Bethan Roberts Knihy

Marion a Tom se poznají v 50. letech v Brightonu. Učí ji plavat, jemně ji ve vodě nadnáší ve stínu slavného městského mola a Marion se zamiluje. Je přesvědčená, že pro fungování jejich vztahu to bude stačit. O několik let později potkává Tom poblíž brightonského muzea Patricka. Patrick je okouzlen a otevírá Tomovi bránu do nového, okouzlujícího, sofistikovaného světa umění, cestování a krásy. Tom je policista a v této době je pro něj bezpečnější oženit se s Marion a s Patrickem se setkávat tajně. Oba milenci se o něj musí dělit, dokud to jednoho z nich nezlomí. V tomto sugestivním portrétu Anglie 50. let Bethan Roberts znovu představuje skutečný milostný trojúhelník policisty Boba Buckinghama, jeho ženy a spisovatele E. M. Forstera. Je to hluboce procítěný příběh o vášnivé vytrvalosti lásky a o zkáze, kterou způsobuje represivní společnost.

This book explores Charlotte Smith's Elegiac Sonnets and clarifies its 'place' - understood in multiple ways - in literary history. It argues that Smith's work engages more deeply with tradition than has hitherto been realised and revises our understanding not only of Smith's career but also of the sonnet in eighteenth-century England.

Now a motion picture starring Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, and David Dawson, an exquisitely told, tragic tale of thwarted love. “Stunning…fraught and honest.” —New York Times Book Review It is in 1950's Brighton that Marion first catches sight of Tom. He teaches her to swim, gently guiding her through the water in the shadow of the city's famous pier and Marion is smitten—determined her love alone will be enough for them both. A few years later near the Brighton Museum, Patrick meets Tom. Patrick is besotted, and opens Tom's eyes to a glamorous, sophisticated new world of art, travel, and beauty. Tom is their policeman, and in this age it is safer for him to marry Marion and meet Patrick in secret. The two lovers must share him, until one of them breaks and three lives are destroyed. In this evocative portrait of midcentury England, Bethan Roberts reimagines the real life relationship the novelist E. M. Forster had with a policeman, Bob Buckingham, and his wife. My Policeman is a deeply heartfelt story of love's passionate endurance, and the devastation wrought by a repressive society.

While the heat and music of the American South in the 40s and 50s play in the background, a heartbreaking portrait of a mother's love and a son's devotion takes centre stage. When Elvis reaches the height of his power, he buys his family the ultimate mansion on the hill, Graceland, where he hopes his mother will be happy.

It's summer 1936, and the world is on the cusp of change, but there's little sign of this in rural Sussex. So when Kitty Allen answers an advert looking for 'a good plain cook', she has no idea what she's in for. For starters, her employer is an American called Ellen Steinberg who believes in having the staff call her by her first name and sunbathing in the nude. Then there's Ellen's eleven-year-old daughter, Geenie, a bright, unhappy little thing, and Mrs Steinberg's gentleman friend, Mr Crane, who's said to be a poet - even though he doesn't have a beard and doesn't actually write much poetry. Rich bohemians imagining themselves as communists, Steinberg and Crane see themselves as champions of 'the people' - not that they know the first thing about how the people actually live. Kitty is in no position to criticise - after all she claimed to be a good plain cook, despite hardly knowing how to boil an egg. Utterly out of her depth, she is relieved to have the gardener, Arthur, to talk to. Otherwise she'd never last a summer in this madhouse. Ellen Steinberg wants life to run as smoothly as the love story she imagines her lover George Crane to be writing. But as Kitty arrives, the dream is on the edge of falling apart.

The debut novel by British writer Bethan Roberts showcases her remarkable confidence and storytelling ability. It introduces readers to compelling characters and explores themes of identity and relationships, set against a rich backdrop that enhances the narrative. The author's unique voice and perspective promise to captivate audiences, making this work a noteworthy addition to contemporary literature.

Originally published: London: Chatto & Windus, 2014.

In summer 1936, Kitty Allen, a local girl in rural Sussex, responds to an ad for a "good plain cook." Unbeknownst to her, her employer is an American who sunbathes nude. Despite claiming to be a good cook, Kitty barely knows how to boil an egg, leading to unexpected challenges.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Introduction: 'No Better Dress than Russet Brown' -- 1: Natural History Nightingales: 'When the Buds of the Leaves Are Swelling' -- 2: Literary Nightingales: 'Old-World Pain' -- 3: Literary Nightingales: 'Selfsame Song' -- 4: Musical Nightingales: 'Organ of Delight' -- 5: 'Immortal Bird'? Nightingales in Decline -- Timeline -- References -- Select Bibliography -- Associations and Websites -- Acknowledgements -- Photo Acknowledgements -- Index.