Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 60
October 26, 2020
Check out Rebecca Lipkin's fabulous book — Unto This Last #HistoricalFiction @rebecca_lipkin
“Men ought to be severely exercised and disciplined in daily life, they should learn to lie on stone beds and eat black soup, but they should never have their hearts broken. A noble heart, once broken, never mends.”
London, 1858. Passionate, contradictory, and fiercely loyal to his friends, John Ruskin is an eccentric genius, famed across Britain for his writings on art and philosophy.
Haunted by a scandalous past and determined never to love again, the thirty-nine-year-old Ruskin shuns polite society in favour of a quiet existence at Denmark Hill, the home he shares with his domineering parents.
Reluctantly accepting a request by an Irish aristocrat to tutor her daughters in art, Ruskin becomes infatuated with his enigmatic student, Rose La Touche, an obsession with profound consequences that will change the course of his life and work.
Unto This Last is a portrait of Ruskin's tormented psyche and reveals a complex and misunderstood soul, longing for a life just out of reach.
Praise for Unto This Last
“This novel enchanted me. Deeply researched and charmingly written, it resurrects not only John Ruskin, one of the most influential characters of the Victorian age, but his fascinating pupil Rose La Touche, who is portrayed so sensitively that you feel as though you know her. Highly recommended.”
Daisy Dunn, author of In the Shadow of Vesuvius
“This is an atmospheric and utterly convincing novel. We are taken into Mid-Victorian England, not merely the society but the life and consciousness of John Ruskin – one of the most important writers of the nineteenth century. Rebecca Lipkin has dug deep – has taken on the difficult story of his relationship with Rose La Touche, tackling the subject with great empathy in prose that is both detailed and vivid. A considerable achievement.”
Michael Crowley, writer and dramatist
“Unto This Last draws the reader into the world of John Ruskin at a deeply felt, painful time in his life. Rebecca Lipkin’s thoughtful novel about this complicated man – and his often-confusing world – is a pleasure to read and a very welcome addition for all lovers of Pre-Raphaelitism.”
Lucinda Hawksley, biographer of Lizzie Siddal
Pick up your copy ofUnto This Last Amazon UK • Amazon US •Waterstones • Blackwell's • WH Smiths • Book Depository •Wordery • Book Guild Publishing
Add Unto This Last to your 'to-read' list on
Goodreads Rebecca Lipkin
Rebecca Lipkin has had a passion for Victorian art and literature from a young age. She first discovered John Ruskin through E.M. Forster’s novel, A Room with a View, and later joined the Ruskin Society at the age of seventeen to learn more about Ruskin’s work. Rebecca pursued a career in journalism, specialising in arts writing and theatre reviews, and has worked for a number of national publications. She lives in the World Heritage City of Bath, England.
Connect with Rebecca:Website • Twitter • Instagram • Facebook • Goodreads.
Publication Date: 28th August 2020Publisher: Book Guild Publishing LtdPage Length: 700 pagesGenre: Historical Fiction
Welcome to Day #3 of the blog tour for The Last Blast of the Trumpet (Book 3 of the Knox Trilogy) by Marie Macpherson #HistoricalFiction #CoffeePotBookClub @Scotscrieve @PenmorePress1 @tonyriches
The Last Blast of the Trumpet
(Book 3 of the Knox Trilogy)
By Marie Macpherson
October 12th – December 14th 2020
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Barnes and Noble
Publication Date: 24 August 2020
Publisher: Penmore Press
Series: The Knox Trilogy
Print Length: 409 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Biographical Fiction
Conflict, Chaos and Corruption in Reformation Scotland.
He wants to reform Scotland, but his enemies will stop at nothing to prevent him.
Scotland 1559: Fiery reformer John Knox returns to a Scotland on the brink of civil war. Victorious, he feels confident of his place leading the reform until the charismatic young widow, Mary Queen of Scots returns to claim her throne. She challenges his position and initiates a ferocious battle of wills as they strive to win the hearts and minds of the Scots. But the treachery and jealousy that surrounds them both as they make critical choices in their public and private lives has dangerous consequences that neither of them can imagine.
