Family Stories 4

Talking Books

The titles in this booklist are just a selection of the titles available for loan from the RNIB National Library Talking Book Service.

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For any further help in selecting books please contact the Reader Services Team on 01733 37 5333 or email libraryinfo@rnib.org.uk.

Ackroyd, Peter English music. 1992. Read by Tom Crowe, 14 hours 57 minutes. TB 9851. To a small audience of the susceptible and curious, Clement Harcombe and his son Timothy perform acts of healing through contact with the spirits of the dead. For Timothy, motherless with extraordinary psychic gifts, it is an unorthodox but secure apprenticeship; for others it is a wayward existence with a suspect parent, and he is removed to the security of his grandparents' home. Wandering in his world of literary visions, Timothy comes to understand the power of the author over his characters, the painter over what is perceived and the composer over what is heard; a most unusual education. TB 9851.

Anand, Valerie The ruthless yeoman. 1991. Read by Josephine Tewson, 18 hours 33 minutes. TB 10530. Bridges over time series; book 2. Sequel to: The proud villeins, TB 10307. Isabel of Northfield knows that free blood flows in the family's veins and determines to better herself, but her plans to improve her lot by entering the church do not succeed and her love affair with a man far her social superior is doomed to fail. Yet, when she dies in servitude, her vision of liberty does not die with her, for her kinswoman Nicola inherits her dreams. Nicola marries the violent and ambitious Thomas Woodcarver who, as Black Death strikes, sees the chance to drag his family out of serfdom. TB 10530.

Archer, Jeffrey Only time will tell. 2011. Read by Roger Allam, Read by Emilia Fox, 12 hours 36 minutes. TB 19160. The Clifton chronicles; book 1. The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the chilling words, 'I was told that my father was killed in the war'. But it will be another 20 years before Harry discovers how his father really died, which will only lead him to question: who was his father? TB 19160.

Archer, Jeffrey The sins of the father. 2012. Read by Alex Jennings and Emilia Fox, 10 hours 6 minutes. TB 19795. The Clifton chronicles; book 2. In Jeffrey Archer's epic novel, family loyalties are stretched to their limits as secrets unravel, and

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the story moves from the backstreets of Bristol to the boardrooms of Manhattan. Join the great storyteller on a journey where there are no stop signs, no cul-de-sacs and no dead ends. TB 19795.

Baker, Anne All that glistens. 2009. Read by Anne Dover, 12 hours 20 minutes. TB 19052.When jeweller Edwin Jardine gives a job to Hilda Thorpe, his daughter Jane suspects that he's been blinded by the widow's good looks. Jane knows her father deserves happiness again after the death of her mother, but must it be with Hilda? With the help of her fiance, Nick, Jane unravels the shocking truth about Hilda's past. TB 19052.

Banks, Lynne Reid Two is lonely. 1974. Read by Lynne Reid Banks, 9 hours 15. TB 3620. Jane Graham series; book 3. Sequel to: The backward shadow, TB 3571. Jane, worried by the effect that her failure to marry is having on her eight-year-old son, becomes involved again with the boy's father, with her first love Toby, and with Andy, the friend who is always close at hand. TB 3620.

Barstow, Stan A kind of loving. 1960. Read by Stephen Thorne, 9 hours 13 minutes. TB 7759. The Vic Brown trilogy; book 1. On the surface, this tells the story of Vic Brown's physical infatuation with Ingrid. However, mixed in with the spice of a young wife and a rich supply of northern characters is the tragedy of a marriage which becomes a sham. As Vic tells his own tale there are crisis points and moments of great humour. A powerful tale of love and hate, set in the equally absorbing West Riding communities with which the author is so familiar. TB 7759.

Bates, H E Oh! To be in England. 1963. Read by Raymond Anderson, 4 hours 30 minutes. TB 7147. The Larkins series; book 4. Sequel to: When the green woods laugh, TB 7056. To be in England seems a good idea with Pop clinching a deal for two suits of armour, a butter churn, three regency chamber pots - with pink roses - and a load of other junk; with all the younger Larkins being taken to the bosom of the

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Church at a mass baptism - with marquee and private fair-ground - and above all, with the Reverend Candy locking a half-Nelson on an unwelcome visitor. TB 7147.

Bawden, Nina Familiar passions. 1979. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 6 hours 15 minutes. TB 3477.Bridie's husband leaves her. The new insecurity makes her think about her adoption and seek out her natural parents, in order to find out about her background and to face the future. TB 3477.

Baxter, Lily The girls in blue. 2012. Read by Anna Harwich, 12 hours 30 minutes. TB 20076.When her home is destroyed in a bombing raid over London, Miranda Beddoes is forced to take refuge with her grandparents down on the Dorset coast. With both her parents doing their duty for king and country, Miranda longs to do the same. She joins the WAAF and is soon working hard to help win the war. Despite her determination to dedicate herself to her work, Miranda falls for charismatic fighter pilot Gil Maddern - a man known for his recklessness and passion for flying. As the battle rages in the skies above them and she learns that Gil's plane has been hit, it is only the friendship of her fellow girls in blue that keeps Miranda going as she waits for news. TB 20076.

Baxter, Lily Spitfire girl. 2011. Read by Anna Harwich, 12 hours 37 minutes. TB 19381.It is 1940 and 18 year-old Susan longs to do her duty. Her secret ambition is to learn to fly. She meets Tony, a flying instructor, and friendship blossoms into love. Susan is forced to flee London and is taken in by a kindly innkeeper. She then receives news that Tony is missing in action. Will she realise her dreams of love and flying? TB 19381.

Bennett, Anne A daughter's secret. 2008. Read by Madeleine Brolly, 14 hours 50 minutes. TB 19943.From the author of 'Mother's Only Child', 'Danny Boy' and 'Daughter of Mine', this is a moving and gritty saga of loss,

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separation and finally hope, as a young girl is forced to leave her home and survive in the backstreets of Birmingham. TB 19943.

Bennett, AnneFar from home. 2012. Read by Candida Gubbins, 13 hours 50 minutes. TB 19674.Kate is only 16 when she is sent to live in Birmingham with her friend Susie. Kate is harbouring a secret - a deep passion for her cousin, Tim, back home in Ireland. When WWII breaks out, the girls volunteer as Air Raid Protection Volunteers. But while war wages all around them, Kate makes a discovery that rocks her to her very core. TB 19674.

Bentley, Phyllis Ring in the new. 1969. Read by Stephen Jack, 5 hours 15 minutes. TB 1193. Tales of the West Riding series; book 19. Sequel to: A man of his time, TB 320. Chuff, now managing director of Syke Mill, battles with a takeover; his cousin Jonathan, now a university lecturer, is accidentally involved in a student demonstration; and both learn to live with the changes brought by the contemporary scene. TB 1193.

Bingham, Charlotte Daughters of Eden. 2005. Read by Kim Hicks, 13 hours 38 minutes. TB 19973.Focuses on the lives and fortunes of four young women at the outbreak of the Second World War. Marjorie, left at a boarding school by her emigrating mother; plain Poppy, pushed into marriage with a mean-spirited aristocrat; Kate, despised by her father, but determined to prove herself; and man-mad Lily, who turns out to be the bravest of them all. TB 19973.

Bingham, Charlotte The love knot. 2012. Read by Judy Bennett, 13 hours 25 minutes. TB 19388.This romantic novel follows the fortunes of three very different young women who are in love in Victorian times. That all three determine on making their own way at a time when to be independent was to risk social ostracism, is partly due to the influence each comes to have on the others' lives. TB 19388.

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Blair, Emma Half hidden. 2012. Read by Leonie Mellinger, 12 hours 31 minutes. TB 19389.Holly's fiance is killed at Dunkirk and she throws all her energy into her nursing skills, convinced that she will never love again. When she meets Dr Peter Schmidt she finds that not all Germans are awful. But then typhoid strikes. TB 19389.

