Helen Paris

The uplifting read about one woman's journey from invisibility to being seen once more and the power of friendship, perfect for fans of The Lido and Keeper of Stories.‘One of my favourite books of the year’ ***** Reader review‘A delightful, funny, romp of a book with mystery and romance to boot…I adored it - Ericka Waller, author of Dog Days‘A feel-good treat’ I paperIgnored. Overlooked. But they're about to prove everyone wrong... Janet Pimm is used to being invisible. 70 something, with her beloved allotment for company, she simply doesn't need anyone else. But when the local council threaten to close the allotments, Janet will do anything she can to try to save them - even enlisting the help of her irritatingly upbeat and interfering neighbour, Bev. As the two women set off on a journey together, Janet begins to realise that perhaps she isn't so happy to blend into the background after all. And that maybe there's more to Bev than she first thought. As they fight to save the place Janet loves most, both women find their voice again and no one can silence them now... A story of friendship, female lives post-menopause, community spirit and the importance of connection. Praise for The Invisible Women’s Club:‘A wonderfully human story about friendship, gardening and the strength we gain from standing up for what we believe in’ Julietta Henderson, author of The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman‘A joyous celebration of female friendship, community, and the power and freedom found in later life, it will warm the cockles of your heart’ The Sunday Post‘An uplifting read…had me hooked from the start’ ***** Reader review‘Utter joy’ ***** Reader review‘[A] heart-warming read’ ***** Reader review‘Such a feel good book…An easy 5 stars’ ***** Reader review‘A wonderful read’ ***** Reader review

Readers have fallen in love with this beautiful, heart-warming and uplifting story about one woman's journey from invisibility to being seen once more...'A heart-lifting and thoughtful read, that gives a huge shout out to the power and strength of women''This book is all heart and soul ... and just the right amount of humour''A story of courage and strength that's witty, warm and filled with wisdom''Helen writes so sympathetically about characters who may not fit into the 'normal' bracket but are so likeable and instantly relatable'-------------------------------------------------Ignored. Seventy-something Janet Pimm is invisible. Spending most of her days alone, she tends her beloved allotment with the care and love she doesn't receive from people. Plants, Janet thinks, are more important than friends. Overlooked. Janet's neighbour, Bev, has reached the age when a cloak of invisibility threatens to descend. Her friendly advances are rebuffed by Janet, but when the council threatens to close the allotments, Janet must swallow her pride and enlist Bev's help. But they're about to prove everyone wrong. As the two join forces, Janet realises that she isn't happy to be a wallflower after all. And that maybe there's more to Bev than she thought. As the bulldozers roll in and they fight to save Janet's treasured allotment, both women find their voice again. And no one can silence them now...'Wraps you in warmth and wisdom' Julietta Henderson, author of The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman'A delightful, funny book with mystery and romance' Ericka Waller, author of Dog Days

Brittisk feelgood när den är som allra bäst Dot skulle egentligen leva livet i Paris, med ett spännande jobb och den stora kärleken. Istället arbetar hon på hittegodsavdelningen i London och bor hos sin mamma. Hon ägnar dagarna åt att fylla i blanketter över upphittade paraplyer, handskar och allehanda ting, och kvällarna åt att sortera sin älskade samling reseguider. Vad döljer hon egentligen bakom all ordning och reda? Allting förändras den dag en äldre man kommer in och efterlyser sin döda frus väska. Dot bestämmer sig för att göra allt för att återförena mannen med väskan, vilket tar henne ut på en resa både i världen och i sitt eget förflutna. Bland hittegods och vilsna hjärtan är brittisk feelgood när den är som allra bäst; smart, rolig och varm. Det är en bok för dig som gillar feelgood med svärta, som Eleanor Oliphant mår alldeles utmärkt och Marian Keyes romaner. "Berättelsen är i grunden en lättläst och trivsam vardagsbetraktelse kryddad med finstämd engelsk humor, men den lyfter sig över förväntan genom den gripande inlevelsen i Dots sorgearbete, hopplösheten i saknaden efter allt som förlorats och hennes längtan och styrka att 'välja livet', så som Mr. Appleby rådde henne." (Betyg: 5) - BTJ-häftet nr 21/2021, Gunilla Bergdahl "Fängslande läsning, full av målande beskrivningar och karaktärer du inte kan låta bli att älska." - Hazel Prior Helen Paris är författare och professor i teatervetenskap. Hon wallraffade på hittegodsavdelningen på Baker Street inför arbetet med romanen.