In this final instalment of the trilogy of the fiery reformer John Knox, Macpherson tells the story of a man and a queen at one of the most critical phases of Scottish history.
Scottish writer Marie Macpherson grew up in Musselburgh on the site of the Battle of Pinkie and within sight of Fa’side Castle where tales and legends haunted her imagination. She left the Honest Toun to study Russian at Strathclyde University and spent a year in the former Soviet Union to research her PhD thesis on the 19th century Russian writer Mikhail Lermontov, said to be descended from the Scottish poet and seer, Thomas the Rhymer. Though travelled widely, teaching languages and literature from Madrid to Moscow, she has never lost her enthusiasm for the rich history and culture of her native Scotland.
Writing historical fiction combines her academic’s love of research with a passion for storytelling. Exploring the personal relationships and often hidden motivations of historical characters drives her curiosity.
The Knox Trilogy is a fictional biography of the fiery reformer, John Knox, set during the 16th century Scottish Reformation. Prizes and awards include the Martha Hamilton Prize for Creative Writing from Edinburgh University and Writer of the Year 2011 awarded by Tyne & Esk Writers. She is a member of the Historical Writers’ Association (HWA), the Historical Novel Society (HNS) and the Society of Authors (SoA).
Head over to The Writing Desk where Historical Fiction author, Marie Macpherson, is exploring the influence of John Knox – Scottish minister, theologian, writer and founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
Click HERE!
Welcome to Day #5 of the blog tour for The Queen's Almoner by Tonya Ulynn Brown #HistoricalFiction #TheQueensAlmoner #BlogTour @MrsBrownee2U @EKeysian
The Queen's Almoner
By Tonya Ulynn Brown
SEPTEMBER 28TH – 30TH NOVEMBER 2020AMAZON UK • AMAZON US • BARNES AND NOBLE
Publication Date: June 30, 2020
Publisher: Late November Literary
Print Length: 320 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Sometimes loyalty to the queen comes at a cost.
Thomas Broune is a Reformer and childhood friend of the young queen, Mary Stuart. When Mary embarks on a new life in her estranged homeland of Scotland, Thomas is there to greet her and offer his renewed friendship. But the long-time friends grow closer, and Thomas realizes his innocent friendship has grown into something more. Yet he is a man of the cloth. Mary is the queen of the Scots. Both of them have obligations of an overwhelming magnitude: he to his conscience and she to her throne.
When he must choose between loyalty to his queen or his quiet life away from her court, he finds that the choice comes at a high price. Driven by a sense of obligation to protect those he loves, and crippled by his inability to do so, Thomas must come to terms with the choices he has made and find a peace that will finally lay his failures to rest.
We are stopping over on Seduction, Scandal and Spies today where Tonya to talking about her book and Mary, Queen of Scots.
Click HERE!
Welcome to Day #6 of the blog tour for The Potential for Love: A Regency Novel by Catherine Kullmann #RegencyRomance #CoffeePotBookClub #BookReview @CKullmannAuthor @CraftygasheadZo
THE POTENTIAL FOR LOVE: A REGENCY NOVELBY CATHERINE KULLMANN
OCTOBER 19TH - OCTOBER 30TH 2020AMAZON • WATERSTONES • BARNES AND NOBLE
Publication Date: 31 March 2020
Publisher: Willow Books
Print Length: 414 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Historical Romance/Regency Romance/Historical Women’s Fiction
1816
For over six years, Thomas Ferraunt’s thoughts have been of war. Newly returned to England from occupied Paris, he must ask himself what his place is in this new world and what he wants from it. More and more, his thoughts turn to Arabella Malvin, but would Lord Malvin agree to such a mismatch for his daughter, especially when she is being courted by Lord Henry Danlow?
About to embark on her fourth Season, Arabella is tired of the life of a debutante, waiting in the wings for her real life to begin. She is ready to marry. But which of her suitors has the potential for love and who will agree to the type of marriage she wants?
