Showing results by narrator "Amy Noble" in All Categories

What was life really like for women in the medieval period? How did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives? And how can we hear the stories of women from this period?

1338: England has declared war on France, and Jeanette of Kent, cousin to King Edward III, says goodbye to her family and travels overseas with the royal court for the first time. Once in Antwerp, she is captivated by talented household knight, Thomas Holland, just as he in turn is powerfully drawn to her. Although both know their romance is forbidden, their love for each other grows stronger than the danger they face, and they marry in secret. But before they can make their tryst known, Thomas has to leave for war, and in his absence, Jeanette is forced into a second marriage.

Paris, 1936. When Dora Maar, a talented French photographer, painter and poet, is introduced to Pablo Picasso, she is mesmerized by his dark and intense stare. Drawn to his volcanic creativity, it isn't long before she embarks on a passionate relationship with the Spanish artist that sometimes includes sadism and masochism, and ultimately pushes her to the edge. The Paris Muse is the fictionalized retelling of this disturbing love story, as we follow Dora on her journey of self-discovery and expression.

Eighteen-year-old Katherine - bright, stylish, frustratedly suburban - doesn't know how her life will change when the brilliant Jacob Goldman first offers her a place at university. When she enters the Goldmans' rambling bohemian home, presided over by the beatific matriarch Jane, she realises that Jacob and his family are everything she has been waiting for. But when a romantic entanglement ends in tears, Katherine is forced into exile from the family she loves most. And her journey back into the fold, after more than a decade away, will yield all kinds of delightful surprises...

Welcome to Turtle Cove. A luxury resort surrounded by pristine sea and the dense beauty of the jungle, it is the perfect escape from the stresses of life and work. For couples Lou and Adam, Eliza and Noah, a few days spent relaxing on the beach, while their kids are happily distracted, is exactly what they need. But appearances can be deceiving. There's a strange tension brewing at the resort, with relations between the hotel and the locals threatening to spill over into violence. This is nothing though compared to the strained atmosphere between the two families.

When Meg Mathews hit menopause, she was shocked at the lack of awareness, understanding and support shown to women - and also found the information available far too dreary. After getting her symptoms under control she became determined to help other women avoid an experience like hers. The New Hot is her no-holds-barred guide to menopause designed to entertain and empower women in equal measure. It's full of Meg's personal insights as well as the latest information and advice from a wide range of menopause and lifestyle experts.

Take charge of your menopause and feel great. Dr Louise Newson is the UK's leading menopause specialist, and she's determined to help women thrive during the menopause. Despite being something that almost every woman will experience at some point in their lives, misdiagnosis, misinformation and stigma are commonplace. In Preparing for the Perimenopause and Menopause, Dr Newson demystifies the menopause and shows why every woman should be perimenopause aware, regardless of their age.

On a series of coastal walks, Lisa Woollett takes us on an illuminating journey, bringing to life the places where mythology and reality meet at the very edges of Britain and Ireland. From Bronze Age settlements on the Isles of Scilly and submerged prehistoric forests in Wales, to a Victorian amusement park on the Isle of Wight and castles in the air off County Clare, Lisa draws together archaeology, meetings with locals and tales from folklore to reveal how the sea has forged, shaped and often overwhelmed these landscapes and communities.

Ali Bobrow is a single parent with a fraught nine-year-old daughter, a malevolent ex with a grabby new wife, and an underused artistic talent. A pushover when it comes to needy neighbours and uninvited children, she allows her house to be the local drop-in centre, until she collides with Noah Glazer. A solid man of science, Noah walks into Ali's life bringing good sense, order and security. But ten years on, Ali is drawn back into the complexities of her past: an old lover, two ex-spouses, a colleague from clown school and a small smuggled cat all help to rock the boat.

1960. The border between East and West Germany has closed. For Elisabeth - a young painter - the GDR is her generation's chance to build a glorious, egalitarian socialist future. For her brother Uli, it is a place of stricture and oppression. Separating them is the ever-wider chasm of the party line; over them loom the twin spectres of opportunity and fear, and the shadow of their defector brother Konrad. In prose as bold as a scarlet paint stroke, Brigitte Reimann battles with the clash of idealism and suppression, familial loyalty and desire.

For two weeks Wimbledon hosts the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world and this year everyone is talking about player Kieran O’Sullivan, the infamous bad boy of the sport with one last chance to win a Grand Slam. Everyone, that is, except Flora Hendrix. Flora might live in Wimbledon, but she’s renting out her flat for the summer while she explores the fresh start that she’s longing for. Except when Flora's plans unexpectedly fall through, the last thing she expects is her house guest to refuse to leave. Especially when it’s none other than Kieran O’Sullivan.

Want to be your own boss? Or want to be the boss? Start here. Believe. Build. Become. is a hands-on manual designed to help any woman develop the skills and mind-set she needs to become a successful leader. Based on the AllBright Academy courses created by entrepreneur Debbie Wosskow (OBE, Founder of Love Home Swap) and leading businesswoman Anna Jones (former CEO of Hearst), Believe. Build. Become. offers a chapter-by-chapter system for listeners to work through, focusing on the skills and confidence required to master the mind-set of leadership.

Catherine is frantic. It's her husband Simon's turn to take their son to nursery and he's nowhere to be seen. He promised he'd be here. So, where is he? And why isn't he taking her calls? Her worst fears are soon realised when the police arrive at her door to tell her that Simon is missing, presumed dead. Refusing to accept that he's gone, Catherine spends her days retracing his last steps, and her nights searching the streets in desperation. She will not rest, she will not sleep, until she's put her family back together.

The Science of the Ocean offers up riches from every corner of the ocean, from coral reefs and mangrove swamps to icy fjords and deep-ocean trenches, and from great whales to the microscopic beauty of plankton. Along the way, it explains how the ocean itself works, including tides, currents, hurricanes, tsunamis and the global processes of oceanography and climate. An informative and utterly beautiful introduction to the ocean, this audiobook brings the wealth of the sea to your ears.

There is no doubt that we are all living in difficult times. With uncertainty around politics, the economy, our environment and now public health, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless. Information. In today’s uncertain world we are all susceptible to crises of confidence. In these difficult times, it is easy to retreat into ourselves in an effort to hide from the negativity and block out the world around us.

The time is 1995, but everybody is linked by their past. Brilliant Australian Caroline can command everyone except her own ghoulish mother, which means that things aren't easy for Josh and Zoe, her husband and twelve-year-old daughter. In its mix of people from different spheres, the book throws up the complexity, cruelty and richness of the global world while, as a sequence of personal stories, it comes together like a dance; a masquerade in which things are not always what they seem.

During times of adversity, both global and personal, building a strong foundation of self-worth and resilience is essential in helping to prevent a downward spiral.