Bradford, Barbara Taylor Being Elizabeth. 2009. Read by Michael Tudor Barnes, 13 hours 55 minutes. TB 19391. House of Deravenel series; book 3. Sequel to: Heirs of Ravenscar, TB 16070. Elizabeth Turner, scion of the fabled Deravenel family, carries the red-gold hair and beautiful English complexion of her ancestors. And it is not just her colouring that she has inherited from Edward Deravenel. Astute and charismatic, she is also bold, daring and fiercely ambitious, with the same ruthless streak. Now, aged just twenty-five, she stands in the position she has dreamed of - inheriting the family business, Deravenels. Over eight hundred years old, the company is a bastion of male chauvinism and the challenge that lies ahead of Elizabeth is immense. She also has to cope with the enmity of her cousin Mary who misguidedly believes she is the rightful heir. TB 19391.

Bradshaw, Rita Alone beneath the heaven. 1998. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 13 hours 35 minutes. TB 19657.As a child Sarah Brown was abandoned and grew up in a Sunderland orphanage run by a cruel matron. Sarah goes to London to enter service but her new master is a rapist and terrible violence ensues. She is driven to unravel the mysteries of her past. TB 19657.

Bragg, Melvyn The hired man. 1973. Read by Stephen Jack, 8 hours 50 minutes. TB 1177. Tallentire family series; book 1. A historical novel, by an author with a real feeling for the life and scenes of the country, about an agricultural labourer from the time of his marriage and offering of himself for hire in 1898 at a Cumberland market. TB 1177.

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Bragg, Melvyn The soldier's return. 1999. Read by Stephen Thorne, 9 hours 40 minutes. TB 13233. The soldier's return series; book 1. When Sam Richardson returns from World War II to Wigton in Cumbria, he finds little has changed, as far as his own limited prospects go. In his absence, though, his young family has changed immensely, and Sam struggles to adjust to life in peacetime. TB 13233.

Buck, Pearl S The good earth. 2005. Read by Di Langford, 11 hours 7 minutes. TB 18564.When O-lan, a servant girl, marries the peasant Wang Lung, she toils tirelessly through four pregnancies for their family's survival. Reward at first is meagre, but there is sustenance in the land - until the famine comes. Half-starved, the family joins thousands of peasants to beg on the city streets. It seems that all is lost, until O-lan's desperate will to survive returns them home with undreamt of wealth. But they have betrayed the earth from which true wealth springs, and the family's money breeds only mistrust, deception - and heartbreak for the woman who had saved them. TB 18564.

Byatt, A S The virgin in the garden. 1978. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 22 hours 56 minutes. TB 6539. Frederica series; book 1. The date is 1953 and the scene is variously a public school, an Elizabethan country house, and the north Yorkshire coast. Poetic dramatist Alexander Wedderburn, agnostic Bill Potter, and Lucas Simmonds, a Biology master with curious cosmological views, all teach at the school. Events centre on the wedding of Bill's daughter to a fat and fanatical curate; an alarming religious experiment conducted by Lucas and Bill's son; and the staging of a drama about Elizabeth 1. TB 6539.

Caldwell, Taylor Captains and the kings. 1973. Read by Marvin Kane, 19 hours. TB 2195.This story concerns an Irish immigrant family's adventures in America from the mid-1850s through the early 1900s. TB 2195.

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Carr, Philippa The Pool of St. Branok. 1987. Read by Rosemary Davis, 17 hours 32 minutes. TB 7892. The daughters of England series; book 14. Sequel to: Midsummer's' Eve, TB 9653. A further novel in the "Daughters of England" saga, this story centres on Angelet, born and raised in Cornwall, whose fascinating journey through life and across the world starts with a strange encounter at the Pool of Branok. Angelet's adventures are grippingly related from the delights of the London debutante season to the deprivations of the Australian goldfields. TB 7892.

Clayton, SylviaFriends and Romans. 1975. Read by Carol Marsh, 7 hours 20 minutes. TB 3023.Emma meets her film-director father for the first time when she is 21; but the bond between them is strong, and she understands only too well that he is heading for disaster. TB 3023.

Cleary, Jon The Beaufort sisters. 1979. Read by Carmen Lynne, 18 hours 46 minutes. TB 8449.This is the story of four sisters, the beautiful and wilful daughters of Lucas Beaufort, the richest man in Kansas City. The theme is about the dangers as well as the pleasures of being rich. Building his story like a mosaic, time and events at last bringing all the pieces together, Jon Cleary tells the story of the loves and marriages of Nina, Margaret Sally and Prue, each independent-minded yet at the same time tied emotionally to her sisters. TB 8449.

Collier, Catrin Winners & losers. 2006. Read by Kate Jarman, 15 hours 58 minutes. TB 19974. Rhondda saga series; book 2. Sequel to: Beggars and choosers, TB 15115. 1910. Tonypandy is a town of poverty and hardship garrisoned by troops brought in to control the striking miners. 18-year-old Megan finds that the only work is in the houses where the police and soldiers lodge, for which she is shunned. TB 19974.

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Cookson, Catherine Tilly Trotter: a novel. 1980. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 15 hours 15 minutes. TB 3637.Tilly Trotter trilogy; book 1. Tilly Trotter, coming up sixteen, was content to live quietly with her grandparents, but her life was dramatically changed and hard and testing times lay ahead of her. TB 3637.

Court, Dilly The lady's maid. 2012. Read by Natalie Castka, 12 hours 20 minutes. TB 20086.In the quiet of a warm summer's evening, two young mothers are forced to give up their babies. Whilst Kate grows up knowing only poverty and servitude, Josie's world is one of privilege and luxury. Despite the differences in their circumstances, Kate and Josie have been friends since childhood. TB 20086.

Court, Dilly A mother's trust. 2011. Read by Helen Dickens, 13 hours 59 minutes. TB 19353.Phoebe Giamatti lives with her boisterous Italian family in the heart of London's East End. Her father was killed in gang warfare and the family has a deep hatred for the Paxman brothers. One day Phoebe discovers her mother is in trouble - and the Paxmans are involved. TB 19353.

Courtenay, Bryce Solomon's song. 2000. Read by Wendy Karstens, 20 hours 41minutes. TB 15252. The Australian trilogy; book 3. Sequel to: Tommo and Hawk. This is the story of two families, branches of the Solomons, who both grow rich and powerful in an alien land. Through three generations they never relinquish their hatred for each other. It is also the story of Australia as a nation from the beginning until its coming of age. TB 15252.

Dayus, Kathleen The people of lavender court. 1999. Read by Diana Bishop, 10 hours 30 minutes. TB 12701.This is the story of the people of Lavender Court: Aggie, orphaned at ten, whose life is to see violent changes of fortune; Florrie, the good-hearted neighbour whose feckless daughter throws two

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husbands into scandalous uproar; and Annie, who manages to carve out a life of some dignity. The story is set in the early years of the twentieth century in the backstreets of Birmingham. TB 12701.

Delderfield, R F The Avenue goes to war. 1958. Read by Stephen Jack, 22 hours 30 minutes. TB 118. The Avenue story series; book 2. Sequel to: The dreaming suburb, TB 108. War has overtaken the families in the Avenue, and we see how its privations bring out the best and the worst in them. TB 118.

Delderfield, R FThe green gauntlet: book 3 of a horseman riding by. 2002. Read by Christopher Oxford, 18 hours 59 minutes. TB 15160. The Craddocks of Shallowford series; book 3. Sequel to: Post of honour, TB 15131. Paul and Claire Craddock have grown older in years - but not in spirit. World War II is over. But for Craddock and his family there are new battles to be fought and won. The new property laws enable speculators to reap huge profits from agricultural lands, and Paul's livelihood is threatened. With the help of his children and grandchildren, Paul struggles to preserve the happiness and peace he has built up over the years. In doing so, he comes to discover deeper, richer ties with those around him - ties which hold a ripe promise for the future! TB 15160.

