The Last Daughter

“An engaging, fast-paced read for fans of Philippa Gregory and of dual-timeline historical fiction." —Library Journal In the winter of 1483, Francis Lovell is Richard III’s Lord Chamberlain and confidant, but the threat of Henry Tudor’s rebels has the king entrusting to Francis and his wife, Anne, his most crucial mission: protecting the young Richard of York, his brother’s surviving son and a threat to Henry’s claims to the throne. Two years later, Richard III is dead, and Anne hides the young prince of York while Francis is hunted by agents of the new king, Henry VII. Running out of options to keep her husband and the boy safe, Anne uses the power of an ancient family relic to send them away, knowing that in doing so she will never see Francis again. In the present day, Serena Warren has been haunted by her past ever since her twin sister, Caitlin, disappeared. But when Caitlin’s bones are discovered interred in a church vault that hasn’t been opened since the eighteenth century, the police are baffled. Piecing together local folklore that speaks of a magical relic with her own hazy memories of the day Caitlin vanished, Serena begins to uncover an impossible secret that her grandfather has kept hidden, one that connects her to Anne, Francis and the young Duke of York. Inspired by the enduring mystery of the Princes in the Tower, Nicola Cornick cleverly interprets the events into a dazzling novel set between a present-day mystery and a country on the brink of Tudor rule.

Toward the end of World War II, as Germany’s hold on East Prussia grows increasingly tenuous, a childhood friendship between Manya Von Falken, the daughter of an aristrocratic family, and Joshi Karas, a Romani doctor, blossoms into unlikely love. But the young lovers are torn apart. Captured by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp, Joshi fights for survival, while Manya and her family flee and embark on “The Great Trek” out of East Prussia. Based on true stories passed down to author Marina Gottlieb Sarles from her grandparents, survivors of the trek, The Last Daughter of Prussia also tells the story of the brave Trakehner horses who led their owners across a dangerous frozen lagoon, the only open escape route. Will Joshi and Manya find one another? Gottlieb Sarles creates a tapestry of characters from every corner of East Prussia, shedding light on an untold tragic moment in history.

A compelling novel based on a remarkable true story in World War II. In the early dawn hours of September 8, 1939, ten-year-old Dina Frydman sits at her bedroom window watching storm clouds blacken the horizon. Nightmares have kept her awake all night. She hears a distant rumble as the tanks roll into Radom. The Nazis have conquered Poland and nothing will ever be the same. Dina and her family prepare for the worst but they could never imagine what the worst would be. From the deprivation of the Glinice and the Walowa ghettos, to the back-breaking slave labor camps, to the menacing smokestacks of Auschwitz, and the wall of death at Bergen-Belsen, Dina's journey is unforgettable. Her will to survive is remarkable. But most extraordinary is her buoyant spirit that touches the lives of everyone she meets. As Dina travels through the gates of hell, her life becomes a beacon in one of the darkest storms in human history. Based on the remarkable true story of Dina Frydman, one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust, The Last Daughter will reaffirm your faith in the indomitability of the human spirit.

Why is Rose transported back in time, to the London of 1666? What waits for her there? Will she ever be able to return back to the present day? Recovering from her father’s death, Rose books into a small London hotel. On one of her explorations, she meets and strikes up a friendship with Alan, vicar of St Mildrith. During her stay at the Hotel Aragon, Rose encounters Julia, a ghost who has been searching through the centuries for the last daughter, the only woman who can help her. Having found Rose, the spectral Julia spirits her to Pudding Lane, only days before a fire breaks out in a nearby bakery. This scares Rose, and she insists Julia returns her to her own time. Evaluating what has happened to her, Rose asks Alan to join her, and Julia takes them back to the London of 1666. They become involved in a plan to help Julia, daughter of the third wealthiest man in London escape an arranged marriage, as she has met and fallen love with an ambitious apprentice baker, Adam. A fire with dire consequences for London breaks out in Pudding Lane. Can Rose and Alan, whose friendship is slowly developing into love, without either realising it, survive and escape the ravenous fire and return to their own time? Or will they be trapped forever in the London of King Charles II. Will Julia and Adam succeed in their audacious plan to marry, despite the cavernous divide of their different lives?

