Audiobooks Narrated by Tanya Franks

The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana

The Kama Sutra is an ancient Sanskrit text written some fifteen hundred years ago that has gained the reputation of being a raunchy sex manual. Which to some degree it is. But the chapter "On sexual union" is only one of seven which deal with many other aspects of love and life. When viewed in context, it's a fascinating, practical guide not just to relationships between the sexes, but to living an accomplished and fulfilled existence. And we can learn a lot from it, even now. Originally written (or perhaps more properly assembled) by the philosopher Vatsyayana, the Kama Sutra came to the attention of the English-speaking world following the publication of Sir Richard Burton's translation in 1883, which is the version we've adapted for this audio. An irascible and what one might call a "colourful" type, Burton took a keen interest in the sexual mores of the countries he explored in Africa and the Middle and Far East, and he wasn't squeamish about trying some of them out. "Sir," he was once reported as telling a priest, "I have committed every sin in the Decalogue." And he probably had. On his death, he was engaged in translating another well-known erotic work "The Perfumed Garden". Of course, the Society for the Suppression of Vice was quickly onto him (this was after all the Victorian era when a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking), but Burton got round the strict laws governing pornography by having the Kama Sutra privately published for the Kama Shastra Society, which he formed especially for the purpose. And so the text has come down to us. Being originally written in a male-dominated society, the female partner is regarded as very much the second-class citizen - but not quite as much as one might expect. Vatsyayana, and the civilization of which he was part, realized that it takes two to tango, and there are many areas of the text in which the intellectual cultivation of women is strongly encouraged. In addition, the female is not exclusively the shrinking violet who exits solely to do the man's bidding: indeed, she initiates a good deal of the proceedings. Listen for yourself and find out the truth behind one of the most notorious works in literary history.

Vatsyayana (Author), Tanya Franks (Narrator)

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The Second Empress

National bestselling author Michelle Moran returns to Paris, this time under the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as he casts aside his beautiful wife to marry a Hapsburg princess he hopes will bear him a royal heir After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleons power is absolute. When Marie-Louise, the eighteen year old daughter of the King of Austria, is told that the Emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, leaving the man she loves and her home forever, or say no, and plunge her country into war. Marie-Louise knows what she must do, and she travels to France, determined to be a good wife despite Napoleons reputation. But lavish parties greet her in Paris, and at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her husbands affection, including Napoleons first wife, Joséphine, and his sister Pauline, the only woman as ambitious as the emperor himself. Beloved by some and infamous to many, Pauline is fiercely loyal to her brother. She is also convinced that Napoleon is destined to become the modern Pharaoh of Egypt. Indeed, her greatest hope is to rule alongside him as his queen - a brother-sister marriage just as the ancient Egyptian royals practiced. Determined to see this dream come to pass, Pauline embarks on a campaign to undermine the new empress and convince Napoleon to divorce Marie-Louise. As Paulines insightful Haitian servant, Paul, watches these two women clash, he is torn between his love for Pauline and his sympathy for Marie-Louise. But there are greater concerns than Paulines jealousy plaguing the court of France. While Napoleon becomes increasingly desperate for an heir, the empires peace looks increasingly unstable. When war once again sweeps the continent and bloodshed threatens Marie-Louises family in Austria, the second Empress is forced to make choices that will determine her place in history - and change the course of her life. Based on primary resources from the time, The Second Empress takes readers back to Napoleons empire, where royals and servants alike live at the whim of one man, and two women vie to change their destinies.

Michelle Moran (Author), Adam Alexi-Malle, Emma Bering, Tanya Franks (Narrator)

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