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The Haggard Chronicles #1
Haggard
If you can get past the author's premise that rape and beating are acceptable methods of expressing frustration and performing domestic discipline, and that raped women love forever the men who rape them, you might be able to enjoy this formulaic historical romance. Clifford Norgate offers a fine performance, distinguishing clearly among the many and varied characters of the story. His Lord Byron is simperingly effete, and his black Caribbean slaves' dialects are flawless. Nicole's story begins in Barbados and ends in London, and Norgate's performance keeps up with the changes effortlessly. Unbelievably, he manages to drag the ridiculous plot out of the mud and keep entertainment value high. R.P.L. AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright AudioFile, Portland, Maine
- GenresHistorical
342 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1980
86 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Nicole
219 books58 followersChristopher Robin Nicole was born on 7 December 1930 in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana), where he was raised. He is the son of Jean Dorothy (Logan) and Jack Nicole, a police officer, both Scottish. He studied at Queen's College in Guyana and at Harrison College in Barbados. He was a fellow at the Canadian Bankers Association and a clerk for the Royal Bank of Canada in Georgetown and Nassau from 1947 to 1956. In 1957, he moved to Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom, where he currently lives, but he also has a domicile in Spain.
On 31 March 1951, he married his first wife, Jean Regina Amelia Barnett, with whom he had two sons, Bruce and Jack, and two daughters, Julie and Ursula, they divorced. On 8 May 1982 he married for the second time with fellow writer Diana Bachmann.
As a romantic and passionate of history, Nicole has been published since 1957, when he published a book about West Indian Cricket. He published his first novel in 1959 with his first stories set in his native Caribbean. Later he wrote many historical novels set mostly in tumultuous periods like World War I, World War II and the Cold War, and depict places in Europe, Asia and Africa. He also wrote classic romance novels. He specialized in Series and Sagas, and continues to write into the 21st century with no intention of retiring.
He signs his books as Christopher Nicole and uses several pseudonyms, some of them female. Pseudonyms used include: Peter Grange, Andrew York, Robin Cade, Mark Logan, Christina Nicholson, Alison York, Leslie Arlen, Robin Nicholson, C. R. Nicholson, Daniel Adams, Simon McKay, Caroline Gray and Alan Savage. He wrote disaster thrillers in collaboration with his wife, Diana Bachmann, under the penname Max Marlow. Under his different pseudonyms he has worked with many publishing houses: Jarrolds, Hutchinson, Simon & Schuster, Coward-McCann & Geoghegan, Jove, Michael Joseph, Mills & Boon, and Severn House.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christop... and
http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1009...
On 31 March 1951, he married his first wife, Jean Regina Amelia Barnett, with whom he had two sons, Bruce and Jack, and two daughters, Julie and Ursula, they divorced. On 8 May 1982 he married for the second time with fellow writer Diana Bachmann.
As a romantic and passionate of history, Nicole has been published since 1957, when he published a book about West Indian Cricket. He published his first novel in 1959 with his first stories set in his native Caribbean. Later he wrote many historical novels set mostly in tumultuous periods like World War I, World War II and the Cold War, and depict places in Europe, Asia and Africa. He also wrote classic romance novels. He specialized in Series and Sagas, and continues to write into the 21st century with no intention of retiring.
He signs his books as Christopher Nicole and uses several pseudonyms, some of them female. Pseudonyms used include: Peter Grange, Andrew York, Robin Cade, Mark Logan, Christina Nicholson, Alison York, Leslie Arlen, Robin Nicholson, C. R. Nicholson, Daniel Adams, Simon McKay, Caroline Gray and Alan Savage. He wrote disaster thrillers in collaboration with his wife, Diana Bachmann, under the penname Max Marlow. Under his different pseudonyms he has worked with many publishing houses: Jarrolds, Hutchinson, Simon & Schuster, Coward-McCann & Geoghegan, Jove, Michael Joseph, Mills & Boon, and Severn House.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christop... and
http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1009...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 21, 2017
A stirring piece of historical fiction and drama
I'm not sure where to say, other than this is the strongest work of Nicole's I've read so far. A stirring piece of fiction, about pride, forgiveness, human cruelty, anger, redemption and all that encompasses the many variants of human emotion. It is at once a tragic tale and yet a story of triumph. That out of the ashes and the fallen broken pieces, good may yet come out. Most historical fiction stories I've read have really been about the history and the cultures involved. But this is a true drama, a prescient family saga, full of compelling characters and wrapped so neatly in the backdrop of the late 18th century and early nineteen century. Even more impressive is how Nicole is able to infuse this story, the personal stories of his main characters and yet touch on many big themes from beginning to end: pride, slavery, class warfare, the onset of the industrial revolution, sexuality, human rights, power and many others. The ending was a tad bit disappointing, though I'd attribute that to the sheer depth the story ended up taking and it doesn't discount from the overall quality. I won't say much else but I do have to admit, that this surely far superior to any of Nicole's works I've read so far. Definitely top five of the best historical fiction novels I've read. Just brilliant!
I'm not sure where to say, other than this is the strongest work of Nicole's I've read so far. A stirring piece of fiction, about pride, forgiveness, human cruelty, anger, redemption and all that encompasses the many variants of human emotion. It is at once a tragic tale and yet a story of triumph. That out of the ashes and the fallen broken pieces, good may yet come out. Most historical fiction stories I've read have really been about the history and the cultures involved. But this is a true drama, a prescient family saga, full of compelling characters and wrapped so neatly in the backdrop of the late 18th century and early nineteen century. Even more impressive is how Nicole is able to infuse this story, the personal stories of his main characters and yet touch on many big themes from beginning to end: pride, slavery, class warfare, the onset of the industrial revolution, sexuality, human rights, power and many others. The ending was a tad bit disappointing, though I'd attribute that to the sheer depth the story ended up taking and it doesn't discount from the overall quality. I won't say much else but I do have to admit, that this surely far superior to any of Nicole's works I've read so far. Definitely top five of the best historical fiction novels I've read. Just brilliant!
December 19, 2020
Surprised
I chose 5 because except for the preponderance of details about war with the French which were too much for me, I loved this saga. I didnt want it to end. I cared about the characters whom I had gotten to know over the full length of the book. The sexual nature of those times was well described in a sensual manner and sometimes in a savage manner, but was always within the confines of the story. I will likely want to follow the family.
I chose 5 because except for the preponderance of details about war with the French which were too much for me, I loved this saga. I didnt want it to end. I cared about the characters whom I had gotten to know over the full length of the book. The sexual nature of those times was well described in a sensual manner and sometimes in a savage manner, but was always within the confines of the story. I will likely want to follow the family.
October 21, 2021
"So then, are you a bad man, John Haggard?"
I won't answer. I was lost in him. I'm on to the next story, next Haggard, God help me.
I won't answer. I was lost in him. I'm on to the next story, next Haggard, God help me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews