In 1806, William Thornhill was transported from the slums of London to New South Wales after his death sentence for stealing wood was commuted. EverytIn 1806, William Thornhill was transported from the slums of London to New South Wales after his death sentence for stealing wood was commuted. Everything about the new land was strange, and moments of desperation and hopelessness haunted him. When his family was able to join him, he worked to become a free man, a free man with a dream to succeed in this vast country. He could stake a piece of land and call it his own. But was it Britain’s to give away?
Throughout the world, indigenous people have been brutalized by those colonizing their land, and Australia is no exception. Encouraged by the government to consider the natives savage and dangerous, Thornhill protected HIS land claim and would not be deterred. There were moments when he realized these people he was displacing had a different concept of land. They had skills he did not possess. There were moments when he saw them as human. But his dream did not include sharing space with them. When a vigilante group planned a massacre, his conscience failed him. Groupthink prevailed. But the guilt was something he had to live with long after he became the wealthiest person in the area of Thornhill’s Point.
Kate Grenville based this story on the life of her ancestor, Solomon Wiseman, who had settled in the same area around the same time. The novel, which was originally intended to be non-fiction, took five years to complete. Her research of this period in Australia’s history was beautifully woven into the story of Thornhill. Grenville balanced the attitudes of the settlers toward the Aborigines from depraved to acceptance and assimilation, something I appreciated. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel....more
Mirror, mirror on the wall Is this not the strangest book of all?
Snow White and her evil stepmother might not recognize themselves in the twisted e2+
Mirror, mirror on the wall Is this not the strangest book of all?
Snow White and her evil stepmother might not recognize themselves in the twisted elements of Helen Oyeyemi’s 2014 novel. These well-loved fairytale characters would be surprised by the racial prejudice, mirrors that don’t reflect, physical and mental abuse, and transgender identity. They are not alone in thinking it is too much to pack into one book.
Oyeyemi is a fine writer and there are moments of brilliance in this unique book. Reading it I felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride, enjoying a section only to suddenly hit bottom. Her writing certainly was a plus for me, the characters - not so much. I love novels in which the characters are well-developed. They can be totally abominable, unreliable, immoral, sometimes the more deplorable the better, such as Maurice Swift in Ladder to the Sky. But I did not feel any of the characters in this book were fully developed. Was it a great story, one I couldn’t wait to continue reading? No. And the ending? I can love a “good” ending or a “bad” ending, but unbelievable and bizarre are not favorites with me.
Many have loved this book and it was highly praised by professional reviewers. It wasn’t a waste of time but, as you may have surmised, just not an enjoyable read....more
5+ “Too often, memories of assassination, violence, and social turmoil have obscured the greatest illumination of the Sixties, the spark of communal id5+ “Too often, memories of assassination, violence, and social turmoil have obscured the greatest illumination of the Sixties, the spark of communal idealism and belief that kindled social justice and love for a more inclusive vision of America.”
Richard Goodwin had been the major speech writer for both J.F.K. and Johnson as well as the one to coin the phrase “Great Society”. He worked on the campaigns of both former presidents and was a close friend and confidant of Bobby and Jackie. He was an idealist who believed the work of both presidents would be the beginning of a country that could truly bring justice and equality to all. Having spent decades involved in politics, Dick had accumulated over 300 boxes of memorabilia: personal letters, speech drafts, and other noteworthy keepsakes.
After his eightieth birthday, he was ready to relive his past by sorting through those troves of history. Together with his wife of forty years, they lovingly explored the evidence of those tumultuous political times and all the memories they evoked. It was like a movie they played, multiple date nights they shared, each giving their perspective of the events and their differing loyalties to the two former presidents. After Dick’s death, D.K.G. felt compelled to peruse the contents of the yet unfinished boxes and share Dick’s incredible political history.
Doris Kearns Goodwin has long been a respected historian and a favorite author of mine. Her writing is always accurate and compelling. But this book is not just history. It is a love story of a brilliant man who lived his passion for politics and helped shape and influence the programs of those eventful times. It is also the love story of Dick and Doris, their lifelong belief in a country they have loved and their influence on the presidents they were so committed to. I am just dazzled by the genius of this book and that of both Godwins.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
“I was as much scared as angry, but where does a slave put anger? We could be angry with one another, we were human. But the real source of our rage h“I was as much scared as angry, but where does a slave put anger? We could be angry with one another, we were human. But the real source of our rage had to go without address, swallowed, repressed.”
