Showing results by narrator "NICHOLAS BOULTON" in All Categories

Written in the 14th century by an anonymous English monk, The Cloud of Unknowing explores human interaction with the divine, offering guidance on prayer and achieving unity with God. At the core of the book is the assertion that God is unreachable through cerebral means and only through the power of love. One must abandon the intellect, putting a ‘cloud of forgetting’ beneath oneself, hiding the world and all its concerns, and focus as much as possible on God, who exists behind a cloud of unknowing, which can only be approached through a love that transcends all conceptual thought

Sam Ireland wants to raise his daughter in peace, but when he saves a woman and child from drowning, he's drawn into a dangerous web of human trafficking. Joining forces with Waleed, an Egyptian intelligence chief, Sam pursues the mastermind, Habid, who has been sending Gaddafi loyalists to their deaths. As innocent lives hang in the balance, Sam navigates treacherous waters to stop Habid and confront the evil lurking beneath the surface.

“What does she want from me?” A young Iranian immigrant panics as she’s being chased through the streets by an unknown blonde woman. When their two worlds collide, the answer to that question becomes increasingly unsettling in Afsaneh Gray’s The Other Woman, a bracingly unpredictable audio experience. The two women find they share similar struggles in a society that doesn’t see them…but as their relationship develops, what feels like liberation begins to shift into an all-too-familiar dynamic.

The French Classics Collection brings together 18 of the greatest works of fiction ever written in French - here collected into one audiobook and all translated into English. Featuring grand epics of love, loss, and survival, as in Les Miserables, to tales of adventure in Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, and romances such as Madame Bovary, alongside many more grand stories from 17th, 18th, and 19th century France, this collection will whisk you away into other worlds with some of the greatest characters in literature within some of the greatest novels ever written.

Lord Gideon Birch, wounded former naval Captain and freshly minted Viscount, has a colorful history as a renowned lover of women. But a decade at war has transformed this sensual rake, and what he wants now is only to live a life on his own terms. And so, he comes to the quietest village in England, searching for serenity and instead, encounters an astonishingly enthralling pair of green eyes that unsettle his carefully constructed world.

The 18th Century Classics Collection steps into the vibrant and tumultuous world of 18th century Europe. With this captivating anthology of some of the most influential works of 1700s literature, we encounter biting satire, passionate romance, and political tumultuousness. From the philosophical musings of Candide to the dark, gothic suspense of The Monk, this collection provides an eclectic mix of narrative styles and genres, capturing the essence of an age marked by intellectual revolution, social upheaval, and profound artistic expression.

The Paris Classics Collection: Stories of the City immerses you in the rich, timeless world of Paris through a collection of iconic stories that span the spectrum of passion, revolution, romance, and intrigue. From the bustling streets to the glittering ballrooms, some of the greatest novels of all time transport you to the heart of one of the world's most captivating cities. Featuring unforgettable characters, dramatic plots, and a deep dive into the human spirit, this collection showcases the best of Parisian storytelling.

Spy. Liar. Scoundrel. Redcoat. Provocateur and spy for His Majesty, Captain John Carlisle returns to Fort Niagara with the secrets he learned in the arms of his lover, Dellis McKesson. Determined to complete his mission and clear his name, John will see justice done—and damn the consequences. Now, he finds himself drawn into political intrigue as the British prepare to launch a three-pronged attack that will bring the Rebels and the Mohawk River Valley to its knees. Meanwhile, a dangerous revelation finds Dellis as whispers of intrigue insinuate her beloved is not all that he seems.

Praised by Chekhov as his favorite writer, Nikolai Leskov occupies a unique place in Russian literature. His original stories often seem like folk-tales, their larger-than-life characters including soldiers, Tsars, priests and gypsies. Leskov's storytelling, simple in its style, combines a deep religious spirit with comic absurdity. The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Leskov's best-known work, is a realist account of a young woman who escapes from her loveless marriage through adultery, leading to violence and murder

Richard Mardick is an elderly man with a secret that he has kept since his youth. He recounts his memories to his young protégé and secretary so that his story can be preserved. Faced with illness, the teenage Richard was sent to live with different relatives while being trained as a farmer. Lonely and stifled by family life, he then met a girl and his life changed… with shattering significance for his future.

