Audiobooks narrated by Joanna David

"Brought to you by Penguin. The new novel from the bestselling author of Miss Austen and Godmersham Park. 1820. Mary Dorothea Knatchbull is living under the sole charge of her widowed father, Sir Edward – a man of strict principles and high Christian values. But when her father marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary’s life is suddenly changed. Her new stepmother comes from a large, happy and sociable family and Fanny’s sisters become Mary’s first friends. Her aunt, Miss Cassandra Austen of Chawton, is especially kind. Her brothers are not only amusing, but handsome and charming. And as Mary Dorothea starts to bloom into a beautiful young woman, she forms an especial bond with one Mr Knight in particular. Soon, they are deeply in love and determined to marry. They expect no opposition. After all, each is from a good family and has known the other for some years. It promises to be the most perfect match. Who would want to stand in their way? 'Has all Austen’s wit and unnerving powers of observation with an extra twenty-first century zap' Ferdinand Mount 'Few writers are as perspicacious or half as delightful as Hornby' Karen Joy Fowler 'Gripping and moving and also so sharp and funny. I loved it!’ Sabine Durrant ©2024 Gill Hornby (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

Gill Hornby (Author), Joanna David (Narrator)

Audiobook

George V: Never a Dull Moment

"Brought to you by Penguin. The first truly candid portrait of George V and Mary -- the Queen's grandparents and the creators of the modern monarchy The lasting reputation of George V is for dullness. He was a crack shot, and an outstanding stamp collector, but that's about it. The flamboyance and hedonism of his father, Edward VII, defined an era whose influence and magnetism is still felt today. The contrast between the two could hardly be greater. But is that really all there was to King George, a monarch who faced a series of crises thought to be the most testing faced by any twentieth-century British sovereign? As Tommy Lascelles, one of George's most senior advisors, put it: 'He was dull, beyond dispute -- but my God, his reign never had a dull moment.' Jane Ridley is one of very finest royal biographers, celebrated for her immaculate research, highly entertaining style and piercing insights. How this supposedly limited man managed to steer the crown through so many perils and adapt a Victorian institution to the modern world is a great story in itself. But with it comes a riveting portrait of a royal marriage and family life that challenges myths and lets us see George, Mary and their children more fully and clearly than ever before. George V was the Queen's grandfather, and Jane Ridley takes right into the drawing rooms Elizabeth was born into. She brings us a royal family and world not long vanished, and not so far from our own. © Jane Ridley 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021"

Jane Ridley (Author), Joanna David (Narrator)

Audiobook

Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China

"Brought to you by Penguin. The best-known modern Chinese fairy tale is the story of three sisters from Shanghai, who for most of the twentieth century were at the centre of power in China. It was sometimes said that 'One loved money, one loved power and one loved her country', but there was far more to the Soong sisters than these caricatures. As China battled through a hundred years of wars, revolutions and seismic transformations, each sister played an important, sometimes critical role, and left an indelible mark on history. Red Sister, Ching-ling, married Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Chinese republic, and later became Mao's vice-chair. Little Sister, May-ling, was Madame Chiang Kai-shek, first lady of the pre-Communist Nationalist China and a major political figure in her own right. Big Sister, Ei-ling, was Chiang's unofficial main adviser. She made herself one of China's richest women - and her husband Chiang's prime minister. All three sisters enjoyed tremendous privilege and glory, but also endured constant attacks and mortal danger. They showed great courage and experienced passionate love, as well as despair and heartbreak. The relationship between them was highly charged emotionally, especially once they had embraced opposing political camps and Ching-ling dedicated herself to destroying her two sisters' world. Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister is a gripping story of love, war, exile, intrigue, glamour and betrayal, which takes us on a monumental journey, from Canton to Hawaii and New York, from exiles' quarters in Japan and Berlin to secret meeting rooms in Moscow, and from the compounds of the Communist elite in Beijing to the corridors of power in democratic Taiwan. In a group biography that is by turns intimate and epic, Jung Chang reveals the lives of three extraordinary women who helped shape the history of twentieth-century China. *LONGLISTED FOR THE HWA NON-FICTION CROWN 2020*"

Jung Chang (Author), Joanna David (Narrator)

