Laura Barnett

TWELVE PEOPLE... TWELVE GIFTS... ONE CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER... Maddy runs the bookshop on Market Square. She's struggling to choose a gift (a watch? a wine subscription? a weekend bag? all too much?) for her old school friend Peter, who's just moved back from London following a messy divorce. Peter doesn't have a clue what to get for his teenage daughter Chloe - furious with her mother, she's decided to up sticks and move to Kent with him, but he worries that he really doesn't know her at all. Chloe wants to buy something special for her grandmother Irene, who lives alone on the other side of town. Irene doesn't get out much these days, but she'd really like to find the right gift for Alina, who's so much more than a carer, really - always stops to chat for a bit, have a cup of tea, even if it makes her late. And Alina, meanwhile, has her eye on something for... From the no. 1 bestselling author of The Versions of Us comes a novel about how wonderful and sad and difficult and happy and strange Christmas can be. Stories to inspire, move and comfort. 'He felt it: the lightness, the expansiveness, the anticipation, the sense that something good was coming. And it was, wasn't it - though the world was still licking its collective wounds and there was still suffering everywhere, suffering and loneliness and sadness. Despite all this, it was good: it was kindness, it was giving without thought of recompense, it was light in the darkness'

Gifts

A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK AND NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER What if you had said yes . . . ? Eva and Jim are nineteen, and students at Cambridge, when their paths first cross in 1958. Jim is walking along a lane when a woman approaching him on a bicycle swerves to avoid a dog. What happens next will determine the rest of their lives. We follow three different versions of their future - together, and apart - as their love story takes on different incarnations and twists and turns to the conclusion in the present day. The Versions of Us is an outstanding debut novel about the choices we make and the different paths that our lives might follow. What if one small decision could change the rest of your life? Laura's Barnett's new book GREATEST HITS is available for pre-order now.

The Number One bestseller

The Versions of Us

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE VERSIONS OF US 'Like Curtis Sittenfeld or Kate Atkinson' THE TIMES 'Barnett excels herself in this mesmerising ballad of a book...Greatest Hits is not just about music, it's about people: their ambitions, friendships and flaws. An absolute must read' STYLIST Alone in her studio, Cass Wheeler is taking a journey back into her past. After a silence of ten years, the singer-songwriter is picking the sixteen tracks that have defined her - sixteen key moments in her life - for a uniquely personal Greatest Hits album. In the course of this one day, both ordinary and extraordinary, the story of Cass's life emerges - a story of highs and lows, of music, friendship and ambition, of great love and great loss. But what prompted her to retreat all those years ago, and is there a way for her to make peace with her past? ' A wonderful story - soulful, tender and full of hope - SUNDAY MIRROR

Greatest Hits

“Stunningly crafted and constantly surprising . . . An utterly convincing love story about two people destined to be together somehow, no matter what.”—The Times A dazzling novel about the ways the smallest decisions give shape to our lives, The Versions of Us charts a relationship through three possible futures. Cambridge, 1958. Late for class, Eva Edelstein swerves to miss a dog and crashes her bike. Jim Taylor hurries to help her. In that brief moment, three outcomes are born for Eva and Jim. As the strands of their lives weave together and apart across the decades from college through wildly different successes and disappointments, seductions and betrayals, births and funerals, joys and sorrows, the only constant is the power of their connection. A #1 UK bestseller, The Versions of Us is a tour de force of storytelling. “One Day meets Sliding Doors.”—Elle “I simply adored this wonderful novel.”—Jessie Burton, New York Times bestselling author of The Miniaturist “A joy.”—The Guardian “Enchanting.”—People “Imagines the delicious prospect of romantic do-overs, cleverly negotiating the tricky and often dizzying terrain of three versions of first love . . . A masterly romantic study of love’s choices and consequences.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Triumphant.”—The Sunday Telegraph “Barnett renders an irresistible concept in sweet, cool prose—a bit like a choose-your-own-adventure book in which you don’t have to choose.”—Observer “Reading this ambitious first novel is like putting together the pieces of a complex puzzle. The challenge pays off—only when the puzzle is complete can readers see the whole panoramic picture.”—Library Journal

Versioner av oss

'Barnett has that rare talent, like Curtis Sittenfeld or Kate Atkinson, of building up the mundane aspects of everyday life until they acquire meaning' THE TIMES 'Barnett excels herself in this mesmerising ballad of a book...Greatest Hits is not just about music, it's about people: their ambitions, friendships and flaws. An absolute must read' STYLIST If you could choose just sixteen moments to define your entire life, what would they be? Cass Wheeler has seen it all - from the searing heights of success, to earth-shattering moments of despair. She has known passion, envy, pride, fear, and love. She has been a daughter, a mother, a singer, a lover. A musician born in 1950, Cass is now taking one day to select the sixteen songs in her repertoire that have meant the most to her. And behind each song lies a story - from the day her mother abandoned her, to her passionate first love, to the moment she lost everything. The dreams, the failures, the second chances. But what made her disappear so suddenly from her public life and, most importantly, can she find her way back?

