Thirty Odd Feet Below Belgium by Arthur Stockwin

                                  

 

Paperback:  233 pages

Genre: European History, WW1, Memoir, Letters, Non-Fiction,

Publisher: Bagshawe Books, Centenary Edition 2016

Source:  My Bookshelves - Own copy

Review Quote: Tunnellers' memoirs are scarce, but collections of letters are yet more rare. I have never come across such a revealing or affecting record. Geoffrey today lies thirty feet down in the blue clay of Flanders; I have no doubt that Edith's photograph lies with him, in the tunic pocket closest to his heart. --Peter Barton, author of Beneath Flanders Fields.

My Opinion:  In 1990 the editor of this moving memoir of a WWI friendship found letters sent between his late mother Edith Ainscow and Geoffrey Boothby. A friendship that grew into love through their correspondence with each other.

A memory from Arthur’s childhood concerning the name of Boothby led him to realise that his mother had had a tragic relationship at just seventeen years of age. 

Obviously the letters were not meant to be published but he decided to publish them. They are an extraordinary insight into the dreadful experiences those facing the horrors of the war endured. I am sure that Edith and Geoffrey would have approved of his decision. Recommended to those readers interested in WWI, social history and love.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

When Geoffrey Boothby was seconded to the Royal Engineers in 1915, he was twenty- one and Edith Ainscow was eighteen. They had spent only four days together before Geoffrey was sent to the Front and the subterranean struggle below the Ypres Salient, in tunnels that were narrow, dark, flooded, and in deadly danger from the German workings close by. During the next 18 months, as their letters passed to and fro, they fell in love. As Edith wrote her last letter, in May 1916, Geoffrey was due for leave: 'I can't really believe that you're coming yet but I hope and hope and hope. Do, do be careful just for one week.....'

The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick

                                           

Hardback:  471 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Harper Collins 2023

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Today I couldn't be late. Every minute was needed to review the most recent intelligence photographs before the Combined forces meeting at five this afternoon.

Review Quote: ‘Liz Fenwick weaves intrigue and romance into this profound, luminous novel’ Woman’s Own

My Opinion:  

I have read a few of Liz Fenwick’s previous novels from her debut ‘The Cornish House’ to the more recent ‘ The Returning Tide’ and ‘The River Between Us’, all of which were 5* reads. ‘The Secret Shore’ is no exception as it is a captivating read and cleverly based on real life people and events that took place during WWII.

The female protagonist Dr Meredith Tremayne has been obsessed with maps from a young age. It is no surprise therefore that she has chosen a career path, that finds her lecturing at Oxford University. When war breaks out she finds herself posted to London and then Devon working with specialist units. Her job is to update maps from aerial photographs and provide geographical information to the teams working in the field.

In my summing up I am repeating myself somewhat from an earlier review, but my opinion remains the same.  Recommend highly this author to those that appreciate well written fiction, with settings and characters that come alive on the page and that will take you through a whole range of human emotions whilst reading.

Previous Reviews:  The Cornish House.  The Returning Tide   The River Between Us

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

As one of the Navy’s most skilled mapmakers, Merry knows the very lives of men far away depend on her work in the War Office

But when a family crisis draws her back to her beloved Cornwall, Merry finds herself working alongside an enigmatic American officer on secret operations spanning the rugged coasts of Cornwall and Brittany which she knows so well.

But not everything is as clear as the maps she draws. As rumours and suspicion swirl around her family, Merry is increasingly drawn to Jake, despite the defences she’s built around her heart. It’s a dangerous time to fall in love when there is everything to lose as the tides of war are rising…

Author Profile:

Courtesy of Goodreads 

Liz Fenwick was born in Massachusetts and after nine international moves - the final one lasting eight years in Dubai- she  now lives in Cornwall and London with her husband and two cats. She made her first trip to Cornwall in 1989, bought a home there seven years later. Apparently her heart is now forever in Cornwall, creating new stories.

Liz Fenwick describes herself as Novelist, wife, mother of three, slave to two cats and dreamer turned doer....