‘I share this story out of love and forgiveness.’ Brenda Matthews When she was two years old, Brenda and her siblings were taken from their parents. For the next five years she was a much-loved daughter in a white family, a happy child in a country town on the outskirts of Sydney, unaware of the existence of her Aboriginal family or how hard her parents were fighting for her return—unaware of her Aboriginal identity. Then, suddenly, she was reunited with her birth family, the last daughter to come home. Decades later, Brenda searches for her foster family and her beloved white sister. Along the way she uncovers long-buried secrets and government bungling, and finds a deep connection to her Aboriginal culture. The Last Daughter is an account of Brenda’s journey to discover the truth about her past—and to unite her two families. It’s a story of heartbreak, love and hope, one that shows a way forward for all Australians. Brenda Matthews is a proud Wiradjuri woman. She lives with her husband, Mark, in Bundjalung country, Queensland. Brenda is a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter, an aunty, a storyteller, a speaker, Co-Founder and Indigenous Director of Learning Circle Australia and co-director of the feature film, The Last Daughter, a documentary of her life. brendamatthews.com.au thelastdaughter.com.au

Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, later Princess Henry of Battenberg, was the last-born – in 1866 – of Victoria and Albert's children, and she would outlive all of her siblings to die as recently as 1944. Her childhood coincided with her mother's extended period of mourning for her prematurely deceased husband, a circumstance which may have contributed to Victoria's determination to keep her youngest daughter as close to her as possible. She would eventually marry Prince Henry of Battenberg in 1885, but only after overcoming her mother's opposition to their union. Beatrice remained Queen Victoria's favourite among her five daughters, and became her mother's constant companion and later her literary executor, spending the years that followed Victoria's death in 1901 editing her mother's journals and voluminous correspondence. Matthew Dennison's elegantly written biography restores Beatrice to her rightful place as a key figure in the history of the Victorian age, and paints a touching and revealing portrait of the life and family of Britain's second-longest-reigning monarch.

Leda is a middle-aged, divorced mother devoted to her work as an English professor. After the departure of her grown-up daughters, she takes a holiday on the Italian coast. But after a few days things become unsettling; on the beach she encounters a family whose brash behaviour proves menacing. Leda is overwhelmed by memories of the difficult and unconventional choices she made as a mother and their consequences for herself and her family. The tale of a woman's rediscovery of herself soon becomes the story of a ferocious confrontation with the past. The Lost Daughter is a profound exploration of the conflicting emotions that tie women to their children. Elena Ferrante was born in Naples. She is the author of seven novels: The Days of Abandonment, Troubling Love, The Lost Daughter, and the quartet of Neapolitan Novels: My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child. Fragments, a selection of interviews, letters and occasional writings by Ferrante, will be published in early 2016. She is one of Italy's most acclaimed authors. Ann Goldstein has translated all of Elena Ferrante's work. She is an editor at the New Yorker and a recipient of the PEN Renato Poggioli Translation Award. 'Ferrante's gift for psychological horror renders it immediate and visceral.' New Yorker 'This superb and scary Italian writer...has blown the lid off tempestuous parent-child relations.' Seattle Times 'So refined, almost translucent, that it seems about to float away, in the end this piercing novel is not so easily dislodged from the memory.' Boston Globe 'It's Leda's voice that's hypnotic, and it's the writing that makes it that way. Ferrante can do a woman's interior dialogue like no one else, with a ferocity that is shockingly honest, unnervingly blunt.' Booklist 'Ferrante's prose is stunningly candid, direct and unforgettable. From simple elements, she builds a powerful tale of hope and regret.' Publishers Weekly ‘Ferrante’s uncompromising directness and her unflinching gaze cannot be faulted.’ Age/Sydney Morning Herald ‘With cold determination, Ferrante conveys both the selfishness and the courage that comes with admitting your own maternal shortcomings.’ New Zealand Listener

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! Henrietta Achilles is making her last stand. As mysterious stone warriors invade Henrietta's inherited home, she'll use the last traces of the house's magic to protect the friends around her. But even if she survives the battle, nothing can prepare her for the shocking returns of two figures from her past . . .

Her dead sister’s enemies are coming for her, now. Sirena Guerrero has been off the grid for nearly a century. But when her twin sister turns up dead, she wonders if the New Order has finally discovered that they were the last two daughters of Michael… and if they are coming for her, next. When she travels to New York City to draw out and handle her sister’s enemies, she discovers that the situation is more complicated than she imagined. She follows the trail of clues her sister left in her last hours… and discovers a secret that will change her life forever.

“I always hoped [Mary Williams] would tell her incredible story. She's a writer of uncommon clarity and humor, and the arrival of her memoir is cause for celebration." —Dave Eggers, author of What is the What As she grew up in 1970s Oakland, California, role models for Mary Williams were few and far between: her father was often in prison, her older sister was a teenage prostitute, and her hot-tempered mother struggled to raise six children alone. For all Mary knew, she was heading down a similar path. But her life changed when she met Jane Fonda at summer camp in 1978. Fonda grew attached to the bright girl and eventually invited her to become part of her family, becoming the mother Mary never had. Mary’s life since has been one of adventure and opportunity—from hiking the Appalachian Trail solo, working with the Lost Boys of Sudan, and living in the frozen reaches of Antarctica. Her most courageous trip, though, involved returning to Oakland and reconnecting with her biological mother and family, many of whom she hadn’t seen since the day she left home. The Lost Daughter is a chronicle of her journey back in time, an exploration of fractured family bonds, and a moving epic of self-discovery.