Just Finished Reading: Priests De La Resistance! - The Loose Cannons Who Fought Fascism in the 20th Century by Fergus Butler-Gallie (FP: 2019) [260pp] 

To be honest it was difficult to resist a book with a pun both in the title AND the sub-title. No doubt it helped that the book also covered an odd aspect of WW2 and I’m always looking for the odd nooks and crannies of that particular conflict. I’ve long been interested in resistance movements across the globe and across time with a particular focus on the French resistance in particular. My reading, up to this point, has looked at the political aspects of this resistance especially focusing on the Communists and local Nationalist groups in various European countries. This was something quite different looking instead at the religious (exclusively Christian here) side of things. 

Looking at around 15 examples (all but 2 from occupied Europe during WW2) this was a fascinating, uplifting, harrowing and sometimes honestly funny look at some of the priests, nuns and other religious characters who put everything on the line to fight Fascism. Sadly (showing my lack of knowledge in this area) the vast majority of the people mentioned where completely unknown to me. The only one I recognised was Dietrich Bonhoeffer – not a name easily forgotten once discovered. Naturally one of the things I love about books like this is that they introduce me too a whole new side of things and to fascinating people of which I was previously ignorant. Being an ‘odd-ball’ myself (although generally I don’t think of *myself* that way) I was delighted to see just how ‘odd’ this cast of characters was. I think almost without exception they were outliers in their own faith organisations and all too often barely tolerated by their ecclesiastical hierarchy. Honestly, I liked them instantly! But it didn’t surprise me that someone who was a constant thorn in the side of their bishops or others above them was equally a thorn in the side (and often much more) to the Fascist authorities who tried to control them. Above all else it was their faith that not only sustained them through the years of Occupation but it was their faith that drove their opposition to Fascist ideology and the practical effects of it – from deportation of Jewish populations to the general oppression of the local population. 

Reading these potted biographies its difficult not to be uplifted by their efforts (often valuable, life-saving, inspirational) to fight a very real evil in their midst. I also found it difficult not only to admire these men and women who put their lives a distant second to doing the right thing but to love them for what they did. They were probably ‘difficult’ people in a whole host of ways but I do think they would have been fun – lovely provocative fun – to have in your community and most especially to know them or, if you were very lucky, to be friends with them. Told with a wonderful style I really enjoyed reading about a whole host of people that shouldn’t really be allowed to fade into historic obscurity. Definitely recommended and I’ll be looking out for the authors previous work on the English clergy. 

MUST be almost New Year... My local supermarket has put the Easter eggs out..... [lol]

The Last 10 Movies – December 2024 Edition   

ANOTHER quick movie watch from me. No wonder my review ‘pile’ stubbornly refuses to increase! These were mostly re-watches with only TWO new films (to me at least) one of which I really enjoyed and the other I thought was terrible (but I finished it just to make absolutely sure). So... 

You Only Live Twice (1967) 

The last of the original/approved Connery Bond films. Mostly based in Japan and mostly very silly. Much as I do love Bond they haven’t aged very well! 

Free Fire (2016) 

I remembered seeing the trailer @ the cinema and thought this looked like FUN. It was – muchly. It's a very simple tale of an illegal gun-buy going very wrong indeed followed by a shoot-out in an abandoned warehouse. Almost TOO simple to work – but it does. 

Hang ‘Em High (1968) 

Rather crude Clint Eastwood western revenge flick. Another classic that hasn’t aged very well. 

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) 

The only Bond film starring George Lazenby as Bond. The first half was rather slow but it got there eventually. Starred Diana Rigg as the very attractive and self-destructive love interest. 

Black Adam (2022) 

I periodically try to ‘get into’ super-hero films after falling out with them after Avengers: End Game. This reconfirmed everything I hate about the genre. One of the worst films I’ve seen in years. 

Gorky Park (1983) 

I loved this when it came out and have really liked the book series it was based on. William Hurt was one of my favourite actors at that time and he played the role of a long-suffering Soviet policeman very well. Showing its age now but at least this has prompted me to continue with the books! 

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) 

Quite terrible adaptation of my favourite Holmes story starring Peter Cushing as Holmes and Christopher Lee as Baskerville. Honestly, they should both be ashamed of themselves. 

