Modern France

France, 1180 to 1600. A tale of power, intrigue, and change. Kings and queens ruled with ambition. Wars raged across the land. Culture flourished. Society evolved.

This book will also take you on a whirlwind tour of the Napoleon Era, where you'll get up close and personal with the little general who almost conquered the world—if only the Russians hadn't been so darn cold. You'll learn about his rise and fall, his brilliant strategies, and his complicated love life, all told in a way that'll make you feel like you're right there in the thick of things.

Within this audiobook, you'll meet some truly remarkable figures who shaped the destiny of a great nation—from visionary artists to brilliant inventors, and from cunning leaders to fearless rebels. You'll bear witness to the many struggles and triumphs of a people who fought for their freedom and their dreams, and who changed the course of history forever.

Scotland, 1567. A pregnant Mary, Queen of Scots is dragged out of her palace by rebel lords and imprisoned in the isolated Lochleven Castle, an ancient fortress surrounded by a vast lake. Her infant son and heir, James, has been captured by her enemies. Accompanying Mary are two inconspicuous serving women: observant, ambitious Jane and romantic, quick-tempered Cuckoo, who endeavor to keep their mercurial mistress company while sharing the space of a claustrophobic room over the course of their eleven-month forced stay. Their hosts want them dead. They'll settle for Mary's abdication.

"Narrator Stephanie Racine instills an enthusiastic tone of wonder at the transformative quality of books in this tale with a beautiful dreamlike quality." -- AudioFile Magazine For fans of Amélie and The Little Paris Bookshop, a modern fairytale about a French woman whose life is turned upside...

Today, it is difficult to imagine a living room without a sofa. When the first sofas on record were delivered in 17th-century France, the result was a radical reinvention of interior space. Symptomatic of a new age of casualness and comfort, the sofa ushered in an era known as the golden age of conversation; as the first piece of furniture designed for two, it was also considered an invitation to seduction. With the sofa came many other changes in interior space we now take for granted: private bedrooms, bathrooms, and the original living rooms.

Un libro imperdibile per tutti gli appassionati di ciclismo. Letto in collaborazione con Luca Gregorio, voce di Eurosport e conduttore sportivo. Nomi come Pantani, Nibali, Chiappucci, Van Impe e Pogačar sono impressi nella memoria collettiva degli appassionati di ciclismo moderno. I loro nomi evocano ricordi e suscitano forti emozioni quando si parla delle grandi salite del Tour de France, del Giro d'Italia e della Vuelta. Sono storie di successi, attacchi riusciti e falliti, coraggio e grandi sforzi dei grandi scalatori degli ultimi tempi.

Alistair Horne is a leading scholar of French history. Here he trains his sights on one of the most compelling figures of the 19th century, Napoleon Bonaparte. Far from a mere dictator, Napoleon was a military, political and social visionary whose legacy can still be felt in France and all over the world. Horne examines the one-time emperor at his most human, from his greatest triumphs to his disastrous failures.

In this audiobook, read by Paul Spera, each historical event is replaced into context and presented in clear and easy-to-read snippets, so that younger and older readers can deepen their understanding of how modern France came to be and broaden their culture.