Drawing from her diverse experiences as a journalist, parent, and former student, Libby Purves offers a compelling collection of writings that explore various facets of education. Her insightful commentary ranges from national policies to the quirks of headteachers, blending thoughtful analysis with humor. This selection showcases her eclectic opinions on teaching and learning, highlighting the challenges and idiosyncrasies within the educational system.
Libby Purves has had an ongoing love affair with the radio since her childhood, when she saved her pocket money to buy a DIY transistor set. Since then Libby has become a successful and popular BBC Radio 4 broadcaster, and in this book she takes us behind the scenes at the Beeb.
Sarah Penn and Maggie Reave are sisters, as different as a tabby and a tiger. Sarah has married kind, reliable Leo and settled contentedly into small-town life. Maggie, light-hearted and footloose, has spent fifteen years drifting round the world with a backpack and a cheerful willingness to do any menial job as long as it has no future. But now Maggie has come home, pregnant, and undecided whether or not to keep the baby. And as she discusses this with her sister, lets slip that she's had an abortion before, and that the father was Maggie's husband. This throws everything into confusion, but Christmas brings reconciliation and a new baby.
Kit Milcourt has been a climber, diver in exotic waters, and affluent young city banker. Now, because of his beloved Anna, he is a teacher. Glumly mediocre Sandmarsh High School is hard put to contain his maverick ideas, and only the soothing presence of Anna keeps the peace. But Anna can’t guard her erratic husband on the school trip—instead a far darker staff member follows him and discovers what Kit has secretly planned for the children amid the dim alleys of winter Venice. Between farce and tragedy the resulting events swiftly change Kit’s and Anna’s live in unthinkable ways, strain a great love to the limit, and open a dark chasm into the past.
A poignant novel by Radio 4 presenter and Times columnist Libby Purves, inspired by the personal tragedy of losing her son.
Alice McDonald has escaped all the obvious traps that lie in wait for women. She loves her job but enjoys her clever, spirited children too; her husband (Dan the New Man) does his share at home, and their London house is always full of friends. At her thirty-seventh birthday party, Alice reflects that their life has been a pretty successful production so far. But love can be treacherous, and children are never quite what they seem. Two months later, far from home and alone on a desperate quest through the bleak lanes of Norfolk, Alice wonders how it fell apart so quickly. Were things ever as good as they seemed? Had the McDonalds really been happy, or was it no more than a stage illusion?
A fresh new look brings this parenting classic up-to-date for a new generation of mothers and mothers-to-be. motherhood, Radio 4's Libby Purves has created an invaluable survival guide so that even the most unpromising madonna can cope with the baby years. This is a parenting book with a difference- rather than a serious tome laying down the law, Libby Purves' lighthearted book shamelessly describes how to cut the corners and bend the rules that never mattered much anyway. Forget the other parenting books that hide the real truth- this is the true battle manual for mothers on the front line! up-to-date for a whole new generation of mothers and mothers-to-be. Based on Libby Purves' own experience of domestic havoc with two babies and on the wit and wisdom of fifty like-minded mothers, this motherhood companion guide is full of down-to-earth tips and hilarious anecdotes. Topics covered include pregnancy, preschoolers, sibling fights, fraught outings, nannies and careers. This is an invaluable guide to being an imperfect mother- and, more importantly, enjoying it.
Die beiden Schwestern Sarah und Maggie sind unterschiedlich wie Tag und Nacht. Sarah lebt mit Mann und Kindern in einer englischen Kleinstadt, Maggie geniesst auf Weltreisen ihre Freiheit. Aber als Maggie ihre Schwester besucht, ändert sich ihr Leben grundlegend.
