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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Historical fiction
A secretary like no other... In an epic spanning 40 years.
All Hanna Fischer ever wanted to do was to study physics under the great Albert Einstein. But when, as a teenager in 1919, her life is suddenly turned upside-down, she is catapulted into a new and extraordinary life - as a secretary, a scientist, a sister and a spy.
From racist gangs in Berlin to gangsters in New York City, Nazis in the 1930s and Hitler's inner circle during the Second World War, Hanna will encounter some of history's greatest minds and most terrible moments, all while desperately trying to stay alive.
She is a most unique secretary and she will work for many bosses - from shrewd businessmen to vile Nazis, to the greatest boss of them all, Mr Albert Einstein...
Spanning forty years, this is the thrilling tale of a young woman propelled through history's most dangerous times.
Pride and Prejudice, which opens with one of the most famous sentences in English Literature, is an ironic novel of manners.
In it the garrulous and empty-headed Mrs Bennet has only one aim – that of finding a good match for each of her five daughters. In this she is mocked by her cynical and indolent husband.
With its wit, its social precision and, above all, its irresistible heroine, Pride and Prejudice has proved one of the most enduringly popular novels in the English language.
The first novel in Julia Quinn’s worldwide bestselling Bridgerton novels, now a series created by Shonda Rhimes for Netflix. This is the story of Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke: welcome to the ballrooms of Regency London . . .
By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister, the lovely – and almost-on-the-shelf – Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth – it’s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable . . .
Their ruse works like a charm – at first. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her. It wasn’t the plan, but it seems she’s falling for the duke, for real. And amidst the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule . . .
Find out why readers love Julia Quinn . . .
Hart van duisternis deur Joseph Conrad (1857 tot 1924) is een van die beste verhale oor Afrika en veral die Kongo wat daar nog ooit geskryf is. Ná die eerste boekpublikasie daarvan in 1902 het dit nog nooit verouder nie en lees dit vandag soos ‘n eietydse kommentaar op ons vasteland, veral die warm, broeiende ruigtes rondom die Kongorivier naby aan die ewenaar.
Charles Marlow, ‘n seeman vertel boeiend van sy moeisame soektog per rivierboot na die geheimsinnige meneer Kurtz, wat diep in die Kongolese oerwoud verlore geraak het. Blykbaar het Kurtz, wat eens ‘n beskaafde Europeër was, ontaard in iemand wat nie meer die die reëls van die beskawing gehoorsaam nie.
Soos wat Marlow nader en nader aan Kurtz kom, dreig die gevaar toenemend en raak die spanning ondraaglik. Wat gaan hy daar vind en hoe sal hy dit ooit aan sy base in Europa kan oordra? En gaan hy hoegenaamd die ekspedisie oorleef?
Hierdie dun boekie dra ‘n wêreld in hom saam. Dit hoort in elke Afrikaanse huis, nie net vanweë die asemrowende beskrywings van die rivier en die bos nie, maar ook weens die skrywer se geniale insigte in die verhouding tussen Europa en Afrika, tussen blank en swart.
Enersyds is Conrad al geloof vir sy kritiek op kolonialisme en rassisme, andersyds is hy veroordeel omdat hy juis onbevange oor oer-Afrika, sy rituele en sy mense skryf. Die Afrikaanse, asook die wêreldletterkunde, wemel van verwysings na Hart van duisternis. Die beroemde Hollywoodfilm Apocalypse Now het insgelyks sy tema hier kom leen.
'What a heroine Endurance Proudfoot is! I loved her from the start.
An unconventional woman who takes us on a fascinating - if bumpy -
ride through a man's world. I laughed, cried and most of all
cheered! Can't stop thinking about it... an absolute cruncher of a
tale' Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal 'A complete joy of a
novel that, like it's wonderful protagonist's namesake, is a story
of endurance against all odds. Full of heart and so eloquently
written, THAT BONESETTER WOMAN had me cheering Durie on from start
to finish - I absolutely loved it' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of
Pandora It's usual, they say, for a young person coming to London
for the first time to arrive with a head full of dreams. Well,
Endurance Proudfoot did not. When she stepped off the coach from
Sussex, on a warm and sticky afternoon in the summer of 1757, it
never occurred to her that the city would be the place where she'd
make her fortune; she was just very annoyed to be arriving there at
all. Meet Endurance Proudfoot: clumsy as a carthorse, strong as an
ox, with a tactless tongue and a face she's sure only a mother
could love. Durie wants one thing in life: to become a bonesetter
like her father. It's physically demanding work, requiring nerves
of steel, and he's adamant it's not a job for a woman.
