Here are 100 books that Precipice fans have personally recommended if you like
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For many Austen devotees, "it is a truth universally acknowledged" that MANCHESTER PARK is Jane Austen's least engaging novel. But picking up MANCHESTER PARK again this year was a revelation and an argument for second readings. I remembered it from a first encounter forty years ago as the one Jane Austen book that I didn't enjoy. It was also the one Austen novel I'd never reread, until this year. Fanny Price, the main character, couldn't hold a candle to Lizzie Bennet or Emma Woodhouse, I'd thought. She was timid and without an ounce of spirit or wit. Yes, Fanny is not Lizzie Bennet. And that is Austen's point. In PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Lizzie admits (after that pivitol, disastrous proposal scene) "until that moment, I never knew myself." Her pride in her cleverness led to her faulty judgments. Fanny is not witty or clever, but Austen shows her developing powers of…
'Full of the energies of discord - sibling rivalry, greed, ambition, illicit sexual passion and vanity' Margaret Drabble
Jane Austen's profound, ambiguous third novel is the story of Fanny Price, who is accustomed to being the poor relation at Mansfield Park, the home of her wealthy plantation-owning uncle. She finds comfort in her love for her cousin Edmund, until the arrival of charismatic outsiders from London throws life at the house into disarray and brings dangerous desires to the surface. Mansfield Park is Austen's most complex work; a powerful portrayal of change and continuity, scandalous misdemeanours and true integrity.
Separating the true stories from the myths, The Duty of Memory provides a deeper understanding of the diverse motivations that drove ordinary people to join an underground network of French Resistants despite terrible odds and horrifying consequences.
This book takes the reader inside the true story of men and women…
“From Defeat into Victory” William Slim My third read is being enjoyed for the 2nd outing but this time I am reading it in Myanmar, Burma as it was known in 1989. Slim’s 550-page epic details his experiences leading British and Indian troops in Burma from 1942–1945. Whereas many memoirs by generals focus on themselves, Slim details the campaign overall in minute detail, rarely compliments himself, and lavishes praise on his troops. It is an incredible look into a complete military campaign from the most outstanding soldier Britain produced during the 2nd World War. Slim generated awesome loyalty amongst his soldiers. I have met some of the ‘forgotten’ 14th Army in my time as Vicar and honorary padre. Things start out in 1942 with “The Retreat” as the British are routed from Rangoon and Burma, all the way back into India. Burma Corps arrives back in India in shambles —…
Field Marshal Viscount Slim (1891-1970) led shattered British forces from Burma to India in one of the lesser-known but more nightmarish retreats of World War II. He then restored his army's fighting capabilities and morale with virtually no support from home and counterattacked. His army's slaughter of Japanese troops ultimately liberated India and Burma. The first edition of Defeat Into Victory , published in 1956, was an immediate sensation selling 20,000 copies within a few days. This is an updated version with a new introduction by David W. Hogan Jr.
MY FATHER'S HOUSE is the first novel in Joseph O’Connor’s “Rome Escape Line Trilogy, “ based on the real-life Hugh O’Flaherty, an Irish priest serving at the Vatican. He and a band of allies dubbed “the Choir” smuggle diplomats, Jews, and allied soldiers out of Rome. The novel’s structure is a countdown. The opening chapter’s heading reads, "119 hours and 11 minutes before the mission” (an operation that’s slated for Christmas Eve, 1943). Delia Kieran, wife of an Irish diplomat, and Monsignor O’Flaherty, the Choir’s Conductor, drive a critically ill member of the team through German checkpoints, searching for medical help. The emergency threatens to upend the Choir’s plans. O’Flaherty scrambles to piece together an alternative scheme. Too ill to take on the mission, he isn’t sure anyone else is up to the task. The reader follows one of the choristers on a hallucinatory nighttime trek across Rome to deliver…
From the acclaimed, bestselling author of Star of the Sea and winner of the 2021 Irish Book Awards Book of the Year for Shadowplay, comes a gripping and atmospheric new novel set in occupied Rome.
September 1943: German forces have Rome under their control. Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann rules over the Eternal City with vicious efficiency. Hunger is widespread. Rumors fester. The war’s outcome is far from certain. Diplomats, refugees, Jews, and escaped Allied prisoners flee for protection into Vatican City, the world’s smallest state, a neutral, independent country nestled within the city of Rome. A small band of unlikely…
In the first century, Rome’s celebrated love poet Ovid finds himself in exile, courtesy of an irate Emperor, in the far-flung town of Tomis. Appalled at being banished to a barbarous region at the very edge of the Empire, Ovid soon discovers that he has a far more urgent -…
Emily Van Dyne deeply loves the great poet Sylvia Plath. Many do, but the author of this new perspective on Sylvia Plath’s life, death and body of work has done the intricate research that few have done so well. She digs deeply into the complex ways Plath’s life impinged on her work, including how personal writing and poetic legacy were manipulated by her husband, also a famous poet, after she took her own life and those of her small children.
Van Dyne doesn’t claim to know that Plath was a victim of intimate partner violence, but rather provides us with the evidence that makes her believe so. We can judge for ourselves, though not conclusively.
