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Ward No. 6 and Other Stories, 1892-1895
by Anton ChekhovThese stories from the middle period of Chekhov's career show him exploring complex, ambiguous and often extreme emotions. Influenced by his own experiences as a doctor, 'Ward No. 6', set in a mental hospital, is a savage indictment of the medical profession. 'The Black Monk', portraying an academic who has strange hallucinations, explores ideas of genius and insanity; in 'Murder', religious fervour leads to violence; while in 'The Student', Chekhov's favourite story, a young man recounts a tale from the gospels and undergoes a spiritual epiphany. In all the stories collected here, Chekhov's characters face madness, alienation and frustration before they experience brief, ephemeral moments of insight, often earned at great cost, where they confront the reality of their existence.
The Warden
by Anthony TrollopeThe first book in Anthony Trollope's Barchester Chronicles is a moving, insightful exploration of moral dilemmas fought in public and private. Mr Harding is a good man, the warden to an alms house which provides a peaceful home to twelve old men. The young and zealous John Bold is also a good man, but he believes he sees in Harding's comfortable existence an injustice which must be exposed. The law, the church and the self-righteous national press all have their say in the scandal that ensues, causing a crisis in the hearts and minds of many in the quiet country town of Barchester.‘An affecting and delicate short novel’ Guardian
The Warden (The Penguin English Library)
by Anthony TrollopeWith an essay by Robin Gilmour.'It was so hard that the pleasant waters of his little stream should be disturbed and muddied ... that his quiet paths should be made a battlefield: that the unobtrusive corner of the world which been allotted to him ... made miserable and unsound'Trollope's witty, satirical story of a quiet cathedral town shaken by scandal - as the traditional values of Septimus Harding are attacked by zealous reformers and ruthless newspapers - is a drama of conscience that pits individual integrity against worldly ambition. In The Warden Anthony Trollope brought the fictional county of Barsetshire to life, peopled by a cast of brilliantly realised characters that have made him among the supreme chroniclers of the minutiae of Victorian England.The first book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.
Warehouse
by Keith Gray'I know a place you can go'. It's a secret place hidden among the run-down buildings of the derelict dockyards. A community of young people have gathered in an old warehouse to get away from a world they don't fit in to. Through separate but interweaving narratives Warehouse tells the stories of three of the community's members. There's Robbie who is running away from his violent older brother, Frank, and needs some space to realise that the beatings are not his fault. Amy, who's supposed to be travelling in Europe but has had her rucksack stolen and is too proud to ask her smothering family for help. And then there's Lem, an ex-drug-addict and founder of the Warehouse community, whose perceived role as leader by the other young people is too much for him to cope with.
Warpaint
by Alicia FosterWarpaint by Alicia Foster is a compelling tale of truth and lies, tragedy and black comedy, loosely based on the lives of four painters of the time.England, 1942: a dark world of conflict, hardship and subterfuge where information is a matter of life and death and art has become a weapon.In a gothic villa deep in the woods near Bletchley Park, the 'Black' propaganda team use intelligence to make propaganda designed to demoralise the enemy. For Vivienne Thayer, employed as an artist at the villa, the war has worked out well so far, she has an indulgent husband and a new lover. And while the government quibbles over what cannot be shown officially, at the villa there are no such restrictions - but where does the subterfuge end?Meanwhile, on the Home Front, three women painters - Laura Knight, Faith Farr and Cecily Browne - have been tasked by the War Artist's Advisory Committee with recording wartime life, brightening the existence of a public starved of culture, and summoning up the bulldog spirit in their art. Together they must battle with the men in power, including Churchill himself, to control the stories that can be told.As the course of the war turns and the lives of both groups collide, each woman must ask herself what can be revealed and what must be concealed, even from those closest to them.Alicia Foster grew up in Yorkshire and lives in Kent. She has a PhD in Art History and when she's not writing herself, she teaches art students. Warpaint is her first novel.
Warrior: A True Story of Bravery and Betrayal in the Iraq War
by John Hunt Tam Henderson QMWarrior is the powerful true story of a British soldier's heroism during the Iraq War that reveals how he was ruthlessly sacrificed by the Establishment. Captain Tam Henderson was adopted as a baby in Glasgow. His family moved to England and he grew up on a violent council estate in Birmingham. At 16, he chose to join the famous Black Watch regiment. In a career spanning 23 years, he rose through the ranks and was deployed to conflicts in Northern Ireland, the Balkans and the Middle East.During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Tam was in the thick of ferocious fighting and, amidst Basra's chaos, he set up camp for the 200 men of Charlie Company, who were put in charge of the city's most volatile districts. Having fought to recover the body of one of his men killed in action, Tam was horrified when the chain gun on his Warrior tank malfunctioned, suddenly firing of its own accord and seriously injuring a comrade. He was told to take the rap but refused, insisting that the dangerous fault on the gun needed fixing. He was convicted by a kangaroo court at Saddam's palace and sent home in disgrace. But Tam fought back and embarked upon the biggest battle of his life - against the Ministry of Defence and international arms companies.Pacy and starkly authentic, Warrior takes the reader on an exhilarating journey that is by turns horrific, humorous and poignantly reflective.