The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974) 

Very inventive idea and very well-made train ‘heist’ movie starring Walter Matteau completely out of character with Robert Shaw as the baddie. Really shows what a mess 70’s New York was. 

The Matrix (1999) 

Still stands up pretty well despite being 25 years old. It completely blew me away when I first saw it – both for the visuals and the concepts – and I still greatly enjoyed it. Shame they made the sequels. 

What’s Up, Doc? (1972) 

This was a random pick and I was totally surprised how much I still enjoyed it. Mad-cap, silly and non-stop. TOTALLY hilarious comedy about a mix up with hand-luggage. Both Ryan O’Neil and especially Barbara Streisand are brilliant in these roles. Loved every minute of it.  

Happy Birthday: Nichelle Nichols (born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer and dancer whose portrayal of Uhura in Star Trek and its film sequels was ground-breaking for African American actresses on American television. From 1977 to 2015, she volunteered her time to promote NASA's programs and recruit diverse astronauts, including some of the first female and ethnic minority astronauts.

Born in the Chicago suburb of Robbins, she trained in dance, and began her career as a dancer, singer and model in Chicago. As an actor, she appeared on stage, in television and in film.

On Star Trek, Nichols was one of the first Black women featured in a major television series. Her prominent supporting role as a bridge officer was unprecedented. She was once tempted to leave the series; however, a conversation with Martin Luther King Jr. changed her mind.

Towards the end of the first season, Nichols was offered a role on Broadway. Preferring the stage to the television studio, she decided to take the role. Nichols went to Roddenberry's office, told him that she planned to leave, and handed him her resignation letter. Unable to convince her to stay, Roddenberry told her to take the weekend off, and if she still felt she should leave, he would give her his blessing. That weekend, Nichols attended a banquet organized by the NAACP, where she was informed that a fan wanted to meet her.

I thought it was a Trekkie, and so I said, 'Sure.' I looked across the room and whoever the fan was had to wait because there was Dr. Martin Luther King walking towards me with this big grin on his face. He reached out to me and said, 'Yes, Ms. Nichols, I am your greatest fan.' He said that Star Trek was the only show that he, and his wife Coretta, would allow their three little children to stay up and watch. [She told King about her plans to leave the series because she wanted to take a role that was tied to Broadway.] I never got to tell him why, because he said, 'You cannot, you cannot... For the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day—as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing, dance, and go to space… who are professors, lawyers… If you leave, that door can be closed, because your role is not a black role, and is not a female role; he can fill it with anybody, even an alien."

Calling Nichols a "vital role model", King compared her work on the series to the marches of the ongoing civil rights movement. The next day, she returned to Roddenberry's office to tell him she would stay. 

Just Finished re-Reading: The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (FP: 1927) [293pp] 

Running to an even dozen stories this is the last set of Sherlock Holmes stories produced by the author after bowing to public pressure to produce more adventures for his fan base. This also means, of course, that it’s the last of the buddy-reads with Marian over @ Classics Considered. It's been a fun re-read over the year and I’m really glad we decided on doing this. Holmes is one of my three founding hero figures so it was good to reconnect after over 40 years. 

As usual with these things the stories are quite a mix of the Gothic, the simply mysterious and the criminal. One story in particular came as a bit of a surprise - The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier – as it was written by Holmes himself rather than, as usual, by Watson. It was interesting that despite (obviously) being penned by the same author it had quite a different ‘tone’. This was one of the gothic pieces and, as is common in these stories, had a link to the Empire, in this case South Africa which ACD knew well as he served there during the Boer War. 

One comment in particular made me LOL during the telling of The Adventure of the Mazarian Stone when Holmes shouted out “No violence gentlemen. Consider the furniture.” No doubt his rooms 221b had been set up just as he liked it and he didn’t want to waste his time furniture shopping! I think The Problem of Thor Bridge was probably my favourite story of the bunch. Not only was it very atmospheric but also very clever and hinged on a small, apparently insignificant, anomaly at the crime scene. I was impressed at ACD’s ingenuity.  

