Customer Reviews (1)

Less than Bonnie
Charles Edward Stuart is one of the most romanticized figures in Scots history - more kitch history has been made of Bonnie Price Charlie than virtually anyone else in the eighteenth century.

As Forster makes clear from the outset, he was far from romantic in real life: he beat his mistress, he was paranoid, vain, profligate, often drunk (especially in his late years), politically inept and utterly deluded as to his future prosects.In this narrative, we follow Charlie through all the phases of his odd life:upbringing in Rome, life in Paris, arrival in Scotland in 1745, initial triumph at Prestonpans, the march on England, the retreat, defeat at Culloden, life on the run in the Hebrides, escape to the Continent, then gradual decline and relative obscurity back in Italy.Forster's pen is sure; she has had access to the Stuart's family papers, and her grip on the era and general understnading of eighteenth cenruty Europe is superb.

There are some truly odd things about Charles' life: why, for instance, did he so flippantly abandon Catholicism AFTER 1746, when an earlier conversion to Protestantism would have aided his cause in the uprising - whereas a later conversion simply damaged his chances of winning Papal recognition as King of England?Yet there are inspiring things too: his poise and bravery in 1745, his ability to inspire loyalty, his elusion of his Hanoverian pursuers in 1746 (special thanks here to Flora MacDonald), are to his everlasting credit, notwithstanding his later failngs.

Charles' psychological problems seem to stem from one essential truth: his entire life's predicament (as king-in-exile) was bizarre.The central and irrefutable fact of Charles' existence was that he was, by any legal definition, the rightful and direct male heir to the English and Scottish thrones; yet save perhaps for a few fleeting months in 1745, he was never accepted as such.In other words, since the world refused to behave normally, small wonder that Charles himself never could.In this context, perhaps Forster's verdict, while magnificently rendered, is somewhat harsh. ... Read more

Product Description
Reading groups are one of the success stories of the age. Newspapers are writing about them; celebrities are forming them. There are more than 50,000 people in reading groups in the UK alone, and countless more in the US. This lively and engaging book, which looks at the history and current practice of this modern phenomenon, has now been revised, to bring statistics and listings right up-to-date, and includes a new foreword by Margaret Forster. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning with new information
This is a thoroughly researched book, using new-found information, on the life of this enigmatic poet.She really was a remarkable woman, particularly in that time period; as was her equally remarkable husband, Robert Browning.The new information reveals a woman who shows unexpected strength, both physically and emotionally, that was completely antithetical to her adulthood at home, pre-marriage, as an invalid.Her father, also, emerges as more three-dimensional than the movie version and earlier books, depict him.Yes, he was a tyrant, but also capable of being charming and enjoying social events and family fun.All in all, if you want to know the real Mrs. Browning and her family, this is the book for you. ... Read more

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Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1897Original Publisher: T.F. UnwinSubjects: Literary Collections / GeneralLiterary Collections / EssaysLiterary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, WelshNotes: This is an OCR reprint of the original rare book. There may be typos or missing text and there are no illustrations.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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This digital document, covering the life and work of Margaret Forster, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 3081 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

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Mark Twain once famously said "there was but one solitary thing about the past worth remembering, and that was the fact that it is past and can't be restored."Ê Well, over recent years, The British Library, working with Microsoft has embarked on an ambitious programme to digitise its collection of 19th century books.

There are now 65,000Ê titles availableÊ (that's an incredible 25 million pages) of material ranging from works by famous names such asÊ Dickens, Trollope and Hardy as well as many forgotten literary gems , all of which can now be printed on demand and purchased right here on Amazon.

Further information on The British Library and its digitisation programme can be found on The British Library website. ... Read more