Lots of mysterious characters in this tale of "what might of been". An elusive wine stash buried deep in a Georgian wine cellar almost sees the light of day.

Fascinating read about the people involved in the early decision making in regard to Britain's role in WW2, and how Churchill prevailed over those prepared to consider terms with Germany.

Essential guide to to the winemakers and wines of Australia

An exploration into the murky boundaries between right and wrong, love and duty, truth and deception. Revenge and reconciliation.

A clever novel on many levels. It's important to keep track of the time.

It's all about a half life crisis. For film buffs,The Sixth Sense merged with Minority Report may give some sense of its mood.

While asleep on a train to Berlin to visit his mother's relations, a man in a bowler hat steals seven pounds from Emil. He manages to the follow the man to a café. There he meets up with a local lad Gustav and het quickly enlist the help of several local children to follow the thief. He is followed to a hotel where he stays the night. By the morning many other children turn up at the hotel after hearing about the matter on the grapevine. When the thief leaves the hotel the next morning he is followed by the children and is accosted at a bank. After convincing the bank manager that the theft was real, the police are called. It turns out the thief is a notorious bank robber and Emil receives a fifty pound reward.

That this audacious plan actually succeeded beggars belief. Driving the kidnapped general through 21 checkpoints and then extricating him to Egypt takes a lot of gall. Great descriptions of all the people in the operation.

Reclusive author writes a book to try and trap the murderer of her sister 12 years before. Fact and delusion become intertwined, but a few punches were telegrqaphed

Nice period piece. Set in London in the 1930s. The home secretary, Sir Derek O'Callaghan is admitted urgently to hospital with an acute abdominal emergency, shortly after introducing a controversial bill aimed at limiting the influence of the communist party. At operation he is found to have peritionitis, and dies shortly afterwards. The death is attributed to the disease, but his wife insistes on a post mortem, and it is found that he had a fatal dose of hyoscine in his body. Several of the team at the operation have a motive to kill Sir Derek. The surgeon, Sir John Phillips, has recently learnt that his romantic interest, Nurse Jane Harden, had been seduced and abandonded by his former friend, Sir Derek. Jane is also at the operation. Also there is Nurse Banks, an unabashed communist sympathiser, who regards Sir Derek as an enemy, and gloats at his death. The anaesthetist, Dr Roberts, is an enthusiastic supporter of eugenics, and is aware that Sir Derek's father was mentally infirm. Dr Thoms, the surgical assistant is somewhat of a buffon, and would appear to have no motive, but a timeline reenactment finds that he was alone in the theatre with the patient at one point. On the sidelines is Sir Derek's sister, the eccentric Ruth Callaghan who is a believer in the powers of patent medicine. Her supplier of these medicines is a pharmacist, Sage, who is a communist supporter. It is discovered that Sir Derek may have consumed one of these medicines shortly before the show more operation.

After a few red herrings, Detective Alleyn cracks the case.

First published in 1935 the book has a a great period feel to it. I enjoyed the descriptions of the theatre, the surgical and nursing procedures, the anaesthesia, and the "gentlemanly" investigation. show less

First performed in 1777, the Folio Society version is based upon a version produced by Sir Laurence Olivier.

Lady Sneerwell is a wealthy widow and the play starts with an exchange between her and Snake, an heirling and fellow mischief maker who likes spreading gossip.

Sir Peter Teazle is the informal guardian of the brothers Charles and Joseph Surface who are nephews of an old friend, Sir Oliver. Sir Peter also has a ward, Maria. Joseph Surface, the older brother, is regarded as a pillar of society while Charles, the younger is thought to be an extravagant libertine. There is an expectation of a match between Lady Sneerwell and Joseph, but Lady Sneerwell tells Snake that she thinks Joseph is all pretence, and that her heart is really set on Charles. She also knows that Joseph is attracted towards Maria, but that Maria has an affection for Charles. Joseph knows too well that Lady Sneerwell feels more attachment to Charles and is happy to participate in the schemes to derail the Maria - Charles relationship so that his ambitions with Maria may be realized.

As the scene develops there is much gossip about various characters and we learn that Sir Oliver may be returning from the East Indies and that Charles is in a precarious financial situation.

Sir Peter Teazle is then introduced. Once a seemingly confirmed batchelor, he married a much younger woman. Lady Teazle regards this arrangement as an opportunity to spend Sir Peter's money and become a member of the social set. Lady show more Teazle is feisty and intelligent and feels no shame in exploiting her position. She develops an attachment towards Joseph.

Sir Oliver returns from the East Indies, and is bemused that his old friend Sir Peter has taken a young wife. Sir Oliver learns of his nephews reputations and decides that he will test them in disguise.

Sir Oliver ( disguised as Mr Premium), and Moses, a jewish moneylender, meet Charles at his house. Charles is in need of money. There is little left to sell apart from the family portraits and Sir Oliver buys all that are offered. There is one painting which Charles will not sell, which is a portrait of Sir Oliver who he thinks fondly of as his benefactor.

Lady Teazle visits Joseph, and as they are flirting with each other, Sir Peter is announced. Lady Teazle hides behind a screen and Sir Peter tells Joseph that he suspects his wife is having an affair with Charles. Next on the scene is Charles. Before he enters the room, Sir Peter entreats Jospeph to question his brother about the matter, and hides himself in a closet to overhear the conversation. Sir Peter almost discovers his wife behind the screen, but Joseph tells Sir Peter that it is a floozy who rushed to hide herself as Sir Peter came into the room.

Charles denies outright that he has had any relationship with Lady Teazle and that his affections are for Maria. In turn he then says that he is aware of of an attraction between Joseph and Lady Teazle. Joseph tries to silence him and then tells him that Sir Peter is in hiding and can overhear all. Charles calls Sir Peter out, and Sir Peter is relieved that the rumours of an affair between his wife and Charles are incorrect. Little does he realize that his wife is hidden in the same room and that she has been having an affair with Joseph.

A servant comes and quietly tells Joseph that Lady Sneerwell has arrived. Joseph goes out of the room to talk to Lady Sneerwell and while he is out Sir Peter and Charles talk and Sir Peter tells Charles that his brother is not as morally upright as he seems, and has a wench hidden behind the screen in the very same room. Charles decides to reveal the girl, and throws down the screen as Joseph reenters the room. Lady Teazle is revealed.

Charles leaves, somewhat gleefully. Joseph tries to explain away the situation, but Lady Teazle rebukes him and reconciles with Sir Peter, whose words showing his feelings for her, she overheard.

The fifth act opens with Joseph receiving Sir Oliver, who is disguised as Mr Stanley, a poor relation seeking financial assistance. Joseph tells this character that Sir Oliver never gave him any significant assistance and he is not in a position to help him.

Meanwhile rumours and gossip are spreading about the affair which culminates in a story that Sir Peter is dangerously wounded in a duel with Charles.

Eventually Sir Peter, Lady Teazle, Charles and Joseph meet at Joseph's house. Joseph's hypocrisy stands against Charles acknowledged faults. Maria and Charles make marriage plans. Lady Sneerwell is revealed as a mischief maker who used an accomplice, Snake, to forge letters between Charles and Lady Teazle in order to derail a match between Charles and Maria. Charles will become Sir Oliver's heir, and Joseph is left with the company of his co-conspirator, Lady Sneerwell.

It is an amusing farce, and the scene where both Sir Peter and his wife are hidden, unbeknownst to each other in Joseph's library is something which would only probably work on the stage, or a Marx brothers movie! Both Joseph and Lady Sneerwell get their "just deserts" in the end through exposure and humiliation. That this play continues to be performed is a tribute to the skill and imagination of the playwright. show less

In brief, a story about adultery, murder and madness. Therese is locked into a loveless marriage with her sickly cousin Camille. She enters a passionate affair with Laurent, a friend of Camille. Together they decide that Camille must be killed so that the two lovers can continue their relationship. While all three are out boating, Laurent throws Camille from the boat and he drowns. During the struggle Camille bites Laurent deeply on the neck, which leads to a painful scar. Therese and Camille had lived above a haberdashery shop with Camille's mother. She had doted on Camille and was devastated by his death, which she believes was an accident. She also loves Therese and Laurent, and, as time goes on believes that Therese and Laurent should marry. However, the murder has profoundly altered their relationship. The passion is no longer there and on the wedding night they can barely speak to each other. They are bound together by this crime and it begins to destroy them. Each feel the presence of Camille, and they accuse each other of being principally responsible for the murder. Camille's mother suffers a stroke and becomes dependant on the couple for all care. Often Therese and Laurent argue in front of her and she learns, to her horror, that they murdered her son. The stroke means that she cannot speak and tell others of the crime. Therese and Laurent eventually commit suicide by drinking poison, death being the only escape from their living nightmare.

