Joan of Arc by Helen Castor

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helen castor, joan of arc

Acclaimed historian Helen Castor brings us afresh a gripping life of Joan of Arc. Instead of the icon, she gives us a living, breathing young woman; a roaring girl fighting the English, and taking sides in a bloody civil war that was tearing fifteenth century France apart. Here is a portrait of a 19-year-old peasant who hears voices from God; a teenager transformed into a warrior leading an army to victory, in an age that believed women should not fight.

And it is also the story behind the myth we all know, a myth which began to take hold at her trial: that of the Maid of Orleans, the saviour of France, a young woman burned at the stake as a heretic, a woman who five hundred years later would be declared a saint. Joan and her world are brought vividly to life in this refreshing new take on the medieval world. Helen Castor brings us to the heart of the action, to a woman and a country in turmoil, a world where no-one – not Joan herself, nor the people around her, princes, bishops, soldiers or peasants – knew what would happen next.
This is a brilliant and fascinating account of one of the heroine of history. Castor writes in a beautiful style that pulls you along as the read and whilst we all know the story and ending it is a joy to read.

Sheila O’Reilly
Faber/9780571284627/£20.00

Thomas Cromwell by Tracy Borman

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cromwell, tracy borman

Thomas Cromwell is known to millions as the leading character in Hilary Mantel’s bestselling Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. But who was the real Cromwell? Born a lowly tavern keeper’s son, Cromwell rose swiftly through the ranks to become Henry VIII’s right hand man, and one of the most powerful figures in Tudor history. The architect of England’s break with the Roman Catholic Church and the dissolution of the monasteries, he oversaw seismic changes in our country’s history.

A very readable and enjoyable biography of Cromwell who we might feel we know well from Wolf Hall however Borman brings a new perspective to him. If you enjoyed Wolf Hall I would urge you to read this.

Sheila O’Reilly
Hodder/9781444782851/£25.00

In Montmartre by Sue Roe

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montmartre, sue roe

In In Montmartre, Sue Roe vividly brings to life the bohemian world of art in Paris between 1900-1910. When young Pablo Picasso arrived in Paris in October 1900 he made his way up the hillside of Montmartre…The real revolution in the arts first took place not, as is commonly supposed, in the 1920s to the accompaniment of the Charleston, black jazz and mint juleps but more quietly and intimately, in the shadow of the windmills – artificial and real – and in the cafes and cabarets of Montmartre during the first decade of the century. The cross-fertilization of painting, writing, music and dance produced a panorama of activity characterized by the early works of Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck and Modigliani, the appearance of the Ballet Russe and the salons of Gertrude Stein.

This is a glorious biography of a time in Parisian life when it would have been easy to mix and have coffee or wine with the likes of Matisse or Picasso. Roe brings to life with vivid writing about a wonderful 10 years in and around Montmartre. I would recommend this as a perfect read to anyone who loves art and/or Paris. The ideal present with two tickets on the Eurostar I’d say!

Sheila O’Reilly
Penguin/9781905490868/£20.00

Priscilla by Nicholas Shakespeare

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nicholas shakespeare, priscilla

I found this a thoroughly engaging and well written biography by the nephew of Priscilla. In this biography Shakespeare he writes about the astonishing true story of a young woman’s adventures, and misadventures, in the dangerous world of Nazi-occupied France. For Priscilla, pre-war Paris was an exciting carousel of suitors, soirees and heartbreak, and eventually a lavish wedding to a French aristocrat. But the arrival of the Nazi tanks signalled the end of life as a Vicomtesse, and the beginning of a precarious existence under German Occupation. I think he writes in a very fair way considering this is his aunt and alas she does not come out in a very good light. However that’s easy to say as life in occupied Paris at the end of the war is impossible for us to imagine and therefore to judge. Shakespeare brings to life a period in WWII which is sometimes overlook and add a personal viewpoint to this time in history.

Sheila O’Reilly
Vintage Books/9780099555667/£8.99