As she struggles to make her choice, she is faced with danger from an unexpected quarter while Thomas is stunned by a new challenge. Will these events bring them together or drive them apart?
We are celebrating the release of the special hardback edition of The Potential for Love during this tour. With a beautiful dust jacket over an elegant laminated cover, it will enhance any library and is the perfect gift for lovers of historical women’s fiction and historical romance.
Today's stop is over on Zoe's Art, Craft and Life for a fabulous review of
The Potential For Love: A Regency Novel:
Click HERE!
October 25, 2020
Have a sneak-peek between the covers of Carolyn Kirby's fabulous book — When We Fall #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalThriller @novelcarolyn
When We Fall
By Carolyn Kirby
1943.
In England, sudden fog forces pilot Vee Katchatourian to make an emergency landing where she meets enigmatic RAF airman Stefan Bergel and then can't get him out of her mind. In occupied Poland, Ewa Hartman hosts German officers in her father's guest house whilst secretly gathering intelligence for the Polish resistance. Ewa is still mourning her lost lover, Stefan who was captured by the Soviets at the start of the war. But then one morning she sees him on the street near her home. Haunted by the terrible choice he made whilst in captivity, Stefan will ask both Vee and Ewa to help him expose one of the darkest secrets of the war. But it is not clear where anyone's loyalties lie until they are tested...
Excerpt
Vee steers the Tiger to a stop but lets the engine purr. On the roof of the control tower, inside a glass observation box, binoculars glint. They cannot, surely, object to her landing here. Anyone can get caught out by fog. She reaches down for the map and scans the jigsaw of green and blue for an aerodrome.
Then the Tiger rocks drunkenly to one side. An airman wearing a deflated life-vest has put his foot on the lower wing, weighing it down. His hand slices across his throat in a signal for Vee to cut the engine, but he is smiling. She reaches out to the switch beside the half-windscreen and flicks off the ignition. As the engine stutters into silence, she looks at the airman, and when his icily pale blue eyes meet hers, his smile collapses.
‘Mein Gott!’
Colour washes from him.
Vee tenses and unease needles the back of her neck. That last stretch of water… it could not possibly have been the North Sea, could it? And that bomber beside the runway is surely a Bristol Blenheim, not a Junckers 88… Her eyes search around for a familiar red and blue roundel. And, of course, the RAF symbol is there on the Blenheim’s fuselage. How could she be anywhere except England?
She turns back to the airman and realises how long she has been all but holding her breath. Her voice comes out clipped and shrill.
‘Where is this?’
Shakily, the airman’s smile returns. ‘You don’t know?’
‘No.’
‘Really?’
‘Why bother lighting a flare path unless you’re expecting people to become lost?’
‘Yes.’ His smile strengthens. ‘You are right.’
‘And if you hadn’t told me to switch off the engine, you could have simply pointed me in the right direction and I would have got out of your way.’
‘But the sea fog is too heavy now for take-off.’
His accent is not strong but there is one, and she cannot quite place it. Could it really, somehow, be German? She hears her voice become brittle.
‘You seem rather reluctant to reveal our location.’
‘Classified information.’
‘What?’
He laughs. The sound is reassuring as well as infuriating.
‘No, no, I am sorry, a joke. Bradwell. This is RAF Bradwell Bay.’
‘Thank you.’
She looks back at the map and feels hotness in her face even though he can have no idea that she just imagined herself to have flown into Nazi-occupied Belgium. She hopes the airman might go away but he leans over her and points with a clean white finger. He must be a pilot; they can never resist a map.
‘We are here, see. Bradwell. Where did you come from?’
‘Sorry. Classified information.’
He nods sheepishly to one side indicating that they are even, now. But as she tries to look back at the map his eyes hold her. A dark ring around their paleness gives him a striking, foreign look. His smile grows warmer.
‘No, I am sorry. And I must give you something to make up for my bad joke. Tea, maybe?’
