Whitechapel Autumn of Error by Ian Porter - #bookreview #blogtour

 Many of the women employed in the world's oldest profession were part-timers, spending much of their lives earning a pittance for long hours of tortuous work in other industries. Some attempted to live a double life of apparent respectability, keeping their night work a secret.

Maud Nash was such a woman...

***

Whitechapel 1888; a killer is on the loose and the newspapers are ensuring the nation knows all about not just the crimes but the terrible living conditions in which they are being perpetrated.

Nashey, a tough, scary yet charismatic man of the night, whose mother had to prostitute herself when he was a boy, knows the identity of the killer but keeps it a secret. He believes the publicity generated by the murders is forcing the authorities to address the poverty and degradation in the area. He allows the killer to remain free (whilst ensuring no more women are attacked) so the unsolved murders continue to dominate the headlines. He meets Sookey, an eccentric middle-class slummer and civilising influence. The two of them share a mutual friend, Mary Kelly, a fiery young prostitute whose back-story tells of how she was reduced to such a life.

To fund his surveillance of the killer, Nashey agrees, against his better judgement, to assist an old adversary to commit a daring night robbery under the noses of the huge police presence in the area.

Is it too late for Nashey and Mary to correct their mistakes?

***

Set in London's East End during the late 1880's when Jack the Ripper was a name on everyone's lips, the author has done a great job of capturing the menacing atmosphere in which people lived.

It has been well researched and there is more emphasis on the victims rather than Jack the Ripper himself.  The author demonstrates the poverty that Whitechapel's inhabitants lived vividly. It is obvious why so many people turned to crime and prostitution.

I liked the main characters of this book, namely Sookey, Nashey and Mary. Three very different individuals whose lives become intertwined as they experience the squalor of the area. They were well fleshed out and easy to engage with, although I did find Sookey's character took me a while to understand. However, there were women like her, Beatrice Webb/Potter springs to mind. Women who were committed to researching the lives of the poor.

The author describes the degradation and terror of living through such a time extremely well. A lifestyle that is fuelled by poverty, worry over where the next meal or nightly roof over their heads is coming from, coupled with the fear experienced of being on the streets after dark and becoming the Ripper's next victim.

Nashey discovers the Ripper's identity fairly early in the book, which gave this story a slightly different edge to the norm. The reader is let into this secret, and we follow Nashey's journey as he plots to reveal the Ripper's identity.

It is a moderately paced novel with a sufficiently interesting plot to keep the reader engaged. I think anyone who likes fiction set during this period will enjoy this book.

ISBN: 978 1805143987

Publisher:  Matador

Formats:  Paperback

No. of Pages:  384

***

About the Author:

Ian Porter is a historian, lecturer, public speaker and walks guide. He has a particular interest in women's history and social history. His novels are renowned for being extremely well researched and historically accurate. Whitechapel Autumn of Error is a typically feminist, social history novel that brings the dark streets of the East End 1888 to life. He has written several other novels including the highly acclaimed Suffragette Autumn Women's Spring, set during the fight for the vote for women, and a Plague On Both Your Houses, set in both London and Berlin in 1918/19 during the final months of the Great War and the Spanish Flu. Ian is getting on a bit (well, aged 69). His grandparents were young adults living in East London at the time of the Whitechapel Murders.

(book and media courtesy of Random Things Tours)

(all opinions are my own)

A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines - #bookreview

 

There were no curtains up. The window was a hard edged block the colour of the night sky. Inside the bedroom the darkness was of a gritty texture. The wardrobe and bed were blurred shapes in the darkness. Silence...

***

Life is tough and cheerless for Billy Casper, a troubled teenager growing up in the small Yorkshire mining town of Barnsley. Treated as a failure at school, and unhappy at home, Billy discovers a new passion in life when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk. Billy identifies with her silent strength and she inspires in him the trust and love that nothing else can, discovering through her the passion missing from his life. Barry Hines's acclaimed novel continues to reach new generations of teenagers and adults with its powerful story of survival in a tough, joyless world.

***

I first read this book at school when I was about twelve years old. Needless to say, I did not recall the details. More recently I heard it recommended on the podcast, Backlisted, which I highly recommend, and was intrigued to read it again.

It was first published in 1968, and is as relevant today as it was then. The main character, Billy Casper, is a timeless portrayal of a adolescent boy growing up in Yorkshire with his mother and older brother, Jedd. Billy is bullied by his brother, bullied at school and by some of his teachers. This was the days of corporal punishment and reading of how the pupils were beaten was shocking.  Billy was frequently humiliated by his teachers who had written him off. There is one scene set during a PE lesson which did not make for comfortable reading.

That said, this was a brilliant novel and easily a five star read for me. It is a slim volume that is a powerhouse of a book. Billy is lacking any familial love. His single mother is inept, and Billy is frequently left hungry and without direction.

His love and skill with the kestrel that he raised and trained was wonderful to read. Through this we observe him blossom into the boy that the reader implicitly recognizes he could be if only his circumstances and the people around him were different. He has been raised to be unambitious and to expect little from life.

While the storyline is bleak, the author performs a fabulous job of depicting the beauty of the area. His descriptions of the natural world surrounding this poverty stricken area are superb. Coupled with a narrative and a dialogue which is rich in the local dialect, this book is a fantastic juxtaposition between the beautiful environment and the harsh living conditions.

It was gritty and bleak, but I am extremely glad I came back to it. This is a book that has stayed with me since my school days. The fact that I even remember reading it some forty decades later speaks volumes about the power this book has. 

If you would like to read a modern classic then this is probably top of my list to recommend. It is a fantastic book, and I can well imagine reading it again.

ISBN: 978 0141184982

Publisher:  Penguin Classics

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  208 (paperback)

About the Author:

Barry Hines (June 30, 1939 – March 18, 2016) was an English author, playwright, and screenwriter. His novels and screenplays explore the political and economic struggles of working-class Northern England, particularly in his native West Riding / South Yorkshire.

He is best known for the novel A Kestrel for a Knave (1968), which he helped adapt for Ken Loach's film Kes (1969). He also collaborated with Loach on adaptations of his novels Looks and Smiles (1981) and The Gamekeeper, and a 1977 two-part television drama adaption of his book The Price of Coal.

He also wrote the television film Threads, which depicts the impact of a nuclear war on Sheffield. 

(author photo and bio. courtesy of GoodReads)

(all opinions are my own)

Too Small Tola Makes it Count by Atinuke - Illustrated by Onyinye Iwu

 

Tola lives in a run-down block of flats in the megacity of Lagos, in the country of Nigeria. She lives with her sister, Moji, her brother, Capo, and Grandmummy. Grandmummy is the boss of them all.

Tola has lived with Moji, Dapo and Grandmummy since the day she was born. But when the virus came to Lagos and lockdown happened, then everything changed...

***

Tola may be small, but she's very determined!

Lockdown is over and Too Small Tola has returned to the crowded family flat in Lagos, Nigeria. Even though she is back home and safe, there are still plenty of problems for Tola to solve - including her own. She may be small, but she is also thoughtful and kind and clever – and there really is no problem too big for Too Small Tola.

***

Aimed at early independent readers, the book provides a great opportunity to consider a different culture. Indeed, the essence of Nigeria leaps from the page and being set in a contemporary timeframe (it is just after lockdown) it is extremely relevant.

The socio-economic divide is evident throughout and demonstrates how the wealthy and the poor co-exist. This is highlighted in the chapter, Tola Counts the Uncountable, where Tola's grandmother takes her to the beach, and we realise that there are different beaches for the rich and poor.

This is a fabulous book, well suited for sharing, where children and adults alike can consider a different culture in contemporary society.

I adored the characters in this book. Of course, there is Tola herself who is a determined and resilient little girl whose sensitivity to others is apparent. She looks out for her family and neighbours. Grandmummy herself depits strength in difficult circumstances, and who could fail to love Mrs Shaky-Shaky and baby Jida?

What a joy it has been to read about Tola for the first time. There are three other books in the series, Too Small Tola, Too Small Tola and the Three Fine Girls and Too Small Tola Gets Tough.

This is the best children's book I have read in a while and I highly recommend it.

ISBN: 978 1406399387

Publisher:  Walker Books 

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  96 (paperback)

About the Author:

Atinuke was born in Nigeria and spet her childhhod in both Afrika and the UK. She is the author of the bestselling Anna Hibiscus and No. 1 Car Spotter series, as well as Africa, Amazing Africa, B Is for Baby and Catch That Chicken among others. Atinuke started her career as an oral storyteller of tales from the African continent; now she writes about contemporary life in Nigeria. Atinuke lives on a mountain overlooking the sea in Wales.

About the Illustator:

Onyinye Iwu is Nigerian. She was born in Italy, where she spent most of her childhood, before moving to the Uk when she was a teenager. As well as the Too Small Tola series, Onyinye has illustrated My Skin Yoour Skin by Laura Henry-Allain MBE, and is one of the artists celebrated in Hey You! by Dapo Adeola. A teacher by day and an illustrator by night, Onyinye enjoys reading books, especially ones that make her laugh.