The Adventure of the Creeping Man (or should that be ‘creepy’ man) was interesting for a number of reasons – firstly that it gave some insight into Edwardian dating practices (and expectations) and also highlighted some fanciful pseudo-science. ACD should have known better... But it did show that the fear of the loss of male virility as age advances is FAR from new. The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger was another interesting one highlighting as it did Holmes’ basic humanity. It also dropped some interesting statistics – the fact that Holmes had been ‘in practice’ for 25 years and that Watson had been taking notes for 17 of them. Presumably Holmes had been operating for 5 years before Watson arrived on the scene? 

Lastly, The Adventure of the Retired Colourman had an interesting comment: Excellence at chess is the mark of a scheming mind! That’s good to know. I’m passable at chess but have never, thankfully, achieved anything close to excellence. 

Overall, this was a good to very good collection of Holmesian tales and I enjoyed them quite a lot. Being Edwardian rather than Victorian at this point I couldn’t help but notice how often the telephone made its way into the story and how access to that technology – growing more common throughout that age – affected the story. One other thing that I couldn’t help but notice (and honestly expect) was the occasional hint of racism or antisemitism sprinkled her and there. Although it did make me wrinkle my nose a bit, I’m glad they left it in so that we, as readers, can see how much we’ve progressed away from such things. 

Of course, after reading nine Holmes books over the last year, I’m going to miss the guys and their adventures. Fortunately, I have other options to continue my love of the characters and their interactions in what I’m called ‘Holmes Adjacent’ literature. I won’t be reading this quite as often as the original stories (other plans will intervene) but I will be dropping in at least a few such books per year going forward. The first of which will, probably, be another collection of short stories and another re-read: Sherlock Holmes in Orbit edited by Mike Resnick and Martin H Greenburg, but that won’t be for a few months at least.

A VERY Merry Christmas, Everyone! I do hope that you got something nice in your stockings this morning............!

 ...and maybe, just maybe, some..... Peace?

Just Finished Reading: The American Revolution – A Very Short Introduction by Robert J Allison (FP: 2015) [112pp] 

I think, if memory serves (which sometimes it doesn’t), we very briefly covered the American War of Independence in school. Not that we went into any great detail, but we did (I think) mention it in passing. Since then, I’ve picked up the odd bit of information about it from various other books and the occasional YouTube video. So, I thought it was about time I delved a little deeper. Of course, this being a very short introduction I wasn’t expecting to go too deep or too detailed. Indeed, it did feel from time to time rather breezy... 

I knew that the rumblings of revolutionary feelings had been bubbling under for some time, what with taxes and various appointed officials of the British crown throwing their weight around. It wasn’t long before tea and bullets started to fly. What was clear from the start is that the whole thing was very chaotic with neither side really knowing what to do and what they wanted. History writing tends to impose a much cleaner narrative on events than the reality of things. In the mix we had patriots (aka revolutionaries) and loyalists amongst the American population – plus no doubt a majority who just wanted to keep their heads down – along with the British who were trying to maintain or impose order. We also had slaves who were being offered their freedom if they joined the British cause as well as native Americans who fought on both sides. Then we had German ‘mercenaries’ and French ‘volunteers’ fighting with the British and American forces respectively, oh and the Spanish in the south got mixed in there somewhere. It was quite a complex mess. 

I think my biggest surprise reading this pretty good summary was that the whole process took so long. The bubbling of tension took some years before the shooting started, but once it did and after the actual Declaration of Independence happened I though the war itself only dragged on for a year, 18 months tops... Nope. It was MUCH longer. I was aware that the logistics of fighting a protracted war on the other side of the Atlantic at that time was not exactly easy and that Britain just didn’t have the forces required to fight there and protect the growing Empire from its many enemies, but I failed to understand just how difficult it was to play whack-a-mole with George Washingtons army and the rest of the ‘upstart rebels’.  

Being the kind of person that I am, what I found most interesting was the number of times and number of incidents that, if they had happened a little different, might have changed everything. There are the very close-run things during various battles and military encounters. There was talk of General Washington being replaced by someone more ‘forceful’ which could have at least changed the ultimate name of the US capital. Mistakes were made (on both sides), messages lost or received too late, leaders doing their own thing sometimes against orders or ‘freely interpreting’ them in such a way that amounted to the same thing. In a hundred ways either the details or the outcome of the conflict might have been different – which is why I like reading History so much. 

