Fiona Davis

In her latest captivating novel, nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis takes readers into the glamorous lost art school within Grand Central Terminal, where two very different women, fifty years apart, strive to make their mark on a world set against them. For the nearly nine million people who live in New York City, Grand Central Terminal is a crown jewel, a masterpiece of design. But for Clara Darden and Virginia Clay, it represents something quite different. For Clara, the terminal is the stepping stone to her future, which she is certain will shine as the brightly as the constellations on the main concourse ceiling. It is 1928, and twenty-five-year-old Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art. A talented illustrator, she has dreams of creating cover art for Vogue, but not even the prestige of the school can override the public's disdain for a "woman artist." Brash, fiery, confident, and single-minded--even while juggling the affections of two men, a wealthy would-be poet and a brilliant experimental painter--Clara is determined to achieve every creative success. But she and her bohemian friends have no idea that they'll soon be blindsided by the looming Great Depression, an insatiable monster with the power to destroy the entire art scene. And even poverty and hunger will do little to prepare Clara for the greater tragedy yet to come. Nearly fifty years later, in 1974, the terminal has declined almost as sharply as Virginia Clay's life. Full of grime and danger, from the smoke-blackened ceiling to the pickpockets and drug dealers who roam the floor, Grand Central is at the center of a fierce lawsuit: Is the once-grand building a landmark to be preserved, or a cancer to be demolished? For Virginia, it is simply her last resort. Recently divorced, she has just accepted a job in the information booth in order to support herself and her college-age daughter, Ruby. But when Virginia stumbles upon an abandoned art school within the terminal and discovers a striking watercolor hidden under the dust, her eyes are opened to the elegance beneath the decay. She embarks on a quest to find the artist of the unsigned masterpiece--an impassioned chase that draws Virginia not only into the battle to save Grand Central but deep into the mystery of Clara Darden, the famed 1920s illustrator who disappeared from history in 1931.

Forfatteren bak Hotellet er tilbake med en fengslende roman om grensen mellom kjærlighet og tap, suksess og konkurs, stormende følelser og galskap. Alt skjult bak veggene til Dakota-bygningen på Manhattan. 1884: Sara Smythe, som er tjenestepike på et fornemt London-hotell, møter Theodore Camden, en av arkitektene bak leilighetsbygningen The Dakota i New York. Hun får et eventyrlig tilbud om å bli bestyrerinne av det flotteste boligkomplekset i verden - og slik får hun også mulighet til å se mer til Theo, som bor i Dakota-bygningen med sin kone og tre barn. 1985: Bailey Camden er nylig utskrevet fra en rusklinikk, og den tidligere festjenta og interiørdesigneren står uten bolig, jobb og penger. Til tross for tette familiebånd får ikke Bailey ett øre av Camden-familiens store formue. I stedet er det kusinen Melinda som kommer til å arve det hele. Så da Melinda tilbyr henne å lede renoveringen av Dakota-bygningen, griper hun sjansen - selv om planene innebærer å ødelegge den tradisjonsrike bygningen, inkludert leiligheten Theodore Camden bodde i - og hvor han også ble drept. Det ligger hundre år mellom Sara og Baileys skjebne, men det er mange likheter. Begge kjemper mot fristelsene de er omgitt av. De søker begge tilflukt i det gylne fengselet på Upper West Side. Men det Bailey oppdager i kjelleren, kan snu opp ned på alt hun trodde hun visste om Theodore Camden - og kvinnen som drepte ham. Fiona Davis har nok en gang levert en fullstendig oppslukende leseropplevelse som ikke bare viser oss innsiden av en berømt institusjon, men også LIVET og løgnene til de som bodde der.

New York. Byen som aldri sover. På Manhattan står bygningen der 50-tallets unge jenter skulle forvandles til ekstraordinære kvinner. Legendariske The Barbizon Hotel for Women. 1952: Sekretærstudenten Darby McLaughlin ankommer Barbizon Hotel for kvinner. Hun er usikker, lengter hjem og føler at hun slett ikke passer inn. Likevel, når Darby treffer stuepiken Esme, oppdager hun en skjult side av New York: en verden som pulserer om natten. Jazzklubber med forførende toner og begjær i luften. 50 år senere er Barbizon Hotel blitt gjort om til leiligheter, og fortidens gjester er for lengst glemt. Bare noen ganske få av dem bor der fortsatt, blant dem Darby, som stort sett holder seg for seg selv. Men ryktet om hennes hemmeligheter fra fortiden hjemsøker huset. Journalist Rose Lewin blir som besatt av å finne ut om Barbizons mystiske fortid. Samtidig sliter Rose med sine egne demoner, og gravingen rundt hotellets historie blir som et pusterom for henne. Hva var det egentlig som skjedde den gangen for 50 år siden? Ingenting blir som før når den sjokkerende sannheten avsløres.