The book is divided into two separate stories. The first is called "The Log" and the second "The Daughter of Clementine". Bonnard is the central character in both books, but it takes a little while to understand the other connections between the stories. Bonnard is an academic bibliophile who lives in an apartment in Paris surrounded by his books. He has never married. His closest companions are his cat Hamilcar and his world wise, but joyless housekeeper Therese.

In "The Log", Bonnard takes pity on a neighbouring young impoverishered couple and child and gives them wood to put on the fire for Christmas. This little act of kindness is repaid years later. The father dies and the widow remarries a rich aristocrat. A book, which Bonnard has long coverted, is given to him by Madame Trepof, his former neighbour, as a gratitude.

The next section of the book is entitled "The Daughter of Clementine". We learn more of Bonnard's background. In his youth he had fallen in love with Clementine, the daughter of one of his father's friends. The friendship between the father and friend broke down over a matter of politics, and Bonnard never saw Clementine again. She married a banker and they had a daughter Jeanne. Although once rich, Clementine and her husband die impoverished while Jeanne is still a child. By chance Bonnard meets Jeanne at the estate of the de Gabry's where he is to catalogue the library. Bonnard becomes determined to take an interest in the child and arranges to make show more regular visits to the school where she boards.

During these visits it becomes apparent that Jeanne is treated more as a servant than a pupil. Eventually Bonnard's vists are stopped after he rebuffs attempts by the Mme Prefere, the head of the school, to marry. He later learns that Jeanne is being treated badly and Bonnard rescues her from the school. However this is a crime because Jeanne is underage according to the laws of the time and he would be liable to be charged with abduction and corruption of a minor. Fortunately for Bonnard, Jeanne's legal guardian has suddenly left France after defrauding his clients, and no charges are laid.

Bonnard becomes her legal guardian and she lives with him in Paris. There she becomes reaquainted with a young man whom Bonnard was mentoring. Their love grows and they become betrothed. To give Jeanne a dowry, Bonnard decides to sell all his books, barring those given to him as souvenirs, including the book given to him by Madame Trepof as a mark of gratitude for his kindness when she was a new mother. However, while the rest of the household is asleep, he adds another rare volume to his already sequestered keepsakes, thus committing another "crime" by reducing the value of the dowry.

The book ends with the death of his young godson but with Jeanne and her husband still much in love and old Bonnard's wishes for God's blessings blessing upon them and their children and their children's children. show less

In 1957 Eric Newby and Hugh Carless arrange to go on an expedition to Nuristan, one of the remote areas of Afghanistan little visited by Europeans. Hugh is a young man in the British diplomatic service and Eric is a salesman in the family fashion business.

The focus of the expedition becomes an attempt to climb to the summit of Mir Samir, a previously unclimbed peak 19,880 feet tall. Hugh had made a previous attempt in 1952, but had to return 3000 feet below the peak. Prior to the journey neither Newby or Carless had much mountainering experience, but did a few days instruction in the Welsh mountains before departure.

The next part of the book chronicles the expedition, driving from Instanbul through Persia to Afghanistan, and then recruiting some locals for the trip to the Hindu Kush.

The bulk of the book follows, which is an account of the journey towards Mir Samir, the failed attempt to reach the summit, and the chance encounter the two have with Thesiger, a legendary explorer. The book concludes with Thesiger's words as he sees Hugh and Eric blowing up a couple of airbeds "God, you must be a couple of pansies"

This is a most engaging book. Like so many great books, both fictional and nonfictional, it's about the journey and not the destination.

During the journey in the Hindu Kush Hugh and Eric had three main local companions, Abdul Ghiyas, Shir Muhammad and Badar Khan. At times the relationships were fraught but without these intermediaries the two Englishmen would have show more had an impossible trip. Travelling to Nuristan meant negotiating with ethnic groups of different backgrounds and customs.

As the journey progresses there are wonderful descriptions of the country, the inhabitants, the weather, and the barriers (physical and psychological) to the goal. Some historical background is interwoven throughout. No doubt some of the descriptions of the inhabitants would be regarded as inappropriate these days, but they do anchor this book in a certain cultural context.

