November 26, 2019 Blackberry & Wild Rose by Sonia Velton Review by Helen Skinner It’s 1768 and Sara Kemp has just arrived in Spitalfields, the London parish which has become home to a thriving…
April 19, 2018 Dear Mrs Bird by A J Pearce Reviewed by Helen Skinner It’s 1941 and Britain is at war. Emmeline Lake has always wanted to be a journalist and is thrilled when…
August 30, 2016 The Revelations of Carey Ravine by Debra Daley Reviewed by Helen Skinner There was always a good chance that I was going to love The Revelations of Carey Ravine. A book which has…
June 23, 2016 The Sun King Conspiracy by Yves Jégo & Denis Lépée Translated by Sue Dyson Reviewed by Helen Skinner This fascinating and complex historical thriller is set in 1661 at the court of France’s Sun…
October 23, 2015 Q&A with Laila Lalami Questions by Helen Skinner 1. The Moor’s Account is narrated by the Moroccan slave, Mustafa al-Zamori, also known as Estebanico. What made you decide to write…
January 26, 2015 Heir to a Prophecy by Mercedes Rochelle Written by Helen Skinner “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.” In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, these are the words spoken by the three witches to…
December 3, 2014 Mr Mac and Me by Esther Freud By Helen Skinner In Mr Mac and Me, Esther Freud paints a beautiful portrait of a small rural community and the ways in which it…