From the author of The Dollhouse and The Masterpiece comes the compelling national bestselling novel about the thin lines between love and loss, success and ruin, passion and madness, all hidden behind the walls of The Dakota--New York City's most famous residence. When a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house the Dakota, leads to a job offer for Sara Smythe, her world is suddenly awash in possibility--no mean feat for a servant in 1884. The opportunity to move to America. The opportunity to be the female manager of the Dakota. And the opportunity to see more of Theo, who understands Sara like no one else...and is living in the Dakota with his wife and three young children. One hundred years later, Bailey Camden is desperate for new opportunities: Fresh out of rehab, the former interior designer is homeless, jobless, and penniless. Bailey's grandfather was the ward of famed architect Theodore Camden, yet Bailey won't see a dime of the Camden family's substantial estate; instead, her "cousin" Melinda--Camden's biological great-granddaughter--will inherit almost everything. So when Melinda offers to let Bailey oversee the renovation of her lavish Dakota apartment, Bailey jumps at the chance, despite her dislike of Melinda's vision. The renovation will take away all the character of the apartment Theodore Camden himself lived in...and died in, after suffering multiple stab wounds by a former Dakota employee who had previously spent seven months in an insane asylum--a madwoman named Sara Smythe. A century apart, Sara and Bailey are both tempted by and struggle against the golden excess of their respective ages--for Sara, the opulence of a world ruled by the Astors and Vanderbilts; for Bailey, the nightlife's free-flowing drinks and cocaine--and take refuge in the Upper West Side's gilded fortress. But a building with a history as rich, and often as tragic, as the Dakota's can't hold its secrets forever, and what Bailey discovers inside could turn everything she thought she knew about Theodore Camden--and the woman who killed him--on its head.

New York. Byen som aldri sover. På Manhattan står bygningen der 50-tallets unge jenter skulle forvandles til ekstraordinære kvinner. Legendariske The Barbizon Hotel for Women. 1952: Sekretærstudenten Darby McLaughlin ankommer Barbizon Hotel for kvinner. Hun er usikker, lengter hjem og føler at hun slett ikke passer inn. Likevel, når Darby treffer stuepiken Esme, oppdager hun en skjult side av New York: en verden som pulserer om natten. Jazzklubber med forførende toner og begjær i luften. 50 år senere er Barbizon Hotel blitt gjort om til leiligheter, og fortidens gjester er for lengst glemt. Bare noen ganske få av dem bor der fortsatt, blant dem Darby, som stort sett holder seg for seg selv. Men ryktet om hennes hemmeligheter fra fortiden hjemsøker huset. Journalist Rose Lewin blir som besatt av å finne ut om Barbizons mystiske fortid. Samtidig sliter Rose med sine egne demoner, og gravingen rundt hotellets historie blir som et pusterom for henne. Hva var det egentlig som skjedde den gangen for 50 år siden? Ingenting blir som før når den sjokkerende sannheten avsløres.

From the author of The Dollhouse and The Masterpiece comes the compelling national bestselling novel about the thin lines between love and loss, success and ruin, passion and madness, all hidden behind the walls of The Dakota--New York City's most famous residence. When a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house the Dakota, leads to a job offer for Sara Smythe, her world is suddenly awash in possibility--no mean feat for a servant in 1884. The opportunity to move to America. The opportunity to be the female manager of the Dakota. And the opportunity to see more of Theo, who understands Sara like no one else...and is living in the Dakota with his wife and three young children. One hundred years later, Bailey Camden is desperate for new opportunities: Fresh out of rehab, the former interior designer is homeless, jobless, and penniless. Bailey's grandfather was the ward of famed architect Theodore Camden, yet Bailey won't see a dime of the Camden family's substantial estate; instead, her "cousin" Melinda--Camden's biological great-granddaughter--will inherit almost everything. So when Melinda offers to let Bailey oversee the renovation of her lavish Dakota apartment, Bailey jumps at the chance, despite her dislike of Melinda's vision. The renovation will take away all the character of the apartment Theodore Camden himself lived in...and died in, after suffering multiple stab wounds by a former Dakota employee who had previously spent seven months in an insane asylum--a madwoman named Sara Smythe. A century apart, Sara and Bailey are both tempted by and struggle against the golden excess of their respective ages--for Sara, the opulence of a world ruled by the Astors and Vanderbilts; for Bailey, the nightlife's free-flowing drinks and cocaine--and take refuge in the Upper West Side's gilded fortress. But a building with a history as rich, and often as tragic, as the Dakota's can't hold its secrets forever, and what Bailey discovers inside could turn everything she thought she knew about Theodore Camden--and the woman who killed him--on its head.