Throughout the book Newby portrays himself as a somewhat effete amateur. There is humour aplenty, but its of the self depreciating wry school. There is the notion of "innocents abroad" right throughout the book show less

Miss Adelaide Hebron has left a considerable legacy to a church in the small Yorkshire village of Oxgodby. The strings attached to this legacy are that a medieval wall painting in the church which has been whitewashed over is uncovered and that the grave of Piers Hebron be discovered if possible. This forebear had been excommunicated for some unknown reason and buried outside the Christian graveyard. Birkin, the narrator of this novel, is appointed to restore the wall painting and Moon is appointed to explore for the grave. Both Birkin and Moon are outsiders and veterans of World War 1. Each has suffered their own private hell on the battlefront and in their private lives. Birkin's wife has left him, and he saw this opportunity as a way to make a fresh start in life.

On the day that he arrives, Birkin meets the awkward and somewhat hostile Rev Keach who makes it clear that the only reason that the project is taking place is to satify the requirements of the bequest. Birkin lives in the bell chamber of the church while he undertakes the restoration. He soon strikes up a friendship with Moon who lives in a tent in the grounds.

Kathy Ellereck, the young teenage daughter of the village stationmaster, starts to visit the restoration and gradually Birkin starts to become involved with her family, attending chapel, sharing the Sunday meal and even singing at family get-togethers.

Alice Keach, the vicar's young wife also starts to visit the restoration and sits and talks with show more Birkin. He is taken by her beauty and starts to yearn for her. There is a nuance by nuance attraction between the couple which culminates in Alice pressing her breasts for more than a moment against Birkin's chest as they look out of a window from the bell chamber. The moment that could change their lives is not seized and they never see each other again.

At a visit to a neighbouring town to purchase a new organ for the chapel Birkin runs into an old army acquaintance and learns that Moon, a medal awarded hero, was discovered in a homosexual relationship with his young batman and subsequently court martialled and imprisoned during the war.

As the story progresses we learn more and more about the painting as the wall is uncovered. The unamed artist was very skilled and used expensive colours. The revealed painting was a major work and Birkin marvelled at its beauty and the intimacy he shared with it. Its final revelation connects the painting to the grave which Moon was seeking. Moon and Birkin discover that the excommunicated forebear had converted to Muslim during the Crusades and this was why he could not be buried in Christian ground.

Their jobs now done, both Moon and Birkin depart..Moon for perhaps a career in archaeology...and Birkin to remember those days, the moments of happiness and pain in a memoir written half a century later.

This short novel is beautifully constructed. It explores various sorts of hell. Some of these hells are horrifying, yet short lived..though the effects will remain forever..such as Birkin and Moon facing the horrors of WW1. Another sort of hell is more about a feeling of shame which never ends..Moon being exposed as a homosexual in a wartime environment... and Birkin's wife running off with another man.... in the sense that there will be always whisphers around the corner Another sort of hell is regretted choices. We wonder why the much younger Alice married the vicar and we almost wish that Birkin had brushed his lips against Alice's at the window instead of doing and saying nothing. show less

There are 13 stories in this collection. They were first published in The New Sporting Magazine in the 1830s. They all have John Jorrocks as the central character. Jorrocks is a London grocer who is a member of the Surrey Hunt. He is a buffoon who invariably manages to make a fool of himself in these linked stories. "The Swell and the Surrey" is the first story and introduces Jorrocks and other characters associated with fox hunting. Other stories include Jorrocks being hauled to court for his toe committing a trespass, a visit to the horse races at Newmarket, and trips to Margate and Paris. Disasters of one variety or another always seem to accompany him and he always seems to be preyed upon by crooks and conmen (and women).

The stories are lighthearted and dated. The audience would seem to be the landed gentry of a bygone era. I'm sure they could be adopted into a nice period BBC TV series!

An interesting account of the double agents who worked for Britain during WW2. It was written by an MI 5 insider who oversaw much of the activities. He details the hits and misses of the organisation, the aims of counter-espionage and the role of the agents in a larger tool of warfare - deception.

