Book cover of Painting the Darkness

Book description

In Robert Goddard’s third novel, a bestseller in the United Kingdom and now back in print, is a masterful exercise in suspense set in Victorian-era England. On a mild autumn afternoon in 1882, thirty-four-year-old husband and father William Trenchard sits smoking his pipe in the garden of his comfortable family…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Painting the Darkness as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I selected "couldn't put it down" to describe the pace of this book. But I had to put it down many times because it took the best part of a week to read. That said, the plot is captivating. The book's length is due in part to the care the author takes to establish atmosphere, portraying vividly the lives of the privileged in 1880s England. Rural landscapes, weather, city streets, and building interiors are described in a way that is almost cinematic. Reading this book reminded me of watching the original Forsyte Saga television series decades ago. After a lengthy…

If you love Painting the Darkness...

Book cover of Karl's War

Karl's War by Neil Spark,

Karl's War is a coming-of-age-meets-thriller set in Germany on the eve of Hitler coming to power. Karl – a reluctant poster boy for the Nazis – meets Jewish Ben and his world is up-turned.

Ben and his family flee to France. Karl joins the German army but deserts and finds…

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