This is not Mark Twain’s Jim. This is a new Jim. This is James, still enslaved but revealing his authentic self, not the demeanor that the enslavers require. He is an astute reader and thinker, a devoted husband and father, able to activate the facade of an obedient and dull-witted slave when needed when interacting with those who see him as less than human.
Everett’s reimagining of Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is brilliant. It is both funny and tragic. I travelled along with James through each adventure, each danger. I held my breath, I cheered, I was enraged.
James is longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and well worthy of it. Whether or not it wins, it should be required reading. I can foresee it being included in high school English curriculum - at least in some states....more
Elizabeth Taylor’s accurate descriptions of everyday people going about their everyday lives never gets stale or outdated. These short stories written Elizabeth Taylor’s accurate descriptions of everyday people going about their everyday lives never gets stale or outdated. These short stories written in 1972 could be about people today with very few period changes. She exposes human follies and frailties but never is she condescending or judgmental.
The title story was one of my favorites. A well-to-do older couple agree to take two little boys from a poor section of London into their home for a two week vacation. The country air, the outside activities will be good for them. But will two active and mischievous children be good for this couple? The story, which left a big smile on my face, was a good reminder of how sometimes things we dread can turn out to be wonderful.
More than a few stories were about travelers staying in unexpectedly seedy hotels. A couple on their honeymoon, an arrogant, overbearing, and disgruntled woman and her ward delayed due to car problems and two middle-aged vacationers interested in a short fling, all exhibit the author’s keen observation of human foibles. It is as if Taylor loves her characters but is able to laugh at their weaknesses, flaws that existed then and will likely continue to exist forever.
In each story, Taylor’s spot-on observations were perfect and her wry humor added to the reading pleasure....more
“There is something at the core or her, a type of defiance. It’s like an animal that lives behind her eyes. It makes me fear that there will always be“There is something at the core or her, a type of defiance. It’s like an animal that lives behind her eyes. It makes me fear that there will always be a part of her that will not submit or be ruled.”
This is not the description of the ideal duchess; This is not acceptable for the wife of Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, in 1561. These are characteristics that most likely would be detrimental to any woman of that time.
Lucrezia is the daughter of Cosimo I de’Medici, the ruler of Florence. Everything she is taught is with the intention of molding her into the perfect wife, a political match her father will arrange for added wealth and power. She is like a caged animal in her father’s menagerie - caught, overwrought, with escape impossible. She is to marry Alfonso at fifteen. She will produce an heir or many heirs as her role has determined. And if not?
The novel was inspired by Robert Browning’s poem, “My Last Duchess". It is told in alternating time periods between her childhood and during her ill-fated one-year marriage to the mercurial Alfonso. Little is known about the life of the historical Lucrezia, but O’Farrell skillfully fills in the unknown. Details of castle life and the feelings and premonitions of Lucrezia were so vividly depicted. I could feel the dampness, the gloom, the increasing danger. My heart was racing faster and faster as the intrigue built.
O’Farrell is such a fine writer. This was my fourth book by her and each has been entirely different, but entirely outstanding. She never disappoints....more
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a book I avoided reading until it became a book club selection. Do I confess it sounds too trite for my taste or do I jRemarkably Bright Creatures is a book I avoided reading until it became a book club selection. Do I confess it sounds too trite for my taste or do I just take the plunge? How bad could it be? Little did I know how much I would come to love Marcellus, a Giant Pacific Octopus now living in captivity. This sometimes narrator is intelligent, wise, and a keen observer of human foibles. His quirky and unusual relationship with Tova Sullivan, a widowed employee at the aquarium was just what they both needed, in many ways.
It is not often a book is well written, heartwarming, and easy to read. I never felt it was sappy, just smile on my face refreshing. I really need that every so often....more
Taking Care is a comprehensive coverage of nursing from the Stone Age up to the present. It is well-documented as well as personal with many specific Taking Care is a comprehensive coverage of nursing from the Stone Age up to the present. It is well-documented as well as personal with many specific stories about nursing care. It is not a book meant to just portray nurses as gentle and caring souls, although they are that too. The nursing profession has had a long history of patriarchy, racism and subservience. DiGregorio does an excellent job of detailing the history of how this came to be.
