Showing results by narrator "Virginia Ferguson" in All Categories

Dmitrey Merezhkovsky, a formidable historian and philosopher, known best for his epic narratives from Russian history, takes a romantic foray into the realm of life, death, love, and all things in between. Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to The Spirit of Romance, and experience the compelling world of historical romance.

Scenes from all walks of life—from a secluded mountain monastery to a troubled Ukrainian village—meticulously documented by the great impressionist of Ukrainian literature Mihailo Kotsubinsky.

Literary critic, E. A. Koltonovskaya, described the literary style of novelist Maria Krestovskaya as follows, “Her pen, for all its feminine agility, is often remarkable for its nearly masculine reticence. She has none of the chaotic flood of thoughtless emotions, which so frequently plagues the works by female writers. She does not like lyrical diversions and allows her characters to speak and act for themselves. Even during the most dramatic scenes, her tone remains restrained. Her formulation of women’s issues gives one the sense of a broad, universal foundation...."

"The Test" is a short, powerful piece that describes a day in the life of a woman, whose past comes to haunt her just as she thinks she is settled and perfectly safe in her life. Faced with memories of long ago as well as considerations and responsibilities of today, she must make a difficult choice she knows will change her life and affect the lives of those around her.

An everyday tragedy brought into stark relief and elevated to high drama by the skilled pen of Maria Krestovskaya, as she focuses her listeners' attention on someone whose life would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

In the Metfield of the 1930s, you could do all of your shopping without leaving the village, have a choice of pubs and "spend happy evenings helping to dig potatoes and listening to the old boys". If this sounds too idyllic to be true, Evelyn Whiting's charming memoir of growing up in this Suffolk community is quick to remind us that making a living from the land was hard and tedious work in those days. There was no electricity and water came from the sky, or from the pond.

When marine biologist Jeddediah Walker discovers the fish contain a high concentration of chemicals, he suspects they are being deliberately dumped in Puget Sound. And he has another problem - an unexpected, beautiful, and suspicious new tenant renting his cabin. Later, when someone hacks into his computer, he realizes it is no coincidence and sets out to find out more about his mysterious tenant.

Pierrot is one of Alexandre Dumas' stranger tales, a delightful mishmash of humor, adventure, satire, and poignancy. While presented as a children's tale, it has plenty of layers making it a satisfying story for grownups as well.

Some might see the lessons in Odoyevsky's short and charming life manual for children old-fashioned and outdated. Some might even bristle at certain suggestions. However, we would like to urge our listeners to look beyond the somewhat antiquated rhetoric and consider these lessons as they were intended - guidelines for bringing up intelligent, well-educated, considerate, and industrious future spouses, parents, and, most importantly, engineers of the future world.

Uncomplicated People is another masterfully written, bittersweet tale by Maria Krestovskaya - an everyday tragedy of love lost and dreams wasted on the altar of solid and secure mediocrity.

When Stella McKenzie is summoned to meet her Great Aunt Bess, her grandmother's sister, on the occasion of that lady's 100th birthday, she keeps the appointment with a great deal of trepidation. All her life she has been told about this mysterious lady, to whom her grandmother has not spoken since the First World War. She has been told that she is mean and spiteful, that she wrecked the engagement of her sister to the man she loved out of spite and jealousy.

Mr. Alistair Price, heir to the elderly Viscount Melton, arrived in London with his eight younger siblings in tow. He is charged with keeping his family name above reproach until the season starts and his sister, Miss Adeline Price, is presented to society - though that proves far more difficult than Alistair ever expected when he discovers his rebellious sister climbing down the side of their townhouse and scurrying off to Whitechapel for an archery tournament.

Alenushka's Tales is a series of whimsical stories inspired by careful observation and great love of nature, written by Dmitrey Mamin-Sibiryak for his daughter Alena (Alenushka).

Phillip Brown’s sister discovers a dead man, shot in the back, behind the dress shop she where she’s employed. Sarah Brown begs her brother to find out who has shot the man as the shop owner is fearful and harassed, caught up in the dead man’s crimes. The investigation leads Brown to danger from a notorious dockside fence. While uncovering the murder, his supervisor demands he investigate thefts at his home, the man convinced his servants are thieves. Brown uncovers the true culprit with the help of the daughter of the owner of the Wiest Cannery.

In one of the first crime novels ever set behind the scenes of big-time television, Clarence Budington Kelland has plotted a thrilling adventure of danger and death which climaxes in a series of fast-moving surprises. Peter Mortain, one of the youngest directors in this very young medium, was beleaguered enough, directing the first episode of the most expensive variety show ever produced. He had a cast whose first appearance on television made them skittish, a thousand technical details to handle, and a star…who was also his boss!

A Christmas Surprise: Lord Robert, the Viscount of Marchwood, throws a Christmas Ball every year, and this year his daughter, Lady Audrey, has just turned 18. With the Marchwood family fortune all but gone, Lord Robert is keen to secure her a prosperous match. But when a handsome, masked stranger threatens to steal Audrey's heart, will it prove to be a good or bad Christmas surprise?

It's 412 AD, and the Roman Empire is on the brink of collapse. In Albion, Lalia gathers with fellow supplicants to call on the Goddess Cybele to aid Londinium. When a rival mob attacks, a golden orb is lost, trapping the goddess in her statue. Before she turns to stone, Cybele lays a curse on Lalia's head; she is bound in a cycle of reincarnation and death. Only the return of the orb will set her free.

Three months have passed since Lady Emmaline Darling left her lover and fellow adventurer, Miles. Not certain she’s in love with him, they’re bonded in a miraculous way - she’s enceinte. Yet, despite his promises to write and make plans, there’s been nothing but silence. When she discovers he’s lied and has been out of pocket on a secret mission for the Crown, she’s convinced she can go it alone despite the scandal - and he can’t be trusted enough to know her secret hope.

Love Mother Love Daughter is a twisted and compelling tale of a mother and daughter who are both under the spell of a bewitching gypsy flamenco guitarist, Romero. He steals their unsuspecting hearts and uses them to satisfy his deepest desires - and the power he craves. These two powerful females come to worship, adore and hate, him for the evil eternal triangle he has forced upon their lives.

Now, Emma is a back-to-school PhD student with bigger and better things to worry about. That is, until one night, exhausted, slightly tipsy, and on her way home from a party, the glaring white light of a car comes crashing toward her, changing her life forever. Instead of waking up in a 21st-century hospital, she finds herself waking up in the backwaters of London, Victorian England, 1881.