Delderfield, R F To serve them all my days. 1972. Read by Stephen Jack, 24 hours. TB 2377.The story of a school between the years 1918 and 194, and of a master returning to civilian life who learns almost as much as the boys he teaches. TB 2377.

Dell, Ethel M The unknown quantity. 1984. Read by Maggie Jones, 13 hours 8 minutes. TB 6402.On the night of her 21st birthday, Jeannette Wyngold's happiness is complete. But before the evening can reach its climax - in the announcement of her engagement to Lord Conister - an appalling tragedy shatters the world she has known. Disgraced and penniless, she goes alone into the shadows. TB 6402.

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Desai, AnitaClear light of day. 1980. Read by William Abney, 9 hours 35 minutes. TB 4154.To the family living in a shabby, dusty house in Delhi, Tara's visit brings a sharp reminder of life outside tradition. For Bim coping endlessly with their problems, there is renewal of the old jealousies for, unlike her sister, she has failed to escape. TB 4154.

Dickens, Monica One of the family. 1993. Read by Lindsay Sandison, 10 hours 27 minutes. TB 9677.Leonard Morley is a pillar of Edwardian London, proud of his comfortable house in Chepstow Villas and his job as Assistant Manager at Whiteleys department store. We meet his vivacious "New Woman" daughter, Madge, who works with the East End poor, his adored younger son Dicky, and Flora the slapdash maid, as well as the wider family. When the mysterious Toby Taylor comes into their lives nothing is ever the same again. TB 9677.

Drummond, Emma Act of valour. 1997. Read by David Thorpe, 18 hours 41 minutes. TB 12131. The Knightshill saga; book 3. Sequel to: A distant hero, TB 11807. As head of the family, artistic Vere struggles to come to terms with his feelings of responsibility for Val's long absence. Val has his own demons to face as memories thought to be long forgotten come back to haunt him, whilst Tim, Vere's nephew, indulges in all the pleasures available to a handsome young officer, in a vain attempt to ease the burden of living up to his family's military reputation. And finally there is Kate, compassionate and loyal - an independent young women destined to break male dominance by abandoning the traditionally domestic role of Ashleigh women. TB 12131.

Du Maurier, Daphne The loving spirit. 1964. Read by Joan Walker, 11 hours 43 minutes. TB 10682.Janet Coomber was born with the loving spirit. She passed it on to her son Joseph and, in her great granddaughter, it appeared again, breaking down the barrier of years. Wild and eerie, it carried them all beyond all prudence in their need to love and be loved. This exuberant Cornish romance spans three generations,

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blending passion, drama, sailing and sailing ships and the glory of wind and sea. TB 10682.

Elgin, Elizabeth The Linden walk. Read by Anne Dover, 17 hours 12 minutes. TB 14080. Sutton family series; book 5. Sequel to: Windflower wedding, TB 12540. At Rowangarth, deep in the Yorkshire countryside, there is good news for the Sutton family and wedding preparations are underway. Lyndis Carmichael has finally won the heart of Drew Sutton, the man she has secretly cherished for years - but she is haunted by the memory of Drew's fiancée Kitty, killed during the Blitz, and wonders if she can ever take her place in Drew's heart. Other ghosts also still linger. Keith Purvis is compelled to return overseas to search for the young girl who saved his life; Drew's mother has yet to reveal the shocking truth of his father's identity, and Tatiana wonders if she will ever meet her long lost half-sister. TB 14080.

Elgin, Elizabeth Turn left at the daffodils. 2007. Read by Patricia Gallimore, 17 hours 6 minutes. TB 20011.Set during World War Two, this title tells two love stories, those of Nan and Carrie. Nan meets Charles, a gauche, young airman at a dance. Despite his inability to dance, Nan is captivated. It is the war which seems to end any hope for them. Meanwhile, Carrie starts an affair following an encounter on a railway platform. TB 20011.

Ellis, Alice Thomas The clothes in the wardrobe. 1987. Read by Gretel Davis, 5 hours 27 minutes. TB 8113. Summerhouse trilogy; book 1. Margaret, 19, believed that the best part of her life was over. After a shocking experience in Egypt, she found herself engaged to a man she disliked. Back in Croydon, she was deep in despair - until Lilli arrived. Unlike Margaret, she could manipulate disasters, and she did, as the outcome of the novel shows. TB 8113.

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Erdrich, Louise The beet queen. 1987. Read by John Chancer and Catherine Furshpan, 12 hours 35 minutes. TB 8331.On a cold spring morning in 1932, a boy and girl arrive at the small town of Argus in South Dakota. They have been deserted by their mother and are taking themselves to live with their aunt. Only young Mary Adare gets there; her brother Karl is a wanderer already. Their lives are to intermingle from time to time and with many other colourful characters, people obsessed with sex and trashed by circumstance. Each in turn has a hand in the telling. TB 8331.

Flynn, Katie The Liverpool rose. 2006. Read by Anne Dover, 14 hours 58 minutes. TB 18750.Lizzie is an orphan living with her Aunt Annie, Uncle Perce and two boy cousins in Liverpool, within a stone's throw of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Lizzie loves her aunt but is hated by her uncle and escapes whenever she can. She makes friends with Geoff Gardiner and is teaching him to swim in the Scaldy when Clem Gilligan rescues them from drowning. Clem works on the canal boat "The Liverpool Rose" plying between the great cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Eventually Lizzie is forced to flee from home, her first instinct is to make for the canal, but finding Clem is not so easy. TB 18750.

Flynn, Katie Two penn'orth of sky. 2004. Read by Anne Dover, 12 hours 24 minutes. TB 19224.Emmy Dickens lives with her widowed mother in a neat house in neglected Nightingale Court, but Mrs Dickens has always impressed upon her daughter that her main aim in life must be to escape from the court. Emmy sees that marriage is her best way out and when Peter Wesley, First Officer aboard a cruise ship, asks her to marry him, she is over the moon. Life goes well for the newly-weds, they set up home and start a family. But when Peter is killed and Emmy is left almost penniless, her problems begin. TB 19224.

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Gainham, Sarah Private worlds: a novel. 1971. Read by George Hagan, 15 hours 12 minutes. TB 1681. Viennese trilogy; book 3. Sequel to: A place in the country, TB 1622. Now married to Kerenyi, and once more an important person on the stage in Vienna, Julia continues her struggle to find happiness and fulfilment. TB 1681.

Gallagher, Jock Return to Ambridge. 1988. Read by Nina Holloway, 5 hours 47 minutes. TB 7292. The Archers series; book 2. Sequel to: To the victor, the spoils, TB 7262. Jack Archer, son of Dan and Doris, did not have a distinguished war service; he went no further than the regimental stores, "unfit for active service". Still only 21 on demob in 1944, he returns to Ambridge engulfed by the drabness of post-war Britain. He has married Peggy Perkins, a cheerful cockney member of the ATS, and although he feels overshadowed by both father and younger brother Philip, Peggy rises to the challenge of their smallholding. TB 7292.

Gaskin, Catherine A falcon for a queen. 1972. Read by Stanley Pritchard, 13 hours 45 minutes. TB 2135.Kirsty comes to Scotland unexpectedly to seek out her grandfather, becomes involved with the people she meets in the lonely place, and gradually becomes aware of the danger that is lurking there for her. TB 2135.

Gibbons, Stella Nightingale Wood. 2010. Read by Carole Boyd, 14 hours 2 minutes. TB 19202.Life is not quite a fairytale for poor Viola. Left penniless, the young widow is forced to live with her late husband's family in a joyless old house. There's Mr Wither, a tyrannical old miser, and his wife, and her two unlovely sisters-in-law. TB 19202.

