The Flight of the Heron (1925) by D.K. Broster

Book Review by Frances S: The Flight of the Heron is an adventure set in Scotland during the Jacobite rising of 1745-46 when Charles Edward Stuart tried to assert his claim to the throne of the United Kingdom by force of arms. Broster’s central characters are fictitious, but the real events and people with whom … Continue reading →

“Mr Rowl” (1924) by D.K. Broster

Book review by Mary G: Ever since I was a young teenager I have had a horror of the Hulks, decommissioned ships which were used as prisons during the Napoleonic Wars. I had gradually attached the horrific experiences associated with these floating death camps with Great Expectations. The crucible of Magwitch’s fearsome appearance and ferocity … Continue reading →

Ships in the Bay! (1931) by D.K. Broster

Book review by George S. Ships in the Bay! is a historical romance set during the French revolutionary wars. In 1796 there was an abortive French attempt to invade Ireland, and in 1798 a small and soon-foiled invasion at the Welsh town of Fishguard. Ships in the Bay! is based on the unwilling involvement in … Continue reading →

The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1953) by John Harris

Book Review By Frances S: Some years ago, browsing in a local charity shop, I bought a framed strip cartoon. It featured ‘Amateur Archie’, vaguely remembered from old copies of the Sheffield Telegraph. Archie, drawn by ‘Harris’, was a cheerful tryer, ready to have a crack at any sport, usually to the discomfiture of the … Continue reading →

The Headmistress (1944) by Angela Thirkell

Book Review by Hilary Temple Anyone who has read Thirkell’s early Barsetshire novels will probably remember with what horrified enthusiasm she throws herself into the portrayal of schoolboys. In Summer Half we have Tony Morland and his Southbridge School friends whose conversation is a distillation of Thirkell’s own three sons’ egotism, manipulativeness and essential lovability. … Continue reading →