Evelyn Waugh was born in Hampstead in 1903 and educated at Hertford College, Oxford. In 1928 he published his first novel, Decline and Fall, which was soon followed by Vile Bodies (1930), Black Mischief (1932), A Handful of Dust (1934) and Scoop (1938). During these years he also travelled extensively and converted to Catholicism. In 1939 Waugh was commissioned in the Royal Marines and later transferred to the Royal Horse Guards, experiences which informed his Sword of Honour trilogy (1952-61). His most famous novel, Brideshead Revisited (1945), was written while on leave from the army. Waugh died in 1966.

Evelyn Waugh

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Sharon Hamilton

'God only knows what fate befell Vicky after, cold and alone at that bus stop, she accepted a lift home.' 
 
Abducted from a local bus stop, schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton vanished into thin air. Her disappearance left the country in shock and a family torn apart. Sharon - her sister and best friend - never stopped looking for her. Then, seventeen years later, the search came to an abrupt and tragic end. 
 
Taken is Sharon Hamilton's heartbreaking true story of what happens to a family when one of its most loved members disappears without a trace. It's about never giving up hope that one day they will come home, and that justice will be done.

Taken

The Agonising True Story of My Missing Sister

Sue Martin

Sue Martin was not three years old when she began life at her first children's home: a home that could at best be described as cold and regimented; at worst, torturous and terrifying. 
 
When her mother abandoned her to the protection of the home, Sue was soon to discover that behind the welcoming doors of this reputedly kind-hearted organisation lay a world steeped in lies, cover-ups, victimisation and abuse. At its heart was Boagey, whose perverse bullying was targeted at Sue. Her attacks quickly progressed from the gratuitous punishment of an innocent child to sordid gratification of her sexual whims. 
 
Sue's story is one of institutional abuse - of physical, mental and emotional torture of the most appalling kind - but it also a story full of joy, humour and many victories - small and large - against her abusers. 
 
Utterly compelling and shockingly revelatory, No Way Home will astound, move and inspire.

No Way Home

The terrifying story of life in a children's home and a little girl's struggle to survive

Donna Ford

In this haunting and frank account, Donna Ford, bestselling author of The Step Child, returns to the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepmother. As a tiny girl of five, and for six long years, Donna was physically, mentally and sexually abused. She was starved, beaten and 'loaned out' to neighbours who raped and molested her ... and throughout her father stood by and did nothing. When her stepmother finally left the family home, Donna dreamed of a normal childhood in which she would be taken care of by the man who had, up until this point, failed her. But it was not to be. 
 
By telling the whole story of her Edinburgh childhood, Donna tries to understand why the man who should have loved her the most - her own father - was the one who deceived her the most, by continuing to allow men to abuse her. Instead of finding a future of love and happiness, Donna was once again thrust into a living nightmare of 
exploitation and betrayal by those who should have wrapped her up in their love. 
 
While this is a true story of appalling child abuse, it is also a tale of how exhilaration, tenderness and self-development can flourish despite childhood horrors. We take a journey with Donna to discover the woman she has become: a devoted mother of three and a talented artist and writer.

What Daddy Did

The shocking true story of a little girl betrayed

Linda Watson-Brown

The true story of Donna Ford, who between the ages of five and eleven was abused by her stepmother Helen. Labelled 'the bastard', the 'little witch' and 'the evil one'; beaten, isolated and afraid to even look at her own reflection, this beautiful little child was told she was lucky to be the victim of abuse - abuse which began as physical and mental, but progressed to the most appalling sexual attacks. 
 
Despite an horrendous early life, Donna is now a successful artist and mother of three with an enormous enthusiasm and an optimism which completely belies her experiences. 
 
In 2003, Donna watched as her stepmother was found guilty of 'procuring a minor' for sexual abuse and sentenced to two years in prison. 
 
Beautifully written and savagely honest, The Step Child is Donna's story. It is an inspiring tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.

The Step Child

A true story of a broken childhood

Sandra Horley

‘Give this book to a sister, a mother, a friend; it may change her life.’ LAUREN LAVERNE 
 
One in four women will experience domestic violence. We all know a woman whose life is dominated and controlled by her partner – and we might not even realise it. 
 
Many women find themselves in the thrall of the Charm Syndrome Man, a man whose distinct pattern of behaviour and use of charm ultimately serves to gain control over the woman. In the new edition of her classic work, Sandra Horley CBE draws on almost four decades supporting abused women to provide an insight into the reality behind the mask of the charming man. 
 
The book's aim is to show women they are not alone and to help them walk away from the confusing, dangerous situation they find themselves in. Even after devastating emotional and physical abuse, there is hope. This is a story of courage and strength, told by women who have reclaimed their lives so that others may too.

Power And Control

Why Charming Men Can Make Dangerous Lovers

Arianne Cohen

You've read the fiction, now find out what really goes on behind closed doors 
 
You've spent a long hard week at the office and your social life has seen better days. All the while you've contemplated thoughts that you wouldn't even share with your best friend: the true depths of your latest romantic obsession; your unorthodox fantasies; your secret lustful thoughts. Well, so has everyone else around you. We all do it - all day, every day - but we've all remained silent. Until now. 
 
When Arianne Cohen asked over 200 ordinary people from all walks of life to record their inner-most thoughts and confessions for one week, the results were extraordinary. A hidden world of longing, desire, fantasy, and sex - both real and imagined, was revealed. 
 
Now the best diarists from all over the country have been brought together. From the kinky bride-to-be and the adulterous businessman to the grandmother yearning for a good romp, these diaries provide a tantalising and steamy glimpse into their private lives and longings. 
 
Eye-opening and deliciously voyeuristic, it will change the way you think about your friends, colleagues, neighbours and partners forever.

The Sex Diaries

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