Search results for ""Author Lucy Atkins""

'A gripping page-turner' Sunday Times 'Beautifully written and compelling' Sabine Durrant 'Satisfyingly creepy' Sunday MirrorThe loss of her mother has left Kali McKenzie with too many unanswered questions. But while clearing out Elena's art studio, she finds a drawer packed with postcard each bearing an identical one-line message from a Canadian gallery owner called Susannah Gillespie: thinking of you. Who is this woman and what does she know about Elena's hidden past?Desperate to find out, Kali travels with her toddler, Finn, to Susannah's isolated home on a remote British Columbian island, a place of killer whales and storms. But as bad weather closes in, Kali quickly realises she has made a big mistake. The enigmatic Susannah refuses to talk about the past, and as Kali struggles to piece together what happened back in the 1970s, Susannah's behaviour grows more and more erratic. Most worrying of all, Susannah is becoming increasingly preoccupied with little Finn . . .PRAISE FOR LUCY ATKINS'Wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry'Sly, witty and gripping' Naomi Alderman'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan'Beguiling, brilliantly creepy' Claire Fuller

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'Riveting, twisty, page-turning stuff' GuardianA 'best books of 2020' pick for BBC Radio 4 Open Book, the Guardian, the Telegraph and Good Housekeeping'The page turner you've been looking for. Sly, witty and gripping . . . I devoured it' Naomi Alderman'An utter joy . . . wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry'Beguiling, brilliantly creepy, and an utterly compelling read' Claire Fuller'Tender, creepy and gripping' Sunday Times'Spellbinding and spooky . . . a dazzling high wire act, superbly absorbing' Sunday MirrorWhen the eight-year-old daughter of an Oxford College Master vanishes in the middle of the night, police turn to the Scottish nanny, Dee, for answers.As Dee looks back over her time in the Master's Lodging - an eerie and ancient house - a picture of a high achieving but dysfunctional family emerges: Nick, the fiercely intelligent and powerful father; his beautiful Danish wife Mariah, pregnant with their child; and the lost little girl, Felicity, almost mute, seeing ghosts, grieving her dead mother.But is Dee telling the whole story? Is her growing friendship with the eccentric house historian, Linklater, any cause for concern? And most of all, why is Felicity silent?Roaming Oxford's secret passages and hidden graveyards, Magpie Lane explores the true meaning of family - and what it is to be denied one.'Enthralling . . . creepy and compelling' The Times'Deliciously dark' Alexandra Shulman'A gorgeously satisfying triumph' Lucy Mangan'A rare thing . . . simply stunning' Daily Express'I was gripped . . . highly original' Alex Clark'Creepy, suspenseful' Independent'One of the most intriguing narrators since Notes on a Scandal' Sara Collins'Grown-up and cleverly written . . . a dizzying sense of uncertainty' Literary Review'Keeps you guessing . . . a real sense of menace' Good Housekeeping'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron'Dazzlingly good' Diane Setterfield'Beautiful writing' Polly Samson'Clever, tense and twisty' Amanda Craig'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan'Simply brilliant!' JP Delaney'Darkly atmospheric' Jane Fallon'Clever and creepy' Erin Kelly'Highly recommended' Louise Candlish

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''Charming and shocking'' MICK HERRON''Intriguing, brilliantly told'' NINA STIBBE''Compulsive'' CLARE CHAMBERS''Rich in charm and surprises'' GUARDIAN''Mysterious, moving and ingenious'' PHILIP PULLMANIn the 1970s, a single night in a remote hunting lodge with a Hollywood director and his leading lady sparks an international scandal. It wrecks Astrid''s dazzling stage career and destroys her marriage to charismatic Scottish actor Magnus Fellowes.Magnus becomes globally famous, while Astrid retreats to a dilapidated Sussex windmill. Now 82, she lives there still, in eccentric poverty, with her housekeeper turned best friend, Mrs Baker. But Mrs Baker has a dark past too. There is an ''Awful Incident'' at the windmill; police come knocking. Are these two ''old ladies'' really as innocent and vulnerable as they seem?Then Astrid learns that Magnus, now on his death bed, is writing a memoir that will expose the glamour and forgotten c

