Derek doesn't have much going for him. He only puts up with the long hours minding his brother's strawberry stall because at night he can become a different person... calling himself ‘Hank’, donning a Stetson and fronting a country-and-western band. Derek has modelled his voice on that of his idol, Nashville star George Jones, and fantasizes that one day he might fl y to the United States of America to see him sing at the Grand Ole Opry. But with a council house, four kids and no money it seems like an impossible dream. Taking a break one hot summer’s day in the forest opposite the strawberry stall, Derek overhears something that will put him in grave danger; something that will bind him to a man he has never even met.
“A heroine whom readers will root for, and the fun quirky cast of characters (and animals) will keep the laughter flowing.” ?Library Journal Life hasn't been a bed of roses lately for Londoner Molly Taylor. Newly divorced and struggling to find a new home and a way to support her three boys, she’s stunned when her beloved aunt dies and leaves her Harrington Hall, a three-hundred-year-old manor house on the Devon coast, where Molly grew up. But does Molly really want to run a bed-and-breakfast in an old house where the only thing that doesn't need urgent attention is Aunt Helena's beautiful rose garden? Or care for Uncle Bertie, an eccentric former navy officer with a cliff-top cannon? Or Betty, his rude parrot that bites whomever annoys it? Yet Molly's best friend is all for the plan: “My heart bleeds. Your very own beach, the beautiful house, and Helena’s garden. All you have to do is grill a bit of bacon.” But with Molly’s conniving brother running the family hotel nearby, the return of a high school flame with ulterior motives, and three sons whose idea of a new country life seems to involve vast quantities of mud, this is not going to be easy. And then Harrington Hall begins to work its magic, and the roses start to bloom . . . Warm, witty, and chock-full of quintessential British charm, this is a story for anyone who has ever dreamed of starting over . . . with or without bacon. “[A] story that fans of Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s The Language of Flowers will devour.” ?Library Journal “Utterly charming.” —Booklist
“A heroine whom readers will root for, and the fun quirky cast of characters (and animals) will keep the laughter flowing.” ?Library Journal Life hasn't been a bed of roses lately for Londoner Molly Taylor. Newly divorced and struggling to find a new home and a way to support her three boys, she’s stunned when her beloved aunt dies and leaves her Harrington Hall, a three-hundred-year-old manor house on the Devon coast, where Molly grew up. But does Molly really want to run a bed-and-breakfast in an old house where the only thing that doesn't need urgent attention is Aunt Helena's beautiful rose garden? Or care for Uncle Bertie, an eccentric former navy officer with a cliff-top cannon? Or Betty, his rude parrot that bites whomever annoys it? Yet Molly's best friend is all for the plan: “My heart bleeds. Your very own beach, the beautiful house, and Helena’s garden. All you have to do is grill a bit of bacon.” But with Molly’s conniving brother running the family hotel nearby, the return of a high school flame with ulterior motives, and three sons whose idea of a new country life seems to involve vast quantities of mud, this is not going to be easy. And then Harrington Hall begins to work its magic, and the roses start to bloom . . . Warm, witty, and chock-full of quintessential British charm, this is a story for anyone who has ever dreamed of starting over . . . with or without bacon. “[A] story that fans of Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s The Language of Flowers will devour.” ?Library Journal “Utterly charming.” —Booklist
In 1860s New York, an abandoned baby girl is found by four boys and they adopt her. In time, the boys start a ranch in Montana and she grows up to be a beautiful woman. One day there arrives at the ranch a handsome Scottish lawyer, looking for an English lord's daughter kidnaped two decades earlier. By the author of Prince Charming.