M'lady's name is Shadowless, cos she's the fastest ship in the sky. And she ain't no everyday airship, she's an aethership, meaning she don't need engines nor turbines nor nowt but an aethermancer and the stars t' guide her. When luckless Dil falls half-dead onto the deck of the skyship Shadowless, he joins an outlaw crew haunted by visions of maelstrom. Driven by a ruthless captain, guided by a pilot with madness in her eyes, they hunt the power that holds up the clouds. Until it turns - to hunt them.

These iconic works explore the depths of human suffering, identity, and transformation, showcasing some of the most profound voices of the 20th century. From the haunting reflections on war in All Quiet on the Western Front and A Farewell to Arms to the poetic expression of inner conflict in the works of Owen, Rosenberg, and Brooke, this collection provides a window into the world of writers who grappled with the aftermath of trauma and the search for meaning.

War is brewing between England and France. Impressed into the Royal Navy, Lieutenant Merrick, against all odds, advanced through the ranks to become an officer, but he is not a gentleman. A man with a tainted past from a traitorous family, cast down by King George—a stain no man can remove. Merrick’s thrust into the role of captain, when the HMS Boudica is attacked by pirates off the coast of Nova Scotia. On a captured enemy vessel, he discovers a king’s ransom in treasure and a woman chained in the hold from a passenger ship that mysteriously disappeared at sea.

In search of a legendary mare, Lord Winter enters the crucible of the red sands, forging unbreakable bonds of loyalty and trust with his young companion in the desert. But hidden beneath the ragged costume of a Bedouin boy is a remarkable young woman: Zenia Stanhope, daughter of the extraordinary Queen of the Desert. Zenia wants nothing of the danger that Lord Winter lives for. She wants only to reach England, far from the blood and sand of the desert.

Brahms is one of the best loved yet most controversial of all the Romantics. Almost uniquely, his works have never suffered the slightest period of eclipse. Profoundly emotional yet governed by an iron discipline, the music, like the man, is a fascinating, entertaining, often deeply moving blend of opposites. He had a gift for friendship and a capacity for love far beyond the ordinary, yet no man could be ruder or more hurtful.

Written by Matthew Solon. This BBC Radio 4 'Saturday Play' tells the story of the tense negotiation that followed the 2010 general election, which led to the country's first post-war coalition. Based on interviews with those who were at the meetings, political journalists and on published...

Through their innocent correspondence, a lonely young wife grows to love an imaginary man thousands of miles away. But when he returns to England from India, her idea of reality is turned upside down. Drawn from a safe world of tea and parlor chat into madness and mystery, she cannot find her own cherished Robert in the frightening stranger who claims her love. Laura Kinsale personally chose the exceptional talent of Nicholas Boulton to voice her favorite heroine, sweet, witty Folie with her ferret, Toot.

The G.K. Chesterton Fiction Collection brings together thirteen of Chesterton's major novels and short story collections, including the complete compendium of his beloved Father Brown stories. This collection takes you from his first published novel, The Napoleon of Notting Hill (often cited as inspiration for 1984) to stories of his monocled amateur sleuth, Father Brown, and all the way through to his final novel, the high satire The Return of Don Quixote.

Daphnis and Chloe is a gem from the pen of the otherwise unknown second-century CE Greek writer Longus. It is the only work of his to survive, and little is known of him. Though perhaps overshadowed by the Roman magnificence of Ovid’s Metamorphoses (dating from a century earlier), Longus’ story entranced the choreographer Michel Fokine, who persuaded the French composer Maurice Ravel to write music for a ballet on the love story as part of the Ballets Russes’ season in Paris in 1912. Ravel, inspired, produced one of the most ravishing scores of the Impressionist period. 

Originally published in 1927, The Secret of Father Brown sees our wise and moral amateur detective navigate more tales of crime and violence. Although quiet and unassuming, Father Brown has sharp skills of deduction and – most importantly – a deep, empathetic understanding of human nature, putting himself into the minds of the criminals he faces. From a mistaken suicide and a potential culprit with two faces, to a missing aristocrat and a remorseful killer, this brilliantly unique collection of short stories cement G.K. Chesterton as a master of the mystery genre.