Showing results by narrator "Heather Long" in All Categories

What does success look like? Five a.m. conference calls and late nights in the office? Winning every argument in the office and always getting your own way? What does a successful woman look like? The shoulder-pad wearing alpha? The dogmatist who rules with an iron fist? The reality is far more nuanced. Yet women are still reduced to alpha boss or the beta secretary or assistant, but when 47 percent of the workforce are reduced to two unhelpful stereotypes, how can you embrace your inner beta and be a success on your own terms?

These are the famous opening words of a treatise that has stirred vigorous debate ever since its first publication in 1762. Rejecting the view that anyone has a natural right to wield authority over others, Rousseau argues instead for a pact, or 'social contract', that should exist between all the citizens of a state and that should be the source of sovereign power. 

Lily will do anything to protect her family. She has made ruthless choices to preserve their picture-perfect life—and she has been equally ruthless in keeping those choices secret. Rachel is struggling with the weight of what she knows. Desperate to help her daughter, Lily turns to renowned therapist, Amber, to help Rachel get control of her life. It’s essential for Rachel’s welfare—but also to protect the darkest secret of all, one that Lily has kept hidden for years.

April hates men. Her dating life is a disaster and she carries the damage of her last relationship with her every day. She's trying so hard to put herself out there, but every time it seems like she's found something real it falls apart. If only April could be more like Gretel. Gretel knows how to behave perfectly in relationships - she's a 'Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems'. Gretel is exactly what all men want. The problem is, Gretel isn't real.  

The perfect gift book, featuring the writing of Meryl Streep, Bill Bailey, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Caitlin Moran, Richard Ayoade, Emily Watson and others, to coincide with the upcoming movie Last Christmas, starring Emma Thompson, Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding. When you think back to Christmases past, what (if anything) made it magical? This is a beautiful, funny and soulful collection of personal essays about the meaning of Christmas, written by a unique plethora of voices from the boulevards of Hollywood to the soup kitchens of Covent Garden. 

Despite her world having been recently dismantled by a messy break-up, Alice would tell you that love is the most important – albeit ineffable – human experiences. But when she once again crosses paths with her old school nemesis, Luke, he challenges this. Luke is a scientist and he’s certain love can be measured and explained – just like everything else. So the two decide to make a bet: they’ll each venture back into dating and if one of them falls in love, Alice wins, if not, then Luke does.

Jaleesa, Kai, Ilya and Dani are online best friends, and superfans of the hit TV show City of Night. Fantasising about the show in their chatroom, they find an escape from their troubled small-town lives. Everything changes when Chloe, make-up artist to the show's star Alice Temple, enters the chat. When Chloe tells them Alice is in danger the four resolve to save her, and make their way to California. But fantasy is quickly overtaken by reality. Alice's troubles, they discover, will shine the spotlight on all of them. And not in a good way.

1491, Eltham Palace. Anne Oxenbridge is still mourning the loss of her young child when she accepts the position of wet nurse to Prince Harry, the Queen's second son. Beyond the silver cradles and luxurious Turkish carpets of the royal nursery, she knows there is something special about this baby - but never expected to love him as her own. All too soon, singing and stories must be set aside in favour of books and learning. It appears that Anne's time with her golden prince is also over...until a twist of fate reunites her with the boy who must now become King Henry VIII of England.

When Jessica, a young British woman, discovers a shocking secret about her birth, she travels to Switzerland in search of answers. She knows her mother spent time in the country writing an article on the Swiss women’s rights movement, but what she doesn’t know is what happened to her while she was there. Can Jess summon the courage to face the truth about her family, or will her search only hurt herself and those around her even more?

Every year since Cassie was small, her big brother Tom has left her a trail of clues leading to his Christmas present to her. It's been only the two of them since their parents died and they were taken in by their grandparents, and Tom has always loved seeing his sister's face light up when she finds the gift at the end of the trail. Years later, their tradition remains. To Cassie, Tom has always been her rock. So when she gets the news, just before Christmas, that Tom has been killed in a climbing accident, her world is shattered.

