Showing results by narrator "Daphne Kouma" in All Categories

India, 1940. And Rosie is devastated by the sudden death of her beloved mother. The parties, smiles, and games disappear, and although Rosie is desperate to stay in her home, her father cannot look after her. All alone in the world, she is sent to Sri Lanka to live with her mother’s friend Silvia and her three sons. Time passes, and Rosie flourishes in her new home amongst the mango trees and canna lilies. And one day, under the heat of the Sri Lankan sun, she falls in love for the first time. But her happiness is short lived, for the brutal war is creeping closer.

During the Second World War, across the frontline as well as on the Home Front, millions of people recorded their thoughts of their experiences - whether in letters, their personal diaries or those prosecuting the war giving speeches. Much as Letters of Note celebrated the great letters written through history, so Words of War allows the Imperial War Museum to showcase its incredible array of first-hand material to shine a light on how people journeyed through the 1939-45 conflict.

"I would do anything for you to get well again, baby girl." It’s a promise. Even though I know it means asking her father for help, going back there, risking everything. Whatever the cost, there’s no hesitation in my mind. Because that’s what you do when you’re a mother. You put your child’s life before your own.

Lexie and her cousin Eleni are super-crazy-mega-extra-seriously close. They're like twins who aren't actually twins, if that's possible. But when Lexie tells a terrible, jealous lie, her whole family is split apart. It's up to Lexie to bring them all back together and fix her relationship with Eleni. After a few calamitous escapades, Lexie has discovered that there are all sorts of truths and all sorts of lies too.... But when is the truth more hurtful than a lie?

When Megan discovers photographs of her estranged identical twin sister on her husband's phone, she wants answers. Leah already has everything Megan has ever wanted. Fame, fortune, freedom to do what she wants. And when Megan confronts Leah, an argument turns to murder. The only way Megan can get away with killing her twin is to become her. But then lockdown hits. How can she continue living two lives? And what happens if someone else knows her secret too?

Gabrielle and Antoinette know they're destined for something better. Abandoned to a convent orphanage, they are raised for simple lives. But at night they dream of a glittering future, and the Chanel sisters are determined to prove themselves worthy. Their journey propels Coco and Ninette out of poverty to performing in bohemian cafés and stylish music halls, and soon on to Paris and a small hat shop on the rue Cambon, where a boutique business takes hold and expands to the glamorous French resort towns.

Mary Lennox is an unhappy and unloved little girl. Sent to live at her uncle's gloomy manor in Yorkshire, she is determined to hate her new home. But when she unlocks a hidden garden in the grounds, the magic of the place starts to weave its spell on Mary and those around her...

Andie finds herself in the midst of a media scandal that threatens to end her career as a TV landscape designer and her relationship with fellow presenter Johnny. On impulse, she decides to rent her grandmother's old home in southern Spain where she stayed as a child, but is shocked to discover that the beautiful Mediterranean garden she loved is now neglected and overgrown. Worse, her booking has fallen through and ex-flamenco dancer Vicente and his little son Rafi are staying at Casa Higuera – where Vicente's wife died in an unexplained accident.

Wendy knows that all children have to grow up... all apart from the magical Peter Pan! When Peter flies through the nursery window and invites Wendy and her brothers, John and Michael, to come to Never-Never-Land, they set off on the adventure of a lifetime. J. M. Barrie's best-loved tale of Lost Boys, mermaids, pirates and a boy who will never grow up has been retold and adapted for younger listeners aged 6+.

Black Beauty is a horse with a glossy coat and a white star on his forehead. Life in the peaceful fields with his mother is idyllic, but when Beauty is sold to a new owner he embarks on a dramatic journey that will take him from the stables of the rich to the streets of Victorian London...

Follow the thrilling adventures of Robin Hood and his gang of Merry Men in Henry Gilbert's famous retelling of this much-loved legend. Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters, such as Friar Tuck, Maid Marian and the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham, this thrilling story has been retold and adapted for ages 6+.

A smart, romantic comedy about how finding The One doesn't always have to be love at first sight... Lavinia Ferrari is in her fifth year at Bocconi University where she studies Economics when she is introduced to a new project that will guarantee her extra credits. She's intrigued... but it means the class must team up with students from the Computer Engineering course. Lavinia has absolutely no interest in the project, and to top things off, she's paired with Seb Marconi who is less than enthusiastic.

Henrietta Maria is the most reviled consort to have worn the crown of Britain's Three Kingdoms. Condemned as that 'Popish brat of France', a 'notorious whore' and traitor, she remains in popular memory the wife who wore the breeches and turned her husband Catholic—so causing a civil war—and a cruel and bigoted mother. Leanda de Lisle's White King was hailed as 'the definitive modern biography about Charles I' (Observer). Here she considers Henrietta Maria's point of view, unpicking the myths to reveal a very different queen.

This sustainable travel handbook inspires listeners to explore our fascinating planet without causing it further harm. Ten chapters to help you go lightly, including how to choose the least impactful methods of travel, how best to protect wildlife, how to pack with more consideration and how to implement mindful practices into each travel day, Go Lightly gives the listener a toolkit of fresh ideas for travelling more consciously.

As we sit drinking wine by the river and I gaze into his dark brown eyes, I know I have finally met the man of my dreams. I have been hurt before, but this time will be different. He has a terrible past, and everyone tells me he can’t be trusted, but they don’t know what I know. I know deep down that together we can overcome anything. Because sure he has secrets, but who doesn’t? But now a man is dead. And the police are knocking on my door. Was trusting him the biggest mistake I could make? I don’t know where to go or who to turn to. What if I am next?

Rachel and Hilary are sent to live with their ambitious aunt who runs a stage school, training a troupe of dancing girls. It's heaven for Hilary who loves to perform, but quite the opposite for quiet Rachel. The last thing Rachel wants is to become one of her aunt's Little Wonders—particularly if it means behaving like their irritating show-off of a cousin. A mischievous, fun and moving story about young performers, from the acclaimed author of the classic Ballet Shoes.

I place my tiny, newborn baby in the box. A ‘safe haven’, they call it, for unwanted babies. She’ll be warm, someone will find her soon. She’ll be cared for. But not by me. I will always want her, but I can never be her mother. And she can never know why.

In the grip of existential malaise, 25-year-old Daphne moves to Berlin for a fresh start. Far from resolving her quarter-life crisis, things take a turn for the worse. Because Daphne doesn't just have to navigate all the archetypal experiences of an outsider in the big city—acquiring friends and lovers, grappling with the language and a whole new way of life. A series of mysterious and troubling events are in motion—starting with a brick hurled through her bedroom window in the dead of night—and a further unravelling ensues.

Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both a star and a smokescreen. An unwilling darling of the Nazis, her position of privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the resistance. When her estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis, Genevieve is shaken. She knows it won't be long before the Gestapo succeeds in torturing information out of Lillian that will derail the upcoming allied invasion. The resistance movement is tasked with silencing her by any means necessary - including assassination.

Freya Scott is getting married. Her wedding to Matthew, her long-term boyfriend, is the first of eight in her calendar this year, and as someone who prides herself on being meticulously organised, Freya is intent on making it the perfect day to remember. But when Matthew calls things off hours before they walk down the aisle, Freya's entire life plan goes up in smoke. Humiliated and heartbroken, the last thing she wants is to attend a summer of other peoples' nuptials on her own.