Recent reviews of Forsaking All Other. Mary Anne Yarde 'I think Meyrick has set a new standard of excellence. Forsaking All Other is certainly the best historical romance book I have read in this era. It is, without a doubt, a plot-driven page-turner of a book. ' The Borgia Bull 'It’s been a good while … Continue reading Reviews of Forsaking All Other
‘The great daunger of childbyrth’
While not an absolute rarity, portraits of pregnant women were not common in the Renaissance period. Surprisingly, there are a number of late Elizabethan and early Jacobean portraits of women at an advanced stage of pregnancy, sometimes surrounded by their children, sometimes alone. Many of these were painted by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. When I … Continue reading ‘The great daunger of childbyrth’
Book Review – A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys
A Dangerous Crossing, set in mid-1939, begins with a well-dressed woman removed by police from a passenger ship after it has docked in Sydney. The novel then steps back to the beginning of the voyage where we are introduced to Lily Shepherd who is bidding farewell to her family on board the Orentes, a migrant … Continue reading Book Review – A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys
My Reading – March 2018
Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski Mrs Osmond by John Banville The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton
Book Review – Fortune’s Wheel by Carolyn Hughes
When discussing the aftermath of the Black Death, many general history books mention that it was an historical turning point which ultimately brought about the demise of the feudal system. With possibly up to 60% of the population of Europe dead from plague, labourers were in short supply and despite laws intended to freeze wages … Continue reading Book Review – Fortune’s Wheel by Carolyn Hughes
Yay!
Well, I have finally done it. Last week I published my novel Forsaking All Other both as a paperback and an ebook. An historical novel with romantic elements, it is set in England in the mid-1580s and tells the story of a young woman's struggle to avoid an arranged marriage at a time when duty … Continue reading Yay!
My Reading – February 2018
A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys Pleasing Mr Pepys by Deborah Swift Fortune's Wheel by Carolyn Hughes
Book Review – Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
On 25 February 1862, following his death from typhoid, Willie Lincoln, the 11-year-old son of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, was buried in the family vault of Judge William Carroll in the Oak Hill cemetery in Georgetown. Lincoln in the Bardo takes place over several nights following his funeral. It begins with two … Continue reading Book Review – Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
My Reading – January 2018
Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell Black + White: Race Politics and Changing Australia by Nyunggai Warren Mundine Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders If you have difficulty with any of the links Right-click on the link and open in a private window and it should work.
Book Review – Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell
London 1595 and Richard, younger brother of William Shakespeare is a player in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men where William is both playwright and a sharer (a senior member of the company who shared both its expenses and its profits). Richard’s arrival in London a few years earlier was not welcomed by William. He packed Richard … Continue reading Book Review – Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell
Catherine Meyrick 