This is a refreshingly new take on a familiar story. We know about the heroic voyages of Captain Cook to the other side of the globe, and the contributions he made to science and exploration. The Home Coming tells the other side of the story: what it was like for the wife he left behind. His fame makes Elizabeth something of a public figure herself. Yet her husband comes home every two or three years, and then departs again, leaving her to cope alone with the deaths of their children and yet another pregnancy. We feel for her loneliness and her unsupported grief, and the effect this has on her other relationships.
An internationally bestselling, award-winning novel peering deep into the passions, losses, and reveries of the wife of eighteenth-century explorer Captain James Cook.
After twelve years of marriage to English explorer James Cook, Elizabeth has yet to spend an entire year with her husband. In their house by the Thames, she moves to the rhythms of her life as a society wife, but there is so much more to her than meets the eye. She has the fortitude to manage the house and garden, raise their children, and face unbearable sorrow by herself-in fact, she is sometimes in thrall to her…
This is richly imagined fantasy, where we meet witches with iron teeth and nails, who ride malevolent wyverns, Faes, who are no quaint fairies, but chillingly Other, and Celaena Sardothien, who would rather live as a trained assassin then face her destiny as ruler of kingdom, and a realm in which to practice magic means death. There is a depth of emotion in this series that is not always found in fantasy. We feel the erotic tension between the Fae prince Rowan and Celaena, as he puts her through a course of punishing exercises, to teach her to control her gift of magic. We also feel the bond that develops between the witch Manon Blackbeak and the unlikely runt of a wyvern, who, against all expectations, kills the largest and most brutal wyvern, saving Manon’s life. Witches are not supposed to love, but we warm to their unspoken bond.
Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak-but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life-and her future-forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed?
The bestselling series that has captured readers all over the world reaches new heights in this sequel to the New York…
Barbara Erskine’s time-shifting psycho-dramas follow a predictable pattern, but are none the less enjoyable for that. A conflicted character in the present is being taken over by a problematic figure from the past, bringing danger to those around them. Someone in the present must find a way to break the chain, but they put themselves at much greater risk by doing so. In this case, the historical figure is the Anglo-Saxon Eadburh, the real-life daughter of King Offa of Mercia. Her dangerous connection is with Emma, daughter of the historian Simon Armstrong, who has retired to a cottage on the Welsh border to finish his book on King Offa. The effect is so disturbing that he calls for the help of Bea, a teacher staying nearby. What I particularly enjoyed was the way that Bea, struggling with mounting threats, is aided by her husband Mark, a cathedral canon. He overturns the stereotypes of Anglican clergy, and adds a gentle humour to the story. Erskine’s books usually feature a character that reflects Jung’s archetype of the Wise Old Man. What greatly enriches these books is Erskine’s meticulous research – not only of the historical story, but of the evocative countryside around Hay on Wye, where she lives. The scenes are vividly brought to life.
The brand-new, gripping historical novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lady of Hay!
'Warmth, depth, mystery, magic and the supernatural ... such a beautiful book!' bestselling author Santa Montefiore
'A dazzling roller-coaster of a book that will thrill, enchant and intrigue those who love history and the supernatural' bestselling author Alison Weir
A love story that will echo through the centuries
A couple torn apart...
The year is 775AD, and the Saxon King Offa rules with cold ambition. His daughter, Eadburh, destined for an arranged marriage, is devastated when her true love is torn from her. Angry and…
Pennant Melangell lies at the head of a mountain valley in North Wales. It consists of a church, with the medieval shrine and pilgrimage site of St Melangell, a few cottages - and a newly constructed hotel, The House of the Hare, built by its imposing director Thaddaeus Brown. To the House of the Hare come Aidan and Jenny Davison, with their seven-year-old daughter Melangell. Jenny is dying of cancer, but is determined to live life to the full while she can. She looks forward to using the hotel's archery range. Thaddaeus Brown's new centre has provoked fierce opposition. When Brown is found dead, an arrow in his eye, suspicion falls first upon Lorna, his vulnerable young niece, and then upon an eccentric and passionate local man. Then young Melangell goes missing ... The first of a series of new mysteries featuring Aidan and Melangell and set in what Fay Sampson describes as the 'thin' places of the Celtic world.
