satirized the sins of society but also ridiculed the widespread hypocrisy of deploring these sins whilst reaping their benefits. He and his work were attacked for the rest of the century.

Christmas at the Davenports’ house was always about one thing: food! But when sisters Ella and Maddy were split up, Ella to live in London with their Dad, and Maddy staying in Greece with their Mum, mince pies lost their magic. Now, a cheating husband has thrown Ella a curved snowball…and...

Bella has the perfect life with her husband Jack and their two children – until the ex who stalked her years ago is released from prison. Now Bella is convinced he’s back to hurt her, and sees him everywhere – but no one else can see that anything is wrong. With her family away for the weekend, Bella determines to leave the past in the past – but she’s about to discover the danger is closer to home than she ever imagined.

The mythical Greek king, Oedipus, is no stranger to tragedy. As a baby, he is left to die on the mountainside of Thebes by his royal parents after the Oracle of Delphi prophesies that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Pitied by the shepherd tasked with leaving him, Oedipus is given to another royal family and grows up ignorant of his past as a foreign prince. Returning to Thebes by chance many years later, he defeats the Sphinx terrorising the city by answering her riddle and becomes king. From here on a series of tragic events begin to unfurl.

From ‘The Manchester Marriage’, in which a husband, supposedly drowned at sea, returns to find his daughter, to the two sisters who are comically adrift after the death of their domineering father in ‘The Daughters of the Late Colonel’, and a young girl who enlists the help of a sorceress to win back her boyfriend in ‘The Goodness of Saint Rocque’, Standing Her Ground showcases nine groundbreaking women writers.

Charlotte is a people pleaser - she can't help but go the extra mile. So when she stumbles upon an unconscious man one night, it's only natural that she wants to help. Brought into the arms of the victim's loving family, she sees at once how much they need her. But while his parents happily welcome her into the fold, his sister is another story. It's not just that Rebecca doesn't like Charlotte, she clearly doesn't trust her either. But the more time Charlotte spends in Rebecca's company, the more she suspects she's the one with something to hide.

‘Speechless at just how breathtaking this book really is.’ Rachel Gilbey Three best friends. Three continents. Three months to live. How long can you keep a secret? Three best friends are embarking on an all-expenses paid trip of their dreams. The only catch? Every moment will be documented...

We've all had sleepless nights thinking about it. You're home alone. Someone breaks in. In defending yourself, you end up killing the intruder. Now you're the one the police want. That is the situation that criminal barrister Paul Reeve arrives home to find. His wife, Alice, stands in the bedroom, clutching a bloodied letter opener in her shaking hand. 'What have you done, Alice?' 'I didn't have a choice....' We would all believe the person we love most.

Corinne’s life might look perfect on the outside, but after three failed IVF attempts it’s her last chance to have a baby. And when she finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her flat, it feels as if it’s a sign. But as more pieces begin to turn up, Corinne realises that they are far too familiar. Someone knows about the miniature rocking horse and the little doll with its red velvet dress. Someone has been inside her house...How does the stranger know so much about her life? How long have they been watching? And what are they waiting for...?

She thought she was free of the past. She was wrong. Six years ago Isla was the only victim to walk free from Carl Jeffery's vicious murder spree. Now, Isla vows to live her life to the fullest, and from the outside it appears perfect. Determined to finish her book, Isla plans her final trip to Sweden, but after returning from Canada and meeting a man she never thought she would, her life begins to derail. Suddenly Isla is plagued by memories of the man who tried to murder her....

Carly and Rob, Jenni and Craig. Two couples, four friends. Betraying each other. Wanting each other. All of them have access to prescription drugs through the medical practice where they work, and all of them are fighting their own demons. But can any of them be trusted? And when the lies begin, can they ever be silenced?

Exploring themes such as class, identity and the human experience, The Garden Party and Other Stories captures several moments of emotional revelation and self-discovery. From unveiling the horrors of the disparity of wealth in the title story, 'The Garden Party', to the devastating effects of loneliness and misogyny in 'Miss Brill', Mansfield's narratives never fail to leave their emotional stamp on their reader.

During the breakdown of an unhappy marriage, writer Joanna Walsh got a job as a hotel reviewer, and began to gravitate towards places designed as alternatives to home. Luxury, sex, power, anonymity, privacy…hotels are where our desires go on holiday, but also places where our desires are shaped by the hard realities of the marketplace. Part memoir and part meditation, this book visits a series of rooms, suites, hallways, and lobbies—the spaces and things that make up these modern sites of gathering and alienation, hotels.

When customer complaints on Christmas Eve about tenfold inflated bank balances herald not early gifts, nor a botched system upgrade, but the most sophisticated cyber attack in history, National Bank Chief Operating Officer Rob Tanner finds himself in the eye of a ‘Black Swan’ storm no one predicted, but anyone could have anticipated. Tanner enlists the help of brilliant American cyber security expert Ashley Markham, but the attacks only worsen.

Creepy murder mystery that builds suspense into a thrilling conclusion Stockholm 1954. While investigating the murder of a little girl from the old house at Valley Street 14, the police officer himself is murdered. The case is never solved. In 2017 there is a similar murder in the same place...

"Life-affirming and laugh-out-loud funny" - HELEN FIELDING, AUTHOR OF BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY Shape of a Boy is a hilarious and eye-opening travel memoir by the mother of three boys as she documents her travels with her family around the world. ‘Have kids, will travel’ is veteran travel...