Hamnet... About the Book: On a summer’s day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working … Continue reading Book Review: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Historical Fiction
Book Review: The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
The Bass Rock... About the Book: The lives of three women weave together across four centuries in the dazzling new book from Evie Wyld, winner of the Miles Franklin Award. Surging out of the sea, the Bass Rock has for centuries watched over the lives that pass under its shadow on the Scottish mainland. And … Continue reading Book Review: The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
#BlogTour #BookReview: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic… About the Book: The acclaimed author of Gods of Jade and Shadow returns with a mesmerising feminist re-imagining of Gothic fantasy, in which a young socialite discovers the haunting secrets of a beautiful old mansion in 1950s Mexico. He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to … Continue reading #BlogTour #BookReview: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Book Review: The Secret Life Of Shirley Sullivan by Lisa Ireland
The Secret Life Of Shirley Sullivan... About the Book: The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan is a charming, nostalgic and heart-warming story for women of any age – and it all begins when 79-year-old Shirley kidnaps her husband from his nursing home for one final adventure . . . When Shirley Sullivan signs her 83-year-old … Continue reading Book Review: The Secret Life Of Shirley Sullivan by Lisa Ireland
Book Review: Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten
Tsarina… About the Book: Lover. Murderer. Mother. Meet TSARINA, the most powerful woman history ever forgot. Spring 1699: Illegitimate, destitute and strikingly beautiful, Marta has survived the brutal Russian winter in her remote Baltic village. Sold by her family into household labour at the age of fifteen, Marta survives by committing a crime that will … Continue reading Book Review: Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten
Book Review: The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
The Jane Austen Society... About the Book: It's only a few months since the war ended but the little village of Chawton is about to be hit by another devastating blow. The heart of the community, the Chawton estate, and site of Jane Austen's cherished former home, is in danger of being sold to the … Continue reading Book Review: The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
Author Talks: Sandie Docker on The Power of Feel-good Fiction
Feel-good fiction sometimes gets a raw deal as being ‘light-weight’ or an ‘easy’ read, but an easy read simply means it is a page turner. And while feel-good fiction may leave us, as the name suggests, feeling good at the end, it doesn’t mean it can’t deal with some fairly heavy issues. And for me … Continue reading Author Talks: Sandie Docker on The Power of Feel-good Fiction
Book Review: Mammoth by Chris Flynn
Mammoth... About the Book: The original, unforgettable and thought-provoking new novel by award-winning author Chris Flynn that will change how readers understand the world. Narrated by a 13,000-year-old extinct mammoth, this is the (mostly) true story of how a collection of prehistoric creatures came to be on sale at a natural history auction in New … Continue reading Book Review: Mammoth by Chris Flynn
Reflecting on The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
The Book of Longings... About the Book: Ana is a rebellious young woman, a gifted writer with a curious, brilliant mind, who writes secret narratives about the neglected and silenced women around her. Raised in a wealthy family in Galilee, she is sheltered from the brutality of Rome's occupation of Israel. Ana is expected to … Continue reading Reflecting on The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
Author Talks: Kirsty Manning on Discovering hidden jewels through research
A little over three years ago I was in the final stages of researching and writing my last novel set in Shanghai in World War Two—The Jade Lily—when I stumbled across an extraordinary newspaper article that completely knocked me off track. It was a review of an exhibition of 500 priceless pieces of Elizabethan and … Continue reading Author Talks: Kirsty Manning on Discovering hidden jewels through research
