Audiobooks narrated by Lara Sawalha

Lydia was a successful merchant who sold her goods to the wealthy and elite of her day. What need did she have of a Savior? She was a Gentile who had grown up in the midst of a pantheon of gods. Why would she care to hear about the God of the Jews? Why should a Roman citizen from Thyatira living in Philippi be drawn to a Jewish carpenter crucified on a cross in Jerusalem? The Book of Acts recounts the stories of numerous men and a few women God chose to use to plant His church in the first century. This is the story of one of those - a merchant called Lydia. Explore her story and the story of the times in which she lived - the portion you may already know … and the rest of the story that could have been.

Kenneth Winter (Author), Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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A Witness Called Mary

This is the story of Mary Magdalene. The Gospels tell us she was a successful woman. But they also tell us she found herself under the control of seven demons until the day Jesus set her free. From that day forward she was one of the women who traveled with Jesus. She was a firsthand witness to much of His ministry. She was one of the few who stood at the foot of the cross. She was one of a handful who journeyed to the garden tomb. She was the first to actually see Jesus after He had risen. She stood on the hill and watched Him ascend. She was in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came upon them. She witnessed a lot! So there is much she can tell us. Consider her story - the portion you may already know … and the rest of the story that could have been.

Kenneth Winter (Author), Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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Queens and Prophets: How Arabian Noblewomen and Holy Men Shaped Paganism, Christianity and Islam

Contrary to popular assumption, Arab women were instrumental in shaping world history. Between Rome's intervention in the Arabian Peninsula and the Arab conquests, noblewomen ruled independently, conducting trade and making war. Their power was often celebrated as queen, priestess and goddess. With time they delegated power to the most important holy men of their age, influencing Arabian paganism, Christianity and Islam forever. Empress Zenobia and queen Mavia supported bishops Paul of Samosata and Moses of Sinai. Paul was declared a heretic by the Roman church. Moses began the process of mass Arab conversion. The teachings of these men survived under their queens, setting in motion seismic debates that would fracture the early churches and lay the groundwork for the rise of Islam. In Mecca, lady Khadijah used her wealth and political influence to employ a younger man then marry him against the wishes of dissenting noblemen. Her husband, whose religious and political career was influenced by her, was the prophet Muhammad. Long overdue, Queens and Prophets is a landmark exploration of the legacy of female power in late antique Arabia.

Emran Iqbal El-Badawi (Author), Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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A Tale of Two Cities: A BBC Radio full-cast drama

Ayeesha Menon's reworking of Charles Dickens' iconic story of love, revolution and redemption, updated to modern-day London and war-torn Syria 2011, Syria. The Arab Spring is underway, and after a wave of peaceful protests, President Assad agrees to a release of political prisoners. Freed after 30 years, Dr Mahmoud is taken in by Taghreed and Emad Daffar, and brought to England by his old friend Jarvis Lorry and the daughter he has never met, foreign correspondent Lina. But his years of suffering have left him a broken man. Back in London, Jarvis convinces his nephew Sid Carton, a feckless but brilliant barrister, to defend a young Syrian émigré doctor, Shwan Dahkurdi, against charges of supporting terrorism. Lina and Shwan fall in love, only for his dark family secret to tear them apart... Meanwhile, convinced that only Lina gives his life meaning, Sid confesses his unrequited love, promising to do anything for her and those she loves. As the city of Aleppo turns into a battleground, Taghreed becomes increasingly involved with the rebels of the Free Syrian Army. Her desire for justice - and her obsessive thirst for vengeance - will have devastating repercussions... A powerful portrayal of personal sacrifice set against the turbulent backdrop of political change, Dickens' classic novel is as resonant today as when it was written. The redemption of flawed humanity is at the heart of award-winning writer Ayeesha Menon's riveting reimagining, spanning five years and with a seamlessly shifting perspective between Aleppo and London. Provocative, powerful and moving, this drama won a BBC Drama Audio Award for Best Adaptation, and stars Fatima Adoum, Lara Sawalha, Phil Davis, Khalid Abdalla, Shaun Parkes and Nadim Sawalha. Production credits A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, adapted for radio by Ayeesha Menon Development concept written by Silas Parry Produced by Gill Parry Directed by Polly Thomas Producer for Goldhawk Productions: Emma Hearn Executive Producer: John Dryden Broadcast Assistant: Jan Shepherd Sound design by Eloise Whitmore A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4 Cast Taghreed - Fatima Adoum Lina - Lara Sawalha Jarvis - Phil Davis Shwan Dahkurdi - Khalid Abdalla Sid - Shaun Parkes Dr Mahmoud - Nadim Sawalha Cameraman/Jerry/Driver - Shiv Grewal Emad - Raad Rawi Yakub/General- George Georgiou Samia - Nathalie Armin Syrian Protestor - Ahmed Aziz Fadi/Guard/Local Doctor - Ammar Haj Ahmad Secretary - Jan Shepard First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 May-3 June 2018 ©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Charles Dickens (Author), Fatima Adoum, Khalid Abdalla, Lara Sawalha, Phil Davis (Narrator)