Leni and her sister Alice were best friends. But did they know each other as well as Alice thought? In the hope of coming to terms with her grief, she tries to piece together Leni's last weeks - but her discoveries only lead to more questions. And that's before the surprise reappearance of someone from the past. Meanwhile, the rest of the family seem to be falling apart. Belinda, Alice's mum, has developed an unhealthy obsession with a clairvoyant, and Tony, her dad, is stressed about becoming a father all over again, what with three failed marriages stacking up behind him.

Two couples. One reckless night. In the time they've known each other, Sally, Al and Mike have shared - well, almost everything. Sally and Al have been married for seven years, though now their relationship is hanging by a thread. Sally and Mike have been best friends since university. And on many occasions something more. Mike and Al have been friends and colleagues for many years. Yet with Al poised to become Mike's boss, their friendship comes under threat. And now there's Mike and Faye. They haven't been together long, but Mike's pretty sure that this time it's the real deal. 

The gripping follow-up to The Binding Song, from the winner of the Stephen King and Guardian short story competition. Is there a serial killer in East Anglia? The police deny it. Journalist Frankie suspects they're wrong. Student Ava knows they're wrong...because she's just been abducted by him. This is a gripping novel in which suspense meets investigation - as Ava struggles to stay alive and Frankie finds herself far closer to the case than she'd anticipated....

When Esther Thorel, the wife of a Huguenot silk weaver, rescues Sara Kemp from a brothel she thinks she is doing God's will. Sara is not convinced being a maid is better than being a whore, but the chance to escape her grasping madam is too good to refuse. Inside the Thorels' tall house in Spitalfields, where the strange cadence of the looms fills the attic, the two women forge an uneasy relationship. 

When watching a documentary on the average human experience, Emily realises she's the epitome of the typical woman. Her name, her height, her occupation…even her blood group. The only thing unusual about her is that she’s a twin. But her twin died when they were only 8 and Emily can't help but think maybe her sister was meant to live instead of her. Secretly she suspects her sister would have done a better job at life...better than average anyway. So Emily writes a list committing her to live a more extraordinary life…she’ll become a vegan, run a marathon and bungee jump.

In Rise Like Lions, Booker Prize winning writer Ben Okri has compiled a collection of poems that celebrate the many voices of politics, from polemics and rallying cries to lyrics and meditations. Many of these poems have resonated with readers over lifetimes and through generations, from William Blake to Marvin Gaye. In exploring the impact political poems have on ideas, vision, protest, change and truth, Okri demonstrates how the need for this strand of poetry is as great as it has ever been, and its inspiration just as powerful. 

Ten-year-old Bryony is excited to move with her family to a new home by the sea. She knows that adventures are just around the corner but wishes she didn't have to leave her best friends or the local stables behind. Then, while exploring the woods near her house, she encounters a beautiful bay pony. Something has spooked the pony and caused him to bolt, but Bryony manages to calm him using her natural ability and their instant connection. 

In the aftermath of Jo Cox's tragic death in 2016, her husband, Brendan Cox, urged us to remember Jo's life and what she stood for and not the manner of her death. In this moving and impassioned portrait of Jo - as daughter, mother, wife, sister, MP and activist - we see how much she gave and how much more she had to give, and her legacy of values and beliefs which will live on.

We all obsess about worrying less, but worrying can actually be good for you. Similarly we strive to be proactive and fast - but aren't there hidden benefits to procrastinating? The last thing a parent is meant to do is neglect their offspring, but children do amazing things when you just leave them alone. And at work we spend hours frantically brainstorming, but isn't there a benefit to just lazily staring out of the window? 

The day Scarlett dies should have been one of the most important of her life. It doesn't feel fair that she'll never have the chance to fulfil her dreams. And now, she's still ... here ... somehow, watching the ripple effect of her death on the lives of those she loved the most. Evie cannot contemplate her life without Scarlett, and she certainly cannot forgive Nate, the man she blames for her best friend's death. But Nate keeps popping up when she least expects him to, catapulting Evie's life in directions she'd never let herself imagine possible.