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'Riveting, twisty, page-turning stuff' GuardianA 'best books of 2020' pick for BBC Radio 4 Open Book, the Guardian, the Telegraph and Good Housekeeping'The page turner you've been looking for. Sly, witty and gripping . . . I devoured it' Naomi Alderman'An utter joy . . . wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry'Beguiling, brilliantly creepy, and an utterly compelling read' Claire Fuller'Tender, creepy and gripping' Sunday Times'Spellbinding and spooky . . . a dazzling high wire act, superbly absorbing' Sunday MirrorWhen the eight-year-old daughter of an Oxford College Master vanishes in the middle of the night, police turn to the Scottish nanny, Dee, for answers.As Dee looks back over her time in the Master's Lodging - an eerie and ancient house - a picture of a high achieving but dysfunctional family emerges: Nick, the fiercely intelligent and powerful father; his beautiful Danish wife Mariah, pregnant with their child; and the lost little girl, Felicity, almost mute, seeing ghosts, grieving her dead mother.But is Dee telling the whole story? Is her growing friendship with the eccentric house historian, Linklater, any cause for concern? And most of all, why is Felicity silent?Roaming Oxford's secret passages and hidden graveyards, Magpie Lane explores the true meaning of family - and what it is to be denied one.'Enthralling . . . creepy and compelling' The Times'Deliciously dark' Alexandra Shulman'A gorgeously satisfying triumph' Lucy Mangan'A rare thing . . . simply stunning' Daily Express'I was gripped . . . highly original' Alex Clark'Creepy, suspenseful' Independent'One of the most intriguing narrators since Notes on a Scandal' Sara Collins'Grown-up and cleverly written . . . a dizzying sense of uncertainty' Literary Review'Keeps you guessing . . . a real sense of menace' Good Housekeeping'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron'Dazzlingly good' Diane Setterfield'Beautiful writing' Polly Samson'Clever, tense and twisty' Amanda Craig'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan'Simply brilliant!' JP Delaney'Darkly atmospheric' Jane Fallon'Clever and creepy' Erin Kelly'Highly recommended' Louise Candlish

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'One of the most vivid, memorable and menacing characters I've ever read' C.L. Taylor, author of The Fear As high-flying TV presenter and historian Olivia Sweetman stands before an adoring crowd at the launch of her new bestseller she can barely pretend to smile. Her life has spiralled into lies and if the truth comes out she'll lose everything.Only one person knows what Olivia has done. Vivian Tester is the socially awkward housekeeper of a Sussex manor who has become Olivia's unofficial research assistant. But Vivian has secrets too, and as the relationship between the women grows more and more tangled, a bizarre act of violence changes everything . . .Perfect for fans of Little Fires Everywhere and He Said She Said.PRAISE FOR THE NIGHT VISITOR:'WONDERFUL' - Clare Mackintosh, author of Let Me Lie'INSIDIOUS' - Guardian 'BRILLIANT' - Fiona Barton, author of The Child'PROPULSIVE' - Metro'INGENIOUS' - Sabine Durrant, author of Lie With Me'SINISTER' - Red'MENACING' - C.L. Taylor, author of The Fear 'FANTASTIC' - Sunday Mirror'ELEGANT' - Joanna Cannon, author of Three Things about Elsie'GRIPPING' - The Literary Review'UNRELENTING' - Mick Herron, author of Spook Street 'ENTHRALLING' - Heat'FASCINATING' - Linda Green, author of When My Eyes Were Closed'INTELLIGENT' - Good Housekeeping