Gillespie, Jane The reluctant baronet. 1998. Read by Becky Hindley, 5 hours 53 minutes. TB 12306. Sequel to: Mansfield Park, TB 15435. Tom Bertram has mended his ways and settled diligently to assisting his father on the family

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estates. When Sir Thomas dies, and the full responsibility devolves upon the new Sir Thomas, he cannot welcome it; the obligations are irksome and difficult; he must forego his remaining pleasures - even that of bachelorhood - and he is not equipped for a sober and domestic middle age. But in spite of himself, his love life catches up on him, adding to the confusion although finally setting him free to a happiness he feels quite undeserved. TB 12306.

Goudge, Elizabeth The heart of the family. 1953. Read by Arthur Bush, 12 hours 13 minutes. TB 729. The Eliots of Damerosehay series; book 3. Sequel to: The herb of Grace, TB 728. Lucilla Eliot and her daughter Margaret have retired to Lavender Cottage, while Grandson David lives at Damerosehay with Sally and little Meg. TB 729.

Gower, Iris Dream catcher. 1999. Read by Alice White, 11 hours 11 minutes. TB 19660. Firebird series; book 2. Sequel to: Firebird, TB 12543. The wedding of Llinos Savage, the young saviour of the Savage Pottery, and the fascinating foreigner Joe Mainwaring sets the small seafront town of Swansea ablaze. Then Joe is accused of his father-in-law's murder. TB 19660.

Gower, Iris Halfpenny field. 2005. Read by Di Langford, 8 hours 42 minutes. TB 14207. The Drovers series; 2. Sequel to: The rowan tree, TB 13984. Jessie Price is young and beautiful, and happy to be travelling the drovers' roads on the way to London's Smithfield Market. Her ambition is to raise herself up from her lowly position as a milkmaid and to run her own dairy. For a while she succeeds, but before long the ambition leads to poverty and shame, as the man she loves is taken to Newgate Prison to face the death penalty for a crime he did not commit. She knows that he is innocent, and will rely on her friend, Non Jones, to speak for him in court. But Non is distracted by worries of her own. TB 14207.

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Graham, WinstonThe four swans. 1976. Read by Stephen Jack, 18 hours. TB 3128. Poldark series; book 6. Sequel to: The black moon, TB 3094. In the sixth of the "Poldark" novels, Ross watches as four marriages are threatened, including his own, though he had thought himself the most secure of all. TB 3128.

Gregory, Philippa The favoured child. 1989. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 25 hours 56 minutes. TB 7963. Wideacre series; book 2. Sequel to: Wideacre, TB 6759. A continuation of the saga of the Lacey family. The Wideacre Estate is bankrupt and Wideacre Hall is a smoke-blackened ruin. Richard and Julia, equal claimants to the inheritance grow up in protected innocence, but as they reach adulthood they must face the dark side of the legacy. The secrets of the past cannot remain hidden forever. The truth must be known, only one can be the "Favoured Child". TB 7963.

Groves, AnnieThe heart of the family. 2009. Read by Maggie Ollerenshaw, 13 hours 47 minutes. TB 19205. Campion family series; book 3. Sequel to: Daughters of Liverpool, TB 18495. The much-loved author of 'Across the Mersey' tells of Liverpool under bombardment as never before - but the Campion family refuses to give in. The Campions have always stuck together through danger and sorrow, but even they begin to wonder if it's time to take their youngest, the twins, to safety away from the bombing raids. TB 19205.

Harris, Joanne Five quarters of the orange. 2002. Read by Diana Bishop, 10 hours 30 minutes. TB 13150.The food trilogy; book 3. Sequel to: Blackberry wine, TB 13484. When the widowed Framboise moves back to the village of Les Laveuses, she is pleased to discover that no-one recognises her. Before long she has established a profitable creperie. All is well until her profiteering nephew aims to publish a collection of Framboise's popular recipes. Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 13150.

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Harris, Rosie Ambitious love. 2011. Read by Nerys Hughes, 8 hours 44 minutes. TB 19211.Fern Jenkins' life is changed forever when her brother is killed in action and her father dies in a mining explosion. Turned out of their home, Fern and her mother Wynne are forced to seek a new life in Cardiff. Contains strong language. TB 19211.

Harris, Rosie A dream of love. 2009. Read by Nerys Hughes, 9 hours 29 minutes. TB 18402.Her life was full of hardship and despair. When Molly's father returns from the war a broken man, the whole family is forced to move into the slums of Liverpool. Despite many difficulties, Molly is determined to make a better life for herself, hoping that one day she'll find love. But abused by a man she trusted and estranged from the boy who was once her best friend, Molly wonders if this dream will ever come true. Contains strong language. TB 18402.

Harry, Lilian Under the apple tree. 2004. Read by Jane McDowell, 13 hours 59 minutes. TB 18038. April Grove series; book 6. Sequel to: Tuppence to spend, TB 17395. When the Luftwaffe unleashes its full fury on the city of Portsmouth in the first of three major blitzes, the Taylor family are bombed out. Judy finds her job relocated from the gutted Guildhall to a hotel in Southsea, and home is now a small terraced house in April Grove. And then there is the news she has been dreading: her sailor fiance has been killed. Judy and her young, recently widowed aunt Polly decide to join the WVS - running canteens, accompanying evacuee children, and helping the families of servicemen. Gradually, Judy and Polly find their own grief healing as they take part not only in their war work but in the life of April Grove, and although both are at first convinced they will never know love again, they both find it in the least likely manner. TB 18038.

Hocking, Mary Welcome strangers. 1986. Read by Judith Whale, 12 hours. TB 6806. Fairley Family series; book 3. Sequel to: Indifferent heroes, TB 6064. The Fairley family become involved after war in allegations

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of spying during the appalling winter of 1947. Alice and Ben realise that their lives have changed, but not completely, and that, for each of them, growing older is a matter of learning what one must leave behind and what one must hold on to. TB 6806.

Holt, Victoria Snare of serpents. 1990. Read by Jacqueline King, 12 hours 30 minutes. TB 8952.A governess arrives in the prosperous household of one of Edinburgh's most respected citizens and plunges Davina Glentyre's predictable life into an abyss of despair. TB 8952.

Holtby, WinifredThe land of green ginger. 1983. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 10 hours 24 minutes. TB 5570. Joanna Burton, a missionary's daughter, grows up dreaming of the far-off lands she will visit. Her romantic love of adventure matches a golden man on his way to the trenches of the First World War, but life on a Yorkshire farm in wartime makes harsh reality of the magic lands of the green ginger. TB 5570.

Hore, Rachel The gathering storm. 2011. Read by Elaine Claxton, 14 hours 40 minutes. TB 19109.Photographer Lucy Cardwell has recently lost her troubled father, Tom. While sifting through his papers, she finds he'd been researching an uncle she never knew he'd had. Intrigued, she visits her father's childhood home, the once beautiful Carlyon Manor. She meets an old woman named Beatrice who has an extraordinary story to tell. Contains violence. TB 19109.

Howard, Audrey Rose Alley. 2007. Read by Carole Boyd, 14 hours 20 minutes. TB 19653.Rose Alley is one of the city's worst slums. It's no place for Queenie Logan and her daughter Gillyflower. It seems Queenie's dreams of escape will come true when Gilly opens a dressmaking shop and is courted by one of the richest young men in the city. Contains strong language. TB 19653.

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Jacobs, AnnaBright day dawning. 2007. Read by Anne Dover, 13 hours 18 minutes. TB 19797. Preston sisters series; book 3. Sequel to: Star of the north, TB 18948. Gwynna had fallen from grace once, bearing a stillborn child out of wedlock. Determined to have a respectable future, she finds a position for herself as a nursemaid at Hungerton House. But just as she begins to find her feet, the secrets of her past are revealed. TB 19797.

Jacobs, Anna An independent woman. 2006. Read by Maggie Ollerenshaw, 10 hours 8 minutes. TB 19987.When the Great War ends, Serena risks everything. Her dying mother has confided a secret to her which means she can't stay with her father. She's been waiting to turn 30 and come into her inheritance, but she hadn't known he'd stolen her money. TB 19987.