Audiobook

Gracious Lies

"Gracious Lies, is a collection of five delightfully unsettling short stories that take a lingering peep behind the net curtains of everyday life, love and marriage. In Hand, Foot & Finger, imperious Leonard and his pale wife Audrey head once again to Aunty Lynne’s West Country guesthouse. Can Audrey endure another week of toil on the beautiful beaches of Weston-super-Mare? The New Mrs Barefoot is en route, but for faithful family retainer, Dobbo, life may never be the same as he discovers his employer’s new wife is not quite the heavenly creature he was expecting. In Lemon, knife-sharp tensions erupt between Claire and husband Trevor, when his reminiscences and red wine consumption look set to ruin a dinner party designed to impress her new boss. While in Upper Rugless, a life of bucolic tranquillity and Victoria sponge is simply not as delightful as it promised to be – as high-spirited Jemima is about to find out. And in Sixty-Six Steps to Mother Gerald and Angela ascend for Christmas lunch. Will it be a case of like mother, like son? And will it be a step too far for the impeccably attired Angela? Peel back the nets and enter, if you dare, the darkly delicious world of Gracious Lies…"

Hilda Lolly (Author), Joanna David, Ruthanne Reid (Narrator)

Audiobook

Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Best-Loved Poems

"Seventy-one poems are included from these two influential poets of nineteenth century England who were also man and wife. The poetry reveals their passion, ideas, and dedication to social causes. This two-CD set offers the listener a convenient way to hear favorite poems of Elizabeth easilyand find the preferred poetry of Robert with maximum accessibility. Included among the poems of Robert are 'Love among the Ruins,' 'Home Thoughts from Abroad,' 'Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister,' 'Abt Vogler,' 'Rabbi Ben Ezra,' and sixteen others. Among Elizabeth's best-loved works are 'Grief,' 'The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point,' 'Casa Guidi Windows,' the forty-four complete Sonnets from the Portuguese, and four others."

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning (Author), Joanna David, Steven Pacey (Narrator)

Audiobook

Pride and Prejudice

"Penguin Classics presents Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, adapted for audio and available as a digital download as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by Joanna David. 'No sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes ... ' When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life. Part of a series of vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives. Affordable, collectable, quality productions - perfect for on-the-go listening."

Jane Austen (Author), Joanna David (Narrator)

Audiobook

The American Senator: A BBC Radio full cast dramatization

"The American Senator By Anthony Trollope. Dramatised by Martyn Wade. Part One: Arabella is determined to keep her engagement to John Morton a secret. Perhaps, there is a more exciting and wealthy husband she might be able to catch. Part Two: Lord Rufford has kissed Arabella twice but she realises that much more needs to be done to win him and his estate. It is now time to tell John Morton she no longer wants to marry him? Part Three: Lord Rufford has run away from Arabella but she hasn't given up hope. She is determined that he will marry her but then she receives some distressing news Starring Robert Glenister, Anna Maxwell Martin, Barbara Flynn, Blake Ritson, Stuart Milligan, Joanna David, Daniel Rabin, Penelope Rawlins, Carl Prekopp, Henry Devas, Elaine Claxton, Joanathan Forbes, Jane Whittenshaw, and Sean Baker. Directed by Tracey Neale."

Anthony Trollope (Author), Anna Maxwell-Martin, Full Cast, Joanna David, Robert Glenister (Narrator)

Audiobook

Jennie Churchill: Winston's American Mother: Winston's American Mother

"After a three-day romance, Brooklyn-born Jennie Jerome married into the British aristocracy to become Lady Randolph Churchill. At a time when women had few freedoms, she was a cornerstone of high society and behind-the-scenes political dynamo. However it was Jennie's love life that marked her out, causing scandal and earning her the epithet 'more panther than woman'. Yet, in many ways, Jennie was deeply loyal to her husband. When he was dying of syphilis she took him on a round-the-world trip to conceal his violence and mania. He returned in a straitjacket with only weeks to live. After Randolph's death her great project became her son, Winston..."

Anne Sebba (Author), Joanna David (Narrator)

Audiobook

Born Free Trilogy

"Joy Adamson is world-famous as the woman who walked with lions. These are the books that brought the story of her work to a public whose imagination was captured by the discovery of this remarkable interaction between man and beast. Born Free was first published in 1960, and tells the story of her relationship with Elsa, raising her from a young cub and later releasing her into the wild. Living Free and Forever Free continues Elsa's story and that of her cubs. Immortalised in film by Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, this is the original story for a new generation of readers to discover for themselves."

Joy Adamson (Author), Joanna David (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Joanna David