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'Rich in charm and surprises' GUARDIAN'A transporting and entertaining read' THE TIMES'A triumph. Funny, mysterious, moving and ingenious - a Shakespearian knot of happiness all round' PHILIP PULLMAN One night in a remote hunting lodge with a Hollywood director causes an international scandal that wrecks Astrid's glittering stage career, and her marriage. Her ex-husband, the charismatic Scottish actor Magnus Fellowes, goes on to find global fame, while Astrid retreats to a disintegrating Sussex windmill. Now 82, she lives there still, with a troupe of dachshunds and her long-suffering friend, Mrs Baker, who came to clean twenty years ago and never left. But the past is catching up with them. There has been an 'Awful Incident' at the windmill; the women are in shock. Then Astrid hears that Magnus, now on his death bed, is writing a tell-all memoir. Outraged, she sets off for Scotland, determined to stop him. Windmill Hill is the story of two very different women, both with painful pasts, and their eccentric friendship - deep, enduring, and loyal to the last. Praise for Lucy Atkins:'Brilliantly observed. I loved it' CLAIRE FULLER'A truly memorable story, I loved it' JOANNA CANNON'An intriguing, brilliantly told story' NINA STIBBE'Charming and shocking . . . Never fails to delight' MICK HERRON'A deft display of Lucy Atkins's talents as a delicate observer of human nature' ARIFA AKBAR'Compulsive and skilfully woven' CLARE CHAMBERS'Intelligent and gripping' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'Mesmerising . . . beautifully written' LITERARY REVIEW'Cleverly constructed' WOMAN & HOME'It was an utter joy to relish Atkins's wonderfully skilled and unobtrusive writing' SARAH PERRY 'Sly, witty and gripping . . . I loved it' NAOMI ALDERMAN 'A sinewy, supple and gorgeously satisfying triumph' LUCY MANGAN

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Forget unrealistic childcare manuals – this is the book you really need to help you cope brilliantly with those first chaotic days and months ahead. As a health journalist and mother-of-three, Lucy Atkins is familiar with both the medical aspects of childbirth and baby development, and the reality of day-to-day life as an exhausted first-time mum or dad. In her feisty, humorous style, she begins with that first mind-blowing day and addresses the issues unique to the first-time parent who stares at their newborn and thinks “Where are the instructions?” Anticipating the questions and concerns of all new mothers–Why does my baby cry so much? Will I ever lose all this weight? Am I a bad parent because…?–the book provides practical advice and level-headed reassurance. It addresses the needs of the baby and, very importantly, those of the parent during the first year of their baby’s life. Contents include: Starter’s orders – the equipment and kit you really need, as opposed to what the department store tells you Hello – how to cope with the first few hours Start – coming home, bonding, how to survive the first few days Sleep – for everyone! Cry – why your baby cries, what to do, why you'll want to cry, too Eat –breastfeeding, supplemental feeding, moving to solids, nutrition Grow – baby's physical and mental development Play – yes, you two actually can have fun Thrive – health considerations for baby and parent Live – adapting to your new life, the changing mother-father relationship Work – coping with being at home and with going back to work Also includes information on single parenting, and on adopted, multiple and special needs babies. The First-Time Parent is on your side, and reassures that you can cope brilliantly with your new baby and your new life.

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'Taut, tense, and beautifully written' Clare Mackintosh'Addictive' Sunday TimesSometimes a lie feels kinder than the truth . . . but what happens when that lie becomes an avalanche of deceit?When Tess is sent to photograph Greg, a high-profile paediatric surgeon, she sees something complex in him that she instantly connects with. Their relationship quickly deepens, but then Tess - already a single mother to nine-year-old Joe - finds out she's pregnant.Greg, who never wanted to be a father, is then offered the job of a lifetime back in his hometown of Boston, USA. Within just a few months, they have married and moved to the States. But life in an affluent Boston suburb is not as straightforward as Tess had hoped. Strange things keep happening in their rented home - Joe is unsettled, the next-door neighbours are clearly troubled, and Greg's work is all-consuming. As a fierce Boston winter closes in, and her baby's birth looms, Tess remains determined to make this new life work. Then she makes a jaw-dropping discovery . . .PRAISE FOR LUCY ATKINS'Wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry'Sly, witty and gripping' Naomi Alderman'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan'Beguiling, brilliantly creepy' Claire Fuller