A story of hope, forgiveness and kindness, Lost Property reminds us to keep our loved ones (along with our bags and umbrellas) close...'An enthralling read, full of rich descriptions and characters you can't help but love' Hazel Prior, bestselling author of Away with the Penguins'A lovely novel about loss and reconnection...both satisfying and joyful' Lissa Evans----------------One lost purse. One lost woman. A chance encounter that changes everything. Dot Watson has lost her way. Wracked with guilt and struggling with grief, she has tucked herself away in the London Transport Lost Property office, finding solace in the process of cataloguing misplaced things. It's not glamorous or exciting, but it's solitary - just the way Dot likes it. That is, until elderly Mr Appleby walks through the door in search of his late wife's purse and Dot immediately feels a connection to him. Determined to help, she sets off on an extraordinary journey, one that could lead Dot to reclaim her life and find where she truly belongs... Perfect for fans of Matt Haig, Rachel Joyce and AJ Pearce, this is a moving and uplifting novel about finding your place in the world. Readers have fallen in love with Lost Property:***** 'A beautiful book and one of my best reads this year'***** 'An emotional journey that had me hooked'***** 'A wonderful, uplifting debut novel'***** 'Dot is an inspiration'***** 'Full of sorrow, love and a light humour'***** 'I am so pleased to have found Dot'

Brittisk feelgood när den är som allra bäst Dot skulle egentligen leva livet i Paris, med ett spännande jobb och den stora kärleken. Istället arbetar hon på hittegodsavdelningen i London och bor hos sin mamma. Hon ägnar dagarna åt att fylla i blanketter över upphittade paraplyer, handskar och allehanda ting, och kvällarna åt att sortera sin älskade samling reseguider. Hon trivs med sitt inrutade liv, men vad döljer hon egentligen bakom all ordning och reda? Allting förändras den dag en äldre man kommer in och efterlyser sin döda frus väska. Dot bestämmer sig för att göra allt för att återförena mannen med väskan, vilket tar henne ut på en resa både i världen och i sitt eget förflutna. Bland hittegods och vilsna hjärtan är brittisk feelgood när den är som allra bäst; smart, rolig och varm. Det är en bok för dig som gillar feelgood med svärta, som Eleanor Oliphant mår alldeles utmärkt och Marian Keyes romaner." Berättelsen är i grunden en lättläst och trivsam vardagsbetraktelse kryddad med finstämd engelsk humor, men den lyfter sig över förväntan genom den gripande inlevelsen i Dots sorgearbete, hopplösheten i saknaden efter allt som förlorats och hennes längtan och styrka att 'välja livet', så som Mr. Appleby rådde henne." (Betyg: 5) - BTJ-häftet nr 21/2021, Gunilla Bergdahl"Fängslande läsning, full av målande beskrivningar och karaktärer du inte kan låta bli att älska." - Hazel PriorHelen Paris är författare och professor i teatervetenskap. Hon wallraffade på hittegodsavdelningen på Baker Street inför arbetet med romanen.

Devising Theatre and Performance is a hands-on guide for artists, students and teachers of performance at any stage of their practice. It offers a wide range of creative prompts and pathways enriched with critical thinking tools and questions, a hybrid approach Hill and Paris call ‘Curious Methods’. This is a welcome addition to the field, created and curated by two experienced artists who have operated at the international interface of academia and professional practice for over three decades. The collection is packed with fun, creative, thoughtful exercises distilled from over twenty years of running interdisciplinary artist workshops and teaching both devising and performance making. As well providing numerous exercises and suggestions for devising, composing and editing original works, this book offers tools for giving and receiving feedback, critical reflection and framing artistic work within academic research contexts. Readers can choose to dip in and out, to follow the book as a course or to work section by section, focusing on organizing principles such as working from the body, working with site, working with objects or performance activism. The book includes a detailed production workbook and a practice-based research workbook you can tailor to your own projects. The 'Curious Methods' approach encourages users to take the time and space their practice deserves while offering tools, nourishment and encouragement and inviting them to take risks beyond their comfort zones. The exercises are carefully described so that they can easily be tested out by readers, and are well contextualized in relation to vivid examples from contemporary performance practice and relevant political contexts. This compelling approach goes beyond many other books on theatre devising, which merely provide performance recipes; they do so by repeatedly highlighting the vital cultural relevance and potential personal impact of the experiments that they invite us to undertake. The primary audience for this important new book will be academics, instructors and students in courses on devised theatre, improvisation, performance art, experimental performance and practice-based research. It will be essential for classroom use, for students of theatre and performance and live art – undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph. D., teachers and all those needing strategies for getting started. It will also appeal to readers from the broader arts, humanities and social sciences who are seeking resources for integrating creative methods into their research.

Exploring the rise of immersive productions that foreground performer-audience relationships, Leslie Hill and Helen Paris draw on their work as performance artists to examine the impact of proximity in performance. Providing contemporary case studies and workshop exercises, this book aids the analysis and practice of close encounter theatre.

Exploring the rise of immersive productions that foreground performer-audience relationships, Leslie Hill and Helen Paris draw on their work as performance artists to examine the impact of proximity in performance. Providing contemporary case studies and workshop exercises, this book aids the analysis and practice of close encounter theatre.