From the Bestselling Author of the Versions of Us

Tre volte noi

'Barnett has that rare talent, like Curtis Sittenfeld or Kate Atkinson, of building up the mundane aspects of everyday life until they acquire meaning' THE TIMES 'Barnett excels herself in this mesmerising ballad of a book...Greatest Hits is not just about music, it's about people: their ambitions, friendships and flaws. An absolute must read' STYLIST If you could choose just sixteen moments to define your entire life, what would they be? Cass Wheeler has seen it all - from the searing heights of success, to earth-shattering moments of despair. She has known passion, envy, pride, fear, and love. She has been a daughter, a mother, a singer, a lover. A musician born in 1950, Cass is now taking one day to select the sixteen songs in her repertoire that have meant the most to her. And behind each song lies a story - from the day her mother abandoned her, to her passionate first love, to the moment she lost everything. The dreams, the failures, the second chances. But what made her disappear so suddenly from her public life and, most importantly, can she find her way back? What readers are saying about GREATEST HITS: 'A brilliant and unusual read...There is real emotional power to Cass's story and you really feel it in the narrative....It gives an unfiltered personal history, with joy, love, failures, regrets and all that it takes to live delivered beautifully' Goodreads 5 star review 'Truly, truly wonderful in every way imaginable and I can't recommend it highly enough' Goodreads 5 star review 'A triumphant second book to follow up to The Versions of Us which I also adored' Goodreads 5 star review 'A truly unique and memorable novel. Definitely one of the best novels so far this year' Goodreads 5 star review 'Filled with characters who burst from the page, dealing with almost unbearable sorrows and incredible highs, Greatest Hits is an absolute triumph. I loved every single page' Goodreads 5 star review

From the bestselling author of The Versions of Us

The creation of a greatest hits album gives a musician the chance to reflect on her storied life as a daughter, mother, singer, and lover. The beloved singer-songwriter Cass Wheeler has abandoned retirement for one last chapter in her musical career. She assembles an album of greatest hits—the songs that mean the most to her, songs that she wrote during the brightest and darkest times in her life. Each chapter springs from one of these songs. Told in tandem with the lyrics, this irresistible novel moves skillfully across episodes of a fascinating and sometimes tragic life—from Cass’s lonely childhood, through her freewheeling rise to fame, to first love and loss. Laura Barnett’s clear-eyed writing vividly depicts the British and US music scene of the ‘70s, with its mistakes and magic, and the lives that pass through it. By the time Cass has selected the final song, she is confronted with one last choice: whether she can find the strength within herself to open her heart once more. Greatest Hits is an enchanting novel that will capture and delight anyone who has discovered the rewards of music, or who has found strength and meaning in art. Perfect for fans of Daisy Jones & the Six Praise for Greatest Hits “This engaging, emotionally charged novel about music, motherhood and mental illness deserves to be a hit.” —The Observer (UK) “There is nothing here that hasn’t been covered in the more candid memoirs and autobiographies of stars from the 1960s and 1970s. But Barnett’s portrait is unusually perceptive, a mixture of evocative detail and sharp reportage that feels fresh to read. To her credit, too, she scrapes away the gloss to draw out a nuanced and honest account of the loneliness that plagues her singer. . . . Barnett pulls off the novel and its collaboration with pizzazz, turning it into a feat, not a gimmick.” —The Times (UK) “Unusually perceptive, a mixture of evocative detail and sharp reportage that feels fresh to read.” —The Sunday Times (UK)

This thoughtful and heartfelt book develops two main themes: the healing power of a compassionate understanding towards ourselves and others, and the ways boundaries are set within and around various areas of our lives. It examines how we live these boundaries, how they impact us, and what it takes to live these with deeper satisfaction. This book also addresses: shame and rage; the impact of trauma; the power of parental messages, spoken and unspoken; and transgenerational burdens. A theoretical chapter summarizes the author’s integrative, phenomenological approach: it brings the insights of a body-focused trauma therapy and a systemic lens to an overarching Existential perspective. Numerous vignettes, case studies and client-therapist dialogues illustrate reflections on life, philosophy, therapeutic modalities and practice. This book will be a thought-provoking read for trainee and practising counsellors and psychotherapists, or anyone looking for self-reflection on their own practices, life, and ultimately, what it means to be human.

