Books
by Jill Paton Walsh
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A Desert in Bohemia |
The history of a corner of Central Europe from 1945 to 1990 is told through the lives of nine interconnected characters. But this is not merely history, it's a complex and moving account of loss and exile, conflicting ideologies and moral philosophy. As in Knowledge of Angels (bwl 5) Paton Walsh combines marvellous story-telling with a deep knowledge of the human spirit. And this time she allows us to be optimistic!
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 27 December 2004) |
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Knowledge of Angels |
On a Mediterranean island in the Middle Ages, a young girl has been found in the mountains, utterly savage, apparently brought up by wolves. Does she have an immortal soul? This question is a matter of life and death, fought out by the Abbot, the civil administrator, the nun who looks after her, the Inquisition, and, above all, a ship-wrecked stranger from another culture. A beautiful, lucid, moving and thought-provoking book.
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 5 October 2000) |
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The Bad Quarto |
Cambridge college nurse Imogen Quy solves a murder mystery involving academic rivalry, life-threatening dares and an amateur production of the Bad Quarto of Hamlet. The plotting is excellent and the characters extremely believable. Apparently a far cry from the Paton Walsh of Knowledge of Angels (bwl 5), but her intelligence and erudition are nevertheless lurking beneath the surface, producing, to my mind, a very pleasing read.
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 45 April 2008) |
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