Once the British Isles were seen as a stronghold of female leadership. Patriarchal culture pushed these stories to the geographical margins – yet they live on, a force too potent to ignoreThroughout history, the idea of islands where women rule has bee…
Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman review – escape to the west
This thrilling page-turner digs into history of a tunnel beneath the ‘death strip’ and marks 60 years since the Berlin Wall was builtIt was a plan that seemed to defy not just caution but geography: to build a tunnel to help East Germans escape to the …
Crude Britannia by James Marriott and Terry Macalister review – a harrowing read
A story of missed opportunities and industrial decline is told with rare insight and vivacityThis November the eyes of the world will turn to Glasgow. “Cop26 meeting is last chance, says Alok Sharma as he backs UK’s plan for new oil and gas fields,” th…
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker review – bleak and impressive
In the sequel to her Iliad retelling The Silence of the Girls, told from the perspective of captured queen Briseis, Barker moves on from war to its aftermathTroy has fallen. Its warriors, even its unborn male babies, are all dead. The mutilated body of…