Traitor’s Knot begins in 1645 with the Battle of Naseby where the New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell all but destroyed the Royalist army. James Hart, a Royalist captain, despite the hardening influence of three years at war, is shocked to his core when, in his escape from pursuing Roundheads, … Continue reading Book Review – Traitor’s Knot by Cryssa Bazos
Book Review – The Women in Black by Madeleine St John
The Women in Black is a delightful book set at the end of the 1950s in the Ladies Cocktail Frocks section on the second floor of F G Goode’s Department Store in Sydney (loosely based on David Jones). The story centres around the lives of the black-frocked sales assistants working there – Patty, Mrs Williams, … Continue reading Book Review – The Women in Black by Madeleine St John
A Glimpse of Elizabethan Norwich
My novel, The Bridled Tongue, is set partly in Norwich. Although Norwich suffered extensive bombing during World War II, there are numerous areas where Norwich's history is still plain. In 2016 I visited Norwich and so was able to glimpse the streets and sights that would have been familiar to my 16th century characters. While … Continue reading A Glimpse of Elizabethan Norwich
Book Review – The Woman in the Shadows by Carol McGrath
The Woman in the Shadows* is a fictional account of the adult life of Elizabeth Wykes, the wife of Thomas Cromwell, a man from relatively humble origins who rose from merchant and lawyer to become chief minister to Henry VIII. For most people, all that is known of Elizabeth is as Cromwell’s wife, a background … Continue reading Book Review – The Woman in the Shadows by Carol McGrath
My Reading – June 2018
The Woman in the Shadows by Carol McGrath 'It is a glorious day: the sky a spread of blue with the midsummer sun slowly rising towards its zenith.' The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa 'Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. The daily recital of the Rosary was over.' The Shadow of the Pomegranate … Continue reading My Reading – June 2018
Book Review – The Coffin Path by Katherine Clements
From the very first page The Coffin Path gives off a sense of foreboding and building menace. It begins in the Spring 1674, fourteen years into the reign of Charles II, although people and places still bear the scars of the English Civil War. Mercy Booth lives with her father, Bartram Booth, and an aging … Continue reading Book Review – The Coffin Path by Katherine Clements
Book Review – The Good People by Hannah Kent
The Good People is set in an isolated village in Kerry, about ten miles from Killarney, in the years 1825 and 1826. It begins with the sudden but seemingly gentle death of Martin Leahy at the village crossroads, the place where traditionally suicides were buried. From the start, it is clear that this is a … Continue reading Book Review – The Good People by Hannah Kent
My Reading – May 2018
Herald of Joy by Pamela Belle The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith The Coffin Path by Katherine Clements Girolamo Savonarola: The Renaissance Preacher by Samantha Morris
Book Review – Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski
Little Boy Lost begins at Christmas 1943 when poet Hilary Wainwright receives the news, brought by Frenchman, Pierre Verdier, that his three year old son, John, is lost somewhere in France. Hilary has only seen his son once, just after his birth, as he had to flee France following the German invasion. His wife Lisa, … Continue reading Book Review – Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski
I Spy – Book Challenge
I saw this book challenge on the There's Something About KM blog and thought I would give it a go as it looked like fun. If you want to try it yourself, these are the rules: - Find a book on your bookshelves that contains (either on the cover or in the title) an example … Continue reading I Spy – Book Challenge
Catherine Meyrick 