(book courtesy of the publisher)

(author photo courtesy of Walker Books / Paul Musso)

Norah's Ark by Victoria Williamson - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

I must be the only girl in the world who doesn't have a mum.

I don't mean like Maya Turner from my old school whose mum lives in another town cos her parents are divorced. And I don't mean like Chelsea Mackay at my new school either who says her mum's got a super-important job in New York, and that's why Chelsea lives in a foster home here in Hull. I mean I never had one to begin with. Dad says I was grown in a test tube in some space-age science lab just like in that film we saw years ago, but I don't know if I believe him or not.

Dad doesn't always tell the truth...

***

Norah Day lives in temporary accommodation, relies on foodbanks for dinner, and doesn’t have a mum. But she’s happy enough with her dad and a mini zoo of rescued wildlife to care for. Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a private tutor and everything he could ever want. But his life isn’t perfect-far from it. He’s stuck at home recovering from cancer with an overprotective mum and no friends.

When a nest of baby birds brings them together as an animal rescue team, Adam and Norah discover they’re not so different after all. Can they solve the mystery of Norah’s missing mother together? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood?

***

This is a wonderfully wholesome book aimed at children from about ten years plus. However, reading this as an adult, I enjoyed every word.

The two main characters, Norah and Adam, are both delightful in their own way. They each have their individual challenges and come from very different socio economic backgrounds but they come together through their shared love of animals and their loneliness. They both live in sad and difficult situations, and I would have liked to given them both a hug.

The book deals with some difficult themes; homelessness, childhood cancer, poverty and climate change to name just a few. The author treats each of these issues with sensitivity and never talks down to her readers in putting her message across. Instead, through empathy she allows the reader to familiarise themselves with these topics whilst encouraging a mindful and caring attitude in considering the difficulties that the two children encounter.

There is so much to admire in this book and it will appeal to boys and girls equally. It is well written, accurately paced and heartfelt. There is also an element of adventure thrown in which will increase it's appeal amongst young readers. It would make a great book for independent reading, but it would work equally well being shared as there are many points for discussion within the narrative.

I highly recommend this book. Also, the author is donating 20% of her royalties for this novel to the Shelter charity. If you would like to know more about this charity please click on the link here.

Also, if you would like to read my review of Ms. Williamson's book, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, you can do so by clicking here.

ISBN: 978 1911107996

Publisher:  Neem Tree Press

Formats:  audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  304 (paperback)

Purchase Link*

About the Author:

Victoria Williamson is an award=winning children's author and primary school teacher from Scotland. She previously volunterred as a reading tutor with The Book Bus charity in Zambia and is now a Patron of Reading with CharChar Literacy to promote early years phonice teaching in Malawi. Victoria is passionate about creating inclusive worlds in her novels where all children can see themselves reflected.

Purchase Link*

(Book and all author info. courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

The Foundling by Stacey Halls - #BookReview

 

All the babies were wrapped like presents ready to be given. Some of them were dressed finely - though their mothers were not - in tiny embroidered sleeves and thick shawls, for winter had arrived, and the night was biting. I'd bound Clara in an old blanket that had waited years to be darned, and now never would be. We stood clustered around the pillared entrance, thirty or so of us, like moths beneath the torches burning in their brackets, our hearts beating like papery wings. I hadn't known that a hospital for abandoned babies would be a palace, with a hundred glowing windows and a turning place for carriages. Two long and splendid buildings were pinned either side of a courtyard that was connected in the middle by a chapel. At the north end of the west wing the door stood open, throwing light onto the stone. The gate felt a long way behind. Some of us would leave with our arms empty; some would carry our children out into the cold again. For this reason we could not look at one another, and kept our eyes on the ground.

***

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London's Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst, that Clara has died in care, Bess is astonished to be told she has already claimed her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl - and why.

Less than a mile from Bess's lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend - an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital - persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.

From the bestselling author of The Familiars comes this captivating story of mothers and daughters, class and power, and love against the greatest of odds...

***

One of my criteria for judging the worth of a book is whether it makes me want to go away and find out more about it's subject matter. I was already aware of the Foundling Hospital and it's role in the eighteenth century, but even so, it has ignited a desire in me to learn more.

This book has a dual narrative told from the perspectives of the two main characters, Bess and Alexandra. In terms of social class, their lives could not be more different but ultimately their stories will intertwine.

Mostly, this is a story about motherhood and what it means to be a mother. It questions whether financial security should come before love or vice versa.

The author has done a great job of immersing her readers into the eighteenth century and she has researched the period well. She brought Georgian England to life with a range of vivid descriptions of both the time and place.

