Showing results by author "M Stewart" in All Categories

A small boy is kind someone disabled, with unexpected consequences. A young lover presents a ring found on a French beach to the girl of his dreams, but doesn’t appreciate its history and value. Meanwhile in Oxford the Bodleian Library is mysteriously empty, whilst one of the dons very unwisely turns to writing fiction, but becomes a bestselling author. And in yet another tale, a cruel ending brings the absurdity of death into sharp focus. All of the stories in this collection focus on life’s ironies and absurdities and are told with Stewart’s usual wit and wisdom, with due attention ...

The Feltons are a family with a long lineage stretching back beyond the Norman Conquest. They now have a daughter, Ianthe, but prior to her birth Tobias, or Toby, was fostered and then adopted as their heir after he had miraculously survived the sinking of a refugee ship by a German U-Boat. Then, someone who is clearly Toby’s twin turns up as an under-gardener. He had been fostered by a Scottish couple, now dead. There is now general and disturbed confusion on everyone’s part – including the boys themselves. Stewart explores magnificently the nature of the complicated relationships, ...

Willard Quail, an American citizen, re-visits Oxford many years after leaving the University so as to look after railroad and other businesses following the death of his father. Now, he meets old acquaintances, such as a former tutor, old Dr. Stringfellow, and comes into contact with a convoluted and seemingly connected bunch of people as he pursues the Fontaney Journals. Quail’s motive and purpose in making the journey may not be immediately apparent, but with his usual wit and skill J.I.M. Stewart leads the reader to the story’s satisfying conclusion. As for Quail? Well, he returns to...

The final volume in the ‘A Staircase in Surrey’ quintet. Duncan Pattullo is coming to the end of his term as ‘narrator’ and is thinking of re-marrying, although his former wife continues to cause difficulties. His intended is also providing gossip for the college, but that is as nothing compared to the scandal caused by Watershute, an eminent nuclear physicist. His misdemeanours range from abandoning his family and conducting an affair in Venice, to being drunk at High Table. However, things get very serious when he appears to be involved in activities that might amount to treason. ...

Lady Cameron and Charles Hornett had been married some fifty years before, but Hornett has now forgotten all about it. Embarrassment is therefore evident when they find themselves as part of a party holidaying in Greece. Meanwhile, the Balmaynes realise they nothing about Roland Redpath, who is about to marry their daughter, but he is in fact the son of their onetime dishonest butler. But that isn’t the end of it, as yet more shocks and surprises are forthcoming as the story unfolds. In other stories in the collection there is a hitherto unknown Wordsworth manuscript and sensational ...

In the fourth of J.I.M. Stewart’s acclaimed ‘Staircase in Surrey’ quintet the gravity of a surveyor's report given to the Governing Body is the initial focus. The document is alarming. The Governing Body, an assembly of which Pattullo was in awe, was equally awed by the dimensions of the crisis revealed. It would seem that the consideration was whether there would literally be a roof over their heads for much longer. The first rumblings from the college tower brings the thought well and truly home to Pattullo. 'Professor Sanctuary,' the Provost said evenly, 'favours the immediate ...

This is the second of the ‘A Staircase in Surrey’ quintet, and the first in chronological order. Duncan Pattullo arrives in Oxford, destined to be housed off the quadrangle his father has chosen simply for its architectural and visual appeal. On the staircase in Surrey, Duncan meets those who are to become his new friends and companions, and there occurs all of the usual student antics and digressions, described by Stewart with his characteristic wit, to amuse and enthral the reader. After a punting accident, however, the girl who is in love with Duncan suffers as a result of his self-...

Bannerman is a schoolmaster on his way to Florence to do some research. On the plane, he meets a recent pupil, Avery Brenton, who is travelling to see his divorced father. However, Avery is young and naïve and is being unwittingly used by his domineering mother. Bannerman finds himself being drawn into matters. Avery’s father is working on a lifetime study of Italian art and is not that pleased to see him. Enter Mrs Mountpatrick, a friend of Avery’s mother, along with another youth who is helping his father. Very soon, a delightfully entangled and complex situation develops, only to be...

The first volume in J.I.M. Stewart’s acclaimed ‘A Staircase in Surrey’ quintet, (but the second in time), ‘The Gaudy’ opens in Oxford at the eponymous annual dinner laid on by the Fellows for past members. Distinguished guests, including the Chancellor (a former Prime Minister) are present and Duncan Pattullo, now also qualified to attend, gets to meet some of his friends and enemies from undergraduate days. As the evening wears on, Duncan finds himself embroiled in many of the difficulties and problems faced by some of them, including Lord Marchpayne, now a Cabinet Minister; ...

Created in May 2020, the Poetry in Medicine podcast seeks to foster empathy and encourage humanism in the daily practice of medicine through poetry. This podcast features audio readings of pieces of poetry and prose that focus on the medical community and the daily practice of medicine and health care from across the world. We seek to foster and encourage humanism in medicine. Submissions are permitted and are encouraged. If you would like your poem selected for the podcast, please submit in a Word document with the name of the author and location to poetryinmedicine@gmail.com. Poems must be ...

Your gut health impacts your physical and mental wellness. Learn simple ways—gut health nutrition hacks—to help women (and men) lose weight. You'll also improve your mood and mental wellness. Feed your gut brain. This audiobook focuses on your gut health and simple and easy ways to improve your gut health. From prebiotic and probiotic to fermented foods, you'll get lots of new and unique dietary information and lots of delicious gut health recipes!

School is out and Jimmy is finally free. In book two of the three-part All Saints series, we find our young hero flipping burgers in a grease joint. But for all the cow guts and blow flies, life has never been sweeter. He's in a band, meeting girls, and generally doing everything he can to abuse the freedoms of adulthood, without being encumbered by its responsibilities. Of course, every story needs a bad guy.

Adulthood glitters on a distant horizon, beyond the bored gazes of distracted parents and teachers, and the blood, dust, and taunts of the playground. But perhaps freedom isn't out of reach, after all. When Jimmy changes schools, he encounters a pack of boys who seem to be everything he isn't; strong, fearless, and just as untouchable as the adults in their exclusive mystical universe. More than anything, Jimmy longs to belong.

Life is short. Jimmy's life may prove shorter. His gang mates have grown up and shipped out, and the nine to five is grinding Jimmy into a person he no longer recognizes. There has to be more to existence than waking up every Saturday with a half-eaten kebab and empty wallet. The wide blue skies of America sing a siren's song, and Jimmy decides he's ready to give life a do-over - even if it means leaving his childhood sweetheart Kelly behind.

Big Mama in the critically acclaimed The 12 Days of a Soul Food Christmas has a daughter named Emma Jean who loves to sew. After finding a forgotten treasure, Emma Jean discovers her true passion by teaching herself how to sew.