Jenkins, Elizabeth Brightness. 1963. Read by Arthur Bush, 8 hours 25 minutes. TB 1734.A young man living for kicks and his equally irresponsible parents are contrasted with those who have to bear with courage the undeserved suffering he brings them. TB 1734.

Jesse, F TennysonA pin to see the peep show. 1979. Read by Gretel Davis, 16 hours 42 minutes. TB 5569. Julia Almond, born into the drab surburban poverty of Edwardian London, longs for a better life, for the fairy-tale world of romance she glimpsed in the toy peepshow of her childhood. She attempts to escape from convention and respectability by taking a young lover, but only succeeds in bringing tragedy upon those who love her. TB 5569.

Johnson, Milly The Yorkshire pudding club. 2010. Read by Colleen Prendergast, 10 hours 26 minutes. TB 19261.Three South Yorkshire friends, all on the cusp of 40, fall pregnant at the same time following a visit to an ancient fertility symbol. For Helen, it's a dream come true, although her husband is not as

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thrilled about it as she had hoped. For Janey, it is an unmitigated disaster as she has just been offered the career break of a life-time. For Elizabeth, it is mind-numbing, because she knows people like her shouldn't have children. Damaged by her dysfunctional childhood and emotionally lost, she not only has to contend with carrying a child she doubts she can ever love, but she also has to deal with the return to her life of a man whose love she must deny herself. TB 19261.

Jonker, Joan Sadie was a lady. 1998. Read by Suzanne Goldberg, 14 hours 7 minutes. TB 19420.Sadie suffers abuse from her parents in order to protect her younger brothers and sisters from a similar fate. Rescued by a bunch of Liverpudlian stallholders, Sadie still thinks about her family, and the kind-hearted boy next door. TB 19420.

Jonker, Joan You stole my heart away. 2006. Read by Penelope Freeman, 14 hours 14 minutes. TB 15166. Molly Bennett & Nellie McDonough series; book 9. Sequel to: I'll be your sweetheart, TB 15165. Molly Bennett and Nellie McDonough are very happy with their lot in life. Their rock-solid friendship has lasted over twenty years, through good times and bad, and never once have Molly and Nellie fallen out. The two best mates love a bit of excitement so when they learn there is a wedding in the offing which will bring the Bennett, McDonough and Corkhill families even closer it gives the intrepid pair a good reason to save up for a visit into Liverpool and to the shop selling wedding hats. TB 15166.

Kawabata, Yasunari The sound of the mountain. 1971. Read by Marvin Kane, 8 hours 28 minutes. TB 1897. The emotional conflicts in a Japanese family in the immediate post-war years. TB 1897.

Keillor, Garrison Leaving home. 1988. Read by James Tillitt, 9 hours 25 minutes. TB 7179. Lake Wobegone series; book 2. Sequel to: Lake Wobegon days, TB 7173. A collection of stories from Lake Wobegon, a town that

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lives in the mind of the author, a town that "time forgot": everyone's home town where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average" - a radio series that has delighted millions of listeners in America for over a decade. It is a loving and irreverant guide to small-town life in the USA. TB 7179.

Kelly, Sheelagh A long way from heaven. 1999. Read by Lizzie Hopley, 19 hours 34 minutes. TB 19940.Set in 19th century Ireland, this novel tells of Patrick Feeney who discovers one morning that his entire potato crop has been destroyed by the blight. With his wife and unborn child in mind, he sets out for England in search of a better life. TB 19940.

Kennedy, Lena Nelly Kelly. 1981. Read by Carol Marsh, 10 hours 45 minutes. TB 5566.Nelly Kelly grows up in the East End of London before the Second World War. She has to work in a sweatshop so that she can keep the family clothed and fed after her mother's death. But despite her harsh life she has two dreams; one is that she will be rich enough to wear pretty clothes and the other, that she will write a book. TB 5566.

Kennedy, Margaret The constant nymph. 1924. Read by Peter Gray, 11 hours 31 minutes. TB 1687.Uprooted from their easy-going home in Switzerland, Sangers' children find it hard to settle down in conventional English schools, and Tessa's constant devotion to Lewis leads to final tragedy. TB 1687.

Kreitman, Esther Deborah. 1983. Read by Elizabeth de Silva, 14 hours 39 minutes. TB 5393. Deborah is the daughter of a feckless, unworldly rabbi. She is fourteen years old, sensitive, intelligent and romantic. But the two things she longs for are denied: education, and marriage to the man of her choice. TB 5393.

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La Roche, Mazo de Centenary at Jalna. 1958. Read by Eric Gillett, 12 hours. TB 867. Whiteoaks of Jalna series; book 16. Sequel to: Variable winds at Jalna, TB 866. Traces the activities of the Whiteoak family in the mid-fifties, a period climaxed by the one hundredth anniversary celebration of the oldest of the family residences, and Renny's plans for the marriage of his daughter Adeline. TB 867.

Lambert, Angela A rather English marriage. 1992. Read by Gretel Davis, 14 hours 2 minutes. TB 9724.What happens to Englishmen of a certain generation, who depend on their wives not only for life's necessities, but also for family, friendship and social life, if those wives die first? Two newly bereaved men, in their seventies but with nothing in common except that their wives died on the same day in the same hospital ward, find themselves helping each other towards new lives and relationships, through which they will slowly emerge from grief and loneliness. They are helped by Liz (boutique owner), June (daughter in law), Molly (wife's best friend), Aggie (cleaner), and Mandy (social worker). Contains strong language. TB 9724.

Lee, Maureen After the war is over. 2012. Read by Nerys Hughes, 11 hours 35 minutes. TB 19839.Liverpool, 1945. Three women return home from the war trying to fit back into their old lives. They've been thrown together by the war and shared all sorts of good and bad times. Now their old lives seem dull in comparison, but not for long. TB 19839.

Lee, Maureen Au revoir Liverpool. 2012. Read by Nerys Hughes, 10 hours 35 minutes. TB 19427.Jessica's husband, Bertie, sells their home and disappears with her children, leaving Jessica devastated and alone. Broken hearted, she is asked to visit Paris to help a friend and her daughters return to Liverpool before the onset of the war. TB 19427.

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Lennox, Judith All my sisters. 2006. Read by Ruth Sillers, 19 hours 26 minutes. TB 19521.Iris, Marianne, Eva and Clemency are all daughters of Joshua Maclise, but only Clemency, caring for her mother, remains tied to the family home. As the clouds darken and war changes the lives of all the sisters, Clemency fights to free herself. TB 19521.

Lessing, DorisA ripple from the storm. 1993. Read by Norma West, 12 hours 13 minutes. TB 10552. Children of violence series; book 3. Sequel to: A proper marriage, TB 10483. Martha Quest, now free of her stultifying marriage to Douglas, is able to pursue the independent life she has wanted for so long. Her deepening involvement with revolutionary politics draws her into a world of fierce commitments and passionate idealism. A time of great change, Martha's young womanhood brings not only immense happiness when she embarks on an affair with a fellow party member, but also great sorrow, for the pain of abandoning her baby daughter, left at home with Douglas, never diminishes. TB 10552.

Liddell, Robert Stepsons: a novel. 1969. Read by Arthur Bush, 8 hours 33 minutes. TB 1087.Unable to bear a son herself, Elsa, who is gross, selfish and insensitive, develops a fierce hatred and spite for her two intelligent and sensitive stepsons. TB 1087.

Lofts, Norah The lonely furrow. 1976. Read by Peter Gray, 15 hours 6 minutes. TB 3056. Suffolk Trilogy series; book 3. Sequel to: The homecoming, TB 2878. Joanna, still working as a ploughboy at Knight's Acre, agrees to go away to a knightly household to become a lady, but her affection for Henry Tallboys is as fierce as ever. TB 3056.

