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At 30, Katie Lavender thinks she is better than most when it comes to dealing with life's surprises. But when she gets a request to visit a solicitor, she's not expecting the dramatic turn her life is about to take. There, she receives a letter from her deceased mother that literally changes everything she ever knew about herself...
Lacey Terwilligers shock and humiliation over her husband’s philandering prompt her to add some bonus material to Mike's company newsletter: stunning Technicolor descriptions of the special brand of "administrative support" his receptionist gives him. The detailed mass email to Mike's family, friends, and clients blows up in her face, and before one can say "instant urban legend", Lacey has become the pariah of her small Kentucky town, a media punch line, and the defendant in Mike's defamation lawsuit.
Rock Chick Reawakening shares the tale of the devastating event that nearly broke Daisy, an event that set Marcus Sloan - one of Denver's most respected businessmen and one of the Denver underground's most feared crime bosses - into finally making his move to win the heart of the woman who stole his.
Fabulous family saga of secrets held through two generations, set against the atmospheric background of the Lake District at Christmas. The year 1936 is drawing to a close. Winter grips Wetmoreland and causes a rare phenonmenon: The lakes freeze. For two local families, the Richardsons and the Grindleys, this will bring unexpected upheaval, as the frozen lake entices long-estranged siblings and children to return home for the holiday season.
From the best-selling author of the Sarah Midnight Trilogy comes an instant classic - a beautiful and poignant love story about letting go and moving on. Eilidh Lawson’s life has hit crisis point. Years of failed fertility treatments, a cheating husband and an oppressive family have pushed her to the limits. Desperate for relief, she seeks solace in the only place she’s ever felt at home - a small village in the Scottish Highlands.
East Sussex, 1914. It is the end of England's brief Edwardian summer, and everyone agrees that the weather has never been so beautiful. Hugh Grange, down from his medical studies, is visiting his aunt Agatha, who lives with her husband in the small, idyllic coastal town of Rye. Agatha's husband works in the Foreign Office, and she is certain he will ensure that the recent sabre rattling over the Balkans won't come to anything.
At 30, Katie Lavender thinks she is better than most when it comes to dealing with life's surprises. But when she gets a request to visit a solicitor, she's not expecting the dramatic turn her life is about to take. There, she receives a letter from her deceased mother that literally changes everything she ever knew about herself...
Lacey Terwilligers shock and humiliation over her husband’s philandering prompt her to add some bonus material to Mike's company newsletter: stunning Technicolor descriptions of the special brand of "administrative support" his receptionist gives him. The detailed mass email to Mike's family, friends, and clients blows up in her face, and before one can say "instant urban legend", Lacey has become the pariah of her small Kentucky town, a media punch line, and the defendant in Mike's defamation lawsuit.
Rock Chick Reawakening shares the tale of the devastating event that nearly broke Daisy, an event that set Marcus Sloan - one of Denver's most respected businessmen and one of the Denver underground's most feared crime bosses - into finally making his move to win the heart of the woman who stole his.
Fabulous family saga of secrets held through two generations, set against the atmospheric background of the Lake District at Christmas. The year 1936 is drawing to a close. Winter grips Wetmoreland and causes a rare phenonmenon: The lakes freeze. For two local families, the Richardsons and the Grindleys, this will bring unexpected upheaval, as the frozen lake entices long-estranged siblings and children to return home for the holiday season.
From the best-selling author of the Sarah Midnight Trilogy comes an instant classic - a beautiful and poignant love story about letting go and moving on. Eilidh Lawson’s life has hit crisis point. Years of failed fertility treatments, a cheating husband and an oppressive family have pushed her to the limits. Desperate for relief, she seeks solace in the only place she’s ever felt at home - a small village in the Scottish Highlands.
East Sussex, 1914. It is the end of England's brief Edwardian summer, and everyone agrees that the weather has never been so beautiful. Hugh Grange, down from his medical studies, is visiting his aunt Agatha, who lives with her husband in the small, idyllic coastal town of Rye. Agatha's husband works in the Foreign Office, and she is certain he will ensure that the recent sabre rattling over the Balkans won't come to anything.
Getting a life isn't always easy. And hanging on to it is even harder.... Jodi Taylor brings all her comic writing skills to this heartwarming tale of self-discovery. Known as The Nothing Girl because of her severe stutter and chronically low self-confidence, Jenny Dove is only just prevented from ending it all by the sudden appearance of Thomas, a mystical golden horse only she can see. Under his guidance Jenny unexpectedly acquires a husband - the charming and chaotic Russell Checkland.
