The story is told with a refreshing candour… [an] outstanding narrative account of the end of empire

Taken together, their stories provide a remarkably intimate insider's perspective on the slave trade, and give us some sense of its staggering human cost

How did Britain, the 'slave trading poacher' of the 18th century, transform herself into the 'abolitionist game-keeper' of the 19th century?... James Walvin, a renowned historian of black people in Britain, finds answers to this mystery in the lives of three men who contributed, sometimes unwittingly, to the demise of a seemingly unassailable evil

James Walvin here addresses the enormity of the slave trade by looking in depth at three individuals inextricably bound up in it

A remarkable and gripping story, asking profound questions

James Walvin provides engrossing portraits of three individuals at the centre of the slave trade

Cleary written and well-researched

A remarkable and gripping story

Deftly crafted... The power of Walvin's stories lies in their details

The inspiring lives of two unique people, and Tolan's compassion in narrating them, illuminate the tragedy of Palestine in the most moving and revealing way

A hard book to read with dry eyes and without a lump in one's throat. And hard to read, also, without feeling - dare one even say the word? - something approaching hope

An understated clash of cultures tale, delicately told

Impeccably researched... this narrative illustrates the possibility of compassionate imagination

Beautifully written