THE PLOT: ‘Katheryn Howard: The Tainted Queen’ is the fifth book in the ‘Six Tudor Queens’ series by Alison Weir. Starting with her mother’s death, it follows Katheryn’s tumultuous upbringing as she’s shunted between different family members. She ends up … Continue reading Review: Katheryn Howard
The Plot: ‘At Night All Blood is Black’ by David Diop is a literary novel set during the first world war. It centres two Senegalese soldiers who are fighting for the French in the trenches. The novel opens with Alfa as … Continue reading Review: At Night All Blood is Black
THE PLOT: ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a gothic mystery set in 1945. The story opens in Barcelona after the Spanish Civil War, when a ten-year-old boy visits the ‘Cemetery of Forgotten Books’. The boy … Continue reading Review: The Shadow of the Wind
THE PLOT: ‘The Mirror & the Light’ by Hilary Mantel is the final novel in the ‘Wolf Hall’ trilogy. Set in England between 1536 and 1540, it chronicles the downfall of Henry VIII’s principal advisor – Thomas Cromwell. Born the son … Continue reading Review: The Mirror & the Light
THE PLOT: Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets is the fourth book in the ‘Six Tudor Queens’ series by Alison Weir. Starting with Anna’s life as a princess in the German duchy of Kleve, it follows her short-lived marriage to … Continue reading Review: Anna of Kleve
THE PLOT: Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession is the second book in the ‘Six Tudor Queens’ series by Alison Weir. Starting with Anne’s early life at Hever, it follows her move to Burgundy to serve Margaret of Austria and then … Continue reading Review: Anne Boleyn
THE PLOT: Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen is the first book in the ‘Six Tudor Queens’ series by Alison Weir. Starting with Katherine’s journey to England to marry Prince Arthur, it goes on to detail her life and, ultimately, her … Continue reading Review: Katherine of Aragon
THE PLOT: The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste is about a young woman during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. Hirut is a maid to a nobleman and officer in Emperor Hailie Selassie’s army. His wife, Aster, is a … Continue reading Review: The Shadow King
THE PLOT: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell is about the family of William Shakespeare. Set in 1596, it tells the fictionalized story of his wife Agnes and the death of their son, Hamnet. Moving backwards and forwards in time, it alternates … Continue reading Review: Hamnet
Amina's Bookshelf 