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Twitter - Liz Fenwick   Amazon Author Page  Official Author Website - Liz Fenwick 

Facebook Profile   Goodreads Author Profile

Square Mile Tales by Tony Drury

 

                                       

Paperback:   210 pages

Genre: Autobiographical, Politics, Finance, Banking

Publisher: City Fiction 2023

Source:  The Author

First Sentence: It may seem unlikely but I was appointed to my Square Mile banking position when having coffee with my boss in the middle of Whipsnade Zoo, a few miles off the M1motorway.

Review Quote: The following four-star review was posted on Amazon 8 June 2023.

Over the last few years I’ve read a fair number of Tony Drury’s books and they’re all a good yarn. He certainly knows how to tell a good story. The difference here with Square Mile Tales, is that it’s not fiction – something that’s often hard to believe. Tony seems to have met anyone who’s anyone in The City and has stories about them to tell too. I wouldn’t say Tony was the best writer in the world but he is a great storyteller. I enjoyed this latest foray into autobiographical writing and think you will too.

My Opinion: I have read and always enjoyed this authors fiction writing, also having met him a few years ago I was curious to read his autobiography. Knowing a little of his background I was expecting it to be fascinating and informative.

This personal account of the financial and political turbulence of the last forty plus years was intriguing even with my minimal understanding and interest in such matters. The stories about the many thought provoking characters he has met during the course of his career are told with wit and humour.

I now feel I understand a little more about the world of city banking and politics, plus I throughly enjoyed the personal glimpses into his family life. An engaging account written by an interesting man. Worth reading.

My Reviews  Megan's Game   The Deal   Cholesterol   Novella Nostalgia Series

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Prepare yourself for a helta-skelta ride around the City of London.

Experience what media tycoon and fraudster Robert Maxwell was really like, up close. Imagine having dinner with controversial Conservative Member of Parliament Nadine Dorries, become enraged by the secret filming of Diana, Princess of Wales, puzzle at the appearance of Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith at Woburn Abbey and wonder why Ghislaine Maxwell hoped to meet the author at a party.

‘Square Mile Tales’ is the autobiography of a man who spent over forty years in banking and corporate finance, was awarded the coveted Fellowship of the (Chartered) Institute of Bankers, who wrote the text book on Finance House, who co-founded ProShare Investment Clubs and brought share ownership into the lives of many and who explained it all in his best-selling book on the subject.

Tremble with fear as the author was arrested by Chinese guards at the Hong Kong/Shenzhen border, as he was rushed to hospital in Beijing into the care of Dr Wang and how he became chairman of a Japanese media company to conclude an eventful career.

But ‘Square Mile Tales’ is much, much more as the author recalls his fifty-four years of marriage and the economic, political and social background, to the events dominating his years in the City of London.

Author Profile:         

Courtesy of City Fiction
 

Tony is the author of five DCI Sarah Rudd City thrillers. In each, he draws upon his career as a London financier to expose the underworld of dark practices and shadowy characters. None, however, are able to withstand the bravery and incisive detection methods of one of the police force’s bravest officers. Her juggling of career demands, husband, children and her own demons, make riveting reading.

He has written two more novels, which trace the early career of probationary police constable Sarah Whitson. In ‘On Scene and Dealing’ she meets her future husband Nick. In ‘Journey to the Crown’ she has a devastating affair with Dr Martin Redding. The final chapter jumps ahead to sample her future life as a private detective.

Tony has created an innovative series as a novella writer. Reflecting iconic cinema classics, his first is ‘Lunch with Harry’, which is inspired by ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’. Others include ‘Twelve Troubled Jurors’ (echoing ‘12 Angry Men’), ‘Forever on Thursdays’ (capturing the drama of ‘Brief Encounter’) and ‘The Man Who Hated’ (based on the Michael Douglas film, ‘Falling Down’).

He has written short-stories wherein the net proceeds go to HEART UK – The Cholesterol Charity. He is an ambassador for the charity.

In May 2023 City Fiction published Tony’s autobiography telling of his forty years working in the City of London.

Aged seventy-six, Tony is a follower of the wisdom of Albert Einstein: “When a man stops learning, he starts dying.” He lives in Bedford with his wife Judy. They value every trip down the M1 to Watford to be with Grandson Henry..

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

 City Fiction Publishing - Website    Tony Drury on Twitter

Tony Drury - Amazon Author Page      Goodreads Profile