Nurses were around long before doctors. When laws were enacted requiring a medical license, the gender bias began. Only males were permitted at universities. Consequently, doctors were at the hierarchy of healthcare often dictating the responsibilities and salaries of other providers. This often resulted in oppression and misogyny. But some historically esteemed nurses, such as Florence Nightingale, while advancing the profession by establishing nursing schools and improving hygiene, were racists and patronizing.
Gregorio is a freelance journalist who felt compelled to write this book after several medical emergencies involving her family brought her into close contact with nurses, nurses who went above and beyond in their care, nurses whose compassion and personal reassurances made horrific situations much more bearable. Anyone who has lived a number of years has been cared for by a nurse: at birth, at school, in offices. According to Yuval Noah Harari in his thought provoking book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, nursing will be one of the few professions that will not be replaced by A.I. That alone is mind-boggling to me.
Reading this beautifully written book has given me a broader understanding of the history of nursing as well as their long and continual struggle for respect and parity. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. ...more
“How do you feel every minute of the dragging dark, cannot decide which is worse, the way hunger gnaws your body or the way cold gnaws on what’s le4+
“How do you feel every minute of the dragging dark, cannot decide which is worse, the way hunger gnaws your body or the way cold gnaws on what’s left.”
If you change your appearance, become a boy in the eyes of the world, are your chances of surviving the Great Famine better? Can you give up your family, your home, everything you have ever known for that chance? Grace did not have a choice. She was just a child, barely a teen, when her mother, out of love, made that choice for her.
Grace’s journey through a ravaged Ireland is one of unimaginable hardship and despair. Lynch’s evocative prose brings her to life, a life on the brink of death. Her circumstances are bleak and made worse by the frequent moments of fear, remembered Irish superstitions and divine retribution for sin. “She thinks, sometimes the devil waits on the road and walks with you and other times the devil waits inside your head and gives your thoughts to speak.”
This book, like most stories about horrific historical events, is not upbeat, no bright sun shining through. Yet, there is beauty. Grace’s strength, the friendships and love shown even in the worst moments were extraordinary. I often put myself in Grace’s situation. I am no Grace. I would have just given up. No food week after week, month after month? I get crabby just skipping a meal. I am no survivor of deprivation.
This novel was published in 2017, one of the author’s earliest books. I have not read Prophet Song for which he won the Booker Prize in 2023, but the masterful writing in Grace was just the forerunner of more amazing novels....more
What makes one child succeed against the odds? Determination and a positive role model are often cited as important factors. A parent or a respected aWhat makes one child succeed against the odds? Determination and a positive role model are often cited as important factors. A parent or a respected adult who believes in the child and encourages him/her can play a large part too. Yet, many still fall short. Cedric Jennings is one of the lucky ones.
Suskind begins Cedric’s story in 1993 when he was a junior at Ballou High, a substandard school deep in the ghetto of Washington, D.C. It had a double digit dropout rate and violence often erupted both in the school and on the streets. Being smart and succeeding were definitely not cool. Cedric, an honor student, was willing to forgo popularity, take the abuse, both physical and verbal, to follow his dream -entrance into an ivy league college.
Being accepted at Brown University was a dream come true, a dream with many characteristics of a nightmare. He entered an unknown world, a white world of privilege. Not only were his past experiences entirely different, his speech, his dress, his way of interacting were totally foreign. It was as if he had entered another country not knowing the language or the culture. Each setback made me hold my breath; each success I breathed a sigh of relief. Cedric’s resolve again made the difference. He graduated from Brown with a 3.3 GPA majoring in education and a minor in applied mathematics. He went on to Harvard and earned a master’s degree in education and to the University of Michigan for a second master’s in social work. He is currently working in that capacity giving back to the community from which he came.
This book grew out of a series of articles the author had written for the Wall Street Journal, articles that won a Pulitzer Prize for feature reporting. What makes this book so much more than an unlikely triumph was the warmth, the love I could feel between Cedric and Suskind. There was total trust and honesty. This closeness continues as they celebrate holidays and special events together. Suskind continues to give a large portion of the proceeds of this book to Cedric and his mother. Suskind and Cedric have my admiration....more
Majorie Merriweather Post must have been a savvy business woman to transform her father’s Post Cereal Company in Battle Creek, Michigan into the mult Majorie Merriweather Post must have been a savvy business woman to transform her father’s Post Cereal Company in Battle Creek, Michigan into the multimillion dollar General Foods Corporation, but it was not an emphasis in this portrayal.
