Author:Christopher Isherwood
This is the story of Christopher Isherwood’s parents – their meeting in 1895, marriage in 1903 after his father had returned from the Boer War, and his father’s death in an assault on Ypres in 1915, which left his mother a widow until her own death in 1960. As well as a family memoir, it is a social history of a period of striking change, and a portrait of the world which shaped Isherwood and which he rejected.
Shows a deeper understanding of much that he had once rebelled against
—— GuardianA moving account of his parents' marriage based on their letters and diaries
—— IndependentA social history of the first half of the twentieth century and a study of artistic megalomania... Christopher writes about Christopher with fine, clear, cool precision
—— SpectatorThere emerge from this book three remarkable characters, two highly edifying, one a writer of compelling talent
—— Catholic HeraldAn extraordinary kind of sex book [from] one of Oxford's brightest stars. His fat tome, The Orgins of Sex, took 20 years of historical research and is garnering the kind of "magisterial" reviews that cast Dabhoiwala in the role of the younger, cuter, Simon Schama
—— Helen Rumbelow , The TimesFaramerz Dabhoiwala's The Origins of Sex, an enthralling history of changing ideas about sexual freedom and desire from 1600 to 1800, interestingly blends progressivist and circular approaches. He shows us a Western world (mainly England) emerging from medieval sexual morality and enjoying 200 years of relative freedom, but he also shows it sliding back into repression and denial in the 19th century. The future remains a question mark... his book [is] inspiring as well as provocative
—— Sarah Bakewell , The IndependentIn The Origins of Sex, Faramerz Dabhoiwala does for the history of sexual attitudes what Lawrence Stone did for the history of sex and the family. Rigorously academic in his approach, Dabhoiwala focuses on intellectual and social currents to trace the grand sweep of sexual attitudes between 1600 and 1800. His aim "is not primarily to enter into the bedrooms and between the sheets of the past", but to examine sex as a public, rather than private, preoccupation. It needed a writer as erudite as Faramerz Dabhoiwala to knit together established theories of changes in the Enlightenment and weave in the primary sources to show how sex figures in the bigger picture. The book is packed with information and peppered with fascinating examples. It will delight students of social and sexual history, and anyone interested in the history of ideas
—— Times Literary Supplement , Julie PeakmanFor those wanting a more grown-up experience of the Tudor past, there are few better places to start the Leanda de Lisle’s new study. Many have told this story before. What makes de Lisle’s account so fresh is her decision to start her “family story” not in 1485… but three generations earlier… Rarely has [this] story been told as well as here
—— John Adamson , Mail on SundayHer compellingly written book not only illuminates obscure family members... but also provides fresh perspectives on some of the most familiar figures in our history... a work that elegantly combines wide-ranging research with fluent narrative
—— Nick Rennison , Sunday Times (Culture)De Lisle’s masterful command of the facts – great and small – provides a complete and entertaining overview
—— Giles Tremlett , ObserverA vibrant reappraisal of this turbulent family saga
—— Anne Somerset , SpectatorFull of subtle revelations and fascinating detail... fine storytelling and thought-provoking analysis
—— Linda Porter , Literary ReviewIt is…greatly to the credit of Leanda de Lisle that her new book on the Tudors as a family is so admirably balanced and accomplished, and full of subtle revelations and fascinating detail. The familiar faces are all here but their story is told with new insights… Fine storytelling and thought-provoking analysis
—— Linda Porter , Literary Review[An] illuminating portrait of our most famous royal family
—— Sunday TimesHighly readable but no less scholarly
—— Lesley McDowell , Independent on SundayWonderful, passionate, dangerous, fascinating stuff. I couldn't put it down
—— Julian FellowesLeanda de Lisle has the gift of reminding us that history is the story of real people; real men, real women, full of rage and ambitionand lust and hope and love. The Tudors are already our most vivid dynasty, by quite a long chalk, but these pages render them more vivid still. This was an age when the game was worth the candle, when a chance remark could result in a crown or the axe. Wonderful, passionate, dangerous, fascinating stuff. I couldn't put it down
—— Julian FellowesThis fresh take on the Tudor dynasty is history at its best... an engaging and well-sourced account, sprinkled with provocative anecdotes that will appeal to both scholars and general readers... This compelling tale is driven by three-dimensional people and relationships, and de Lisle does a fantastic job of making them feel lived and dramatic
—— Publishers WeeklyReveals an entirely new perspective on one of England's most fascinating dynasties
—— Mary Lussiana , Country & Town HouseA very lucid, entertaining and excellent read
—— Suzannah Lipscomb , History TodayA thrilling, intelligent and fresh royal history that sweeps from the family’s unlikely beginnings in the 1420s to their apotheosis under Elizabeth
—— Dan Jones , TelegraphThe compelling story of the Tudors is vividly brought to life in de Lisle's narrative
—— Discover BritainThis should now be the go-to book for those looking for a broad understanding of the Tudors
—— Chris Skidmore , BBC History MagazineDe Lisle's energy and stamina in this vast operation are truly impressive. What is more, she tells an often thrilling story with great dexterity... Altogether, this remarkable achievement puts de Lisle firmly in the front rank of popular historians of the period
—— John Jolliffe , Catholic HeraldUnlike many books that claim to tell the story of the Tudors, but focus mainly on four characters (namely Henry VIII and his three children who all ruled England after him), this excellent book includes so many members of the Tudor family who may not always be forgotten, but are often sidelined
—— Good Book Guide