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WINNER OF THE BEST HEALTH BOOK CATEGORY IN THE GUILD OF HEALTH WRITERS HEALTH WRITING AWARDS 2012HIGHLY COMMENDED IN THE POPULAR MEDICINE CATEGORY AT THE BMA MEDICAL BOOK AWARDS 2012Coping with life after cancer can be tough. The idea that the end of successful treatment brings relief and peace just isn't true for countless survivors. Many feel unexpectedly alone, worried and adrift. You're supposed to be getting your life 'back on track' but your life has changed. You have changed.With reassurance and understanding, Dr Frances Goodhart and Lucy Atkins help readers deal with the emotional fallout of cancer whether it's days, months or years since the treatment ended. Drawing on Dr Goodhart's extensive experience working in the NHS with cancer survivors, this guide is packed with practical and simple self-help tools to tackle issues such as worry and anxiety, depression and low mood, anger, low self-esteem and body image, relationships and sex, fatigue, sleep and relaxation. If you are a cancer survivor, this book will support you every step of the way. If you are supporting a loved one, friend, colleague or your patient, this is a vital read.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED (POPULAR MEDICINE) AT THE BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION'S BOOK AWARDS 2014In days gone by, people understood that a knock to your health takes its toll on your emotions, your relationships, your morale, your 'spirit'. But these days, we think that if the doctor has waved you off, then you are 'better'. We neglect what scientific studies show is a vital element of recovery: the emotional side of getting better. As a result, many of us struggle with hidden issues such as depression, stress and anxiety long after a health crisis. This new book, from the authors of The Cancer Survivor's Companion (highly commended by the BMA and winner of the Guild of Health Writers' Best Health Book 2012) centres on the crucial, research-based (but widely overlooked) truth that 'getting better' is not just about the body - emotions play a huge part. Often, a person's emotional state is the one thing stopping them from a full recovery.Contents include: Why getting better takes time; why relaxation and exercise are both vital; how to build your confidence and tackle low mood and depression; how to eat for recovery; how to deal with medical advice and communicate well with your doctor; how to keep family life and relationships on track and much more. There are also case histories to inspire readers as well as fascinating snippets from times gone by which help to make this an entertaining as well as a highly practical, inspiring read.

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TO HELP YOU GET STARTED, JOANNA HALL'S WALKACTIVE PROGRAMME NOW INCLUDES A FREE AUDIO COACHING SESSION TO DOWNLOADJoanna Hall's Walkactive Programme has been scientifically verified to: enhance posture; promote weight loss; reduce joint stress and improve body shape (South Bank Sports Performance Laboratory)As an exercise physiologist, Joanna Hall knows without doubt that it is possible to get the body you long for without hassle, pain, guilt or cost. You don't need sophisticated, state-of-the-art exercise kit. You don't need a personal trainer or two hours a day of blood, sweat and tears in a gym. You have everything you need right here, right now - your body. You can use it in the simplest, most natural way imaginable to see an amazing transformation in your shape. All you have to do is walk - the Walkactive way! This inspiring and practical new book will teach you a more intelligent and active way to walk - a way that uses your body to its full capacity and in the process will change your shape and your fitness levels dramatically. Walkactive can help you drop inches from your waist, improve your fitness and muscle tone, reduce stress and low mood, and keep the signs of ageing at bay. It will work, whatever your age, fitness, health, or stage of life. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other.Packed with step-by-step advice and photographs to help you master the technique, motivational case studies and quotes, tips and strategies, plus specific plans to help you lose weight, improve your fitness and your health, Joanna Hall's Walkactive Programme is the book we've all been waiting for.

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