Warrior: (The Matthew Hervey Adventures: 10): A gripping and action-packed military page-turner from bestselling author Allan Mallinson (Matthew Hervey #10)
by Allan MallinsonPerfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester, another breath-taking Matthew Hervey adventure from the pen of THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR Allan Mallinson."Captain Matthew Hervey is as splendid a hero as ever sprang from an author's pen" -- THE TIMES"Hervey's thrilling battles against the vivid backdrop of the developing British Empire make for richly engaging storytelling" -- DAILY MAIL"Highly addictive" -- ***** Reader review"This series just gets better and better" -- ***** Reader review********************************************************************************************1828: Matthew Hervey of the 6th Light Dragoons is urgently summoned to the Cape Colony when he learns that the Zulu warrior King Shaka is about to wage war.Soon Hervey, his old friend Eyre Somervile and their escort of dragoons and mounted rifles are riding north. When they arrive at Shaka's kraal, it quickly becomes apparent that he has slaughtered thousands of his subjects - warriors and women alike.When Shaka is killed by his own people, and the region plunged into civil war, Hervey and his men find themselves in the midst of terrible danger.Yet worse is to come. Separated from his troop, Hervey must lead Shaka's queen across a hostile land where sanctuary has never seemed further away ...
Warrior Daughter
by Janet PaisleyInspired by first century AD warrior women, Janet Paisley's Warrior Daughter is a gripping adventure about one young woman's struggle to survive in the harsh Celtic wilderness.2,000 years ago on the Isle of Skye, a warrior is born.Daughter of an Iron Age warrior queen, Skaaha is wild, headstrong and revered. But she is also a child, and when a chariot race leaves the queen dead and her menacing rival Mara in her place, Skaaha's charmed life lies in ruins. Vulnerable, her future imperilled, Skaaha seeks to forge a life beyond the new queen's reach. But with rumour, fear and danger sweeping the island, she cannot remain unmoved. Broken by brutal misfortune, alone in a world of mistrust, Skaaha must unearth the courage to confront her enemies in defence of her people.Illuminated by the great Celtic fire festivals, Warrior Daughter is inspired by the historical Scathach, a fierce warrior woman of the first century AD and forerunner to the equally ferocious Boudicca.Praise for Janet Paisley's White Rose Rebel:'Heather igniting historical adventure' Sunday Times'A powerful historical page-turner with a beautiful, feisty heroine' ScotsmanJanet Paisley is the author of five poetry collections, two of short fiction, a novella and numerous plays, radio, TV and film scripts. Accolades include a prestigious Creative Scotland Award (Not for Glory, stories), the Peggy Ramsay Memorial Award (Refuge, a play) and a BAFTA nomination (Long Haul, a short film). Her first novel, White Rose Rebel, is available from Penguin.
Warriors: British Fighting Heroes
by Ross Kemp_____________Ross Kemp has encountered conflict and warfare the world over, broadcasting from some of the most volatile military hot-zones. From meeting the world's deadliest gangsters, to perhaps his hardest assignment of all; embedded with the British Army in Afghanistan's Helmand province, where he witnessed some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict and was trained in the tactics they use to stay alive.Stationed with British forces for his award-winning television documentaries, Ross Kemp has not only experienced the terror and exhilaration of life on the frontline, but also the courage and leadership of today's servicemen and women. The plight of our Armed Forces is one especially close to his heart, and here for the first time Kemp tells the breathtaking stories of commandos, medics, submariners, fighter pilots, infantrymen, sailors and engineers in daring raids, stirring last stands and acts of extreme valour. British Fighting Heroes is Ross Kemp's personal tribute to some of the most remarkable men and women to have served in the British Armed Forces during the two World Wars, many of them unsung or forgotten. From Sgt Major Stan Hollis, D-Day's only VC winner, to Freddie Spencer Chapman the reluctant war hero who spent three years behind enemy lines in Burma fighting guerrilla warfare against troops, each account is an extraordinary tale of courage, adventure and patriotic sacrifice.