‘No need.’
‘Please, just wait here for a short time. Believe me, half of one hour will change everything.’
‘With the vis, you mean?’
He nods. ‘Cloud will soon disappear.’
Vee taps a finger on the buckle at her waist. He is probably right. And it would not be sensible to get even colder by sitting out here for half an hour.
‘All right.’
Pick up your copy ofWhen We Fall Amazon UK • Amazon US • Hive
Add When We Fall to your 'to-read' list on
GoodreadsCarolyn Kirby
Carolyn Kirby is the author of two novels. The Conviction of Cora Burns was longlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Debut Crown Award 2019 and shortlisted for the Specsavers Debut Crime Fiction Award. When We Fall was chosen by The Times as historical fiction book of the month in May 2020 and was described by the Daily Mail as “…as terrific World War II novel.” Before becoming a full time writer, Carolyn worked in social housing and as a teacher.
Connect with Carolyn:Website • Twitter.
Publication Date: 7th May 2020
Publisher: No Exit Press
Page Length: 320 Pages
Genre: Historical Thriller
Take a sneak-peek between the covers of Wayne Ng's fabulous book — Finding the Way: A Novel of Lao Tzu #HistoricalFiction @WayneNgWrites
Finding the WayA Novel of Lao TzuBy Wayne Ng
Rooted in history, inspired by legend. Renowned scholars Lao Tzu and Confucius are drawn into the deadly struggle between twin princes, each vying for their ailing father’s fragmenting empire. Finding the Way is a political thriller wrapped in a philosophical bow tie.
In the sixth century B.C., the legendary philosopher Lao Tzu seeks redemption and an opportunity to spread his beliefs in the Zhou Royal Court. He is confronted by a vainglorious King and a mad Queen. But he also discovers a protégé in Prince Meng, the thoughtful but hesitant heir to the throne. However, Lao Tzu’s ideas of peace and natural order leave him ill-prepared for the intrigue of the Palace and the toxic rivalry between Meng and his twin brother, the bold and decisive Prince Chao. Chao undermines Meng at every turn as he tries to usurp Meng’s birthright by any means. Confucius arrives and allies with Chao, thus raising the stakes for control of the dynasty, culminating in a venomous clash between Taoism and Confucianism. With the King ailing and war imminent, Lao Tzu is betrayed. The Master Philosopher must cast aside his idealism to fight for his life.
Excerpt
The old man’s silence and everything about him indicated that riches were of little consequence.
Yin had to know more. “What is your name?”
The old man glanced away. “It is no longer of importance to anyone.”
“Do not decide for me what is important,” Yin replied, to the delight of the other guards.
“Lao Tzu,” the traveler whispered.
Yin’s face dropped. “Lao Tzu?” His father had spoken of the man Lao Tzu as though he were a mythical legend. He had supposedly worked in the Royal Archives before King Jing’s death, some forty-years ago.
“That would make you almost ninety years old,” he said. “That cannot be.”
“Indeed,” replied the old man. “Ninety-five spring festivals have passed in my lifetime.”
Lieutenant Zhang stared at his Captain, barely concealing his anger. “Sir, he takes us for fools. Tying him to a post in this wind and heat will no doubt teach him respect.”
Yin held his Lieutenant back, preferring a less primitive interrogation. “Was Confucius not one of your pupils?”
The old man snorted. “Neither Confucius nor I would find comfort in anyone believing that. But yes, he once visited me. He, like many other scholars, traveled from court to court, dispensing theories and counsel. Confucius had already made a name for himself when he first came to see me. For him, the world was still a dream unfolding. He had positioned himself to believe that the chaos of wars, corruption, hunger and greed that surrounds us all would end if leaders exercised their mandate from heaven to rule justly. Those were heady days, full of promise. For some.”
“If you are who you claim to be, then answer me this.” Yin squared his body to Lao Tzu. “Which of the twin Princes almost drowned while playing in his father’s garden?”
