Historical Fiction Books

Boleyns Everywhere

Advantages: good read
Disadvantages: addictive!

Buying The Book I bought ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ at the same time as ‘The Boleyn Inheritance’, I got them from a book magazine that had them on offer. You can generally find them for between £4 and £7 each depending on where you look. Amazon for example has the same copy of the book as I have for £4.99 new, which in my opinion is a reasonable price for this particular book. The Book The Other Boleyn Girl is one in a series of books about ...
...the life of Mary Boleyn. Mary is Anne Boleyns younger sister, not much is known about her as the focus was always more on Anne than Mary. This book portrays Anne differently to how some other books portray her, she is shown through the eyes of a loving sister rather than the King or another onlooker. There are many twists and turns in the book, and parts where it is impossible to put down. Even though everyone knows how the book ends before even ...

buggsy2008 18.05.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory

sad story plumbs depths of human tenacity

Advantages: occasionally moving; well written
Disadvantages: sad; heavy-going

This is a wide ranging novel, whose overall theme would seem to be that there is no end to what men can endure. Throughout the novel, pain and fear are the dominant feelings; mud and blood are the prominent visuals. Although this is typically considered a great novel, I am not convinced that I enjoyed reading this novel, because I, personally, prefer a different style of writing. Stephen Wraysford is a young man visiting Amiens, France in 1910 at ...
...the wife of his host, a young woman trapped in a loveless, passionless marriage, and the first part of the novel is concerned with their passionate journey together. The relationship develops so swiftly as to be almost unbelievable and none of the characters comes across as particularly likeable, despite the sad back stories the lovers are given by Faulkes. Soon the action moves to the trenches in France where Jack Firebrace, a miner, is listening ...

brokenangelkisses 09.11.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

Mummy Knew Is A Brilliant Book

Advantages: Mummy Knew will lift your spirit and take your emotional intelligence to a new level.
Disadvantages: Mummy Knew will raise your pulse, triple your heart-rate & deprive you of any sleep you may need!

Mummy Knew is the BEST true story I've read in years and I would say it sets itself completely apart from the whole genre. Thanks to Lisa James, it has a very unique writing style which holds you mesmerized by wonderful detail and a gift for unravelling the layers which make up people, combined with a blistering narrative pace which twists and turns like a possessed rollercoaster. You constantly feel like you're headed for the edge of a cliff and ...
...in her memory. I doubt I'll ever read a book like this again, unless of course she writes another! Lisa James is certainly a gifted writer and I hope we hear more from her in the future. So buy, borrow or beg this fabulous book and enjoy a most rewarding reading experience. ...

hollywoodguru 18.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Mummy Knew - Lisa James

A psychologically deep look at World War One

Advantages: incredibly deep, very readable
Disadvantages: none!

As someone who has studied in detail many novels, memoirs and poetry relating to the Great War, Pat Barker's "Regeneration" still stands out to me as one of the most detailed, well-researched and imaginative books on the theme. Set in Craiglockhart Mental Hospital just after Siegfried Sassoon's infamous protest against the continuance of the war, Barker chooses to explore the emotional conflicts and changing perceptions of war, beautifully blending ...
...and Dr William Rivers with the characters of her own creation. Indeed, the psychological realism and complexity of each of these characters is unrivalled in most modern fiction, and we are shown a different side of warfare as these men take the long road from shellshock and trauma to recovery, aided by the wonderfully insightful and philosophical character of Dr Rivers. Barker also takes us on a whirlwind tour of Enland in the latter stages of the ...

lexyloo 12.05.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Regeneration - Pat Barker

The secret war in the north of Ireland uncovered.

Advantages: Full of information, opinions and theories.
Disadvantages: absolutely none.

This very informative book by the Belfast author, Martin Dillon, is sure to give anyone a very enjoyable read. It contains many shocking facts and theories regarding the period of the 'troubles' in the north of Ireland. While reading this book I was amazed at how much knowledge could be displayed in a book without being boring. The author displays personal opinions and theories throughout the book and backs these up with facts from the recent period ...
...interesting information about the war between the IRA and the Brits and the dirty tactics which were employed, including the use of employers and the possible use of 'shoot to kill' tactics against suspected IRA men. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I found out a lot of information which I didn't know before and yet I wasn't bored, the book was actually very interesting and enthralling. I didn't want to put in down until I had it finished. ...

Celticbhoy 13.09.2000 · Read full review

Review of The Dirty War - Martin Dillon