British Literature

Of all the gory stories that swirl around Tower of London, none has quite the intrigue as that of Princes of Towers, pre-teen boys of King Edward V who were allegedly killed by their uncle Richard III. The White Queen is not about them. It’s a novel about their mother, Elizabeth Woodville, and the long journey that she makes from an aristocratic nobody to a queen in hiding who never sees her children again. The …

Even though I follow a lot of reading blogs and enjoy marking posts with great book suggestions, I seldom remember to pick these up when I go to a library or a bookstore. For the last year or so, I have noticed that the Persephone Books come highly recommended. These are mostly wartime novels written by woman authors that for some reason or the other had gone out of print. I was a little hesitant …

The Four Graces is a pleasant, relaxing beach read for the discerning reader. Early 20th century England, life at the vicarage in a quaint parish, local gossip, eligible young bachelorettes — it’s fairly staple Georgian fare. It’s not quite up the same alley as Benson, but there is a sufficient amount of plot to keep it interesting. The war clouds hovering over the story add some depth to the somewhat two-dimensional story line. The title …

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is one of those books that does really well on the book blogger circuit. It’s literary enough to catch a more discerning reader and sufficiently romantic to appeal to a more casual purveyor of books. The Plot Based in post-war Britain, this is a story of the friendship of three twenty-somethings – Penelope, Charlotte, and Henry. And that is just one layer of the story. Eva Rice transports the …

British murder mystery novels are my go-to comfort reads. There is something very genteel about them. There is no gore or loud action or twists and turns. The plot peels off in oniony layers. There is suspense but it’s never scary. As a reader, you can sip a cup of tea and breeze through a novel and engage your mind pleasantly for a few hours. Michael Innes’s Death at President’s lodging is the quintessential ‘closed …

Can any writer match the linguistic genius and frantic farce of P.G. Wodehouse? 📚 Exploring Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, and a silver cow creamer in The Code of the Woosters. Read the full review !

2005 remake of Pride & Prejudice is a brutally honest version of the famous Jane Austen novel made lively by Keira Knightly’s performance

I often find that great stories are not just about the writing, the plot or the characters, but what they tell us of the human condition.  That is what really pulls me into the pages and makes me think about what I have read long after I finished the book.  Stories about ordinary women in extraordinary situations are my personal favorite which is why I am in love with Good Evening, Mrs. Craven. The author, …