The old man shrugged. “When a river’s sorrow swallows our homes, does it matter how cold the water is?” He tied his hair into a tight topknot and bowed to the Captain before re-mounting his beast. “May Nature reward your generosity,” he said. “I thank you.” He stroked his water buffalo, signaling forward movement.
Lao Tzu’s quiet defiance annoyed Yin. It was as though he had been toyed with. He was about to let Zhang loose on him when the old man looked back towards him.
“The twin Princes were already young men when I arrived. But it was whispered that our Son of Heaven’s wife had the gardens in their inner courtyard drained after she gave birth to them. She forbade anything that would reflect her loss of beauty.”
Yin’s stomach tightened. “Wait!” he shouted. The urgency of his tone startled his men. “But how can this be? How is it that you have come to be here?”
The old man’s eyes betrayed nothing as Yin caught up with him. “It has been a journey no less meandering than a mountain stream which exhausts itself many li later as a dry river bed. I have spent two normal lifetimes wandering the earth, reliving lost opportunities, berating myself and repenting my errors.”
It was not bitterness that Yin heard from the old man, nor disappointment, but rather a tired sense of acceptance.
“Old Master,” Yin said. “Passing through into Qin territory will mean certain death. I will not allow that. So long as your mind speaks, you still have much to offer.”
Lao Tzu looked down at Yin. “I have learned that it is better to leave a vessel unfilled than to attempt to carry it when it is full. When one’s work is done, and one’s name is distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of heaven.”
Yin stepped in front of the buffalo and bowed. “Old Master. You are Lao Tzu. This is a remarkable coincidence. It would be a great honor for a humble Captain to share a pot of tea with you.” The Lieutenant grimaced.
Lao Tzu motioned Yin to stand at ease. “In the manner of the Way, there are few coincidences,” he said. “I prefer to see them as gnarled branches arriving from unexpected paths. But tell me, how is it that a lowly frontier Captain knows enough of the former King Jing’s inner court to pose a riddle of the Princes that few could decipher today?”
“My grandfather was once a Royal Guardsmen in King Jing’s court,” Yin replied. “I was a little boy when he died, but I still remember him clearly, how big he was. He used to bounce me on his stomach. I loved how he carefully polished his halberd, and marveled at the steel tip, and the curved blade that I imagined he used to chop the heads off barbarians. Yet there was also a calm about him. My father said that Grandfather lived his life in harmony after he left the Guard. My father called this harmony, ‘the Way’.”
Pick up your copy of
Finding the Way
Amazon UK • Amazon US
Indigo
Add Finding the Way to your
'to-read list on
Goodreads
Wayne Ng
Wayne Ng was born in downtown Toronto to Chinese immigrants who fed him a steady diet of bitter melons and kung fu movies. Ng works as a school social worker in Ottawa but lives to write, travel, eat and play, preferably all at the same time. He is an award-winning short story and travel writer who continues to push his boundaries from the Arctic to the Antarctic, blogging and photographing along the way at WayneNgWrites.com. His second novel, Letters From Johnny, will be released April 2021.
Connect with Wayne Ng:
Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads.
Publication Date: April 1, 2018Publisher: Earnshaw BooksPage Length: 278 PagesGenre: Historical Fiction
October 23, 2020
Welcome to Day #10 of the blog tour for His Castilian Hawk (The Castilian Saga, Book 1) by Anna Belfrage #BookReview #HistFic #CoffeePotBookClub @abelfrageauthor @Beatric09625662
His Castilian Hawk
(The Castilian Saga, Book 1)
By Anna Belfrage
October 12th – October 23rd 2020
Publication Date: September 28, 2020
Publisher: Matador (paperback) & Timelight Press (ebook)
Page Length: 396 pages (paperback) 335 pages (ebook)
Genre: Historical Fiction
For bastard-born Robert FitzStephan, being given Eleanor d’Outremer in marriage is an honour. For Eleanor, this forced wedding is anything but a fairy tale.
Robert FitzStephan has served Edward Longshanks loyally since the age of twelve. Now he is riding with his king to once and for all bring Wales under English control.
Eleanor d’Outremer—Noor to family—lost her Castilian mother as a child and is left entirely alone when her father and brother are killed. When ordered to wed the unknown Robert FitzStephan, she has no choice but to comply.
Two strangers in a marriage bed is not easy. Things are further complicated by Noor’s blood-ties to the Welsh princes and by covetous Edith who has warmed Robert’s bed for years. Robert’s new wife may be young and innocent, but he is soon to discover that not only is she spirited and proud, she is also brave. Because when Wales lies gasping and Edward I exacts terrible justice on the last prince and his children, Noor is determined to save at least one member of the House of Aberffraw from the English king.
Will years of ingrained service have Robert standing with his king or will he follow his heart and protect his wife, his beautiful and fierce Castilian hawk?
Our final stop of the tour is over on Candlelight Reading for a fabulous review.
Click HERE!
October 22, 2020
The Sign of the Blood (A Dangerous Emperor, Book #1) by Laurence O'Bryan is only 0.99 on #Kindle for a Limited time #bookbubdeal @LPOBryan
The Sign of the Blood(A Dangerous Emperor, Book #1)By Laurence O'Bryan
*Only 0.99 on #Kindle for a Limited Time. Grab your copy today!Amazon
Publication Date: 22nd November 2018
Publisher: Ardua
Print Length: 469 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
The first Christian emperor faces ruthless enemies on his journey to power.
Cool mist settles over the legion advancing toward the Persian army. Constantine, the son of an emperor, the Roman officer leading the attack, tells his men to halt - something is wrong.
Before long, the battle rages. He frees a slave named Juliana. She is half Persian and half Roman. As they are pursued to Britannia over land and sea, he learns that she can see the future - his future.
It is 306A.D., long before Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and became the first Christian emperor.
To ensure he survives, he must eliminate his enemies. But who must die first? The priestess, Sybellina, who joined them in Rome and practices dark and seductive magic? Or the brutal legion commanders who surround his father? Or, as Juliana suspects, are those who want him dead even closer?
A gripping historical novel about Constantine’s bloody rise to power, the woman who helped him, and the real reason he supported a persecuted Christian minority, a decision which changed the world into the one we know.
Laurence O'Bryan
I spent twenty years studying Roman history and reading every book about Constantine the Great I could find. I also visited numerous sites where my Roman series is set, including in London, where I lived for ten years, Jerusalem, Rome, Trier, York, Nicomedia and Istanbul.
The first novel in the series, The Sign of The Blood, is about the rise to power of Constantine the Great, the women who helped him, and the others who wanted him dead.
The Road to The Bridge, the second novel in the series, is about the lead up to the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 A.D. and how Constantine the Great lured Maxentius, his rival emperor, out of Rome.
The third novel in the series, The Cursed City, is about the dedication of New Rome, later to be called Constantinople, and how Constantine fell out with his wife, Fausta, and his son Crispus, and what he had to do to survive.
To join the mailing list and receive news of these books use this link: http://bit.ly/TSOTBseries
There are five novels in the puzzle series, The Istanbul Puzzle, The Jerusalem Puzzle, The Manhattan Puzzle, The Nuremberg Puzzle and The Cairo Puzzle.
There is a story link from The Istanbul Puzzle to The Cursed City.
My books have:
* Achieved #1 ranking on Amazon,
* Been translated into 10 languages.
My roots go back to a small estate deep in the Mountains of Mourne near the Silent Valley, in County Down, Northern Ireland.
I went to school in Dublin, drank way too much, studied English and history, then business, then IT at Oxford University.
My research has taken me all over the world, from San Francisco to deep in the Muslim world. There are secrets everywhere. I enjoy writing about them. I hope you enjoy reading about them.