Lorrimer, Claire Fool's curtain. 1995. Read by Jill Lamede, 23 hours 11 minutes. TB 19662.Rochford series; book 3. Sequel to: The wilderling, TB 7917. For three generations Rochford Manor has dominated the lives of the

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women who lived there. This is all threatened, however, when the family fortune is wiped out by the Wall Street Crash. Contains strong language, violence and passages of a sexual nature. TB 19662.

MacDonald, Sara The hour before dawn. 2005. Read by Emma Powell, 11 hours 12 minutes. TB 19728.A rich, multi-generational saga, set in Singapore and New Zealand. The mysterious disappearance of a young child sets in motion a series of events that will haunt future generations of the family. TB 19728.

Masters, John Now, God be thanked: a novel . 1979. Read by John Atterbury, 31 hours 23 minutes. TB 7148.Loss of Eden series; book 1. It is July 1914: the storm clouds of the Great War are gathering, but in the seemingly endless English summer the assassination in Sarajevo is not considered an event of great importance. The rich and powerful Rowlands are at the centre of society, but they are blind to the changes that the war will bring. For the younger Rowlands, the excitement of war is to become bloody reality in the mud-filled trenches of Flanders. Contains strong language. TB 7148.

Mortimer, Penelope The handyman. 1983. Read by Pauline Munro, 6 hours 21 minutes. TB 4948.Gerald Muspratt was a perfect husband but after thirty years of the utmost reliability he fell down dead without any warning. `Not on purpose' as his son Michael said; but what was Phyllis, his wife, going to do with the rest of her life, or even today, or the next ten minutes? Being a wife was her profession. TB 4948.

Mortimer, Penelope The home. 1971. Read by Peter Gray, 7 hours 35 minutes. TB 1835.Eleanor leaves her husband to set up a home for herself and her children; and gradually finds herself having to face the tragedy of loneliness when she is no longer needed. TB 1835.

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Mosco, MaisieOut of the ashes. 1989. Read by Marilyn Finlay, 10 hours 16 minutes. TB 8378. Sandberg family series; book 4. Sequel to: Children's children, TB 7232. Still coming to terms with widowhood, Marianne, a successful author, has to balance the demands of her career against the tradition impelling her to hold the family together - a task beset by influences her immigrant grandmother could not have envisaged. TB 8378.

Mosco, Maisie New beginnings. 1991. Read by Marilyn Finlay, 8 hours 51 minutes. TB 9045. Sandberg family series; book 5. A.P. has inherited his mother's family title, and finds himself questioning the wealth and privilege suddenly his. His Bornstein cousins also inherit when their parents are killed by a car bomb, but who wanted Jake Bornstein dead and why? While Jeremy hunts for his father's assassins, A.P. searches for a meaningful use for his heritage in today's world. The young people come to terms with events that change their lives, encountering heartbreak and happiness along the way. TB 9045.

Murray, Annie Birmingham friends. 2005. Read by Annie Aldington, 15 hours 49 minutes. TB 19335.Anna Craven has grown up captivated by stories of her mother Kate's childhood and her magical friendship with Olivia. But when Kate dies, she leaves Anna the story of the truth about her life. Anna soon discovers she never really knew her mother. TB 19335.

O'Brien, Edna The country girls. 1960. Read by Kate Binchy, 6 hours 28 minutes. TB 4736. Country girls trilogy; book 1. The story tells of the escapades of Caithleen and Baba, growing up in rural Ireland in the late Fifties. They experience the sheltered world of the convent school and then move to Dublin, determined to enjoy life to the full. TB 4736.

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O'Neill, Gilda The sins of their fathers. 2002. Read by Marie McCarthy, 8 hours 46 minutes. TB 12895.Bond of fate trilogy; book 1. The East End in the sixties belongs to the O'Donnells. Tough, violent and proud, Gabriel O'Donnell has fought his way up from poor Irish roots to run his gambling, prostitution and protection empire. Gabriel's wife, Eileen, has invested everything in her children: Brendan, who is as icy cool as his father; Luke, who struggles to come to terms with the horror of gang warfare; irrepressible Catherine; and Patricia, who breaks Eileen's heart because she's married to a man whose brainless viciousness is close to madness. Then Kessler turns up. An enemy from the old days, he's got plans to move in on Gabriel's turf. But Gabriel will see him burn in hell before that happens... no matter how much blood gets spilt. Contains violence. TB 12895.

Okri, Ben Songs of enchantment. Read by Jonathan Oliver, 11 hours 49 minutes. TB 9890. Famished road series; book 4. Sequel to: The famished road, TB 9219. Azaro the spirit child is a reluctant traveller in the realities of this world. In this story of love and transformation, his adventures begin with the disruption of his family, when, under the pressure of poverty and myth, his mother goes off to follow the legendary Madame Koto. An obsession for a beautiful beggar girl ensnares his father into forbidden visions. Through the experiences of this unique family we learn that life lived with compassion, fire and serenity can vanquish the forces of oppression and counter the darkness with light. TB 9890.

Osborne, Frances Park Lane. 2012. Read by Jane Collingwood, 11 hours 22 minutes. TB 20014.London, February 1914, and 18 year-old Grace Campbell arrives in London from Carlisle, her family's hopes pinned on her becoming a secretary. The only job she can find is as a housemaid and soon she is entangling herself in an ever-thickening web of lies. TB 20014.

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Page, Lynda Evie. 1992. Read by Jacqueline King, 11 hours 32 minutes. TB 12549.When Evie Grayson stumbles across sinister goings on in the accounts department at work, she suspects her spiteful sister is involved. Evie's love life is not going smoothly either. It seems Evie's romance and family history are inextricably linked, and Evie won't let questions remain unanswered. TB 12549.

Palmer, Elizabeth Plucking the apple. 1994. Read by Nicolette McKenzie, 10 hours 24 minutes. TB 11614.A comedy of English modern manners - or the lack of them. At a Chelsea dinner-party, despite the presence of his long-suffering wife, artist Jack Carey slips his host's vampish sister his business card, promising future exchanges of a more intimate nature. Contains strong language. TB 11614.

Parker, Una-Mary Forbidden feelings. 2001. Read by Anita Wright, 15 hours 25 minutes. TB 12649.When strange events in her father's Scottish estate require investigation, Camilla Eaton is grateful for Philip's company. But her teenage daughter, Poppy, is horrified and becomes involved with a group of militant political activists, forcing Camilla to re-evaluate her priorities. TB 12649.

Parsons, Tony Man and boy. 2000. Read by Daniel Philpott, 9 hours 30 minutes. TB 12422.Harry Silver has it all: a beautiful wife, a wonderful son, a great job in the media - but in one night he throws it all away. Then Harry must start to learn what life and love are really all about. Contains strong language. TB 12422.

Pilcher, Rosamunde The blue bedroom and other stories. Read by June Whitfield, 8 hours 41 minutes. TB 12357.This is the first collection of Rosamude Pilcher's stories with their extraordinary blend of love, heartbreak and joy. The settings range from the suburban: a middle-aged mother confronting the empiness of her life and finding the key to a new contented

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fulfilment, to the exotic: sun-drenched memories of the British Raj fifty years ago encompassing the snobbish rigidity of the time and how a social pariah came to bring one girl a precious and lasting gift. TB 12357.

Plain, Belva Tapestry. 1988. Read by Liza Ross, 13 hours 36 minutes. TB 9595. The Werner family saga; book 3. Sequel to: The golden cup, TB 9244. This sequel to "Evergreen" and "The Golden Cup" opens in the 1920's and tells of Paul Werner, wealthy investment banker, whose life seems empty because his wife cannot give him the child he so desperately longs for. Moving from the USA to Europe during the rise of Nazi power and the horrors of war, this panoramic story brings Paul's passions and heartbreaks vividly to life. TB 9595.

Purves, Libby Passing go. 2000. Read by Di Langford, 8 hours 55 minutes. TB 12416.When Roy Keaney is made redundant by his own son on his fiftieth birthday, he watches as his family and finances crumble. His wife Helen casts around for a rebellious gesture of her own, and in finding one she accidentally solves other problems. Contains strong language. TB 12416.