Although much of the book is about the system, how it worked, and why it worked, there are some insights into several of the agents personalities. GARBO built up an entire fictitious network of sub spies and was sending misleading information to the Germans well before he was finally enlisted by the British. ZIGZAG was a petty criminal, in gaol on Jersey when the Germans invaded that island. As a double agent he was able to combine a life of crime with a love of country.

There are three principal characters, D'Albert - a young man of well to do means who is searching for his ideal version of love, Rosette - his wealthy widowed mistress and "Theodre" - an androgenous visitor who is loved by both D'Albert and Rosette. The story starts off with a long letter from D'Albert to his friend Silvio. His desire is to have a mistress, but the mistress must meet his criteria and embody his ideal of perfect beauty. D'Albert is introduced to Rosette and she becomes his mistress. The affair is satisfying for them both but eventually it loses its lustre, though neither of them will admit it to each other. After a time they go to an estate in the country.

One day Theodore arrives on horseback with his page. It turns out that Theodore and Rosette have some history. Theodore is actually a woman, Madelaine de Maupin. Madelaine had decided to spend some time disguised as a man so she could share their company and discover what men really thought about women. During her travels she stayed with the family of a young man she met along the road. The young man's sister was the young widow Rosette. Rosette fell deeply in love with Theodore/Madelaine, and, to a certain extent this was mutual. This created an impossibility as the disguise would have to be revealed and marriage would never occur.

Theodre left and along the way rescued a young girl from a careless mother and a prospective older lover, and the girl became his page. Of course the girl had to be disguised show more as a boy to pass muster. Theodore/Madelaine share a bed along the journey and the book leaves no doubt about the affection of Madelaine felt for her page.

At the country estate D'Albert becomes increasingly attracted towards Theodore. At first he is somewhat repulsed at the thought that his true love is a man, but also believes that he/she may be a woman. He becomes more certain that this is the case when the guests do a performance of Shakespeare's As You Like It. Theodore plays the role of Rosalind, who plays a woman dressed up as a man. The initial scene of the play has Rosalind as herself without disguise, so in this inverted version the supposed male Theodore must disguise himself as a woman for that scene. He/she says and shows enough that D'Albert becomes convinced and sends a love letter. There is no acknowledgment of this letter and D'Albert begins to despair. Then, one night, Madelaine visits in her Rosalind dress, and a night of passion ensues. When D'Albert falls asleep she goes to Rosette's bed and more of the same continues until noon the next day.

The following day she has gone, and a week later a letter arrives which basically says that the pleasure was great, and the remembrance of that night would never die. Better to keep that memory than become disillusioned by staying together.

The plot is really just a scaffold for the three principal characters to explore love, beauty, virtue, friendship, sexuality, age, morality and the transitory nature of things.

At times the flowery language left me yawning, but it was worth ploughing through to get to the last couple of chapters. show less

A throw away comment by Chantal leads to her lover writing anonymous love letters to her. Chantal hides these letters and fantasizes about her admirer. After a while she suspects her lover, and also suspects that he knows where she has been hiding the letters. An unexpected visit from her former husband's sister and her young children disrupts her home and leads to Chantal making a sudden trip to London. Her lover, Jean Marc decides to follow. She becomes involved in a bizarre orgy with an elderly man who fancied her long ago. It turns out that this is a dream, but whose dream and when did it start?

Set in the nursing school of a provincial hospital. A nurse dies during a practical demonstration of nasogastric feeding. After a second death Dalgliesh is brought in. The characters are the nursing students, the senior sisters, the matron and an arrogant surgeon. A dying patient reveals a secret to his widowed mother which is the trigger for the murders. There is a lot of atmosphere in the book and the characters are well done

