I can't wait for time travel to be invented so I can go back to Reinassance Britain and offend every single living human within a 100 mile radius. I rI can't wait for time travel to be invented so I can go back to Reinassance Britain and offend every single living human within a 100 mile radius. I really, really enjoyed this book. I love how technical and well researched it is. Yes, please take four pages to explain to me the particularities of one single hand gesture used by certain people from a certain social class in a certain environment at a certain moment of the day. This is the type of non-fiction that I live for. I need all of this knowledge to be embedded in my brain. Now. Fully recommended for a fun ride. ...more
This book was a very pleasant surprise. It is a story about revenge and resistance in the world of WWII with not a single one-dimensional character. TThis book was a very pleasant surprise. It is a story about revenge and resistance in the world of WWII with not a single one-dimensional character. The chapters aren't too long and move from point of view to point of view; the shift from timeline to timeline isn't problematic as it is clearly signaled for the reader and it actually helps to add layers to the narration. Characters are revealed through internal and external dialogue as opposed to outright narrator intervention, which I very much enjoy in any story.
I found that the writing in particular fit the plot; it is gentle and more interested in the inner lives of people rather than constantly pointing out the horrors of WWII. It's about their experiences and feelings, the way good people and bad people chose to navigate a world of cruelty. There are very painful experiences touched on - experiences which have absolutely been lived by countless victims - but this is not trauma porn and it deals with the reality of battle, PTSD, racism, xenophobia and resistance in a steady, appropriate way.
I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book are the female characters. As I said, none of them are one-dimensional, but in particular women are often written in a way that always feels stunted. Rosalind and Monique are fully constructed, radically different and yet very much the same. They act according to their inner codes and whether from fear or courage, the decisions they make feel wholly within the scope of their personalities. Recommended....more
This year I've decided I'm going back into reading more fiction than non-fiction, as I have lost contact with this world. Hawker's book was one of thoThis year I've decided I'm going back into reading more fiction than non-fiction, as I have lost contact with this world. Hawker's book was one of those books that I said I'll read this year - and I'm very glad I did. Beautifully drawn out characters, fantastic world building and even though this is *technically* historical fiction, it feels more like a love story struck out from the highway of time. I especially loved the pastoral element of it. Recommended. ...more
Solid. Just solid. Starting from Kingdom years and ending in the 20th Century, this history of Rome spans enough time to make you dizzy... yet never mSolid. Just solid. Starting from Kingdom years and ending in the 20th Century, this history of Rome spans enough time to make you dizzy... yet never manages to make you dizzy anyway. Flowing writing, uses archival and historical material in a way that really connects to the reader. I would recommend this to any Roman history buff. ...more
Great historical fiction. It doesn't really get better than this. Engaging all throughout, fully fleshed out characters,Review for the entire series.
Great historical fiction. It doesn't really get better than this. Engaging all throughout, fully fleshed out characters, gives the reader the feeling that you're part of a real world as opposed to a constructed one. The dialogue is especially snappy and gives an entirely believable dimension to the plot. If you're going to invest in a Roman historical fiction series, I'd fully recommend this. Just don't believe everything that's in it and if you think a piece of information is particularly interesting, double check it with Google. I subtracted a star because there is a lot of structural repetition within the series, meaning actions happen within the same order in different episodes and sometimes some of the same jokes/dialogue lines are reused. Apart from that, fantastic.
The covers of these books are absolutely horrific, though. It looks like you're getting Roman erotica. Please stop doing this to historical fiction series. They don't deserve this. ...more
The more you learn about Churchill, the easier it is to understand why he is and will probably forever be the foremost British man in history. There sThe more you learn about Churchill, the easier it is to understand why he is and will probably forever be the foremost British man in history. There simply isn't anyone of his caliber. You might argue that just applies to modern British history - I kind of argue it applies to all of it. To be able to steer a broken ship through a hurricane while blindfolded must mean you are a sailor of incredible skill; to do it while your crew is in mutiny and yelling and screaming over each other is incredible to the point of being stupendous.
Churchill was very, very far from being a perfect man. He was obsessed with war - in fact there was no greater thrill for him in life - was racist, xenophobic and often times a down-right pig. He had the emotional capacity of a walnut, but the social one of a court's jester who reads every single face in the room before they've had time to fake it. He was absolutely the right man to take Britain through WWII. History is unable to deny him that. ...more
Balanced. Focused. Well researched. Three ways of describing this book. Without assigning blame on any part (a task which I must admit, looks HerculeaBalanced. Focused. Well researched. Three ways of describing this book. Without assigning blame on any part (a task which I must admit, looks Herculean), this rather long book takes you through the process of how, why, when and who made Brexit happen. It looks at media coverage, campaign financing, politicians who were involved (and why they were involved). It covers the things we've seen on the telly and the ones we're not really supposed to know, the back stabbings, the ruthlessness, the power struggles. I commend the author for being able to write this in such a clear voice, as the resulting book is worth everyone's read. ...more
Highly interesting piece on how we can use computer algorithms in our daily lives. While I am a complete neophyte in this field, the book did not onceHighly interesting piece on how we can use computer algorithms in our daily lives. While I am a complete neophyte in this field, the book did not once make me feel stupid or less than, rather taking things slowly and explaining concepts, ideas and applications using real-world examples which we can all encounter in our lives. This is technically a self-help book - although I loathe to call it that, as the term has been completely hijacked by idiotic, baseless books which promote new-age ideas. This category of self-help is firmly footed in science, though, and I would absolutely recommend it to those of us who are always on the lookout for ways to incrementally improve our lives. ...more
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