Randall, Rona The potter's niece. 1987. Read by Marlene Sidaway, 13 hours 15 minutes. TB 8288. The Potters series; book 2. Sequel to: The Drayton legacy, TB 6245. Max Freeman is presumed dead, and his daughter Olivia fights the prejudice and ambition of her mother Phoebe. Denouncing her claims to the Treamain estates, she joins the pottery and works her way up while the Freemans and Draytons are involved in schemes and feuds. Olivia is falling in love with the village farrier, who has returned from a mysterious past in America. TB 8288.

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Raymond, Ernest Gentle Greaves. 1949. Read by Gabriel Woolf, 24 hours 31 minutes. TB 1406.An adopted daughter learns of the love between her real father and the mother who died when she was born. TB 1406.

Rayner, Claire Chelsea Reach. 1982. Read by Anne Jameson, 11 hours 8 minutes. TB 7727. The Performers series; book 9. Sequel to: The Strand, TB 6610. A welcome addition to the Performers family saga, this heart warming and absorbing novel takes us into the turbulent lives of Abel and Lileth in the first years of the new 20th century. Dramatically, but with real poignancy, the dedicated surgeon and beautiful actress play out their lives against a deftly drawn and fascinating background. TB 7727.

Rayner, ClaireSixties. 1992. Read by Jacqueline King, 11 hours 8 minutes. TB 9601. Poppy chronicles series; book 6. Sequel to: Festival, TB 9327. The last of the Poppy chronicles begins just after the death of Poppy's mother, which she finds hard to accept. She is now 68, and her daughter, Robin, is restless now that her children are teenagers. Now, in the swinging Sixties, she opens a Carnaby Street boutique, and finds a link with her past which threatens her happiness. Josh and Lee are busy in music and the theatre, and Chloe returns briefly, flushed with her success as an American TV evangelist. TB 9601.

Rivers, Carol In the bleak midwinter. 2011. Read by Helen Dickens, 12 hours 35 minutes. TB 19739.Winter 1919. 25-year-old Birdie's older brother, Frank, is in prison for deserting his army post whilst fighting in Belgium. Birdie's widowed father has disowned Frank and vows that he'll never see his son, but Birdie cannot believe that her brother is guilty. When Frank escapes from prison, Birdie promises to help him. TB 19739.

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Robertson, Denise Towards Jerusalem. 1994. Read by Joan Walker, 10 hours 48 minutes. TB 10598. Beloved people series; book 3. Sequel to: Strength for the Morning, TB 9880. Though Britain is at peace, poverty and rationing still make life hard for Frank Maguire, his wife Anne and family. To Anne's further sorrow, her daughter has married a GI and is taking Anne's grandchild to the United States, leaving Anne with grief and a guilty secret. Anne's sister Esther, soon to marry Howard Brenton the Conservative MP and former mine owner, will also change the face of the retail trade for good. As postwar optimism leads to the prosperity and political scandals of the sixties, these characters head towards their own personal Jerusalem. TB 10598.

Roth, Joseph The Radetzky march. 1984. Read by Stanley Pritchard, 14 hours. TB 2565. Penguin modern classics. Set in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this story follows three generations of the Trotta family - the hero soldier, his son the district commissioner, his grandson the unhappy soldier unable to live up to family tradition. TB 2565.

Sharp, Margery Summer visits. 1977. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 8 hours 17 minutes. TB 3251.A century in the life of country house and of the people who live in it - a hundred years, from the 1850s onwards, of wars and changes, surprises and despairs. TB 3251.

Spring, Howard Winds of the day. 1964. Read by Gretel Davis, 17 hours 30 minutes. TB 794.This tale follows the fortunes of Alice Openshaw, a feisty and intelligent Manchester girl, who is orphaned at twelve and forced to work as a servant girl in a class-ridden society. Her experiences fire her indomitable spirit that takes her through both World Wars and sees her move from Manchester to Cardiff, then London. But it is the tranquil beauty of Cornwall and her home, Dos-y-Mor, that are central. TB 794.

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Steel, Danielle Daddy. 1989. Read by Laurel Kefkow, 9 hours 45 minutes. TB 8456.Oliver Watson has worked hard to build a safe, predictable world. But suddenly it dissolves around him. The marriage he thought was perfect is over when Sarah decides to go back to school. She walks out hoping to recapture the youth she has lost. Oliver must learn to cope with a new life and a freedom he never wanted. Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 8456.

Steel, Danielle Jewels. 1992. Read by Laurel Lefkow, 14 hours 27 minutes. TB 9631.Sarah Whitfield is looking back over seventy five years, as she waits for her family to arrive to celebrate her birthday. Shattered by divorce after a year of marriage, she meets and marries William, Duke of Whitfield, and lives with him in France. William leaves to fight in the war, and their home is occupied by the Germans, but Sarah brings up her family, and, after the war, nurses William back to health. They found a business, buying jewels from war survivors trying to rebuild their lives. This is the story of a great house of gems, a rare family and an extraordinary marriage. TB 9631.

Stirling, JessicaThe good provider. 1988. Read by Joe Dunlop, 16 hours 33 minutes. TB 7744. Nicholson family series; book 1. "The good provider" tells the story of Kirsty Barnes and Craig Nicholson. Kirsty, an orphan, escapes from her life as a servant on a remote Ayrshire farm and runs off with Craig, her childhood sweetheart, to Glasgow, where they struggle to find security and happiness in the impoverished backstreets. TB 7744.

Storey, David Saville. 1976. Read by Robin Holmes, 23 hours 30 minutes. TB 3103.Set in South Yorkshire, this is the story of Colin's struggle to come to terms with his family - his mercurial, ambitious father, his deep-feeling, long-suffering mother - and to escape the stifling heritage of the raw mining community into which he was born. TB 3103.

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Tannahill, Reay Passing glory. 1989. Read by Josephine Tewson, 24 hours 23 minutes. TB 8731.This novel begins with Matthew Britton almost demolishing himself and his fine car in the face of a herd of cattle. This minor event pales into insignificance against the events which shape this war hero's family. The novel documents the fortunes of the Brittons through two world wars and peacetime, from 1901 to 1953. The Brittons are publically a powerful body of people yet the secrets, passions and tensions within their private lives spill into their work and business. TB 8731.

Thirkell, Angela High rising. 1949. Read by Eric Gillett, 7 hours 25 minutes. TB 1276.The story of a plot to rid a village of a designing spinster who is determined to marry her employer. TB 1276.

Thomas, Rosie Moon island. 2003. Read by Bonnie Hurren, 13 hours 10 minutes. TB 20003.Every summer families stay on the Maine coast in a group of houses. This particular summer May Duhane, a young girl on the brink of womanhood, discovers the diary of a dead girl. May decodes the diary to reveal things she never knew. TB 20003.

Thompson, E V Ruddlemoor. 1995. Read by Jon Cartwright, 16 hours 30 minutes. TB 10653. Retallick Family series; book 7. Sequel to: Lottie Trago, TB 11274. Josh Retallick and his beloved wife Miriam take on an exciting new challenge when they become owners of Ruddlemoor, a china clay works. But a family tragedy forces Josh to leave Cornwall almost immediately. He returns in the knowledge that his youngest grandson will one day follow him. Ben's arrival rocks the local community, but he proves that in business no challenge is too great, and in love only one girl can win his heart. TB 10653.

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Trollope, AnthonyFramley parsonage. 1861. Read by Eric Gillett, 25 hours. TB 1141. The Barsetshire chronicles; book 4. Sequel to: Dr. Thorne, TB 1142. Mark Robarts, an ambitious young clergyman, is helped to a comfortable living at Framley by Lady Lufton. When Robarts becomes liable for the debts of an unreliable friend, he turns for help once again to the reluctant Lady Lufton. TB 1141.

