Archives by Tag 'Historical'
Review: ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ by John Fowles
Title: Author: John Fowles Published: Pan Books, 1987, pp. 399. Originally published 1969. Genre: Historical fiction Blurb:In this contemporary, Victorian-style novel Charles Smithson, a nineteenth-century gentleman with glimmerings of twentieth-century perceptions, falls in love with enigmatic Sarah Woodruff, who has been jilted by a French lover. (Goodreads.com) When, where and why: I think my mother [...]
Review: ‘The Red Tent’ by Anita Diamant
Title: Author: Anita Diamant Published: Pan Macmillan, 2002, pp. 386. Originally published 1997 Genre: Historical fiction Blurb: Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her fate is merely hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the verses of the Book of Genesis that recount the life of Jacob and his infamous dozen sons. [...]
Review: ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ by Ken Follett
Title: Author: Ken Follett Published: Pan, 1999, pp. 1076. Originally published 1989 Genre: Historical fiction Blurb: 1123. A time of violent civil war, famine, religious strife and battles for royal succession And a time when man’s greatest skills and aspirations gave birth to a daring and impossible dream — the building of the magnificent cathedral [...]
Review: ‘Twist of Gold’ by Michael Morpurgo
Title: Author: Michael Morpurgo Published: Egmont, 2001, pp. 300 Genre: Young adult historical fiction Blurb: Sean and Annie have fled the potato famine in Ireland for America, leaving their dying mother behind. They are the only O’Brien children to have survived their family’s suffering. The worst is not over as they embark on a hard [...]
Review: ‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’ by Brian Selznick
Title: The Invention of Hugo Cabret Author: Brian Selznick Published: Scholastic, 2007, pp. 533 Genre: Young adult historical fiction Blurb: Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks — like the gears of [...]
Review: ‘Mary Anne’ by Daphne du Maurier
Title: Mary Anne Author: Daphne du Maurier Published: Pan, 1979, pp. 381 Genre: Historical fiction Blurb: In the glittering, corrupt world of Regency London, Mary Anne Clarke had beauty, brains and wit — but no money. Spurred on by the demands of a drunken husband, a wastrel brother and four children, she chose an exacting [...]
Review: ‘The Thirteenth Tale’ by Diane Setterfield
Title: The Thirteenth Tale Author: Diane Setterfield Published: Orion, 2007, pp. 470 Genre: Historical gothic mystery Blurb: Angelfield House stands abandoned and forgotten. It was once the imposing home of the March family – fascinating, manipulative Isabelle, Charlie, her brutal and dangerous brother, and the wild, untamed twins, Emmeline and Adeline. But Angelfield House conceals [...]
Review: ‘The Last Witchfinder’ by James Morrow
Title: The Last Witchfinder Author: James Morrow Published: Phoenix, 2006, pp. 573 Genre: Historical fiction Blurb:In the spring of 1688, Walter Stearne, Witchfinder-General for Mercia and East Anglia, roams the countryside in search of heretics. His daughter Jennet is left behind in the care of her Aunt Isobel, who schools her in the New Philosophy [...]
Review: ‘Sophia Scrooby Preserved’ by Martha Bacon
Title: Sophia Scrooby Preserved Author: Martha Bacon Published: Puffin Books, 1971, pp. 220 Genre: Children’s historical fiction Blurb: ‘My little panther’, Nono’s father called her, but he didn’t get the chance to say it for long. Her African village was destroyed and she first lived in the bush then was sold as a slave, given [...]
Review: ‘The Little Stranger’ by Sarah Waters
Title: The Little Stranger Author: Sarah Waters Published:Virago, 2010, pp. 501 Genre: Historical gothic fiction Blurb: In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, [...]