Have a sneak-peek between the covers of Brodie Curtis' fabulous book — The Four Bells # HistoricalFiction #WW1 @BrodieCurtis4
The Four Bells
By Brodie Curtis
A Christmas Toast to the past…
Damaged World War I veteran Al Weldy revisits his hometown on Christmas Eve 1931, intending to raise a toast to his dead comrade-in-arms, Eddie Beane. Behind the bar of The Four Bells he finds Eddie’s sister Maddy, his one-time flame.
Maddy, now a widow, confides how the Great War damaged her husband and draws from a reluctant Al the details of his army service with her brother Eddie. Al’s stories reveal how he and Eddie went to war with youthful enthusiasm but came of age in the tumult and tragedy of battle. He reflects on the Christmas Truce that he and Eddie experienced in 1914, when British and German soldiers laid down their weapons for an uplifting encounter on a battlefield gone quiet.
Maddy is delighted when she learns that Eddie found romance in Flanders with Therese, a beautiful Belgian refugee. But, in the end, she must endure the news of Eddie’s brave, rebellious death in the trenches.
And the future?...
As Al and Maddy reopen the old wounds the war caused, they find that their youthful romance has transformed into a more mature emotional connection forged by the consequences of war, and possibly a new life together.
Excerpt
“Are they attacking?” Corporal Jenkins asked.
Al and Eddie raised their rifles.
“No. Not yet, at least,” Parker said. “Wait! Something’s on their parapet.”
“Shoot ‘im!”
“It’s not a Hun. It’s a small pine tree. I think it’s a Christmastree.”
Al pressed his shoulder against the forward trench wall and sighted his rifle, watching for movement from the Huns.
“It’s not a Hun. It’s a little pine tree.”
Two more Christmas trees popped up on the trench wall. All three were lit by electric lamps.
A German voice shouted, “Happiest Christmas, Tommy!”
Al lowered his rifle, and a wave of relief passed through him as though his blood pressure had dropped fifty points. Faces up and down the British trench were all smiles, and Eddie grinned at him. Then Johnson, a deep-voiced lad from Oxford, shouted out, “Happy Christmas to you, Fritz!”
The German voice shouted back, “Tommy, we have sum-ting for you dis night.”
Al snickered at the speaker’s German-accented broken English. Then a rich chorus of German voices sang a holiday carol Al and his mates knew, ‘O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum.’
Al and his mates applauded when the Germans finished, and Johnson whistled his approval. Lieutenant Travers shouted, “Okay, lads! Now our version back at ’em!” Al sang, loudly with the rest, ‘O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree….’
As the last note trailed off, the Huns gave enthusiastic applause and shouted “Bravo! Bravo! Trotzen! Vell dun, Tommy! Gute Arbeit!”
Then it became quiet again, and the Huns broke into the most beautiful rendition of ‘Silent Night’ Al had ever heard. A sense of tranquility floated over him as he listened to the solemn, crystal-clear pitch of ‘Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.’ All the Tommies were quiet. Eddie stared up at the stars in the frosty sky. Al relished each word as German voices soared across the plain, sure that the finest choir at St. Paul’s couldn’t have bettered them. For that moment, the Huns had made Flanders a beautiful place to be.
Al and the rest of his mates took a respectful pause, as if they were gathering themselves, and taking meaning from what they had heard.
“Lads, we might not match their singing, but we have to give account of ourselves,” Lieutenant Travers said, and counted out, “One, two, three.”
Al’s voice joined with the rest of the Tommies’ singing “Silent Night.”
Having finished, Al closed his eyes, still hearing the German and British voices harmonizing the classic carol. The impossible had happened: hard men who’d hailed from many different places, classes, and backgrounds, and been brutalized by the cold and violent war front, had come together in song.
Al and his mates stood up in the trench, looking across no-man’s land at Huns waving to them. Suddenly, a white flag rose over the German trench, and a Hun scrambled over his parapet, holding the flag high. Johnson on Al’s right, and Eddie on his left lifted their rifles, just in case.
But the Hun trudged through no-man’s-land and shouted, “No shoot, Tommy! No shoot, Tommy! Christmas presents!”