The last part of the book, post conflict, certainly piqued my interest when the author discussed the messy birth of the US Constitution and all of the compromises and horse-trading (as well as VERY heated arguments) around its provisions. I think that’s a subject I need to delve into a bit further. The whole process seems to be very human, very flawed, very imperfect – no wonder so many amendments were needed in an attempt to tidy things up a bit! Although not earth-shattering in its analysis this was still an interesting overview of an important conflict and its aftermath. Reasonable.

Happy Birthday: Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award and two Tony Awards. Fonda also received the Honorary Palme d'Or in 2007, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2014, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2021, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2024.

Born to socialite Frances Ford Seymour and actor Henry Fonda, she made her screen debut in the romantic comedy Tall Story (1960). She rose to prominence acting in the comedies Cat Ballou (1965), Barefoot in the Park (1967), Barbarella (1968), Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), California Suite (1978), The Electric Horseman (1979), and 9 to 5 (1980). Fonda established herself as a dramatic actress, winning two Academy Awards for Best Actress for her roles as a prostitute in the thriller Klute (1971) and the woman in love with a Vietnam war veteran in the drama Coming Home (1978). She was Oscar-nominated for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), Julia (1977), The China Syndrome (1979), On Golden Pond (1981), and The Morning After (1986). After a 15 year hiatus, she returned to acting in Monster-in-Law (2005), Youth (2015), and Our Souls at Night (2017).

Probably my 2nd favourite Christmas movie............

Just Finished Reading: Danger is My Business – An Illustrated History of the Fabulous Pulp Magazines: 1896-1953 by Lee Server (FP: 1993) [137pp] 

Anyone who is, or has been, a regular here will know of my love for pulp cover art. I’m also a BIG fan of the Golden Age of Science Fiction and Noir fiction – both of which emerged in the pulp magazines in the first part of the 20th century – so how could I avoid something like this book. OK, I’ve actually had it stacked in a pile near one of my shelf units for some time now (it's a large ‘coffee-table’ book so wouldn’t fit on any of my shelves) but the point stands. 

Covering ALL of the genres (or at least most of them) including Horror/Fantasy, Adventure, Private-Eyes, Romance and Sex, Heroes (super or otherwise), Weird (there was a lot of that!) and, of course, Science-Fiction the author not only showed his knowledge of the subject but his love of all things pulpy too. So, not only was this a FUN experience I also learnt quite a bit about why the pulps emerged in the first place, how they explosively expanded in the 1920’s, stumbled a bit during the depression, reached new heights shortly after and them collapsed almost overnight. It seemed like one hell of a ride for all involved. Although I certainly knew about SOME of the genres covered here, I wasn’t fully aware of the hundreds of really niche markets some of the pulps serviced or how short some of the runs were – some magazines died a very early death whilst others, particularly crime, SF and westerns, went on year after year. 

Although quite thin at just under 140 pages the large format allowed the author to cover a lot of ground despite the book being heavily illustrated with some great, indeed iconic, pulp images which really helped the individual magazines to stand out on their stands and either gave great pleasure or the odd moralistic heart attack to those who saw them. Pretty tame by today’s ‘standards’ some of the covers really pushed the boundaries of good taste and are, therefore, HIGHLY collectable today. If you’re as much as a pulp fan as I am – either for their contents or their art work – this will be a real treat for you. Recommended.   

Seems OK to me........................

Possible Soul Mate.... Definite Friend for Life!

Just Finished Reading: Witchfinders – A Seventeenth-Century English Tragedy by Malcolm Gaskill (FP: 2005) [286pp] 

After my previous read I was both intrigued and pleased to discover that Manningtree and its witch trial were both real. It’s also where the notorious ‘witchfinder’ Matthew Hopkins (and his less well-known side-kick John Stearne) started his discovery of witches. 