Hannah Riley and her musician husband, Will, hope that a move to the Suffolk countryside will promise a fresh start. Hannah, a human rights worker, is desperate for a child and she hopes that this new life will realise her dream. Yet when the snow comes, Will is working in London and Hannah is cut off in their remote village. Life in Tornley turns out to be far from idyllic: Who are the threatening figures who lurk near their property at night? And why is her neighbour so keen to see them leave?
Distraught that her academic career has stalled, Alba is walking through her neighbourhood when she finds herself in front of 11 Hope Street. A woman named Peggy invites her to stay, on the house's usual conditions: she has 99 nights to turn her life around. With nothing left to lose, Alba moves in. But this is no ordinary house.... Past residents have included George Eliot and Beatrix Potter, who have hung around to help newcomers - literally, in talking portraits on the wall!
It is 1917, and while war wages across Europe, in the heart of London, there is a place of hope and enchantment. The Emporium sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike: patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles of their own. Into this family business comes young Cathy Wray, running away from a shameful past. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own.
At 28, Lucy is doing well for herself. She's got a great job, her boss loves her, and her friends think she's great. The only problem is she does feel the need to lie outrageously on dates - often with hilarious results. But when Lucy decides that her flatmate and oldest friend, Henry, is in need of a makeover, nothing can prepare them for the surprise results! Before long, Lucy realises that their lives will never be the same again.
Elizabeth Cage is a child when she discovers that there are things in this world that only she can see. But she doesn't want to see them, and she definitely doesn't want them to see her. What is a curse to Elizabeth is a gift to others - a very valuable gift they want to control. When her husband dies, Elizabeth's world descends into a nightmare. But as she tries to piece her life back together, she discovers that not everything is as it seems.
Cassie has spent her married life doing everything right - making sure her children have the perfect life and being a devoted wife to her husband and a dutiful daughter-in-law to his mother, even when her patience has been tested. Although it has left her so exhausted that 'wine o'clock' comes a little earlier each afternoon. But she wouldn't change a thing, she's certain, until temptation comes her way.... Her sister, Coco, runs a vintage dress shop and sure, she's shied away from commitment over the years.
An astonishing historical novel set in the shadowy, magical forests of South America, which draws on the captivating world of the international best seller The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. Deep in uncharted Peru, the holy town of Bedlam stands at the edge of a forest. The shrine statues move, and anyone who crosses the border dies. But somewhere inside are cinchona trees, whose bark yields quinine: the only known treatment for malaria. On the other side of the Pacific, it is 1859, and India is ravaged by the disease.
Tom Hope is broken. Ever since his wife, Laura, died he hasn't been the same man and definitely not the same father. Luckily for Tom his mother-in-law, Linda, is around to pick up the pieces and look after his two struggling daughters, Evie and Lola. But Tom getting arrested on the first anniversary of his wife's death is the last straw for Linda. In a last bid attempt to make Tom reconnect with his daughters, she takes drastic action and leaves for Australia.
Once there was a girl who loved saffron. She loved its secrets and its mystery, and best of all she loved its hint of magic. After the death of her beloved mother, Nell travels from rural Cornwall to the colour and chaos of Marrakech. Her marriage may be on the rocks, but exploring the heady delights of Moroccan cuisine could help her fulfil her dream of opening her own restaurant. It's there she meets Amy - a young photographer trying to unravel the story behind her family's involvement in the Vietnam War.
Meet the Hunter family: Adam, Kate, and their children, Hal and Charlotte. And Prince, their black Labrador. Prince is an earnest young dog, striving hard to live up to the tenets of the Labrador Pact (Remain Loyal to Your Human Masters, Serve and Protect Your Family at Any Cost). Other dogs, led by the Springer Spaniels, have revolted. As things in the Hunter family begin to go badly awry - marital breakdown, rowdy teenage parties, attempted suicide - Prince's responsibilities threaten to overwhelm him and he is forced to break the Labrador Pact.
Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to jazz age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen a lot and now craves an ordinary life. Always changing his identity to stay alive, Tom has the perfect cover - working as a history teacher at a London comprehensive. Here he can teach the kids about wars and witch hunts as if he'd never witnessed them firsthand.
