Menna van Praag schreibt Geschichten des magischen Realismus, die sich in der Kulisse von Cambridge Colleges, Cafés und Buchläden abspielen. Ihre Werke zeichnen sich durch eine traumhafte Atmosphäre aus und erforschen Themen wie Hoffnung, Träume und die Suche nach dem eigenen Platz in der Welt. Der fesselnde Stil der Autorin zieht die Leser in Erzählungen voller Zauber und unerwarteter Wendungen. Ihre Bücher sind eine Feier der Fantasie und menschlichen Widerstandsfähigkeit.
Goldie, Lyiana, Scarlet und Bea sind Halbschwestern. Geboren am selben Tag, sind sie die Töchter von verschiedenen Müttern und eines Vaters – des mächtigen Dämons Grimm. Getrieben von dem Wunsch, die Erde zu beherrschen, verlieh er jeder Tochter die Macht über ein Element: Erde, Luft, Wasser und Feuer. Um ihr volles Potenzial zu entfalten müssen sie als erwachsene Frauen in das Reich ihres Vaters zurückkehren. Kurz vor ihrem achtzehnten Geburtstag stehen die Schwestern Grimm vor der schwierigsten Entscheidung ihres Lebens: Streben sie nach der dunklen Macht ihres Vaters, oder wollen sie die Welt und die Menschen, die sie lieben vor dem düsteren Grimm retten?
Die perfekte Mischung aus 'Bridget Jones' und 'Der Alchimist': warmherzig, humorvoll und tiefsinnig Mayas großer Traum ist es, Schriftstellerin zu werden; aber statt etwas dafür zu tun, stürzt sie sich in hoffnungslose Männer-Geschichten und sucht Trost in süßen Leckereien. Eines Tages verändert eine schicksalhafte Begegnung Mayas tristen Alltag. Sie blüht auf und erkennt, dass das Leben, neben seinen Schattenseiten, so viele kostbare Möglichkeiten bietet, um sich voll zu entfalten. Es folgt die wertvolle Erkenntnis, dass wahres Glück – der Traumjob, der Traummann, die Traumfigur und vieles mehr – erst dann kommt, wenn man sich selbst so annimmt, wie man ist, und sich dabei einzigartig und wunderbar fühlt!
Distraught that her academic career has stalled, Alba is walking through her
hometown of Cambridge, and finds herself in front of a house she's never seen
before, 11 Hope Street. A beautiful older woman named Peggy greets her and
invites her to stay, on the house's usual conditions: she has ninety-nine
nights to turn her life around.
A sweet and touching true-life tale about love, success, weight loss, and enlightenment that shows what is possible when you listen to your heart, believe in yourself, and take inspired action in the direction of your dreams.
Jude is the owner of a special antiques shop in Cambridge. She finds all of
the joy in her life matching people with the special something that they are
missing, a talisman that will help bring them just what their heart most
desires. Although Jude's life is certainly not overflowing with the love she
would wish for...
In Cambridge a little shop stands where thousands of sheets of beautiful paper
and hundreds of exquisite pens wait for someone who, with Clara Cohen's help,
will express the true emotions felt to correspondents alive, estranged or
dead. When Clara discovers a cache of wartime love letters, she follows them
on the start of her own journey.
And then there were three . . .Three years ago, the sisters confronted their demon father in that strange other-world called Everwhere. It was a battle that ended in a devastating loss, and the scars they carry seem to have slowly pushed the sisters apart . . .One sister, still raw with grief, is now a near recluse but determined to use her powers to resurrect what she has lost.Another has made the journey to learn more of her family, her culture and her roots.And another seems to have turned her back on what she is and opted to lead a more normal life.But now the sisters are about to be brought together once more. Because when the clock strikes midnight, when October ticks into November, when autumn wilts into winter, when All Hallows' Eve becomes All Saints' Day, the sisters Grimm will turn twenty-one and reach the zenith of their powers.And on this night, at this time, in this place called Everwhere, anything is possible . . .
"For fans of Alice Hoffman, Sarah Addison Allen, and Adriana Trigiani, The Witches of Cambridge reveals an astonishing world where the heart's deepest secrets give way to the magic of life-changing love. Be careful what you wish for. If you're a witch, you might just get it. Amandine Bisset has always had the power to feel the emotions of those around her. It's a secret she can share only with her friends--all professors, all witches--when they gather for the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft. Amandine treasures these meetings but lately senses the ties among her colleagues beginning to unravel. If only she had her student Noa's power to hear the innermost thoughts of others, she might know how to patch things up. Unfortunately, Noa regards her gift as a curse. So when a seductive artist claims he can cure her, Noa jumps at the chance, no matter the cost. Noa's not the only witch in over her head. Mathematics professor Kat has a serious case of unrequited love but refuses to cast spells to win anyone's heart. Her sister, Cosima, is not above using magic to get what she wants, sprinkling pastries in her bakery with equal parts sugar and enchantment. But when Cosima sets her sights on Kat's crush, she conjures up a dangerous love triangle. As romance and longing swirl through every picturesque side street, the witches of Cambridge find their lives unexpectedly upended and changed in ways sometimes extraordinary, sometimes heartbreaking, but always enchanting. Praise for Menna van Praag's The Dress Shop of Dreams "Reminiscent of Love Actually and P.S.I Love You. recommended to readers who want to be charmed by the possibilities of love."--LibraryReads (Top Ten Pick) Find your next book club pick, read special features, and more. Join the Random House Reader's Circle"-- Provided by publisher
The Cambridge University witches have been meeting for as long as the university has been around - over 900 years - although they meet mainly to discuss books. In 2014 the group includes Kat (a great spell-caster & professor of mathematics), George (a professor of Classics & all-round witch who seems to have no special skills), Amandine (retired French Literature professor and psychic, Kat's mother) & Noa (student of history - who sees people's secrets and can't help but say them). Cosima, Kat's sister, is also a witch and, when she begins casting spells to attract a mate, everything starts to go wrong.
