Showing results by author "Mary Wesley" in All Categories

A traveller on a train returning to London smells the burn of brakes as it hisses to a stop in the middle of the countryside. He sees a white-faced woman leap from the train and race to the aid of a sheep stranded on its back, unable to rise, in a field. Righting it, she turns, and he sees her face is full of tragedy. Considering tragedies of his own, he does not intrude, but the image lodges in his mind: a strange but familiar despair, unable, despite itself

Poppy Carew, smarting and in shock because her live-in lover has left her for a richer woman, is called to the bedside of her dying father, a wonderful, loveable eccentric who dies laughing. He asks as his last request that he be buried in style by an undertaker who specialises in fun funerals. He also astonishes Poppy by leaving her a large sum of money.

Matilda Poliport, recently widowed, has decided to End It All. But her meticulously planned bid for graceful oblivion is foiled, and when she later foils the suicide attempt of another lost soul - Hugh Warner, on the run from the police - life begins again for both. But life also begins to throw up nasty secrets and some awkward questions: just what was Matilda’s husband Tom doing in Paris?

Juno Marlowe hurries away from the thundering planes overhead, having just said goodbye to the two men she has always loved. She finds herself rescued by a stranger, frail and older than his years, who offers the protection of his house and a little more.

Summer 1939 and five cousins gather at the house with the camomile lawn for what, for many of them, will be the last summer of their youth.

For the whole of Rose's respectable married life, she had kept faith with two men. To Ned she was a perfect wife, mother of his son, and elegant hostess of Slepe. To Mylo, Rose was an impetuous and unconventional mistress, answering his erratic and impassionate calls throughout 50 years of tactful duplicity. After Ned's funeral Rose looks back on a life of dual constancy, passion, humour, and the ambiguities of love - and chooses her future.

Laura Thornby is swept by an irresistible desire to interfere when she meets struggling writer Claude Bannister. What she doesn't foresee is that he may write well - and she might fall in love.

Henry Tillotson, a generous, genial man, rescues Margaret from a disastrous marriage in Egypt and brings her home to the West Country as his new wife. On the threshold she gives him a black eye and retires straight to bed where she remains, apart from the occasional malevolent outburst, for the rest of her life.

Rose har giftet sig med den rige aristokrat Ned og på deres bryllupsnat lover hun aldrig at forlade ham. Ned giver på trods af sin kedelige og forudsigelige facon den tryghed, som Rose altid har længtes efter. Og selvom hun med årene holder mere og mere af ham, lever hun to parallelle liv. For i al hemmelighed elsker Rose den fattige, men lidenskabelige franskmand Mylo.

Henry Tillotson er en empatisk og generøs mand, som udover sit smukke landsted har arvet sin fars filantropiske holdninger. Under en rejse til Egypten redder han Margaret fra et katastrofalt ægteskab og bringer hende med hjem til England som sin nye hustru. Allerede ved dørtærsklen udvikler deres ægteskab sig i en højst besynderlig retning, da Margaret giver Henry et blåt øje for derefter at lægge sig i sengen. Her bliver hun liggende resten af sit liv med undtagelse af et par lejlighedsvise ondskabsfulde udbrud.

Fem fætre og kusiner rejser til Cornwall i sommeren 1939. Varmen har lagt sig over England og de unge mennesker har besluttet sig for at få mest muligt ud af deres ungdoms sidste sommer. Oliver er netop vendt hjem fra den spanske borgerkrig, dybt mærket af krigens rædsler. Den smukke, men egoistiske Calypso er fast besluttet på at gifte sig til penge, mens søskendeparret Polly og Walter lever deres sædvanlige hemmelighedsfulde liv. Og så er der den unge Sophie, som ingen rigtig elsker.

Matilda Poliports mand er død og forholdet til hendes fire voksne børn er nærmest ikkeeksisterende. Der er ikke meget tilbage for Matilda at leve for, så nu har hun besluttet at afslutte det hele. Hun har gjort huset rent, givet sin elskede kæledyrsgås væk og brændt alle sine personlige breve. Alt hun skal gøre nu er at tage sin picnickurv under armen, spise sine piller og svømme ud i havet. Men idet Matilda skal til at føre sin plan ud i livet, møder hun Hugh Warner.

Hebe sidder i mørket og lytter til sin bedsteforældre og ældre søskende diskutere, hvordan hendes uventede graviditet skal afsluttes. Familien vil af med skammen over den uønskede graviditet, men Hebe er fast besluttet på at få barnet. I ly af natten flygter hun med intet andet til at forsørge sig selv og sit ufødte barn med end sin mors smykker.

Host Mary Wesley takes you behind the caller's mic to explore perspectives from the people who choose to stand in that curious place between the band and a roomful of dancers. Featuring conversations with callers of American social dance forms (contras, community dances, trad squares). Why do they do it? How did they learn? What is their role, on stage and off, in shaping our dance communities?