Pataki’s book is mostly about Post’s great wealth and how she spent it. Descriptions of lavish parties with details of the gowns and jewels she wore were described over and over. Her three failed marriages were detailed. Her philanthropy was emphasized. The first person narration didn’t help. She seemed self-absorbed and impressed with herself, not a likable person.
I should have read a nonfiction account if I really wanted to know her. The book was loaned to me by a friend who enjoyed it much more than I did. The moral of the story is keep your friends but don’t necessarily read the books they like (friends on Goodreads excluded).
Possession, the 1990 Booker Prize winner, is touted as a love story, but it is so much more. A story about obsession, guilt, passion, love, and the trPossession, the 1990 Booker Prize winner, is touted as a love story, but it is so much more. A story about obsession, guilt, passion, love, and the transformative power of the written word. A.S. Byatt masterfully ensnared me in the search by Roland Mitchell and Maud Bailey for the possible relationship between Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte, two fictitious Victorian poets.
Roland Mitchell is an Ash scholar and postgraduate research assistant who stumbles across the poet’s affectionate letters to a mysterious woman. With some investigative work, he thinks the unknown recipient may be LaMotte. Maud Bailey, a scholar of LaMotte who is as devoted or obsessed with this female poet as Mitchell is with Ash, is the person to share this possibly explosive discovery. Together they follow the clues that lead to the relationship and affair. But other academics in Great Britain and the U.S. want the credit for a discovery that could make them famous and forever change all Victorian poetry studies. There is nothing they will not do to make this happen.
Through letters, poems, and journals Ash and LaMotte come alive. Like the characters themselves, all are composed by A. S. Byatt. It just boggles my mind. The poems are not Hallmark verses. They are finely detailed with many references and a wealth of knowledge. I frequently had to read a poem, step away and think about it, and then, reread it. Often, my less erudite mind was still foggy. Does Byatt try to prove her brilliance? I don’t think so. I believe she is just unable to dumb her writing down.
The movie is very enjoyable but somewhat limited. It was like watching an advertisement for a place you have longed to visit. It makes you know visiting will reveal so much more and the experience will be deeper and include long-held memories.
“Now and then there are readings that make the hairs on the neck, the non-existent pelt, stand on end and tremble, when every word burns and shines hard and clear and infinite and exact, like stones of fire, like points of stars in the dark - readings when the knowledge that we shall know the writing differently or better or satisfactorily, runs ahead of any capacity to say what we know or how. It is a sense that the text has appeared to be wholly new, never before seen, is followed, almost immediately, by the sense that it was always there. For the first, time we become fully cognizant of our knowledge.”...more
I don’t think I was alone in thinking only vile things about J. Edgar Hoover before reading Gage’s thorough Pulitzer Prize winning biography. He was a I don’t think I was alone in thinking only vile things about J. Edgar Hoover before reading Gage’s thorough Pulitzer Prize winning biography. He was a power monger, unethical, a racist, egotistical, thinned skin, hypocritical - or so I believed. All these things could describe the later years of his 48 year leadership as the director of the F.B.I. In 1971, Hale Boggs, a Democrat and former admirer of Hoover said from the House floor, ”It is tragic when a great man who has given his life to his country comes to the twilight of his life and fails to understand it is time to leave the service and enjoy retirement.” This was spoken after Boggs blasted Hoover on the House floor for his “failures, weaknesses, and abuses of power”. If only there had been a time limit to his leadership, he might be remembered today for his dedicated work in transforming the F.B.I. from a failing law-enforcement agency into a well-run and highly modernized bureau. Gage makes it clear that some of Hoover’s illegal spying activities were known and sometimes encouraged by a few presidents, a secretary of state, and more than one congressman.
I thoroughly enjoyed this 732 page walk through history. From the Rosenberg spy case, the Red Scare and Joe McCarthy, the assassinations of John and Bobby Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and the struggle for racial equality, much was learned about this historic time period and how it shaped the country and politics today. I appreciated Gage’s balanced account and her honesty.
“Whether or not every detail of what he was doing was known, millions of people, from presidents down to the smallest of small-town editors, had always aided and supported him - not despite but because of his willingness to target those who challenged the status quo.”
“After almost twenty years of being immersed in Southern racial conflicts, he had come to view civil rights activists and Klansmen as part of the same debilitating turn toward lawbreaking and disorder. Both groups upset the status quo and promoted conflict and instability causing problems for the F.B.I. It was of no importance to him that one group uses torture, intimidation, and murder and the other practiced nonviolence.”...more
By book 6 in a series containing 7 books, I feel as if Mathew Shardlake is my neighbor and dear friend. I am living in a polluted London and always fe By book 6 in a series containing 7 books, I feel as if Mathew Shardlake is my neighbor and dear friend. I am living in a polluted London and always fearful that any misspoken words will be judged heretical by the paranoid King Henry V111. I know which London streets to stay clear of, who not to associate with, which books to burn before they, too, may be considered heretical. These final months of Henry’s reign in 1546 are wrought with fear, and unrest, and political intrigue.
As in all books in the series, the very capable hunchback lawyer and sleuth is involved in two lawsuits. One involves the bitter case between two siblings, a brother and sister consumed by hatred for each other. What is the root of this loathing and what formidable secrets from their past are they not revealing?
Mathew has also agreed to investigate the disappearance of a pamphlet written by his beloved friend Catherine Parr, the 6th and last queen of Henry. She is deathly afraid (and doesn’t any wife of this king have the right to be?) her religious writings, known as Lamentations of a Sinner, could be considered heresy. Who would steal this pamphlet and for what purpose?
The time period of this book was wrought with peril as the author ably describes. The Catholics and Protestants are vying for power. The Anabaptists are deemed heretics and will be burned at the stake if discovered. Henry’s mental capabilities are questionable due to his declining health. Perhaps uncertain about his own religious beliefs, he sends for a emissary of the pope to discuss the possibility of returning his kingdom to the “true” church.
The court political intrigue, Catherine Parr, Henry’s erratic behavior as well as the religious upheaval were all so compelling. I have loved all books in this series, but this might be my favorite. Sansom can be depended on for historical depth and detail, although not brevity. Any book in this series is a time commitment but one well worth it. I look forward to reading book #7 but sad there will be none after that....more
Daisy Miller could be the poster child for the modern young woman, at least for the year 1878 the year this novella was published. She was not a rebelDaisy Miller could be the poster child for the modern young woman, at least for the year 1878 the year this novella was published. She was not a rebel but a confident girl who cared little about conventional and appropriate behavior. No meek and submissive female in need of male protection and direction was this daisy.This wealthy young American traveling with her mother and brother through Italy was an enigma to her admirer, young Frederick Winterbourne. He was attracted to her, often defended her actions, but he is still baffled by her disregard for the accepted demeanor. For the aristocratic society of Italy, Daisy’s uninhibited personality was appalling and unacceptable.
I thoroughly enjoyed traveling back in time with this story. Women have gained much independence and freedom since 1878, and I believe stories such as this have often led the way. I do wish Daisy could have been a little less self-centered, a little more intellectual, not just that “pretty American girl”. I guess a woman who breaks the social codes was radical enough for 1878....more
Abraham Verghese’s newest book is a fine multigenerational story. He is an excellent writer and his medical expertise is very evident. I dashed off 3+
Abraham Verghese’s newest book is a fine multigenerational story. He is an excellent writer and his medical expertise is very evident. I dashed off to the bookstore as soon as it was published. It would be impossible to wait until a copy would become available at my library. Could it be as good as Cutting for Stone my excited self asked?
Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe the overflowing fruit basket of characters didn’t pull me in. Maybe the tragedies, as sad as they were, became too numerous. I could sense when another was about to occur. The curse or condition as it was called is still an enigma. I have researched the disease, neurofibromatosis type 1 and type 2, and still don’t understand how the disease relates to an aversion to water. Maybe my lack of medical training is at fault.
Still, I did enjoy this novel; I just didn’t love it as much as I had hoped I would. Future books by Verghese will still be anxiously awaited. Maybe I’ll just tone down my anticipation.
Karl Ove Knausgaard has written a novel typical of many Russian novels in its length and scope. Its 789 pages may be daunting to many, but I fou4+ - 5
Karl Ove Knausgaard has written a novel typical of many Russian novels in its length and scope. Its 789 pages may be daunting to many, but I found it thoroughly enjoyable. Many themes are included, themes that certainly have been explored by many writers, but Knausgaard, in my opinion, did a splendid job of addressing them in new and engaging ways.