Developing Compassion, Understanding and Boundaries

The Heart of Therapy

Três vidas. Três histórias. Três destinos... permeados com traições e ambições, mas também com amor e arte. Uma jovem mulher com uma bicicleta quebrada após desviar de um cão. Um homem que ela poderia facilmente ter deixado passar, sem parar, levando consigo uma vida inteira, uma vida que poderia nunca ter sido dela. Eva Edelstein está no segundo ano do curso de Inglês na Universidade de Cambridge. Ela namora David Katz, estudante e aspirante a ator. A vida de Eva parece bem encaminhada, quando, no campus da universidade, ela conhece acidentalmente Jim Taylor, estudante frustrado de direito.Há três versões, três realidades diferentes para o futuro de Eva e Jim, dos anos 1950 até os dias atuais. Se o nosso futuro é uma encruzilhada, gostaríamos de saber qual caminho seguir? E depois, ficaríamos felizes com a nossa escolha? Três vidas. Três histórias. Três destinos... permeados com traições e ambições, mas também com amor e arte. Três vezes nós explora a ideia de que há momentos em nossas vidas que poderiam ter sido diferentes e como pequenos fatos ou decisões que tomamos podem determinar o rumo da nossa vida para sempre. "Laura Barnett estreou triunfante. Uma história profunda e marcante sobre as intervenções do acaso no destino de nossas vidas." - Elena Seymenliyska, Sunday Telegraph.

Três Vezes Nós

This Beating Heart

Někdy stačí jen malý okamžik, a náš život se navždy změní. Evě a Jimovi je devatenáct, studují v Cambridge a jejich cesty se poprvé zkříží v roce 1958. Jim jde po ulici a na kole k němu přijíždí Eva, když tu jí do cesty vběhne malý pejsek. To, co se stane dál, navždy předurčí běh jejich životů. Autorka nás nechává sledovat tři verze jejich budoucnosti, kdy jsou nebo nejsou spolu, a po různých peripetiích všechny směřují k závěru v současnosti. Žena na obraze měla vlasy tmavě hnědé, s kaštanovým leskem. Odvracela se, dívala se na muže, který seděl za ní na pohovce v obývacím pokoji; díval se na ni a zároveň i na diváka s výrazem, který měl být podle Jima nečitelný. V tu chvíli měl největší starost o toho muže – který byl a nebyl on sám, stejně jako tou ženou byla Helena i Eva Katzová a všechny ženy, které kdy potkal –, muže, který vypadal příliš nešťastně. Měla to být třetí část triptychu. Ostatní dvě už byly zabalené a stály opřené o zeď ateliéru a byly téměř stejné, jen s menšími obměnami. Na prvním z nich seděla žena a muž stál, na druhém seděli oba. Jim změnil také drobné detaily v místnosti, místo, na kterém za pohovkou stály hodiny, pohlednice a foto grafi e na krbové římse, barvu kočky odpočívající na křesle (jen jedna z nich byla černobílá na počest Marcela). „Něco jako hledej pět rozdílů,“ poznamenala Helena, když jí poprvé vysvětlil svůj nápad. Samozřejmě žertovala, ale on dobře cítil i ten osten. Jeho ambice s triptychem byly mnohem větší. Obraz měl znázorňovat všechny cesty, které zůstaly nevyužité, mnohé životy, které nebyly žity, životy, které nikdo ne žil. Nazval ho: A co kdyby to bylo jinak?

A co kdyby to bylo jinak?

Ein Leben aus leuchtenden Tagen

Das erfolgreichste literarische Debüt des Jahres 2015 in England: ein Buch über die Macht des Augenblicks und ein Plädoyer für die Liebe. Eva und Jim sind neunzehn und Studenten in Cambridge, als ihre Wege sich 1958 zum ersten Mal kreuzen. Eine Fahrradpanne führt die beiden zusammen. Was dann passiert, wird den Rest ihres Lebens bestimmen. Wir folgen drei unterschiedlichen Versionen ihrer Zukunft, zusammen und getrennt. Sehen Eva dabei zu, wie sie eine berühmte Schriftstellerin wird. Und Jim, wie er für die Kunst seinen Beruf als Anwalt hinter sich lässt. Wir sehen Partner kommen und gehen, reisen mit ihnen nach London, New York und Los Angeles. In all den Jahren nimmt ihre Liebe immer wieder ungeahnte Wege, von den ersten drei Treffen bis hin zum Finale: drei Liebesgeschichten, ein Paar. «Drei mal wir» ist ein reicher Roman über die Was-wäre-wenn-Momente des Lebens. Darüber, wie ein Augenblick über unser Leben entscheiden kann. Und es ist ein Plädoyer für die Liebe – auch wenn man sie nicht immer gleich erkennt. «Drei mal wir» war in England das Sommerbuch des Jahres 2015: Nummer-1-Bestseller, verkauft in 22 Länder und ein sensationeller Presseerfolg. Die deutsche Ausgabe ist besonders liebevoll gestaltet: durchgängig vierfarbig, florale Vignetten und illustrierte Zwischentitel.

Drei mal wir

Greg Madison

In 1958 in their book Existence, Rollo May, Henri Ellenberger and Ernst Angel introduced existential therapy to the English-speaking psychotherapy world. Since then the field of existential therapy has moved along rapidly and this book considers how it has developed over the past fifty years, and the implications that this has for the future. In their 50th anniversary of this classic book, Laura Barnett and Greg Madison bring together many of today's foremost existential therapists from both sides of the Atlantic, together with some newer voices, to highlight issues surrounding existential therapy today, and look constructively to the future whilst acknowledging the debt to the past. Dialogue is at the heart of the book, the dialogue between existential thought and therapeutic practice, and between the past and the future. Existential Therapy: Legacy, Vibrancy and Dialogue, focuses on dialogue between key figures in the field to cover topics including: historical and conceptual foundations of existential therapy perspectives on contemporary Daseinanalysis the search for meaning in existential therapy existential therapy in contemporary society. Existential Therapy: Legacy, Vibrancy and Dialogue explores how existential therapy has changed in the last five decades, and compares and contrasts different schools of existential therapy, making it essential reading for experienced therapists as well as for anyone training in psychotherapy, counselling, psychology or psychiatry who wants to incorporate existential therapy into their practice.

Legacy, Vibrancy and Dialogue

Existential Therapy

Although it is a natural and inescapable part of life, death is a subject that is often neglected in psychotherapeutic literature and training. In When Death Enters the Therapeutic Space Laura Barnett and her contributors offer us insights into working with mortality in the therapeutic encounter. Taking an existential perspective, the book brings together a variety of client groups, all of whom have experienced a confrontation with mortality, and encourages the reader to engage with and reflect upon the subject of death. Although this may initially evoke anxiety and distress, Barnett and her contributors introduce the reader to the 'vitality of death' (Koestenbaum): an energy and focus that can come from confronting our greatest fears and anxieties, including the anxiety aroused by our own mortality. Topics covered include: philosophical roots and principal approaches to existential therapy health related issues including cancer, HIV and Intensive Care surviving violent trauma creating a safe space for the client short prognosis and palliative care bereavement. When Death Enters the Therapeutic Space presents therapists with an understanding of what it means to experience such traumas and prepares them for helping the client. It will be useful for trainee counsellors and experienced therapists alike.

Existential Perspectives in Psychotherapy and Counselling

When Death Enters the Therapeutic Space

Det är över ett decennium sedan Cass Wheeler, en populär brittisk singer-songwriter, släppte sitt senaste album; tio år sedan den tragedi som drev henne till sammanbrott och gjorde att hon helt försvann från musikscenen något som ledde till utdragna spekulationer bland hennes fans. Men nu befinner sig Cass återigen i studion. Hennes uppgift är att välja ut sexton av de många hundra låtar hon skrivit sedan tonåren till ett samlingsalbum: ett arbete som framkallar starka minnen och tillbakablickar över de vägar hennes liv tagit. Från barndomens plågsamma minnen, till mötet med Ivor, musiken, festerna, lyckan över dottern Anna, och vidare mot det stora sammanbrottet. Greatest Hits är historien om ett liv, berättad på ett unikt och rörande sätt. Om toppar och dalar, kärlek och brustna hjärtan, succéer och misslyckanden. LAURA BARNETT är författare och journalist, bosatt i sydvästra London. Hon debuterade med den hyllade Versioner av oss. Greatest hits är hennes andra roman. Laura Barnett skriver regelbundet i The Guardian, The Observer, Daily Telegraph och Time Out London.

Greatest hits - en roman

Essential tips and advice from stars of stage and screen. Actors know the best source of advice on the profession is other actors. Nothing compares with the wisdom and practical know-how acquired through years of working in the business. "Advice from the Players" features a host of tips and guidance on every aspect of the actorOCOs craft, direct from some of the best-known stars of stage and screen, including Julie Walters, Lenny Henry, Harriet Walter, Simon Callow, Mark Gatiss, David Harewood, Jo Brand, Simon Russell Beale, Lesley Manville, Zawe Ashton and Mathew Horne, amongst many others. Drawing directly on their own personal experience, they offer essential advice on topics including: Applying to drama school Getting an agent Auditions The dos and donOCOts of rehearsal Acting for camera Acting comedy Coping with stage fright Surviving the tough times Staying inspired, and much morea Candid, passionate, sometimes contradictory, often very funny u "Advice from the Players" is a book to turn to whenever youOCOre in need of guidance or inspiration, whether youOCOre a working actor, at drama school, or involved in amateur theatre. It is also an invaluable introduction for those considering a career in the performing arts, and a fascinating read for anyone who wants to know what itOCOs really like to be a working actor."

Laura Barnett

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