Warsaw Boy: A Memoir of a Wartime Childhood
by Andrew BorowiecWarsaw Boy is the remarkable true story of a sixteen-year old boy soldier in war-torn Poland. Poland suffered terribly under the Nazis. By the end of the war six million had been killed: some were innocent civilians - half of them were Jews - but the rest died as a result of a ferocious guerrilla war the Poles had waged. On 1 August 1944 Andrew Borowiec, a fifteen-year-old volunteer in the Resistance, lobbed a grenade through the shattered window of a Warsaw apartment block onto some German soldiers running below. 'I felt I had come of age. I was a soldier and I'd just tried to kill some of our enemies'.The Warsaw Uprising lasted for 63 days: Himmler described it as 'the worst street fighting since Stalingrad'. Yet for the most part the insurgents were poorly equipped local men and teenagers - some of them were even younger than Andrew.Over that summer Andrew faced danger at every moment, both above and below ground as the Poles took to the city's sewers to creep beneath the German lines during lulls in the fierce counterattacks. Wounded in a fire fight the day after his sixteenth birthday and unable to face another visit to the sewers, he was captured as he lay in a makeshift cellar hospital wondering whether he was about to be shot or saved. Here he learned a lesson: there were decent Germans as well as bad. From one of the most harrowing episodes of the Second World War, this is an extraordinary tale of survival and defiance recounted by one of the few remaining veterans of Poland's bravest summer. Andrew Borowiec dedicates this book to all the Warsaw boys, 'especially those who never grew up'.Andrew Borowiec was born at Lodz in Poland in 1928. At fifteen he joined the Home Army, the main Polish resistance during the Second World War, and fought in the ill-fated Warsaw Uprising. After the war he left Poland and attended Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. He lives in Cyprus with his English wife Juliet.
The Wartime Bookshop: The first in a heart-warming WWII saga series about community and friendship, from the bestselling author (The Wartime Bookshop #1)
by Lesley EamesThe first in a brand-new nostalgic and heart-warming WWII series, perfect for fans of Donna Douglas and Elaine Everest.Alice is nursing an injured hand and a broken heart when she moves to the village of Churchwood at the start of WWII. She is desperate to be independent but worries that her injuries will make that impossible.Kate lives with her family on Brimbles Farm, where her father and brothers treat her no better than a servant. With no mother or sisters, and shunned by the locals, Kate longs for a friend of her own.Naomi is looked up to for owning the best house in the village. But privately, she carries the hurts of childlessness, a husband who has little time for her and some deep-rooted insecurities.With war raging overseas, and difficulties to overcome at home, friendship is needed now more than ever. Can the war effort and a shared love of books bring these women - and the community of Churchwood - together?**The fourth novel, Evacuees at the Wartime Bookshop, is available to pre-order now!**-------------------------------**Real readers are LOVING The Wartime Bookshop**'BRILLIANT''Oh I loved this book... please carry on the good writing''Wow what a brilliant start to a new series''Outstandingly fabulous, warm and inviting... so glad there is going to be a follow-on''I was only two pages in when I knew this would be a 5 star read... I honestly can't put my excitement into words at the thought of reading the next one'
A Wartime Marriage: A glorious, romantic wartime adventure - the perfect dose of escapism
by Mary Jane StaplesFor fans of Katie Flynn & Fiona Valpy, this is an exhilarating romantic journey across war-torn Europe from the multi-million copy seller Mary Jane Staples.READERS ARE LOVING A WARTIME MARRIAGE!"Couldn't put it down." -- 5 STARS"Once again she had me hooked." -- 5 STARS"Each page kept you guessing to the end." -- 5 STARS"An excellent read for a cold damp day in front of the fire." -- 5 STARS****************************************************WILL THEY FIND HAPPINESS?1918: the Kaiser's empire is about to fall and Captain Harry Phillips, a prisoner of war in a Romanian hospital, has had a very hard time of it. Then, out of the blue, comes an offer he can't refuse: a ticket home to his beloved England and to the arms of his much missed fiancée Elizabeth.But this ticket comes with a heavy price to pay; Harry must marry beautiful, headstrong Princess Irena of Moldova, who's only hope of survival is to leave the country and he must risk both their lives by escorting her back to England.As they set off on their long and treacherous journey with enemies at every turn, Harry begins to realise that Irena is not only dangerous but extremely precious cargo.