Connections and life and death are delved into on many levels. The first section of The Wolves of Eternity*, a novel in itself, is about Syvert, an eighteen-year-old returning home after fulfilling his Norwegian military service in the 1980s. His father is dead. His mother is seriously ill and needs help providing for a younger brother. Syvert has no job and no sense of where his life is going. Although not a great thinker (not many are at 18), he does what he can to help out. With time on his hands, he searches through his father’s belongings and finds letters written in Cyrillic. Snippets of his father’s secret life in Russia are revealed when they are translated. A mystery is beginning to unfurl as the book now turns to the story of Alvetina,
Three decades later in Putin’s Russia a scientist named Alvetina is giving lectures to young students. She is adrift in her life and in her beliefs. She pursues an interest in the life of trees and their symbiotic fungal networks but is unable to develop a doctoral thesis. This could be viewed as a lengthy digression, but it reveals much about Alvetina. It is also a topic I have some knowledge about and find very intriguing. Her mysterious friend is researching the beliefs of Nikolai Fyodorov. An influence on Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, he believed that the dead can be revived. Life eternal is possible. This lengthy section also might be viewed as a digression but, again, I found it of great interest, especially when considering today’s research into Cryonics, science investigating what was once solely the belief of the church.
When Syvert and Alvetina meet in Moscow, the major themes are again evident. There is a connection among people, among all living things. Weather and celestial phenomena are occurring throughout the world. I strongly suspect Knausgaard is no isolationist.
Many consider Knausgaard to be the finest Norwegian writer since Henrik Ibsen. I’m not really qualified to judge that. I can definitely say his writing is superb and the characters so very authentic. When I read a novel of this length and wish it were even longer, I know it has had a powerful impact, one that will affect me for a long time.
* The title was taken from a poem by the Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva. “However much you feed a wolf, it always looks to the forest. We are all wolves of the dense forest of Eternity.”...more
A ten hour trip on interstates necessitates a certain kind of audio book. Driving at 75 m.p.h. requires much concentration, not a lot of time to pondeA ten hour trip on interstates necessitates a certain kind of audio book. Driving at 75 m.p.h. requires much concentration, not a lot of time to ponder double entendres or evocative prose. Basically: be alert and just enjoy the story. The Maid was a perfect read for such a time. Enjoyable, many smiles and no hidden meanings. It was the perfect match of right book right time.
Molly loves to clean and she is an expert at it (not a characteristic that would ever be attributed to me). Give her a bedroom needing to be returned to perfection or a disgusting bathroom, she excels. She is honest and loyal in a world that often isn’t. Probably somewhere on the autism spectrum, she has an extensive vocabulary but little ability with social skills. She takes words literally much like Amelia Bedelia. Often she is assumed to be simple, not too bright. She appears to be an easy target to those with malevolence on their mind. Murder and deceit are beyond her capabilities, but do not underestimate her.
Molly is so very likable. Her miscues are often funny. It wasn’t that I was laughing at her but amused by how easily words and actions can be misconstrued. I was rooting for her, often wanting to warn her about those with dubious intentions.
The Maid was a delightful change of pace, refreshing and clever, just right for a tedious car ride or anytime you need a light read....more
Who hasn’t thought about the what ifs. What if I had gone to a different college? Married a different person? Entered a different profession? C. J. Sa Who hasn’t thought about the what ifs. What if I had gone to a different college? Married a different person? Entered a different profession? C. J. Sansom’s 2012 political thriller is a what if of a much greater scope. What if Great Britain was defeated by Nazi Germany?
Dominion is a reimagining of how WWII ends. (The alternative fiction of that time period is not new, just new to me). It is set in 1952, twelve years after Britain surrenders to Germany and becomes a satellite state of the Third Reich. Churchill goes underground as the leader of the resistance. There are women and men willing to risk their lives for what they believe in, but also Nazi sympathizers, some with important government positions, well-known names such as Enoch Powell, Lords Halifax and Beaverbrook.
Sansom is a historian and meticulous about facts. How many novels have extensive bibliographies? I have not read many political thrillers, but this genre is a nice change of pace, especially when you know you will learn something that is new and valid. One suspenseful chase between a resistance spy and a Nazi occurs during the Great Smog of London in 1952, something I had been unaware of. I have read five of Sansom’s Mathew Shardlake series set in 16th century England and Winter in Madrid set in 1940 in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. All attest to the fact that this is an author the reader can depend on to give historical accuracy as well as tell a great story.
In this day of political turmoil the what if question still looms in the mind of many. For me, it is as frightening today as it was in the imagined scenario of Dominion.
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