Bruce Chatwin’s debut novel: “Conrad’s Heart of Darkness seen through a microscope” (The Atlantic) In this vivid, powerful novel, Chatwin tells of Francisco Manoel de Silva, a poor Brazilian adventurer who sails to Dahomey in West Africa to trade for slaves and amass his fortune. His plans exceed his dreams, and soon he is the Viceroy of Ouidah, master of all slave trading in Dahomey. But the ghastly business of slave trading and the open savagery of life in Dahomey slowly consume Manoel's wealth and sanity.
Somewhere in the foothills of the Himalayas, a sixty-two-year-old English painter falls off his sketching stool. Overweight, asthmatic and prone to attacks of epilepsy, Edward Lear is nevertheless on a mission – to paint the mighty Kanchenjunga for his patron, the Viceroy of India. Lear is an oddity, an outsider, simultaneously fascinated and repelled by the world the British have built in India. Even as he battles the fatigue of travelling on pony carts, jampans and trains, Lear reflects on those who run the vast machinery of the Empire – administrators and missionaries, kitmutgars and kamsamahs. Duelling pompous British officers with his wry humour, Lear turns his ear to the polyphony of local languages to compose nonsense poetry with a uniquely Indian flavour. Woven into this vivid account are flashes from Lear's own life – deep-seated fears stemming from an unhappy childhood and the memory of unfulfilled adult relationships. Inspired by the journals of this celebrated artist and poet, Anindyo Roy brings to life Lear's little-known Indian sojourns. In lyrical prose, and occasional verse, The Viceroy's Artist paints a picture of an exceptional man who inspires by his unhindered imagination, curiosity and compassion for the world.
A civil war rages in our galaxy. To further their war aims, the TeraGon, a manufactured warrior race, attempts to capture Earth. And to thwart their plans, the Order, the TeraGons’ former masters and now their foes, appoint 13-year-old Mark Numan as his world’s sole Guardian. But Mark quickly learns the TeraGons aren’t his only enemy. And the Earth proves not to be just another world to be conquered but is crucial to the fate of the galaxy, and even the entire multiverse!
The lives of the three daughters of Lord Curzon: glamorous, rich, independent and wilful. Irene (born 1896), Cynthia (b.1898) and Alexandria (b.1904) were the three daughters of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India 1898-1905 and probably the grandest and most self-confident imperial servant Britain ever possessed. After the death of his fabulously rich American wife in 1906, Curzon's determination to control every aspect of his daughters' lives, including the money that was rightfully theirs, led them one by one into revolt against their father. The three sisters were at the very heart of the fast and glittering world of the Twenties and Thirties. Irene, intensely musical and a passionate foxhunter, had love affairs in the glamorous Melton Mowbray hunting set. Cynthia ('Cimmie') married Oswald Mosley, joining him first in the Labour Party, where she became a popular MP herself, before following him into fascism. Alexandra ('Baba'), the youngest and most beautiful, married the Prince of Wales's best friend Fruity Metcalfe. On Cimmie's early death in 1933 Baba flung herself into a long and passionate affair with Mosley and a liaison with Mussolini's ambassador to London, Count Dino Grandi, while enjoying the romantic devotion of the Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax. The sisters see British fascism from behind the scenes, and the arrival of Wallis Simpson and the early married life of the Windsors. The war finds them based at 'the Dorch' (the Dorchester Hotel) doing good works. At the end of their extraordinary lives, Irene and Baba have become, rather improbably, pillars of the establishment, Irene being made one of the very first Life Peers in 1958 for her work with youth clubs.
In the heart of 17th century Lima, Isabel, the daughter of a powerful Spanish viceroy, finds herself entangled in a forbidden love affair with Diego, a charismatic mestizo revolutionary. As the city erupts into rebellion against Spanish rule, Isabel’s loyalty to her family and her growing affection for Diego collide, threatening both her safety and her family's honor. Amidst the turmoil and danger, Isabel must navigate a perilous path between love and duty, facing choices that could alter the course of her life and the fate of the rebellion. "The Viceroy’s Daughter" is a captivating historical romance that weaves together passion, politics, and the struggle for freedom in a richly detailed setting. historical romance, viceroy’s daughter, 1600s Peru, Lima rebellion, forbidden love, mestizo revolutionary, Spanish colonial era, historical fiction Peru, romantic struggle, Isabel and Diego
Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The Englishman born to rule, George Nathaniel Curzon, epitomized this concept. He was the eldest of four brothers and six sisters, and he was born in 1859. He was passionate about Kedleston, and he sought to improve it. #2 George’s back pain affected his entire life, and it was reflected in his stiffnecked attitude and prejudices. He was a member of the coterie of aristocratic and intellectual men and women known as the Souls. #3 Lord Curzon, who was the viceroy of India, was a lover of beautiful women. He was extremely drawn to the feminine qualities of warmth, softness, and decorative serenity. He preferred spending his leisure time with women rather than men, but he treated them as if they were not equal souls worthy of being seriously considered or treated with respect. #4 Mary Leiter, the daughter of a Cleveland steamship company owner, was introduced to society in Washington, D. C. She was a beautiful, loving, and submissive woman who knew her place. She was exactly what George Curzon wanted in a wife.
Wavell's three and a half year tenure as Viceroy was arguably the most difficult, momentous, and misunderstood that any Viceroy had to face. His journal helps to correct a number of misconceptions concerning this period and leads to a better appraisal of his qualities as a Viceroy and as a man.