Al didn’t yet know what to make of the Hun soldier, other than he was incredibly brave. He saw a wooden carton under the Hun’s arm, and a bottle in his hand.
“Hold your fire lads,” Travers said. “Let’s see what he’s got first!”
He nodded at Eddie, and Eddie put down his rifle and leapt up and over the parapet. Approaching the Hun, Eddie said, “Happy Christmas Fritz."
“And you too, Tommy,” the Hun said. Al climbed out of the trench and joined Eddie and the Hun. So did Travers, Jenkins, Johnson, and the rest of Al’s mates. A group of Germans walked out to greet them. One Hun gave Al a cigar, and another passed him pieces of sausage and cheese. Johnson and Jenkins ran back to the trench, and returned with chocolates, butterscotch, and plum pudding. A Hun poked his finger in the Christmas pudding, and made an “mmm” sound. Several others tasted the pudding. Al chuckled to himself, wondering if the Huns would have surrendered then and there if the Tommies had brought enough pudding.
Al looked over the circle of British soldiers in khaki and Germans in gray. No man held a weapon. Every one of them was relaxed and cheerful. What would someone at home think of British and German soldiers, standing together squarely in the midst of the battlefield, and not one man frightened of his enemy? The only way he could explain it was that the men on both sides had been through quite a time already. The Huns had seen friends killed, just like the Tommies had, and maybe killed a Tommy. It dawned on him that these soldiers had learned when it was time to fight, kill, and die and when it was time to relish staying alive. This night was for living.
Pick up your copy of
The Four Bells
Add The Four Bells to your
'to-read' list on
Brodie Curtis
THE FOUR BELLS is Brodie Curtis’s debut novel. It was set in motion years ago, in a homey lounge, when he heard a mournful, but gorgeous, acoustic version of John McCutcheon’s song about the transcendent Christmas truce of 1914 and was inspired to research reports on the truce in contemporaneous writings and non-fiction, and to walk the fields of Flanders. He decided to write about the truce, and when pen hit paper, his characters took him down their own road, and the truce became just one scene in the story.
Curtis was featured as a debut author in Myfanwy Cook’s “New Voices” article published in the Historical Novels Review, issue 91, in February 2020.
Curtis’s sequel to THE FOUR BELLS, ANGELS & BANDITS, which is set during the Battle of Britain, is expected to be released in early 2021.
Curtis is also a reviewer of historical fiction, and has posted dozens of quick takes on world war-based fiction on his website: https://brodiecurtis.com/curtis-takes/ Also posted are Curtis’s book reviews that have been published in the Historical Novels Review as well as reviews of several other historicals.
Raised in the Midwest, Curtis is a lawyer, and ended the first part of his career in the California corporate tower of a large company. He left the corporate world to embrace life in Colorado with wife Sue and their two young sons. F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said, “there are no second acts in American lives,” but Curtis and Sue turned their talents and drive to building a real estate business in Denver. With plenty of hard work, the second act achieved top billing, and Curtis began to write. It is said to take 10 years to become proficient at a trade, and with the time he has put into writing, Curtis feels he is closing in—just maybe a third act!
Connect with Brodie:
Website • Twitter • Instagram • Facebook.
Welcome to Day #1 of the blog tour for Bright Helm (The Byrhtnoth Chronicles: Book 4) by Christine Hancock #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @YoungByrhtnoth @Beatric09625662
Bright Helm(The Byrhtnoth Chronicles: Book 4)By Christine Hancock
October 22nd – 24th December 2020Amazon UK • Amazon US
Separated by anger and unanswered questions, Byrhtnoth and Saewynn are brought together by a tragic death.
Re-united, they set out on an epic voyage to discover the final truth about his father.
The journey takes them far to the north, to Orkney, swathed in the mists of treachery, and to Dublin’s slave markets where Byrhtnoth faces a fateful decision.
How far will he go, to save those he cares for?
The first stop of our tour is over on Candlelight Reading where Christine is giving us a chance to have a sneak-peek between the covers of Bright Helm.
Click HERE!
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