Audiobooks by Laura Solomon

Hilary and David

"David, a lonely elderly struggling novelist, contacts Hilary, with whom he has a friend in common, via Facebook, and an unlikely friendship develops via a series of messages. The two begin to share details of their past and current lives. Hilary is a solo mother with two children. One of the children has Down's Syndrome and the other has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Both are struggling. David, who suffers from agoraphobia, is wrestling with his sixth novel, and is under pressure from a publisher to complete it. Hilary feels the pressure of raising two young children alone, whilst also trying to complete a distance degree./Although they are on opposite sides of the world (David in London and Hilary in New Zealand), the two provide support and friendship for one another via their messages. Each shares secrets from their past./Through a series of messages, Hilary and David share their thoughts on life, the universe, men, women and everything else in between and provide companionship and advice for one another. 'Absolutely unputdownable. Once you commence reading this England-New Zealand based novel you will find yourself carried on quickly via the impelling momentum generated by all the relationship and emotional hassles the two main characters have in their distinct yet interwoven lives on two sides of the World. Well-written. Interesting. Clever. Well done, Laura Solomon.' —Vaughan Rapatahana, author of the poetry collection, Home, Away, Elsewhere (2011) 'I found myself caught up in the story and read the book in one sitting.' — Member, International Proverse Prize 2010 Judging Panel 'A nice one or two-day holiday read' – Helen Watson White, 'Making a connection', Sunday Star Times, Auckland, New Zealand, 22 January 2012."

Laura Solomon (Author), David Allen, Gillian Bickley, Stephanie Frewen (Narrator)

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Vera Magpie

"VERA MAGPIE explores the gap between childhood fantasies of adult life and the stark reality of life in a women's prison. The eponymous narrator, Vera Magpie herself, is serving time for the murder of her three husbands, including Larry, a good man whom she loves, but doomed to die at Vera's hands because she has acquired a taste for murder. In prison, Vera experiences the reality that here are politics and a pecking order, just as in society at large, but here also she finds redemption through literature. Like many women who kill, Vera is a product of her own flawed past. But aspects of this past also count towards her early release from prison, as her new female lawyer successfully argues Battered Women’s Syndrome as a defence. LAURA SOLOMON was Joint-Winner of the inaugural international Proverse Prize (2009) with her novella, Instant Messages, subsequently published by Proverse Hong Kong in 2010. Also published by Proverse are Hilary and David (an epistolary novel) (2011) and The Shingle Bar Sea Monster and Other Stories (2012). Of Solomon, Maggie Gee wrote, when Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, United Kingdom, 'Witty, clear-edged, both lemon-sharp and seductive, Laura Solomon is a writer to watch.' Solomon has published two novels in New Zealand, Black Light (1996) and Nothing Lasting (1997). Born in New Zealand, Solomon spent nine years in London before returning to New Zealand in 2007. She has an honours degree in English Literature (Victoria University, 1997) and a Master's degree in Computer Science (University of London, 2003). She has travelled internationally for her work in IT, including working in Norway, for Fast Search and Transfer, now owned by Microsoft."

Laura Solomon (Author), Gillian Bickley, Stephanie Frewen (Narrator)

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