Ms. Halls is a skilled storyteller. This is the first of her books which I have read but I would like to read more.

ISBN: 978 1838771409

Publisher:  Bonnier Books

Formats:  e-book, audio, paperback and hardback

No. of Pages:  370 (paperback)

Support Independent Bookshops - Buy from Bookshop.org *

About the Author:

Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has written for publications including the Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, The Independent, The Sun and Fabulous.

Her first book The Familiars was the bestselling debut novel of 2019. The Foundling is her second novel.

(author photo and information from the author's website http://www.staceyhalls.com/about/)

Support Independent Bookshops - Buy from Bookshop.org *

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

My Favourite Books of 2021 - #Top12 - #ReadingRoundup

 

2021 has been another strange year for us all and I am not going to dwell on covid, lockdowns and restrictions. We constantly hear about it in the media and the last thing you need is to hear me waffling on about it too.

For me it has been a year of joys and sadness. We have had the joy of a family wedding and now a baby on the way to look forward to in the new year. Sadness, as I lost a beloved friend who I miss.

However, as I reflect on the passing of another year, I am grateful for so many things. My family who I love very much and who love me in return. My wonderful friends who enhance my life on a daily basis even though we are not always able to be together. Finally, I am grateful we have warm homes, clothes to wear and food on the table. I consider myself blessed.

I am also grateful to you, the followers of my blog. I am appreciative to each and every one of you who take time out of your hectic lives to read my blog. You are what make my blog worthwhile.

According to my reading log I have read 90 books during 2021. Of those books, there are twelve which really stood out for me. So, without further ado and, in no particular order, here they are.

Matilda Windsor is Coming Home by Anne Goodwin

In the dying days of the old asylums, three paths intersect.

Henry was only a boy when he waved goodbye to his glamorous grown-up sister; approaching sixty, his life is still on hold as he awaits her return.

As a high-society hostess renowned for her recitals, Matty’s burden weighs heavily upon her, but she bears it with fortitude and grace.

Janice, a young social worker, wants to set the world to rights, but she needs to tackle challenges closer to home.

A brother and sister separated by decades of deceit. Will truth prevail over bigotry, or will the buried secret keep family apart?

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

The Last Witches of England by John Callow

On the morning of Thursday 29 June 1682, a magpie came rasping, rapping and tapping at the window of a prosperous Devon merchant. Frightened by its appearance, his servants and members of his family had, within a matter of hours, convinced themselves that the bird was an emissary of the devil sent by witches to destroy the fabric of their lives. As the result of these allegations, three women of Bideford came to be forever defined as witches. A Secretary of State brushed aside their case and condemned them to the gallows; to hang as the last group of women to be executed in England for the crime. Yet, the hatred of their neighbours endured. For Bideford, it was said, was a place of witches.

Though 'pretty much worn away' the belief in witchcraft still lingered on for more than a century after their deaths. In turn, ignored, reviled, and extinguished but never more than half-forgotten, it seems that the memory of these three women - and of their deeds and sufferings, both real and imagined – was transformed from canker to regret, and from regret into celebration in our own age. Indeed, their example was cited during the final Parliamentary debates, in 1951, that saw the last of the witchcraft acts repealed, and their names were chanted, as both inspiration and incantation, by the women beyond the wire at Greenham Common.

In this book, John Callow explores this remarkable reversal of fate, and the remarkable tale of the Bideford Witches.

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

Some Kind of Company by Nan Ostman

Anna lives with her husband and their dog by the shores of a lake in the idyllic Swedish countryside. But her youth is far behind her, her husband rarely speaks and their children have long since left home and live at a distance. She fears that even the translation work which keeps her going will soon dry up.

In the hope of opening up a new chapter in her life, Anna advertises in the personal column of a newspaper for a male pen friend. She is gratified to receive a number of replies and begins exchanging letters with a widower called Bo. The outcome is both surprising and convincing.

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

The Image of Her by Sonia Velton

Stella and Connie are strangers, brought together by two traumatic events - cruel twists of fate that happen thousands of miles apart.

Stella lives with her mother, a smothering narcissist. When she succumbs to dementia, the pressures on Stella's world intensify, culminating in tragedy. As Stella recovers from a near fatal accident, she feels compelled to share her trauma but she finds talking difficult. In her head she confides in Connie because there's no human being in the world that she feels closer to.

Connie is an expat living in Dubai with her partner, Mark, and their two children. On the face of it she wants for nothing and yet ... something about life in this glittering city does not sit well with her. Used to working full time in a career she loves back in England, she struggles to find meaning in the expat life of play-dates and pedicures.

