Tag: Reading Challenges

#BookReview Run to the Western Shore by Tim Pears @_SwiftPress

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About the Book

Britain, AD 72. Quintus, long exiled from his people, has travelled great odysseys in the retinue of a powerful Roman. Though a citizen of nowhere, he is a man of reason, fluent in many languages. Olwen, imperious tribal royalty, is rooted in her native land – a volatile warrior, fiercely attached to the natural world.

Given away by her father as part of a peace treaty, Olwen flees during the night, taking Quintus with her. Hunted by an army, the two make their way across the country, living off the land, heading for the western shore…

Format: eARC (208 pages) Publisher: Swift Press
Publication date: 2nd November 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find Run to the Western Shore on Goodreads

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My Review

Although set in 1st century Britain, this story of two young people who form an instant bond despite being from different backgrounds, of different social status and from different warring sides, and who are forced to flee in order to be together is timeless. That’s not to say there’s no sense of the period because this is a Britain occupied by multiple tribes, some nomadic like Olwen’s own tribe, who follow old ways that have been handed down through the generations.

Initially Olwen, with her knowledge of the wild countryside they pass through as they attempt to outrun their pursuers, takes the lead. She is in tune with nature in a way Quintus, born in the city of Ephesus, is not. She educates him in the ways of birds and animals. “I did not know there was so much to see in this world”, he said. “Where my eyes would have passed over and noticed nothing. You have shown me, my love.’

As they shelter for the night, they share stories. Olwen recounts the legends associated with her ancestors whilst Quintus describes his life in Ephesus before he was enslaved. In a way, they are both enslaved because their value is weighed in terms of their use to others.

Gradually Quintus becomes less of a passenger, using the negotiation skills learned from his merchant father to get them out of a dangerous situation and introducing Olwen to things she’s never encountered before, such as the notion that hundreds of thousands of people could live crowded together in a place and not kill one another.

There are wonderful descriptions of the Welsh landscape through which Olwen and Quintus travel. ‘They climbed again above the treeline, where here and there dotted on the hillside odd trees grew like lonely sentinels sent out to survey the harsh landscape above.’ And I loved this description of the dawning of a new day. ‘The darkness drained upwards, off the horizon, and it was followed by colour, fierce pink paint daubed across the horizon by some hot impatient hand.’

Increasingly they become aware that such is the relentlessness and ruthlessness of their pursuers they risk bringing danger to those who seek to help them. This is demonstrated all too clearly in one particularly tragic episode.

Can you run forever? Like all great love stories, a happy ending is not guaranteed.

I loved Tim Pears’ West Country trilogy – The Horseman, The Wanderers and The Redeemed – which were all either longlisted or shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Run to the Western Shore is another supremely well-crafted story that as well as being a moving tale about two young people is a love letter to the natural world.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Swift Press via NetGalley.

In three words: Immersive, emotional, poignant

Try something similar: Before the Swallows Come Back by Fiona Curnow

About the Author

Time Pears author

Tim Pears is a Lannan Prize-winning author and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His books include In the Place of Fallen Leaves (winner of the Hawthornden Prize and the Ruth Hadden Memorial Award), In A Land of Plenty (made into a ten-part BBC series), Landed (shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, winner of the MJA Open Book Awards), and The West Country Trilogy. (Photo: Publisher author page)

Connect with Tim
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#BookReview The Socialite Spy by Sarah Sigal @lume_books

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About the Book

London, 1936. Socialite and journalist Lady Pamela More pens the popular ‘Agent of Influence’ column, writing wittily about fashion and high society. For her latest piece, she interviews Wallis Simpson, the newly crowned king’s American mistress. That’s when she’s approached by MI5.

Her mission: spy on the royal couple and report on their connections with Nazi Germany.

As she navigates the treacherous world of international espionage, Pamela uses her skills of observation and intuition to infiltrate Wallis’ inner circle. But Europe is unstable, and international spies lurk on every corner.

Does Pamela have what it takes to survive the currents of espionage? Or is she in over her head

Format: eARC (356 pages) Publisher: Lume Books
Publication date: 19th October 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Find The Socialite Spy on Goodreads

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Disclosure: If you buy a book via the above link, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Hive | Amazon UK 
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My Review

Lady Pamela makes a lively, spirited and entertaining protagonist whose keen eye for fashion and witty take on the social scene has made her a successful columnist. But she feels unfulfilled and that her talents are being overlooked. ‘When she was younger, Pamela had harboured secret dreams of becoming the next Rebecca West (minus the illegitimate child), Virginia Woolf (minus the crippling depression) or Katherine Mansfield (minus the tubersular death).’ No wonder then when the opportunity of adventure arises she grabs it with both exquisitely manicured hands. And what could be more of an adventure than spying? Her social connections and observational skills – she can spot the difference between a genuine couture gown and a cheap copy a mile off – see her make an excellent start to her mission to get close to Wallis Simpson. After that, it all gets a little more complicated, and quite a lot more dangerous. And not just for Lady Pamela.

There is an enormous cast of the real life great and good of the period including Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, Cecil Beaton, Harold Nicolson, Diana Vreeland and Evelyn Waugh. And the not so good, such as Oswald Mosley. But behind all the fun of Lady Pamela’s espionage activities there’s some serious stuff about the prevalence of Nazi sympathisers in the higher echelons of society in the run-up to the Second World War. In fact it’s chilling to be reminded how many downplayed, even actively supported, the horrific acts being carried out against Jewish people and other sections of society in Germany at the time. A secondary plot line involving Lady Pamela’s formidable Aunt Constance underlines how dangerous it can be to speak out against injustice and discrimination.

I developed rather a soft spot for Francis, Pamela’s husband who seemed to me the epitome of loyalty, steadfastness and patience in the face of his wife’s increasingly risky escapades, especially since he faces struggles of his own. Sadly, Lady Pamela doesn’t always treat him very well – in fact, particularly badly at one point. Having said that, the pair lead quite separate lives a lot of the time: Francis at his club or attending a shooting party, and Lady Pamela immersed in a social whirl of glamorous parties and fancy dinners in which a never-ending supply of cocktails and cigarettes is the order of the day.

The Socialite Spy is a really entertaining read but one with a nugget of something more weighty at its heart. A luxury Charbonnel et Walker chocolate with a praline centre, if you like. Judging by the book’s conclusion I get the feeling this is not the last we’ve heard of Lady Pamela. How absolutely delightful, darling, let’s have another martini to celebrate.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Lume Books via NetGalley.

In three words: Lively, engaging, intriguing

Try something similar: The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear

About the Author

Originally from Chicago and based in London, Dr Sarah Sigal is a freelance writer, dramaturge, director and researcher working across fiction, theatre and opera. Sarah received her PhD from Goldsmiths, and has taught at a number of British universities. (Photo: Goodreads author page)

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