Rich both in twists and period detail, this tale of big-city ambition is impossible to put down. People Fiona Davis's stunning debut novel pulls readers into the lush world of New York City's glamorous Barbizon Hotel for Women, where in the 1950s a generation of aspiring models, secretaries, and editors lived side by side while attempting to claw their way to fairy-tale success, and where a present-day journalist becomes consumed with uncovering a dark secret buried deep within the Barbizon's glitzy past. When she arrives at the famed Barbizon Hotel in 1952, secretarial school enrollment in hand, Darby McLaughlin is everything her modeling agency hall mates aren't: plain, self-conscious, homesick, and utterly convinced she doesn't belong a notion the models do nothing to disabuse. Yet when Darby befriends Esme, a Barbizon maid, she's introduced to an entirely new side of New York City: seedy downtown jazz clubs where the music is as addictive as the heroin that's used there, the startling sounds of bebop, and even the possibility of romance. Over half a century later, the Barbizon's gone condo and most of its long-ago guests are forgotten. But rumors of Darby's involvement in a deadly skirmish with a hotel maid back in 1952 haunt the halls of the building as surely as the melancholy music that floats from the elderly woman's rent-controlled apartment. It's a combination too intoxicating for journalist Rose Lewin, Darby's upstairs neighbor, to resist not to mention the perfect distraction from her own imploding personal life. Yet as Rose's obsession deepens, the ethics of her investigation become increasingly murky, and neither woman will remain unchanged when the shocking truth is finally revealed.

The Kung Fu Panda films are popular around the world, known for their humour and fun characters. The Starter Level Popcorn ELT Reader _The Animals of Kung Fu Panda_ introduces children to the real animals the film characters are based on.

In 1938, the anthropologist Norman Tindale gave a classroom of young Aboriginal children a set of crayons and asked them to draw. The children, residents of the government-run Aboriginal station Cummeragunja, mostly drew pictures of aspects of white civilization boats, houses and flowers. What now to make of their artwork? Were the children encouraged or pressured to draw non-Aboriginal scenes, or did they draw freely, appropriating the white culture they now lived within? Did their Aboriginality change the meaning of their art, as they sketched out this ubiquitous colonial imagery? Australian Settler Colonialism and the Cummeragunja Aboriginal Station traces Cummeragunja's history from its establishment in the 1880s to its mass walk-off in 1939 and finally, to the 1960s, when its residents regained greater control over the land. Taking in oral history traditions, the author reveals the competing interests of settler governments, scientific and religious organizations, and nearby settler communities. The nature of these interests has broad and important implications for understanding settler colonial history. This history shows white people set boundaries on Aboriginal behaviour and movement, through direct legislation and the provision of opportunities and acceptance. But Aboriginal people had agency within and, at times, beyond these limits. Aboriginal people appropriated aspects of white culture including the houses, the flowers and the boats that their children drew for Tindale - reshaping them into new tools for Aboriginal society, tools with which to build lives and futures in a changed environment.

In 1938, the anthropologist Norman Tindale gave a classroom of young Aboriginal children a set of crayons and asked them to draw. The children, residents of the government-run Aboriginal station Cummeragunja, mostly drew pictures of aspects of white civilization boats, houses and flowers. What now to make of their artwork? Were the children encouraged or pressured to draw non-Aboriginal scenes, or did they draw freely, appropriating the white culture they now lived within? Did their Aboriginality change the meaning of their art, as they sketched out this ubiquitous colonial imagery? Australian Settler Colonialism and the Cummeragunja Aboriginal Station traces Cummeragunja's history from its establishment in the 1880s to its mass walk-off in 1939 and finally, to the 1960s, when its residents regained greater control over the land. Taking in oral history traditions, the author reveals the competing interests of settler governments, scientific and religious organizations, and nearby settler communities. The nature of these interests has broad and important implications for understanding settler colonial history. This history shows white people set boundaries on Aboriginal behaviour and movement, through direct legislation and the provision of opportunities and acceptance. But Aboriginal people had agency within and, at times, beyond these limits. Aboriginal people appropriated aspects of white culture including the houses, the flowers and the boats that their children drew for Tindale - reshaping them into new tools for Aboriginal society, tools with which to build lives and futures in a changed environment.

A three-level series of grammar reference and practice books for teenage and young adult learners. Active Grammar Level 1 covers all the grammar taught at A1-A2 (CEF) level. The book presents grammar points in meaningful context through engaging and informative texts, followed by clear explanations and useful tips that highlight common mistakes usually made by low-level learners. Exam-style exercises provide plenty of challenging practice and encourage students to apply their own ideas creatively to grammar learning. A large number of contrastive revision exercises in the book and on the CD-ROM allow students to assess and monitor their progress at regular intervals. This version without answers and CD-ROM is suitable for classroom use and self-study.

A three-level series of grammar reference and practice books for teenage and young adult learners. Active Grammar Level 2 covers all the grammatical points usually taught at B1-B2 (CEF) level. The book presents grammar points in meaningful context through engaging and informative texts, followed by clear explanations. Useful tips highlight common mistakes that intermediate students usually make. Carefully graded exercises provide plenty of challenging practice and encourage students to apply their own ideas creatively to grammar learning. A large number of contrastive revision exercises in the book and on the CD-ROM allow students to assess and monitor their progress. This version without answers and CD-ROM is suitable for classroom use and self-study.