Showing results by narrator "Rosalyn Landor" in All Categories

Some see stem-cell research as mankind’s greatest scientific breakthrough; others, a blasphemous attempt to play God. Suddenly, the possibility of immortality exists. Two brothers, both doctors, stand on opposite sides of the controversy. To Arthur Marshak, his work is a momentous gift to humanity. To Jesse Marshak, it is a curse. And between them stands a beautiful, remarkable woman that both brothers will do anything to save.

The novel, a deceptively simple story, is set in Holland in 1672 during the amazing tulipmania of the 17th century that brought wealth to some and ruin to many. The story weaves the historical events surrounding the brutal murder of John de Witte and his brother Cornelius into a tale of romantic love. The novel is also a political allegory in which Dumas makes his case against tyranny and puts all his energies into creating a symbol of justice and tolerance: the fateful tulipa negra.

Like other well-bred young women in Edwardian England, Lily Throop is expected to think of little beyond marriage and motherhood. Passionate about the stage, Lily has very different ambitions. To her father's dismay, she secures an apprenticeship at London's famous Imperial Theatre. Soon, her talent and beauty bring coveted roles and devoted admirers. Yet to most of society, the line between actress and harlot is whisper-thin. With her reputation threatened by her mentor's vicious betrayal, Lily flees to St. Petersburg with an acting troupe - leaving her first love behind.

Bright, willful Maggie Tulliver longs for acceptance from Tom, her obstinately responsible brother whom she cherishes above all. As their father falls ill and loses Dorlcote Mill in a lawsuit, Maggie and Tom are forced down two divergent paths in life, each dictated by familial and societal expectations. Wasting away in the Tullivers' home, Maggie is soon inspired to follow her heart and lead a life of passion and impulse, which results in her brother renouncing her. As the siblings drift apart, only tragedy along the River Floss can bring them together again.

At first blush, Widdershins is a conventional haunted house story involving an unsuccessful writer who moves into an empty house in hope that isolation will help his failing creativity. His sensitivity and imagination are enhanced by his seclusion, but his art, his only friend, and his sanity are all destroyed in the process. It can be interpreted as narrating the gradual possession of the protagonist by a mysterious, possessive feminine spirit, or as a realistic description of a psychotic outbreak culminating in catatonia and murder, told from the psychotic subject’s view.

Hayley Okines is like no other 13-year-old schoolgirl. In Old Before My Time, Hayley and her mum, Kerry, reflect on her unusual life. Share Hayley’s excitement as she travels the world meeting her pop heroes Kylie, Girls Aloud, and Justin Bieber and her sadness as she loses her best friend to the disease at the age of 11. Now as she passes the age of 13 - the average life expectancy for a child with progeria - Hayley talks frankly about her hopes for the future and her pioneering drug trials in America which could unlock the secrets of ageing for everyone....

Amy has recently given birth to her first child, Evie, but, while utterly besotted with her daughter, she can't quite manage to get her own life back on track. She feels overweight, unattractive, and incapable of holding a conversation beyond the lines of breast pumps and feeding times. She wants her figure, her sassiness, her LIFE back. And on top of that, she suspects her partner, Joe, is having an affair. Then her friend Alice decides to give her a makeover.