Jane Hawking Books

From the author of the no. 1 bestseller T ravelling to The True Story Behind The Theory of Everything . In 1930s Greater London, Shirley is a talented ballerina who dreams of becoming a principal dancer at the Sadler's Wells Ballet Company. Yet one summer, on the way back from staying with her grandparents in France, she meets a handsome young man, Alan, for a fleeting moment and her life changes for ever. Finding him becomes an obsession for Shirley, who now longs to fulfil her dreams in the ballet simply so that he might see her name in lights and know where to find her. With the outbreak of the Second World War, and those she loves in danger, Shirley's priority becomes to help in the war effort, but with Alan appearing once more in her life, and the war threatening to part them for a second time, she knows that she cannot cope if she were to lose him again. The second in the Immortal Souls series.

Growing up in London in the aftermath of the Second World War, Ruth is an observant and thoughtful child who finds herself in a confusing and mysterious adult world. She seeks refuge in her memories of her idyllic stays with her grandparents in the picturesque East Anglian countryside – which provide comforting visions of a simpler life. As she comes to terms with her surroundings and her own adolescence, Ruth finds the motivation to pursue the tantalizing dream which has governed her childhood, and discovers some family secrets along the way. A coming-of-age novel about the unpredictable nature of human behaviour and about taking control of one's destiny, Silent Music is a timeless portrait of post-war Britain, as well as a lyrical paean to hope and aspiration.

Jane Hawking, divorced wife of the 20th Century's most brilliant astrophysicist and mother of his three children, has written an extraordinary memoir that relates the story of a marriage born of optimism, despite Stephen's motor neuron disease, and ending with collapse, provoked by his love affair with a nurse.The author tells of the difficulties of dealing with Stephen's incredible fame and the attention he needed as a wheelchairbound father and husband, and of the trials dealing with three small children. Her writing is candid, poignant, and often humorous. She discusses the effect of power and money on their lives and the strange and terrible juxtaposition of her husband's debilitating disease.This biography is of interest to readers of Hawking's Brief History of Time, scientists, those with crippling diseases, women, and the general reading public.