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The Silence of Scheherazade

Set in the ancient city of Smyrna, this powerful novel follows the intertwining fates of four families as their peaceful city is ripped apart by the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. On an orange-tinted evening in September 1905, Scheherazade is born to an opium-dazed mother in the ancient city of Smyrna. At the very same moment, a dashing Indian spy arrives in the harbour with a secret mission from the British Empire. He sails in to golden-hued spires and minarets, scents of fig and sycamore, and the cries of street hawkers selling their wares. When he leaves, seventeen years later, it will be to the heavy smell of kerosene and smoke as the city, and its people, are engulfed in flames. But let us not rush, for much will happen between then and now. Birth, death, romance and grief are all to come as these peaceful, cosmopolitan streets are used as bargaining chips in the wake of the First World War. Told through the intertwining fates of a Levantine, a Greek, a Turkish and an Armenian family, this unforgettable novel reveals a city, and a culture, now lost to time. 2021 Head of Zeus

Defne Suman (Author), Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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Pressure Chamber

Four babies have been kidnapped from four different maternity wards in Tel Aviv. With not a single lead to follow, all investigators can do is wait patiently for the suspect they call 'The Babysitter' to make their next move. Four weeks earlier, on a quiet street, a medical student went out for a run and was killed by a hit and run driver. Then a second student went out and never returned. Daphne Dagan, a young, talented police officer, is first to realize that the hit and run and the kidnappings are related. But she's also in the middle of her own battle - a recurring nightmare that's been haunting her for years. The strain of dealing with a real-life killer and kidnapper during the day, and the man who murders her in her sleep each night drive her into a place of darkness and despair from which she must escape if she is to catch 'The Babysitter'. Praise for the author: "This book has a clever plot and plays upon the fear that there are hidden persons out there prepared to do us harm for obscure reasons... There are passages that make you gasp in horror." CRIME REVIEW "Hezroni's superior thriller debut will send chills up the spines of even jaded genre fans." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY "Thriller fans will be enthralled as well as disturbed." WASHINGTON POST

Nir Hezroni (Author), Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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David and Ameena

Modern-day New York, a subway train. David, an American-Jewish jazz musician, torn between his dreams and his parents' expectations, sees a woman across the carriage. Ameena, a British-Pakistani artist who left Manchester to escape the pressure from her conservative family, sees David. When a moment of sublime beauty occurs unexpectedly, the two connect, moved by their shared experience. From this flows a love that it appears will triumph above all. But as David and Ameena navigate their relationship, their ambitions and the city they love, they discover the external world is not so easy to keep at bay. Ami Rao's masterful debut novel picks apart the lives of two people, stripping them of their collective identities and, in doing so, facing up to the challenge of today: can love give us the freedom to accept our differences? "An accurate and telling evocation of the additional complications of personal creative expression." TIM HAYWARD, writer, broadcaster and columnist "A touching story of multicultural love, desire and achievement with 'soul' at its heart." GEOFFREY HORTON, musician and vocalist "Exquisite. Beautiful. Provocative. I love her writing." JIM LAWLESS, author of 'Taming Tigers'

Ami Rao (Author), Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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Ayesha At Last

Winner of the 2019 Hearst Big Books Award - Cosmopolitan's Book of the Year A Mirror 'Best Books to Read This Summer' pick A big-hearted, captivating, modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice, with hijabs instead of top hats and kurtas instead of corsets. Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been overtaken by a demanding teaching job. Her boisterous Muslim family, and numerous (interfering) aunties, are professional naggers. And her flighty young cousin, about to reject her one hundredth marriage proposal, is a constant reminder that Ayesha is still single. Ayesha might be a little lonely, but the one thing she doesn't want is an arranged marriage. And then she meets Khalid... How could a man so conservative and judgmental (and, yes, smart and annoyingly handsome) have wormed his way into her thoughts so quickly? As for Khalid, he's happy the way he is; his mother will find him a suitable bride. But why can't he get the captivating, outspoken Ayesha out of his mind? They're far too different to be a good match, surely... "A clever homage to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that you'll love, even if you never got round to reading the original." COSMOPOLITAN

Uzma Jalaluddin (Author), Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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All Our Broken Idols

