Now retired after a full life, I grew up with a passion for history and the people who made it, being very fortunate during over thirty years at sea to visit many locations around the world where the characters I read about lived. I am also fortunate now to write the history novels I like to read.
When US Marine Liam Kierney reaches war-torn France in 1918, he is thrown into a world of conflict, pain, courage, humour, human weakness, and the horror of kill or be killed. Blundering military decisions make things desperate for Liam and his comrades as they fight to survive in the trenches, building towards the crucial battle at Belleau Wood. Liam is wounded and transferred to England for recovery, where he finds romance with Sheilagh, a beautiful Irish nurse. Things are looking positive for Liam’s life and future until a vain British army captain, who is infatuated with Sheilagh, falsifies events to have Liam arrested for desertion and espionage.
Their lives and future will depend on the court-martial. Can the truth set them free?
This book is written through the eyes of idealist Paul Baume, and the vivid experiences of the WWI trenches come from from the author's own experiences.
I love the way this book captures comradeship, loss of innocence, struggles, and the inability of young men who have been turned into killers to adapt back to normal society.
It could have been written from the perspective of either side. Those who have never worn a uniform use words like patriotism and duty to persuade the young men to sacrifice their lives for the glory of their nation. Those words continue to be used, and nothing has changed.
The story is told by a young 'unknown soldier' in the trenches of Flanders during the First World War. Through his eyes we see all the realities of war; under fire, on patrol, waiting in the trenches, at home on leave, and in hospitals and dressing stations. Although there are vividly described incidents which remain in mind, there is no sense of adventure here, only the feeling of youth betrayed and a deceptively simple indictment of war - of any war - told for a whole generation of victims.
I first read this book as a young teenager who was fascinated by Greek Myth. It made Theseus my favorite of all the Greek heroes. He tells his epic life story in the first person from his return to Athens.
Weaving myth and history in an exciting way, I found it absorbing how the author turned the archaic world alive with characters from myth, becoming believable people with flesh and blood. Mary Renault is recognised as one of the greatest fiction writers of the ancient world.
Having freed the city of Athens from the onerous tribute demanded by the ruler of Knossos - the sacrifice of noble youths and maidens to the appetite of the Labyrinth's monster - Theseus has returned home to find his father dead and himself the new king. But his adventures have only just begun: he still must confront the Amazons, capture their queen, Hippolyta, and face the tragic results of Phaedra's jealous rage. Piecing together the fragments of myth and using her deep understanding of the cultures reflected in these legends, Mary Renault has constructed an enthralling narrative of a time…
The author does a huge amount of detailed research in his books, and I can escape into all of them because he makes the past come alive.
Marco Polo was nicknamed "Marco of the millions" on his return from the East due to his unbelievable stories. Lying on his death bed, he confessed, "I have not told the half of what I saw and did!" and I can believe that.
This superb read takes me from Venice's back streets and the dangers of the Silk Road to the Kublai Khan court. All the historical accuracy brings the past to life. It can be explicit in parts, giving it an X movie rating.
The epic journeys of Marco Polo are recreated in a historical saga that follows the adventures of the Venetian explorer from medieval Italy to the court of Kublai Khan
I enjoyed this from the very first page because it brought to me the nostalgia of a past era. It is so well constructed and a refreshing subject that brings the Madrid of 1868 to life.
Jaime Astarloa is the aging, old-school fencing master and survivor of duels who prides himself on loyalty and honor with an obsession to create the perfect sword thrust but is now aware of his physical decline.
When the cunning Adela de Otero appears as a worthwhile opponent who wants to learn from Jaime, he finds himself caught up in political intrigues where his old-time values have no substance. I found it hard to put it down.
Fencing is not a game but a science. The outcome is invariably the same: triumph or disaster, life or death...
It is 1868; Spain teeters on the brink of revolution. Jaime Astarloa is a master-fencer of the old school, priding himself on the precision, dignity and honour of his ancient art; his friends spend their days in cafes discussing plots at court, but Jaime's obsession is to perfect the irresistible sword thrust. Then Adela de Otero, violet-eyed and enigmatic, appears at his door. When Jaime takes her on as a pupil he finds himself embroiled in dark political intrigues against…
This is a crime novel set in 1919 Calcutta. We follow Captain Sam Wyndham, who is a former Scotland Yard detective seeking a fresh start after the emotional wounds following WWI and the death of his wife.
When a senior official is murdered, he doesn't hold back during his search from British mansions to seedy opium dens with his new sidekick, Sergeant Banerjee. Rising tensions, the clash of societies, the heat, dirt, and crowding all contribute to bringing this colorful period to life.
This is the debut novel and the first in a remarkably well-told series so interesting I found it impossible to put down.
Calcutta, 1919. Captain Sam Wyndham, former Scotland Yard detective, is a new arrival to Calcutta. Desperately seeking a fresh start after his experiences during the Great War, Wyndham has been recruited to head up a new post in the police force. He is immediately overwhelmed by the heady vibrancy of the tropical city, but with barely a moment to acclimatize or to deal with the ghosts that still haunt him, Wyndham is caught up in a murder investigation that threatens to destabilize a city already teetering on the brink of political insurgency.
Gabrielle found her grandfather’s diaries after her mother’s death, only to discover that he had been a Nazi. Born in Berlin in 1942, she and her mother fled the city in 1945, but Api, the one surviving male member of her family, stayed behind to work as a doctor in a city 90% destroyed.
Gabrielle retraces Api’s steps in the Berlin of the 21st century, torn between her love for the man who gave her the happiest years of her childhood and trying to come to terms with his Nazi membership, German guilt, and political responsibility.
Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past
"This is not a book I will forget any time soon."
Story Circle Book Reviews
Moving and provocative, Api's Berlin Diaries offers a personal perspective on the fall of Berlin 1945 and the far-reaching aftershocks of the Third Reich.
After her mother's death, Robinson was thrilled to find her beloved grandfather's war diaries-only to discover that he had been a Nazi.
The award-winning memoir shows Api, a doctor in Berlin, desperately trying to help the wounded in cellars without water or light. He himself was reduced to anxiety and despair, the daily diary his main refuge. As Robinson retraces Api's…
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