I like the authenticity of this book, told in the first person, as the author entwines the poet’s life, Plath’s journals and letters, and the author’s experience of the violence she has experienced…
Sylvia Plath is an object of enduring cultural fascination-the troubled patron saint of confessional poetry, a writer whose genius is buried under the weight of her status as the quintessential literary sad girl. Emily Van Duyne-a superfan and scholar-radically reimagines the last years of Plath's life, confronts her suicide and the construction of her legacy. Drawing from decades of study on Plath and her husband, Ted Hughes, the chief architect of Plath's mythology; the life and tragic suicide of Assia Wevill, Hughes's mistress; newly available archival materials; and a deep understanding of intimate partner violence, Van Duyne seeks to undo…
I moved to New York when I was 15 and fell in love with the city. I was starting high school then, and arriving in Manhattan felt like the world opened up to me. Suddenly, I could ride the subway anywhere I wanted, see the best theater in the world, and feel as if anything was possible. The female journey has also been a topic I have long been fascinated by, and when I began my journalism career and became a wife and mother, the need to explore those dynamics grew ever more pressing. I recommend these books because they combine my two favorite topics—New York and women’s history.
This book is a deeply researched account of one of the most famous women-only hotels, the go-to place for ambitious, aspiring career women from writers like Joan Didion and Sylvia Plath to actresses like Ali MacGraw and Jaclyn Smith. It is my favorite kind of history, a journey through the twentieth century told through the lives of fascinating women.
A “captivating portrait” (The Wall Street Journal), both “poignant and intriguing” (The New Republic): from award-winning author Paulina Bren comes the remarkable history of New York’s most famous residential hotel and the women who stayed there, including Grace Kelly, Sylvia Plath, and Joan Didion.
Welcome to New York’s legendary hotel for women, the Barbizon.
Liberated after WWI from home and hearth, women flocked to New York City during the Roaring Twenties. But even as women’s residential hotels became the fashion, the Barbizon stood out; it was designed for young women with artistic aspirations, and included soaring art studios and…
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Nevernight Chronicle, Jay Kristoff, comes the much-anticipated sequel to the international bestselling sensation EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE.
From holy cup comes holy light; The faithful hands sets world aright. And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight, Mere man shall end this endless night.
Gabriel de León has saved the Holy Grail from death, but his chance to end the endless night is lost. Drawn into an uneasy alliance with the mysterious vampire Liathe, Gabriel must now deliver the Grail to ancients of the Blood Esani, and learn…
The climax to a trilogy of which is quite possibly the greatest re-telling of the legend of King Arthur in existence. It's powerful and poetic, tragic and grisly. Heroic characters, a well realised Dark Age Britain. What's not to love?
Readers are loving ARTHUR . . . 'By far the best Arthurian story I have had the honour to read.' ***** 'Brilliant writing, excellent characterization, and immersive storytelling.' ***** 'I've adored this trilogy. The best re-telling of Arthur's legend I've read, and I'd include Cornwell's in that.' ***** 'The ending is bloody and glorious, and very well done. One last thunder of hooves, one last trill of the trumpets. I'm just gutted it's over, I could have read on and on.' ***** 'Enough originality and sheer writing talent to make it a literary must.' ***** 'This is proper storytelling that…
I loved this unusual story. I learnt about Nepal, its flora and fauna and the issues facing the people and animals. The relationships between the children grows as the story progresses and they face new challenges. There's action all through the book and you're never sure how they're going to get out of some scary situations. I particularly liked the audio presentation of the story and the sound effects which add so much atmosphere to the story. It's one of those stories that you think about afterwards, not just because it's a great tale, but because it deals with poaching and its dreadful impact on endangered species.
This is an adventure story for adults and young adults. It is a breathlessly exciting page-turner, in the long tradition of quest stories. The complex and shifting relationships of the three main protagonists – Alex and James, and their engaging girl companion Bim – are put to the test as they work their way through the beautiful and dangerous Nepalese landscape. They know what they have to do, but not what they will be required to face. Perils confront them at every turn, some natural, others man-made. The Nepalese landscape – presented in vivid and almost tactile clarity – can…
I love historical fiction and A KIng's Command is up there with my favourite historical novels. From start to finish, the author has woven carefully researched historical material into an exciting yarn where we follow Lidie and other Huguenots in their fight to preserve their religious beliefs. From the very beginning we are hooked by Lidie's predicament which reminds us of the plight of many people now and throughout history. It starts off with Lidie's happy and rather frivolous lifestyle, but we soon learn that black clouds are forming over the future of French Protestants. I like to feel when I finish an historical novel, that I've learned a lot about human nature and the period - A KIng's Command does both.
'An absorbing tale told with sensitivity. The forgotten struggles of Huguenot refugees come to moving, heartrending life.' Steven Veerapen, author of A Dangerous Trade. 16 year old Lidie Brunier has everything; looks, wealth, health and a charming suitor, but there are dark clouds on the horizon.. Lidie and her family are committed Huguenots and Louis XIV has sworn to stamp out this ‘false religion’ and make France a wholly Catholic country.. Gradually Lidie’s comfortable life starts to disintegrate as Huguenots are stripped of all rights and the King sends his brutal soldiers into their homes to force them to become…
Almost Home is a fictional retelling of the last great tragedy of the Civil War.
In late April 1865, almost 2,000 newly freed Union prisoners of war are packed onto the steamer Sultana, in poor repair and with a listed capacity of 376 passengers. Among them are four Indiana soldiers…
The Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, edited by Mark Solms, There is an unconscious element of the mind Before Freud, the idea of an unconscious mind was an oxymoron. Mental and conscious used to mean the same thing, so the idea that there are mental forces you can be unaware of was totally new. Freud’s own model of consciousness – the id, ego and superego, which represent different parts of our minds, including animal drives as well as our personalities and moral compasses – hasn’t been proven by scientists. But numerous scientific studies have since proved the role of the unconscious in a number of different brain processes – from determining how happy we are, to decision-making and forming memories. Most of the mental processes that govern what we do, we’re not aware of them, and that’s knowledge we had in the first place…
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