Manuscripts Don't Burn: Mikhail Bulgakov: A Life in Letters and Diaries
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The Russian playwright and novelist Mikhail Bulgakov (1891 - 1940) is now widely acknowledged as one...
My Father, Frank: Unresting Spirit of Everest
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Frank Smythe's mountaineering achievements in the decade before the Second World War became a part...
Nelson: Love and Fame
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The story of Horatio Nelson's life - his naval glory, public fame, charismatic leadership,...
Member of the Family: Manson, Murder and Me
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Following the recent death of Charles Manson – the leader of the sinister 60s cult – Dianne Lake...
biography crime
7 Summits: 1 Cornishman Climbing the Highest Mountains on Each Continent
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Most of us can watch an old episode of the holiday programme Wish You Were Here without it having...
A Shot Story: From Juvie to Ph.D.
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The botched robbery didn't do it. Neither did the three gunshots. It wasn't until he was...
Anwar Al-Sadat: Transforming the Middle East
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Part of The World in A Life series, this brief, inexpensive text provides insight into the life of...
It can be a little confusing at first, when Cromwell is referred to as ‘he’ throughout, but I slipped into the habit after a while. When learning about the Tudors at school, Cromwell is very much skimmed over. We learn that he had his moment of favour and then had his head chopped off 🤷🏼♀️. It seemed to be a bit of a professional hazard if you worked with royalty in those days.
This book gives Thomas Cromwell personality, feelings and you get to see his hopes and aspirations. He is portrayed as a thoroughly nice person, a good, caring father and employer. Someone who fought his way out of poverty, and tried to bring others out of that same situation. But he’s also shown to be calculating, cunning, a man that is no fool. There would have to be an element of the cut-throat about a man who wanted to work with Henry VIII; a king who was unpredictable, to say the least, and easily influenced by those around him.
I adore this period in history. Nothing is as shocking as real life, and I cannot for the life of me get over how cheap life was in a time where it should have been worth more (with no antibiotics, high infant and maternal mortality, death around the corner from simple illnesses). I’m really looking forward to rereading the second book in this trilogy now.
From Scratch
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A poignant and transporting cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian...
Lady In The Lake
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The revered New York Times bestselling author returns with a novel set in 1960s Baltimore that...