 As far as I’m aware England was unique at that time – around the mid-17th century – in its scepticism of all things witchcrafty, at least in the case of the judges and magistrates who more often than not threw out case after case brought before them. This deep scepticism only grew with time and, as the 17th century moved to its end, getting a witchcraft conviction became very difficult indeed. But around the time of Hopkins and his crusade things were far from normal. England was at war with itself – not only politically but also on the religious stage. The Protestant religion had begun to splinter – indeed shatter – into ever increasing denominations and off-shoots and religious practice, at least in the mainstream, was becoming more Puritan and ever more prescribed. Deviation, especially if it had even the hint of Popery, was denounced and often attacked physically. Any religious imagery or ornamentation was either removed or destroyed. Interestingly both Catholics and witches were both seen as agents of the Anti-Christ. As you might imagine that was pretty inflammatory! 

With everyone under close examination and with little or no understanding of science or disease it’s not surprising that arguments or just vague fears of ‘strange’ neighbours resulted in accusations of witchcraft when livestock or people sickened and died. Most of the time this would have been handled locally and the accused would have ended up in the stocks, but these were not normal times and both tempers and fears were running high. Enter the witchfinders to add their fuel to the fire and, well, we can all guess what happened next. Speaking of fire... It’s a very common misconception that witches were burnt at the stack for their ‘crimes’. Certainly, in England this was not the case – although it was both in Scotland and across the European continent. Generally, in England witches were hung – unless they were convicted of ‘treason’, which included killing their husbands. In that case witches were indeed burnt – although most of them were strangled first. 

With the times being so chaotic and, honestly, dangerous on multiple levels Hopkins and company managed to work their way in-between the official channels to do their work. Only when things started to recover (it took somewhat longer for things to return to normal) did the regular authorities start to clamp down on private operators doing government work. With ever rising scepticism, order returning and the clamp down Hopkins and Stearne faded into obscurity. 

Although I had studied the European witch craze in university my knowledge of the English version had only been picked up in a roundabout way through other reading and the occasional very bad movie. I knew of Hopkins of course. I think everybody of my age learnt about him in school but my ‘knowledge’ was pretty shallow. This interesting book has certainly added to that rough understanding a great deal. It was certainly interesting to see how the relative breakdown of normal society brought on by the Civil War(s) could bring witchcraft accusations and, more importantly, actual convictions on the flimsiest of ‘evidence’ to fruition. The only ‘problem’ I had with the book, and to be honest it was a very minor problem, was that the author thought it necessary to go into detail of each accusation and each process and trials progressed. The actual trajectory from accusation to hangman's rope almost invariably followed the same route so it might have been better to point out the variations rather than the norm. I did find myself skimming over a few of the later cases because of this. But on the whole, this was both an informative and interesting read (again especially as I couldn’t help comparing reality to fiction and finding myself even more impressed by the previous novel). Recommended for anyone interested in the English experience of witches. More to come in both fact and fiction.  

Happy Birthday: Sir Antony James Beevor, FRSL (born 14 December 1946) is a British military historian. He has published several popular historical works, mainly on the Second World War, the Spanish Civil War, and most recently the Russian Revolution and Civil War.

Educated at Abberley Hall School, Winchester College, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Beevor commanded a troop of tanks in the 11th Hussars in Germany before deciding in 1970 to leave the army and become a writer.

He was a visiting professor at Birkbeck, University of London, and the University of Kent. His best-selling books, Stalingrad (1998) and Berlin: The Downfall 1945 (2002), have been acclaimed for their detailed coverage of the battles between the Soviet Union and Germany, and their focus on the experiences of ordinary people. Berlin proved hugely controversial in Russia because of the information it contained from former Soviet archives about the mass rapes carried out by the Red Army in 1945. He was condemned for "lies, slander and blasphemy" against the Red Army by the Russian ambassador at the time, Grigory Karasin, and was frequently described as "the chief slanderer of the Red Army" by Kremlin-supporting media.

His works have been translated into 35 languages and have sold over 8.5 million copies. Beevor has lectured at numerous military headquarters, staff colleges and establishments in Britain, the US, Europe and Australia. He has also written for The Times, The Telegraph and Guardian, the New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Le Monde, Libération, Le Figaro, as well as El País and ABC in Spain.

The Spanish Civil War. London: Orbis, 1982. ISBN 978-0-14-100148-7

Inside the British Army. London: Chatto and Windus, 1990. ISBN 978-0-552-13818-5

Crete: The Battle and the Resistance. London: John Murray, 1991. ISBN 978-0-14-016787-0

with Artemis Cooper. Paris After the Liberation, 1944–1949. London: Penguin, 1994.

Stalingrad. London: Viking Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0-670-87095-0

Berlin: The Downfall 1945. London: Penguin, 2002. ISBN 978-0-670-03041-5 (Published as The Fall of Berlin 1945 in the U.S.)

The Mystery of Olga Chekhova. London: Penguin, 2004. ISBN 978-0-670-03340-9

The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2006. ISBN 978-0-14-303765-1

D-Day: The Battle for Normandy. London: Penguin, 2009. ISBN 978-0-670-02119-2

The Second World War. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2012. ISBN 978-0-316-02374-0

Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble. Viking, 2015. ISBN 978-0-670-91864-5

Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944. Viking, 2018. ISBN 978-0-241-32676-3

Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917—1921. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2022. ISBN 978-1-474-61014-8

Just Finished Reading: The Manningtree Witches by A K Blakemore (FP: 2021) [290pp] 

Essex, England 1643. She was trapped and she knew it. With a dead father, an aging mother and a life of the ragged edge of the village her options where few to none. Trapped. There was one, possible, way out if she could somehow manage it. The town clerk, John Edes, had taken a shine to her and was teaching her to read. He might, just might, be her means of escape. But he was increasingly busy these days with the incomers. Two strangers had taken up residence in an abandoned tavern and looked to be staying for a while. They were both clearly gentlemen, educated, well-dressed. They were also in Manningtree for a purpose. They were looking for witches and seem to have found one. An aging widow with a wooden leg was accused of casting a harmful spell. Under examination she had confessed and had accused others of being in a coven. It was a great victory for witchfinder Matthew Hopkins – his first breakthrough of the crusade. For Rebecca West it was something quite different. Her mother, Anne West, had been named as a witch. It was only a matter of time before someone named Rebecca too. Her mother gave her just one piece of advice – survive, no matter what you need to do. But what price would the feared witchfinder general demand of her? How far would she go to protect her own young life? 

I briefly studied the European witch craze in university for an essay I was working on and read a handful of books on the subject to help me formulate my arguments. One thing that was very clear from the outset was that the English witch craze was a very different beast both in extent and in result. Although witches certainly were discovered and ‘dealt with’ in various ways in England (although they were hardly ever burnt at the stake which was a common misconception) the number of witches arrested, tried and executed was minute compared to our European neighbours. However, especially in the Civil War period where this story takes place, the breakdown of law and order and of society as a whole allowed so-called ‘witchfinders’ like Hopkins to do their work largely (at least to begin with) unopposed. 

I could definitely see, almost from the outset, why this impressive debut novel won the Desmond Elliott Prize in its publication year. As a first novel it was outstanding. The prose used throughout was excellent and often beautiful. I was not surprised at all when I discovered that not only was the author a published poet but an award winning one too. It certainly shows in her writing. Her feeling of time and place was completely immersive and her characterisation, most especially of Rebecca West (a new fictional favourite), was very good indeed. I found out later that much that took place in the book is based on real events which made me even more impressed at how the author weaved her tale in-between known historical events without (as far as I can tell) inventing anything too outlandish or out of context. She certainly never at any point came close to ejecting me from the narrative with ahistorical or anachronistic insertions. Indeed, the language and idioms used throughout made things more ‘real’ if anything. Although the English used in the novel had been modernised for the reader there was enough 17th century words and ideas sprinkled through the text (some of which I’d heard before, some I picked up with context and some I was tempted to Google but let the narrative flow instead) to make it sound realistic in the historical and geographical context of the novel. That alone was an impressive feat. Overall, this was a very impressive and often quite lovely read despite its subject matter. I shall definitely be looking out for her next novel. Definitely recommended and if you want to know what REALLY happened in Manningtree (yes, it's a real place!) and with Matthew Hopkins stay tuned....