Great Reads
Historical
And Such Great Names As These
By Allen Makepeace
Historical
The backdrop of this book is the endless slaughter on the Western Front during the First World War and a military execution in France.˙ Desertion is a capital offence. Much of the story is told through the eyes of ten year old Joshua, who loves the tales of bravery told to him by his school teacher.˙Joshua soon realises that life for him is not turning out like the storybooks but is subject to small town bigotry and prejudices.˙
Heresy
By S.J. Parris
Historical
country awash with paranoia and conspiracy – but a safe haven for a radical monk on the run. Giordano Bruno, with his theories of astronomy and extraterrestrial life, has fled the Inquisition for the court of Elizabeth I. Here, he attracts the attention of Francis Walsingham, chief spymaster and sworn enemy of Catholic plotters. Bruno is sent undercover to Oxford, where the university is believed to be a hotbed of French dissent. Bruno quickly finds himself drawn into college intrigues, and distracted by a beautiful young woman. Before long, he is investigating a hideous series of murders, each linked by a letter offering clues.
Isabella
By Alison Weir
Historical
Isabella was described by Christopher Marlowe as the ?She Wolf of France? and one of the most notorious femme fatales in history. In 1292 she was married to Edward II of England and was known to have lived adulterously with Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. Accusations of murder and regicide remain unsubstantiated. This is history written like a novel and brings to life this violent period.
Tales of the Alhambra
By Washington Irving
Historical
For anyone visiting the Alhambra ? this book is a must - for Washington Irving lived within the palace when he visited Granada in the spring of 1829. He was inspired by the voices of its inhabitants and the tales of the Muslim chroniclers to write these tales which are part myth and part history.
The Loveday Vendetta
By Kate Tremayne
Historical
This sweeping historical drama in the vein of Poldark and Daphne du Maurier will also appeal to fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick. Beautiful, headstrong, troubled: Rowena Loveday has always lived in the shadow of her mother’s tarnished reputation. And when her father takes his own life, she fears she will never escape the curse of her parentage. She finds an ally in orphaned Bryn, ward of her uncle, Adam Loveday. But even Bryn cannot protect her from the ultimate betrayal... Indebted to the Lovedays for saving his life, Bryn is piecing together his childhood memories. Before he can reclaim his stolen inheritance, he must uncover the truth behind the murders of his mother and brother. Only then can he confront the demons from his past – and lay the dead to rest. Bryn’s discoveries unleash an enemy more powerful than the Loveday family have ever encountered. They must unite in order to protect their own. But will it be too late...?
The White Queen
By Phillipa Gregory
Historical
This fast-paced and incident-packed read vividly recreates the deperate times of the Wars Of The Roses and the life of Elizabeth Woodville.
Wolf Hall
By Hilary Mantel
Historical
A wide ranging novel based on the life of Thomas Cromwell from his violent childhood through to becoming one of the most influential people in the court of Henry VIII. Thomas Cromwell was given the dangerous task of masterminding the divorce from Katherine of Aragon so enabling the king to marry Anne Boleyn. Little was known of the actual facts but Hilary Mantel has woven a tale of intrigue, politics that sweeps you along from the first to the last page.
