I wouldn't have met Piti if it hadn't been for a chichigua. To translate chichigua as a kite does not do justice to these beautiful creations of...
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This is the most recent in C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake mystery series, set during the reign of Henry VIII. It maintains the high standards Sansom has set in his previous Shardlake books, starting with Dissolution. In this one Shardlake is asked by Henry's new queen, Catherine Parr (whom he met in the last book, Revelation) to assist an old servant of hers, Bess Calfhill, whose son has committed suicide under mysterious circumstances.
Shardlake sets out for the southeast of England to pursue his investigations just as Henry is plunging the country into war with France. The country is alert for a possible French invasion, and the English ships are gathering in Portsmouth.
Sansom does a wonderful job of making history come alive in the context of a gripping story about characters you can really care about. His vivid description of thre famous sinking of Henry's great ship, the Mary Rose, in Portsmouth Harbor, is a highlight of this book.
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(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
I just got through reading "Agent Zigzag."
Wow! What an amazing story. One of the great spy stories of all time. If it were a novel, you'd say it was too implausible.
But it's not -- it's true.
Ariana Franklin is known primarily for series of historical mysteries set in medieval England. "City of Shadows", however, is a novel of suspense set in 1920s-1930s Berlin. The novel is centered around the story of a real life historical character, Anna Anderson, who turned up in a German mental asylum in the 1920s claiming to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia, a survivor of the massacre of the Imperial family at Ekaterinberg. Ms Franklin is very good at evoking the louche and threatening atmosphere of Berlin in this period -- the dire poverty and chaos of the 1920s followed by the rise of Naziism. The characters (among them a fake Russian nobleman; a Russian Jewish refugee who has survived her own share of horror; a German cop who views the looming menace of Naziism with distaste and fear) are interesting and the plotting is ingenious.
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(0 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
I've always loved Le Guin. The Dispossessed is a true classic of the genre -- beautifully written and very moving. I recently reread it after many years, along with The Left Hand of Darkness, another Le Guin classic. Both are as good as ever, not dated at all.
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(12 of 16 readers found this comment helpful)
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Marjorie Madonne has commented on (8) products.
Heartstone: A Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery by C J Sansom
Marjorie Madonne, March 3, 2012
This is the most recent in C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake mystery series, set during the reign of Henry VIII. It maintains the high standards Sansom has set in his previous Shardlake books, starting with Dissolution. In this one Shardlake is asked by Henry's new queen, Catherine Parr (whom he met in the last book, Revelation) to assist an old servant of hers, Bess Calfhill, whose son has committed suicide under mysterious circumstances.Shardlake sets out for the southeast of England to pursue his investigations just as Henry is plunging the country into war with France. The country is alert for a possible French invasion, and the English ships are gathering in Portsmouth.
Sansom does a wonderful job of making history come alive in the context of a gripping story about characters you can really care about. His vivid description of thre famous sinking of Henry's great ship, the Mary Rose, in Portsmouth Harbor, is a highlight of this book.
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre
Marjorie Madonne, October 1, 2010
I just got through reading "Agent Zigzag."Wow! What an amazing story. One of the great spy stories of all time. If it were a novel, you'd say it was too implausible.
But it's not -- it's true.
The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby (Penguin Classics) by Charles Kingsley
Marjorie Madonne, September 21, 2010
I read "Water Babies" as a child and adored the book. The review definitely makes me want to revisit it.City of Shadows: A Novel of Suspense by Ariana Franklin
Marjorie Madonne, May 17, 2009
Ariana Franklin is known primarily for series of historical mysteries set in medieval England. "City of Shadows", however, is a novel of suspense set in 1920s-1930s Berlin. The novel is centered around the story of a real life historical character, Anna Anderson, who turned up in a German mental asylum in the 1920s claiming to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia, a survivor of the massacre of the Imperial family at Ekaterinberg. Ms Franklin is very good at evoking the louche and threatening atmosphere of Berlin in this period -- the dire poverty and chaos of the 1920s followed by the rise of Naziism. The characters (among them a fake Russian nobleman; a Russian Jewish refugee who has survived her own share of horror; a German cop who views the looming menace of Naziism with distaste and fear) are interesting and the plotting is ingenious.(0 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
Marjorie Madonne, May 19, 2008
I've always loved Le Guin. The Dispossessed is a true classic of the genre -- beautifully written and very moving. I recently reread it after many years, along with The Left Hand of Darkness, another Le Guin classic. Both are as good as ever, not dated at all.(12 of 16 readers found this comment helpful)
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