📖 Book Review ~ Captive Queen by Jade Scott

 Michael O’Mara
24 October 2024

Thanks to the publisher and Alison Menzies for my copy of this book

A fascinating and revealing new biography of Mary Queen of Scots in captivity.

For almost two decades before her or execution at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was a prisoner. From her chambers, she wrote countless letters, many encrypted using complex ciphers to prevent her communications from being intercepted. In this way, she used language to exert her will and her influence, even while incarcerated.

More than 400 years after Mary’s death, the discovery of further encoded letters has led to renewed interest in the breadth of her encrypted correspondence in captivity. 

In Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots, historian and expert on Mary’s correspondence Dr Jade Scott draws on hundreds of Mary’s letters and those sent to her, to paint a vivid portrait of one of history’s most compelling figures. She interrogates Mary’s complex relationships with friends and enemies throughout her imprisonment, illuminating her strategic expertise and bringing Mary’s captivity to life as never before.

📖 My Review..

I’ve long held a fascination for the beleaguered Queen of Scots whose return to Scotland in 1561 heralded a new beginning only to have everything fall to pieces in just a few short years. Whilst the story of Mary Stuart’s fall from grace is widely documented this fresh look at the decrypted evidence from Mary’s letters, whilst imprisoned, certainly help to reshape her story. Covering the twenty years of Mary’s imprisonment, her constant struggle to gain support for her cause and her unjust incarceration, we begin to learn just how frantic were Mary’s efforts to gain her freedom. 

Mary scribed thousands of letters, most were cleverly encrypted, with devious codes, in order to make their contents inaccessible to prying eyes. Comprehensively researched and imaginatively written, this showcases the author’s skill in bringing Mary’s troubled captivity to life, as well as documenting the surreptitious duplicity of Elizabeth I’s spymasters, this fascinating read gives a realistic insight into Mary state of mind whilst incarcerated in various strongholds in England. I especially enjoyed the small vignettes at the start of each chapter which give an intimate account of Mary’s thoughts and feelings which read like historical fiction. The detailed Dramatis Personae at the start of the book gives a who’s who of all the key players who played a role in Mary’s imprisonment, be they friends or enemies, and the colour illustrations help to place the biography within it’s specific timeframe.

The legacy of this troubled Queen of Scotland will never grow old as we continue to be fascinated with her life story and her relationship not just with, Elizabeth, her ‘sister quene’ but also with her supporters who wanted her restored to her throne and equally, those who were just as determined to keep Mary, Queen of Scots strictly under the control of her English gaolers.

About the Author

Dr Jade Scott is a historian specialising in Mary, Queen of Scots and an expert on her letters. She is an affiliate in History at the University of Glasgow, an associate fellow of the Royal Historical Society and secretary of the Scottish History Society, researching early modern Scottish women and their correspondence. She lives in Stirling with her husband and two St Bernard’s.

X@OMaraBooks 

#JadeScott #Captive Queen

📖 Blog Tour ~ A Banker's Journey by Daniel Gross

 

Radius Book Group
13 October 2022

My thanks to Midas pr for my copy of this book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Who was Edmond J. Safra? “The greatest banker of his generation,” in the estimation of a former World Bank President. The founder of four massive financial institutions on three continents, and a proud child of Beirut’s Jewish quarter. An innovative avatar of financial globalization, and a faithful heir to a tradition of old-world banking. The leading champion and protector of the Sephardic diaspora.

In A Banker’s Journey, financial journalist and historian Daniel Gross, who, like Safra, traces his heritage to Aleppo, Syria, reconstructs the public life of an intensely private man. With exclusive access to Safra’s personal archives, Gross tracks the banker’s remarkable journey from Beirut to Milan, São Paulo, Geneva, and New York—to the pinnacle of global finance.

Edmond Safra was fifteen in 1947, when his father sent him to establish a presence in Milan, Italy. Fluent in six languages, and with an eye for value, managing risk, and personal potential, Safra was in perpetual motion until his tragic death in 1999. The modern, global financial empire he built was based on timeless principles: a banker must protect his depositors and avoid excessive leverage and risk. In an age of busts and bailouts, Safra posted remarkable returns while rarely suffering a credit loss.

From a young age, Safra assumed the mantle of leadership in the Syrian-Lebanese Jewish community, providing personal aid, supporting the communities that formed in exile, and championing Sephardic religious and educational efforts in Israel and around the world.

Edmond J. Safra’s life of achievement in the twentieth century offers enduring lessons for those seeking to make their way in the twenty-first century. He inspired generations to make the world a better place.

📖 My Review

I know nothing about the world of high finance, or banking, and I have to admit that, before picking up this biography, I hadn't heard of Edmond J. Safra but always keen to learn something new and read something out of my comfort zone, I settled down to learn more about how Edmond J. Safra built a global financial empire. Born in 1932, in Beirut, Safra's career spanned much of the tumultuous years of the twentieth century and is a fascinating account of survival, philanthropy and determination to succeed.

Comprehensively written, and with a fascinating selection of photographs, both personal and professional, we gradually get an idea of what maketh the man. It is obvious that the author has done extensive research into how Safra made a hugely successful global empire and used it for philanthropic good, helping those who were unable to help themselves. In using Safra's personal archives the author has been able to bring into focus the important achievements of this quite private individual who spent much of his time helping, and becoming, the leading champion, and protector, of the Sephardic diaspora.

As with all well written biographies there is much to consider and the author has been quite thorough in his descriptions of the business empire Safra created whilst at the same time revealing the personality of the man. A Banker’s Journey is an interesting account of Safra’s life and times especially as we trace his journey from Beirut, Milan, São Paulo, Geneva, and New York and beyond to the height of his success as, perhaps, the 'greatest banker of his generation'.

About the Author

Daniel Gross is one of the most widely read writers on finance, economics and business history. Over the past three decades, he has reported from more than thirty countries, covering everything from the dotcom boom to the global financial crisis and the great recession of 2008-2009.Gross worked as a reporter at the New Republic and Bloomberg News, wrote the 'Economic View' column in The New York Times, and served as Slate's 'Moneybox' columnist. At Newsweek where he was a columnist and correspondent he anchored seven cover stories. He is the best selling author of eight books.

Gross was educated at Cornell University and holds an MA in American History from Harvard University. His great- grandparents emigrated to the United States from Aleppo and Damascus.

Twitter @grossdm #ABankersJourney

@MidasPr

Website

Review ~ Tchaikovsky:The Man Revealed by John Suchet

Elliot & Thompson
September 2018

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is one of the most successful composers that Russia has ever produced, but his path to success was not an easy one.

Listening to Tchaikovsky's music, and in particular, his composition for the ballet, Swan Lake, is always such a treat and although I am familiar with his work, and enjoy listening to it playing softly in the background either on Classic FM, or on Spotify, I didn't know much about the man behind the music. As always, this continuation of John Suchet's excellent biographies about the lives of some of the world's greatest composers, is a real delight to read and absorb.

Tchaikovsky:The Man Revealed is an absolute revelation, not just about the composer's musical genius, which the author writes about very knowledgeably, but also about the very troubled man behind the public persona. From Tchaikovsky's early childhood, the relationship he had with his parents and siblings and of his constant struggle with his sexuality, there is no doubt that Tchaikovsky was a deeply troubled soul, so often at odds with a world which didn't understand just what complex demons drove him to behave in the way he did. 

Beautifully written, John Suchet has again revealed the man behind the music in glorious detail, with a wonderful mixture of music and lifestyle, the biography flows in a very readable way. The prose is delightfully unfussy, and as explained in the prologue it doesn't shy away from revealing the sometimes more controversial aspects of Tchaikovsky's rather complicated personal life.

Over this festive period I have really enjoyed reading into this beautifully presented book, enjoying the comprehensive information which constantly reveals something new and fascinating about this enigmatic Russian composer.

About the Author

John Suchet presents Classic FM's flagship morning programme. His informative style of presentation, coupled with a deep knowledge of classical music, has won a wide spectrum of new listeners to the station. Before turning to classical music, John was one of the UK's best known television newscasters, regularly presenting ITN's flagship News at Ten, as well as all other bulletins, over a period of nearly 20 years. John has been honoured for both roles.

Twitter @JohnSuchet1

@eandtbooks

Blog Tour ~ Stranger in my Heart by Mary Monro

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of the blog tour for Stranger in my Heart 

Unbound
9 June

My thanks to the author, publishers and Random Things Tours for my copy of this book
 and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

Stranger In My Heart (with foreword by HRH The Princess Royal) is about the search for understanding oneself, answering the question “Who am I?” by seeking to understand the currents that sweep down the generations, eddy through one’s own persona and continue on – palpable but often unrecognised.

My Thoughts about it..

In order to know where we are going, we need to know where we have come from and in this interesting biography of Lieutenant Colonel John Monro, his daughter, the author, has given us a glimpse into the life of a courageous man who was caught up in the events leading up to, and during, WW2. Lieutenant Colonel Monro was heavily involved in the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941, but was captured by the Japanese and interred as a prisoner of war. In 1942, he made a successful escape, travelling over 1200 miles of hostile country to reach China’s wartime capital at Chongqing.

When the author was growing up her father was a Shropshire farmer and she had no reason to be curious about his wartime exploits. However, as is so often the case, we never really know someone until they are gone from our lives, and following his death, the need to discover more about her father's past life turned into this fascinating biography. Putting together the missing pieces of Monro's life meant that some considerable research was needed, and by following in his footsteps and travelling across China, the author has written an intricately detailed portrayal of what made Lieutenant Colonel Monro into the person who was awarded the Military Cross for courage.

I read this biography over the course of several days, reading a chapter here and a chapter there, as the narrative is complex and intricately written, so to do the book justice I found it best to take my time with it, and not rush through it at top speed. Throughout the book I was always impressed with the care and fine attention to detail which gives so much fascinating information about a period in world history of which I knew absolutely nothing. 

Researching the life of her father must have been an emotional journey for the author and, to her credit, she has succeeded in doing so in a meaningful and thoughtful way.

About the Author

Mary has written numerous technical and academic articles and is an experienced lecturer and presenter, but this is her first book. She lives in Bath with her husband, Julian Caldecott, and dog, Gobi. She practises as an osteopath in the picturesque Wiltshire town of Bradford on Avon. She treats people three days a week (see www.mmost.co.uk) and treats horses and dogs one day a week (www.hippokampos.co.uk and www.facebook.com/the2marys). She is a Trustee of the Sutherland Cranial College of Osteopathy (SCCO) and Member of the Royal Society of Medicine. She was formerly a marketing consultant, with five years experience at what is now Price Waterhouse Coopers, and three years with strategy consultancy, P.Four (now part of WPP). She began her marketing career with Cadbury’s confectionery and retains a lifelong love of chocolate.

Mary was born and raised at a farm on the edge of the south Shropshire hills, the youngest of four children. She attended Shrewsbury High School from age four to eighteen. She spent much of her childhood on horseback, which left her with permanent damage to her right eye, a broken nose, broken knee-cap and broken coccyx. She has been bitten, kicked, rolled on, dragged, and has fallen off too many times to recall, but she still rides racehorses for fun.

Twitter @monro_m276 #StrangerInMyHeart

#RandomThingsTours

Unbound @unbounders

Amazon UK

Review ~ Verdi : The Man Revealed by John Suchet

Elliot & Thompson
September 2017

It's always a real treat when one of these sumptuously produced books arrives for me to read and review and to have a glimpse into the life of Guiseppe Verdi, one of the greatest operatic composers , written by one of my favourite Classic FM presenters is, for me, something to really get excited about.

With wonderful glossy pages, this meticulously researched biography is easy to read and wonderfully informative, and  if, like me, you have little knowledge of the life of these great composers...well, to have everything you need to know in one lovely, glossy volume is a wonderful idea. I really enjoyed flipping through the book and reading chapters at whim, always finding something interesting and fascinating to learn about this most complex of individuals.

The author writes with real authority and includes, in this biography, all those snippets of information about Verdi's greatest works which are so important. From Rigoletto to Othello, La Traviata to Aida, all human emotion is to be found within his great catalogue of works, and the author ensures that all these are included and described in a very readable way. I particularly enjoyed reading of Verdi's early life in Italy, and the confusion surrounding his date of birth made me smile. 

Beautifully illustrated, the book is a sumptuous and beautiful journey through the whole of Verdi's very eventful life which I am sure will appeal to music lovers everywhere.

Verdi: The Man Revealed would make a perfect Christmas present for any classical music lover. My copy is definitely one to keep and cherish.

If you enjoy reading about the musical greats, then perhaps consider these composer


 biographies written for Classic FM by John Suchet

Published by Elliot & Thompson

  

About the Author

John Suchet presents Classic FM’s flagship morning programme, from 9am every weekday. His informative style of presentation, coupled with a deep knowledge of classical music, has won a wide spectrum of new listeners to the station. Before turning to classical music, John was one of the UK’s best-known television journalists. As a reporter for ITN he covered world events, including the Iran revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Philippines revolution. He then became a newscaster, regularly presenting ITN’s flagship News at Ten, as well as all other bulletins, over a period of nearly twenty years.

John has been honoured for both roles. In 1986 he was voted Television Journalist of the Year, in 1996 Television Newscaster of the Year, and in 2008 the Royal Television Society awarded him its highest accolade, a Lifetime Achievement Award. John has been given an honorary degree by his old university, the University of Dundee, and in 2001 the Royal Academy of Music awarded him an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his work on Beethoven, having written six books on the composer, including the highly acclaimed Beethoven: The Man Revealed (2012). His bestselling biography of the Strauss family, The Last Waltz: The Strauss Dynasty and Vienna, was published in 2015.

My thanks to Alison at Elliot&Thompson for my review copies of these books

Review ~ Mozart : The Man Revealed by John Suchet

Elliot & Thompson
2016

This is one of those splendid coffee table books that will sit very comfortably just waiting for someone to open it and read its fascinating contents.

I love listening to Classic FM and even though I know which pieces of music I like to listen to, I find that I know very little about the lives of the great composers who wrote the music I love. In these days of quick fix information it's very easy just to search the internet for snippets of information as you need it, but nothing beats the look and feel of a really good biography. Mozart: The Man Revealed by John Suchet is a wonderful glossy biography to immerse yourself in, and as you read on,  the here and now disappears, and you are quietly transported back to a wonderful time of musical soirées in the opulent salons of eighteenth century Europe.

The life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, from his birth in in Salzburg in January 1756, through to his untimely demise in Prague, aged just thirty five in 1791, is covered in fine detail. Each of the twenty-three chapters which make up the bulk of the work have delightfully descriptive headings, I think my favourites have to be those titles which head chapter 8  “Ass-Bumping in Venice", and the delightfully quirky heading for chapter 10, "Gnagflow Trazom", which I'll let you work out for yourself! John Suchet writes with such warmth and wit about this great composer but isn't afraid to show the man behind the genius, warts and all, which comes across when describing Mozart's rather salacious communication with his nineteen year old cousin, Maria Anna Mozart. I loved the way the biography flowed beautifully and was gilded with an assortment of delightful illustrations and documents which highlight Mozart’s complex and fascinating life.

There is no doubt that Mozart's musical genius continues to enhance our modern world. Whilst reading this lovely book I listened to his Salzburg Symphonies which are simply delightful and which compliment this lovely book to perfection.

Mozart: The Man Revealed would make a perfect Christmas present for the classical music lover in your life or simply as well earned treat.

My copy is definitely one to keep and cherish.

Best Read with ...a cup of richly, aromatic hot chocolate and a generous slice of Apfelstrudel

About the author

John Suchet presents Classic FM’s flagship morning programme, from 9am every weekday. His informative style of presentation, coupled with a deep knowledge of classical music, has won a wide spectrum of new listeners to the station. Before turning to classical music, John was one of the UK’s best-known television journalists. As a reporter for ITN he covered world events, including the Iran revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Philippines revolution. He then became a newscaster, regularly presenting ITN’s flagship News at Ten, as well as all other bulletins, over a period of nearly twenty years.

John has been honoured for both roles. In 1986 he was voted Television Journalist of the Year, in 1996 Television Newscaster of the Year, and in 2008 the Royal Television Society awarded him its highest accolade, a Lifetime Achievement Award. John has been given an honorary degree by his old university, the University of Dundee, and in 2001 the Royal Academy of Music awarded him an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his work on Beethoven, having written six books on the composer, including the highly acclaimed Beethoven: The Man Revealed (2012). His bestselling biography of the Strauss family, The Last Waltz: The Strauss Dynasty and Vienna, was published in 2015.

 My thanks Alison Menzies at Elliot & Thompson 

for the opportunity to read and review this book.

~***~

Review ~ Our Country Nurse by Sarah Beeson with Amy Beeson

Harper Element
2016

A bit about the book..

All seems tranquil as newly qualified Health Visitor Sarah motors into a small Kentish hilltop village in her new green mini. She's barely out of the car when she's called to assist the midwife with a bride who's gone into labour in the middle of her own wedding reception. And so her adventures begin..

My thoughts about the book..

I first came into contact with this talented mother /daughter writing duo when I was privileged to read their first collaboration, The New Arrival, which charted Sarah's tentative steps as a student nurse in London in the early 1970s. In this second volume of Sarah's adventures we meet up with her again as she takes up a post as a newly qualified health visitor in Totley, a small Kentish village. The setting couldn't be more idyllic and is such a change of environment for Sarah as she begins to adjust from the activity of London to the suppose tranquility of rural life. But all is not as tranquil as she would suppose and very soon Sarah is thrust into the hustle and bustle of caring for patients who have a multitude of problems.

As always the writing is sharp and crisp and the fine attention to even the smallest detail ensures that the reader always feels fully immersed in the story. The community of Totley and surrounding district comes alive with great compassion and more than a hint of humour which I suspect were both commodities much needed during this time.

I think what comes across in Our Country Nurse is that this was much simpler age to work in and yet people's problems were very real and the care and compassion which was needed was vitally important to communities. There's a generosity of spirit which is apparent in the way that Sarah recounts her story. There is no doubt that she was an enthusiastic practitioner and this comes across in the way that the people of Totley warmed to her. All was not plain sailing for Our Country Nurse but the story evolves so beautifully that it is a joy to read from start to finish.

Best Read with...a glass of ginger beer and a hearty bowl of country soup..

About the Authors

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sarahbeesonthenewarrival/

Twitter @NewArrivalBook

Instagram https://twitter.com/NewArrivalBook

Website http://sarahbeeson.org/

Amazon UK

 My thanks to Sarah and Amy Beeson for sharing their book with me.

You can read an interview with the authors by clicking here 

~***~

Review ~ The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne

Harper Collins
January 2013

The ‘real’ Jane Austen will forever be an enigma, but this interesting book goes some to way to bring out the hidden and perhaps more homely traits of her personality, which all too often can get lost inside the more academic studies of Jane Austen's life. By taking small and inoffensive items that Jane may have owned, and by using then using these items as a springboard, we are allowed a tantalising glimpse into the life of a woman who was completely comfortable with herself, and who was totally of her time.

Nicely presented, in easily organised chapters, I found that this was one of those books which is easy to dip into and out of at whim, and as the book progresses it’s almost like putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, with the end result being that of a complete portrait of one of our most fascinating novelists.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my digital copy of this book