Book review by George Simmers: In 1891, at the same time that the first Sherlock Holmes short stories were appearing each month in the Strand Magazine, Doyle’s The White Company was being serialised in the Cornhill Magazine, a rather more staid and traditional publication. Sherlock Holmes made Doyle famous and made him money, but The … Continue reading
Tagged with war fiction …
Events in the New Year about Books, Readers and Reading!
Dear Reading 1900-1950 Followers, I know that many of you are based outside the UK or not close to Sheffield, but equally I know others are based within travelling distance, so I thought I’d post this information about talks relating to Reading 1900-1950 areas of interest in and around Sheffield in the New Year. Most … Continue reading
The Cruel Sea (1951) by Nicholas Montserrat
Book Review by Mary P: Our theme for the month was naval fiction, and I decided to read The Cruel Sea which when I looked for a copy of the book was said to be “ a classic “ The book is divided into 7 parts, each one covering a year of the War in … Continue reading
The Ship (1943) by C.S. Forester
Book Review by George S: The Ship was first published in 1943, when the outcome of the war was still uncertain, and it bears the marks of a book composed for the purposes of propaganda. It is the story of the Artemis, a light cruiser accompanying a convoy of merchant ships to the besieged island … Continue reading
The Charioteer (1953) by Mary Renault
Book review by Alice C: The book has lain unread on my bookshelves for several years, so during lockdown I decided to shake it out and open it up. I haven’t read any books by Mary Renault so The Charioteer was my first. I expected it would be all sandals and togas and Greek gods. … Continue reading
Across the Black Waters (1939) by Mulk Raj Anand
Book Review by George S: Across the Black Waters is the second volume in a trilogy by Mulk Raj Anand. The other volumes are: The Village, which describes the early life of Lalu, and ends with him joining the Indian Army; and The Sword and the Sickle, which follows his life in the years after … Continue reading
The Woman of Knockaloe (1923) by Hall Caine
Review by George S: This novel comes with two forewords, one by Newman Flower, the head of Cassell’s publishing house, and one by the author. The gist of each is that this book will disturb and offend some, but that it is a story that needs to be told.
The Amazing Summer (1941) by Philip Gibbs
Review by Sylvia D: Philip Gibbs’ The Amazing Summer (1941) is a good example of his journalistic novel-writing, set as it is against a backdrop of the hot and sunny summer of 1940, the Battle of Britain and the early months of the Blitz. It has resonances with Elizabeth Goudge’s The Castle on the Hill … Continue reading
Trooper to the Southern Cross (1934) by Angela Thirkell
Book review by George S: Trooper to the Southern Cross is a novel by Angela Thirkell, first published in 1934 under the pseudonym of ‘Leslie Parker’. She had married George Thirkell (her second husband and an Australian) in 1918, and in 1920 traveled with him and their children to Australia on a troopship. This book … Continue reading
1944 (1926) by the Earl of Halsbury
Book review by George S: The Earl of Halsbury’s novel, 1944 (published in 1926) is a very readable example of the ‘Future War’ genre’. Before 1914, such books had mostly been grim warnings about possible German invasions. After 1918, they still proliferated, though with a change of emphasis. My favourites are the ones where Bolshevik … Continue reading
Reading 1900-1950 