Whispers Across Continents: In Search of the Robinsons

by Gareth M. Winrow

Based on extensive archival research, newspaper records, correspondence and interviews, this book follows the stories of one extraordinary family. Originally Lincolnshire tenant farmers, the lives of the Robinsons are traced from the tea estates of Darjeeling to the banks of the Bosphorus, the streets of New York, and life in Wilhelmine Germany.Political intrigue is mixed with illicit relationships and rumours of suspected espionage as the Robinsons rub shoulders with royalty and leading personalities of the day. Addressing issues such as belonging and identity, significant broader political, social and economic themes of fin de siècle Europe are also explored. The Robinsons were witnesses and participants in the upheavals and wars of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They mingled with unsavoury characters such as the so-called Dr Gholab Shah, a supposed famous Afghan warlord who was regarded by the British authorities as a charlatan and an inveterate abuser of women. Better known figures like ‘Abdullah’ Quilliam, who established one of the first mosques in Victorian England, need re-evaluating in the light of their contacts with the Robinsons.As we follow the whispers of the Robinson family, amid the cacophony of world events and the incessant background chatter of history, a series of fascinating stories begin to unfold.

296 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 2019

Reviews

[Begum Zorlu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a unique story of a woman and a family that were true travelers of their time. Their story is uniquely interesting and is not like anything I have read before. The experiences of Robinsons in the Ottoman Empire and consequently Turkey (the section that I was most interested in), the myths and inconsistencies of the stories that were told about them and the comprehensive, detailed effort in this book makes it a good read. It also has an extensive description of social conditions of the time in England, India and the Ottoman Empire.