‘Book Corner’ Archives
A Colourful Death: Red Herrings in 1960s Cornwall
By Gabrielle Pantera “The next-door neighbour of my protagonist, Eleanor Trewynn, is an artist,” says author Carola Dunn. “Nick had a role in the first Cornish mystery, Manna from Hades. He's a peaceable sort of chap, laid-back and easy-going. I just started wondering what would make him mad enough to resort to violence.” Set in [...]
Cleopatra and Antony
Preston novel reexamines the lives of the world's two most famous lovers and asks where would we be today if they’d succeeded in winning the Roman Empire Rating: 3 Stars By Gabrielle Pantera “I'm interested in people who despite overwhelming obstacles achieve extraordinary things and also in people to whom history has been unfair,” [...]
The Queen’s Governess: a royally good read…
Karen Harper tells an engaging story of a country girl’s rise to power in the Tudor court Rating: 4 Stars "It’s a story that gives a fresh glimpse into the making of Elizabeth Tudor...a touching mother-daughter story, a ghost story, and a story of one woman’s rise to power in treacherous times,” says Queen’s Governess author Karen [...]
Matt Monro: world class singer who just came up short…
Rating: 3 Stars “His pitch was right on the nose; his word enunciations letter-perfect” – the words of Frank Sinatra, describing Matt Monro, the diminutive British singer who enjoyed a long and successful career before his death from cancer in 1985. And Old Blue Eyes was not the only celebrity fan of Monro’s, as we learn from [...]
Charles Hawtrey: Funny peculiar…
FOR BETTER or worse, the Carry On series defines film comedy in postwar Britain, and one of the franchise’s most enduring images is, of course, Charles Hawtrey. This weedy, bespectacled fellow, a strange mixture of child and little old man who already looked ancient by the time he appeared onscreen with Will Hay in the 1930s. For Hawtrey [...]
Dracula My Love: sink your teeth in…
Books: Dracula My Love Mina Harker reboot of Stoker's Dracula novel shows why girls go ga-ga for Dracula Rating: 3 Stars HOLLYWOOD: “Stoker’s Dracula is a very evil, ghoulish old man, endlessly discussed and feared, and rarely seen after the first few chapters,” says Dracula My Love author Syrie James. “I didn’t see how Mina [...]
Half Life: ghosts of the past meet demons of the present
Rating: 3 Stars HOLLYWOOD: “I wondered what it would be like to be a grown-up woman who was running away from home, rather than trudging back,” says Half Life author Roopa Farooki. “I wondered where this woman would go, and exactly where she was running to. This led to the opening scene of Half Life, where Aruna walks out of her home and on [...]
The Heretic’s Wife: good read about the Good Book
Vantrease novel deals with Bible smugglers and burning heretics as Anne Boleyn pushes Henry VIII to break with Rome Rating: 4 Stars “The idea for The Heretic’s Wife emerged naturally as I followed the historical themes of my first two books, The Illuminator and The Mercy Seller,” says author Brenda Rickman Vantrease. “Although each [...]
The Long Way Home…worth a detour?
Robin Pilcher novel explores family relationships Rating: 3 Stars by Gabrielle Pantera “I went to visit a lovely old fellow who lived quite close in what was then a ramshackle old castle,” says The Long Way Home author Robin Pilcher. “I remember him turning up to church in his wheelchair, being looked after by a young Czech boy. They [...]
The Ark: new thriller holds water
Boyd Morrison presents a fast-paced thriller searching for Noah's Ark Rating: 4 Stars Reviewed by Gabrielle Pantera “I thought, if Indiana Jones can make archaeologists seem cool, why can't I do the same for engineers?” says The Ark author Boyd Morrison. “While I've seen many thriller novels with heroes who were cops, spies, [...]
