Showing titles in World War I

Lieutenant Gilbert Maltravers is bored. It is 1912 and he has been promoted as fast as any in his Dartmouth class and is placed in a battleship where he can confidently look forward to promotion to post captain and a battleship of his own by the time he is forty. All he needs to do is keep a smart ship, polish the brass and salute every senior officer, while wearing an expensive uniform that testifies he is one of the right sort. His father is an admiral, so very little can go wrong.

Berlin, 1920s: a beacon of culture and hedonism, but a political mess. The streets are crowded with war veterans, beggars, prostitutes and madmen, desperately chasing any means to secure a few marks or a roof over their heads. Come nighttime, a rag-tag group descends on the Jolly Huntsman pub to dance and drown their cares in all the schnapps they can afford. But in this society on the brink, pleasure all too easily erupts into violence.

Bloomsbury presents Poor Girls by Clare Whitfield, read by Jenny Bede. 'Poor Girls is a brave, bold novel... You'll fall hard for Nell and the Forty Elephants.' ARAMINTA HALL 'Funny, fast-paced and dark, Poor Girls is a riveting read, with dialogue that absolutely crackles and a fabulously...

A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and 1917 If someone you loved went missing, would you ever stop searching for them? 1921. The Great War is over and while many survivors have been reunited with their loved ones, Edie’s husband Francis has not come...

Brussels, April 1915. A beautiful young woman finds herself on the run from the enemy. Also being pursued is Ned Scott, a British army major who has been badly injured. The pair find themselves at a hospital run by the famous Edith Cavell, who agrees to treat the major while offering them both refuge and a false identity - she names the young girl Anna.

Ten-year-old Magda Brodie’s world is torn apart when her mother dies in the workhouse two weeks before Christmas. Her wastrel father arranges for her sisters to be sent to their grandparents in Ireland and for her younger brother to be adopted, leaving Magda distraught with worry as her family are scattered far and wide. Magda, as the eldest girl, is sent to live with her Aunt Bridget who, for whatever reason, holds a bitter resentment towards Magda. But adversity makes Magda strong and determined.

It is November 1918. Germany has just surrendered after four years of the most savage warfare in history. It is teetering on the brink of total social and economic collapse, and the German people now lie at the mercy of new liberal politicians who despise everything Germany once stood for. The Communists are rioting in the streets, threatening to topple the new government in Weimar and bring about their own revolution.

London 1917. As the Americans enter the war, there is renewed energy in the war effort. With husbands and sons fighting for freedom, the women of Harpers are left to tackle the day-to-day affairs at home and work. With Ben Harper away, Sally fears she is being followed by a mysterious woman. Who is she, and what does she want? Maggie Gibbs collapses seriously ill in the frontline hospitals and is brought back to England close to death. Can she be saved, and what does the future hold for her and her broken heart?

Non è una di loro, Mallena. Un giorno di sedici anni prima è arrivata a Norolani insieme con Jubanne, cui è bastato un attimo per innamorarsi e che l'ha sposata per proteggerla da un destino che gravava su di lei come una condanna. Dovrebbero essere rivali, Mallena e Angelica, invece sono le due facce della stessa medaglia, entrambe spinte dal desiderio di libertà e indipendenza, entrambe tradite dalle persone che avrebbero dovuto proteggerle e vittime della quotidiana ingiustizia che il mondo sa riservare soprattutto alle donne.

Filled with breathtaking images and historical detail, Danielle Steel's novel introduces one of her most unique and fascinating characters: Annabelle Worthington, a remarkable woman - a good woman - who triumphs against overwhelming odds. More than compelling fiction, her story is a powerful celebration of life, dignity, and courage - and a testament to the human will to survive.

Spring Comes to Emmerdale is a must for fans of ITV's Emmerdale and listeners who love heartwarming and heartbreaking stories set during wartime alike. World War I wages on, and the families of Emmerdale are trying their best to move on from tragedy, while the effects of war still resonate throughout the village of Beckindale. Though grief and loss permeate, Maggie Sugden, Annie King and the other inhabitants of the village are finding independence, the chance to make their own happiness - and even opening themselves up to find love.

Peggy and Dar Tenant’s dream for security and respectability has been their driving force since they married. Just as they prepare to buy their own home, tragedy strikes, when Dar is involved in a devastated accident at the docks and Peggy’s world crashes around her. With Dar seriously ill in hospital Peggy’s reduced to scrimping and saving to keep a roof over her family’s head having to revisit the hardships of her youth that she dearly wanted to escape from.

Ironbridge, 1911: Childhood sweethearts Jo and Alfie Woodvine couldn't be happier to finally be married with a home of their very own. But when their son, Harry, arrives, Jo finds herself quickly cut off from the world. Though she loves her baby, she hadn't anticipated the confines of motherhood...

Set just before World War I, The Good Soldier is a tragic, psychologically rich novel of love, betrayal and illusion. It is regarded as one of Ford's best works, and has been adapted for theatre, television and radio. Poignant and intricately crafted, The Good Soldier is told through the eyes of John Dowell, an unreliable and often naïve narrator. Through fragmented and non-linear storytelling, Dowell recounts the breakdown of his marriage to Florence, and the deterioration of Edward and Leonora's relationship, his prior friends.

Ernest Hemingway's first novel, The Sun Also Rises, follows the adventures of a group of young, hard-drinking, American expatriates - which Hemingway refers to as the "Lost Generation" - as they pinball through Europe, from France to Spain and back again.

1916. As thousands of Brits are fighting on the Front Line, a new breed of women emerges to hold the Home Front together. Fiercely independent and fiery-spirited, the munitionettes, or ‘canaries’, are easily recognisable with their chemically-stained yellow faces. Among the raucous group of women is Florrie Duncan, who plans to celebrate her birthday in style at the Golden Goose pub. But the celebrations are cut short when all but one are killed in a brutal explosion.

July 1914. Britain is in turmoil as WW1 begins to change the world. While the young men disappear off to foreign battlefields, the women left at home throw themselves into jobs meant for the boys. Hiding her privileged background and her suffragette past, Constance Copeland signs up to be a Clippie on the trams in Staffordshire, despite her parents' disapproval. Constance, known as Connie, soon makes fast friends with lively fellow Clippies, Betty and Jean, as well as growing closer to the charming, gentle Inspector Robert Caldwell.

A poignant, sensitive and intensely moving account of one village's war and the endurance of those who wait at home for news of their loved ones. Dartmoor, 1914. Grace Dannings is a farmer’s daughter but she dreams of making her mark as a London Suffragette. Too bad she’s stuck in...

Living immerses us in the daily lives of a group of ordinary people working in a post-WWI iron factory. Through fragmented perspectives, Green captures the beauty and chaos of everyday existence—love, loss, and the fleeting moments of joy amidst routine. As the characters navigate their lives, the line between their inner worlds and external realities blurs, revealing the quiet yet profound battles that define the human experience.

Rosie Burrows loves being part of the Foyles team, and outwardly, she’s a happy young woman, engaged to the love of her life. But inside, Rosie faces a horrible dilemma. When Alfie enlisted, she promised to wait for him to return from France. And she has waited, quietly preparing for him to come home so they can marry. But for years her letters to him have gone unanswered, and now she doesn’t know where she stands. To keep occupied, Rosie starts volunteering at the local school.