Historical fiction Book of the Month in The Times. Assyria, in the reign of Ashurbanipal. For Aurya and her daydreaming brother Sharo, every day is a struggle for survival, as they dodge the beatings of their drunken father and scrabble for scraps of food. One violent evening, everything changes. Soon, they are on the barge of King Ashurbanipal, bound for the beautiful, near-mythical city of Nineveh. Their fates become inextricably bound to that of the king - and the injured lion captured by his men. Twenty-six centuries later, British-Iraqi archaeologist Katya joins a dig in Mosul to protect the ancient ruins of Nineveh from organised looters, following in the footsteps of her dead father. When she and Salim, a fellow archaeologist, discover an astonishingly beautiful and rare carving, they know their find will bring the world's attention to Mosul. But the real world crashes in to their studious idyll to catastrophic, devastating effect when ISIL storm Mosul - and take Katya, Salim and local girl Lola hostage. All Our Broken Idols is hauntingly evocative, a novel in which past and present lives intertwine and stories travel across the ages. It is a story about the importance of art and the threat it poses to those in power. And it is about bravery; standing up for what you believe in, and who you love.

Paul M.M. Cooper (Author), Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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Sisters of the War: Two Remarkable True Stories of Survival and Hope in Syria

An extraordinary true account of the enormous tragedy of the Syrian civil conflict. Since the revolution-turned-civil war in Syria began in 2011, over 500,000 civilians have been killed and more than 12 million Syrians have been displaced. Rania Abouzeid, one of the foremost journalists on the topic, follows two pairs of sisters from opposite sides of the conflict to give readers a firsthand glimpse of the turmoil and devastation this strife has wrought. Sunni Muslim Ruha and her younger sister Alaa withstand constant attacks by the Syrian government in rebel-held territory. Alawite sisters Hanin and Jawa try to carry on as normal in the police state of regime-held Syria. The girls grow up in a world where nightly bombings are routine and shrapnel counts as toys. They bear witness to arrests, killings, demolished homes, and further atrocities most adults could not even imagine. Still, war does not dampen their sense of hope. Through the stories of Ruha and Alaa and Hanin and Jawa, Abouzeid presents a clear-eyed and page-turning account of the complex conditions in Syria leading to the onset of the harrowing conflict. With Abouzeid's careful attention and remarkable reporting, she crafts an incredibly empathetic and nuanced narrative of the Syrian civil war, and the promise of progress these young people still embody.

Rania Abouzeid (Author), Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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Roar: Uplifting. Intriguing. Thirty short stories from the Sunday Times bestselling author

Have you ever imagined a different life? Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided...Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar? From much-loved, international bestseller Cecelia Ahern come stories for all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very different women. Each discovers her strength; each realizes she holds the power to make a change. Witty, tender, surprising, these keenly observed tales speak to us all, and capture the moment when we all want to roar. 'These stories sing and cry and shout and whisper from the page. They're sharp, clever, witty...a joy to read.' Donal Ryan, international bestselling author of The Spinning Heart

Cecelia Ahern (Author), Adjoa Andoh, Aisling Bea, Lara Sawalha (Narrator)

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I Am Heathcliff

16 modern fiction superstars shine a startling light on the romance and pain of the infamous literary pair Heathcliff and Cathy. Short stories to stir the heart and awaken vital conversation about love. Sixteen stories inspired by Wuthering Heights. In 'Terminus' a young woman hides in an empty Brighton hotel; in 'Thicker Than Blood' a man sits in a hot tub stalking his newly-married love on social media; and in 'A bird half-eaten' an amateur boxer prepares for a match. A woman recalls the 'Heathcliffs I Have Known' and the physical danger she has borne at their hands; in 'Anima' a child and a fox are unified in one startling moment of violence; and in 'One Letter Different' two teenagers walk the moors and face up to their respective buried secrets. Curated by Kate Mosse and commissioned for Emily Brontë's bicentenary year in 2018, these fresh, modern stories pulse with the raw beauty and pain of love and are as timely as they are illuminating. The full list of contributors is: Leila Aboulela, Hanan Al-Shaykh, Joanna Cannon, Alison Case, Juno Dawson, Louise Doughty, Sophie Hannah, Anna James, Erin Kelly, Dorothy Koomson, Grace McCleen, Lisa McInerney, Laurie Penny, Nikesh Shukla, Michael Stewart and Louisa Young.

Alison Case, Anna James, Hanan Al-Shaykh, Joanna Cannon, Juno Dawson, Kate Mosse, Leila Aboulela, Louisa Young, Louise Doughty, Nikesh Shukla, Sophie Hannah (Author), Dami Olukoya, Freddie Gaminara, Karen Cogan, Lara Sawalha, Lucy Brownhill (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Lara Sawalha