Sisters of Castle Leod
Book
**Finalist in the 2022 American Writing Awards** Millions are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s popular...
Historical Biographical Fiction
ClareR (5608 KP) rated The Dictator’s Muse in Books
Jan 10, 2023
Hitler is in power, and one of his most respected film makers, Leni Riefenstahl, has been tasked with filming the Berlin Olympics. She has to tread a fine line between the film-making she wants to create and that of the Nazi propaganda machine.
Meanwhile, back in England, Kit is training for the olympics whilst holding down a full time job and trying to impress his upper class girlfriend. He discovers he can get sponsorship through Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists, even though he isn’t by any means a fascist.
Alun is a Welsh Communist, who has been tasked with infiltrating the Blackshirts.
Leni seems to be in a state of permanent dread, because even those who are staunch Nazis aren’t safe from being taken down by the SS.
There’s a lot going on in this book, and it sounds like it should be confusing. But it’s really not. It wasn’t fact, unputdownable.
There’s a great mystery threaded through this, introduced by a modern day character, an academic called Sigrun Meier.
Historical fiction AND a mystery - what’s not to like?!
The Conglomerates, originating in the USA, are 'annexing' other countries and eliminating socialism or anything that isn't capitalism. They are currently fighting against the Nord forces (Scandinavia) and not having an easy time of it - largely because of the Finns and their penchant for some serious biological tweaking.
I have to admit that I wasn't completely sure whether I'd enjoy this. It is essentially a war story. How wrong could I be though?The main character, Ted Regan, narrates the story, and we see everything from his perspective. They're all great, well written characters (except for the British one - why are they always the unlikeable ones?).
There isn't as much detail as there would be in a full length novel, but that's the nature of a novella, and to be honest I'm a fan of filling in the information yourself.
This has 'Movie Deal' written all over it, and I know plenty of people who would love to watch it! I'm going to have to get cracking on my other Tchaikovsky books on my bookshelf now that I've had a taste!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the book to read!
Edmund Burke: The Visionary Who Invented Modern Politics
Book
Longlisted for the Orwell Prize and the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction; both conservative and...
Gravel Heart
Book
Moving from revolutionary Zanzibar in the 1960s to restless London in the 1990s, Gravel Heart is a...
fiction
Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles
Book
From the internationally bestselling author of the Sharpe novels - this is the true story of...
Substance of Shadow: A Darkening Trope in Poetic History
Book
John Hollander, poet and scholar, was a master whose work joined luminous learning and imaginative...
Pleasures of the Garden: A Literary Anthology
Book
This collection of classic garden writing celebrates the garden as a place of solace in a busy...
The Damned
Book
1914. The outbreak of war. In the French city of Arras, a priest is brutally murdered. The Catholic...
The Governess and Other Stories
Anthea Bell, Stefan Zweig and Heinrich Kuhn
Book
An eclectic collection of four brilliant stories, including a Renaissance tragedy and an English...