A Wartime Nurse
by Maggie HopeAs bombs begin to fall, her strength will be tested...A newly qualified nurse, Theda Wearmouth is delighted to gain a place at Newcastle Hospital. But the onset of war brings tragedy when her young soldier boyfriend is killed in action before he can make good on his promise to marry her.Broken-hearted, Theda finds herself re-assigned to a special unit of the hospital dealing with German prisoners of war. Her duty is clear. But will she be able to cope with nursing the very men her fiancé died fighting...?A gritty family saga from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Miner’s Girl and An Orphan’s Secret
Washington Square
by Henry JamesWhen timid and plain Catherine Sloper acquires a dashing and determined suitor, her father, convinced that the young man is nothing more than a fortune-hunter, decides to put a stop to their romance. Torn between her desire to win her father’s love and approval and her passion for the first man who has ever declared his love for her, Catherine faces an agonising dilemma, and becomes all too aware of the restrictions that others seek to place on her freedom. James’s masterly novel deftly interweaves the public and private faces of nineteenth-century New York society; it is also a deeply moving study of innocence destroyed.
Washington Square (The Penguin English Library)
by Henry James"Why, you must take me or leave me ... You can't please your father and me both; you must choose between us"When timid and plain Catherine Sloper acquires a dashing and determined suitor, her father, convinced that the young man is nothing more than a fortune-hunter, decides to put a stop to their romance. Torn between her desire to win her father's love and approval and her passion for the first man who has ever declared his love for her, Catherine faces an agonising dilemma, and becomes all too aware of the restrictions that others seek to place on her freedom. James's masterly novel deftly interweaves the public and private faces of nineteenth-century New York society; it is also a deeply moving study of innocence destroyed.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.
Wasters
by Nick Webb Shane RossDuring the years when all seemed well with the Irish economy, a scandal bloomed in front of our faces but went mostly unnoticed: the scandal of public waste. Vast overspending on infrastructure (including a number of white elephants), extravagant use of overpriced consultants, the creation of dozens of quangos whose primary purpose seemed to be jobs for the boys, the culture of junketry that took hold in the semi-state sector and the Oireachtas - these and other dubious practices flourished during the years when the state's coffers were overflowing. The insiders benefited; the rest of us got ripped off. Now, as the state scrambles to bail out the banks and to bring order to the shattered public finances by taking money out of the pockets of ordinary working people, Shane Ross and Nick Webb tell the story of the wasters: the people who perfected and benefited from the culture of cronyism and waste. Thanks in large part to Ross and Webb's journalism in the Sunday Independent exposing scandals in FAS and CIE, we already know part of this story. In Wasters, the authors show how wide and how deep the rot runs, and they show that every scandal has one thing in common: insiders profiting at the expense of ordinary people.
Watch Her Disappear
by Eva DolanYOU CAN RUN FROM YOUR PAST. BUT YOU CAN'T RUN FROM MURDER. The body is found by the river, near a spot popular with runners.With a serial rapist at work in the area, DI Zigic and DS Ferreira are initially confused when the Hate Crimes Unit is summoned to the scene. Until they discover that the victim, Corinne Sawyer, was born Colin Sawyer.Police records reveal there have been violent attacks on trans women in the local area. Was Corinne a victim of mistaken identity? Or has the person who has been targeting trans women stepped up their campaign of violence? With tensions running high, and the force coming under national scrutiny, this is a complex case and any mistake made could be fatal...
Watchdog: The Consumer Survival Guide
by Matt Allwright'Matt Allwright is my idol. As a comic I'm supposed to say something funny about this book, but actually it's legit useful, helpful advice, written compassionately and clearly. I can absolutely see this becoming my consumer bible. Wonderful stuff!' - JOE LYCETT'Every scam, rogue trader or poor excuse for shoddy service...Watchdog's seen them all. And leading the troops is the consumer superhero who has faced and fought every dodgepot going. Our Matt always has your back, whether he's wearing his cape or not.' - STEPH MCGOVERN'Finally! A book that puts all the info in one place AND makes it funny. Matt is the best at this - making difficult stuff easy to swallow so that we can fight our own corners when he isn't there to fight them for us.' - GABY ROSLINKeep your money in your pocket.In Watchdog: The Consumer Survival Guide, Matt Allwright will help you to help yourself amid the minefield of modern consumer rights and fraudsters, offering practical advice on how to sidestep pitfalls in all areas of life. Each chapter is built around relatable hurdles we all face - renting a flat, buying a car, securing our online data, booking a dream holiday and much more.Packed with useful tips, myth busters and case studies, Watchdog: The Consumer Survival Guide will leave you feeling empowered and save you some pennies along the way.
