A touching and powerful short story from the acclaimed author of LOST FOR WORDS.
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY IN AUDIOBOOK.
'Knee-deep in the hungry sea, on the beach that I did not yet know I was to take custody of, I understood something for the first time: it is possible to have everything you want, and to be miserable.'
The beach is quiet at night. The moon shines, the tide falls back, and a woman stands, waiting, watching for those who come to the shore only to walk into the sea.
Nancy has lived on the coast for more years than she can remember. A famous actress in her younger days, she has since retreated from the world. Now her only aim is to persuade those who come to her beach to end their lives to go back to dry land, and try, once more, to live.
But each time gets harder, and Nancy begins to fear she is no longer strong enough to save the lives of the desperate and hopeless.
An empowering, feminist and moving novel that will change the way you see the world. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Day, Claire Fuller and Joanna Cannon.
1968. Veronica Moon, a junior photographer for a local newspaper, is frustrated by her (male) colleagues' failure to take her seriously. And then she meets Leonie on the picket line of the Ford factory at Dagenham. So begins a tumultuous, passionate and intoxicating friendship. Leonie is ahead of her time and fighting for women's equality with everything she has. She offers Veronica an exciting, free life at the dawn of a great change.
Fifty years later, Leonie is gone, and Veronica leads a reclusive life. Her groundbreaking career was cut short by one of the most famous photographs of the twentieth century.
Now, that controversial picture hangs as the centrepiece of a new feminist exhibition curated by Leonie's niece. Long-repressed memories of Veronica's extraordinary life begin to stir. It's time to break her silence, and step back into the light.
The Lost for Words Bookshop is a compelling, irresistible, and heart-rending audiobook from author Stephanie ButlandLoveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never, ever show you.Into her hiding place - the bookstore where she works - come a poet, a lover, and three suspicious deliveries.Someone has found out about her mysterious past. Will Loveday survive her own heartbreaking secrets?Praise for The Lost for Words Bookshop:'The Lost for Words Bookshop pushes all my bookish buttons.'-Red (Books to Read)'Quirky, clever and unputdownable.'-Katie Fforde'Burns fiercely with love and hurt. A rare and beautiful novel.'-Linda Green, bestselling author of While My Eyes Were Closed
Ailsa Rae is learning how to live.She's only a few months past the heart transplant that - just in time - saved her life. Life should be a joyful adventure. But . . .
Her relationship with her mother is at breaking point and she wants to find her father. Have her friends left her behind? She's felt so helpless for so long that she's let polls on her blog make her decisions for her. She barely knows where to start on her own.
Then there's Lennox. Her best friend and one time lover. He was sick too. He didn't make it. And now she's supposed to face all of this without him.But her new heart is a bold heart. She just needs to learn to listen to it . . .
"It smelled bittersweetly of sourdough, and there was the trace of hot, fresh bread in the air. She took a deep breath and unlocked the door"
Fifteen years ago Bettina May's life's veered off course in one disastrous night. Still reeling from the shock of losing everything she thought was hers, Bettina opens a bakery in a village and throws herself into the comfort of bread-making.
She spends her days kneading dough and measuring ingredients. She meets someone. She begins to heal.
Until someone who knows what happens that night walks into Bettina's bakery. In the pause of a heartbeat, fifteen years disappear and Bettina remembers a time she thought was lost for ever . . .
Can she ever go back?
