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For other authors named James Buchan, see the disambiguation page.

18+ Works 1,048 Members 16 Reviews

About the Author

James Buchan studied Persian & Arabic in Iran in the 1970s & was for ten years a foreign correspondent for the "Financial Times." His novels have won major literary prizes in Britain, including the Whitbread First Novel Award & the Guardian Fiction Prize, & have been translated into eight show more languages. He lives in Norfolk, England. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Works by James Buchan

Associated Works

Granta 84: Over There: How America Sees the World (2004) — Contributor — 228 copies
Sick Heart River (1941) — Introduction, some editions — 219 copies
The Jokers (1964) — Introduction, some editions — 219 copies
Granta 57: India! The Golden Jubilee (1997) — Contributor — 202 copies
Granta 67: Women and Children First (1999) — Contributor — 143 copies
Granta 49: Money (1994) — Contributor — 118 copies

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Reviews

Highly recommended by its publisher (need this be said?), A Street Shaken by Light (Mountain Leopard Press) by James Buchan is published in September and is certainly one hell of a yarn. The hero, William Nielson, is a young man who leaves his native Scotland to find fortune and adventure abroad. He makes his way to Paris where he falls in love at first sight and is immediately imprisoned. On his release, he sets off across the world where he has adventures galore, learning diplomatic, linguistic and military skills that are allied to his hopeless romantic attachment to that girl he first encountered on his arrival in Paris. It swirls, surges and swamps at times as Nielson’s escapades become ever more arduous and he learns how to master whatever is thrown at him. This is historical fiction and storytelling at its entertaining best and is apparently the first in a trilogy.… (more)
½
 
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davidroche | May 5, 2022 |
 
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LOM-Lausanne | Apr 29, 2020 |
Remarkable story of a Scot who made and lost a fortune in 18th century France. J. M. Barrie's observation fits rather too well, that there are few more impressive sights in the world than a Scotsman on the make.
 
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Roarer | 1 other review | Mar 15, 2020 |
John Law, son of Edinburgh, a gifted numerologist by instinct, charted a dazzling, meteoric career that took him to a pinnacle as controller of France's finance ministry in the period before and following the death of Louis XIV. The Mississippi scheme proved to be a fragile bubble but not before Law's innovative monetary policies had shaped European history.
 
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DramMan | 1 other review | Nov 5, 2019 |

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Works
18
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7
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1,048
Popularity
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Rating
½ 3.6
Reviews
16
ISBNs
87
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7

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