“a love story, and also as a glimpse of a small Cornish town during a tumultuous time in history, when a dramatic turn of events can change an isolated teenager into a daring young woman.”
It seems a shame when a story begins with the death of the protagonist, but it signals the book’s trajectory and creates a story that must be told, now, lest it be forgotten.
“an entrancing family story and a surprising adventure. Gregory’s female characters are, as always, clearly human, deeply thoughtful, and driven by their own desires and agency.
“The story should suit fans of romance, historical fiction, westerns, and anyone who loves a straightforward adventure tale about decent people striving together to overcome hardship.”
“within these pages, there are passages that approach the sublime. There is pain, anguish, horror, and sadness, alongside passages of subtle human feelings conveyed without words.
“Graham Swift has a remarkable ability to slip back and forth in time, while identifying the many small incidents and markers that shape and reshape the lives of his characters.”
The Abstainer is a page turner. It begins with a dramatic real event, the hanging of three Fenian agitators, members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, in Manchester, England, in 1867.
Lee and Adriano are a gay couple on sabbatical from their public relations tech firm to Orvieto, Italy, who become ensnared in an international conspiracy involving the death of Andrea, a Catholic
“Universe of Two is a love story. . . . It is an honest, compelling tale of the human cost of war and the fight that occurs when war ends and redemption begins.”
“Throughout the story Austin attempts to make a point of women’s lives during the 19th century presumably using this tactic to make Lydia appear as an independent woman with the desire to s
