My Review (5 stars out of 5) In the 1660s, bubonic plague sweeps through the Derbyshire village of Eyam. New rector, William Mompesson and his family, must try to work with the community to combat the disease but his faith is at odds with that of the people and their Puritan rector Thomas Stanley. Eventually,…
Category: History
‘Henry VIII – King and Court’ by Alison Weir
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Alison Weir’s highly researched book explodes the life of Henry VIII and that of his court. While the book does not give as thorough an accounting of the six wives (which Weir delves into in greater detail in another book), we do get the low-down on the day-to-day…
‘The Lost Queen’ by Carol McGrath
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Berengaria of Navarre is destined to be the wife and queen of King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart). This story relates how Berengaria’s future mother-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, took her on a journey to meet up with the young woman’s future husband, Richard. I’d never heard of Berengaria,…
‘And What Do You Do?’ by Norman Baker
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In this unsentimental analysis of the British royal family, Norman Baker uncovers their excessive use of public money, an unerring ability to avoid the law, and a questionable history of bad behaviour in relation to pretty much everyone else on the planet. Ex Lib Dem MP Baker holds…
‘Masquerade: The Lives of Noel Coward’ by Oliver Soden
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) As a playwright, Noel Coward is best known for his most popular stage plays ‘Private Lives’, ‘Hay Fever’ and ‘Blithe Spirit’, though he wrote many works that are largely unfamiliar to the theatre-going public. He also wrote novels, screenplays and serious and comic songs, such as ‘Mad…
‘Thames Valley Tales’ by Tim Walker
My Review (4 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) This collection of nine short stories is inspired by the author’s experience of living in Thames Valley towns, mixing modern-day themes with tales and legends from the area between London and the heart of rural England. As with all short story collections, there are those which stand…
‘Divided Empire’ by Brian Kitchen
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Britain, 391 AD. While the powers-that-be in Rome vie for control of the empire, Flavius Vitulasius and his pal, Siward, are engaged on a confidential mission – an important document, the ‘Pagan Concord’, could rip Britain apart leading to civil war between the Christians and Pagans. Teaming up…
‘King of Kings’ by MJ Porter
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Following his father’s death, King Athelstan rules over the English, unifying the territories of Wessex, Mercia and York. But uniting the Scots and Welsh to ensure peace and protect against invasion from the Norse Vikings, isn’t so easy. Set against him, is his own stepbrother, Edwin, who believes…
‘Just One Damned Thing After Another’ by Jodi Taylor
My Review (3 stars out of 5) Recruited to the mysterious St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, Dr Madeleine Maxwell finds that some historians don’t just sit on their thumbs and read about history, but actually go there. But History has rules and trying to outdo it can incur a serious risk to health and…
‘Secrets and Lies’ by Christine Keeler
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Sixties model Christine Keeler tells her part in helping bring down Harold Macmillan’s government via the infamous scandal known as the Profumo Affair. Uncovering the intimate lives of her friends Stephen Ward and model Mandy Rice-Davies, Keeler relates what actually happened all those years ago, including disclosures she…
Colin Garrow 