Martha is lost. She’s been lost since she was a baby, abandoned in a suitcase on the train from Paris. Ever since, she’s waited in the station's lost property for someone to claim her. It’s been 16 years, but she’s still hopeful.
In the meantime, there are mysteries to solve: secret tunnels under the station, a suitcase that may have belonged to the Beatles, the Roman soldier who appears at the same time every day with his packed lunch. Not to mention the stuffed monkey that someone keeps misplacing. But there is one mystery Martha cannot solve. And now the authorities have found out about the girl in lost property.
Time is running out - if Martha can’t discover who she really is, she will lose everything....
A beautiful fairytale of innocence, love, friendship and violence, wonderfully read in Martha's true voice.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
A Beautifully narrated, wonderful story with amazing images. I think I may have even cried.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
I stuck with this to the bitter end hoping it would end with the interest it initally started with. Sadly, I didn't find this as enjoyable as other readers seem to have done.
What was most disappointing about Caroline Wallace’s story?
The constant repetitive phrases really began to grate on my nerves...so much I found myself actually talking out loud, begging the reader to wander off-script. I'm afraid the sections detailing the life of Mal and The Beatles felt like a poor attempt to crowbar the author's research into the text. The end was entirely predictable.
What does Katy Sobey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
I think she did fair job. She portrayed Martha very well. Not so well with Max - the Ozzie accent dipped in and out.
If this book were a film would you go see it?
No
Any additional comments?
It's rare I come across a book with such good reviews and then find myself disappointed but occasionally I don't get it and this is one of those times.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
Great performance for a truly entertaining story. Darkly comedic with wonderful characters you really got to know and care about.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This book is written from Matha's viewpoint and the author does it beautifully. The phrasing was lovely.
So as not to spoil the story I'll just say that I don't see the point of some elements as they don't really add anything but padding but not enough to be detrimental.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
A very enjoyable listen . A mystery with many turns ..
I would recommend this as a quirky mystery .
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
We listen in order to relax at the end of the day and it was perfectly suited to that.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
I didn't find any scenes particularly outstanding, it wasn't that sort of book I didn't think.
Did The Finding of Martha Lost inspire you to do anything?
NO
Any additional comments?
This was a reasonably enjoyable listen. I found the repetitive speech tags annoying I truly did and perhaps when it was narrated they should have been adjusted for a spoken delivery. Apart from that the reveal at the end was apparent by the time we reached it but all in all it was pleasant enough. It is odd that a few weeks after we listened to this a part of Lime Street Station did collapse and both my husband and I said "Ah well, Martha must have gone out without her rock!!"
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
A quirky book, very well written and delivered. I say quirky in the nicest possible way, this story drew me in because from the first few pages till the last. Some great characters and a fascinating story, funny, inspiring in equal measure. It made me laugh and brought a tear to my eye.
I'm not going to give away any of the story but I'll just say it's about an orphan living in the lost property office on Lime Street Railway Station.
There are some lovely characters, well described, who come into the story and populate the life story of the innocent and naive orphan.
The narrator does a great job of making the characters come to life.
A lovely, heartwarming story that I will definitely listen to again at some point in the future.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I enjoyed every aspect of this book. Wonderful narrative and a story told in exquisite detail. The story of Martha, the innocent child and the world she inhabits is captivating and the narration first class.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Where does The Finding of Martha Lost rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I could not stop listening, I was totally transported to Martha's world character's are so believable, narrator is brilliant and brings everything to life
What did you like best about this story?
The characters and the unusual storyline
Have you listened to any of Katy Sobey’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No but will definitely be looking out for her
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Absolutely Absolutely Absolutely
Any additional comments?
Recommended listen but not when you're short of time as it will hook you in!!!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This book is a charming fairy tale, but slow going. There isn't much of a sense of urgency though the story has a ticking clock (Martha may be evicted); the threat is just ignored most of the time. Instead, the author focuses exhaustively on the characters' quirks and there are a lot of them. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen or Julia Stuart will enjoy, I think.
Narration is top notch.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I grew up in London with an English mother and American father. I've been living in USA for 38 years. Although I've never been to Liverpool, I could relate to the characters and the story and enjoyed the unique mix of Beatles history, abandoned child looking for her mother and the tramp living in the train station.
Loved the narration and hope to read more from the author and listen to more by the narrator.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful