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Audiobooks by Petra Durst-Benning
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A defiant woman in pre–World War I Germany carves out her own unconventional destiny as the enthralling Photographer’s Saga continues.
Germany, 1911. Certain things are expected of a woman. Defiant Mimi Reventlow has chosen to be the woman she wants to be. For now, that’s the resident, if temporary, photographer in Laichingen. Here, against the odds, in a vocation uncommon for her gender, she maintains a struggling studio. She cares for her aging uncle and mentor. She’s captured the affections of a roguish young local. And she dares to engage in a secret affair with Johann, the village’s prodigal son.
But when tragedy strikes, Mimi’s world is thrown into a state of flux. Remain in a place she calls home? Stay loyal to the man she loves? Or follow her true calling, on the road, as a photographer of roving independence?
Through dizzying betrayals, breathtaking new passions—both personal and professional—and the rumors of war, Mimi’s next choice could change her life once again. So could the risks. But as Mimi knows, taking risks is at the heart of all women who dream of a future.
Gegen alle Widerstände wird Mimi Reventlow Fotografin, und findet nicht nur ihre Freiheit, sondern auch die Liebe Minna Reventlow, genannt Mimi, war schon immer anders als die Frauen ihrer Zeit. Es ist das Jahr 1911, und während andere Frauen sich um Familie und Haushalt kümmern, hat Mimi ihren großen Traum wahr gemacht. Sie bereist als Fotografin das ganze Land und liebt es, den Menschen mit ihren Bildern Schönheit zu schenken, genau wie ihr Onkel Josef, der ihr großes Vorbild ist. Als dieser erkrankt, zieht sie in das kleine Leinenweberdorf Laichingen, um ihn zu pflegen und vorübergehend sein Fotoatelier zu übernehmen. Ihm zuliebe verzichtet sie nicht nur auf ihre Unabhängigkeit, sondern sieht sich in Laichingen zunächst auch den misstrauischen Blicken der Dorfbewohner ausgesetzt, da sie mehr als einmal mit ihrem Freigeist aneckt. Und als bald ein Mann Mimis Herz höher schlagen lässt, muss sie eine Entscheidung treffen
Vom einfachen Mädchen zur gefeierten Köchin'Bon appétit!' Wenn Fabienne die Gäste des Schleusenwärterhauses bewirtet, ist sie glücklich. Schließlich gibt es bei ihnen das beste Essen am ganzen Canal du Midi: Fabiennes Maman kocht zwar mit den einfachsten Zutaten, aber eben auch mit Liebe und Leidenschaft. Was könnte es Schöneres geben, als von ihr zu lernen? Nur der Gedanke an ihren Geliebten Eric lässt Fabienne gelegentlich von der großen weiten Welt träumen. Als Fabiennes Mutter unerwartet stirbt und der Vater eine neue Frau ins Haus holt, brennt die Minderjährige mit Eric durch. Schon bald lässt der sie bedenkenlos im Stich, und Fabienne muss allein für sich sorgen: Mit großem Glück findet sie Arbeit als Küchenhilfe auf einem Weingut. Mit Stéphanie, der charismatischen Tochter des Hauses, verbindet sie schnell eine ungewöhnliche Freundschaft. Fabiennes Zukunft scheint rosig, doch dann schlägt das Schicksal grausam zu - und nichts ist mehr, wie es war. -
Nach dem Tod ihres Onkels Josef hat Mimi Reventlow Laichingen verlassen und ihre Arbeit als Wanderfotografin wiederaufgenommen. Doch sie ist nicht mehr allein unterwegs, denn der Gastwirtsohn Anton hat sich Mimi angeschlossen.
Gemeinsam bereisen die beiden das Land und wollen nach der dörflichen Enge Laichingens endlich großstädtischen Trubel erleben. Während ihres Aufenthalts in Berlin gelingt es Anton, einen florierenden Postkartenhandel aufzubauen, während Mimi dagegen immer öfter Schwierigkeiten hat, in ihrem Metier als Wanderfotografin eine Gastanstellung zu finden.
Doch anstatt der Vergangenheit nachzutrauern möchte Mimi lieber die Welt von morgen mitgestalten! So wagt sie es, sich neu zu erfinden und dennoch treu zu bleiben. Auf ihrem Weg begegnen ihr auch alte Bekannte, wie die Schafbaronin Bernadette, die von der großen Liebe träumt. Was beiden Frauen noch nicht wissen: Ihnen beiden steht bald die größte Herausforderung ihres Lebens bevor ...
Die Wanderfotografin Mimi Reventlow lebt seit einiger Zeit in der kleinen Leinenweberstadt Laichingen und kümmert sich um ihren kranken Onkel Josef. Durch ihre offene Art ist es ihr gelungen, die Herzen der Dorfbewohner zu erobern und Freundschaften zu knüpfen. Als eine Katastrophe das Dorf erschüttert, wird sie mit ihren wunderschönen Fotografien für viele der Bewohner gar zum einzigen Rettungsanker. Doch nach einer schweren menschlichen Enttäuschung muss Mimi erkennen, dass sie sich nicht nur in ihrem Foto-Atelier dem schönen Schein hingegeben hat, sondern auch im wahren Leben. Für Mimi ist die Zeit der Entscheidung gekommen.
Tempestuous and beautiful Wanda Miles, daughter of Ruth and Stephen Miles (or so she thinks), aspires to more than the life of a debutante, but the trouble is she doesn't know precisely what she wants. Then her aunt Marie, the family's renowned glassblower, arrives from Lauscha, Germany, and Wanda decides that learning about her ancestry may hold the key to her future. When Marie accidentally reveals a long-held secret about Wanda's parents, Wanda goes to Lauscha to unravel the truth.
While Marie finds herself increasingly swept up in New York City's bohemian social scene-catching the eye of a handsome young Italian in the process-Wanda explores a past she never knew in the village of her mother's youth, and begins to build a life that she never expected.
A sweeping tale that takes readers from the small town of Lauscha to the skyscrapers of New York and the sun-kissed coast of Italy, The American Lady is a tribute to the enduring power of family and what we'll do in the name of love.
When Isabelle took a chance and eloped with Leon Feininger, her true love, she hadn't stopped to consider what would happen next. Winter on his family's isolated vineyard proves tougher than she expected, and Isabelle finds herself daydreaming, envisioning the wines she and Leon will make when they have their own land.
An unexpected inheritance opens a door for the newlyweds-Leon's uncle has left them a vineyard, and in champagne country no less! But all is not as it seems. The decrepit estate has very little staff to help, and Isabelle cannot focus her husband's efforts on the farm. She soon decides to seize the opportunity to run the vineyard herself. Like her friends Clara and Josephine, she can learn anything she needs to face a new challenge. And with their help, she will even take on the fierce local competition, with generations of wine-making history tying them to the land she's just learning to toil.
Can Isabelle's passion and perseverance bring Feininger champagne to the world? Will life with Leon become the happily ever after she's always dreamed of?
Bestselling author Petra Durst-Benning's Seed Traders' Saga continues, as a young woman in nineteenth-century Baden-Baden risks everything to pursue her dream of becoming a florist.
Twenty-year-old Flora Kerner has arrived in Baden-Baden, the "Summer Capital of Europe." Having spurned the family seed trade, Flora has instead chosen to accept a floristry apprenticeship in the famed German spa town. She is a quick study in the art of flower arranging, but progress is slower in matters of the heart.
As her magnificent displays and keen eye soon reverse the fortunes of her mentor's shop, she attracts the notice of princesses and other royal clientele. Flora's found her passion-or at least she hopes she has. But as her new life begins to blossom, does she dare risk everything to discover where her true heart lies?
In the village of Lauscha in Germany, things have been done the same way for centuries. The men blow the glass, and the women decorate and pack it. But when glassblower Joost Steinmann passes away unexpectedly one September night, his three daughters must learn to fend for themselves. While feisty Johanna takes a practical approach to looking for work, Ruth follows her heart, aiming to catch the eye of a handsome young villager. But it is dreamy, quiet Marie who has always been the most captivated by the magic and sparkling possibilities of the craft of glassblowing. As the spirited sisters work together to forge a brighter future for themselves on their own terms, they learn not only how to thrive in a man’s world, but how to remain true to themselves—and their hearts—in the process.
Johanna, the oldest of the three Steinmann sisters, has successfully managed the family glassblowing business since her father's death, and her sister Marie's artistic gifts have made their wares unexpectedly famous. But now the livelihood of the town of Lauscha, Germany-known around the world as the "paradise of glass"-is in danger. The local glassworks is about to be sold, and rumor has it the buyer wants to make changes that will challenge glassblowing tradition.
Wanda, the daughter of the middle Steinmann sister, is freshly arrived from America and engaged to an ambitious local glassblower. Yet as soon as the bold young woman learns of the impending sale, she decides to do as her mother and aunts did-cast aside her expected role in order to save the day. With the help of a handsome bank clerk, she will take a daring risk with the villagers' hard-earned money. Just like glass, though, love and commerce are fragile, and what begins as their last hope may just end in shattered dreams.
From the bestselling author of The Glassblower Trilogy comes an inspiring historical saga of a female photographer who must defy convention to live her dreams in turn-of-the-century Germany.
In 1905, on her twenty-sixth birthday, Mimi Reventlow receives a marriage proposal from the vicar of her family’s church. But a future of housework, childcare, and servicing a parish doesn’t appeal to the restless and unconventional Mimi. She has ambitions of her own—to follow in the footsteps of her beloved uncle Josef and become a traveling photographer. Leaving behind all that has been mapped out for her, Mimi dares to pursue her passion and sets out alone to make her own mark.
A visit to her ailing uncle in the idyllic mountain town of Laichingen, Germany, pauses Mimi’s journey. Here, among provincialism and rejection, she struggles to find her place within a vibrant but wary community. But Mimi’s resilience is only strengthened by adversity. Her courage is indomitable. Maybe here, among surprising kindred spirits and longing hearts, in a place she never expected, Mimi’s dreams might be coming into focus.
Petra Durst-Benning’s captivating historical novel pays homage to the trailblazing women of the early twentieth century—like Elizabeth Arden and Estée Lauder—who shaped culture, shattered convention, and strived to make the world around them more beautiful.
Despite all that Clara Berg has achieved as a wife, mother, and chemist—especially for a woman in turn-of-the-century Berlin—ending her abusive marriage comes at great cost. The judge hands her inheritance—her parents’ pharmacy—over to her ex-husband. Now, with her reputation in near ruins thanks to the scandal that rocked her marriage, no reputable chemist will hire her. Worst of all, she has lost all rights to her young son and daughter. Only her dearest friends, Josephine and Isabelle, themselves no strangers to hardship, remain steadfast.
With their encouragement, Clara decides to start over in the spa town of Lake Constance, where she creates a homemade cream and launches a cosmetics revolution. Against all convention, she teaches other women and herself how to face the challenges of each new day with confidence and beauty. Soon her renown brings prestige, professional accolades, even new romance. But through it all, her heart beats for her beloved children—will success finally bring the reunion she longs for?
