Category Archives: Historical fiction

REVIEW: A Civil Contract – Georgette Heyer

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Ela

Originally published 1961 When I first discovered Georgette Heyer in my teens, and started devouring her books wholesale, this was never one of my favourites. The plot – how two people enter into a marriage of convenience and how that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Historical fiction, Re-read, Reviews, Romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

BOOK TO SCREEN: Filming Shakespeare

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Ela

Firstly, an apology for not posting anything since April: as usual, it’s not as if I haven’t been reading during this lacuna. Secondly, recent re-watchings of Avengers Assemble and Thor: The Dark World made me go in search of other … Continue reading →

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REVIEW: The Regeneration Trilogy – Pat Barker

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Ela

(Penguin e-book, 1996) The trilogy of books, set during the First Wold War, takes as its starting point the arrival of Siegfried Sassoon at Craiglockhart, a hospital in Edinburgh for soldiers suffering from “shell-shock”. His friend, Robert Graves, a captain … Continue reading →

Posted in 2014 New Reads, Fiction, Historical fiction, Poetry, Read on my Kindle, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

REVIEW: HHhH – Laurent Binet

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Ela

(Vintage 2013, translated by Sam Taylor; originally published by Éditions Grasset et Fasquelle 2009) This is the story of Operation Anthropoid, a daring mission in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, second in command of the SS and hated ‘Protector’ … Continue reading →

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REVIEW: Whom the Gods Love – Kate Ross

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Ela

(Hodder and Stoughton 1996) Julian Kestrel – Regency dandy, man-about-town and sometime sleuth – begins his third adventure in a churchyard in Hampstead, where Sir Malcolm Faulkland, eminent barrister, has asked for a meeting. Sir Malcolm wants Kestrel to investigate … Continue reading →

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REVIEW: Royal Escape – Georgette Heyer

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Ela

(Arrow e-book 2005, originally published 1938) Georgette Heyer is primarily known for her romance novels set in the early nineteenth century of ‘Regency’ England, though she did write historical novels set in other periods. Of these, most feature real people … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011 New Reads, Fiction, Historical fiction, Read on my Kindle, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hiatus

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Ela

Well, in the words of Sam Gamgee, I’m back. I’ve been on holiday this past week, and have conspicuously failed either to do much reading or reviewing. I have finally got around to starting Cordelia Fine’s Delusions of Gender, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Discussion, Feminism, Historical fiction, Not A Review | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

False Colours – Georgette Heyer

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Ela

(Random House e-book 2005, originally published 1963) This is one of my favourites of Georgette Heyer’s historical novels – unusually, it’s told predominantly from the viewpoint of the hero, a nice touch. Christopher Fancot, working for the diplomatic service in … Continue reading →

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The Nonesuch – Georgette Heyer

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Ela

(Random House e-book 2005, originally published 1962) In Heyer’s later years, she wrote a number of historical romances featuring slightly older heroines (in their late twenties rather than their late teens), and The Nonesuch is one of these. Ancilla Trent … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Ela

(e-book, originally published 1859) My track record with Dickens isn’t great: I’ve managed to finish only Great Expectations of his novels, and that’s only because I had to read it at school for GCSE*. I’ve previously started, and failed to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011 New Reads, Fiction, Historical fiction, Read on my Kindle, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment