This is a book that will hold the reader’s attention from start to finish. It’s a story of courage, determination, control, anger, jealousy, and love. Alma, the main protagonist, was injured during the Blitz in East London when half her house fell on top of the air-raid shelter also killing her father and her sister. That experience coloured the rest of her life. Alma and the family moved to Poplar (‘Call the Midwife’ country) in 1947. By 1951, they’d been re-housed to a Council House in Grundy Street where they stayed until 1981. East end life was important to them, but Alma always had aspirations to move back to Hornchurch in Essex and the surrounding areas where most of her family lived. George, Alma’s husband, was born and bred in Poplar in the East End – a true Cockney. His attitude was, ‘I’ll leave the East End feet first!’ However, his daughter Linda’s medical needs meant that she could no longer climb the stairs after major back surgery. So they had to move and Alma’s ambition was realised, but little did they know that Linda would eventually meet and fall in love with Ralph, and that despite her disabilities, she would get married and achieve great things with her husband.

Includes music.

'The Woman Thou Gavest Me' is a best-selling British novel by Hall Caine. The book is a fictional first-person account of a Catholic woman's struggle after marrying the wrong man. It was one of Caine's most contentious books, causing outrage on its release for its handling of adultery, illegitimacy and divorce.

A secret terrorist group infiltrates the household of a government official's son, with a view to spying on the father and, ultimately, assassinating him. But the young man entrusted with the task - an ailing, world-weary "e;nobody"e; - seized with the purposelessness of life and a sense of his own impending death, gradually becomes disillusioned with his mission, and decides to embark on a new path which will lead him to tragedy.Combining psychological detail with a strong sense of place and time, The Story of a Nobody bears all the hallmarks of Chekhov's genius, and perfectly captures the political and social tensions of its day.

Dr Lin Berwick MBE is totally blind, has Cerebral Palsy Quadriplegia, partial hearing loss, and is a permanent wheelchair user who has spent the whole of her life within the care system. Firstly, through the help of loving parents, then, with her husband, Ralph, and latterly, with care provided by private, 24/7 live-in carers. This book tells something of the struggles, pitfalls, and problems that Lin and her carers have to deal with on a daily basis. Sometimes life has been chaotic, and in terms of care - traumatic. Lin has to be handled with great sensitivity to her pain and when the carer is good at their job, it works wonderfully well. But when the carer has no real concept of how to deal with pain, feelings, and the completion of tasks, then it can be a recipe for disaster. Lin is also a trained psychotherapeutic counsellor. This book draws on experiences that she has dealt with in many different areas, such as, grief and loss, and a striving to survive when others may want her to stay within a 'sick' system. Lin is not one for staying in bed - she still has an active mind and wants to experience the world in all its fullness, despite her disabilities, making the most of what time she has left. She is now in her seventies and has remarkably defied the opinions of the medical profession that told her and her family that she would not live beyond her teens. She is still defying all the odds. She comes from a background as a writer, freelance journalist, and broadcaster. She has many experiences from which to draw. Lin hopes that the reader will find the book both helpful, and challenging. PLease click on the link below to hear my interview about the book with RNIB Connect Radio. https://audioboom.com/posts/7971805-on-the-count-of-three-by-dr-lin-berwick-mbe