Historical Fiction

More bundles of apologies for the length of time between postings. Blame it on shifting house, a very long book, and minor eye surgery! With the last in mind, it may very well be some more time between postings, given how blurry this keyboard looks right now!

So, I have just finished a non-list book, an expedition into historical fiction. It is a genre I delve into now and then, when the subject matter is interesting enough. The concept of exploring what we cannot know – and blending it with what we do – is fascinating, and has many more possible applications that just historical fiction.

Margaret George is the Queen of historical fiction as far as I am concerned – I have just finished her fictional autobiography of Henry VIII. He is one of the most fascinating characters of history – I mean, six wives! The break with the Catholic Church… What was he thinking? I love getting a insight and impression of his possible character. George also wrote a brilliant novel on Cleopatra that is well worth getting into if you like this sort of thing.

I can also recommend – particularly if Henry himself interests you – Phillipa Gregory. Her “The Other Boleyn Girl”, discussing Mary Boleyn (who interestingly was Henry’s mistress before Anne) is very good.

It’s nice to read something a little different now and then, so I would be interested in other historical fiction recommendations.

I have just painstakingly started a book recommended to me by a young friend. Another of our friends read it recently, and while it has been sitting on my shelf for a while, I now kind of feel obliged to make myself part of the conversation!