Trollope, Joanna Daughters-in-law. 2011. Read by Julia Franklin, 10 hours 8 minutes. TB 19263.Rachel has always loved being at the centre of her large family. She has fiercely devoted herself to her three sons all their lives, and continues to do so even now they are all grown up. They are, of course, devoted to her also. But when Luke, her youngest, gets married, Rachel finds that control is slipping away. TB 19263.

Trollope, JoannaMarrying the mistress. Read by Lindsay Duncan, 9 hours 15 minutes. TB 12565.When Simon Stockdale tells his son, Jack, that his grandfather is leaving his grandmother for a woman he's been having an affair with for seven years, it is just the tip of the iceberg. Jack is embarking on his first love affair and his grandfather's mistress may not just be "His honour's totty". TB 12565.

Trollope, Joanna The Rector's wife. 1991. Read by Carol Marsh, 10 hours 30 minutes. TB 8970.For twenty years Anna has subdued herself as a priest's wife and finds herself, at forty two, in a rural parish where the screws are tighter than ever. In defiance of universal horror and disapproval, she takes a job in a supermarket to raise her daughter's school fees and starts on the painful path to becoming her true self. She is watched by her family, by the Parish and by three men who are intoxicated by Anna's appetite for life and drawn deeply into the struggle. TB 8970.

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Vincenzi, Penny Into temptation. Read by Liz Holliss, 26 hours 50 minutes. TB 14038. Lytton dynasty series; book 3. Sequel to: Something dangerous, TB 13200. The Second World War is over but the ravages remain and the Lytton family must confront the future. Kit Lytton, blinded in RAF service, is coming to terms with the fact that his father is not Oliver Lytton as he thought, but the famous chilren's author, Sebastian Brook. His sense of betrayal is immense, but worse is the discovery that the woman he loves is his sister. Barty Miller is now in the curious position of owning a majority share of Lyttons, the publishing house belonging to the family that brought her up. But how will she act towards those who always made her feel she didn't belong? And what secrets in the Lytton past remain to be discovered? TB 14038.

Von Arnim, Elizabeth Vera. 1983. Read by Gretel Davis, 11 hours 5 minutes. TB 7943. Lucy Entwhistle's father has just died; she is twenty-two and alone. She is disturbed by the presence of Mr. Wemyss also in mourning - for his wife Vera, who has died in mysterious circumstances. Before Lucy can collect herself Mr. Wemyss has taken charge, most of all of Lucy herself – body and soul. TB 7943.

Weaver, Pam There's always tomorrow. 2011. Read by Di Langford, 12 hours 25 minutes. TB 19543.When Dottie's husband Reg receives a mysterious letter through the post, Dottie has no idea that this letter will change her life forever. Traumatised by his experiences fighting in World War II, Reg isn't the same man that Dottie remembers when he is demobbed and returns home to their cottage in Worthing. TB 19543.

Welfare, Sue Fallen women. 2002. Read by Marie McCarthy, 9 hours 55 minutes. TB 12851.Kate's got her life sorted out, with her own business, run from her trendy London townhouse, where she has best friends in the same street, a workable marriage, two kids, the occasional visit to her roots. But all this is changed by a phone call one night: her

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widowed mother has fallen over and is in hospital. Things aren't as they seem. Far from being a fragile old lady in desperate need, it transpires that Kate's mother has tripped down the stairs after too many lunchtime cocktails and is being only too well looked after by her gorgeous toyboy lodger. Miffed, Kate returns to London - to discover that her best friend has been sleeping with her husband. Where does that leave her? TB 12851.

Wells, Rebecca Divine secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: a novel. 1999. Read by Liza Ross, 14 hours 4 minutes. TB 11946.Enraged by an interview given by her daughter, Siddalee, Vivi disowns her. Devastated, Sidda postpones her wedding, putting her life on hold until she is granted forgiveness. Trying to repair the relationship, the Ya-Yas will grant their own "merci" to Sidda for understanding their lives. TB 11946.

Wendorf, Patricia Blanche. 1986. Read by Carol Marsh, 18 hours 57 minutes. TB 6860. Patteran trilogy; book 2. Sequel to: Larksleve, TB 6258. Beautiful, illiterate and ambitious, Blanche Greypaull comes to London in 1881 at the age of 16. She knows precisely what she wants: a wealthy husband and "more gowns than I can wear". She has waited so long for Papa to die and now she is determined to put the whole misery of life on Larksleve farm behind her. Some man, some day, will be called upon to pay for the sins of Philip Greypaull. But her passion for the gypsy's son, Jye, is at odds with her plans for power. TB 6860.

Willett, Marcia The Christmas Angel. 2012. Read by June Barrie, 10 hours 41 minutes. TB 19687.As Christmas approaches, everything seems to be falling into place for Dossie. Her son Clem and his 5-year-old son have moved to Cornwall to be closer to her. She runs her own catering business. All she needs now is some romance. TB 19687.

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Willett, Marcia The prodigal wife. 2010. Read by June Barrie, 10 hours 6 minutes. TB 18909. Chadwick family series; book 4. Sequel to: Winning through, TB 18742. Jolyon Chadwick, a famous television presenter, takes his new girlfriend home to meet his extended family - and also meet Marie, the mother who deserted him and his father many years ago but now wants forgiveness. TB 18909.

Williams, Dee A moment to remember. 2012. Read by Kim Hicks, 7 hours 53 minutes. TB 19846.Born into terrible poverty, Milly Ash has always wanted to better herself. She gets her chance when she lands a position as a lady's companion. But years later a tragic accident causes Milly to lose her job and, along with it, the life she so loved. TB 19846.

Williams, Dee Lights out till dawn. 2012. Read by Kim Hicks, 6 hours 59 minutes. TB 19457.Before World War II has even been declared, 10-year-old Hazel Morgan and her 8-year-old brother Peter are evacuated to the safety of the Sussex countryside. With her children gone and her husband John in the army, Rene Morgan misses her family. Contains strong language. TB 19457.

Wood, Henry East Lynne. 1861. Read by Judith Whale, 29 hours 55 minutes. TB 1776.The tragic story of Lady Isabel, her marriage and happy years, how she left her husband in a moment of foolish despair, and returned unknown to East Lynne after many years to finish her life near her beloved former husband and their children. TB 1776.

Wood, Valerie The harbour girl. 2012. Read by Anne Dover, 12 hours 22 minutes. TB 19798.Scarborough, 1880. Young Jeannie finds herself pregnant and alone. She moves to the port town of Hull where her new, difficult life with a child is often made bearable by the kindness of others. But she finds herself wishing for the simpler times of her past. TB 19798.

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Yates, Dornford Jonah and Co. 1976. Read by Robin Holmes, 10 hours 15 minutes. TB 3155. Bertram "Berry" Pleydell series 2. Sequel to: Berry and co, TB 3115. The family decide to go to France for the winter. What is meant to be a quiet holiday includes theft, smuggling, some dramatic car journeys, a kidnap attempt and an engagement. TB 3155.

Yonge, Charlotte M The clever woman of the family. 1985. Read by Judith Whale, 20 hours 34 minutes. TB 6067. At the age of 25, Rachel Curtis considers herself to be "the clever woman of the family". An avid reader of popular tracts, Rachel's dream is to mould young minds with her high intellectual ideals. But her theories are not tempered by experience, and she comes to learn that her true mission in life is not the one she had imagined. TB 6067.

Young, E HJenny. 1985. Read by Pauline Munro, 10 hours 52 minutes. TB 6506. On their father's death, Jenny and Dahlia Rendall and their mother, Louisa, move across the river to the heights of Upper Radstowe. Here they try to make a living by taking in lodgers, but their neighbours eye this all-female household with alarm and distrust - especially when a local farmer takes to calling on Louisa. Dahlia takes it all in her stride, but conventional Jenny cannot help being embarrassed by her mother's country ways and longs for a different life. TB 6506.

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