All Reviews

22 August 2012

Henry [Henry II, King of England, 1133-1189] can’t see any point of view but his own. He keeps his adult sons dependant on him They rebel time and time again, strengthening his distrust of them, but it is their mother who bears most of the punishment Henry doles out. Eleanor is not a lady to submit... More..

21 May 2012

Shostakovich is compelled to write his new work down, before the music in his head disappears. He doesn’t eat, sleep or talk to his family, immersed in his music. Around him Leningrad is besieged, the German army shelling the city, the citizens starving. Elias, the conductor of a second-rate... More..

27 March 2012

Though he nominated his daughter, the Empress Matilda, as his heir to England and Normandy, Henry did not adequately prepare for the succession, so Stephen was able to step up to kingship. Honour was the ideal in mediæval times but in practice self-interest dictated which royal candidate people... More..

31 August 2011

Set in Israel two thousand years ago, it is not difficult to work out who the characters are in this book, even though they have slightly different names from those we are familiar to us. As a girl growing up in a large family, Rachael saw her mother and big brother in a different light from that... More..

31 August 2011

This is the final volume in her saga of prehistoric humans. Ayla, Jondalar their daughter, horses and wolf have come to live with his people. Ayla is chosen to become a spiritual leader. In addition to the physical inventions they bring, Ayla introduces the concept of fatherhood and causes some... More..

31 August 2011

If you have ever wondered why so many countries piled into the First World War when a fellow gets assassinated in an obscure corner of Europe, the answers are here. Personal tales of several families of different nationalities are entertaining, but it is the historical manoeuverings that captivated... More..

26 November 2010

Margaret had a constant belief, all her adult life that her son Henry will be king of England, and that God must agree with her. She is a very strong woman, surviving three husbands and maintaining her cause despite adversities that come her way. cao More..

17 June 2010

To quote Philip Ardach, “Unsettling, thought-provoking, life affirming, triumphant and tragic, this is a novel of breathtaking scope.” It is a must read that will take you on a journey into the very heart of what it is to be human and beyond. It is an extraordinarily complex and many layered work... More..

18 January 2010

This was a great read:- enthralling and captivating until the end. The story opens with the death of Cleopatra and is told by her daughter, Selene who had a twin brother, Alexander, and a younger brother, Ptolemy. Upon their mother’s death, Octavian sends all the children to Rome, where they are... More..

15 October 2009

This debut novel is a stunner. A beautifully crafted story that takes you into the life of a woman rancher in the American West during the early days of the twentieth century. Fighting the weather, the landscape and the deprivations of isolation in the Dakota Badlands, Rachel Dupree tells her... More..

9 September 2009

A slavery novel which follows the journey over six decades of an eleven year old African girl, from her capture right up until the time she stands before the British Parliament asking for the abolition of slavery. A wonderful, moving novel.EO More..