Elizabeth Laird |
Macmillan |
1904442714 |
Sept 2006 |
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The tragedy of this book is that it feels so contemporary. Set during the civil war that Lebanon appeared to have put behind it, last summer’s military stand off between Israel and Hezbollah gives it a very ‘now’ feel. |
Blowout
Susan Vaught |
Bloomsbury |
074758284X |
September 2006 |
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The art of the review is often to circle gently around the crux of the novel without ever giving away the ending. Unfortunately the ending is at the heart of this novel. So in the immortal words of pre-internet newsreaders everywhere, if you don’t want to know the result, look away now. |
The Tide Knot
Helen Dunmore |
Harper Collins |
0007204892 |
May 2006 |
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The ancient Greeks used to believe that the world was composed of four elements, earth, water, fire and air. |
Forged in the Fire
Ann Turnbull |
Walker Books |
1844289354 |
March 2006 |
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Being young and in love but apart is the best of times and the worst of times. The anticipation of being together is wonderful, each letter brings a surge of optimism but the on-going trial of being separated by distance can seem impossible to overcome. |
Not Exactly Normal
Devin Brown |
Eerdmans Books |
0802852831 |
January 2006 |
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They speak the same language and share a lot of our values but America is clearly not simply the home counties with better shopping. |
Nancy Wake Secret Agent
Nancy Wake Secret Agent |
Short Books |
1904977588 |
January 2006 |
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All too often history can be dry as dust, a collection of facts and figures, diagrams of battlefields and characters so foolhardy, brave or saintly that they belong on plinths. |
The Mob
Clem Martini |
Bloomsbury |
0747575789 |
Jan 2006 |
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The Mob is the story of a flock of crows that have gathered for their annual meeting. The multitude has come together for play, pairing off and the general hubbub of family reunions. |
Cyrano
Geraldine McCaughrean |
Oxford University Press |
019272603X |
January 2006 |
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Cyrano de Bergerac and his cousin Roxane are a couple of literature’s most frustrated lovers. Fifteen years after the death of Roxane’s late husband, Christian de Neuvillette, their relationship remains constrained by his memory. |
Under Fragile Stone
Ois’n McGann |
O’Brien |
1904442714 |
Oct 2005 |
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Fantasy is a genre that divides. It’s a case love it or loath it ‘ so if you are in the latter category stop reading now, this comic tale of the shape-changing Myunan is not for you. |
House of Spies
House of Spies |
Andersen Press |
1904442714 |
Oct 2005 |
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The madness that can grip communities in times of strife, real or imagined, is fertile ground. |