Two women set on a collision course. When they finally link up, it will not be in a way that you, or I, or anyone would ever have expected.

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

The Darlings by Angela Jackson

When Mark Darling is fifteen years old, he is golden boy, captain of the school football team, admired by all who know him. Until he kills his best friend in a freak accident.

He spends the next decade drifting between the therapy couch and dead-end pursuits. Then along comes Sadie. A mender by nature, she tries her best to fix him, and has enough energy to carry them both through the next few years.

One evening, Mark bumps into an old school friend, Ruby. She saw the accident first hand. He is pulled towards her by a force stronger than logic: the universal need to reconcile one's childhood wounds. This is his chance to, once again, feel the enveloping warmth of unconditional love. But can he leave behind the woman who rescued him from the pit of despair, the wife he loves? His unborn child?

This is a story about how childhood experience can profoundly impact how we behave as adults. It's a story about betrayal, infidelity and how we often blinker ourselves to see a version of the truth that is more palatable to us.

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

At fourteen, Adunni dreams of getting an education and giving her family a more comfortable home in her small Nigerian village. Instead, Adunni's father sells her off to become the third wife of an old man. When tragedy strikes in her new home, Adunni flees to the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, where she becomes a house-girl to the cruel Big Madam, and prey to Big Madam's husband. But despite her situation continuously going from bad to worse, Adunni refuses to let herself be silenced. And one day, someone hears her.

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

Lily's Promise by Lily Ebert and Dov Forman

When Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert was liberated in 1945, a Jewish-American soldier gave her a banknote on which he'd written 'Good luck and happiness'. And when her great-grandson, Dov, decided to use social media to track down the family of the GI, 96-year-old Lily found herself making headlines round the world. Lily had promised herself that if she survived Auschwitz she would tell everyone the truth about the camp. Now was her chance.

In Lily's Promise she writes movingly about her happy childhood in Hungary, the death of her mother and two youngest siblings on their arrival at Auschwitz in 1944 and her determination to keep her two other sisters safe. She describes the inhumanity of the camp and the small acts of defiance that gave her strength. From there she and her sisters became slave labour in a munitions factory, and then faced a death march that they barely survived.

Lily lost so much, but she built a new life for herself and her family, first in Israel and then in London. It wasn't easy; the pain of her past was always with her, but this extraordinary woman found the strength to speak out in the hope that such evil would never happen again.

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

Haven't They Grown by Sophie Hannah

All Beth has to do is drive her son to his football match, watch him play and then drive home. But the knowledge that her former best friend lives nearby is all-consuming. She can't resist. She parks opposite the house, and is still there when Flora and her children return home.

Except... something's not right.

Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily were five and three years old. Today, they look exactly the same - they haven't changed at all. How is this possible?

Beth knows it isn't - yet she also knows what she saw, and that it was real. And, having seen it, how can she forget?

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

For years, rumours of the 'Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.

The Binding by Bridget Collins

Imagine you could erase your grief. Imagine you could forget your pain. Imagine you could hide a secret. Forever.

Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a letter arrives summoning him to begin an apprenticeship. He will work for a Bookbinder, a vocation that arouses fear, superstition and prejudice - but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.

He will learn to hand-craft beautiful volumes, and within each he will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there's something you want to forget, he can help. If there's something you need to erase, he can assist. Your past will be stored safely in a book and you will never remember your secret, however terrible.

In a vault under his mentor's workshop, row upon row of books - and memories - are meticulously stored and recorded.

Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of them has his name on it.

The Binding is an unforgettable, magical novel: a boundary-defying love story with a unique literary event.

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

It is 1981. Glasgow is dying and good families must grift to survive. Agnes Bain has always expected more from life, dreaming of greater things. But Agnes is abandoned by her philandering husband, and as she descends deeper into drink, the children try their best to save her, yet one by one they must abandon her to save themselves. It is her son Shuggie who holds out hope the longest. Shuggie is different, he is clearly no’ right. But Shuggie believes that if he tries his hardest, he can be normal like the other boys and help his mother escape this hopeless place.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a fever. Her twin

brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home?

Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London.

Neither parent knows that one of the children will not survive the week.

Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright. It is a story of the bond between twins, and of a marriage pushed to the brink by grief.

It is also the story of a kestrel and its mistress; a flea that boards a ship in Alexandria; and a glovemaker's son who flouts convention in pursuit of the woman he loves. Above all, it is the tender reimagining of a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose names was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.

If you would like to read my review of this book please click here.

(header photo courtesy of Jason Leung/Unsplash)