Strong-willed and stubborn, Durie's certain that in bonesetting,
her big, usually clumsy hands have found their natural calling. So
when she's bundled off to London with her beautiful sister, she
won't let it stop her realising her dream. As her sister finds fame
on the stage, Durie becomes England's most celebrated bonesetter -
but what goes up must come down, and her success may become her
undoing. Inspired by the true stories of two of Georgian England's
most famous celebrities, That Bonesetter Woman is an uplifting tale
about finding the courage to go your own way, when everyone says
you can't - and about realising that what makes you different can
also make you strong. Praise for That Bonesetter Woman: 'Durie
Proudfoot is a brilliant heroine: stubborn, flawed and so
entertaining to spend time with. I loved every step of her journey,
and Frances Quinn is fast becoming one of my favourite historical
novelists' Louise Hare 'I adored every second of this book -
historical fiction at its finest, and Quinn is a natural
storyteller. Quirky, funny and original. Durie and her lions will
stay with me' Ericka Waller 'I feel as if I left a little bit of my
heart between the pages of this extraordinary book' Nicola Gill
'Filled with hope and humour, That Bonesetter Woman is a novel that
truly champions the underdog. I devoured it with as much gusto as
the inimitable heroine sets people's bones' Polly Crosby 'That
Bonesetter Woman is a wonderfully uplifting, charming, addictive
and unusual story. Quinn delivers astute and acutely observed
aspects of human behaviour delivered with great humour and
compassion. Replace the coffee houses and newspaper scribblers with
Twitter and YouTube and I'd say, not so much has changed!' Louise
Fein 'Frances Quinn has done it again! Georgian London is vividly
brought to life in a fast-paced story full of quirky characters,
wry wit, warmth and wisdom. I was completely charmed!' Anita Frank
Toe Mata Hari in Parys aangekom het, was sy platsak. Kort daarna is
sy gevier as die elegantste vrou in die stad. As ’n danseres het sy
gehore geskok en verruk, as ’n vertroueling en courtisane het sy
die rykste en magtigste mans van haar era betower. Maar paranoia as
gevolg van die oorlog het Frankryk verteer, en Mata Hari se
leefstyl het haar onder verdenking geplaas. In 1917 is sy
gearresteer in haar hotelkamer aan die Champs-Elysees en van
spioenasie aangekla. Die Spioen is die onvergeetlike verhaal van ’n
vrou wat dit gewaag het om die konvensies van haar tyd uit te daag
en die prys daarvoor betaal het, soos vertel in Mata Hari se stem
in haar finale brief.
Copenhagen, 1940
When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges
his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly
row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden.
American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and
abandon her research-her life's dream. While printing resistance
newspapers, she hears stories of the movement's legendary Havmand--the
merman--and wonders if the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living
in the same boardinghouse has something to hide.
When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate
people will discover if there is more power in speech . . . or in
silence.
Bestselling author of more than a dozen WWII novels, Sarah Sundin pens
another story of ordinary people responding to extraordinary
circumstances with faith, fortitude, and hope for a brighter future in
The Sound Of Light.
With her renowned storytelling gifts in full force, Colleen
McCullough delivers a breathtaking novel that proves once again
that she is the top historical novelist of our time.
Grand in scope and vivid in detail, McCullough's gripping
narrative thrusts readers headlong into the complex and fascinating
world of Rome in the tumultuous last days of the Republic. At the
height of his power, Gaius Julius Caesar becomes embroiled in a
civil war in Egypt, where he finds himself enraptured by Cleopatra,
the nation's golden-eyed queen. To do his duty as a Roman, however,
he must forsake his love and return to the capital to rule.
Though Caesar's grip on power seems unshakable, the political
landscape is treacherous -- the returning hero has no obvious
successor, and his legacy seems to be the prize for any man with
the courage and cunning to fell Rome's laurelled leader. Caesar's
jealous enemies masquerade as friends and scheme to oust the
autocrat from power and restore true republican government to Rome.
But as the plot races to its dramatic conclusion, it becomes clear
that with the stakes this high, no alliance is sacred and no
motives are pure.
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Ridgeline
(Paperback)
Michael Punke
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R460
R434
Discovery Miles 4 340
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