Showing results by narrator "Sophie" in All Categories

Once upon a time, Ella had wished for more than her life as a lowly maid. Now forced to work hard under the unforgiving, lecherous gaze of the man she once called stepfather, Ella’s only refuge is in the books she reads by candlelight, secreted away in the library she isn’t permitted to enter. One night, among her beloved books of far-off lands, Ella’s wishes are answered. At the stroke of midnight, a fairy godmother makes her an offer that will change her life.

Elizabeth's parents warned her that Alexander Blackwell would not make a dependable husband, and only after eloping with him did she learn they may have been right... After their marriage, the couple finds lodgings in London. Alexander looks for work while Elizabeth learns engraving. Before long, though, Alexander is in the Marshalsea, the notorious debtors' prison, and she is left to fend for herself. Alone and penniless, she has a few things going for her: a skill, an idea, and an acquaintance.

Drawing on almost 20 years of research from around the world, The Glass Cliff phenomenon - whereby women are often only hired in leadership roles when a business is already underperforming, meaning their chances of success are limited before they ever even start in the role - is well established, but little known. Until now.

In this BBC full-cast production of Romeo and Juliet, the two star-crossed lovers fight for each other until their dying breath. Can their two feuding families reconcile? With the intimacy of radio, the full beauty and meaning of some of the most lyrical lines ever written can be truly heard: tenderness and passion, betrayal and bigotry are brilliantly evoked as the tale comes to its tragic conclusion. Douglas Henshall stars as Romeo, with Sophie Dahl as Juliet and Susannah York as Lady Capulet in Shakespeare's passionate story of doomed love.

Le petit James mène une existence bien malheureuse auprès de ses deux tantes abominablement méchantes, tante Éponge et tante Piquette, qui le tourmentent sans cesse. Un jour, un vieil homme confie à James un sac rempli de bizarres petites choses vertes. James les fait tomber par mégarde au pied du vieux pêcher et voilà qu'une pêche géante se met à pousser ! Cette pêche va bouleverser la vie de James...

Former Polish teenage piano prodigy Mosha Gebert is teaching when the Nazis come for her. They kill her student, but she is taken to Majdanek concentration camp. There, Commandant Josef Hanke spots her and recognises her as the pianist he fell in love with years earlier. Hanke demands that Mosha play ‘Ode to Joy’ for him, but she refuses. She will never play in such a horrific place – or for such an evil monster. So begins a battle of wills and repeated torture.

In 1825, in rural Pennsylvania, Emma Hale marries an itinerant treasure-digger, a man who has nothing but a peep-stone in his pocket and a conviction that he can speak directly to God. His name is Joseph Smith and in a few short years, he will found his own religion, gather zealous adherents by the tens of thousands, and fracture Emma’s life and faith.

Grace Quinn loves her job at Cohens Convenient Storage Company, finding occasional treasure in the forgotten units that customers have abandoned. Her inquisitive nature is piqued when a valuable art collection and a bundle of letters and diaries are found that date back to the 1930s. Delving deeper, Grace uncovers the story of a young English woman, Connie Levine, who follows her heart to Italy at the end of the Second World war. The contents also offer up the hope of a new beginning for Grace, battling a broken heart and caring for her controlling mother.

Janvier 1917. Cinq soldats français condamnés à mort en conseil de guerre, aux bras liés dans le dos. Toute une nuit et tout un jour, ils ont tenté de survivre. Le plus jeune était un Bleuet, il n'avait pas vingt ans. A l'autre bout de la France, Mathilde, vingt ans elle aussi, plus désarmée que quiconque, aimait un Bleuet d'un amour à l'épreuve de tout. La paix venue, elle va se battre pour connaître la vérité et le retrouver, mort ou vivant, dans le labyrinthe où elle l'a perdu.

Tom Baker and Sophie Aldred appear in one of three full-cast BBC radio dramas based around the real-life worlds of Doctor Who. "Regenerations" by Daragh Carville: A group of friends reunite for an annual Doctor Who convention. Set against a backdrop of the Belfast troubles, the play deals with themes of sexuality and love, and features appearances by Tom Baker and Sophie Aldred.