Watching War Films With My Dad
by Al MurrayAl Murray's (AKA The Pub Landlord) musing on his childhood where his fascination with history and all things war began.Have you ever watched a film with someone who, at the most dramatic scene, argues that the plane on screen hasn't been invented yet? Or that the tank rumbling towards the hero at the end of the film is the wrong tank altogether? Al Murray is that someone. Try as he might, he can’t help himself. Growing up in the 1970s, Al, with the help of his dad, became fascinated with the history of World War Two. They didn’t go to football; they went to battlefields. Because like so many of his generation whose childhood was all about Airfix, Action Man and Where Eagles Dare, he grew up in the cultural wake of the Second World War. Part memoir, part life obsession, this is Al Murray musing on what he knows best. And he’s sure to tell you things about history that you were never taught at school.
Water: Healer or Poison?
by Jan de VriesWater is one of the basic necessities of life - no organism can survive in its absence. In recent years, however, it has become increasingly clear that our public water supply is not as pure as it should be and many are questioning its high chemical content. 'Water scares' are becoming all too frequent. Beaches, seas and oceans themselves are being increasingly contaminated. Plankton are beginning to die and the Earth is being deprived of one of its primary sources of oxygen. In this important addition to his Nature's Gift series, Jan de Vries discusses the implications of this self-inflicted damage and points out the health risks of the various forms of water contamination. Yet, in its pure form, water is one of nature's greatest healers and this volume draws on Jan de Vries' extensive experience of the various water-treatment methods. It provides his readers with guidance and sensible advice on the benefits to be gained from pure, unadulterated water, and it's safe use. Anyone who has been perturbed or confused by the conflicting reports and guidelines concerning this important issue will welcome such an informative book.
The Water Babies
by Charles KingsleyWhen Tom, an ill-treated little chimney-sweep, jumps into a clear, cool stream to clean himself something magical happens; he is turned into a tiny water baby by the fairies. He enters a strange, magical underwater world, and travels beyond the world's end to the other end-of-nowhere, getting into all sorts of scrapes and encountering creatures beautiful and frightening along the way. He also learns many important lessons - it is a voyage of discovery that Tom will never forget.
The Water Of Life: A Treatise on Urine Therapy
by John W ArmstrongIn this revolutionary treatise, J W Armstrong puts the compelling case that all diseases (except those caused by traumatism or structural disorders) can be cured by one simple means: urine therapy. The therapy is an entirely natural treatment, a drugless system of healing that treats the body as a whole. Moreover, the only ingredient needed is a substance manufactured in the body itself, rich in mineral salts, hormones and other vital substances, namely human urine. It may seem strange to take back into the body something that the body is apparently discarding. Yet the theory is similar to the natural practice of organic composting. Fallen leaves, when dug back into the soil, provide valuable mineral salts to nourish new plant life. The same principle holds true for the human body.
Water Under The Bridge
by Susan SallisEmmie Dart was nearly forty years old and servant to old Canon James when Walter asked her to marry him. He was the Canon's son, younger than she was, and a gentleman - even though a rather dilettante drifter who had really done very little with his life. But Walter had a secret in his past that he asked Emmie to share with him - and she, in turn, told him of her harsh and cruel background that made her feel unworthy to be anyone's wife. In spite of everything the marriage worked. Walter became Station Master at the lazy, sundrenched little country station of Dymock. Emmie set about rearing her three children, all so different. As Walter and Emmie watched their children grow, marry, have children of their own, so three women began to dominate the family - Dorothy, who was proud, loyal, strong, and frequently extremely angry with the James family into which she had married, Kildie, illegitimate, manipulative, and causing constant strife and drama, and Holly, the third generation, whose loving spirit often held them all together. It was more than fifty years before Walter James's secret was revealed - a secret that nearly broke the family apart.
Waterloo (Penguin Little Black Classics)
by Victor Hugo'Brave Frenchmen, will you not surrender?' Cambronne answered, 'Merde!'A tense, dramatic account of the Battle of Waterloo - and how a rain shower changed history - from Victor Hugo's epic novel Les Misérables.One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.
Waverley
by Sir Walter ScottRead the first historical novel - this tale of romance and adventure during the 1745 Jacobite rebellion will stir the blood and warm the heart. King George is on the throne, but there are those in Scotland who swear loyalty to the Stuart heir, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and are prepared to stake his claim in conflict and bloodshed. Young Edward Waverley is caught in the middle: son of a Hanoverian yet nephew and heir to a Jacobite, a captain in the King's army yet drawn to the brave Highlanders and their romantic history. Edward must choose where his loyalties lie, even as his heart is torn between gentle Rose Brawardine, and the passionate, principled Flora Mac-Ivor. ‘Waverley is the first great historical novel and should be ranked alongside Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma or Tolstoy's War and Peace’ Independent