The dreams started once Helena stopped seeing him. His laughter chimed with some unfathomable feeling as he drew something from his pocket. The chain gleamed in the sunlight as it swung in […]
Eventually, Robert came downstairs, a small bag in his hand. “I’ll make sure she sends our new address.” “There is no need,” I remarked stiffly. “I personally have no objection to your […]
Pat Barker writes with such empathy. Imagine you are a high-born girl, married at 15 to some man of your father’s choosing. You become Queen of your husband’s dominion. Then the fortunes […]
It never occurred to me that Homer and the Greeks could have anything to do with the Steppe Nomads or the likes of Genghis Khan, until I read Adam Nicolson’s WHY HOMER […]
I was first introduced to Jeff Wheeler via STORM GLASS (#1 in the series,) which came highly recommended by the Historical Novel Society, of which I am a member. I don’t usually […]
She puffed on her cigarette, her eyes hard. “What I want you to understand, both of you,” I let my gaze sweep over that arrogant youth, “is that I will not countenance […]
Jassy is one of those Norah Lofts novels set in East Anglia around the fictional town of Baildon, patterned on the real one of Bury St. Edmunds. The landscape is bleak, flat […]
Is it Marianne, or Marguerite? Poor William could never remember the names of the two sisters, even though they had very different personalities. Marianne was a fiery independent woman, who would not […]
GOOD EVENING MRS CRAVEN by Mollie Panter-Downes is a series of wartime stories set in Britain during the Second World War. Like most British people, Ms. Panter-Downes writes fluently and well, and […]
“You must be aware of the industrial strife that is now sweeping England.” “Aye. We know.” “This is an incitement to violence. Your overly inflated language is going to stir up trouble.” […]
“The author knows her characters very, very well; this shows in the consistent and very individual way they act. This is not a plot-driven story; it’s character-driven. In this book, the characters are the jam which holds everything together. The best example of this is Grace, the talented violinist, who, simply, jumps off the page. I loved her.”
“The author…adeptly summons the era in all its manners and details with her descriptive prose…Her omniscient, third-person narrator effectively flits through the heads of various characters, offering momentary glimpses of their inner lives.”
“Farewell My Life is a coming of age period drama, the book is set in between World War I and World War II.
Written in third person narration the author has creatively set the novel into three distinctive parts. The opening of the book is set in Georgetown, Washington DC
Angelina, a single mother to Violent and Grace is the black sheep of the Pagano family. She does not follow the norm, her morals are questionable to say the least. A chance meeting leads her to introducing handsome Nicholas Russell to her daughters. This sets in motion some dramatic events, when Mr. Russell’s attraction toward Angelina’s younger daughter Grace becomes sinisterly obsessive. To escape the unnerving clutches of Mr. Russell, Grace’s family take her to Berlin Germany, where she can study violin with the greatest teacher of the day. But in Berlin, they encounter the turbulent political climate leading up to the beginning World War II.
Exquisitely written with vibrant characters this book left a lasting impression on me. The author has written a heartfelt, moving, powerful, thought-provoking book, one that is definitely going to be a reread for me as the writer’s voice is so captivating. I really enjoyed the well researched content historical events interwoven with fictional characters.”