Ruti is Markless. In a society where worth is determined by the pattern on your palm and the magic it grants you, this also deems her worthless. But she’s a hardened survivor, a protector of the lowest class … and the most powerful witch in Somanchi. With a single song, she can ask the spirits to grant her unimaginable powers. Dekala’s Mark is strong, a Mark fit for the future queen of Somanchi, but it’s also unstable. She knows the only solution is to be bonded with another, but that would mean relinquishing control over her throne and kingdom.

What happens to Alice when she comes back from Wonderland? Wendy from Neverland? Dorothy from Oz? The three meet here, at Cheshire Crossing - a boarding school where girls like them learn how to cope with their supernatural experiences and harness their magical world-crossing powers. But the trio - now teenagers, who’ve had their fill of meddling authority figures - aren’t content to sit still in a classroom. Soon they’re dashing from one universe to the next, leaving havoc in their wake.

With their magic diminishing, warring factions of New Orleans witches desperately search for the Book of the Unwinding - a legendary grimoire, hidden by spells, that holds the key to unimaginable powers. As a ruthless struggle erupts in a maelstrom of malevolent magic, psychic Nathalie Boudreau finds her destiny intertwined with that of an exiled witch. Her name is Alice Marin, a vulnerable young woman trapped in a realm of illusion. Only Nathalie can free her, but first she must come to understand and master her own extraordinary abilities.

When artist Jools Jones’ new man, Finn Gallichan, leaves the Boardwalk to go travelling for several months she’s not too worried. She has her paintings to keep her busy and helps her grandmother run their second-hand bookshop, Boardwalk Books. She’s happy to wait for Finn’s return, to pick up where they left off, as absence makes the heart grow fonder – right? She’s soon drawn into helping Alan Hidrio trace a copy of a book he wrote years before and meets glass artist Marius Arnesen, who, fascinated by her paintings, offers her a place in an art exhibition.

Maddie's dreams come true when she makes friends with Poppy, a flower fairy who lives in the woods behind her grandpa's house. But the fairies are in trouble! And not only the flower fairies - tooth fairies, book fairies, and dream fairies too. Someone is catching and imprisoning them and only Maddie and Poppy can help. Poppy has just one wing and can't fly, but soon she and Maddie set off on a daring rescue mission. Can they save the fairies before it is too late?

The ultimate guide on how to use grudges to be your happiest, most optimistic and most forgiving self! Being someone who holds grudges is seen by many as a bad thing, but what if our grudges, when managed correctly, are good for us? What if they can act as a series of stepping stones, pointing us in the right direction? What if they can ward off danger, like charms on a charm bracelet? Look no further for the ultimate guide on how we need to acknowledge, examine and sometimes embrace our grudges in order to live our best possible lives.

A Cyber War rages throughout the galaxy. The Earth-aligned worlds are fighting for survival against the cold, emotionless might of the Cyber Bloc - an alliance of planets whose inhabitants have undergone cybernetic conversion in the name of racial superiority.

On a frigid February day, Anchorage Detective Cara Kennedy stands by the graves of her husband and son, watching as their caskets are raised from the earth. It feels sacrilegious, but she has no choice. Aaron and Dylan disappeared on a hike a year ago, their bones eventually found and buried. But shocking clues have emerged that foul play was involved, potentially connecting them to a string of other deaths and disappearances.

A Wolf on the hunt... Wulfgar Hahn, better known as the Wolf of Braugne, is a man on a mission. Determined to avenge the murder of his brother, he stops at Camaeline Abbey to meet with the Chosen of Camael, goddess of the Hearth. Unfortunately, it appears the Chosen wants nothing to do with him. A leader in disguise... Captivated by the Wolf of Braugne despite herself, Lily poses as an unassuming priestess in order to learn more about this ruthless man.

This book contains Dragos Goes to Washington, Pia Does Hollywood, and "Liam Takes Manhattan" (two novellas and a short story in the Elder Races series, previously published separately). All three stories focus on the Cuelebres, the First Family of the Wyr.