The story of Aucassin and Nicolette, a medieval French chante - fable. Aucassin falls in love with Nicolette, a slave girl. His father, the Count of Beaucaire forbids the match. Her owner and godfather imprisions her to prevent Aucassin seeing her. The Count of Beacaire is at war with the Count of Valence. Aucassin agrees to help his father fight on the promise that he will be allowed to say a few words and share a kiss with Nicolette. Once the battle is won his father reneges on the promise and imprisions Aucassin. Nicolette escapes from her godfather's palace and manages to speak through Aucassin through his prison's wall. She then flees into the countryside. On hearing of Nicolette's flight The Count releases Aucassin. He decides to try and find Nicolette, and finds her in the forest. He and Nicolette then escape by ship to Torelore. There they find the king in child - bed while his wife is with the army. The man in bed at the time of birthing is a custom called couvarde and Aucassin beats the king and extracts a promise that this practice will be forbidden in the future throughout his kingdom. There then follows an absurd episode where the king and Aucassin go to the battlefield to find that the "enemy" is various foodstuffs. Aucassin and Nicolette live happily at the castle until it is attacked by a band of Saracens and both are captured and put in separate ships. Aucassin's ship is wrecked, and he finds himself ashore in Beaucaire, where he learns that his parents show more are dead and he is now the ruler of Beaucaire. Nicolette is brought to Carthage, where it is realised that she is the daughter of the king. She remains in love with Aucassin. To escape an arranged marriage she disguises herself and takes passage to Beacaire. Still in disguise she sings to Aucassin about Nicolette. Aucassin asks her to fetch her and she promises to do so. She goes to her godmother's house and she has a makeover and then Aucassin is brought to her.....and they live happily ever after.

Medieval chant - fables are not really my thing but it was only 60 pages long so I persevered! show less

A somewhat melodramatic story of the free spirited artist's model, Trilby and the men who loved her.

The story begins in bohemian Paris where Little Billee, Taffy and the Laird, three budding British artists meet Trilby O'Ferrall, the daughter of a lapsed Dublin cleric and a Paris based Scottish barmaid.

As time goes on Little Billee came to love her, and she loved him in return and she finally accepted his marriage proposal. However his mother was determined that the marriage should not occur as Trilby was not a suitable match. Little Billee was heartbroken, but later on became a very successful artist in his native England. He then started to court a childhood friend Alice but fell out with her father (a parson) over religious issues. Billee had ceased attending church and was an admirer of Charles Darwin. Although Little Billee moved with ease through the highs and lows of society he never developed any other strong attachments.

Meanwhile Trilby, who was at a low ebb in her life, having sacrificed her love for Billee, and lost her young brother through a sudden illness, came under the influence of Svengali. Svengali was a narcissistic musician who had the ability to train and influence other artists to achieve virtuistic performances. His first pupil was Gecko, a violin player, and then Trilby who he taught to sing. She became the most talented and talked about singer of her time. That this happened was due to a hypnotic spell induced by Svengali and Trilby has little show more recollection of her performances on stage.

Little Billee, and his two friends Taffy and the Laird, attend a performance in Paris and realise that "La Svengali" is in fact Trilby.

Soon after this there is a performance in London. Svengali dies during the performance and Trilby can no longer sing in tune. Little Billee arranges for her to come to his landlady's establishment but her health gradually fades. She receives a photograph of Svengali which transfixes her, and she starts to sing with great beauty. She then dies, whispering Svengali's name as she dies.

Little Billee is distraught and believes that Svengali has called to her from beyond the grave and has taken her back again. He pines away and, after a long illness dies at the family home where he has been attended by his mother, sister and his friend Taffy.

Over this time Taffy falls in love with Little Billee's sister Blanche and they marry. During a visit to Paris they meet Gecko who explains that Svengali used Trilby as an instrument for his own ambitions, and that there were two Trilbys. The "true" Trilby was the one who couldn't sing a note but was loved by all, and in return was friends to all but only loved Little Billee, and there was the "Svengali" Trilby who was a creature created by and controlled by Svengali.

Although there is the obvious theme of the nature of love and its obsessions (Trilby and Little Billee, Trilby and Taffy, Svengali and Trilby, Little Billee and his mother, Little Billee and Alice among others), there are other themes of interest. Individual belief contrasted to religious dogma is one. As Trilby was dying, her words to Little Billee's mother were "there'll be no hell for any of us, except what we make for ourselves and each other down here" when the mother wanted Trilby to receive a visit from a clergyman relative. This was the same relative who the mother enlisted to destroy the relationship years ago. show less

Though a tad repetitious at times it is not only a good description of a spreading epidemic, but also reflects on how individuals, society, and its institutuions react to and deal with such a calamity. Its about much more than the plague.

Entralling account of one of the Scottish supporters of bonny Prince Charles in the Jacobite uprising of 1745. Though initially victorious, the Jacobites were finally defeated at the Battle of Culloden. Much of the account relates to his escape from retribution with the aid of sympathetic friends in Scotland and England.