Roses, pleasure and politics: a fresh take on Orwell as an avid gardener, whose political writing was grounded in his passion for the natural world. 'I loved this book... An exhilarating romp through Orwell's life and times' Margaret Atwood 'Expansive and thought-provoking' Independent Outside my work the thing I care most about is gardening - George Orwell Inspired by her encounter with the surviving roses that Orwell is said to have planted in his cottage in Hertfordshire, Rebecca Solnit explores how his involvement with plants, particularly flowers, illuminates his other commitments as a writer and antifascist, and the intertwined politics of nature and power. Following his journey from the coal mines of England to taking up arms in the Spanish Civil War; from his prescient critique of Stalin to his analysis of the relationship between lies and authoritarianism, Solnit finds a more hopeful Orwell, whose love of nature pulses through his work and actions. And in her dialogue with the author, she makes fascinating forays into colonial legacies in the flower garden, discovers photographer Tina Modotti's roses, reveals Stalin's obsession with growing lemons in impossibly cold conditions, and exposes the brutal rose industry in Colombia. A fresh reading of a towering figure of the 20th century which finds solace and solutions for the political and environmental challenges we face today, Orwell's Roses is a remarkable reflection on pleasure, beauty, and joy as acts of resistance. 'Luminous...It is efflorescent, a study that seeds and blooms, propagates thoughts, and tends to historical associations' New Statesman 'A genuinely extraordinary mind, whose curiosity, intelligence and willingness to learn seem unbounded' Irish Times
The Wars of the Roses (c. 1455-1487) are renowned as an infamously savage and tangled slice of English history. A bloody thirty-year struggle between the dynastic houses of Lancaster and York, they embraced localised vendetta (such as the bitter northern feud between the Percies and Nevilles) as well as the formal clash of royalist and rebel armies at St Albans, Ludford Bridge, Mortimer's Cross, Towton, Tewkesbury and finally Bosworth, when the usurping Yorkist king, Richard III, was crushed by Henry Tudor. Powerful personalities dominate the period: the charismatic and enigmatic Richard III, immortalized by Shakespeare; the slippery Warwick, the Kingmaker', who finally over-reached ambition to be cut down at the Battle of Barnet; and guileful women like Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret of Anjou, who for a time ruled the kingdom in her husband's stead. David Grummitt places the violent events of this complex time in the wider context of fifteenth-century kingship and the development of English political culture.Never losing sight of the traumatic impact of war on the lives of those who either fought in or were touched by battle, this captivating new history will make compelling reading for students of the late medieval period and Tudor England, as well as for general readers.
Strong and sober, George Jones looks back on his life with searing candor. From his roots in an impoverished East Texas family to his years of womanizing, boozing, brawling, and singing with the voice that made him a star, his story is a nonstop rollercoaster ride of the price of fame. It is also the story of how the love of a good woman, his wife Nancy, helped him clean up his act.
‘An accessible, informative guide for beginners, but full of ideas and tips for seasoned gardeners.’ – Sunday Mirror Elevate your own green space and become a more confident and creative gardener with lessons from experienced National Trust gardeners in this comprehensive horticultural guide. The National Trust looks after hundreds of beautiful gardens of every imaginable shape and size across Britain – from the grandest country estate to the smallest cottage garden. They manage such internationally renowned gardens as Sissinghurst and Hidcote. National Trust garden staff receive countless questions from visitors about plants growing in the gardens and techniques that can be tried at home. This in-depth guide will pass on their wisdom and provide the answers you are looking for. This book is packed with images of National Trust gardens of all types, spanning over 300 years of horticultural heritage, to inspire keen amateur gardeners and aspirational novices to realise their green-fingered ambitions. Written by expert gardener Rebecca Bevan, with the help of National Trust gardeners, the National Trust School of Gardening will make you feel confident about developing your garden rather than overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail. From herbaceous borders to gardening sustainably, roses and climbers to growing under glass, each chapter provides snippets of horticultural history, examples of best practice from National Trust gardens, unique gems of wisdom from talented NT gardeners, and lots of easy-to-follow practical advice. Featuring a wide range of National Trust gardens both large and small, formal and informal, famous and undiscovered, high maintenance and low key. The topics covered and the insightful practical guides shared are easily applicable to private gardens, enriching even the tiniest urban spaces.
To the outside world, my life is perfect. I'm young and rich, and some may even say I'm beautiful. But I would give anything to be somebody else because after being extraordinary all my life, all I wish for is...silence. My name is Lola Van Allen, and there's no easy way to say it, but...I'm dying. When my doctors reveal all hope is lost, I decide to spend the time I have left sharing my experience at Strawberry Fields, a summer camp for terminally ill children. No matter my fate, I yearn to make a difference. Things are quiet and slow-moving until I meet him. Dr. Roman Archibald. From the moment our lives entwine, he pushes me until breaking point. But for someone who has nothing left to lose, I push back twice as hard. Roman challenges me in ways I never imagined, revealing things aren't always what they seem. This is my story...and how I got a second chance at life.
The rosarian of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's celebrated Cranford Rose Garden, has put his year-round advice into a book, charting month to month the tasks necessary to keep roses healthy and beautiful. Color photos.
