In which Siege comes for the steamboat disaster and stays for the excellent characters and gripping story.
Chevalier: I officially don’t get it
This is the second of Chevalier’s books that I have read. Last year I tackled “Girl with the Pearl Earring” and despite the critical acclaim, it fell flat for me and I found it obvious, and sort of a chore. I also didn’t like Remarkable Creatures, but for somewhat different reasons. This novel has two narrators: Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. Set in England in the 1800s, this is a story about women as they try to leave their mark on the scientific community, and […]
A Splendid Time Travel Tale (Or, Connie Willis Deserves All of Her Awards)
Kivrin, a historian and student at Oxford in 2054, plans a trip to the Middle Ages using the well-established technology of “the net.” She must do extensive research in order to blend in with the locals. The history department’s technicians must perform complex calculations to get her to the right location. Her instructors carefully set up a rendezvous to bring her back. No one has ever traveled to the fourteenth century before. Kivrin’s favorite professor, Mr. Dunworthy, is deeply worried for her. However, Kivrin has […]
Lady Macbeth
Quick Synopsis: Lady Gruadh comes of age in 11th century Scotland and makes a play to become Queen of Scots Quick Review: A well-told story for anyone interested in Scottish history or the characters behind Shakespeare’s famous (and fairly inaccurate) play Read the full review here
Pro Gloria Dei
I read half of this book at various points last year, and read the other half whilst on a 14 hour bus ride this week… so I’ll count this review for this year, especially since I wrote it on said 14 hour bus ride. This is a book about history; a book about a cathedral. It is about England and the Church, about good and evil and the spectrum between. Most of all, it is the story about people who fill that spectrum: people who […]
The Unknown Shore
Quick Synopsis: The adventures of two young men in the British Royal Navy circa 1740 Quick Review: Good for O’Brian junkies, but not for newcomers to the works Read the Full Review