Talking Location With … author Tom Benjamin: BOLOGNA and environs
GIVEAWAY – 3 copies of historical novel Rose Nicolson by Andrew Greig – SCOTLAND
24th October 2021
We are delighted to offer three copies of the historical novel Rose Nicolson, set in Scotland in the 16th Century.
“A triumph” “The best historical novel I’ve read for a long time” “Sixteenth Century Scotland comes to life”
Embra, winter of 1574. Queen Mary has fled Scotland, to raise an army from the French. Her son and heir, Jamie is held under protection in Stirling Castle. John Knox is dead. The people are unmoored and lurching under the uncertain governance of this riven land. It’s a deadly time for young student Will Fowler, short of stature, low of birth but mightily ambitious, to make his name.
Fowler has found himself where the scorch marks of the martyrs burned at the stake can be seen on every street, where differences in doctrine can prove fatal, where the feuds of great families pull innocents into their bloody realm. There he befriends the austere stick-wielding philosopher Tom Nicolson, son of a fishing family whose sister Rose, untutored, brilliant and exceedingly beautiful exhibits a free-thinking mind that can only bring danger upon her and her admirers.
The lowly students are adept at attracting the attentions of the rich and powerful, not least Walter Scott, brave and ruthless heir to Branxholm and Buccleuch, who is set on exploiting the civil wars to further his political and dynastic ambitions. His friendship and patronage will lead Will to the to the very centre of a conspiracy that will determine who will take Scotland’s crown.
HOW TO ENTER
- You need to be a member of TripFiction. Simply go to www.tripfiction.com and scroll down to the JOIN NOW tab. And we do check!
- Then, in the COMMENTS below, simply tell us your favourite historical fiction reads!
Enter by midnight, 6 November 2021 and the 3 winners will be chosen at random. UK only
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Winners
Sheena
Kacky
MarkMinnie
Half a yellow sun is my all time favourite!
It’s difficult to choose just one of the series but I think it’d have to be The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory.
September by Rosamude Pilcher
I recently read Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka and absolutely loved it. It’s historical fiction set in Japan, a real adventure!
Kingsbridge series by Ken Follett
Kate Mosse Labyrinth had me dreaming of trips to France
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
Any of Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge series are my favourites
My favourite is Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory.
EmpireLand Sathnam Sanghera
Wolf hall although this was quite a difficult read I found the story fascinating and really felt I was part of the intrigue of the reign of Henry VIII. It is one of those books worth persevering with and enthralling
Lamentation by C.J. Sansom…..unforgettable plus all the Phillipa Gregory books I seem to be addicted to!
I would love to read Rose Nicolson. One of my favourite historical novels was about the Easter Rising in Ireland. The characters watched the approach of the boats in the bay from the top of the Post Office Tower. I would love to read it again but don’t know the author or the title.
I would love to read Rose Nicolson.
One of my best historical reads was about the Easter Risings in Ireland. I remember the characters looking out to the boats in the bay from the top of the Post Office Building. I would love to find it and read it again but I can’t remember the title or the author
I once read a book about the Easter Risings in Ireland and I enjoyed it tremendously. I remember that they were watching the boats in the harbour from the top of the Post Office building. I wish I could find the book again
Queen’s Gambit
My favourite book of all time is Emperor by Colin Thubron . Its about Constantine’s campaigns before his triumphal return to Rome . Its just magical writing .
I really enjoyed All Quiet on the Western Front – if that counts 🙂
I recently read The King’s Sister by Anne O’Brien. It was great, I love historical fiction with a female narrator.
I’ve loved the Wolf Hall trilogy
Tough to choose but I think it must be Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Hilary Mantel writes great books
I love Phillipa Gregory’s books, they’re amazing!
i love anything set in ww2. i find the stories so interesting
I have always loved Phillipa Gregory.
Oooh, that’s tough…I have to say “The Nightingale”–I just listened to it this year and I felt that one deeply!
I love anything by Andrew Taylor – especially his Restoration series of novels.
Love Elizabeth Goudges books x
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantell
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Love Philippa Gregory.
Stacey Halls ‘The Foundling’
Anything by Philippa Gregory
Gone With The Wind
I like books by Tracy Chevalier
Where The Crawdads Sing
I enjoy those that are set in the wars and battlefields of the past
I love all the Philippa Gregory novels
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
simply tell us your favourite historical fiction read . . .
‘Clan of the Cave Bear’ by Jean M Auel
l have read it and re-read it so many times and each time l find something new. Very well researched and l love the rest of the series but l keep coming back to Clan of the Cave Bear
The Glass Palace
I love lots of historical novels but I think some of my favourites are the Shardlake series by C. J. Samson.
I love outlander
I’ve been reading books about the Pendle witch trials recently.
One of my favourite is Philippa Gregory, “Tudor”
Hilary Mantel books especially Wolf Hall
Labyrinth by kate mosse
I love all the Jean Plaidy books and can read them over again
The Falco
The Agincourt Bride, Joanna Hickson maybe
The House by the Marsh
by William Blyghton
A great insight into grief
My absolute favourite historical fiction books are Dorothy Dunnet’s Lymond Chronicles – like the author herself, I’m more than a little in love with Francis Crawford of Lymond and Sevigny.
Anthying to do with Mary Queen of Scots and/or Elizabeth 1
I also love the Legends of King Arthur.
The Falco books by Lindsey Davis going all the way back to ancient Rome.
I love novels about the Tudors, Philippa Gregory is a firm favourite.
I love the Wolf Hall series by Hilary Mantel, in fact just about anything set in Tudor times. But I think my favourite ever historical read was The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, because it so vividly brought to life a place and time I knew so little about. Close behind, and for the same reason, A Far Distant Land by David Field.
It’s a difficult choice to pick just one historical novel, but one of my top favourite books in the last year was Advent by Jane Fraser set in 1904 in Wales. An absolute gem of a book!
I love Victoria Hislop’s The Island about leprosy on Spinalonga
The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
The Foundling and The Familiars, both written by Stacey Halls.
2 Comments
Ooh, that’s a difficult one! I enjoyed both but if I had to choose just one then I would choose The Foundling as it inspired me to learn more about the Foundling Hospital and the lives of the children who lived there.
Oh, yes, they are good choices!!! Did you have a preference for one or the other?
I love – and still have – most of the Jean Plaidy books.
I have read most of the Philippa Gregory Plantagenet and Tudor novels
Gosh, such a list of favourite historical authors! Jean Plaidy, Elizabeth Chadwick, Sharon Penman, Reay Tannahill, Ellis Peters…this list is long…and I can’t possibly pick out individual titles!
During lockdown I read so many historical novels in strict chronological order. I think I like Philippa Gregory best but I also enjoyed Alison Weir and Kate Furnival.
All the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton – set in 18th century Spitalfields and based around the Huguenot silk weavers. So atmospheric with a focus on the perspectives of two women.